On the outskirts of the Ninja Sect, a black-clad figure moved swiftly. Although his cultivation had already reached the mid-Golden Core stage, once he neared the Ninja Sect, he abandoned flight and continued on foot instead.
He made no attempt to hide himself and was quickly spotted by disciples the Ninja Sect had sent outside to train.
"Who goes there?" A cold voice suddenly rang out from behind the shade of a tree, causing the black figure to slow his steps.
Unlike when Lin Chuan had come to the Ninja Sect, the sect's summoning order had brought many disciples back recently. Thus, no one acted as rashly as before. Rather than attacking outright, they chose to question newcomers first, lest they cause needless casualties.
"It's me." The man in black unhurriedly removed the hood over his head, revealing a rather ordinary face. Though the fleeting viciousness in his eyes sent a chill down one's spine, his appearance alone was the kind that would be hard to pick out in a crowd.
"Wang Shaoqi?" The voice behind the tree shade seemed somewhat surprised upon seeing his face. Soon after, three teenage boys stepped out from behind the tree and walked straight up to the man in black.
"Long time no see. You vanished without a trace after taking first place in the last competition. What brings you back to the Ninja Sect this time?" asked the leading youth of the trio with a smile.
"Isn't the Ninja Sect Grand Competition about to begin? How could I not come back?" Wang Shaoqi said softly.
"For the Cursed Seal of Earth?" the youth opposite him asked, raising a brow.
"Something like that." Wang Shaoqi nodded. His return to the Ninja Sect this time was indeed for the Ninja Sect Grand Competition—for the Cursed