Chapter 125 The start of the competition was too underhanded!

Song Yin saw the female cultivator grab Xiao Daiheng's arm, her mouth opening and closing as she uttered a long string of words. She also saw the faces of the fellow disciples watching the commotion turn ugly, and several hot-tempered ones clenched their fists as if they were about to punch someone at any moment.

Xiao Daiheng remained the same deadpan figure. He was just a quiet and aloof person in the sect, but he was no longer himself in front of female cultivators.

The female cultivator said that she actually came to Tianyao Holy City for Xiao Daiheng. She was just a Golden Core cultivator who was over three hundred years old and therefore ineligible to participate in the competition. She was also interested in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm spot.

"So, if you want me to stay with you, come find me with a spot in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm." The female cultivator spoke with her head down, not daring to look Xiao Daiheng in the eye.

"Shameless! Those are spots in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm! You think you can just walk away with a few words? I think your Qingxuan Sect is desperate for money and utterly weak. You can't even get the spots yourself, so you send some shameless female cultivator to ask for them." Bai Qi, a sword cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage, became increasingly angry at the scene before her. "A tree lives by its bark, and a person lives by their reputation. The Qingxuan Sect isn't a good place either, producing disciples who run around shamelessly."

"Brother Xiao, are you just going to let your fellow disciples slander and insult me ​​like this?" The female cultivator's voice trembled, her tone was very nasal, and she sounded like she was about to cry.

Xiao Daiheng: "Fellow Daoist Bai, please apologize to Mei Lian."

Bai Qi sneered, "Ha, truly living up to her name, Mei Lian, shameless. Putting aside the fact that I believe I didn't say anything wrong, does she deserve an apology from a Nascent Soul cultivator like me to a mere Golden Core cultivator?"

"If I didn't want to be known for causing trouble before the match or bullying the weak, I really think she would be standing here unscathed."

Bai Qi's insults weren't limited to Mei Lian alone; she cursed the entire couple involved, saying, "If you love someone so much, why don't you leave the Immortal Cloud Sect and go to the Azure Profound Sect? You only bear the reputation of betraying your sect and being ungrateful, but this Miss Mei Lian has lost love!"

"Tch, it's incredibly unlucky that Lingpo Peak has produced someone as clueless as you."

After cursing, Bai Qi walked away without looking back.

Song Yin clapped silently, "Fellow Daoist Bai Qi's words are truly powerful!"

Xiao Daiheng remained silent.

Mei Lian burst into tears, covered her mouth, turned around and ran away, while her senior brother chased after her.

Song Yin complained, "If I really want to leave quickly, I should just fly. Why run so slowly on two legs?"

Shi Heming: "With the Qingxuan Sect disciples causing trouble, Xiao Daiheng is probably not in the mood for the competition. And Xiao Daiheng's bad mood will inevitably affect his senior sister, Han Wuyue. To outsiders, the two strongest sword cultivators in the Xianxiao Sect this year are Han Wuyue and Xiao Daiheng. In this light, it is not impossible that the Qingxuan Sect deliberately messed with people's mentality."

Song Yin said to Xia Xining, "You don't need to remind Elder Ji; he probably already knows everything."

Xia Xining: "I've decided to go out and inquire around to see if any of the other disciples of the Qingxuan Sect have harassed the other contestants. If they have, it will prove that Shi Heming's guess was correct."

Song Yin: "Aren't you going to rest inside?"

"No need to rest. This is of great importance; gathering information is more important." Xia Xining turned and left.

Little did Xia Xining know that she was doing things for everyone and wasn't slacking off, so her inner demons shouldn't come out, right?

The commotion at the entrance subsided, and the fellow disciples who had gathered to watch gradually left, their impression of the Qingxuan Sect plummeting. In comparison, the Xianxiao Sect was still far superior.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Qingxuan Sect was Elder Chu.

Qi Zibo sat with an inner sect alchemy elder from the Qingxuan Sect, drinking tea and chatting.

Qi Zibo: "Cao Yannian, will your apprentice participate in the competition again this year?"

Cao Yannian was dressed in a dark purple robe, and his accessories were all magical artifacts. He looked as young as Qi Zibo, but his temperament was obviously different. He lacked the air of a celestial being and had more of the shrewdness of a businessman.

"My apprentice will naturally participate. I'm counting on him to make it into the top three and secure a spot in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm. I heard you also took on an apprentice; his talent is quite good?"

Hey! I've been waiting for you to say that!

Qi Zibo: "He did take on a disciple, but his talent is just average, not as extraordinary as people say. He only broke through to the Golden Core stage in his late teens and then to the Nascent Soul stage in his early thirties. It's nothing special."

Cao Yannian: ...

I knew he had ulterior motives for coming to me. In previous years, I was the one showing off to him, but now the tables have turned and he's the one showing off to me.

Qi Zibo is really lucky to have met such a genius, who is over a hundred years old and at the Nascent Soul stage.

Cao Yannian: "No need to be modest, her talent is indeed quite good. However, alchemy cultivation still depends on solid skills. The talent level in alchemy is different from that in daily cultivation. A Nascent Soul stage cultivator who is over a hundred years old is very powerful, but in terms of alchemy, she is still no match for my disciple. After all, my disciple has been studying alchemy for over four hundred years."

"I remember your apprentice Qi Chengfeng is skilled at refining fourth-grade pills, right?" Qi Zibo asked.

Both are at the Nascent Soul stage, but Song Yin, a gifted disciple, can refine fifth-grade pills, while Qi Chengfeng can only refine fourth-grade pills. Song Yin is also younger than Qi Chengfeng, so it's obvious who is more powerful.

Cao Yannian's tone couldn't hide his pride: "Of course, he has mastered the refining of fourth-grade pills. He was the first in the previous pill refining group. If your disciple needs any spiritual herbs, she can tell me, and I will ask Qi Chengfeng to collect some for her in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm."

Qi Zibo covered his lips with his teacup. "Okay."

If Qi Chengfeng loses, don't cry behind his back.

-

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and the highly anticipated Xuan Tian Conference officially began.

Each group has its own arena, and all the arena and spectator seating are set up in mid-air. The dark-colored playing fields are embedded in thick white clouds, and even the spectator seating surrounding each arena is made of clouds.

All contestants are arranged according to their sect or family, on the right, while independent cultivators are arranged on the left.

At a glance, there was a dense crowd of heads, and all of them were rare geniuses in the cultivation world.

Seeing this scene, the local cultivators of Tianyao Holy City couldn't help but sigh that this year's Xuantian Tournament was full of geniuses and had the largest number of participants, making it the most outstanding Xuantian Tournament in history. It would be difficult to achieve such a situation in the future.

Song Yin glanced back at Xiao Daiheng in the group. Without Mei Lian by his side, he reverted to his usual cold demeanor.

There were far more cultivators watching the competition than participants. Mei Lian mingled in the crowd, unconsciously biting her thumbnail, her eyes filled with jealousy as she looked at all the participants, including her senior brother.

The competition is divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Participants spend half a day competing and the other half a day plus the entire night resting. This continues every day until the top three are determined.

Except for the Sword Cultivation Group and the Hundred Gatherings, which have matches every morning and afternoon, the other groups only have half a day to compete each day, either in the morning or afternoon.

The reason for holding the full-day competition between the Sword Cultivation Group and the Hundred Gatherings is that these two groups have the largest number of participants. Sword Cultivation, needless to say, is the most abundant and fiercely competitive field in the cultivation world. The cultivators participating in the Hundred Gatherings have diverse cultivation paths and fewer like-minded individuals, but these diverse cultivators still constitute a large number. It can be said that the Sword Cultivation Group has the most participants, followed by the Hundred Gatherings.

This arrangement is a good thing for Song Yin.

The Danxiu group competition is in the morning session. She can participate in the morning Danxiu competition and then immediately go to the afternoon Jianxiu competition. She doesn't have to worry about the two competitions clashing at all.

Participating in two matches a day would make Song Yin more tired, and she wouldn't have as much rest time as other participants.

The Xuan Tian Tournament is a competition between Golden Core stage and Nascent Soul stage contestants.

The Danxiu group has a total of 168 participants. The preliminary round will be divided into 84 out of 168. The draw will be held on the day of the competition. Multiple groups will compete at the same time. Those who are not drawn will be considered to have forfeited and their opponents will win.

As Shi Heming went to the audience seats, he left behind the words, "Keep it up."

The alchemy, array, weapon, and sound cultivation practitioners compete in the morning, while the talisman, magic, and body cultivation practitioners compete in the afternoon.

Song Yin and Xia Xining entered different arenas, and their opponents were determined by drawing lots.

Before they went to draw lots, the two said to each other, "Good luck!"

Qi Zibo was already seated in his designated seat, enjoying a panoramic view of the Danxiu group competition below from the high platform.

Cao Yannian pointed at the figure in blue, "That must be my disciple, right?"

Qi Zibo straightened his back and said, "You have good taste."

The results of the upcoming matches will be sent to the leaders and elders of each sect.

Soon, a crane flew over, transforming into a boy who presented several jade slips. Each jade slip flew up and hovered in front of the elders of different sects, emitting various colors of light.

Qi Zibo saw what he wanted to see: Song Yin, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Xianxiao Sect in the Eastern Continent, versus Li Pu, a Golden Core cultivator from the Tianhuo Sect in the Northern Continent. Then he saw Cao Yannian's disciple: Qi Chengfeng, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Qingxuan Sect in the Central Continent, versus Shi Feng, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yuancang Sect in the Southern Continent.

Qi Zibo: "It seems your disciple isn't as lucky as mine; he drew a Nascent Soul cultivator."

After reading the contents he wanted to see, Cao Yannian let the jade slip fly back to its original position. "So what? Shi Feng, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yuancang Sect of the Southern Continent, is nothing more than a defeated opponent of my disciple. He didn't even make it into the top five in the last Xuantian Tournament."

The competition is conducted simultaneously in multiple groups. The Danxiu group competition involves not only magical combat but also alchemy. The time allotted is three incense sticks' worth of time. After the three incense sticks' worth of time expires, the two contestants enter a designated area to fight. During the fight, the use of other elixirs is prohibited; only elixirs refined within the three incense sticks' worth of time are permitted.

Therefore, it is very important to know which elixir to refine.

The participants themselves select the spiritual herbs needed for alchemy.

After stepping onto the stage, Song Yin thought to herself, since the final battle would determine the winner anyway, she might as well refine some pills that restore spiritual energy and have healing effects.

As soon as Song Yin stepped onto the stage, her opponent, Li Pu, trembled and was intimidated before the battle even began.

"You, you are Song Yin. I, I read your secrets yesterday. You are a Nascent Soul cultivator. I, I can't beat you."

Li Pu couldn't stop trembling, and his braided hair trembled along with him. After speaking, he quickly grabbed the spiritual herbs he needed from a pile of herbs.

He may appear to stutter and tremble, but he is not afraid at all; on the contrary, he is quite bold.

From the spiritual herbs Li Pu selected, Song Yin could immediately tell what kind of pill he wanted to refine. The third-grade pill, the Spirit-Exploding Pill, could rapidly increase cultivation and combat power in a short period.

It's normal for Li Pu to choose to refine this pill, after all, his opponent is Song Yin, who is a whole realm higher.

As Song Yin reached for the spiritual herbs needed for healing pills, she saw that after Li Pu took the herbs, new spiritual herbs were revealed underneath.

With a thought, she changed the direction of her hand.

The magnificent beast with its tail feathers spread its wings and cried out, igniting the enthusiasm of the crowd and filling the stands with a deafening roar.

Although it's called the spectator stands, it's actually made up of white clouds at different altitudes, with people standing on each cloud, looking down at everything on the field.

"The participants in each group have selected their spiritual herbs. I hereby declare the competition open!" The arena host, appointed by the Immortal Alliance, solemnly announced the start of the competition and lit the first incense stick.

"Oh my god, there are so many people, I can't even see them all!"

"The Divine Wind Sect will surely prevail!"

"Go, Guiyi Sect!"

The alchemists from the Eastern Continent who did not meet the competition requirements asked, "Where is Yuan Lijun? Have you seen Yuan Lijun?"

"The one with the most outstanding temperament on stage, the one in the blue robe, is it! However, she used her birth name when she registered, not her Taoist name."

"Song Yin, you're at the Nascent Soul stage, quickly record this with the recording stone! The records from back then are outdated. Get some new ones, sell them, and make a fortune!"

Song Yin raised an eyebrow. She would use the recording stone to record more of herself another day and then sell them in the "Buy Whatever You Want" section. She couldn't let outsiders make money from these spirit stones.

I used to think that the more people knew about her, the more inconvenient it would be for her to travel. But after the Xuan Tian Assembly, things changed in an instant.

"Has anyone seen Senior Brother Qi Chengfeng? That's right, the one in the purple robe standing at the front refining pills is him! He's a genius alchemist from our Qingxuan Sect! He's far more capable than that unknown Song Yin. Fellow Daoists, please give him your support!"

"Sorry, but I'm still very interested in Nascent Soul stage cultivators who are over a hundred years old."

"I heard that there is also a Nascent Soul cultivator who is over a hundred years old in the weapon crafting group, and he is also a disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sect."

"When did the Immortal Firmament Sect become so powerful? Didn't people say that more people would rather choose other sects than the Immortal Firmament Sect? After all, the Immortal Firmament Sect's assessment covers the entire Qi Refining stage, and only Foundation Establishment is considered a true passing assessment. With such difficulty, people would rather choose other sects that only have a short assessment period, so where does the Immortal Firmament Sect get so many geniuses?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Chengfeng turned around and locked onto the figure in blue.

Is that Song Yin? She looks familiar.

Thinking back, I remember seeing her in the crowd that day when I was riding on the back of a monster. There were other people around me, and they seemed to know her well.

Li Pu trembled, but his hands moved quickly, and he finished processing the spiritual herbs in no time. Then he started refining pills.

Song Yin thought he would be as timid as the contestant she encountered at the Alchemist Conference, acting rashly, but it turned out that his trembling did not affect his alchemy.

In a past alchemy competition, the participants processed spiritual herbs at varying speeds. She glanced around, noticing that everyone processed the herbs at roughly the same speed as herself – very fast!

Song Yin habitually takes out her disposable alchemy furnace and summons the Purple Yang Spiritual Fire.

When the Purple Sun Spirit Fire saw that there was another furnace burning, it happily clung to it.

On the high platform, Cao Yannian leaned forward slightly, carefully observing Song Yin.

"A rare and extraordinary fire, a truly remarkable thing."

Qi Zibo: "It's nothing special. It's just a rare fire from heaven and earth. With your wealth, Cao Yannian, you definitely don't lack a cluster of rare fire from heaven and earth."

"Different flames of heaven and earth are rare, and I really don't have any. If you come across a new one, you can sell it to me at a fair price." Cao Yannian appeared nonchalant, but inwardly he was envious.

Who does he think he is?! What's with the pretense?!

Qi Zibo, you loading cargo!

Even the extraordinary flames of heaven and earth are starting to seem so-so to you?!

Ever since I arrived in Tianyao Holy City, this shameless bastard has been showing off his face, it's so annoying!

Cao Yannian maintained his elder's demeanor with a smile, waiting for Chengfeng to win first place and obtain a spot in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm. He said, "I'll show off in front of you every day and follow you to the Immortal Cloud Sect to show off!"

The other elders from various sects who were watching the alchemy group competition nearby: ...

Damn it, we got caught by those two cargo loader. Where can we find Heavenly Flame? We want some too.

A strange fire from heaven and earth paired with a broken furnace.

Li Pu glanced at Song Yin as he was refining the elixir.

Li Pu: ...?

Li Pu's small eyes widened. "You, you, you, you!!" For a moment, he didn't know whether to be surprised by the broken furnace or by the strange fire of heaven and earth.

He stuttered even more.

At this time, the second incense stick had burned halfway, and everyone was controlling the fire to refine pills.

The color of the flames used for summoning varies depending on the cultivation method practiced.

Multicolored flames grew larger and smaller on the stage as the cultivators, constantly manipulating the fire, shifted their movements, their sleeves fluttering. More clouds enveloped the competition area, and the spectators gradually quieted their conversations, beginning to admire the beautiful scene before them.

As the third incense stick began to burn, the audience smelled various medicinal fragrances.

"It smells so good!" The audience was captivated by the aroma, taking deep breaths repeatedly.

"They're all third- or fourth-grade pills, and they all cost spirit stones. Pill cultivators really do make money off spirit stones!"

Before the third incense stick had even finished burning, the contestants had already completed the alchemy process.

Li Pu glanced at Song Yin again and again: This broken furnace can actually refine fourth-grade pills?! Unbelievable!

After the three incense sticks burned out, the host waved his hand, and a stream of light shot out, which split into eighty-four beams in the air and landed in front of the eighty-four groups, turning into a semi-transparent and open door.

Each door emitted new rays of light, which stopped in front of the clouds, surrounded the competition venue, and transformed into eighty-four water mirrors.

The eighty-four water mirrors will display the battle scene in real time, with each group having a presentation.

Meanwhile, eighty-four new people appeared on the competition stage, registering the pills and quantities refined by each participant in this round of combat, as well as three magical artifacts that they would use.

Attention all participants:

"First, only registered pills and magical artifacts are permitted in the combat competition. The pills used must be those that the user has just refined, and only three magical artifacts are allowed. If any unregistered pills or magical artifacts are used, it will be considered a violation and the user will be eliminated."

"Second, injuries and fatalities are permitted in the combat competition, but if one contestant shouts 'I surrender,' the other contestant must stop attacking; otherwise, it will be considered a violation and the contestant will be eliminated."

"Third, entering the passage marks the start of the competition. Participants can utilize the terrain and environment, and fully employ their wits to win the competition."

The space behind the door is a special space where, no matter how intense the battles are, they will not affect the cultivators watching the matches. Furthermore, each battle takes place in a different environment, potentially including mountains, oceans, deserts, and plains.

Song Yin and Li Pu entered the passage one after the other, and images immediately appeared in the water mirrors corresponding to the two of them.

Wow, the first battle of magic is in the desert!

"Look! Qi Chengfeng and the others have started fighting!"

"Instant, instant, instant death?!"

"Who? Who got wiped out instantly? We just went in!"

"It seems like a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yuancang Sect of the Southern Continent instantly annihilated the rogue cultivator on the other side!"

"The rogue cultivators at the Golden Core stage on the other side are having a really tough time. They encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yuancang Sect in their very first match."

"However, this bigwig from the Yuancang Sect is quite kind; the rogue cultivator is only unconscious, not dead. He's lucky; if he had encountered Qi Chengfeng, things might have been different..."

In the water mirror corresponding to Qi Chengfeng, he fought his opponent to a standstill. As a pill cultivator, his combat power was much higher than that of ordinary pill cultivators. He clearly had a chance to win the match, but he let his opponent go, and then a new round of cat and mouse began.

The first group to determine the winner of the duel emerged, and the Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yuancang Sect walked out of the passage, while the unconscious rogue cultivator was also sent out by the registration staff.

The passage closed and the door disappeared, along with the water mirror corresponding to that group.

"Meng Chunyu, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yuancang Sect of the Southern Continent, has won!"

Meng Chunyu casually adjusted her hairpin, maintaining an elegant stance.

After entering the passage, Li Pu immediately took the Spirit Explosion Pill he had refined, and his cultivation level surged from the late Golden Core stage to the early Nascent Soul stage.

He used to be unable to control his trembling, but now his hands and legs no longer shake.

"Take this!"

Li Pu possessed a fire elemental root, and his orange-red flames, like a venomous snake, enveloped Song Yin in concentric circles as soon as he attacked.

The person was completely enveloped in flames, and one can only imagine the temperature inside.

Li Pu waited and waited for Song Yin to break through the flames, but there was no movement for a long time.

Li Pu suspected that Song Yin might have been trapped inside the flames that had been attacked, rendering her unable to fight.

That shouldn't be the case...

No, that's not right. I took the pills I made, and my cultivation level went straight to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Given that we are at the same cultivation level, it's normal that my fire trapped Song Yin.

Half a minute passed.

A minute passed.

Three minutes passed...

Li Pu finally felt relieved and turned to walk towards the entrance of the passage.

Song Yin solved it in one move, perfectly.

Li Pu's expression turned smug. "It's not as powerful as the rumors say. It made me worry for the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn while I was refining pills."

In the audience, everyone who kept calling out Song Yin's name and using photo-taking stones to record her image was stunned.

No way, could Song Yinzhen have been wiped out in one move?

"Is Song Yin too weak, or is Li Pu too strong?"

"Li Pu! Li Pu! Li Pu!"

"Sky Fire Sect! Sky Fire Sect! Sky Fire Sect!"

"Great! The Heavenly Fire Sect has defeated the Immortal Firmament Sect!"

Li Pu had already reached the entrance of the passage and lifted his right foot.

In the blink of an eye, Li Pu suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness.

He was just a hair's breadth away from getting out of the passage.

Li Pu fell face down, the flames he released still burning.

"What... happened?"

"How did he also faint?"

"Could it be that Song Yin made a move?"

"Did any of you see Song Yin make a move?"

"I didn't see it, so what exactly happened?"

In the audience, the cultivators who were watching Song Yin's match were full of questions, asking what had happened and why she had collapsed.

The cultivators who were loudly celebrating the Heavenly Fire Sect's victory fell silent, their brows furrowed enough to kill a fly.

"Look at the water mirror! Something's changed!"

The orange-red flames were engulfed by the purple flames from the inside out.

Song Yin was unharmed; not a single hair on her head was burned.

Song Yin said to the Purple Sun Spirit Fire, "You little glutton, you even eat other people's flames."

Purple Sun Spirit Fire: Master, let's get close! OvO

Song Yin walked towards the entrance of the passage, stepped over Li Pu on the ground, and then returned to the scene.

"Song Yinsheng, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Immortal Cloud Sect of the Eastern Continent!"

As the registration staff escorted Li Pu out, everyone noticed that his complexion was abnormal, clearly showing signs of poisoning.

Song Yin asked the registration staff, "The competition is over, can I use other pills now?"

Registration staff: "Of course."

Song Yin took out a detoxifying pill and handed it to the registration staff, saying, "This is a detoxifying pill. Feeding it to him will wake him up."

The registration staff took the detoxifying pill and fed it to Li Pu.

Not long after, Li Pu slowly woke up and vaguely saw the blue figure leaving, with the surrounding clouds filled with spectators.

Li Pu: "I won?"

Registration staff: "No, you lost. Song Yin of the Immortal Firmament Sect wins this match."

He remembered that just as he was about to reach the entrance of the passage, his consciousness suddenly became blurred, and before he could react, he fell face down to the ground.

Li Pu touched his nose; it was still bleeding.

Li Pu: "A disciple of the dignified Immortal Firmament Sect actually used poison? That's too insidious!"

Song Yin left in a hurry: she didn't have time to explain, she had to fly to the sword cultivator group to draw lots.

On the way, Song Yin put on an ordinary mask that was not a magic weapon and rushed to the place where the sword cultivators drew lots.

"Hello, I'd like to draw lots."

"Please state your name, identity, and cultivation level."

“Song Le, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Immortal Cloud Sect of the Eastern Continent.”

Song Le makes another appearance.

"Go ahead and smoke."

Song Yin casually grabbed a ball of light, then spread it out in her palm to form a line of words.

"Your opponent is Shen Hao, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect of the Eastern Continent. The match will be this afternoon."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Li Pu's statement is outrageous [newbie].

Li Pu: You're so sneaky!

Song Yin: No time to explain, bye-bye, gotta rush to the next event.

-

[Empty bowl]