As for the outcome of the Demon Fox hunt competition, the contestants from the various sects naturally had the least confidence.
The group following Niu Youdao had not gotten what they wanted. Not only had they failed to profit from Niu Youdao's so-called inside information, Niu Youdao himself had ended up with the smallest harvest. Still, they had at least cleared one thing up. After Xuan Yao's investigation, Niu Youdao had proven that he truly had no inside information—it had all been their own misunderstanding.
With no inside information, they had no choice but to keep following Niu Youdao. By the time they came to their senses, nearly half of the three months had passed. What else could they do, no matter how they struggled, besides hunt Demon Foxes as hard as they could? They continued following Niu Youdao because he had dared draw his sword against Misty Pavilion and emerged unscathed. That alone was a rallying force!
They no longer held much hope for the final competition results.
In any case, the Sacred Venerables had not said that poor results would bring punishment upon the people of the various sects. They had only said that the results would affect everyone's future.
In truth, the Sacred Venerables had not said that poor results would bring punishment upon Misty Pavilion's participants either. Yet everyone in Misty Pavilion knew why the Sacred Venerables had arranged this competition. Poor results from the various sects could be excused, but poor results from Misty Pavilion personnel meant incompetence. It would give Misty Pavilion itself an irrefutable excuse for a purge.
The fate awaiting poorly performing Misty Pavilion personnel was merely Misty Pavilion's own estimation.
In short, the Sacred Venerables' attitude had remained ambiguous throughout. They neither allowed the backlash to become too fierce nor gave