The Finals Begin

The Grand Master was very well hidden; even when the finals began, he was not found by the Senior Sister.

The athletes ate well, had fun, and rested all day, so they were in high spirits for the finals.

The atmosphere at the finals was electric, with elders from various sects cheering on their disciples and hoping they would achieve a good result.

Even just standing out in the finals is enough to make someone brag.

Following the instructions, the prodigies drew lots to determine their opponents in the competition.

Meng Jingzhou, Bai Ming, Yan Tianzhi, and Lan Ting, representing the mid-stage Golden Core realm of the Immortal Sect, gathered together to fight.

"Who are your opponents?" Bai Ming asked, making sure they wouldn't meet in the first match.

"My opponent is from the Qi Control Sect."

"I am from the Xuanmen sect."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that they wouldn't face each other in the first match.

"I haven't seen anyone from the Hanging Temple. Didn't they say that the Immortal Sect would send disciples from every realm?" Meng Jingzhou looked around. There were a few monks, but none of them looked like they were from the Hanging Temple.

Bai Ming frowned as well. He knew the situation of the Hanging Temple best. "Logically, this shouldn't be the case. Shi Chan should meet the requirements and be able to participate in the finals."

"Perhaps he didn't come because of something?" Lan Ting speculated kindly.

"Possibly."

"I thought I'd run into Lu Yang in this competition." Bai Ming shook his head. He had been defeated by Lu Yang twice and wanted to take this opportunity to avenge himself, but he found that it was Meng Jingzhou, not Lu Yang, who was representing Ask Dao Sect Golden Core stage of the Golden Core Seeking Sect in the competition.

Yan Tianzhi was also somewhat regretful, as he had never fought Lu Yang before and wanted to have a match with him.

Meng Jingzhou scoffed, "Don't worry, you'll definitely run into him. He's also in the finals."

Bai Ming was taken aback. "He's broken through to the late Golden Core stage?"

"Look at the judges' panel," Meng Jingzhou kindly reminded him.

Bai Ming, Yan Tianzhi, and Lan Ting looked up.

The Five Great Immortal Sects leaders sat upright on the judges' panel, with Lu Yang in the very center, waving to the three of them with a bright smile.

Bai Ming: "???"

Why does this feel so familiar?

It seems Lu Yang sat in this very spot last time he Ask Dao Sect?

Meng Jingzhou sighed and denounced Lu Yang for being inhuman, "That bastard Lu Yang abuses his power for personal gain, bullies his subordinates and flatters his superiors, and is lawless. He made me fight while he ran off to enjoy himself on stage. Once I become the acting Sect Master, I will definitely get my revenge!"

On the judges' panel, Lu Yang withdrew his gaze and looked curiously at the Master of Abstinence from Killing: "Master, didn't anyone come from the Hanging Temple?"

The abstinence master remained silent, giving Lu Yang a look that said, "You'll figure it out yourself."

Lu Yang understood, and gave Master Jiesha a look that said, "You'll figure it out yourself."

Lu Yang didn't understand what the Master of Abstinence from Killing meant, and the Master of Abstinence from Killing didn't understand what Lu Yang meant either.

At this moment, the last judge arrived. He was dressed in a bright yellow robe and had a friendly smile on his face.

"Jiang Qun greets all the seniors." The young man named Jiang Qun bowed to the five people.

"Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities," Luo Hongxia said, holding the treasure box. On her way here, many people had shown concern for the treasure box, worried that something might have happened to it.

Jiang Qun wondered why Palace Master Luo was holding the treasure box, but thinking it was someone else's secret, she didn't ask any further questions.

The competition was organized by the imperial court, so the court would definitely send people.

Lu Yang recognized the newcomer; he was Jiang Qun, the eldest prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, who used the alias Xia Qun at the Qingzhou ceremony and was the deputy to the governor of Qingzhou.

"Sect Master Lu is so promising at such a young age," Jiang Qun said with a smile, showing great kindness towards Lu Yang.

He was at the Integrated Body Early Stage Realm, and among the six people, his cultivation level was second to last. Naturally, he would be closer to the one who was last.

If Lu Yang runs away, he'll be in last place.

Moreover, before his departure, Emperor Xia instructed him to try his best to maintain good relations with the Ask Dao Sect and with Lu Yang.

The fact that Lu Yang was specifically mentioned shows how much the Emperor valued him.

"I... I have made great contributions, so it is only right that I serve as the acting Sect Master." Lu Yang said calmly, leaving Jiang Qun speechless and unsure how to respond.

Why isn't Sect Master Lu humble at all?

"Sect Master Lu, you've worked hard." It took Jiang Qun a long time to finally manage to utter a sentence.

Sect Master Lu was certainly not modest, after all, it was Sect Master Huang Doudou who was now in charge of the body.

The real Sect Master Lu has been sealed in the spiritual space, helpless and desperate, his fate tragic and miserable. Anyone who sees this will surely applaud him.

"The Qi Refining group competition is about to begin, isn't it?"

All other realms are divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. However, the Qi Refining stage is unique in that it has only one group without further subdivision.

There's no need for further subdivision; the focus of this competition is to identify ancient cultivators who have lost their cultivation and are now rebuilding.

Ancient cultivators couldn't possibly stay stuck at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining. They didn't need to waste too much time in the Qi Refining stage. At the very least, they would reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and it was even very possible that they weren't even in the Qi Refining stage at all.

Those who made it to the finals were all at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, just a thought away from the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Several cases of Qi Refining Stage 9 defeating Qi Refining 100 experts occurred at the city and state levels, but these Qi Refining Stage 9 experts were quickly eliminated.

These Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivators were not facing ordinary Qi Refining, but Qi Refining Perfection Qi Refining who were virtually unmatched at their level.

"It's a pity there are no Qi Refiners anymore, otherwise I could show you how a Qi Refining cultivator can defeat Golden Core or Nascent Soul Realm," the Immortal Fairy said with a hint of regret.

"Qi cultivator?" Lu Yang had never heard of this concept.

"The Qi Refining system is a cultivation system created by the earliest cultivators. By continuously cultivating one's breath, one can continuously improve oneself. Theoretically speaking, it is possible to achieve immortality through Qi Refining."

"Qi cultivators were so powerful, why did they disappear later?"

"Qi cultivators are powerful, but they have too many restrictions. Only a very small number of people can cultivate them. Even among millions of people, it's not guaranteed that one person will meet the cultivation standards. At the time, the Qi cultivator system was in the early stages of creating a cultivation system, so it was quickly abandoned. The current Qi Refining stage evolved from the Qi cultivator system."

"Conversely, Qi cultivators are extremely rare, but once someone becomes a Qi cultivator, their cultivation speed is ridiculously fast."

A disciple of the Ask Dao Sect transmitted a message to the Immortal Fairy, informing her that preparations were complete and the Qi Refining group competition could begin. The Immortal Fairy then solemnly announced the official start of the finals.

"The Qi Refining stage competitions are so boring, they're nowhere near as exciting as the Foundation Establishment Realm stage ones." Yang Ding secretly yawned, trying not to let the people below see.

On the arena, two Qi Refining stage prodigies stepped onto the stage.

"Junior brother, please go first."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

The opponent laughed heartily, twirled his sword, and thrust it at his opponent.

A glint of triumph flashed in the other's eyes, and his aura surged, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Let's see how you fight!

The opponent smiled, and as he thrust his sword at his opponent, his aura surged, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Let's see how you fight!

Yang Ding's wish came true; the Qi Refining stage competition was transformed into the Foundation Establishment Realm competition.

The second update will be around 11 PM.