Dong Santong's elixir was merely a cover story. Naturally, he would not readily give it to the Blazing Flame Daoist. He claimed that it only worked on Golden Core Stage cultivators, and with everyone watching, the Blazing Flame Daoist could hardly press him. He could only let the matter drop.
After further discussion, everyone agreed that there was no way to continue the selection tournament. Simply postponing it would not do either: the first round had already ended, and the opponents for the second round already knew whom they would face. A delay would undoubtedly give the other family heads an opportunity to cheat. In the end, they decided that the cultivators who had passed the first round would resume the tournament at another location a year later. The rules would remain unchanged, but lots would be drawn again before the matches, putting an end to certain schemes others might have entertained.
Unsurprisingly, since the Ke Household and the other household's cultivators had withdrawn, the Du Household had already advanced through the second round and would not have to participate in it again. Ke Longqin of the Ke Household and the other lineage that had withdrawn, however, were thoroughly frustrated. They shamelessly approached the Nine Profound Fairy and the others to request that their eligibility be restored. But Ke Longqin had thrust himself forward earlier and offended the Icy Daoist beyond repair, so his chances were probably slim. Whatever the outcome, it no longer concerned Li Xiaoya or the Du Household.
The sudden attack by the Demonic Path had left the cultivators like birds startled by the twang of a bowstring. Of their own accord, they gathered together and flew toward the safety of Mystic Heaven Way's territory, forming a spectacular procession. Meanwhile, accounts of Li Xiaoya and Dong Santong