Not only the people below the stage, but even the elders on the high platform paused for a moment.

His opponent was also a master of external martial arts, and he only made it to the fourth round by defeating his opponent using only ordinary martial arts skills.

I originally thought that by giving this troublemaker a hard time, we could force him to reveal his true strength...

Now their strength has been forced out...

It's just... a little unsettling for everyone, isn't it?

"This guy... he knows magic!"

Xin Zhiruo murmured,

Xiao Xuan's gaze remained calm, showing no surprise.

It's not surprising that Ye Feng knows magic.

Surprisingly, his proficiency in magic was remarkable... and he also cultivated his body.

Cao Meng, the peak master of Lei Yun Peak who was in charge of punishments, narrowed his eyes and gave the order.

"Bring me this disciple's file!"

A short while later, the documents were handed to Cao Meng.

"Ye Feng, father Ye Wenyuan, mother Feng Zhen, twenty-five years ago, was an outer disciple of this sect, introduced by Zeng Yuan, and is currently a menial steward..."

Cao Meng read the contents aloud as he read.

Everyone around nodded in agreement. Not only was he exceptionally capable, but he also had impeccable political backgrounds, making him a promising talent.

"But his spiritual roots... all four are of inferior quality."

Inferior spiritual root? Hearing this, everyone shook their heads again. With an inferior spiritual root, one should be incredibly lucky to even reach the late Qi Refining stage.

It's not that it's impossible to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage, it's just that the cost is too high... not worth it.

Even if you invest heavily to cultivate someone to the Foundation Establishment stage, they will be stuck at the early Foundation Establishment stage forever, with no possibility of advancing further. An early Foundation Establishment stage cultivator is practically dispensable to a sect.

In just a few words, Ye Feng's future had already been decided.

Just then, another round of drawing lots began, this time to determine the winners of the thirteen-to-seven draw.

"Huh, it's Ding Xiu getting a bye again?"

"His appearance looks familiar. I remember that three years ago, Senior Brother Jiang brought a child back from outside. Could it be... him?"

Jiang Jin, the master of Qingjian Peak, nodded with a smile.

"This young Ding is quite fortunate. After the competition, I plan to formally accept him as my disciple. You uncles and senior disciples mustn't skimp on gifts then!"

Everyone smiled and offered their congratulations.

Such a fortunate disciple is truly rare. With such deep blessings, those around him naturally benefit as well.

Good fortune is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it truly exists.

Some people seem to have magical treasures falling from the sky just by walking around, and they can always turn misfortune into good fortune when they encounter enemies.

Such people are also called those destined by fate.

In comparison, Ding Xiu only received a bye by lottery, which is relatively ordinary.

This time, Ye Feng encountered Liu Bin, who always defeated his opponents cleanly and decisively.

He wielded the ground spike technique with unparalleled skill, coupled with considerable martial arts combat experience.

The opponent either tripped while running or got blocked by the earth spikes, and then he launched a sneak attack.

Although the arena is paved with stone tiles, it is rich in spiritual energy, and various elements can be summoned at will.

Liu Bin's earth-spike technique, conservatively estimated, is at a level of proficiency approaching minor mastery.

Compared to the Water and Fire Ball spells, the Earth Spikes spell is more widely used and can be controlled over a greater distance.

The two players entered the arena and, without much preamble, immediately began exchanging attacks with earth spikes and water balls.

Ye Feng's Water Ball Technique condensed too quickly, and Liu Bin couldn't multitask, so he could only use Earth Spikes to counter.

Compared to the previous battles, this one truly showcased the power of magic.

However, both of them looked somewhat disheveled as they tried to avoid each other.

Ye Feng was internally cursing. These disciples, who had been taken in by Foundation Establishment cultivators ahead of time, were not only proficient in spells, but also quite skilled in movement techniques and martial arts.

Most of those who haven't been eliminated yet are disciples of the Foundation Establishment stage.

In other words, the disciples who had already been accepted into the outer sect were only there to make a token appearance in the competition.

Looks like I'll have to use some killer moves...

The two exchanged fire again. This time, the earth spikes and the water sphere collided in the middle. Theoretically, with equal magical power, the water sphere should have been pierced.

But the result was that the two elements dissolved in the middle.

Before Liu Bin could continue casting his spell, a water bullet, no bigger than a thumb, flew straight at him.

"Bang!"

Although the water bullets were small, their power was indeed like that of bullets. Liu Bin spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.

The Foundation Establishment referee paused for a moment, then announced,

"Ye Feng wins this round!"

In the stands, the elders who had noticed this were once again surprised.

"This means he's mastered the Water Polo technique to a minor level!"

"That's really impressive..."

"He's actually mastered a water ball spell to this extent... Doesn't he know that outer disciples can exchange for more powerful spells?"

Although somewhat surprised, no one paid much attention. After all, Ye Feng's records showed that he was already at the second level of Qi Refining before entering the mountain, and he also possessed four spiritual roots, meaning he clearly had more time to practice spells compared to the others...

With the top seven determined, the six eliminated contestants quickly separated, securing the remaining three spots.

Tomorrow's competition will be a series of nine matches, with each person having to fight nine games to determine their ranking based on points.

Then all the menial disciples began to leave, and the others wouldn't be able to come tomorrow.

Those ranked higher will be able to watch the match tomorrow, and might even have a chance to be selected as disciples by those at the Foundation Establishment stage.

As for what comes next, we'll just have to wait until the competition ends, the rewards are distributed, and then we'll register as outer disciples.

Zeng Yuan's face beamed with joy upon receiving Ye Feng's message.

With Ye Feng making it into the top ten this time, Xuanwu District is also proud.

Compared to other districts, where everyone was eliminated much earlier, only the White Tiger district had one disciple make it into the top twenty.

This is common practice; how can those who do menial tasks every day compare to the geniuses who enter the outer or even inner sect?

Ye Feng, on the contrary, was an exception...

Soon he would gain access to the system's new features, and Ye Feng slept exceptionally well that night.

The night passed quickly, and the next day Ye Feng got up early. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Zeng Yuan already waiting outside.

"I'm so sorry to have troubled Uncle Zeng to wait for me outside..."

Now that there are no outsiders around, I really can't not call him "uncle," otherwise I'd be too offensive.

"Oh...nephew, what are you saying? You are my nephew, it's only right that I wait for you!"

After saying that, he led Ye Feng forward.

They were very hospitable and kind throughout the journey.

Ye Feng had no choice but to play along.

Several times, due to the hazy memories inherited, I almost slipped up.

The square was half the size today, but there were more onlookers.

"Senior brother, we agreed yesterday, so you must go easy on me today!"

Yu Mancui's sweet, coquettish voice, coupled with the mere 0.0001 centimeters between them, made Ye Feng's heart flutter. He immediately turned to look at her.

"Is there?"

In an instant, the distance between the two became zero.

Yu Man blushed, gave a reproachful look, and stepped back.

So soft! It's genuine!

Ye Feng, who had never been in a relationship in his previous life, suddenly felt a little elated.

Such magnanimity is something I've only encountered once, in a very rare, upscale place.

I've long forgotten what it felt like...

Sigh... What a pity. If you had made your move sooner, maybe I would have had a second thought.

Right now, there's nothing substantial at all. You just want me to give up the system tasks? Girl, you're dreaming.

...

"Today's competition has determined the top ten rankings, and the sect will provide the following rewards."

The tenth place winner in the handyman disciple competition will receive a reward of one thousand spirit stones.

The ninth place winner will be awarded 1,000 spirit stones and a low-grade magic weapon.

Eighth place will be awarded 1,000 spirit stones and a magic item storage bag.

...

Third place will be awarded 2,000 spirit stones, one mid-grade magic weapon, and one mid-grade storage magic weapon.

Second place will be awarded 5,000 spirit stones...

First place

Ye Feng's eyes reddened; he hadn't expected the sect to give double the rewards of previous years.

The prize for third place is already worth almost six or seven thousand.

I heard that in the past, the first place only received around five thousand...

"The first place winner will receive 8,000 spirit stones, a mid-grade magic weapon, a mid-level storage magic weapon, and three days of cultivation in the Azure Cloud Secret Realm!"