Pre-Match Conflict

"Lu Ming?"

"As for him, he has learned a whole set of martial arts and has a solid foundation, but his realm is far too low."

"The people at the top of the Inner Sect are all geniuses as well. Their talent is no weaker, and they have generally cultivated their martial arts to a certain level. So defeating them across realms will be difficult."

"Indeed."

Gongsun He nodded in agreement. "Geniuses can defeat ordinary Martial Artists across realms, but it is difficult to defeat geniuses who can likewise challenge those above their realm."

"And the Inner Sect has no shortage of such people. They have all achieved quite a few victories outside the sect."

"So I estimate that he is guaranteed a place in the top thirty, with the best-case scenario being a place in the top twenty."

Li Ansheng said.

"Then your expectations for him are rather high." Gongsun He smiled.

"Then let us wait and see. Didn't you report that quite a few promising seedlings have emerged in the sect recently?"

After parting ways with Zhu Ningyun, Lu Ming headed straight back to his residence.

Since the preliminaries would officially begin tomorrow, he only intended to cultivate his internal energy for a while before resting.

Though he felt that passing the preliminaries would not be a problem, it would still be better to face them in peak condition.

After all, remaining cautious at all times could avert many dangers.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, after dressing neatly and meeting up with Cui Bai from next door, Lu Ming headed toward the plaza from yesterday.

The plaza was square and vast, large enough to accommodate ten thousand people.

Thus, even with over a thousand Inner Sect disciples gathered within, it did not seem crowded.

The preliminaries were naturally being held there as well.

"What, are you nervous?"

Sensing Cui Bai's state, Lu Ming asked curiously.

"A little."

Cui Bai rubbed his hands together. "I don't know why, but even when I faced so many demonic beasts in the Wuji Mountain Range, I wasn't this nervous."

Lu Ming thought for a moment. "Perhaps because those demonic beasts wouldn't laugh at your clumsiness and failures."

"Oh, screw you."

Hearing the tease, Cui Bai gave Lu Ming a shove.

"I'm serious." Lu Ming easily dodged it.

After that bit of banter, Cui Bai truly relaxed somewhat.

They then arrived at the plaza, where many people had already gotten there ahead of them.

Zhu Ningyun was one of them.

"Lu Ming."

Seeing someone she knew, she walked over. She was dressed as she had been yesterday, except there was now a forehead ribbon across her fair brow.

"Ningyun." Lu Ming nodded to her, then introduced Cui Bai.

"Zhu Ningyun? You're Zhu Ningyun?"

Upon learning who stood before him, Cui Bai looked astonished. He had long heard of her—her talent was breathtaking.

It was said that she had the fastest cultivation speed Wuji Sect had seen in nearly a hundred years.

To think he would meet her today—and that she knew Lu Ming.

Good heavens.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Zhu." Cui Bai honestly clasped his hands in salute.

"Greetings, Junior Brother Cui. You're the first person to call me Senior Sister." Zhu Ningyun returned the salute.

Cui Bai scratched his head awkwardly, unsure what else to say.

Fortunately, a commotion arose just then and rescued him from the awkwardness.

The top ten disciples of the Inner Sect were making their entrances one after another.

The first to arrive was Wei Yu, ranked eighth. He held a folding fan and was dressed as the same carefree young master as before.

Lu Ming had already seen this man in the Mission Hall. At the time, Feng Chao, who was ranked eleventh, had expressed his fighting intent toward him.

Next came Zou Changmeng, ranked fourth.

She was a female disciple, said to excel in qinggong. When she displayed it, she was like a butterfly dancing.

Not only was she incredibly fast, but she was also a feast for the eyes.

As for Zou Changmeng herself, she wore robes draped in white gauze today. Her bearing was exceptionally graceful, while her features possessed a delicate, petite charm.

She drew countless gazes.

After that, the Inner Sect disciples ranked first, second, fifth, sixth, and so on also arrived.

They each had their own distinctive traits.

Lu Ming focused most of his attention on Chi Xuan, the top-ranked figure of the Inner Sect whom he had long heard about.

He wanted to see what was so special about him.

To his surprise, Chi Xuan's senses were keen enough to notice his gaze at once. He turned around and met Lu Ming's eyes.

Having been discovered, Lu Ming's expression remained unchanged as he cupped his hands in greeting, offering an apology for his scrutiny.

Chi Xuan was momentarily taken aback. He had indeed sensed someone watching him, and that gaze had felt rather unusual. He had thought some new expert had emerged, only to find that it was someone in the Mid True Qi Realm.

He looked utterly ordinary.

After observing him again and finding nothing unusual, Chi Xuan returned the greeting out of courtesy and paid him no further attention.

"What, do you know that person?" He Jianjun, ranked second and carrying an ancient zither on her back, asked curiously.

"I don't. I merely sensed a unique gaze just now. It was probably an illusion." Chi Xuan shook his head, then asked, "How is it? What level has your [Seven String Sword Qi] reached?"

"You'll find out when the time comes. I'll definitely leave you thunderstruck."

He Jianjun did not answer directly. "You should be careful too. Aside from me, all of them have improved."

"That's for the best. It'll make defeating them more challenging."

Chi Xuan was brimming with confidence, looking utterly unconcerned.

"Since he is also a swordsman, his swordsmanship has already reached an extremely high realm. He should be preparing to comprehend sword intent." Zhu Ningyun, who stood beside Lu Ming with a longsword in her arms, suddenly spoke after seeing their exchange of glances. "That is why his senses are so sharp—sharp enough to notice you watching him."

Lu Ming nodded. That was likely the case.

This man was a troublesome opponent.

"If you can tell that much, you probably aren't lacking either, are you?"

Lu Ming turned his head toward her.

Zhu Ningyun shook her head. "I'm still far from it."

"I see."

"Junior Sister Zhu."

Just as Lu Ming was about to speak, a man's voice suddenly sounded from nearby. He looked over and saw a youth in yellow robes at the Late True Qi Realm.

This person was Li Biehe. Cui Bai recognized him the moment he saw him, since he had witnessed yesterday's confrontation.

So he quickly whispered the newcomer's identity to Lu Ming.

Li Biehe approached with delight on his face. "I never expected you to come, Junior Sister Zhu. I didn't see you yesterday, so I thought you weren't participating in the preliminaries."

Zhu Ningyun frowned. "I came late yesterday. It's perfectly normal that you didn't see me."

"I see."

Li Biehe smiled, then looked toward Lu Ming and Cui Bai. His smile immediately vanished. "And these two are?"

Though he asked about both of them, his gaze rested solely on Lu Ming. From afar, he had clearly seen that Lu Ming was the one who spoke with Zhu Ningyun the most.

They seemed to be quite close.

That made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Lu Ming."

Seeing his manner, Lu Ming knew he was looking for trouble. Still, he chose courtesy before force.

"Cui Bai," Cui Bai also introduced himself.

"Oh, so it is Junior Brother Lu and Junior Brother Cui. Your realms seem rather low. I wonder how many stages of the preliminaries you'll be able to pass?"

Li Biehe's tone carried a trace of mockery.

"That need not concern you." Lu Ming's face was expressionless.

Li Biehe was about to say more when Zhu Ningyun cut him off sharply. "Enough, Li Biehe. They are my friends. If you have nothing else to do, leave first."

At her words, a flicker of anger passed through Li Biehe's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and smiled.

"Very well. However, I still hope to meet Junior Brother Lu in the ring matches of the actual tournament."

With that, he strode away.

"Sorry. It seems I've caused you trouble."

Zhu Ningyun had not expected something like this to happen either.

Lu Ming shook his head. "I'm fine. You don't need to take it to heart."

To be honest, he had not taken that person to heart at all. He was merely a clown capering on the stage.

"I'm fine too. Anyway, he'll protect me."

Cui Bai said this as he slung an arm over Lu Ming's shoulder.

His words immediately made both of them laugh.

Just like that, time quickly reached around seven in the morning. With the elders' arrival, the preliminaries finally began.