The only possibility!

Beneath Bai Li Hongzhuang's feet, a circle of red light appeared, prompting her to step directly into its midst.

The three contract beasts followed closely behind Bai Li Hongzhuang, relieved that the circle only restricted cultivators and not the entry of contract beasts.

As they entered the passage, the circle beneath Bai Li Hongzhuang's feet dissipated, and the path ahead appeared unchanged, similar to the previous ones they had traversed. If Bai Li Hongzhuang hadn't sensed subtle changes in the terrain, she would have thought they were stuck in the same place, just as she had experienced in immobilizing illusions before.

"Master, are we going to keep moving forward without knowing when we'll reach the end?" Xiao Hei expressed complete exasperation with the unchanging environment. "There probably won't be any more paths ahead. It's just us now."

"Was the person who designed this tunnel out of their mind? Building something completely ambiguous and purposeless is just ridiculous," Xiao Bai couldn't help but complain. It was becoming too boring to keep walking like this.

On the other hand, Bai Shi remained silent throughout, unable to comprehend the peculiar and mentally taxing situation. It chose to remain quiet instead.

Bai Li Hongzhuang placed Xiao Hei on her hand, gently stroking its head. The soft fur felt comforting to the touch. Of course, Bai Li Hongzhuang's main focus was not just to pet Xiao Hei; she was contemplating the true meaning of this passage during the process.

As they continued walking, a strange gleam flashed through Bai Li Hongzhuang's pitch-black phoenix eyes, as if she had suddenly understood something in an instant. She abruptly stopped in her tracks, leaving Xiao Hei, who had been squinting its eyes in enjoyment of Bai Li Hongzhuang's gentle strokes, bewildered by her sudden halt and the questioning glimmer in her eyes.

"Master, what's wrong?" Xiao Hei asked.

"I suddenly thought of a possibility," Bai Li Hongzhuang replied. The three contract beasts focused their gazes on Bai Li Hongzhuang, asking in unison, "What possibility?"

Bai Li Hongzhuang continued walking while her mind churned with thoughts. "Do you remember what our master once said? In this Battle of Hegemony, the competition is not only based on the team's performance but also on individual achievements."

The three contract beasts nodded in acknowledgment, having heard this before. Although they were initially surprised by this notion, they failed to see any problem with it.

"That's right!" Bai Li Hongzhuang's lips curved into a confident arc. "Previously, we were always together as a team, even during the competition for the identity cards. It was all based on the team as a unit. In that case, how could we compete based on individual strength? But now, since we have all dispersed, we can naturally compete individually."

Bai Li Hongzhuang had been puzzled by this before because if the entire team remained together throughout, many heirs would hold the entire team's identity cards when assessing individual strength. Then, how would it differ from evaluating the team's power?

And now, everything fell into place.

With Bai Li Hongzhuang's words, the three contract beasts also comprehended the situation.

"Ah, I see. So, Master, if you continue walking, there's a good chance we'll encounter other cultivators from different teams?"

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