The arena for the Dao Asks the Questions competition was packed with people early on.
Today's competition will determine the rankings on the list of famous figures. Those who can be ranked among the younger generation in the entire cultivation world must possess talents unknown to others.
Everyone was looking forward to a great match, and some people even arrived in the stands before dawn to secure a good spot.
"Look, over there in the bright green Changfeng Valley, that's Fang Xian."
"Wow! Early stage of Nascent Soul? I remember Li Jinchu had this strength when he won the championship back then."
"Then wouldn't he be the undisputed number one on this year's Heavenly Ranking?"
"Not necessarily. Two of the top three from the last Heavenly Ranking couldn't participate, but there was still a third-place finisher, wasn't there?"
"You mean Ji Mofan? Didn't he come to watch the competition the other day? He's only at the late Nascent Soul stage, a whole realm below him. How can he compare to Fang Xuan?"
"That's normal. I remember Ji Mofan is a year younger than Fang Xian?"
“The contestants are all quite young. If this age difference were over 100, it might not be a big deal, but now it’s a huge gap.”
"No, you're all talking so enthusiastically, but has anyone actually seen where Ji Mo Fanren is?"
"He wasn't in the Chaoming Palace... Hmm? He wasn't among that group of people."
"Here they come! Look at the athletes' entrance area."
Jimo Fan arrived late, after the contestants had already begun the draw.
The entrance area was deserted, with everyone gathered around the ring, so he attracted a lot of attention as he walked in.
Ji Mo Fan sighed.
He didn't want to, but Li Jinchu insisted that he had to soak for a certain amount of time before he was allowed to come out.
"It's just going out to draw lots," he tried to argue. "It'll only take half an hour. I'll be right back after I'm done."
"No, the medicinal properties of these herbs will dissipate in half an hour." Li Jinchu pressed his forehead and pushed him back into the spiritual spring water. "This snake fruit vine is worth eighty spirit stones, and that golden wind fruit is worth one hundred and twenty. Are you sure you want to waste them?"
Ji Mofangan was immediately silenced.
If he tried to persuade them with other reasons, he probably wouldn't have been able to change Ji Mo Fan's mind.
But the word "waste" hit his Achilles' heel.
He believes that his body can be wasted under certain conditions, since he's already injured, so he doesn't care whether he repairs it sooner or later.
But not spirit stones, not even one.
Ignoring the gazes of those around him and the indistinct chatter from afar, Ji Mofan strode toward the arena where the draw was being conducted.
"What a pretentious show-off..."
Ji Mofan couldn't hear what the audience in the distance was saying, but as he got closer, the whispers of the contestants were clear to his ears.
"Is it really necessary? They really have to make a grand entrance. Wasn't the attention they attracted the other day enough?"
"If you like attracting attention so much, why don't you strip naked and compete in the next match?"
"He'll definitely be the center of attention. I'll stop playing and just watch him, haha..."
"Honestly, isn't it just because they come from a sect and have resources and magical artifacts?"
"If I had the same conditions, I wouldn't be at this level of strength now."
Even though Ji Mofan usually has a good temper, it was really hard for him to put on a pleasant expression at this moment.
He pressed his temples.
That's why he preferred to postpone treatment rather than do something so attention-grabbing.
Although there was already a lot of unpleasant gossip, if he had come in the crowd today, at least he wouldn't have aroused the dissatisfaction of the crowd.
If he gets angry with these people, he might end up hurting himself, and all the spiritual herbs he used earlier would be wasted.
“Fellow Daoist, I remember you should be a disciple of Wushang Temple.” Ji Mofan suddenly raised his head and looked directly at the person who had been gossiping the most earlier.
The latter probably hadn't expected to be targeted like this, and for a moment he didn't react, shrinking back guiltily, "How about it?"
"It's nothing. I was just curious. The tradition of Wushang Temple is to only accept male disciples and to practice according to Buddhist teachings." Ji Mofan's tone didn't sound like he was looking for trouble; his gentle voice made people want to listen more.
It even made those who had been secretly discussing him feel a little guilty. Could such a person really be so despicable?
"Why do you still have long hair, fellow Daoist?" Ji Mo Fan asked. "Is there something about the mortal world that you can't forget?"
These words might not have sounded offensive to others, but to the disciple of Wushang Temple, they stung so much that he jumped up on the spot. "Don't slander me! I am a lay disciple practicing at Wushang Temple with my hair still intact. I have none of the sordid things you're talking about!"
Wushang Temple is not a small sect, so many people are familiar with its organizational structure. Although there is indeed a group of lay disciples, they are basically composed of ordinary people or cultivators with poor talent.
Although lay disciples are nominally affiliated with Wushang Temple, in reality, since they will generally return home after a period of cultivation, the temple elders will not spend too much effort on them, nor will they allow them to access the core secrets of Wushang Temple.
To receive more formal training, one must become an orthodox disciple of the Wushang Temple.
The person in front of me is neither a second-generation immortal with a prestigious family backing him nor a marginal figure in the sect, but his strength is quite remarkable, and he is capable of making it to the third day of the competition.
But his talent was just so-so; he even had a dual spiritual root of wood and fire, which was more suited to cultivating pills.
To achieve such success at such a young age with such talent alone is virtually impossible unless one hits the jackpot.
Wushang Temple has never publicized any similar incidents among its disciples, so the only possibility is that the way this person reached his current level of cultivation is not something that outsiders can know.
Ji Mo Fan's light and airy words pointed to the reasons behind the matter as a path in the mortal world.
Although the practice of using dual cultivation to improve one's cultivation level is criticized in the cultivation world, it is, after all, a private matter and falls under the category of "the authorities will not investigate unless the people complain."
Even so, no one would bring this up in public.
I can't afford to lose face like that.
Especially sects like Wushang Temple, which are basically Buddhist temples, where all members renounce worldly life and devote themselves to Buddhism. Let alone dual cultivation techniques, even the slightest rumor that someone has a Daoist partner is a big deal and will be punished according to the sect's rules.
Even lay disciples are forbidden from falling in love or forming a spiritual partnership while practicing in the temple.
Actually, no one was making wild guesses about the origin of his strength, since even though he had overcome many challenges, he wasn't the most outstanding among these contestants.
But as soon as Ji Mofan mentioned it, suspicions immediately arose.
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