Li Junmo

Behind Chen Xuan, several people were in the second tier.

They looked at Chen Xuan ahead of them, their faces full of disbelief.

Where had this guy come from?

They exchanged glances, all indicating that they didn't recognize Chen Xuan.

A dark horse appearing out of nowhere would have been one thing, but this dark horse was climbing the staircase far faster than they were. Was this really a Mortal Body disciple at the Qi Gathering Realm?

Chen Xuan simply continued on his way.

The distance between him and the people behind him grew ever wider.

On the plaza.

The three elders watched the scene. One of them exclaimed in admiration, "This disciple is no ordinary talent."

"I don't remember seeing him before. Even a Qi Gathering disciple with a Spirit Body might not be this fast."

Another elder was also somewhat surprised.

The two elders didn't know Chen Xuan, but Elder Zhang did.

After all, the Floating Cloud Trial had ended not long ago, and Chen Xuan had left a deep impression on him.

Of course, it was precisely because he knew Chen Xuan that Elder Zhang was even more astonished now.

Had Danxiao Peak really struck gold?

Elder Zhang felt a twinge of regret.

If only he'd known, he would have fought Senior Brother Xie for him back then.

At the very least, he should have tried.

On the White Jade Staircase, Chen Xuan soon reached the plaza.

The moment he stepped onto it, the pressure weighing on him vanished.

At the same time, a token flew toward him.

Chen Xuan reached out and caught it.

The number one was engraved on the token.

After taking the token, Chen Xuan went to one side and sat cross-legged to rest.

As time passed, others gradually climbed onto the plaza.

As soon as they arrived, their gazes all settled on Chen Xuan.

They were still curious about where Chen Xuan had come from.

Among them was a disciple from Danxiao Peak.

The others looked at him, gesturing for him to go ask, since Chen Xuan was one of their own.

He was curious too, so he went straight over to Chen Xuan.

Seeing Chen Xuan sitting cross-legged on the ground, he sat down beside him.

"Senior Brother... I'm Li Junmo. May I ask your name?"

Li Junmo didn't know when Chen Xuan had joined the sect.

But among cultivators, strength had always been respected.

Even among fellow disciples, it was no different.

Judging from Chen Xuan's performance in the first round of the Outer Sect Grand Competition, he was probably stronger than them.

"Senior Brother Li, I'm Chen Xuan, your junior brother."

Chen Xuan had looked into the popular candidates and knew about Senior Brother Li.

Senior Brother Li was quite well known.

Mainly because he'd had terrible luck.

When he first joined the sect, the elder who tested his constitution had said that his talent was exceptional, only a hair's breadth below that of a Spirit Body.

If his talent had been just a little better, he might have possessed a Spirit Body.

After joining the sect, he took part in the Floating Cloud Trial and placed fourth.

A year and a half after entering the sect, he competed in the Outer Sect Grand Competition and once again placed fourth.

Unwilling to accept this, he had suppressed his cultivation and held back from breaking through, waiting for the next Outer Sect Grand Competition—which was this one.

Senior Brother Li had been stuck at Qi Gathering Perfection for three and a half years.

During that time, he had tried to find spiritual treasures on his own, but all his efforts had come to nothing.

Now, he could only place his hopes in this year's Outer Sect Grand Competition.

"May I ask when you joined the sect, Senior Brother Chen?"

Li Junmo asked again.

"This year," Chen Xuan replied.

Li Junmo froze, his face filled with disbelief.

This year?

"You... you joined the sect this year?"

Li Junmo asked again, still unable to believe it.

Chen Xuan nodded.

Li Junmo fell silent.

It had taken him a year to reach Qi Gathering Perfection. Chen Xuan had joined this year, which meant he'd reached Qi Gathering Perfection in just half a year.

And judging by Chen Xuan's performance in the first round, he wasn't an ordinary cultivator at Qi Gathering Perfection.

His mastery of Dao Techniques was surely no low level, either.

Was he even human?

Even a Spirit Body disciple couldn't be this absurd.

Could he be a King Body disciple pretending to be a small fry?

The others watched Li Junmo's reaction from a distance, confused.

"What's with Brother Li's expression?"

"I don't know. Let's wait until he comes back and ask him."

"None of you know the disciple sitting beside Brother Li?"

"No..."

As they were talking, Li Junmo quickly said his goodbyes to Chen Xuan, stood up, and walked over to them.

He couldn't be the only one who knew this unbelievable news.

As soon as Li Junmo came over, the others immediately asked him about it.

Li Junmo sighed. "I asked. He's a new disciple who joined this year. That's why we didn't recognize him."

The instant Li Junmo said this, the air fell silent.

"Brother Li, that's not funny."

Someone spoke, unable to believe it.

"Why would I lie to you? Look at his age—he's clearly younger than us.

If he were an old disciple, he couldn't have gone unnoticed for years."

Li Junmo shook his head as he spoke.

The air fell silent again.

Suddenly, someone voiced a question from the depths of their soul: "Half a year after joining the sect, he's at Qi Gathering Perfection, with Dao Techniques at the Minor Achievement level, perhaps even Great Achievement. And this is a Mortal Body?"

Soon, the first round of the Outer Sect Grand Competition came to an end.

A hundred people had climbed onto the plaza and obtained tokens.

After the hundredth person reached the plaza, the formation on the White Jade Staircase shut down.

Elder Zhang looked at the people still on the staircase and said, "The first round is over. Anyone who failed to obtain a token is eliminated."

The disciples who were still far from the plaza on the White Jade Staircase weren't too bothered; most of them had only come to try their luck.

But those who had come close to the plaza were all the more disappointed.

After all, they really had been just a little short of the top hundred.

Chen Xuan had already stood up and moved closer to the middle of the plaza.

Elder Zhang announced again, "Next is the second round of the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

"Each of you now has a token. Starting with number one hundred, you may choose not to challenge anyone. In that case, your rank will be set at one hundred.

"You may also choose to challenge number ninety-nine. If you win, you advance to number ninety-nine, then decide whether to challenge number ninety-eight.

"Once you choose not to challenge, your rank is set.

"The same process continues until it reaches disciple number one.

"Now, the second round begins."

After Elder Zhang finished speaking, he casually waved his hand.

A huge circular platform rose in the middle of the plaza.

This circular platform would serve as the challenge arena.

The platform didn't rise very high, perhaps only about a meter, but it was quite large.

"Anyone knocked off the challenge platform loses. You may also concede.

"Number one hundred, will you challenge number ninety-nine?"

A core disciple at the Dao Foundation Realm stepped onto the challenge platform and asked the disciple holding the number one hundred token.

He was the referee for the second round.

In the crowd, the disciple with token number one hundred heard the referee and immediately leaped onto the challenge platform. "Of course I'll challenge!"

It was already unlikely he'd get a better reward.

After all, to get a better reward, he would have to fight his way from one hundredth place all the way up to sixtieth.