Thank You for the Praise, Elder

Since the start of the sect competition, Elder Gu had remained on the deck of the ship. He kept a close eye on White Duckweed Island in the distance, wishing he could fly into the small world to see clearly the situation of his disciples.

Compared to him, Jiulian seemed to be no elder of Ten Thousand Daos Born at all. Not only was she not worried, but she even had the mood to enjoy tea and scenery at this time.

Once Elder Gu started pacing around in agitation, Jiulian would say disapprovingly, "Senior Brother, why can't you calm down? This kind of behavior is not like that of a high-level cultivator."

One sentence made Elder Gu's beard almost bristle with anger. "You're so calm and collected, aren't you even a little bit worried about your disciple?!"

Even though he usually treated Bai Kejin roughly, he was extremely nervous now that the other party had entered the small world. Sang Ying was a female cultivator, and the only disciple of Jiulian, yet this person didn't care about her at all.

Elder Gu wanted to speak up for Sang Ying when he saw this.

Upon hearing this, Jiulian simply smiled and said, "If my disciple can't even handle a sect competition, then she doesn't deserve to be my disciple. Therefore, it's clear that anyone who can be my disciple will thrive in this small world!"

Elder Gu choked, but couldn't say anything more to him. After all, after the rise of the other two major sects, Ten Thousand Daos Born's only first place in the Grand Competition was earned by this kid as the team leader.

It's possible that his apprentice might also possess such abilities.

Thinking of this, Elder Gu silently shut his mouth, hoping that these ten days would end quickly.

Whether or not Elder Gu White Duckweed Island heard his prayers, the White Duckweed Island before him suddenly trembled as soon as he finished reciting them.

A huge gust of air swept towards the group from the island, churning the sea waves and even pulling several ships anchored around the island backward.

The Jiulian Spirit Tea spilled out of the cup instantly, and Elder Gu almost lost his footing.

His heart skipped a beat; he sensed something was amiss.

Sure enough, the next second, several rays of light lit up White Duckweed Island, and a loud roar, like the mournful cry of a sea beast, resounded all around. Only then did Elder Gu realize that White Duckweed Island was about to open ahead of schedule!

Because White Duckweed Island was built on the remains of a ninth-tier sea beast, the island is often filled with the cries of sea beasts, and it is also known as "Giant Whale Island".

Elder Gu had originally hoped that the sect competition would end soon, but now that it was actually here, he was even more worried.

At this moment, Jiulian also put down her teacup and looked at the distant island with a worried expression.

"The sudden early opening of White Duckweed Island is probably an ominous sign..."

Before Elder Gu could even utter the word "omen," White Duckweed Island in the distance suddenly launched an attack, spitting out all the cultivators in the small world in one breath!

Those like Su Fuyun, who had been teleported to the entrance of the small world long ago, were fortunate. However, most people, like Sang Ying, were thrown off the island before they even knew what had happened and immediately fainted.

Elder Gu, standing at the bow of the ship, suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes as his disciple crashed straight into him.

Fortunately, neither Jiulian nor he were ordinary cultivators. They reacted immediately and helped their own disciples and disciples from other sects to safety.

Ten Thousand Daos Born's side was fortunate to have Elder Gu and his companion constantly guarding the outside, but other sects were not as lucky as Sang Ying and the others.

For a moment, the sounds of "bang" were incessant, especially on the Mara Gate's ships, which were almost smashed to pieces by the constantly falling disciples!

Jiulian gently rescued her beloved disciple and carefully placed him on the deck. Turning to the other disciples, her attitude was noticeably worse.

Seeing his actions, Elder Gu regretted that he hadn't seen through Jiulian's true nature back then; he should have recorded her actions at this moment!

Soon, the deck of the ship was filled with disciples from the three sects. They did not appear to be suffering; on the contrary, their complexions seemed to be even rosier than before.

Elder Gu knew that the White Water-Clover Island Small World wouldn't actually harm cultivators, but he had never heard of the small world nourishing cultivators before.

Before he could figure it out, Jiulian cast a Wakefulness Incantation, and everyone on the deck slowly came to their senses.

Whether it was due to some favoritism from her master or not, Sang Ying was the first to wake up. She rubbed her dizzy head and opened her eyes to see Jiulian's beautiful face.

"Master?" Sang Ying was startled and immediately looked around.

Before she could even ask why, Elder Gu quickly explained to everyone, "Don't look anymore, you are indeed currently on a ship White Duckweed Island. White Duckweed Island caused quite a commotion earlier, and then after a low growl, you were spat out by White Duckweed Island!"

"Pah!" The White Duckweed Island, not far away, promptly emitted this spitting sound.

Elder Gu paused for a moment, then said, "... Just like before."

Once she regained consciousness, Dong Fuzhu unconsciously moved closer to Sang Ying, and even Jingshui Fuzi quietly moved closer to them.

After Elder Gu explained the current situation to everyone, they were quite puzzled by this turn of events.

Ten Thousand Daos Born was quick, and the other sects reacted just as quickly. While he was explaining, the elders of the other sects also noticed the anomaly and hurriedly woke up the unconscious disciples scattered across the deck.

As if waiting for this moment when everyone had gathered, White Duckweed Island couldn't wait to speak:

"This trial has ended ahead of schedule. White Duckweed Island will be closed for three months, and no one will be allowed to enter during this period."

A somewhat childish voice rang out, reaching everyone's ears from across the island.

"From this day forward, no one is permitted to bring Exploding Pellet or any projectiles related to Exploding Pellet into the small world!"

"No!"

The originally calm and even voice seemed to have taken on a hint of anger, especially the last "No," which almost cracked several times.

Elder Gu was both surprised and amused by the sound.

In his mind, White Duckweed Island hadn't spoken for countless years. If it weren't for this accident, he would have thought that the island spirit had disappeared!

Thinking this, Elder Gu jokingly said, "I wonder which sect's disciple is so bold as to have angered White Duckweed Island so much?"

He was a serious man and rarely smiled. However, Elder Gu's laughter sounded particularly abrupt in the awkward silence.

Amidst the slightly strange expressions of the crowd, Sang Ying pursed her lips, a rare look of embarrassment on her face. "Thank you for the compliment, Elder."

Elder Gu:?!

As the others watched with knowing eyes, Elder Gu's face slowly filled with surprise.

At the same time, the rankings of the stone tablets in the three states also fluctuated dramatically.

People only saw that Mara Gate, who had been firmly in first place with a slight advantage, suddenly fell to second place, as if pulled down from the stone tablet by an invisible hand.

Ten Thousand Daos Born, however, seemed to be divinely aided and was propelled to first place, with a terrifying number following behind him!

Amidst the astonished expressions, someone exclaimed, "The stone tablet has locked the rankings! This competition is over ahead of schedule!"

At that moment, despair was evident on many people's faces.