personally take the stage
"Thump—"
A drumbeat sounded, and the final rankings of all the sects were determined. The top-tier sects remained the same: Sword Sect, Shadowless Sect, Azure Cloud Sect, Hundred Flowers Valley, and Myriad Manifestations Sect.
Even the rankings of these sects haven't changed much.
The only noteworthy event was that a disciple of the Myriad Manifestations Sect won the Foundation Establishment stage championship. Other sects then rallied in the other two groups, which at least prevented the rankings from changing too much.
However, the sect competition is not over yet.
There's one last chance to turn the tide.
Any sect can challenge the top-ranked sect in a one-on-one battle. If the lower-ranked sect wins the match, the rankings of the two sects will be swapped.
This one-on-one battle only requires both parties to be at or below the Nascent Soul stage; there are no other requirements.
As soon as the rules were announced, whispers began to circulate around them.
"Sigh, it's the same again. It's never interesting."
"Exactly, top-tier is top-tier. I've almost never seen a second-rate person dare to challenge a top-tier one..."
After saying this, the disciple suddenly realized something was wrong. Why was it so quiet around him?
He instinctively looked at the only arena in front of him—
Someone stepped onto the arena, pointing in a direction where the Myriad Manifestations Sect stood.
After a while, it seemed that everyone came to their senses, and the noise gradually returned.
"Which minor sect is this from? I've never seen them before."
"I don't know, maybe it's third-rate? But how dare a third-rate company challenge a first-rate one?"
Someone seemed to have discovered something and excitedly whispered, "Look, even that small sect seems to be caught off guard."
Everyone turned their attention to the group of disciples dressed the same as those on the stage and noticed that they looked unwell. The elder standing at the front frowned deeply.
"Elder, what should we do? He said he would help our sect improve its level, but he never mentioned that it would be done this way."
The disciples standing behind the elder were anxiously pacing back and forth, but now that the person had already stepped onto the stage, according to the rules, they could only fight one more time before stepping down.
The elder's brow furrowed slightly: "Then let him try first; maybe it really will work."
The disciple was unaware of the other party's situation, but before he came, the sect leader had given him a few pointers: this person might not necessarily lose.
Even against the Sword Sect, there is a certain chance of victory, let alone the fact that this is just the Myriad Manifestations Sect, a bottom-tier sect.
If they could really use this opportunity to enter the top echelon, then their resources in the following years... Thinking this, a hint of greed appeared in his eyes.
The Myriad Manifestations Sect was naturally shocked as well. Then, a Nascent Soul stage disciple stepped forward, somewhat eager to try, "Elder, let me go and meet him."
He had never experienced anything like this before. Now that he was considered the top Nascent Soul cultivator among the contestants, it was the most suitable person for him to go.
Upon hearing this, the elder simply nodded slightly. Even if the opponent's chances of winning were almost nonexistent, they still needed to be cautious.
But just as my disciple took a few steps forward, a fair hand stopped him.
"Senior Sister?"
Chu Li glanced sideways slightly: "If I'm not mistaken, this final round only has a restriction on cultivation level, not on the participant's identity, right?"
The disciple nodded blankly. According to the rules, that was indeed the case. However, under normal circumstances, the sect would send out its strongest group to participate in the competition. Normally, among the participants present now, there should be the sect's strongest Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
"I'll go."
Chu Li took a step forward and lightly leaped onto the arena.
The disciple below the stage stared wide-eyed, looking at the elder with a bewildered expression.
The elder scratched his head: "What she said makes sense, so let's leave it at that."
The closer Chu Li got to the disciple from the unknown sect, the more she sensed a foul aura. When she looked up, she saw that the man's face was very pale, as if he hid in the shadows all day long.
A sharp whistling sound suddenly rang in Chu Li's ears. In an instant, Chu Li raised her hand and forcefully blocked the blow that the opponent was wielding a large axe.
After a jolt, the distance between the two quickly widened again.
Chu Li shook her slightly numb wrist, and was almost certain that something was wrong with the other party.
The strong stench emanating from the axe had already made her somewhat displeased; she decided to finish this quickly.
Suddenly, she raised her right hand, and a lotus flower slowly bloomed in her palm. The moment the lotus flower fully bloomed, light began to shimmer on the petals. In an instant, a vast domain suddenly enveloped the entire arena, and no one outside could see anything inside.
Nan Yi kept pushing his way forward through the crowd with a tense expression.
Since this final battle was none of his business, he deliberately waited at the very back when he came with his sect—the deeper reason, perhaps, was that he was still worried about seeing his senior sister.
He didn't know what to say if he ran into his senior sister, nor did he know if he could control his emotions. His senior sister had clearly done nothing wrong.
If he only vents his painful emotions on her, then he really doesn't deserve to be her junior brother.
But just now, he clearly heard her voice.
It's unclear what emotions drove him, but before he could even figure it out, he had already taken a step.
When he arrived at the front, the entire arena was already enveloped by a massive domain—he subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, a muffled sound came from the arena.
He couldn't help but feel anxious again.
Sect rankings were secondary; he just... just didn't want to see his senior sister get hurt...
All the disciples around were staring intently at the top of the arena, and it seemed that the outcome of the battle was imminent.
Although rationally everyone believed that this unknown sect was no match for the Myriad Manifestations Sect, what if? Judging from the confident demeanor of that third-rate sect, perhaps what they had just unleashed was a powerful "weapon" they had been cultivating for many years...
But the next second, a thunderous sound rang in everyone's ears, and a powerful pressure from the sky suddenly descended, striking the arena directly.
Those initial expressions of curiosity completely changed, turning into a wave of astonishment.
"This is……"
"No way, it's just a competition, why summon lightning? And go so far?"
Compared to the surprise of the others, Nan Yi's relaxed expression stood out.
He knew that the lightning could only have been set off by his senior sister, so the final winner of this competition would be his senior sister.
She will only be my senior sister.
Just as everyone was discussing this, the domain on the arena finally dissipated completely, revealing the true scene of the arena.
The arena floor was blasted open by lightning, leaving a large hole with dark scorch marks along the edges. On the other side stood the eldest disciple of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, perfectly fine.
Huh? Where's the other person?
Someone with sharp eyes spotted the motionless body lying straight at the bottom of the cave.
"You killed him?"
An old man with deep wrinkles and a face as white as a ghost rushed over, pointing his withered finger at Chu Li, his expression showing some panic.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that this person was none other than the elder of the unknown sect who, unaware of his own limitations, wanted to challenge the Myriad Manifestations Sect.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this elder was quite old, yet his cultivation level was still at the Nascent Soul stage.
A murmur arose from below, the discussion revolving around whether killing the other party was justified.
A rare hint of impatience flashed in Chu Li's eyes as she tossed the blue lotus in her hand. "Are you talking about him?"
The blue lotus spun a few times in the air, and finally a very small, transparent human figure appeared out of thin air.
The figure still had outlines, but they were very faint, and it was clear that he was just hanging on by his last breath.
“I remember,” Chu Li said casually, “that those who possess bodies are not allowed to stand on the stage in the sect competition, right?”
These words caused an uproar among the elders and disciples of the various sects below.
As one of the top sects, the Qingyun Sect took the lead in stating its position: "If the facts are indeed as this young friend says, then the Qingyun Sect believes that this sect should be stripped of its right to participate in the sect competition."
The elders of the Myriad Manifestations Sect were happy to watch the show from the sidelines. In any case, Chu Li's thoughts were the same as their sect's thoughts. However, they were not at all surprised that the Azure Cloud Sect was the first to step forward. This sect always liked to put on an act, and whenever they encountered an opportunity to gain fame, they were always the first to jump out.
That's possession, a heretical technique completely disliked in the cultivation world. But even so, many cultivators still risk it to possess a body.
Chu Li was actually relieved in her heart. Fortunately, it was her who was fighting the other party. The person who had possessed her body was an old monster with a hidden strength far exceeding that of the Nascent Soul stage. Fortunately, this body prevented him from exerting too much of his strength, and she later used lightning to suppress it.
That's how they managed to drive him out.
Upon seeing the transparent figure, the old man's lips twitched a few times, as if he wanted to struggle a bit more, but then the other sects seemed to realize what was happening and expressed their attitudes one by one.
In the end, the family responsible for all matters related to this competition took over, stating that they would give everyone an explanation after they had investigated the matter thoroughly.
After all, such possession is strictly prohibited in the competition, so from this point of view, it can be considered their mistake.
Although he said he would go back to investigate, anyone with eyes could see that the face of this transparent figure was completely different from the face of the body he had just possessed, and the possession was a foregone conclusion.
As for the person behind this, he is nothing more than someone from a third-rate sect. Otherwise, why would he choose this particular moment to challenge the Myriad Manifestations Sect?
The final stage of the sect competition ended somewhat comically. After all, once this incident occurred, other sects that still wanted to try to challenge it dared not step forward, fearing that they would also be affected by this incident.
On the spirit boat returning to the sect, Chu Li, as usual, seized every moment to cultivate, but a restless feeling lingered in her heart. She let out a soft breath and finally pushed open the door to go out—
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