The Outer Sect's First

The first day of every month was always the liveliest day at the Nine Spirits Sect, because only on this day could ambitious outer sect disciples challenge the Top Ten and fight for their future.

The challenge venue was set at the sect's Martial Arts Arena, which was large enough for martial artists to unleash their full combat power.

Martial artists revered the strong, so such challenges naturally drew countless spectators; watching and learning was also beneficial for improving one's own strength.

Zhou Heng arrived early in the morning. Sweeping his gaze across, he saw Kong Xiang and four others, plus six unfamiliar faces, sitting in a row at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, each wearing an expression of supreme arrogance.

"I heard Ma Yunlong just came out of seclusion, and his strength has taken another leap. He might challenge Jing Tian directly this time!"

"Guo Gang seems to have trained the 'Great Unintentional Fist Technique' to the fifth level, aiming straight for the top spot in the outer sect!"

"Tch, Jing Tian has held the number one position in the outer sect for a whole year. Who can knock him off his throne?"

"Right, I think only after Jing Tian breaks into the Blood Refining Realm will Ma Yunlong and Guo Gang have a chance to fight for first place!"

"Hey, don't forget Zhou Heng. That guy taught Kong Xiang and the others a lesson on his first day in the sect, and a few days ago he got a lucky break, advancing to the Ninth Layer of Body Refining!"

"That kid just relies on his tricky footwork. In terms of real combat power, he might not even be a match for Kong Xiang!"

The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion, each voicing their own opinions, but one thing was consistent—no one thought Zhou Heng would become a dark horse this time.

Zhou Heng looked at the ten of them. Kong Xiang, ranked last, sat at the far right, so the person on the far left should be Jing Tian, the number one of the outer sect!

He was a young man around eighteen, very ordinary in appearance, with eyes that were always half-lidded, looking listless. But the moment Zhou Heng stared at him for less than a second, he immediately sensed it, raised his head to glance at Zhou Heng, then lazily lowered it again, completely unconcerned.

The number one of the outer sect—truly extraordinary.

Zhou Heng's eyes were fixed on Jing Tian alone. If he was going to challenge someone, he would challenge the strongest! As a martial artist, he needed a heart that feared no peer. He was also at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining now, so he had nothing to fear.

Before long, an old man in a green robe lightly leaped out and said, "This old man is Ai Songtao, the referee for today's challenge. According to the usual rules, all outer sect disciples may issue challenges before sunset. Begin!"

Straight to the point.

Zhou Heng's gaze sharpened. He knew that only a Spirit Gathering Realm expert could serve as referee, so Ai Songtao must be at that level! Yet, looking at the old man's appearance, there was nothing remarkable about him—he was as ordinary as any common elder.

The Spirit Gathering Realm and the Body Refining Realm were fundamentally different; judging by old standards wouldn't work.

This was the first Spirit Gathering Realm expert Zhou Heng had ever seen, but no matter how he looked, he couldn't see anything special about him.

"I'll go!" A loud shout rang out as Shi Qingfeng leaped down from the spectator stands. "I challenge Kong Xiang!"

That guy had been defeated by Kong Xiang with a single punch, and he was full of pent-up frustration, eager to publicly beat Kong Xiang to save face.

Kong Xiang sprang up, a sneer curling on his lips. "Train for another ten years, and you still won't be a match for me. A waste is a waste!"

"Bastard!" Shi Qingfeng roared in anger and immediately launched his attack.

Boom, boom, boom—the two clashed fiercely. There was no denying that Shi Qingfeng had made considerable progress over the past twenty or so days, but it was far from enough. By the fiftieth exchange, Kong Xiang blasted him out of the Martial Arts Arena.

Defeat!

According to the rules, whether a challenge succeeded or failed, the participant was entitled to a twenty-minute rest to prevent unfair consecutive battles. So anyone wanting to challenge Kong Xiang had to wait twenty minutes.

Since the strength of the Top Ten increased with their rank, challengers naturally aimed for the "softest target." Most eyes were fixed on Kong Xiang, and no one challenged anyone else, leading to a brief lull.

"I challenge Gu You!" A figure floated down into the arena—delicate nose, almond eyes, stunningly beautiful. It was Shen Xinqi.

"No way, going straight for Gu You? He's ranked sixth!"

"I heard Junior Sister Shen is the granddaughter of Elder Shen Luohe. She has the backing for it!"

"Tsk, doesn't that make her a direct descendant of Elder Tianzhu's line?"

"Let's watch!"

The named Gu You stepped down in response and fought Shen Xinqi. The two were evenly matched, and it took a full half-hour to decide the outcome, with Shen Xinqi winning by a narrow margin.

Thus, Shen Xinqi successfully claimed the sixth position, while Gu You dropped out of the top ten and had to fight his way back in.

On the other side, Kong Xiang had rested enough and accepted another challenge, successfully holding onto his spot. However, Gu You naturally wouldn't give up. He couldn't challenge Shen Xinqi again on the same day, but he could challenge Kong Xiang and the others, meaning at least the top seven would see major changes.

Zhou Heng grew impatient. Seizing a gap, he leaped down and said, "I challenge Jing Tian!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire arena fell silent, then erupted in laughter.

"This guy doesn't even know the rules of the challenge!"

"Only those in the top ten can challenge the top three!"

Zhou Heng realized he had made a blunder, but he didn't care. Sweeping his gaze across, he said, "Then I'll fight the fourth-ranked first!"

The fourth-ranked?

This guy didn't even know who was ranked fourth—his eyes were only on the first!

Arrogant. Damn arrogant.

"Heh, I've been hearing your name these past few days. Let's see what you're really made of!" With a cold laugh, a towering youth stepped forward. As his foot came down, the entire Martial Arts Arena trembled.

Of course, he did it on purpose, but pulling that off was enough to prove his skill.

"My name is Fei Qing. Remember it!" The youth charged forward and threw a heavy punch straight at Zhou Heng.

—In the Martial Arts Arena, one could go all out. The referee would step in at the critical moment to stop things. A Spirit Gathering Realm expert was more than capable of that!

"I don't have the habit of remembering the names of those I defeat!" Zhou Heng didn't use any weapon. He simply executed the Flying Cloud Steps, cutting directly to the opponent's flank, and swung his right fist with full force.

Boom!

Fei Qing's tall body was sent flying horizontally, crashing heavily to the ground. With a wah, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He tried to push himself up, but immediately collapsed again, losing consciousness.

One punch!

Just one punch and Fei Qing was down!

Tch, this strength was indeed enough to challenge Jing Tian!

The Ninth Layer of Body Refining was nothing special—over forty people in the outer sect had reached this level. But being able to take down a fellow cultivator of the same rank in a single move was something only the Top Ten could do!

Yet now, even the fourth-ranked among the Top Ten had been knocked out with one punch. Just how terrifying was Zhou Heng's strength?

The crowd replayed the battle in their minds. Zhou Heng hadn't used any flashy techniques, let alone martial skills. He had simply closed in cleanly and struck, reducing complexity to simplicity, flowing like clouds and water.

The more they thought about it, the more they felt the profound mystery hidden in those simple movements, drawing countless insights from them.

Zhou Heng glanced at Jing Tian, then took Fei Qing's seat—according to the rules, he had to wait twenty minutes before continuing to fight.

"Arrogant brat!" Guo Gang snorted coldly. "He only beat a piece of trash ranked fourth!"

"Kid, the first seat is mine. Don't get any delusions. Stay put in your current spot!" Ma Yunlong said coldly as well.

Both of them had been blatantly ignored by Zhou Heng, and naturally, they were displeased.

Zhou Heng didn't even lift his head, keeping his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, thinking that if that damned donkey were here, he wondered how furious it could make these two.

On the other side, Gu You challenged Wei Jinping, who was ranked seventh, and successfully took his place. Wei Jinping, of course, wasn't willing to be eliminated, and once Fei Qing woke up, he wouldn't give up on the top ten either, so there was plenty of excitement to come.

After twenty minutes passed, Zhou Heng stepped down gracefully, cupped his fists toward Jing Tian, and said, "Brother Jing, I challenge you!"

The entire venue fell silent, filled with anticipation.

Jing Tian was a legend in the Nine Spirits Sect!

He could be called a late bloomer. Before the age of fourteen, he was still a homeless child, taken in by an old sect elder, but not counted as a formal disciple. Yet within just three years, he had entered the Bone Refining Realm and was officially accepted as a disciple of the sect.

At eighteen, he reached the Ninth Layer of Body Refining, suddenly burst into the Top Ten of the Outer Sect, and directly seized the first seat, holding it ever since!

A year later, Zhou Heng had also stormed into the Top Ten with the same momentum, aiming for the top spot. Would this write a new legend, or would Jing Tian continue his undefeated story?

How could this not stir anticipation!

Jing Tian stood up, smiled slightly at Zhou Heng, pointed at his seat, and said, "This is yours!"

The crowd erupted in uproar!

What was going on? Yielding without a fight—was this still Jing Tian?

Zhou Heng was startled at first, then cupped his hands with a smile. "Congratulations, Brother Jing!"

Congratulations? Congratulations for what!

This kid had gotten an advantage and was still gloating—what was he talking about!

"I've broken through to the Blood Refining Realm and was dragged here before I could report it to the sect!" Jing Tian explained proactively. "Today, no matter who challenges me, I can't fight!"

The Blood Refining Realm!

Tch, a nineteen-year-old in the Blood Refining Realm—how terrifying was that!

Looking across the entire Nine Spirits Sect, even among those lofty Spirit Gathering Realm experts now, how many had broken through to the Blood Refining Realm at nineteen?

Zhou Dinghai was hailed as the greatest genius of the Zhou Family in a century, yet he had only entered the Blood Refining Realm after thirty!

Blood Refining, Bone Refining—this threshold had stopped countless people throughout history!

Boundless future!

"Congratulations, Brother Jing!" Everyone shouted loudly. A nineteen-year-old in the Blood Refining Realm was a genius among geniuses anywhere. Even the Black Water Hall would shamelessly try to snatch him up, wouldn't they?

Jing Tian smiled faintly, bowed to Ai Songtao, and said, "Elder Ai, Jing Tian takes his leave!"

"Go on!" Ai Songtao stroked his long beard, a satisfied smile on his face.