As the topic shifted, Su Yuqing said, "If you can truly secure second place, all the promises I made to you will be fulfilled." Lu Ye frowned, discerning the implied meaning: "And if I don't obtain second place?" Su Yuqing leisurely replied, "Then you and your senior sister will remain in this division for a century!" This was not part of the original agreement! Initially, Lu Ye only needed to participate in the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet, without any additional conditions, yet now Su Yuqing said this, evidently harboring resentment. This seemed a bit like mixing personal grievances with public matters. Hai Tang vaguely felt something was amiss and wanted to plead for Lu Ye, but just as she opened her mouth, Su Yuqing scolded her, "Shut up!" Hai Tang quickly held her tongue, puzzled, unsure if it was a mere illusion. She felt that today's master seemed strange, especially his attitude towards Junior Brother Lu, which seemed different from before, even in his way of addressing him... They continued in silence, and half a cup of tea later, the Black Abyss was in sight. From a high vantage point, the so-called Black Abyss was a bottomless chasm, not very long, roughly a thousand miles, but inside, eerie mists swirled, invisible to the naked eye. Even Mental Consciousness probing it would be greatly hindered, making it impossible to discern the interior's detailed situation. Check latest chapters at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 Beside the Black Abyss, more than a dozen figures stood. The two at the front had an immortal aura, one with the presence of a stalwart tree, evidently the two other Sun Blaze Realm beings of this domain, Chen Xuanhai and Woo Qimo. This was the first time Lu Ye saw these two, and he couldn't help but take an extra look, immediately recognizing the stern-faced elder as Chen Xuanhai, and the young man as Woo Qimo. "Fellow Daoist Su, you finally arrived. Any later and you would have missed it," Woo Qimo spoke, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. According to the prior arrangement, Su Yuqing was supposed to bring Lu Ye and Hai Tang earlier. After all, in this Martial Arts Meet, these two were the main force, and there were things to convey to them and to familiarize them with other Constellation stage participants to facilitate future cooperation. Yet, it was unclear why Su Yuqing was moving so slowly. After speaking, Woo Qimo suddenly paused, seriously studying Su Yuqing and Lu Ye, his brows furrowing. Not only did Woo Qimo notice something amiss, but Chen Xuanhai did as well. Although many things are deeply hidden and unknown to outsiders, Sun Blaze Realm experts, having been acquainted for so many years, could still deduce some startling things from faint traces. Especially certain matters, which had just recently occurred. The two Sun Blaze beings were momentarily unable to believe their eyes. Su Yuqing's expression became unnatural, leading Lu Ye and Hai Tang to descend, immediately stating, "Time is pressing. You all must now enter the Black Abyss. This Martial Arts Meet concerns the foundation of our domain for the next fifty years—it is exceedingly important. You must do your utmost. No matter how difficult the situation, never give up lightly!" "Yes!" The Constellations participating in the Martial Arts Meet responded in unison. Following Hai Tang's lead, they descended into the Black Abyss. This time, Hai Tang, being the highest in cultivation with Constellation Mid-stage level, naturally took charge, while the others were all at the Constellation Early Stage. Beside the Black Abyss, the Constellations disappeared from view, the breeze gently brushing by, leaving the three Sun Blazes in eerie silence. Though Woo Qimo's cultivation was high, his nature was vivacious and he couldn't hold back his words, hesitating briefly before speaking, "That Lu Yiye's cultivation... seems to have improved quite a bit." The pearl Su Yuqing gave to Lu Ye had exploded within him. Although Su Yuqing retrieved over ninety percent through a certain intimate method, some of it was still refined and absorbed into Lu Ye's Talent Tree. If it were merely spirit force, Lu Ye's improvement wouldn't be as noticeable. However, for someone like Su Yuqing in the Sun Blaze Realm, her internal power was beyond simple spirit force—it was a higher-level essence. Thus, even just refining for a day's work brought great gains for Lu Ye. His progress didn't reach the Constellation Mid-stage, but he took a significant step forward within the Constellation Early Stage. Lu Ye's change in cultivation might not be felt by other Constellations, not even by Moon Jade, but it couldn't hide from those in the Sun Blaze Realm. Such a notable change in cultivation was abnormal and wasn't something achieved by merely consuming treasure pills and wonder drugs. According to what Woo Qimo knew, achieving this had only one method, which was also a method Su Yuqing could use. That was joint cultivation! Through a certain joint cultivation secret technique, one could, in a short time, bring great enhancement to the lower-cultivated party. However, at the cost of some from the higher-cultivated party. Su Yuqing's deliberately indifferent face couldn't help but show a hint of blush, remaining silent. Seeing her reaction, Woo Qimo became increasingly convinced of his suspicion, inwardly shocked and quietly marveling at the extent of sacrifices Su Yuqing made for this Martial Arts Meet. How highly did she regard that Lu Yiye? And Su Yuqing's own change in aura was undoubtedly the best proof. Although her drop wasn't significant, it was noticeable and couldn't be hidden from Woo Qimo and Chen Xuanhai, which was why they were surprised when they first saw her. Some confusion, but more admiration. For the future of our home world, Su Yuqing really went all out. In this light, the news from Immortal Spirit Peak that Lu Yiye and Hai Tang became Dao companions was also a ruse. Yet, he did not know, this arrangement was Su Yuqing's initial decision, and indeed a ruse. She originally intended to use another clever way to send Lu Ye into the Black Abyss, but some unexpected events occurred due to a series of mistakes. "Let's go in as well." In an rather awkward atmosphere, Chen Xuanhai spoke up. Standing around here wasn't the solution, especially since this kind of thing wasn't something they could casually inquire about. No matter how close they were, private matters were private matters. After the Constellation from our domain entered the Black Abyss, some changes happened as well. Amidst the mysterious fog, a connection channel to the other two Mount Fangcun regions opened in Mingming. As Chen Xuanhai and his two companions shook their figures and rushed into the mysterious fog, they immediately appeared inside a vast space. The space wasn't large, with mysterious fog churning all around, leaving only a central area unaffected by the fog. The three lifted their eyes, and immediately saw several figures standing in the other two positions. To their surprise, it was the Sun Blaze cultivators from the other two regions. However, what they saw weren't the real bodies, but a type of mysterious projection, so they only saw outlines, not the true appearances. But after knowing each other for so many years, even just from the outlines, Chen Xuanhai and his companions could clearly identify their identities. As they saw the three appear, a voice laughed heartily from the upper left position, "The Eastern Region has finally arrived. Chen Xuanhai, I thought your side was forfeiting this time. Never thought you'd still come." From the lower right position, another laugh followed, "The East places last every time, what difference does forfeiting make?" Chen Xuanhai snorted coldly without saying anything. Mainly because there was no way to refute them, as this was the truth. It was shameful that the juniors of their home world were so unambitious, and every Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet, they were always mocked by the Sun Blaze cultivators of the other two regions, making them furious. Over the years, a few jibes at the East had become customary. Still, people wouldn't continue the mockery if there was no response, as it became meaningless. They were all of the Dwarf Race, and a little face-losing in such internal competition was acceptable, but going too far might breed resentment, which was undesirable – they still managed to keep it moderate. The upper left position belonged to the Southern Region, where two Sun Blaze were present. It wasn't that they only had two, but that there was no need to bring many. After all, this was a competition among the juniors, and the Sun Blaze couldn't participate. Being here was just to observe the situation's development. The lower right position belonged to the Western Region, same as the Eastern Region, with three Sun Blaze arriving. As the Eastern side stayed silent, the South and West teased each other back and forth, each boasting of their juniors' prowess, claiming victory was assured, and asserting their Constellation talents were peerless. This too was an old story. Chen Xuanhai and his companions remained silent, only listening to these two Sun Blaze boast. For Sun Blaze like them, it wasn't easy to meet ordinarily—this fifty-year opportunity had to be cherished. Actually, it was also an alternate opportunity for reminiscing. But because the Eastern side had remained weak, there was always a lack of participation. While the two sides were still noisily arguing, from the central spherical position, ripples suddenly propagated. Finally, Chen Xuanhai, who hadn't spoken, opened his mouth: "Stop squabbling, it's starting!" Sure enough, the Sun Blaze from the South and West fell silent, waiting with a leisurely demeanor. The ripples spread, soon becoming continuous, until suddenly disappearing at a certain moment. Immediately after, inside the spherical region, small light dots appeared one after another. They correspond to the positions of the three regions' Sun Blaze. This spherical region suddenly projected the interior of the Black Abyss! With this projection, the Sun Blaze observing here could spy on the competition status of the juniors inside the Black Abyss. Each position contained nine small light dots, corresponding to the cultivators participating in the Martial Arts Meet, each with different colors: red for the Eastern Region, yellow for the Southern Region, and blue for the Western Region. Moreover, the depth of the light dots' color varied, allowing experienced Sun Blaze to infer the cultivation level of the participating cultivators through the color depth. All three regions' Sun Blaze awaited this moment, as only now could they know the kind of lineup the others had for the Martial Arts Meet. In the past, the South and West regions always had formidable lineups, often including Constellation Mid-Stage, and occasionally featuring Constellation Late Stage cultivators. When the Eastern Sun Blaze raised their eyes, their expressions collectively changed. The lineups of the other two regions were unexpectedly strong this time. The Southern region had one Constellation Late Stage and two Constellation Mid-Stage… The Western region had one Constellation Late Stage and three Constellation Mid-Stage! Such lineups were rare even in previous Martial Arts Meets, generally indicating that the Dwarf Race of that region was aiming for the top spot!