The market in Langya Sect was in complete uproar. All the gossip about family matters and love disputes disappeared, and the news of Shi Xuan's three consecutive championships dominated the headlines.

Outside Jubaozhai, all sorts of people gathered, eager to gather information. Jubaozhai, adhering to the principle of confidentiality for its clients, didn't reveal anything, but there were always well-informed individuals who claimed that Shi Xuan had led all the disciples of his sect out to bet on his own first place, and on the least popular and least desirable first place.

The onlookers were green with envy. Why didn't they have a fellow disciple like Shi Xuan who could lead them to wealth?

There was still one formation competition that hadn't been held, but Jubaozhai had already closed the betting pool and no more bets could be placed.

At the entrance of Jubaozhai, two brothers were squatting there, chatting in the sun.

"Brother, she's really struck it rich this time. She probably doesn't care about our two thousand high-grade spirit stones anymore."

"So what, you still want it back?"

"It was just wishful thinking. We've lost everything..."

"Sigh, it's already a miracle that they spared our lives. We were too careless. The information sent out by the black market is usually not this misleading. Who knew we would run into the most unlucky one?"

"I hate that woman named Fan Mingzhu! A talented person like Shi Xuan, the Lianfeng Sword Sect must not let anything happen to her. We were deceived so badly."

"Fan Mingzhu's father is still the sect leader of the Divine Cauldron Sect, so he's probably not so easy to deal with. What can we do when we're just independent cultivators with no one to rely on?"

"Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. Since we can't defeat them by force, let's start by damaging their reputation and tarnishing the name of their Divine Cauldron Sect!"

...

Unbeknownst to many, the reputation of the Divine Cauldron Sect declined day by day. The following year, the sect leader discovered that far fewer disciples were enrolling in their sect, and no outstanding individuals emerged. But that's a story for another time.

The Lianfeng Sword Sect has never been so triumphant. Shi Mingxiu never expected that the Lianfeng Sword Sect would flourish during his tenure. What does it feel like to win first place in every event of the Six Sects Competition? It's like getting carried away.

Looking back now, the day I took Shi Xuan into the sect, it was truly the best decision I ever made.

It seems that Tang Nong brought Shi Xuan back to the sect. Although Tang Nong is a bit of a ne'er-do-well and hasn't formed her core yet, she deserves a raise for bringing Shi Xuan to the sect. Even if she never forms her core or does any sect missions in the future, the sect will still support her!

As for Shi Xuan, let's give her two more shops. With more shops, she'll be considered a landlord in the Lianfeng Sword Sect, making it harder for other sects to poach her.

When Shi Xuan won the weapon-refining competition, he felt that the old guys from the Langya Sect were getting restless. Now that he had also won the talisman competition, the people from the Luoyin Sect were also envious. He couldn't let Shi Xuan, this treasure disciple, be snatched away.

As is customary, after a day of rest, the competition for the formation event began.

The formation project is different from others because setting up or breaking a formation requires a lot of time and effort, unless it's just a written test.

This time, all participants will enter a magical artifact called the Mystery Tower.

The tower has nine floors. The name of the person entering the tower is associated with the tower in advance. After entering the tower, it can be seen from the outside which floor the person has reached.

The entry period for the tower is seven days. After seven days, the winner will be determined by the ranking given by the Mystery Tower.

Shi Xuan said to Lu Shenzhi in his divine consciousness, "Has Senior Brother been to this Mysterious Tower before?"

"I've been here before. My senior brother also won first place in this formation competition that year."

"Oh, our Lianfeng Sword Sect ancestors were once quite glorious, weren't they?" Shi Xuan teased.

"What do you mean by ancestors? It's only been ten years." If he had a physical body, he would definitely give his junior sister a good whack on the forehead. She always talks like he's gone to the afterlife.

"Haha," Shi Xuan laughed as he stepped into the Mysterious Tower. "It's a bit of a waste for the two of us to come in together. Even if I don't know anything, I can still get first place in this kind of assessment."

Speaking of this assessment method, Fan Mingzhu had discussed it with Tianjun. She would bring Tianjun into the tower to take the formation assessment. With Tianjun's guidance, she would definitely have no problem getting a ranking.

However, since the last time Tianjun failed to disrupt Shixuan's alchemy process, Tianjun has not yet woken up. Fan Mingzhu had no choice but to give up the competition in the formation event, as she knew nothing about formations and would not be able to do anything by going in alone.

Fan Mingzhu was already frustrated by Tianjun's situation, and seeing Shi Xuan happily enter the tower only fueled her anger. Not wanting to watch Shi Xuan's match any longer, she turned and left the competition area.

There was no requirement for all disciples to be present at this time; as long as the participants entered the tower, they were welcome to participate. Fan Mingzhu then disguised herself and left the Langya Sect's mountain gate.

That very night, news spread through the surrounding markets that two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators had been found dead in the dense forest, their deaths gruesome, their faces as withered as trees, a truly terrifying sight.

The news caused widespread panic. Murder for treasure was common in the cultivation world, but this kind of death, as if life force had been drained, was truly bizarre. The fear was that someone had practiced evil magic, in which case more than two people would have been killed.

Fan Mingzhu went out quietly once, and when she returned, her cultivation level had increased by a small step. Fan Mingzhu smiled; this feeling of rapid improvement was truly wonderful, and she was completely immersed in it.

No one paid attention to her; everyone's attention was now focused on the formation competition.

There were only twelve people in total who entered the tower from the six sects. After these twelve people entered the tower, their names were displayed on a wall outside the tower. People outside could not see what was happening inside, but they could see their ranking.

After entering the tower, Shi Xuan discovered that everyone had their own array space and did not have contact with others.

In this first layer, there is only one array formation, with a red stone placed next to it. There is a line of small characters that reads: "Place this red stone in the center of the array."

So, each level is a problem? And the first level is the simplest problem: finding the center of the formation.

Finding the core of the formation is the most basic skill in learning formations; it's something you have to learn before you even begin. The first layer of the formation is quite simple, and Shi Xuan only glanced at it before placing the stone on it.

The moment the red stone hit the ground, Shi Xuan felt a flash of white light, and she was teleported to the second level.

The second level was a maze. Once inside, Shi Xuan felt as if he had entered a deep jungle. The surrounding scenery was not much different, but if he accidentally stepped into a trap, he would be in a fierce battle.

"This Mystery Tower is amazing. Is it already this dangerous on the second floor?" Shi Xuan exclaimed.

Lu Shenzhi paused for a moment, then replied, "The questions this time are different from the last time I came, but they're not too difficult. Do you need me to give you some pointers?"