Li Ping'an had just received his master's orders when a Mountain Patrol disciple came knocking at his door, delivering an order from Marvelous Cloud Hall.
—He met the requirements for an Inner Sect Disciple and had to participate in this grand competition.
Li Ping'an slipped the Mountain Patrol disciple two spirit stones and asked about the basics of the competition.
Though Mountain Patrol disciples were mostly Outer Sect Disciples, they were all well-informed. They also knew that Li Ping'an had a powerful background, so they answered everything they knew.
A moment later, Li Ping'an slumped back into his reclining chair, worrying for quite some time.
Disciples were the sect's future, the Golden Crow corpses of the East Continent cultivation world's morning hour. Those chosen to enter the Myriad Cloud Sect's inner sect and cultivate under immortals were all outstanding human buds waiting to bloom.
Simply put, even the weakest Inner Sect Disciples were geniuses at the village or town level.
—The disciple who had fought him and Mu Ningning back then was not among them. That person was more like an Errand Disciple from Medicine Dust Peak.
Judging by the number of Flowing Cloud Temple disciples selected for the inner sect, fewer than a hundred disciples had entered over the past twenty years.
But in truth, more than two hundred Inner Sect Disciples would participate in this competition. Half of them were immortal children and youths found by Myriad Cloud Sect immortals during their travels, who had directly skipped the Flowing Cloud Temple stage.
The cultivation progress of those two hundred-plus disciples varied greatly.
Among the immortal seedlings specially nurtured by the various peaks, many had entered the Void Refining Realm after cultivating for just over a decade, and a very small number had even reached the early True Unity Realm.
Those who had been in the sect for fewer than ten years were also no lower than the Light Condensation Realm, with most being in its later stages.
Li Ping'an and Mu Ningning were among the newest batch of disciples.
The sect had naturally considered this. The competition would be divided into the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings. Those who had entered the sect more than ten years ago would compete for the Heaven Ranking; those who had entered between five and ten years ago would compete for the Earth Ranking; and those who had entered fewer than five years ago would compete for the Human Ranking.
The top three of the Human Ranking could participate in the Earth Ranking competition, while the top ten of the Earth Ranking could enter the Heaven Ranking.
Junior Sister Mu has high aspirations and a strong-willed nature. If she cannot even make the top three of the Human Ranking this time, it may affect her Dao heart.
As Li Ping'an thought this, he unconsciously considered Mu Ningning a little more.
Besides, he had fought far too few battles over the past three years. That was also a hidden concern, and he needed to find suitable opponents to test himself against.
As for Mu Ningning, Li Ping'an did have a way to help her make it into the top three of the Human Ranking.
Just as Li Ping'an was thinking, he suddenly sensed his master's aura rapidly approaching.
He turned and saw that his master had changed into a faded, high-collared long dress, her long hair simply tied into a ponytail.
The upper half of the dress was form-fitting, outlining her graceful figure, while the lower half had a pleated skirt, paired with thin cloud-gauze trousers underneath.
This seemed to be the sect's Immortal Realm disciple uniform.
"Come with me," Qing Su said. "I will teach you how to fight."
Li Ping'an rose and followed behind Qing Su, joy welling up in his heart.
He had a master now. He no longer had to blindly figure everything out by himself.
Inside Myriad Cloud Hall.
The Sect Leader lifted his teacup and took a light sip.
For today's discussion, two of the three Vice Sect Masters had arrived, seated in stone chairs to the Sect Leader's left and right.
Nine of the eighteen Inner Sect Elders responsible for deliberations had come as well, likewise seated on both sides, ready to discuss how this inner sect disciple competition should be conducted.
The new Inner Sect Disciple competition was held once every twenty years. It was one of the sect's rare lively events, as well as one of the few major matters requiring the Sect Leader and Inner Sect Elders to discuss together.
The current Sect Leader of the Myriad Cloud Sect had always maintained the appearance of a middle-aged man. His voice was gentle when he spoke, and he carried the air of a refined gentleman.
The Sect Leader smiled. "For this new disciple competition, what plan do the elders propose?"
"Ha!"
An old Heavenly Immortal with a burly build raised his booming voice.
"What plan is there to make? Just do things the way they were done before!
"Set up an arena and let the disciples compete. We can take the chance to liven things up, gather together for drinks and conversation. What could be better?"
"There is one issue this time."
A meticulous Heavenly Immortal Elder pondered for a moment.
"Martial Aunt Dazhi is one of the Ancestor's disciples and has only been in the sect for three to five years. Should he participate in this competition?"
An elder could not help laughing. "You want Martial Aunt Dazhi to compete and bully those juniors? Martial Aunt Dazhi is already an Origin Immortal."
"Hiss—Martial Aunt Dazhi's talent is actually this terrifying? It has only been three years, hasn't it?"
"Talent is one matter. The Ancestor's instruction is even more important. Of course, it also depends on his peerless aptitude and the great fortune accompanying him."
"Speaking of that great fortune, even my bottleneck has loosened slightly. If Martial Aunt Dazhi can truly elevate the fortune of all Myriad Cloud Sect disciples, then we all owe Martial Aunt Dazhi an enormous debt of gratitude!"
"You cannot put it that way. We are all one family, so what debt is there to speak of... Still, Martial Aunt Dazhi truly is interesting. Whenever I drink and make merry with him, he always comes up with all sorts of novel tricks."
"Ahem!"
Seeing that the elders had drifted off topic, the Sect Leader cleared his throat and smiled.
"Elders, we are here today to establish the rules for the competition. Let us discuss proper business first."
Vice Sect Master Mo Yi looked toward an elder in the corner. The latter pondered for a moment, a thoughtful look appearing on his face as he deliberately drew the attention of the surrounding elders.
Then, the elder slowly said,
"If Martial Aunt Dazhi is not allowed to participate this time, would that not violate sect rules? Would Martial Aunt Dazhi harbor resentment over it?"
A Heavenly Immortal Elder smiled. "Martial Aunt Dazhi probably does not enjoy fighting a group of youngsters either, does he?"
The elder continued, "Even so, we should still invite Martial Aunt Dazhi. In this poor Daoist's humble opinion, why not establish a Primordial Chaos Ranking in addition to the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings? Let the top ten, or perhaps top five, from the Heaven Ranking join the Primordial Chaos Ranking. Martial Aunt Dazhi can be placed in that ranking and fight one or two matches?"
An old Heavenly Immortal with the face of a child and hair like a crane opened his eyes and directly rebuked him. "Nonsense! You would have a group of juniors fight their Grandmaster? Junior Brother Bi! How could you even think of such a thing?"
The elder replied, "Senior Brother, I am merely acting according to sect rules. Following sect rules in all matters was an order personally given by the three old ancestors!"
The other Heavenly Immortal Elders heard this and did not say anything further.
Another Vice Sect Master said gravely, "Having Junior Brother Dazhi compete against the disciples would be beneath his status. It may displease Ancestor Kongming."
—To preserve the Sect Leader's dignity, the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Masters all addressed Li Dazhi as "Junior Brother." The Myriad Cloud Sect's heritage spanned tens of thousands of years, and the current Sect Leader and Vice Sect Masters were actually of a slightly lower generation than Li Dazhi.
"Hehehe," the Sect Leader said with narrowed eyes and a smile. "This matter is not difficult to resolve."
The immortals all looked toward him.
The Sect Leader picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip before continuing.
"What the elders mean is, first, that newly inducted disciple Li Dazhi must participate in this competition; second, that it would be beneath the Ancestor's disciple Li Dazhi's status to compete.
"Then let us combine those opinions.
"This competition shall be prepared by Junior Brother Dazhi. That way, he can be considered a participant in it.
"So it shall be. The Affairs Hall, Cloud Nurturing Hall, and Marvelous Cloud Hall will fully assist Junior Brother Dazhi.
"Make this competition livelier. Let the sects friendly with our Myriad Cloud Sect witness the bearing of our Myriad Cloud Sect.
"Thus, pass on my Sect Leader's order."
At these words, the elders understood what was happening.
Elder Bi in the corner looked increasingly unpleasant.
His original intention had been to make Li Dazhi compete against the disciples and thus lower Li Dazhi's standing.
The Sect Leader had deftly neutralized the matter. Not only had he protected Li Dazhi, he had even put Li Dazhi in charge of preparing the competition and ordered three of the six halls to assist him fully.
"Sect Leader!"
Elder Bi stood up. "Although Martial Aunt Dazhi possesses outstanding ability, he has only been in the sect for three years. After all..."
The Sect Leader glanced at him with a smile, the corners of his lips curving slightly. "Did I ask for the elders' opinions?"
Elder Bi furrowed his brow tightly.
Vice Sect Master Mo Yi opened his eyes. "The Sect Leader's order has been issued. We shall naturally obey."
Elder Bi cupped his hands, turned, and left with a flick of his sleeve.
The Sect Leader sighed softly, gently patting Vice Sect Master Mo Yi's arm twice as he said warmly,
"Three years have passed. The matter of our Myriad Cloud Sect gaining a disciple of great fortune can no longer be concealed. Many sects are discussing it, and there is no longer any need to hide it.
"Please make preparations.
"Great fortune brings opportunities, but it also brings danger. Our Myriad Cloud Sect must unite as one to face the calamities that may arise. Only then can we enjoy the opportunities for prosperity."
The elders rose and performed a Daoist salute.
"We obey the Sect Leader's order."
At an unnamed mountain peak, near Qing Su's master-disciple cave abode.
Li Ping'an stood in a forest clearing. Several Immortal Treasure weapons floated before him: a longsword, twin blades, a spear, and a meteor hammer. These were all weapons Li Ping'an handled rather smoothly.
But he was somewhat confused by the requirement his master had just made.
Choose a weapon and refine it as my natal artifact.
Why did a fight have to involve weapons?
Were Qi cultivators not supposed to throw magical treasures and artifacts out to smash people?
He raised his head toward his master, who stood atop a tree branch with her hands behind her back, and asked, "Master, must I choose one?"
Qing Su asked in return, "Do you not like fighting?"
"Well, it is not really a matter of liking it or not," Li Ping'an said with a bitter smile. "This disciple knows that learning combat skills is to protect one's Dao fruit, but... most fights are fought with magical treasures. Why use weapons?"
Qing Su blinked. "Then do you have any powerful magical treasures?"
Li Ping'an glanced at the dozen or so Immortal Treasures hidden on his person.
A treasure worthy of a Heavenly Immortal's attention had to be at least a Houtian Spiritual Treasure, or a special Immortal Treasure. His own Immortal Treasures were fairly good for Origin Immortals and True Immortals to use, but his master probably did not think much of them.
Li Ping'an honestly replied, "No."
Qing Su raised her chin. "Choose a weapon."
"Ah, yes," Li Ping'an said. Not daring to delay, he thought carefully before grasping the Immortal Treasure spear.
There was reason for choosing the spear.
First, it was the highest-quality treasure among all his Immortal Treasures.
Second, he personally thought spears looked the coolest.
Qing Su drifted down from the treetop. Her fair hand closed around empty air, Immortal Light flowing as wisps of cloud gathered into the shape of an immortal spear.
"Attack me with all your strength," Qing Su said. "I will test your combat ability."
"Yes!"
Li Ping'an threw the spear in his hand into the air. He raised both hands in sword-finger gestures, placing his left hand behind his back and holding his right before him. His dharma power surged around him like a river, while the spiritual light on his forehead flickered like a candle flame!
His sword fingers rotated before his nose. The spear in the air spun with a whooo, whooo, whooo, then shot toward Qing Su like an arrow as his sword fingers pointed forward.
An explosive boom rang through the forest!
Qing Su restrained her immortal power and controlled her force. The cloud spear spun rapidly from her palm.
Li Ping'an's left-hand sword fingers, concealed behind him, trembled lightly. The Immortal Treasure spear split into five, its five spear shadows dancing like a swarm of wild snakes.
Qing Su's body turned as though dancing, cloud spear shadows filling the space around her.
One attacking and one defending, master and disciple had already begun their clash!
With several clangs, all the incoming spear shadows were knocked away, and Li Ping'an's body was jolted backward.
Qing Su moved like the wind, gripping the cloud spear as she closed in on Li Ping'an. She used neither immortal arts nor immortal power, imitating only the force of a Void Refining Realm Qi cultivator.
Li Ping'an used the momentum to flip backward, the tips of his feet lightly touching the ground. His tied-up hair scattered slightly as both hands rapidly formed intricate seals.
Bang!
Li Ping'an's body split into five, all five reaching forward through the air at once. One immortal spear and four spear shadows shot toward Qing Su's back.
Qing Su's eyes lit up.
She naturally recognized that Li Ping'an had used the Myriad Cloud Sect immortal art, Cloud Soaring Illusionary Form. This art was extremely difficult to comprehend. At its highest level, it could use clouds and mist to create three thousand clones.
At this moment, Li Ping'an's true body was hidden among those five phantoms.
Spear shadows struck from behind, and Qing Su leaped into the air to evade them.
The five 'Li Ping'an's rushed forward, grasped their spears, and pursued Qing Su. Their spear techniques—smashing, thrusting, lifting, and slashing—each followed a different trajectory.
Qing Su flipped back and forth through the air. With only one hand holding the spear, she blocked and pushed aside every incoming phantom.
Her slender left fingers traced through empty air, and dozens of large cloud characters shot to either side. With several bang, bang, bangs, all five phantoms exploded into balls of cloud mist.
The cloud mist did not disperse. Instead, it surrounded Qing Su from both front and back.
Qing Su instinctively wanted to sweep away the mist.
But she remembered that she was sparring with her disciple. When she waved her hand, she used only the slightest trace of force, perfectly simulating the strength of a mid-stage Void Refining Realm Qi cultivator.
The clouds churned and multiplied, while Li Ping'an's voice sounded from every direction.
"Master, you have sealed your Immortal Sense, so you did not detect this disciple. Master, this disciple is about to attack."
"Bring it on!"
Qing Su raised her chin slightly, anticipation in her eyes, then added, "I will not hurt you."
Whoosh, whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The forest filled with shrieking winds as spear shadows shot at Qing Su from every direction!
Qing Su's gaze swept from side to side, the cloud spear in her hand dancing wildly as she knocked aside every incoming spear shadow.
After shattering, those spear shadows turned into fresh clouds of mist. The mist around Qing Su grew ever denser, the spear whistles around her ever sharper, and Li Ping'an was nowhere to be seen.
Each collision between the cloud spear and a spear shadow shook the forest within a hundred zhang.
The spear shadows Qing Su did not block often blasted up layers of dust when they struck the woods.
Master and disciple had only sparred briefly, yet an entire patch of forest was nearly leveled by them.
If someone had been watching from outside, they would have seen eight 'Li Ping'an's weaving through the cloud mist with Profound and Mysterious footwork, swinging their spears to unleash shadow after shadow of spear light, continuously suppressing Qing Su at the center of the mist.
At this moment, Qing Su felt somewhat emotional.
Her disciple... knew such a hodgepodge of things.
Formations, movement techniques, immortal arts—he had actually merged them all together.
Such a spear formation was unpredictable and ever-changing. If it had been a genuine Void Refining Realm Qi cultivator, they would have found it extremely difficult to handle.
It was just that...
"You are wasting too much dharma power, and there are quite a few openings."
Qing Su spoke softly. Her figure flashed to the edge of the cloud mist, where she met the eyes of one 'Li Ping'an' before striking out with her palm.
Bang!
The cloud-formed phantom burst apart, and a streak of green light flew from within it, transforming into Li Ping'an's true body.
Li Ping'an clutched his chest and staggered back a few steps. Yet the force his master had sent his way was incomparably gentle; after entering through his chest, it spread throughout his body in the blink of an eye, leaving him quite comfortable.
Li Ping'an solemnly made a Daoist salute. "Please guide me, Master."
"I can't offer guidance on this spear formation of yours."
Qing Su thought for a moment.
"Disciple, your methods are chaotic, yet they blend together. It simply consumes too much spiritual power, making you ill-suited for prolonged combat.
"What I can teach you now is how to fight an enemy over an extended period, as well as how to focus your spiritual power into a single point.
"You needn't belittle yourself. To break your spear formation just now, I already used spiritual power comparable to that of a True Unity Realm disciple."
Li Ping'an smiled. "Master, this disciple has other methods of combat as well. Shall I continue?"
Qing Su beckoned to Li Ping'an with great interest. "Come."
"Please forgive this disciple's offense!"
Li Ping'an swallowed a pill and brought himself into peak condition.
Having a Heavenly Immortal serve as a sparring partner—such a wonderful thing was something he had never even dared dream of before.
Master and disciple began fighting once more, and the suffering of the flowers and plants in this forest was far from over.
Two hours later.
On a white cloud beyond the mountain.
Li Dazhi let out a faint sigh. His face was full of worry, and a bitter smile rested on his lips as he carefully considered what he would say later.
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