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Compared to Di Yanbo's graceful performance, that kind of spectacularly wild battle struck straight at the heart, leaving one breathless and utterly captivated. Though initially startled, many later watched with great relish, reflecting the cultivators' inherent pursuit of strength in their bones.

Seeing this, Huanhua Immortal could only sigh and announce the conclusion of this year's Sea Goddess pageant.

Even if the sea beasts hadn't been frightened away, the subsequent female cultivators likely couldn't match Wen Qiao's awe-inspiring performance—this was no longer within the realm of ordinary power.

Upon returning to Wushuang Island, they saw Wen Qiao's name boldly displayed at the top of the Sea God Monument, flaunting its prominence boldly.

Second place went to Di Yanbo, and third to Liu Zizi.

Di Yanbo remained composed upon seeing the rankings, though she couldn't help but glance at Wen Qiao once more, her expression inscrutable.

Liu Zizi happily hooked arms with Wen Qiao, exclaiming, "Amazing! You won this year's Sea Goddess title!"

The rankings on the Sea God Monument were also determined by public vote. In both the first and third segments, cultivators could freely choose their preferred Sea Goddess. Unsurprisingly, Wen Qiao enjoyed the highest popularity.

Combined with the number of Aqua Pearls she secured in the second segment, she was the undisputed champion.

As Huanhua Immortal placed the Sea Goddess crown upon Wen Qiao's head, she couldn't resist asking, "Miss Wen, how did you manage to make those sea beasts obey earlier?"

Tens of thousands of sea beasts, including three ninth-tier ones—it was impossible for a single person to control them all.

Instantly, all eyes turned toward her, ears perked in anticipation.

Everyone was equally curious and eager to learn Wen Qiao's secret.

Wen Qiao replied, "I traded Spirit Restoring Pills with them."

With that, she produced a vial of pills and poured them out. Under the bright sunlight, the flawless jade-white pills emitted a pure medicinal fragrance, subtly stirring the spiritual energy of nearby cultivators.

"Supreme-grade Spirit Restoring Pills!" gasped Huanhua Immortal.

Wen Qiao nodded and put them away, saying seriously, "I made a deal with those three ninth-tier sea beasts—each would receive a vial of supreme-grade Spirit Restoring Pills as payment."

Hearing this, the cultivators felt like they'd been punched in the gut.

Not just supreme-grade pills, but an entire vial... no, three vials!

In that moment, everyone present realized Wen Qiao must possess a substantial supply of supreme-grade pills to so generously offer three vials just to secure the sea beasts' cooperation.

None had ever imagined using supreme-grade Spirit Restoring Pills to bribe sea beasts for a performance.

It wasn't that no one had considered it—but who would be willing to trade supreme-grade pills with sea beasts?

The Inner Sea was crawling with sea beasts, many of them intelligent. It wasn't uncommon for cultivators to trade pills for rare herbs from the Endless Sea. But most used low- or mid-grade pills, rarely high-grade, let alone supreme-grade.

No wonder those three ninth-tier sea beasts cooperated so readily. A single vial of supreme-grade pills for a staged battle? Only a fool would refuse.

At this thought, many cultivators clutched their chests in palpable distress.

This also made Inner Sea cultivators realize: the Min clan's long-separated descendant was no poor relation looking for handouts. Her skills probably matched the Min clan's own, making the clan lucky to have her back.

Qin Hongdao and his group overheard the murmurs around them and couldn't help but glance at Ning Yuzhou.

"Ning Yuzhou, did you instruct Little Sister Qiao to do this?" Qin Hongdao asked doubtfully.

Ning Yuzhou smiled faintly. "Regardless, the Min clan is Chui's mother's family. She may not be used to it yet, but with time, she'll grow closer to them. I couldn't let the world assume she came chasing after family connections on her own."

His Chui was much too good to be misunderstood by the world.

Someone with nothing to offer taking the initiative to acknowledge kinship would make others think they are engaging in social-climbing behavior; but if a capable person does so, it would only be seen as an act of goodwill, valuing blood ties.

The group finally realized why Wen Qiao had been so high-profile.

Min Jishu didn’t hear the rest of Ning Yuzhou’s words, but the phrase "with more time spent together, affection will naturally grow" got him really excited. Ning Yuzhou’s attitude somewhat reflected Wen Qiao’s thoughts, which meant she did acknowledge them—it was just that she wasn’t used to it yet, hence her aloofness.

The conclusion of the Sea Immortal competition also marked the end of the Sea God Festival.

However, many cultivators were in no hurry to leave. Having come all this way to Shangzhou Island, they took advantage of the festival's extended opportunities—Wushuang Island and its surrounding isles and waters had opened many training grounds to the public for a month, attracting numerous cultivators to stay.

Still, quite a few were eager to depart, and the Min clan was among them.

Min Mubei couldn't wait to take Wen Qiao back to the Min clan so his wife could meet her.

Upon learning that Wen Qiao would be accompanying the Min clan to Chuan Yun Misty Rain Island, Liu Zizi, Zong Zhao, and others came to say goodbye.

Zong Zhao said, "Sis, when you return to Shangzhou Island, remember to visit us at Wanjin Island. My mother hasn’t met you yet."

The Min clansmen present couldn’t help looking their way, especially Min Jishu, who felt a twinge of jealousy. Zong Zhao’s father had repeatedly boasted about having an adopted daughter, and it seemed to be true. However, knowing that the Zong family had played a role in Wen Qiao’s smooth arrival at Shangzhou Island, they also felt a sense of gratitude toward them.

Liu Zizi added, "Little Qiao, when you have time, you must come to the Liu family to see me too."

Wen Qiao naturally agreed to everything.

As for the followers Wen Qiao had gained during the Sea God Token competition, after Ning Yuzhou’s screening, three remained: a slacker cultivator and the two brothers who had once driven sea snakes to ambush them. They were rogue cultivators with no ties to the Inner Sea, so they had no qualms about going anywhere. Upon learning that Wen Qiao and the others were from the Central Continent, they unhesitatingly chose to follow them.

Thus, Wen Qiao instructed them to wait for her on Zhongzhou Island with the Zong family.

When they left Wushuang Island with the Min clan, Ning Yuzhou’s close brothers all came to see them off.