Pre-Match Conflict

"Lu Ming?"

Li Ansheng pondered for a moment, then analyzed, "As for him, he's learned a lot of martial skills, so his foundation is sufficient, it's just that his realm is too far behind."

"The people at the front of the Inner Sect are all geniuses, with no less talent. Their martial arts have basically been cultivated to a certain level. Therefore, it's difficult to defeat them across levels."

"Yeah."

Gongsun He nodded in agreement, "Geniuses can defeat ordinary martial artists across levels, but it's difficult to defeat geniuses who can also challenge across levels."

"And there's no shortage of such people in the Inner Sect; they have quite a few impressive achievements outside."

"So I predict he'll make it into the top thirty at least, and at most into the top twenty."

Li Ansheng said.

"Then you have quite high expectations for him." Gongsun He chuckled.

"Let's 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 went straight back to his residence.

Since the preliminary rounds were officially starting tomorrow, he only planned to cultivate his internal energy before resting.

Although he felt confident he could pass the preliminary rounds without issue, it was better to face them in peak condition.

After all, maintaining a cautious attitude at all times could help avoid many crises.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, Lu Ming was fully dressed. After meeting up with Cui Bai next door, they headed towards the square from yesterday.

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

So even with over a thousand Inner Sect disciples, it didn't feel crowded.

The preliminary rounds would naturally be held there as well.

"What's wrong, 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 I've never been this nervous, not even when facing so many demonic beasts in the Wuji Mountain Range."

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

"Get lost."

Hearing the teasing, Cui Bai nudged Lu Ming.

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

After this bit of banter, Cui Bai did relax a little.

Then they arrived at the square, where many people had already gathered.

Zhu Ningyun was among them.

"Lu Ming."

Seeing a familiar face, she walked over. She was dressed the same as yesterday, except for a forehead band on her pure white forehead.

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

"Zhu Ningyun, you're Zhu Ningyun?"

Cui Bai was astonished upon learning who was in front of him. He had heard of her long ago; she was incredibly talented.

He heard she was the fastest cultivator in the Wuji Sect in the past hundred years.

He never expected to meet her today, let alone that she knew Lu Ming.

Good heavens.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Zhu." Cui Bai respectfully cupped his fists.

"Greetings, Junior Brother Cui. You're the first person to call me Senior Sister." Zhu Ningyun also cupped her fists.

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

Fortunately, at that moment, some commotion arose, breaking the awkwardness.

It turned out that the top ten disciples of the Inner Sect were making their appearance.

The first to arrive was Wei Yu, ranked eighth. He held a folding fan, still dressed like a carefree young master.

Lu Ming had seen this person before in the Mission Hall; Feng Chao, who was ranked eleventh at the time, had expressed his desire to fight Wei Yu then.

Next was Zou Changmeng, ranked fourth.

She was a female disciple rumored to be skilled in lightness skills, moving like a dancing butterfly when she used them.

Not only was her speed incredibly fast, but her movements were also a beautiful sight to behold.

Regarding the person himself, he was wearing a robe today with white gauze covering the outside. He looked very elegant, and his appearance exuded a delicate beauty.

Attracting everyone's attention.

After that, the Inner Sect Disciples ranked first, second, fifth, and sixth also arrived.

They all had their own unique characteristics.

Lu Ming primarily focused his attention on Chi Xuan, the top-ranked Inner Sect disciple he had heard about.

He wanted to see what was so special about him.

Unexpectedly, Chi Xuan's senses were sharp, and he immediately noticed Lu Ming's gaze. He turned around and met Lu Ming's eyes.

Being discovered, Lu Ming maintained a calm expression and cupped his hands in a salute, an apology for his stare.

Chi Xuan was taken aback. He had indeed sensed someone watching him and felt that the gaze was very peculiar. He initially thought some expert had appeared, but he didn't expect it to be someone in the middle stage of the Zhen Qi Realm.

He looked ordinary.

After observing again and finding nothing special, Chi Xuan politely returned the salute and stopped paying attention.

"What, do you know that person?" He Jianjun, ranked second and carrying a guqin, asked curiously from the side.

"No, I just felt a unique gaze. It must have been an illusion."

Chi Xuan shook his head and asked back, "How is it? What level have you reached with your [Seven String Sword Qi]?"

"You'll know when the time comes. It will definitely surprise you."

He Jianjun didn't answer directly. "You should be careful too. Besides me, they've all improved."

"That's for the best. It'll be more challenging to defeat them."

Chi Xuan was full of confidence, acting nonchalant.

"As a fellow swordsman, his swordsmanship realm is already extremely high. He should be preparing to comprehend sword intent."

Beside Lu Ming, Zhu Ningyun, who was holding a long sword, spoke up after seeing the exchange of glances. "That's why his senses are so sharp, able to detect your gaze."

Lu Ming nodded, thinking that was likely the case.

This person was a tricky opponent.

"If you can see that, you probably aren't far behind, are you?"

Lu Ming turned his head.

Zhu Ningyun shook her head. "Still a long way off."

"I see."

"Junior Sister Zhu."

Just as Lu Ming was about to speak, a male voice suddenly came from the side. He looked over and saw a young man in a yellow robe, in the late stage of the Zhen Qi Realm.

This person was Li Biehe. Cui Bai recognized him immediately, as he had witnessed the confrontation yesterday.

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

Li Biehe walked closer, a pleased smile on his face. "I didn't expect Junior Sister Zhu to be here. I didn't see you yesterday, and I thought you weren't participating in the preliminaries."

Zhu Ningyun frowned. "I arrived late yesterday, so it's normal you didn't see me."

"So that's how it is."

Li Biehe smiled, then looked at Lu Ming and the other person. His smile immediately vanished. "Who are these two?"

Although he asked about both of them, his gaze was fixed on Lu Ming, as he could clearly see from a distance that Lu Ming was the one talking the most with Zhu Ningyun.

They seemed to be on good terms.

This made him feel very uncomfortable.

"Lu Ming."

Seeing the other person's demeanor, Lu Ming knew he was looking for trouble, but he decided to be polite first.

"Cui Bai," Cui Bai also stated his name.

"Oh, so you're Junior Brother Lu and Junior Brother Cui. Your cultivation realms seem a bit low. I wonder how many stages of the preliminaries you can pass?"

Li Biehe's tone was somewhat mocking.

"That won't be necessary for you to worry about," Lu Ming replied expressionlessly.

Li Biehe was about to say something else, but Zhu Ningyun stopped him. "Enough, Li Biehe. These are my friends. If you have nothing else, you should leave."

Upon hearing this, a hint of anger flashed in Li Biehe's eyes, but he quickly hid it and said with a smile:

"Alright, but I still hope to meet Junior Brother Lu on the main competition stage."

With that, he turned and left.

"I'm sorry, I seem to have caused you trouble."

Zhu Ningyun hadn't expected something like this to happen.

Lu Ming shook his head and said, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about it."

Truthfully, he hadn't taken the person to heart at all; he was just a clown.

"I'm fine too. He'll protect me anyway."

Cui Bai slung an arm over Lu Ming's shoulder and said.

His words immediately made the two of them laugh.

Just like that, time quickly passed until around seven in the morning. With the arrival of the Elders, the preliminary matches finally began.