Power of One Elephant

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, amid everyone's anticipation, the day drawing near the contest for the rankings' top three hundred arrived.

During this time, everyone had reached a basic consensus about those capable of fighting for the top ten.

First was Feng Chao, ranked eleventh. He had become a hot favorite to contend for the top ten.

After all, he was a ruthless fighter who had taken on a five-star, two-star mission alone.

Next were those within the top twenty. They all had a great chance.

Finally, there were those who had performed brilliantly in the previous grand competition.

Take Li Biehe, ranked sixtieth, for example. He had reached that rank last time despite being only at the mid-stage of the Zhen Qi Realm. Now that he had reached the late stage, his strength should have improved tremendously.

Moreover, with his father being an Inner Sect Elder, he would certainly not lack martial arts.

So it was difficult to say what methods he might have up his sleeve.

In the residence of an Inner Sect Elder, Li Biehe's father, Li Zaihu, asked in a deep voice,

"Biehe, the arena battles begin tomorrow. How far have you cultivated that Heavenly Sun Divine Art?"

Li Biehe said confidently,

"Don't worry, Father. I've already cultivated the Heavenly Sun Divine Art to the ninth level, the highest level of the Zhen Qi Realm. This time, I'll definitely make the top ten, perhaps even the top three."

Li Zaihu nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. I came across this divine art by chance. It's a low-grade Earth-level art. For you to cultivate it to the ninth level so quickly proves that your talent is extraordinary."

Pleased by the praise, Li Biehe then cautiously tested the waters.

"Father, about Zhu Ningyun, the matter I told you about..."

Hearing this, Li Zaihu's smile immediately vanished, and he said seriously,

"The chances are slim. Zhu Ningyun is someone the Sect Master and even the Grand Elder value highly. I'm only an ordinary elder in the Inner Sect. Even if I shamelessly went over there, nothing would come of it."

Li Biehe was deeply disappointed.

Not wanting to crush his confidence, Li Zaihu consoled him, "It's not as if there's no chance. As long as you display extraordinary talent and win the Sect Master's and the others' favor, there's still a very good possibility."

"I understand."

Li Biehe's eyes immediately lit up. Clenching his fists, he decided that he would give the grand competition everything he had.

At a pool not far outside the Wuji Sect, a thin stream trickled down from the mountain wall. Coming along with the flowing water was a giant python as thick as a bucket.

Coiled around a dead tree on the cliff face, it slowly lowered its head and peered into the pool.

It seemed to have sensed the scent of food nearby.

Sure enough, as its head dipped into the water, a seated figure at the bottom of the hundred-meter-deep pool immediately appeared in its enormous, bulbous eyes.

Without another moment's hesitation, its entire body slid downward and headed for the bottom of the pool.

By habit, it intended to coil around its prey first, then begin swallowing from the head.

The first step went perfectly. But when it reached the second, the figure suddenly opened his eyes, like an ancient ferocious beast awakening.

Then it felt a force far greater than the strength of its constriction tearing its body apart.

Its senses had not deceived it.

With a bang, the pool water was obscured by a sheet of red.

Gurgle!

After an unknown amount of time, before the pool had completely turned red, a figure's head broke the surface, and he slowly walked ashore.

"The third stage of the Iron Elephant Art has finally reached great mastery!"

This person was none other than Lu Ming. Before the previous preliminary round, he had already cultivated the Iron Elephant Art to the third stage.

However, he had not yet achieved great mastery.

So after obtaining a spot, he had ignored the disturbances outside and returned straight here, using the deep pool's water pressure to push this body-tempering External Skill to its highest level.

Yet whether because External Skills were inherently difficult to practice and required painstaking effort over time, or because the water pressure in the deep pool was insufficient, it had failed to help him break through his limits.

Thus, he had always been just one step away from great mastery.

Fortunately, Heaven had helped him. Just as he was preparing to give up, a little snake had crawled over and done him a great favor.

It was a mid-stage second-level demonic beast. Its constricting strength was tremendous.

Combined with the water pressure, it had finally allowed him to break through the boundary and achieve great mastery in his External Skill.

Now that his internal and external cultivation had merged, his defenses had greatly increased. Within the Zhen Qi Realm, there were very few who could break through his defenses.

His physical strength had also increased further, reaching the terrifying force of ten thousand jin.

That was precisely the Power of One Elephant described by the cultivation art.

And that was not all. Another benefit of achieving great mastery in an External Skill was that the Zhen Qi in his body had been tempered once more, becoming even denser.

Although he was still at the mid-stage of the Zhen Qi Realm and had yet to reach the peak, the richness of his Zhen Qi had improved compared with before.

His strength could be said to have advanced another step.

"With this, the first place in the Inner Sect should be secure, right?"

Steam billowed as Lu Ming used his Zhen Qi to dry the water from his body, then headed back to the sect.

The grand competition would officially begin tomorrow. Today was the day to draw numbers.

The Martial Arts Plaza was the place the Wuji Sect had specially prepared for its grand competitions. It resembled a gigantic deep bowl: the bottom held fifteen battle arenas, while the four surrounding walls were lined with spectator stands.

It looked large enough to accommodate ten thousand people.

By then, not only would the Wuji Sect's disciples and elders come to watch, but prominent figures from outside and the leaders of some forces near the Wuji Sect would also receive invitations.

After all, if the Wuji Sect wanted to maintain its influence over the surrounding area, publicizing its disciples' martial prowess and talent was the best choice.

Many Outer Sect Disciples could already be seen setting up the venue here today.

Lu Ming did not look around any further, because someone was calling him. It was Chu Yunxiao.

"You're really late. Have you seen the competition format?"

Lu Ming shook his head and asked, "You've already drawn your number?"

Chu Yunxiao nodded. "Go draw yours first, and then I'll explain everything to you."

"Alright."

Lu Ming did not delay either. He went straight to the number-drawing area, where there was a large box. After his identity was checked, he reached his hand inside.

He then drew out a small ball.

When he opened it, it said: Group Eleven, Number Seven.

After registering it, he walked out.

"How is it?" Chu Yunxiao immediately asked.

Lu Ming raised the placard in his hand. "Group Eleven, Number Seven. What about you? Don't tell me you ran into me right at the start."

Chu Yunxiao shook his head with a smile. "I'm in Group Thirteen, Number Three."

"What exactly does that mean?"

Chu Yunxiao began explaining. It turned out that the three hundred people had been divided into thirty groups of ten, with the top thirty on the current rankings serving as seeded contestants.

Lu Ming was in Group Eleven, whose seeded contestant was naturally Feng Chao, ranked eleventh.

"It's him?"

Lu Ming suddenly recalled the figure in the Mission Hall. He had not expected to encounter him at the very beginning of this competition, and he found it interesting.

He did not dwell on it and continued listening to the competition rules.

The competition was divided into three stages. The First Stage was the elimination round, leaving only thirty people.

The Second Stage was the semifinals, eliminating fifteen people.

The Third Stage was the finals, with the remaining fifteen people competing for the top fifteen rankings.

In short, the details were extremely extensive. It would probably not even be possible to finish the competition in a single day.

After familiarizing himself with the competition format, Lu Ming did not chat much longer with Chu Yunxiao. After all, each of them had to adjust their condition properly in preparation for tomorrow's competition.

After returning to his small courtyard, Lu Ming continued cultivating only his internal art before resting.

Just like that, the second day arrived in the blink of an eye. Before the first rays of dawn appeared, many disciples had already awakened.

Some had to compete and were feeling nervous;

Others were there as spectators, eager to watch the excitement. Besides that, they had even opened betting pools for many dark horses, wanting to see how the contestants they had invested in would perform.

In short, before the sky had fully brightened, the sect was already bustling.