eight sects

With the sect competition drawing ever closer, the disciples are putting in their best effort to cultivate.

The sect's competition is divided into two stages. One stage is a two-person competition that all disciples can participate in. They are divided into pairs and compete in turn. The final selection of disciples is ranked according to the order in which they are eliminated.

The second is the training that has remained unchanged over the years. Usually, only direct disciples and selected inner disciples participate. The training lasts for three months, and the final ranking is calculated after the training period ends.

The second competition format is different this year, as it has been changed to the Heavenly Bird Secret Realm, which is feared by cultivators. Therefore, only a select group of direct disciples can participate.

The sect competition has always been participated in by eight well-known sects, or more accurately, six sects and two factions. The Silver Bamboo Sect took the lead, and its eldest disciple, Qi Yuan, lived up to expectations and won the championship three times in a row.

This is Qi Yuan's fifth time participating in the sect competition. She has been participating in all sect competitions since she was twelve years old.

With only three days left until the sect competition, all eight sects were bustling with activity.

There's a long-standing tradition that three days before the competition, all disciples participating in the competition are free to travel within and outside these sects, ostensibly to foster relationships.

A large wave of disciples from other sects poured into the Silver Bamboo Sect, many of whom had come to see Qi Yuan because of her reputation.

Qi Yuan racked her brains for a long time, thinking about which disciples from other sects she was more familiar with, and finally decided to go see Pei Yin, Duan Yu, and... Cheng Jin.

As soon as she descended Honglin Peak, she was surrounded by a swarm of disciples, blocking her way.

At this moment, an arrogant female voice rang out: "Who do we have here? It's Qi Yuan, a famous figure in the cultivation world! Especially... the personal disciple of the Silver Bamboo Sect! Inner and outer disciples, don't bother surrounding the personal disciple, she doesn't have time to fool around with you!"

As soon as Cheng Jin spoke, some of the Water Spirit Sect disciples got goosebumps and quickly made way for him.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan recalled that day five years ago and was momentarily stunned.

She walked up to Qi Yuan and said in a low voice, "I have something to tell you."

Qi Yuan, puzzled, frowned and followed behind her.

Cheng Jin had her back to her and muttered softly, "I'm sorry."

"What did you say?" Qi Yuan didn't hear clearly and asked again.

"I! Say! I'm sorry. That day... I didn't expect that the spiritual energy I shot out would almost make you hit your head on the ground. Don't misunderstand, we are just fellow cultivators!" Cheng Jin said angrily.

Qi Yuan was stunned, then calmly said, "Actually, you don't even need to say it. I already know it's your fault. If you hadn't come to apologize today, I would have dealt with you severely in the sect competition. But since you're here today, I'll still deal with you."

Cheng Jin snorted coldly, glanced at her sideways, and quickly left.

She was still as irritable as ever. Qi Yuan couldn't help but feel a pang of regret and sadness. The two of them had once been best friends, but unfortunately, they had to go their separate ways.

Upon arriving at the Mountain Forest Sect, Qi Yuan happened to run into Duan Yu, who was just about to leave the sect. He laughed heartily, "Hahaha, what a coincidence! I was just about to go to the Silver Bamboo Sect to find you!"

"How are Senior Brother Duan's preparations going lately? We must defeat Ye Ting this time!" Qi Yuan looked up and patted his shoulder.

That's too high! In the hearts of many disciples, Duan Yu is like an elder brother.

Upon hearing the name "Ye Ting," Duan Yu's body trembled. He swallowed hard and said, "To be honest, I fought him this month, but I still lost. Junior Sister Qi, you would definitely have won. Your cultivation has improved again."

"If you put in more effort, Senior Brother Duan will be able to beat him sooner or later," Qi Yuan said confidently, resting her finger on her chin.

"Senior Brother Duan! Senior Sister Qi!" Several people walked over; they were Qi Yi, Sima Chu, and Wu Shangyao.

She knew the two Qi Yuans from the Nanjian Sect, but she had never seen the other boy before.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Qi Yuan! I am Wu Shangyao, the newly accepted disciple of Yue Jin Sect! Senior Sister, you are my idol. I will become a genius disciple like you and then become the ace chief disciple of Yue Jin Sect!" Before Qi Yuan could even ask any questions, Wu Shangyao grasped her hand and sincerely said a few words, speaking so fast that she didn't have time to react.

Qi Yuan slightly withdrew her hand, feeling as if she had seen this scene before.

"Thank you. Good luck, Junior Brother Wu. You'll definitely achieve great results in this sect competition," she said earnestly.

Wu Shangyao laughed smugly at the two people beside him, "I am a genius who has been recognized by Senior Sister Qi. You two are trying to curry favor with me now. When I become famous, you two will get a share of the credit."

Sima Chu rolled his eyes, but Qi Yi ignored him.

Indeed, Wu Shangyao is a self-important person.

However, this is not uncommon. Those who can become personal disciples are vastly different from ordinary people. Each personal disciple carries an indomitable spirit and strides towards their ambition.

"You guys chat. I'm going to Lingjian Sect to find Junior Brother Pei. See you at the sect competition."

"That Junior Brother Pei is really quiet; he's always so reserved." Sima Chu said with some surprise.

Qi Yuan smiled but remained silent.

She said goodbye hastily and hurried to Lingjian Sect.

The reason she went to see Pei Yin last was because she knew that, given his personality, he would definitely pester her for a long time. Since he hadn't come by this late, he was definitely sulking.

Qi Yuan finally arrived at Lingjian Sect. She found the room with ease, and the door opened the moment she knocked. What came into view was Pei Yin with a droopy face and a pitiful expression.

"Senior Sister has finally arrived. I thought she wasn't planning to come see her disciple this year!" He turned his face away.

Seeing that Qi Yuan remained silent, he turned his face away and squeezed out a few tears: "Senior Sister!! Actually, I've been waiting for you all along!"

"Alright, alright, how old are you to still be crying?" Qi Yuan finally spoke, saying helplessly.

"I noticed you don't usually participate in many competitions. Will you go to this big competition?" she asked, voicing her doubts.

Pei Yin's voice suddenly grew louder: "Of course! If Senior Sister participates, I'll participate too!"

"Alright, alright, then don't hold back just to avoid standing out. Promise me you'll go all out in the sect competition, okay?"

"Good!" he shouted.

"Senior sister is the best to me! When we were in Quanzhou, senior sister was so cold to me, I thought she didn't want me anymore!" Pei Yin took advantage of Qi Yuan's unpreparedness and rushed into her arms.

Qi Yuan tried to pull him, but couldn't budge him.

She took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Pei, Yin."

He then reluctantly stood up: "Senior sister, you've got this competition in the bag!"

"I think so too," Qi Yuan replied casually.

Ignoring Pei Yin's objections, she resolutely pushed open the door.

Qi Yuan turned around and looked at her junior brother with a complicated expression. In fact, she had many questions for Pei Yin, but after thinking about it, she decided not to say them.

*

“Night, Court?” she called out, frowning.

She never expected that Ye Ting would come looking for her.

Ye Ting awkwardly said, "I'm issuing you a challenge. This time, it won't be a two-person match; it will be a contest of who ranks higher in the Heavenly Bird Secret Realm."

“Alright. I accept. Then you can wait for the disciple who gave you the spirit stones to weep bitterly.” Qi Yuan readily agreed, crossing her arms without fear.

"How could that be..." Ye Ting said in a low voice, sounding awkward.

If these two were to be compared, they could only compare their experience. When they competed in pairs, they were always evenly matched, and it wouldn't be surprising if either of them won.

"Congratulations. You two brothers have made up." Qi Yuan whispered behind him.

Ye Ting paused, but didn't turn around: "...Thank you."

During her time back at the Silver Bamboo Sect, she discovered that Ye Hanyun had truly changed.

She asked Ye Hanyun curiously, "How did you change your ways? Just keep up the signs of not touching female cultivators."

Ye Hanyun simply scratched her head in surprise: "My brother made me cultivate in seclusion, which is quite unbearable, but I'm going to start cultivating diligently! Senior sister, I later learned that the reason my brother couldn't beat me in the Silver Bamboo Sect was because he accompanied me in cultivating fire magic, while he only started cultivating water magic when he went to the Water Spirit Sect."

Ye Hanyun no longer hides it and can openly say "my brother".

He also told Qi Yuan about the murderer who had caused the massacre of his entire family.

Qi Yuan recommended a place to him, saying that although the incident happened a long time ago, perhaps Tianxin Tower could provide some clues.

After Ye Ting left, Qi Yuan returned to her room and began writing down names. She wrote down the names of the most powerful disciples and the disciples recruited by other sects this year, whose specific strengths were unknown.

She knew the situation of most of the disciples she had competed with, but the new personal disciples were relatively more difficult, such as Wu Shangyao whom she met today.

As far as she knew, there was also Ye Yu—the fifth junior sister of the Shanlin Sect.

Yu Guanzhi—Yue Jinzong's Fourth Junior Brother

Bai Zhuo – Fifth Junior Brother of the Lingjian Sect

Qiu Yanyu – Fourth Junior Sister of the Tuqin Sect

This year is like a blessed year; I've actually gained so many direct disciples, something I haven't achieved in previous years.

Qi Yuan's biggest headache is the Liu Gong Sect, which is this year's dark horse, replacing the Wan Lu Sect that participated in previous years. Qi Yuan knows nothing about this sect.

Liu Gongzong did have a rather famous disciple, I think his name was Lu Wenxing.

She made up her mind to go and see Liu Gongzong.

Without hesitation, Qi Yuan immediately put down her pen and, relying on the map of the eight sects' locations issued on the eve of the competition, found the Liugong Sect.

Because it is a small sect, it has fewer disciples than other sects.

"Hello, do you know who Lu Wenxing of the Liugong Sect is?" Qi Yuan asked a disciple at random.

The man used the back of his hand to lightly suppress the slight chuckle that escaped from his lips, and said gently, "That's me."

A hint of surprise flashed across Qi Yuan's eyes; she had actually run into the real person.

Lu Wenxing extended a hand, his voice calm: "Hello, you must be Qi Yuan from the Silver Bamboo Sect. I've watched your matches. I didn't expect you to come looking for me. It's truly an honor."

She raised an eyebrow and politely shook hands: "Hello, Liu Gongzong is really amazing, he actually managed to take down the old sect, Wanluzong."

"You flatter me. You are a guest, let me show you around the Liu Palace Sect," Lu Wenxing said with a smile.

He very seriously led Qi Yuan around Liu Gongzong's palace, mentioning his own lineage's direct disciples along the way.

Out of politeness, Qi Yuan also mentioned the direct disciples of the Silver Bamboo Sect, but like Lu Wenxing, she only mentioned it briefly and did not go into details.

Lu Wenxing is the senior disciple of Liu Gongzong. He is a very kind and enthusiastic person, and easy to get along with.

Qi Yuan smiled gratefully: "Thank you for today, Senior Brother Lu. I'll take you to visit the Silver Bamboo Sect another day."

"That's great! I look forward to that day coming soon. Junior Sister Qi, then we'll see you again at the sect competition." He smiled.

"Okay." She waved goodbye.