Mask of Suffering

Dugu Fang announced, "Next comes the preliminary round. As before, contestants will face off in pairs. Winners advance; losers are eliminated."

As he spoke, Dugu Fang casually waved a hand. Countless small stone plaques abruptly appeared in the air, streaking down like flowing light to land before every Outer Sect Disciple in the square.

Lu Yi caught the stone plaque floating before him and glanced at it. Engraved upon it were the numbers: 101-25.

Lu Yi knew a little about this. Although he had never participated in the Outer Sect Competition, he had watched it several times.

The number in front was the arena number, while the one behind indicated the match. Together, it meant the twenty-fifth match at Arena 101.

The Martial Arts Stage was enormous, containing a full three hundred and twenty arenas. Arena 101 was considered fairly close to the front.

At that moment, Wang Wulian looked at his own stone plaque and said, "I'm at Arena 28. What about you?"

Lu Ling smiled faintly. "I'm at number 211."

Wang Xinqi said, "I'm at number 7."

The three looked toward Lu Yi, who smiled. "Number 101."

At once, Wang Wulian and the other two breathed sighs of relief. Wang Xinqi laughed. "Good thing we're not in the same arena as Junior Brother Lu. Otherwise, we'd be in for it."

"Exactly. With Junior Brother Lu Yi's strength, if we were in the same arena and had bad luck, we might get eliminated in the first few rounds." Wang Wulian nodded deeply in agreement.

Lu Yi smiled. "You flatter me, Senior Brothers. I'm not that strong."

The three rolled their eyes, not believing Lu Yi's nonsense. Did they not know perfectly well how strong this guy was?

Just as they were talking, Dugu Fang's voice rang out again. "All right. All participating disciples, proceed to your assigned arena areas. Referees, take your positions."

As soon as Dugu Fang finished speaking, one steward after another descended from the sky onto the various arenas. They were the referees for this Outer Sect Competition.

Lu Yi smiled at Wang Wulian and the other two. "Three Senior Brothers, may you win your first battle beneath fluttering banners."

The three exchanged glances and nodded.

Lu Ling smiled. "I'll borrow Junior Brother's auspicious words! As for Junior Brother, you'll surely emerge victorious from the arena matches."

Wang Wulian grinned and burst into laughter. "I'm off first!"

Wang Xinqi was somewhat nervous, but he smiled. "Then I'm leaving too."

The four parted ways, and Lu Yi headed toward Arena 101.

Before long, he found Arena 101. More than a hundred people were already gathered beneath it, all Outer Sect Disciples competing in this arena.

These disciples had originally looked fairly relaxed, but the moment they saw Lu Yi, every expression on their faces froze.

"Senior Brother Lu?!"

"Damn it, why am I so unlucky?! I'm actually in the same arena as Senior Brother Lu?!"

"Ahhh!! I was hoping to make it into the top thousand! I just hope I don't run into Junior Brother Lu in the first few rounds..."

One Outer Sect Disciple after another wore expressions of utter despair.

Lu Yi felt quite innocent. It was not as if he got to choose his arena.

The steward on the arena was named Feng Tian, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man. Naturally, he recognized Lu Yi, whose name had been resounding throughout the Outer Sect these past few days, and could not help giving him several extra looks.

It had to be said, this kid Lu Yi was indeed quite handsome. He should be popular with young girls. As for whether his strength was truly as great as the rumors claimed...

They would find out soon enough.

Once every Outer Sect Disciple had found their respective arena, Dugu Fang spoke from the Central Arena. "You may begin."

After saying that, Dugu Fang clasped his hands behind his back and rose into the air, joining the other elders overhead.

A black-haired middle-aged man smiled faintly. "Grand Elder, you have worked hard."

Dugu Fang looked down at the arenas below and replied calmly, "The Outer Sect is where our White Cloud Sect cultivates its elites, and the Outer Sect Competition is of paramount importance. As the Outer Sect Grand Elder, these are duties I ought to perform. What hardship is there?"

"Grand Elder is righteous and noble!"

"We should all learn from the Grand Elder."

The elders all spoke up in succession.

Dugu Fang sighed. "Unfortunately, the number of people who passed the Preliminary Selection this year has not increased by much. It seems there may be few outstanding talents..."

At those words, Qi Feiyu, the elder of the Affairs Hall, smiled. "Grand Elder, that is not quite right. You have been in seclusion this past month, so you may not know that a genius has recently emerged from our Outer Sect."

Dugu Fang was taken aback and looked toward Qi Feiyu with curiosity. "Oh? What kind of genius?"

"I imagine the other elders have heard of him as well? Lu Yi of White Spirit Peak has cultivated the White Cloud Swordplay to the realm of Return to Simplicity." Qi Feiyu smiled.

"Lu Yi? This old man has heard his name recently as well. I hear his comprehension is quite good."

"Yes. I heard that Lin Feng left the sect some time ago and asked Liu Ningshuang, Liu True Inheritor, to lecture in his stead. Liu True Inheritor thought very highly of Lu Yi."

"In my view, with such comprehension, he may yet become a Core Disciple in the future."

The many elders spoke over one another as they discussed Lu Yi.

Hearing their discussion, Dugu Fang's eyes brightened slightly. "He comprehended the White Cloud Swordplay to the realm of Return to Simplicity? That comprehension is indeed extraordinary. Those in our White Cloud Sect who can comprehend techniques to the Returning to Purity Realm never achieve poorly. And he has earned Liu True Inheritor's approval as well? Perhaps he has a chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm?"

The more Dugu Fang spoke, the happier he became. He asked, "How old is this Lu Yi?"

"Er..." The others exchanged looks. They were elders; who would ask about someone's age?

At that moment, Qi Feiyu smiled faintly and said, "Lu Yi's parents are stewards of our White Cloud Sect and work in my Affairs Hall. I looked into it. That child is only sixteen years old, and I heard he broke through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer some time ago."

"Only sixteen? Good, good, good!" Dugu Fang smiled. "Which arena is Lu Yi in?"

Qi Feiyu had been paying attention to Lu Yi from the very beginning. Hearing Dugu Fang's question, he immediately pointed. "Arena 101."

After Dugu Fang announced the start of the matches, Feng Tian, standing atop the arena, said, "All right. Number one, come up."

At once, two cultivators whose stone plaques bore the number one leaped onto the arena.

Lu Yi glanced at them. Both cultivators were at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. In fact, after the Preliminary Selection, Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivators were the most numerous, followed by those at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer and Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

At the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, there were not many even in the entire White Cloud Sect Outer Sect—only a little over a thousand. There were even fewer at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, while fewer than ten had reached the Qi Refining Tenth Layer.

The two Qi Refining Sixth Layer disciples saluted each other before beginning their fight. At first, Lu Yi watched with great interest, but he quickly grew bored. Neither of them had properly mastered their techniques. One had reached minor mastery, while the other had not even attained that. Watching their moves riddled with openings, Lu Yi was nearly overcome by secondhand embarrassment.

With techniques like these, he could slaughter them blindly with his eyes closed...

After the two rookies pecked at each other for a while, the disciple with the minor mastery technique proved slightly superior and won.

With one match over, the second began quickly. Round after round passed, and Lu Yi grew so bored he was nearly asleep.

At the thought of having to compete through several rounds in this arena, Lu Yi put on the Mask of Suffering.