Outer Court Grand Competition

Chen Yan did not respond to Sun Lu's flattery.

Firstly, he himself was not enthusiastic about becoming a disciple of Kongyuan Mountain. Secondly, Lin Qifeng had been driven out of Kongyuan Mountain by Yun Yichen.

If he wanted to return to Kongyuan Mountain, he would have to make Lin Qifeng apologize first.

But judging by their recent interactions, getting this stubborn old man to back down would not be easy.

"Senior Brother Chen and Steward Cheng are both prodigies of our Outer Court. You should greet each other and get acquainted."

Sun Lu said this and, before Chen Yan could speak, he took it upon himself to call out to Cheng Ziying in front of the Training Ground:

"Steward Cheng, Steward Cheng!"

Cheng Ziying, who was not far away, looked up and her gaze shifted towards Chen Yan and Sun Lu. Her eyes swept over Chen Yan.

"Come here for a moment, Steward Cheng!"

Sun Lu continued to shout.

From Cheng Ziying's body language, a clear refusal could be seen, but she had no choice. After all, standing there were the personal disciple of an Outer Court Elder and the apprentice of a Spirit Herb Workshop Steward.

"The Outer Court Grand Competition is about to begin. It must have been very hard on you disciples like Steward Cheng who are on duty at the Training Ground during this time."

Sun Lu chatted with Cheng Ziying, then looked at Chen Yan beside him:

"Steward Cheng may also know him. This is Chen Yan, Senior Brother Chen, the personal disciple of our Empty Mountain Sect's Outer Court Elder."

"..."

"..."

Cheng Ziying's gaze lingered on Chen Yan for another moment, but it was just a fleeting glance.

Neither of them said anything, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Chen Yan felt even more confused because Cheng Ziying's attitude towards him today was even colder than when Lin Qifeng had sent her to deliver a message last time.

The person most uncomfortable and uneasy in this awkward situation was naturally Sun Lu, who knew nothing of their past.

But Sun Lu was a smart person.

He quickly understood that the relationship between these two might not be as simple as he had imagined, and they might even have some unknown entanglement.

"I suddenly remembered that Master asked me to check on the growth of the spirit rice planted in the back mountain some time ago. You two, I'll take my leave first..."

Without giving Cheng Ziying and Chen Yan any chance to react, Sun Lu immediately fled.

He had messed things up this time. As for Chen Yan, he would find a way to send him more spirit herbs as compensation later.

Sun Lu thought to himself.

This left Chen Yan and Cheng Ziying awkwardly standing there.

"Senior Brother Chen, what can I do for you?"

Finally, Cheng Ziying spoke first.

"Zi... I want to give this to you."

Chen Yan took out a wooden box from his pocket. Inside was a complete stalk of Ice Soul Grass.

He had originally intended to call her Ziying, as he had before, but given their current relationship, Chen Yan couldn't bring himself to say it.

Cheng Ziying did not reach out.

She merely looked coldly at the wooden box Chen Yan handed over, then a seemingly playful smile curled up on her lips:

"Is it because the Inner Sect Senior Sister doesn't think much of this thing?"

"What?"

Chen Yan was slightly taken aback.

"Senior Brother Chen, please go back. I don't need this."

Saying this, Cheng Ziying didn't give Chen Yan a chance to speak further. She turned and walked back towards the Training Ground.

What nonsense, what Inner Sect Senior Sister...

Suddenly, Chen Yan remembered the scene from not long ago when he and Chu Xiyao were discussing the Monster Suppressing Stone nearby.

Although there were many Outer Court Disciples, all Outer Court Disciples had to wear the same uniform. Therefore, Chu Xiyao, dressed in white, was already exceptionally conspicuous standing there, let alone her aloof and transcendent peerless beauty.

Cheng Ziying saw it all?

Then what was her reaction about? Jealousy?

Chen Yan couldn't help but have this suspicion, but he didn't dare to be sure. In recent years, he had had no contact with Cheng Ziying. To say she was jealous of him might be too self-centered.

He withdrew the stalk of Ice Soul Grass in his hand and sighed.

Chen Yan had always wanted to find an opportunity to give Cheng Ziying some Qi Condensation Pills and Ice Soul Grass.

There was no other reason, just a simple hope that Cheng Ziying could advance to the Martial Spring Realm as soon as possible, become an Inner Sect Disciple, and thus escape the fate of dying in the Outer Court tribulation.

Three days later.

The Outer Court Training Ground was bustling with noise and excitement.

Eight circular bluestone platforms were situated in the center of the Training Ground, each inscribed with "Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding" and "Tian, Di, Xuan, Huang" at their centers.

These eight bluestone platforms were the arenas where the disciples would soon compete.

In front of the platforms, some young, newly promoted disciples held basic sword manuals or other simple spell scrolls, trying to engrave every movement and detail in the books into their minds.

There were also some experienced Outer Court Disciples, who were slightly older, already secretly hiding Qi Gathering Pills in their sleeves, just in case they lost due to depleted True Qi or exhaustion during the competition.

"Chen Yan, come here."

On the viewing platform, Lin Qifeng sat in the high, central position, overlooking the entire Training Ground. He called Chen Yan to his side.

Below Lin Qifeng sat elders and disciples from the three mountains and four peaks, representing each of their lineages.

"This disciple is here."

Chen Yan arrived at Lin Qifeng's side and immediately replied.

"Which group were you assigned to?"

Lin Qifeng asked.

"Xuan Group."

"Good, Xuan Group..."

Lin Qifeng lightly closed his eyes, seemingly contemplating the strong contenders in the Xuan Group for this Outer Court Grand Competition. However, he soon shook his head and opened his eyes.

"Mere Body Tempering Realm cultivators, what good contenders could there be!"

"..."

Chen Yan remained silent.

Because he thought the same thing.

At this moment, Chen Yan was no longer the same as before. Just two days ago, he had broken through and become a genuine Martial Spring Realm cultivator.

Temper the body and condense Qi; when Qi flows, a Spring is formed.

This was a fragment of the Empty Mountain Sect's basic cultivation technique, the Empty Mountain Art.

Feeling the True Qi continuously flowing from his Martial Spring into his meridians, Chen Yan experienced an unprecedented sense of fullness.

He finally understood why Lu Li could have easily killed him from dozens of meters away with just a single Kongshan Finger back then.

Now, Chen Yan was confident enough to kill any Qi Condensation Realm cultivator on the viewing platform before him with a single Kongshan Finger from a distance.

However, in the Outer Court Grand Competition, he still had to suppress his cultivation to the peak of the Body Tempering Realm to compete.

The Outer Court Grand Competition was different from the Inner Sect Grand Competition. It was divided into only two groups: the Body Tempering Group and the Qi Condensation Group.

The Inner Sect Grand Competition, also known as the Sect Grand Competition, had additional competition rounds beyond the Body Tempering and Qi Condensation groups, including the Martial Spring Group and the Qi Sea Group.

The reason the Inner Sect Grand Competition was also called the Sect Grand Competition was that Outer Court Disciples could freely sign up to participate, but very few Outer Court Disciples ever did.

After all, who would willingly seek humiliation?