Outer Sect Grand Competition

Of course, one cannot use second or third-tier Dragon Pattern Pills when cultivating the first level; the medicinal potency is too fierce and would cause the condensed dragon patterns to collapse.

Therefore, the best method of cultivation is to follow the records within the technique and proceed step by step.

There is only one month left until the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

Recently, he learned that Cloud Sea Peak has a Dao Discussion Hall.

While it is called a place for discussing the Dao, it is actually a venue specifically for sect disciples to spar with one another.

Chen Xuan arrived at the Dao Discussion Hall on this day.

Entering this place requires the payment of contribution points.

However, it is not particularly expensive.

After paying the contribution points, Chen Xuan entered the Dao Discussion Hall.

Upon walking in, one can see a designated area displaying notices of who is scheduled to spar with whom today; at the same time, the Dao Discussion Hall allows bets to be placed on who will win each match.

As for the wagered contribution points, ninety percent are distributed to the disciples who bet correctly, while the Dao Discussion Hall, acting as the house, splits the remaining ten percent with the winner of each match.

Giving half of that ten percent to the winner is also intended to encourage more disciples to take the initiative to participate in the bouts.

Chen Xuan did not come here this time to fight, naturally.

He came to scout the situation.

Over the past two months, he had managed to find out who the "popular contenders" for this year's Outer Sect Grand Competition were.

Who exactly they are is not important.

What matters is that he discovered these popular contenders often come to the Dao Discussion Hall to spar.

On one hand, it is to earn contribution points; on the other, it is to improve their strength through combat.

Chen Xuan did not place any bets and went straight inside. After entering the Dao Discussion Hall, he sat down in a spot with a good view.

To secure this better position, he had paid a higher entrance fee.

This spot was indeed decent; not only was the view good, but it was also a small private booth, with a pot of tea and several plates of snacks on the table.

The sparring began quickly.

Two male disciples stepped onto the stage, and as luck would have it, both were popular contenders for this year's Outer Sect Grand Competition.

After the two stepped onto the stage, they immediately began to fight.

The rules of the Dao Discussion Hall are the same as the Outer Sect Grand Competition: magical artifacts may be used, but only the Floating Cloud Sword is permitted.

Neither of them used any artifacts at this moment, choosing instead to battle using Dao techniques.

The two were certainly worthy of being called popular contenders.

Their proficiency in Flowing Cloud Myriad Forms had both reached the minor accomplishment stage.

Chen Xuan watched their battle without blinking.

Suddenly, a system screen appeared.

[Your Dao technique "Flowing Cloud Myriad Forms" is observing the Dao techniques of others.]
[The proficiency of your Dao technique "Flowing Cloud Myriad Forms" is increasing rapidly.]
[Your Dao technique "Flowing Cloud Moon-Chasing" is observing the Dao techniques of others.]
[The proficiency of your Dao technique "Flowing Cloud Moon-Chasing" is increasing.]

Chen Xuan was slightly stunned.

Impressive, you two big brothers.

Watching people fight actually has this wonderful side effect.

It's a good thing I came.

Chen Xuan's mood became increasingly wonderful.

The proficiency of Flowing Cloud Myriad Forms was increasing faster than Flowing Cloud Moon-Chasing at the moment, because the two on stage were both using the movement technique Flowing Cloud Moon-Stepping, not Flowing Cloud Moon-Chasing.

However, since they were all Dao techniques from the same lineage, the improvement speed of Flowing Cloud Moon-Chasing was still much faster than before.

In the time that followed, match after match took place, though only a few featured contestants with minor accomplishment in Flowing Cloud Myriad Forms and Flowing Cloud Moon-Stepping.

Even so, it was of no small help to Chen Xuan.

After a full day, he still felt a bit unsatisfied.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

During this period, Chen Xuan had already registered for the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

Meanwhile, having spent a month immersed in the Dao Discussion Hall, Chen Xuan's Flowing Cloud Myriad Forms had already reached the minor accomplishment stage.

Flowing Cloud Moon-Chasing still lagged slightly behind, remaining at the proficiency stage.

As for the Purple Imperial Dragon Flame, it had also reached the proficiency stage through his own cultivation.

The sect plaza.

Many disciples had gathered here, making it even more bustling than the Floating Cloud Trial three months ago.

A great number of disciples were participating in the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

Although participation was restricted to disciples at the Qi Gathering perfection stage, the Cloud Sea Sect had so many disciples that even those at the Qi Gathering perfection stage could be found in droves.

Not to mention, there were those who deliberately suppressed their cultivation, refusing to break through just to wait for the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

Many knew they wouldn't be able to secure a spot in the top three.

However, rewards weren't limited to just the top three; those placing after them could still obtain Spirit Sea Pills.

They certainly wouldn't turn their noses up at Spirit Sea Pills.

The rewards for the Outer Sect Grand Competition were as follows: the top three would receive a spiritual item; fourth to tenth place would receive a bottle of top-grade Spirit Sea Pills; eleventh to thirtieth place would receive a bottle of high-grade Spirit Sea Pills; thirty-first to sixtieth place would receive a batch of mid-grade Spirit Sea Pills; and sixty-first to one-hundredth place would receive a bottle of low-grade Spirit Sea Pills.

The Spirit Sea Pill was considered a relatively formal second-tier pill.

It could not only assist Qi Gathering perfection cultivators in breaking through their bottlenecks but also be used to enhance one's cultivation base.

Its effect on increasing cultivation was exceptionally good.

The pill commonly used by Spirit Sea realm cultivators in the Cloud Sea Sect to boost their cultivation was the Spirit Gathering Pill.

This pill could be considered a tier higher than the Qi Gathering Pill.

Its effectiveness in enhancing cultivation was already quite impressive.

Yet, the Spirit Sea Pill was even more potent than the Spirit Gathering Pill.

The value of a single bottle of low-grade Spirit Sea Pills was definitely more than ten times that of a bottle of low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills.

Simply put, participating in the Outer Sect Grand Competition was a worthwhile endeavor, even if one only managed to break into the top one hundred.

Three streaks of light descended before the entrance of the grand hall overlooking the plaza.

The disciples in the plaza turned their gazes in unison toward the hall.

The arrivals were three elders, one of whom was Elder Zhang, whom Chen Xuan had met during the Floating Cloud Trial.

Chen Xuan did not recognize the other two; it was his first time seeing them.

The Cloud Sea Sect truly possessed a significant number of Purple Mansion cultivators.

Three elders had presided over the Floating Cloud Trial, and now three elders were presiding over the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

"The Outer Sect Grand Competition begins."

Elder Zhang announced.

His voice echoed across the entire plaza.

Immediately following, all the disciples participating in the competition were transported to the foot of the mountain by a teleportation formation.

At the base of the mountain lay an extremely long and wide White Jade Staircase that led directly to the sect plaza at the summit.

"The first one hundred to reach the plaza shall advance."

Elder Zhang's voice resonated in everyone's ears once more.

The Outer Sect Grand Competition was far more brutal than the Floating Cloud Trial; the first round alone would narrow the field down to the top one hundred.

There were nearly ten thousand participants in the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

Over nine thousand would be eliminated in a single stroke.

The nearly ten thousand disciples at the foot of the mountain began to charge toward the summit.

Although this first round was not merely a test of climbing stairs, a grand formation had been activated upon them.

Once the formation was triggered, those with greater strength could climb faster.

This formation did not just measure cultivation; it also tested one's mastery of Dao techniques.

By employing more proficient Dao techniques, one could significantly mitigate the pressure.

Thus, even among those at the Qi Gathering perfection stage, there were disparities.

Once the competition commenced, Chen Xuan did not hold back.

With his strength as a Qi Gathering perfection cultivator and a first-realm perfection body cultivator, coupled with his minor accomplishment in Flowing Cloud Myriad Forms and his proficiency in Flowing Cloud Moon-Chasing and the Purple Imperial Dragon Flame, he left the others in the dust in the blink of an eye.

There was no need to be jostled by the crowd.

With nearly ten thousand people climbing the stairs at once, even though the White Jade Staircase was quite broad, it would have been truly cramped had he not moved quickly.