First Battle!

"Alright, let's go over the rules of the Clan Competition first."

The Great Elder's aged voice echoed through the Trial Grounds, making the Gu Clan juniors, who were ready for battle, sit upright.

"This Clan Competition will follow the usual rules. In a moment, the four hundred contestants present will randomly draw lots. Winners will advance, while losers will be eliminated."

"The grounds will be divided into fifty areas, meaning one hundred contestants may compete at the same time. There will be fifty advancement slots, and the top twenty contestants in the final rankings will be permitted to participate in the Seven Clans Grand Competition, also known as the Seven Clans Gathering."

"The juniors from each clan participating in this gathering will all be between seven and twelve years old, so there is no need to worry about encountering anyone excessively powerful..."

"Cough, cough, I've gone a little off topic... Alright, that's all I have to say. I'll leave the rest to Elder Gu Dao."

After coughing lightly and briefly explaining some of the Clan Competition's rules, the Great Elder returned to his seat.

On the grounds.

"Come, little ones participating in the Clan Competition. Let's see who your opponents are," an elderly man said kindly.

The old man was Gu Dao, one of the Three Immortals of the Gu Clan. He had white hair and a youthful face, a perpetual smile in his eyes, and wore a green robe. He possessed the strength of a Seven Star Dou Saint, and his status was exceedingly high as well.

As soon as he finished speaking, balls of light flew from his hand, raining down into the hands of everyone present.

Watching Elder Gu Dao's display, Yun Xi said softly, "This old man is quite strong too. It's a pity he has no room left to improve."

Xun'er, holding a ball of light, broke into a cold sweat at his words. He was one of the three supreme elders and had long stopped involving himself much in clan affairs. He had likely come to oversee the Clan Competition merely to observe the juniors' cultivation progress. Did Yun Xi still expect him to develop further?

Ignoring Yun Xi's words, Xun'er carefully opened the ball of light in her hand. Amid a burst of dazzling radiance, a small token appeared in her palm, inscribed with: First Round, Twenty-Nine.

"First Round, Twenty-Nine? The twenty-ninth arena?" Xun'er murmured.

Holding the token with some confusion, Xun'er followed its instructions toward the twenty-ninth arena.

Just as she stepped onto the platform, a boy slowly walked up from the other side of the stone stage.

Though his dark face was filled with determination, his short, scrawny frame and faint aura revealed that his cultivation was rather low.

Looking at the little boy before her, Xun'er felt somewhat helpless. She had wanted to have a proper battle, but it seemed things would not go as she wished.

Out of courtesy, she introduced herself to the little boy. "Hello, my name is Gu Xun'er. What about you? What's your name?"

Seeing Xun'er's luxurious clothes and her open, composed manner, the little boy said somewhat reservedly, "I... I'm Gu Feng..."

"Gu Feng? It's nice to meet you, but you mustn't go easy on me," Xun'er said seriously.

Gu Feng nodded. Yellow Dou Qi then surged from within his body, revealing his strength—a Three Star Dou Zhe.

Although he was only a Three Star Dou Zhe, Xun'er still did not dare let down her guard. One reason was what Yun Xi had said before: excessive confidence would turn into arrogance. The other was to show her opponent sufficient respect.

Seeing that all the contestants in the first group had taken the stage, Gu Dao stroked his gray-white beard and shouted softly, "The Clan Competition begins!"

As his shout fell, the small arenas separated by barriers throughout the Trial Grounds gradually erupted into excitement. Dou Qi of every color burst forth as brilliantly as fireworks before violently colliding.

At the signal that the match had begun, golden Dou Qi surged around Xun'er, fully displaying the strength of a Five Star Dou Zhe.

Gu Feng, whose gaze had been fixed tightly on Xun'er, narrowed his eyes slightly. He had not expected this delicate and adorable little girl to possess the strength of a Five Star Dou Zhe.

But after only a moment of stunned silence, he quickly became serious.

"Yellow High-Rank Dou Skill, Wind Breaking Leg!"

He raised his right leg, the yellow Dou Qi covering it becoming exceptionally dense. A fierce gust from his kick whistled toward Xun'er in the distance.

Seeing Gu Feng charge toward her, a smile appeared on Xun'er's elegant little face. She curled her palm slightly as golden light flashed over it, then pushed off with both legs and struck Gu Feng's incoming leg with her palm.

Bang!

With a muffled impact, Gu Feng was sent flying backward even faster than he had come. He finally crashed heavily into the edge of a raised platform in the distance, kicking up dust that filled the air.

Seeing Gu Feng lying at the edge of the stone platform, Xun'er suddenly felt a little sorry for him. Just as she was about to go over and help him up, Gu Feng struggled to his feet again.

"Cough, cough."

After coughing dryly, Gu Feng braced his hands against the floor and rose with difficulty. He casually wiped away the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, then charged forward once more.

"Huh? You still want to continue... But..." Watching the little boy gather his Dou Qi and charge at her again, Xun'er could not bear it.

As though he had seen the trace of pity in her eyes, Gu Feng stubbornly shouted, "Miss Xun'er, please don't hold back. Let me see where the gap lies between my strength and yours! Mystic Low-Rank Dou Skill, Void Piercing Palm!"

Dou Qi surged as a palm infused with Dou Qi slammed heavily toward Xun'er.

"Mystic High-Rank Dou Skills, Guardian Eight Trigrams Palm," Xun'er called softly, then gently sent out a palm strike.

Bang!

The instant their palms collided, another muffled explosion rang out. Both of them retreated rapidly, but while Xun'er only took several steps back, Gu Feng stumbled back dozens of steps.

Just as Xun'er thought he would continue attacking, Gu Feng stopped.

"Thank you, Miss Xun'er. I only cultivate a Yellow High-Rank Cultivation Method. After using Mystic Rank Dou Skills twice in succession, my Dou Qi has already been exhausted, so... you win."

After saying that, the skinny little boy jumped out of the designated area.

According to the rules, leaving the boundary meant elimination. Thus, Xun'er naturally won this match.

"Gu Xun'er wins!" the referee's voice rang out from above.

"Ah..." Winning should have been a good thing, something worth being happy about. Yet Xun'er could not feel happy at all. This was her first match, but it seemed she had unintentionally hurt someone else...

"Don't overthink it. That child is quite good. Knowing he couldn't win yet still daring to continue challenging you shows his unyielding nature. So don't worry. He won't give up because of such a setback; he'll only improve because of this small setback." Yun Xi's calm voice entered Xun'er's heart.

Hearing this, Xun'er felt somewhat relieved. She glanced once more at where Gu Feng had just stood, then withdrew her gaze and leaped down from the arena.