A month later.
At a certain place in the Universe Sect, a group of people had gathered. Among them were Kuer, the eighteenth prince of the Loki Kingdom, and other newly inducted disciples of the Universe Sect.
By then, the Newcomer Ranking Tournament had ended. Most of the newly inducted disciples who had placed in the top ten had gathered there, and Kuer had taken eighth place.
But the group was deeply dissatisfied because Xia Ping hadn't participated in the tournament. He had become so absorbed in cultivation that he couldn't tear himself away, and had missed the event.
"Hmph, Xia Ping is way too arrogant. He didn't even bother to take part in the Newcomer Ranking Tournament. Does he look down on those of us who joined at the same time as him? Can he really not even be bothered to fight us?"
Someone voiced his displeasure.
He was Batu, who had placed tenth in the tournament. Exceptionally gifted and powerful, he excelled at fist techniques and had already been taken in as a personal disciple by one of the sect elders.
"Still, he is a Saint's disciple. Though we joined at the same time, his seniority puts him above us. If you think about it, we'd have to call him Granduncle."
Someone spoke in a sinister tone, clearly trying to sow discord with ulterior motives.
"Bullshit. He just got lucky and caught a Saint's eye. As far as strength goes, I don't think I'm the least bit inferior to him. I'd like to see what makes him so special."
The speaker was Li Hu, who had placed fifth. His golden hair made him look like a tiger, and a terrifying aura emanated from his entire body.
His body was incredibly tough, practically monstrous and impervious to blades and