Every cultivator gathered in the front courtyard. Those whose numbers were called would step into the arena to fight, with the same elder acting as the referee.
Gu Qinghe stood there with a cold gaze, continuously observing the flow of battle. Cultivators from the Spring Region clashed one after another.
He quickly realized something—disciples from the Spring Region were noticeably stronger than those from the Winter Region.
Yang energy dominated the sect, while Yin had lost its place. This imbalance was unnatural.
Gu Qinghe knew something was wrong with the situation. He glanced toward the old man seated at the center—the Yin-Yang Sect Master—but received no response.
Instead, the sect master seemed to be enjoying the matches where Winter Region disciples were crushed, their defeats elevating the prestige of the Spring Region.
Even so, Gu Qinghe did not care in the slightest. Rules that had already taken root in the sect were not something he could change on a whim.
He had no real attachment to the Yin-Yang Sect. His reason for coming here was simple and singular—to find a way to resolve his mother's Ice Meridian Curse.
The tournament continued, with Spring Region disciples dominating overwhelmingly.
One by one, Winter Region disciples were defeated, humiliated, and eliminated.
If Gu Qinghe managed to defeat Spring Region opponents, he would inevitably become the focus of attention for all their disciples.
Another match ended, and the elder moved on to the next. Gu Qinghe glanced at the system panel and saw Li Xiaoman's name appear.
She was about to fight a man from the Spring Region, an inner disciple at Mid Foundation Establishment.
There should have been no problem for Li Xiaoman. The gap in cultivation was clear.
The match began, and Li Xiaoman immediately took the initiative, launching an attack with her flying sword.
Gu Qinghe narrowed his eyes. He saw her release an offensive technique he had never seen before.
Could that be a technique given to her by her father?
The battle began with swordplay and ended in a direct clash of techniques. A massive energy explosion erupted, startling the crowd.
When the dust settled, Li Xiaoman was the only one left standing in the arena. The elder referee declared her the winner.
Before leaving the arena, Li Xiaoman turned her head and looked straight at Gu Qinghe.
It was a clear, open challenge.
The tournament continued until it was finally Gu Qinghe's turn.
He leapt forward and landed firmly in the arena. All the disciples looked at him with hostile expressions, largely due to his status as the Young Master of the Gu Clan.
"I've wanted to beat up a young master from a major clan for a long time," his opponent sneered.
Gu Qinghe turned to face him, eyes narrowing slightly. His opponent was an inner disciple from the Spring Region, a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"The match between Gu Qinghe and Yan Wuxing… begins!"
Yan Wuxing acted immediately, forming hand seals to activate a formation that enhanced the Yang element within his body.
Gu Qinghe saw through his intention at once.
He also formed hand seals and fired a blue qi laser forward, striking the core of the formation.
"What are you doing?" Yan Wuxing shouted.
Yan Wuxing's Yang Element Formation instantly transformed into a Yin Element Formation after Gu Qinghe's interference.
That qi laser had altered the runes at the formation's core, forcing Yan Wuxing to supply his own qi to power a Yin-based formation instead.
"I flipped the formation, adjusted its elemental alignment, and expanded its range," Gu Qinghe replied calmly.
"What did you do?!" Yan Wuxing roared.
Gu Qinghe formed another set of hand seals, expanding the Yin Element Formation until it enveloped the entire arena.
White snow suddenly appeared within the battlefield.
Everyone was stunned.
Even the sect master's attention was drawn to Gu Qinghe.
Yan Wuxing was not accustomed to a Winter-like domain dominated by Yin energy.
The moment snow touched his body, he was forced to circulate his qi at full capacity just to shield himself from the cold.
"Why… aren't you cold?" Yan Wuxing asked through clenched teeth.
"I cultivate the Yin element. Why would I be cold?"
"Now, let's see who's stronger."
Gu Qinghe seized the advantage and unleashed a palm-strike technique.
He thrust his hand forward as glowing runes appeared, and a golden palm shot toward Yan Wuxing.
Yan Wuxing tried to block it, but with his qi split between offense and defense, he could not hold out for long.
Gu Qinghe's golden palm shattered Yan Wuxing's protective barrier and sent his body flying straight out of the arena.
"Yan Wuxing has left the arena. The winner is Gu Qinghe," the elder referee announced.
Gu Qinghe nodded. The Yin Element Formation collapsed as Yan Wuxing lost consciousness from the impact.
Outside the arena, Li Xiaoman had watched the entire fight. Several Spring Region inner disciples were already whispering among themselves.
They clearly had not expected Yan Wuxing, a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator, to be defeated so easily.
Gu Qinghe noticed their reactions—their eyes carried traces of wariness. He knew he would need to be careful from now on.
All matches in the first round of the tournament concluded. The elder referee ordered all participants to rest for the day.
"The second round will continue tomorrow, using the same bracket."
"You may leave now and recover your condition," he commanded.
All disciples nodded respectfully, bowed, and flew away.
Gu Qinghe did the same. He summoned his flying sword and left the arena.
Li Xiaoman watched him go—then immediately chased after him.
"What was that just now?" she asked.
"What?" Gu Qinghe replied coldly.
"Yan Wuxing's Yang Element Formation. How did it change?" Li Xiaoman pressed.
"I altered the formation core using Yin-element qi," Gu Qinghe answered.
They arrived at the snowy hill, where Yin energy once again pierced the air. It did not bother Gu Qinghe in the slightest.
"How did you even think of doing that?" Li Xiaoman asked.
Gu Qinghe stopped before entering the cabin.
"I was just showing them… that the Yin element is far more dangerous than they think."