Opening
Amidst the anticipation of many disciples, the sect competition officially commenced! The disciples were first to face the three-day first competition format – the two-person tournament.
This year's competition venue was chosen at Lingjian Sect. The participants lined up in eight teams, following the order of direct disciples, inner disciples, and outer disciples.
Qi Yuan and Ye Hanyun discovered that Xie Juxing had not come.
The elders of each sect watched the match from both sides.
According to past practice, there will be 10 judges attending the competition, usually consisting of eight sect leaders plus two influential figures in the cultivation world.
The eight sect leaders were already standing on the stage. The sect leader of Lingjian Sect said in a serious tone, "Everyone, please be patient. The other two judges will be here shortly."
"Hello everyone, it's an honor to participate in this competition. I am Ji Lin." A man stood on the platform and bowed.
The disciples below the stage began to cheer and scream: "Holy crap, I can actually see the person in person!"
Qi Yuan asked Ye Hanyun behind her, puzzled, "Who is he? Why is he so excited?"
Ye Hanyun asked in surprise, "Senior Sister, you didn't know? He's a big celebrity, the head of the Ji family!"
The last judge arrived late, and Qi Yuan stared wide-eyed at the familiar figure on the stage.
"Hello everyone, I'm Ouyang Lanyue. Good luck in the competition!" The man opened his fan.
Screams echoed throughout the Lingjian Sect, and the crowd's reaction was even more intense than before.
Qi Yuan felt dizzy, as if she hadn't woken up properly.
Ouyang Lanyue leaped off the stage and stood directly in front of Qi Yuan: "We meet again. I believe in you in this competition. Good luck!"
The nearby disciples gasped in surprise, creating a huge uproar. Ye Hanyun exclaimed, "Damn, you guys know each other?"
He recognized Ouyang Lanyue, squinted at him for a while, and suddenly realized: Isn't this the man who was talking to his senior sister at Xueya in Quanzhou? He is actually Ouyang Lanyue!
"..." Qi Yuan hesitated, then simply shook hands with him.
Pei Yin, standing across the queue, glared angrily at Ouyang Lanyue.
Ouyang Lanyue then returned to the stage and stood directly in the middle of the ten people.
This all sounds too fantastical. Qi Yuan shook her head, trying to shake off the useless thoughts, and focused her attention on the large platform.
The sect leader of Lingjian Sect used magic to cleave the red line on the top of the platform and shouted loudly, "I hereby announce! This year's sect competition has officially begun! Disciples can now draw number plates according to their categories."
The disciples swarmed forward, and the number of outer disciples was so large that it caused a commotion. The inner disciples were alright, but the personal disciples were truly relaxed.
Qi Yuan casually pulled a ball out of the box, with the number 22 clearly written on it.
She found a seat and sat down, watching the game while waiting for her turn to play.
Two figures were locked in fierce combat on the stage: Dongfang Yilin and Ye Hanyun. Their movements were so fast that afterimages appeared. After a fierce battle, Dongfang Yilin narrowly won. The two of them went off the stage to rest and prepare for the next round of the competition.
Qi Yuan stared intently at the fight between Bai Zhuo and Ye Yu. Both of them were her new disciples, and this was the first time she had seen their moves.
After careful observation, she estimated that their skill level was roughly the same as Sima Chu's, but slightly weaker. At the last moment, Ye Yu used a hidden weapon to defeat Bai Zhuo.
Because there were many disciples participating in the competition, it was divided into three arenas, allowing six people to compete at the same time.
The leftmost court is currently being contested by Wu Shangyao and Cheng Jin. Although Wu Shangyao is in no way inferior to Cheng Jin, the two have not yet determined a winner.
In the second match, Yu Guanzhi and Pei Yin were brought in. Pei Yin listened to her advice and did not hold back, and as expected, he easily defeated Yu Guanzhi.
After the two men stepped down, Qi Yuan went on stage to begin her first round of the competition, against Duan Yu. His broadsword was sharp and powerful, and her frost sword was no slouch either; the outcome was decided in no time.
Ouyang Lanyue pointed her fan in the direction of the prayer: "Sanlun, Yinzhu Zong prays for the victory of the mandarin ducks!"
Duan Yu, drenched in sweat, laughed and said, "Junior Sister is as strong as ever, it was a great fight!"
"Senior brother is also very strong," Qi Yuan said truthfully.
She sat back down and began watching the first match between Ye Ting and Lu Wenxing. Qi Yuan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Since Lu Wenxing was facing Ye Ting, it meant that he and Qi Yuan wouldn't get a chance to compete in the doubles.
Lu Wenxing lived up to his reputation as a dark horse among dark horses. He fought fiercely with Ye Ting for a long time, and after three matches were completed in other arenas, Yun Xingjun decided the winner based on the severity of injuries due to time constraints. In the end, Ye Ting, who had fewer injuries, was declared the winner.
Meanwhile, Qi Yuan faced off against her own sect's fourth junior brother, Ye Munian. Although he had indeed made progress after so much training, he was still defeated by Qi Yuan.
"Senior Sister is still terrifyingly powerful." He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The matches between inner and outer disciples were relatively short, with few rounds, and quickly a large group of disciples gathered to watch the personal doubles matches.
At most, the outer and inner disciples will only compete in two rounds. However, the direct disciples will have to compete in rounds continuously due to the competition system, until the final two strongest disciples compete.
After the direct disciples finish their competitions, the inner and outer disciples also have a chance to shine, which is to be nominated to challenge the designated direct disciple and that direct disciple in a competition. This is indeed a good opportunity for them to become famous. Moreover, the direct disciples have exhausted most of their energy after completing all the competitions, so it is already very merciful compared to directly fighting them.
Qi Yuan defeated Dongfang Yilin, Qi Yi, Qiu Yanyu, and Yu Guanzhi in succession, and the audience erupted in applause. She finally stepped off the stage for her last rest.
Only Ye Ting and Cui Que are left to fight in the third arena. One of them will win and fight Qi Yuan in the final two-person match.
It's now the third day, and by this time, almost all the inner and outer sect members have finished their competitions and are waiting for the results of Night Court and Sparrow.
Soon, Ji Lin announced loudly, "Ye Ting of the Water Spirit Sect wins!"
The disciples rushed towards the third arena like madmen, shouting the names of Ye Ting and Qi Yuan. It was those two again in this year's finals.
"Come on, place your bets! Let's see who wins between Senior Brother Ye and Senior Sister Qi!" A man shouted loudly as a stall was set up next to the arena.
"I, Senior Sister Qi, will receive one thousand spirit stones!!"
"If she loses, won't you be devastated? I'll bet two hundred spirit stones on Senior Brother Ye."
"I bet 100 spirit stones on Senior Sister Qi!"
"..."
The disciples carried bags of spirit stones to place bets. The senior disciples present were already used to it; who among them hadn't been bet on? At first, they would feel pressured, and they would be scolded if they lost the match, but later they became indifferent.
"Yinzhu Zongqiyuan, please enlighten me."
"Night Court of the Water Spirit Sect".
Qi Yuan launched the first attack, sending a burst of spiritual energy toward Ye Ting's chest. He dodged the attack, his fingertips releasing a burst of water light that he manipulated with his spiritual power to strike Qi Yuan. She opened her palm and cast a spell to freeze his water, the frost spreading across the arena floor.
"If you want to compete, then don't ruin the venue I've painstakingly prepared!!" The sect leader of Lingjian Sect lost his temper and stood up in a fit of rage.
The two people on the stage were completely focused on their competition and ignored him. The sect leader of Lingjian Sect was even angrier at this, but he couldn't do anything to these two treasures of the cultivation world.
The effects of the bird flower were remarkable. Qi Yuan and Ye Ting's fight was not as strenuous as in previous years, but almost an hour had passed and there was still no winner.
Since it was the final match, the sect leaders did not call a halt.
Where the sword passed, three zhang of frost solidified, and the sword energy surged and swung towards Ye Ting. The opponent dodged and pinched a talisman between two fingers, then threw it at Qi Yuan, where it exploded.
With a flick of her longsword, Qi Yuan drew her left fingertip and unleashed spiritual energy towards the ground. Taking advantage of Ye Ting's momentary sway, ice spikes suddenly pierced the ground, nearly striking him. The ice was slippery, and Qi Yuan's sword swept across his head. He bent over, caught off guard, and fell to the ground.
"Qi Yuansheng of the Silver Bamboo Sect!" the Sect Master of the Lingjian Sect said irritably. The arena was ruined, covered in frost and water stains, and had several holes punched into it.
The disciples were a mix of joy and sorrow. Those who bet on Qi Yuan cheered, while those who bet on Ye Ting cursed their master.
Ye Ting ignored those who were cursing him and cupped his hands to Qi Yuan, saying, "You've become even stronger."
"I know. Come challenge me again next year. The outcome of this year's competition is still undecided, as it depends on the trials." She returned the gesture with a cupped hand, her tone calm.
After three days of hard work, many disciples' clothes were tattered. The crowd regrouped, and the ten judges took to the stage.
As was customary, the sect leader of Lingjian Sect asked, "Are there any inner or outer disciples who wish to challenge a personal disciple?"
It was just a formality, since no one, whether inner or outer disciple, would dare to challenge these non-human beings. Unexpectedly, one disciple actually raised his hand.
The inner disciple asked timidly, "I want to challenge Senior Sister Qiu Yanyu of the Tuqin Sect."
The male disciple was secretly pleased. He had deliberately chosen a female disciple who seemed easy to deal with. If he won, he would be the hero who had defeated the disciple!
Contrary to his expectations, a direct disciple is a direct disciple. Before he could even last three minutes, this girl, whom he thought was easy to mess with, beat him until he was crying for his parents.
Ouyang Lanyue shouted, pressing her fan against the ground, "Tuqin Sect's Qiu Yanyu will prevail!"
"Is there anyone else who wants to take on the challenge?" the sect master of Lingjian Sect asked.
This time, there was complete silence below. The man who had just spoken was actually one of the more outstanding disciples of the inner sect, which was why he had taken a chance. However, he was still no match for a direct disciple. Now, those who had ideas about him gave up their thoughts.
"Alright! The first round of the competition is over! Everyone, take two days off. After two days, the disciples selected by each sect will participate in the trials of the Heavenly Bird Secret Realm!" announced the Sect Master of the Lingjian Sect.
An outer disciple exclaimed in surprise, "Is that the Heavenly Bird Secret Realm?!"
“You don’t know? It’s that one!” Inner Gate answered for him.
Yun Xingjun cleared his throat and said loudly, "There is one more competition rule that I haven't told everyone about this year. Because the risk of the Heavenly Bird Secret Realm is relatively high, disciples who are not participating in the trial can vote for their admired disciples in the next two days. The initial resources for each disciple will be determined by the number of votes after two days!"
The crowd began to applaud. They had thought they wouldn't have any impact, but if their votes could affect the trial's progress, the sense of participation would be enough to keep them excited for two more days.
The two seemingly calm days concealed turbulent undercurrents. Wherever Qi Yuan went, all she heard was people discussing who to bet on and who to vote for.
In fact, she did not want her disciples to vote for her.
How could it really be that simple? The more votes you get, the more supplies you get. Based on his intuition, it should be the opposite of what he expected.
Many disciples would come up to her and ask how she knew Ouyang Lanyue, but she usually didn't respond.
But why was Ouyang Lanyue able to become a judge? Was it simply because he was from the Wanwu Sect?
Qi Yuan focused more on preparing for the trial; she had never been to the Heavenly Bird Secret Realm before. The rules stipulated that participants in the trial were not allowed to bring anything other than weapons, including medicine and food. This year, for the first time, it was proposed that initial supplies could be allocated through voting.
If danger is truly encountered, the disciple will be teleported off the field the instant he crushes the jade tablet, which is considered a forfeit.
This secret realm is not privately owned, and outsiders will still appear. Only a portion of the area has spirit stones to broadcast the footage in real time to the sect leaders and disciples watching the competition. There are many more blind spots and corners that are not monitored, which poses even greater security risks.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
