Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and the competition arrived on a warm, spring-like day.
Early in the morning, all the disciples gathered at the Water Moon Terrace in the manor to wait for the competition. The scene was noisy but not chaotic. Everyone was divided into several halls in an orderly manner according to their rank, and each hall had different decorations and clothing.
Miao'er did not belong to Mingjing Hall; with her cultivation level, she belonged to Liaoxue Hall, which was at the Golden Core stage. Qinghe followed her and stood in the front row of Liaoxue Hall, having a clear view of the entire Shuiyue Terrace.
Right across from them was Mingjing Hall. Yuan Xiu's figure was barely visible because of the people in front of him. Ding Mengchao, whom Miao'er disliked, was standing in the first row.
The same blue and white robes looked as elegant and upright as bamboo on Yuan Xiu, but on Ding Mengchao, they inexplicably lost their charm and appeared somewhat mediocre.
It's true that not everyone possesses such an ethereal quality as temperament.
As her thoughts wandered, Qinghe suddenly recalled Qi Rong, dressed in fiery red, whose languid and alluring appearance was enough to captivate any woman in the world.
After thinking carefully and searching through all the handsome men in her mind, Qinghe couldn't think of anyone who could wear red and exude Qi Rong's charm.
The sound of gongs and drums interrupted Qinghe's reverie. Old Feng stood on the high platform and said in a loud voice, "Everyone, please be quiet."
The sound wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly, and it gradually quieted down.
"Time flies like an arrow, and the annual sect competition is finally here. I'm sure everyone is eagerly waiting..."
Miao'er muttered softly, "It's the same few lines every year, I'm so tired of hearing them."
Qing nodded silently and whispered in her ear, "Are you confident?"
Miao'er raised her head and said confidently, "Of course, I've made ample preparations for this competition."
Qinghe sensed something was off: "Is this your first time participating?"
Miao'er nodded: "There are rules for the competition; only those who are sixteen years of age or older can participate."
Qing understood, but in his heart he was thinking about how to enter the Mirror of Reincarnation without going through the competition.
On stage, Feng Lao was still speaking eloquently. After finishing his opening remarks, he declared in a resounding voice, "The competition now begins!"
Before the words were even finished, everyone in the audience was excited and eager to get started.
Ding Mengchao was the first to go on stage.
He held his head high, exuding arrogance, his gaze sweeping across the entire scene before finally settling on Yuan Xiu in the crowd.
"Yuan Xiu, do you dare to fight me?" A disdainful expression appeared on his face.
Seeing this, Miao'er was furious and almost rushed forward, but Qinghe pulled her back in time.
"If he dares to hurt Yuan Xiu, I won't let him get away with it!"
Qinghe stroked her back, signaling her not to get angry.
Everyone else turned their attention to Yuan Xiu, and in an instant he became the focus of everyone's attention.
Yuan Xiu stood still, his face expressionless, but his curled fingers revealed that he was not at peace.
Ding Mengchao continued to provoke, "What, are you scared? Has the trauma of losing to me last year made you a coward?"
The entire room fell silent, everyone waiting for Yuan Xiu's answer.
Finally, Yuan Xiu raised his head, looked directly at Ding Mengchao, and walked steadily onto the stage.
As the sun rises in the distance, pigeons circle overhead, leaving behind the lingering echo of their whistles.
Yuan Xiu didn't say a word from beginning to end, but slightly raised his head to signal the other party to make a move.
Ding Mengchao gave a mocking smile: "Looks like I didn't dampen your spirits last time. This time, I'm going to make you admit defeat wholeheartedly!"
After saying that, he suddenly clasped his hands together, and with the activation of his spiritual power, a circular spirit plate gradually appeared behind him. The surrounding area was filled with strong winds due to the powerful force, and even the heavens and earth changed.
Someone exclaimed in surprise: "The Yin-Yang Plate for Sacrificing to Spirits!"
Qinghe had never seen this kind of technique before and asked curiously, "What is the Spirit Sacrifice Yin-Yang Disc?"
Miao'er's expression was unusually serious: "The Sacrifice Spirit Yin-Yang Disc is a move created by Ding Mengchao, and its power is extremely strong. All the cultivation methods of cultivators in this world are nothing more than the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, without distinguishing between yin and yang. As long as yin and yang are broken, no matter who the opponent is, they will be sucked into the Yin-Yang Disc, and their spiritual veins will be disordered and they will die."
She stared intently at Yuan Xiu on the stage: "I wonder what level Ding Mengchao has reached now."
As the spirit disc slowly took shape, Yuan Xiu's expression gradually turned grim. With a slight flick of his wrist, a cold sword appeared in his palm.
The black and white yin-yang symbol circled around Ding Mengchao, its expression turning ferocious: "I originally wanted to play with you slowly, but unfortunately time doesn't allow it, so let's finish this quickly!"
Yuan Xiu remained silent, his figure shifted, and with a tap of his toes, the cold sword suddenly stabbed towards Ding Mengchao.
The competition was intense, with all the disciples staring intently at the two fighters on the stage, none of them able to predict who would win.
Old Feng sat on the rattan chair on the high platform, leisurely sipping his tea, completely unconcerned about the two people below.
She glanced up occasionally, a smile playing on her lips, "Yuanxiu's cultivation has improved."
In stark contrast to his leisurely attitude, Miao'er gripped her sleeves tightly, watching the stage with a tense expression, and didn't forget to ask Qinghe, "Who do you think will win?"
Qinghe considered for a moment and said, "In terms of strength, Ding Mengchao is better, but in terms of strategy, Yuan Xiu is a step ahead, so I don't know either."
After saying that, Qinghe sighed, not knowing whether Miao'er had listened or not, and thought to himself that concern can cloud judgment.
The competition proceeded in full swing, and amidst the anticipation of the crowd, the first round of the competition came to an end with Yuan Xiu's victory.
Miao'er cheered immediately. She walked quickly onto the stage and stood next to Yuan Xiu. Her smug expression made Ding Mengchao, who was in a disheveled and incredulous state, look even more embarrassed.
He muttered "impossible" under his breath, his gaze toward Yuan Xiu turning fierce. He almost rushed forward to challenge him again, but the competition could only be held once, and he had to accept his defeat.
Qinghe noticed that Yuanxiu's posture was a bit strange when he stepped off the stage, presumably because he was injured. Qinghe reminded Miao'er and did her a favor.
The following matches lacked the excitement of the first and were somewhat dull and boring. Qinghe looked around listlessly, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone sitting on the roof directly in front of the Water Moon Terrace.
He held a glass of wine in his slender hand, with a pot of wine beside him. He had a faint smile on his face, and the look in his eyes when he watched the competition was exactly the same as when he listened to the girl playing music in the brothel.
Qi Rong seemed to notice Qing He's gaze, turned to look at her, their eyes met, one pair was playful and charming, the other was calm and undisturbed, the two looked at each other from a distance.
The phoenix hairpin on his head had disappeared at some point. Looking again, a small red bird landed on Qi Rong's shoulder, its head rubbing against his clothes in a very affectionate manner.
Qing cursed under his breath: This traitor.
After a brief eye contact, Qinghe looked away.
A familiar voice came from beside him: "You'd better not mess with him."
Shen Xun appeared beside her at some point and said quietly, "That person is not simple."
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