Dark Horse

After some discussion, the Seven Baleful Banner rightfully took first place, with Zhou Yuan's Purple Radiance Pearl ranking second. As for Yue Miaoyin's Cold Carp Cold Jade, it only ranked eleventh.

After the rankings were announced, Zhou Yuan rose again and came to the front of the stage. While the disciples were still making noise, Zhou Yuan placed his hands on the ground, and the Dao Debate Peak immediately fell silent.

"Before the formal start of the Dao Debate Peak Competition, I, the sect leader, need not repeat the rules for everyone, but you should be clear about the rankings and rewards."

"The first place winner of this competition will receive a Seven Baleful Banner personally crafted by Elder Lu. As you all heard Elder Lu's introduction just now, this is a magical Law Artifact even many elders present are quite envious of. With this banner, one will be invincible in the Postnatal Realm, and even against Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator, one will have a three-tenths chance of fighting back, and survival will not be difficult."

"In addition to this Seven Baleful Banner, the first place winner will also receive three Spirit Stone as a reward from the sect, the Fourth-Rank Talisman Artifact Wind-Riding Sword, and a bottle of top-grade Qi Qi-Gathering Pill."

"The second place winner will receive a Purple Radiance Pearl, two Spirit Stones, and a Fourth-Rank Talisman Artifact, the Cloud-Splitting Sword."

"Third place..."

There were eighteen people on the stage, including Lu Qingfeng and Sect Master Zhou Yuan.

There are a total of eighteen people who will receive the reward.

After the introduction, the fighting spirit of the disciples below the stage was mobilized to the extreme.

The competition officially begins.

This small competition brought together almost all the elders of the Sunset Glow Sect, making them all gather together.

Originally, only some of these elders were stationed on Brocade Cloud Peak, while others were stationed in various important properties of the Sunset Glow Sect.

For example, the six cities controlled by the Sunset Glow Sect, the three most precious medicine gardens and one beast garden in the Gathering Cloud Mountains, and the only Spirit Stone mine belonging to the Sunset Glow Sect, which is guarded by two elders, and even the Supreme Elder goes there from time to time to take turns guarding it.

It was only because the small competition was about the younger generation of the Sunset Glow Sect and the future of the Sunset Glow Sect that such a grand occasion was held.

After this competition concludes, any elders who have shown interest may be accepted as disciples and promoted to True Disciple.

Their status is even higher than that of ordinary elite disciples.

The matter of accepting disciples is a major event, both for the elders and for the chosen disciples, and cannot be taken lightly.

By becoming disciples of elders and receiving guidance from Foundation Establishment cultivators, these True Qi Realm disciples can avoid many detours, which is much better than the daily 'common pot' meals from the Dharma Transmission Elders in the Sunset Glow Sect.

When elders accept disciples, they carefully select those they like and teach them diligently. If these disciples are fortunate enough to advance to the Foundation Establishment in the future, it will be a great help to them, both within and outside the sect, and will also be a significant qualification.

For example, the three Supreme Elders of the sect had many disciples in their early years, and many elders in the Sunset Glow Sect today are their disciples.

Even without his current cultivation level, his position in the Sunset Glow Sect would remain unshakable with the protection of these Foundation Establishment elders.

In the world of cultivation, the relationship between master and disciple can sometimes even surpass blood ties.

All the elders gathered, and as the competition officially began, eight Foundation Establishment elders, including Yue Miaofa, leaped down and took their seats on the eight fighting platforms to prevent any unexpected situations from arising during the competition.

Lu Qingfeng saw that Lu Qingshan had been assigned to the third dueling platform.

"Elder Lu, your brother is quite strong. He's sure to shine in this competition." There weren't many elders left on the stage. Zhou Yuan, who was sitting next to Lu Qingfeng, turned around and said this when he saw Lu Qingfeng looking at the third dueling platform.

"This kid is ambitious and full of confidence that he will win first place in the competition."

Lu Qingfeng didn't try to hide it and chuckled softly.

"Oh?"

Zhou Yuan thought Lu Qingfeng would be modest, but to his surprise, not only did he not show any humility, but he also went even further on the basis of his "brilliant performance", aiming straight for first place.

"Could it be—" Zhou Yuan thought back.

Lu Qingfeng took out the Seven Baleful Banner and said he had ulterior motives. I didn't pay attention at the time, but now that I think about it, perhaps this Elder Lu had great confidence in his younger brother.

The Seven Baleful Banner might have been prepared for Lu Qingshan.

With this thought in mind, Zhou Yuan stopped speaking and his attention turned to Lu Qingshan on the third dueling platform.

The competition begins.

The rules of the Sunset Glow Sect's triennial competition are simple: disciples at the Embryonic Breath Realm are not allowed to participate, while disciples under forty at the True Qi Realm are matched by drawing lots, with the winner advancing directly to the second round. If a prodigy is overlooked due to a clash of titans, it can only be attributed to bad luck.

On the path of spiritual practice, luck is equally important.

The second round of assessments is the same as the first round.

Three hundred and two disciples participated in the competition.

One hundred and fifty-one people were selected in the first round.

The second round determined 76 people.

The third round determined 38 people.

The fourth round determined nineteen people.

Finally, the final round will determine the top 18 from the 19 finalists, who will then establish their rankings.

Before the final, eight dueling platforms competed simultaneously. Although there were many matches, the pace was extremely fast.

Even in the first round, each dueling platform only has an average of eighteen to nineteen matches. A match can last anywhere from half an hour to a mere instant.

The first round of the competition was completed in just one morning.

Lu Qingshan stepped onto the stage, facing a disciple at the Second Layer of the True Qi Realm. With just a single finger Sword Qi, Lu Qingshan shattered the disciple's True Essence shield, securing victory and advancing to the next round.

The battle was swift and decisive; the disciples watching from the sidelines didn't even have time to react before it was over.

Lu Qingshan has attracted some attention.

Round two.

Lu Qingshan's opponent changed to a disciple at the True Qi Realm Fourth Layer. With the same swift and decisive Sword Qi, he broke through his opponent's Wind Wall Art and successfully advanced.

Lu Qingshan has attracted considerable attention.

The third round.

His opponent was a disciple at the Seventh Layer of the True Qi Realm. Lu Qingshan shattered the shield with a single finger of Sword Qi, then stepped forward using the Wind-Riding Art, sweeping his opponent off Xuanji stage with his Wind Control Technique.

Lu Qingshan has attracted considerable attention.

The fourth round.

He faced Zhou Chu, True Disciple at the Ninth Layer True Qi Realm.

This young man is said to be a disciple of the Foundation Establishment Elder Mei Jiancheng, possessing considerable Technique Method, and is considered a strong contender for the championship in this minor competition. However, after encountering Lu Qingshan, and exchanging Sword Qi and Wind-Riding Art, Lu Qingshan ultimately prevailed in a protracted battle.

This brings us to the final game.

Lu Qingshan, who emerged as a dark horse and stormed into the finals, has attracted great attention!

"With a solid foundation and profound Technique Method, it's no wonder Elder Lu is so confident."

Zhou Yuan watched Lu Qingshan's four battles in a row, his eyes filled with amazement.

He could tell that Lu Qingshan was only at the Third Layer True Qi Realm, yet the Technique Method he used were far from simple. The Sword Qi was sharp and concentrated, and his Wind-Riding Art was extraordinary; once unleashed, a gale immediately arose. Those caught in it would not only suffer from the bone-scratching wind blades, but also experience chaos from all sides, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

In the third round, Lu Qingshan used this Wind-Riding Art to sweep his opponent off the stage.

"It's all thanks to Technique Method; when it comes to cultivation, it's nothing to mention."

Lu Qingfeng shook his head, having anticipated this.

Lu Qingshan followed him in cultivation, but due to his aptitude and the time he had spent, he mainly mastered mid-level and high-level Technique Method, and even only one or two techniques were fully mastered.

However, in the Sunset Glow Sect, where Mid-Grade Spell are already the strongest, it is enough to sweep away those in the True Qi Realm.

That concludes the ten chapters. Now it's up to you all. Details regarding bonus chapters for donations and first-time subscribers are in the launch notes. I hope to be able to update another ten or twenty chapters tonight.

Finally, I'd like to reiterate that the first VIP chapter (Chapter 100) is available for subscription. Thank you!