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Zong Zhao looked at his younger brother with appreciation, "Little Xu is right! First and foremost, we must ensure our own safety. There's no need to risk our lives over the Sea God Token. After all, our purpose in entering is just to find people to spar with and have fun. Whether we get anything else is not important."

Talking like that in other families would probably get you scolded for not being ambitious enough.

Fortunately, Zong’s father was open-minded and knew his son's temperament well. He had no objections and even mentioned that when he was young, he participated in the Sea God Token contest purely for the sake of fighting.

The next day, before dawn, everyone gathered near the Sea God Stele.

Zong Zhao said to them, "We’ll enter via the Sea God Stele and stay inside for a month. After a month, the Sea God Stele will send us out as long as we’re still alive."

Ning Yuzhou asked, "Could it be that the Sea God’s Abode is inside the stele?"

"Maybe," Zong Zhao scratched his head, "Honestly, I’m not too sure. I only know that this Sea God Stele is extraordinary. Every time the Sea God Token is contested, we must enter it for a ten-day competition. The Sea God Token is forged by the Sea God Stele."

Ning Yuzhou finally showed a hint of interest.

Originally, he had signed up because of the Mirage Sea God Flower in the Sea God’s Abode, hoping to obtain some. He hadn’t expected the Sea God Stele to hold such secrets, which made him even more curious about what the stele was made of.

Ning Yuzhou wasn’t after the Sea God Stele out of greed—just pure curiosity.

Perhaps it was because of his awakened Di Xi lineage that he was interested in many miraculous things, fulfilling the saying in his bloodline, "Mastering all artifacts, spreading blessings far and wide."

To him, the Sea God Stele was also a type of artifact.

By the time they arrived, the area around the Sea God Stele was already crowded.

Zong’s father took them to where the Zhongzhou Thirteen Hongs’ cultivators were assembled.

Along the way, Zong’s father greeted familiar families from the Zhongzhou Thirteen Hongs and introduced them, "These are our Zong family's disciples participating in this year's Sea God Token contest."

In addition to the original ten Zong family disciples, five more were added: Wen Qiao, Ning Yuzhou, Qin Hongdao, Yi Xuan, and Shi Wuming. The Zong family suddenly had fifteen participants, more than in previous years, which drew the attention of many who knew the Zong family.

The Zong family's disciples primarily practiced body cultivation, making them known as Body Cultivators.

Because body cultivation was difficult, the Zong family always had fewer disciples than other families. They were known in the Zhongzhou Thirteen Hongs for prioritizing quality over quantity, so their numbers were the smallest among the Thirteen Hongs. In the past, it was already impressive for the Zong family to send ten disciples to the Sea God Token contest. This year, they had fifteen, with two women among them.

Someone curiously asked, "Brother Zong, your Zong family actually has girls participating this year. You didn’t just drag in two girls to fill the ranks, did you?"

Zong’s father proudly said, "This is my daughter, inheriting our Zong family's legacy. She is also a Body Cultivator."

The slender, beautiful girl was proudly presented by Zong’s father, who introduced her to his old friends with a delighted expression, as if declaring to the world: The Zong family now has a female Body Cultivator!

The Zong family’s tradition of only having male Body Cultivators had been a source of frustration. So when Wen Qiao, a female Body Cultivator, appeared, Zong Zhao was so happy, and Zong’s father immediately accepted her as his daughter.

A group of family heads, all over five hundred years old, were dumbfounded. They were familiar with the Zong family but had never known about this young girl. Moreover, the girl looked delicate and fragile—nothing like a Body Cultivator.

Shouldn’t Body Cultivators be like Zong’s father and Zong Zhao—tall, burly, and muscular?

Everyone looked at Zong’s father with suspicion, wondering if he was pulling their leg.

Fortunately, the appearance of the Emperor Yuan Realm cultivator hosting the Sea God Festival saved these elderly men from their doubts.

Zong Zhao narrowed his eyes at the figure appearing on the high platform ahead and sent a voice transmission to Wen Qiao and the others, "Sister, the three Emperor Yuan Realm venerables on the platform: the left one is the Zhanhai Pavilion Master, the middle one is the Min clan’s ancestor Min Kuanglang, and the right one is the Island Master of White Phoenix Island."

Wen Qiao looked at the Emperor Yuan Realm venerable in the middle. He was a handsome, middle-aged man with a refined look and a gentle air, making it easy to like him.

Since cultivators with high enough cultivation could maintain their youthful appearance, even if their actual age was advanced, their appearance could still remain young.

The three Emperor Yuan Realm venerables on the platform all appeared middle-aged, except for the Zhanhai Pavilion Master, who, with his beard and burly build, looked older.

Shi Wuming suddenly sent them a voice transmission: "Qiao, the Min clan is truly brimming with good looks. Even an old man looks so striking, so the other disciples must be no less. No wonder Qiao is so beautiful."

As if to confirm Shi Wuming's words, a few more people appeared beside the Min clan's patriarch, each of them handsome or beautiful, standing out like a stunning visual display.

Zong Zhao continued to send them a voice transmission: "Those beside the Min clan's patriarch are the Min clan's disciples. On his left is Min Mubei, and on his right is Min Jishu. Sitting beside Min Mubei is his daughter, Min Sulin..."

As he introduced them, everyone turned to look.

Min Jishu, whom Wen Qiao had already met, had a feminine appearance with a heroic aura, making it impossible to mistake him for a woman, which showed how outstanding his looks were. Min Mubei was also a handsome man, his beauty was refined, and his features seemed somewhat familiar. With these two exceptionally good-looking men by her side, Min Sulin, the so-called reigning beauty of the Inner Sea, seemed somewhat overrated.

Shi Wuming said, "The Min clan is indeed outstanding in appearance, but why does the reigning beauty of the Inner Sea seem to fall short compared to her father and nephew?"

Min Sulin's appearance was also extremely outstanding, and she would be considered a beauty among ordinary people.

Yet, for some reason, standing beside the Min clan's patriarch, Min Mubei, and Min Jishu, she seemed to fall short. Was it because those men were too outstanding, making her seem overshadowed?