Sect Grand Competition

The day before the Sect Grand Competition.

Azure Cloud Hall.

After finishing his sect duties, Li Mofan sent a message to Su Yun, ordering him to come to the hall immediately.

Before long, Su Yun stepped into the hall and bowed. "Disciple Su Yun greets Master."

He had already properly concealed his aura, perfectly suppressing it to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Li Mofan subconsciously swept his divine sense over him.

The next instant, his face blossomed with joy, his eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.

"The eighth level?!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

Just over a month ago, Su Yun had only been at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

In a mere thirty-some days, he had broken through three levels, reaching the eighth!

The further one progressed, the harder it was to break through.

For an ordinary cultivator, advancing from the seventh to the eighth level of Qi Refining often required years of bitter cultivation.

Yet Su Yun was the opposite; the further he went, the faster he broke through.

Absurd!

It was absolutely outrageous!

Li Mofan had lived for hundreds of years and had seen countless geniuses.

But a breakthrough speed like Su Yun's was something he had never even heard of.

Even as the Sect Master, accustomed to great storms and waves, he felt a trace of envy in his heart.

The Heavenly Spirit Root was truly the darling of the Heavenly Dao.

He suppressed the shock in his heart and spoke with a smile.

"Not bad, not bad. Breaking through three levels in just over a month to reach the eighth level is enough to stun everyone. It seems that for this Grand Competition, you truly have the ability to vie for a spot in the secret realm."

Su Yun bowed slightly. "This disciple will certainly give it his all."

Li Mofan nodded.

"I called you here today for another matter. Your Senior Brother and Senior Sister have finished their training abroad and are returning today. I want to introduce you to each other so you can look out for one another as family in the future. They will be here soon; wait here for a moment."

Su Yun stood quietly to the side, waiting in silence.

Not long after, two figures stepped into Azure Cloud Hall, one after the other.

The man in the lead wore a green robe; his face was calm and his features square, his aura heavy and restrained.

The spiritual energy around him was as steady as a mountain, and he was clearly at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

He was Li Mofan's eldest disciple, Xiao Fan.

The woman following closely behind wore a goose-yellow dress; her appearance was pretty, her eyes lively, and a faint smile played on her lips. Her personality seemed vivacious and cheerful, her eyes full of spirit and vitality.

She was also at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

The Second Senior Sister, Ye Yurou.

As soon as the two entered, their gazes fell upon Su Yun, filled with a hint of curiosity.

Li Mofan rose with a smile to introduce the two parties.

He first looked at Su Yun and gestured toward the two.

"Su Yun, this is your Senior Brother Xiao Fan and your Second Senior Sister Ye Yurou. These two have exceptional talent and have spent years training abroad. They possess extremely rich combat experience and are the top figures of our Azure Cloud Sect's younger generation."

After speaking, he looked at Xiao Fan and Ye Yurou, smiling as he introduced Su Yun.

"Fan'er, Yurou, this is my newly accepted personal disciple, Su Yun. He has a Metal Heavenly Spirit Root and has been in the sect for less than four months, yet he is already at the eighth level of Qi Refining. You two should look after your little junior brother in the future."

In just a few short sentences, the amount of information was immense.

Less than four months, eighth level of Qi Refining, Heavenly Spirit Root, personal disciple of the Sect Master.

A flash of surprise crossed the eyes of both Xiao Fan and Ye Yurou.

Even the two of them, who were accustomed to seeing geniuses, were shocked by this speed.

Xiao Fan stepped forward first and nodded slightly. "Hello, Junior Brother. I am Xiao Fan. If you have any confusion in your cultivation or encounter trouble outside, feel free to come to me."

Ye Yurou's eyes lit up. She looked Su Yun up and down and teased with a smile.

"Wow, Little Junior Brother is too amazing! Reaching the eighth level in four months is much faster than we were back then. If you ever run into an opponent you can't handle, just come to Senior Sister. I'll cover you!"

Su Yun bowed slightly, his manners impeccable.

"I have met Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I hope for your guidance in the future."

After the brief introduction, the atmosphere eased.

Li Mofan withdrew his smile, his expression turning solemn as he said in a deep voice.

"Fan'er, Yurou, there is something I must inform you both of. After you return this time, do not head out for further training."

Xiao Fan and Ye Yurou were both taken aback.

Li Mofan continued.

"Recently, there have been frequent disturbances caused by the demonic path within Spirit Province.

Over in Nether Province, the demonic path has already launched an all-out war, and undercurrents are surging in all the other provinces as well.

After a hundred years of dormancy, demonic factions like the Ghost Fire Sect and the Joyous Union Sect are highly likely to make a comeback.

In the days to come, Spirit Province will not be peaceful.

As the pillars of the younger generation of our sect, you two must remain within the sect to stabilize yourselves and be prepared at all times to face a great war."

Xiao Fan's expression turned stern. "This disciple understands and will strictly follow Master's decree. I will stay in the sect with peace of mind, consolidate my cultivation, and protect the sect."

The smile on Ye Yurou's face also faded, and she nodded heavily.

"Rest assured, Master, this disciple understands the gravity of the situation."

The next day, just as dawn broke.

Dong—! Dong—! Dong—!

Three heavy, distant sect bells rang out, echoing across the entire Azure Cloud mountain range.

The tolling was deep and resonant, piercing through the clouds and mist, sweeping over every courtyard and every place of cultivation.

The Azure Cloud Sect, which had been silent for many days, instantly awakened completely.

All disciples in seclusion emerged, and those from the outer sect, inner sect, chore disciples, and deacons all set out.

In front of the main peak lay a massive martial arts plaza.

In the center of the plaza, ten high competition platforms were neatly erected.

The stone platforms were over a zhang high and open on all sides, with basic protective formations laid out on each one.

These could buffer the impact of spells and prevent the aftermath of battles from harming the watching disciples.

With ten platforms hosting matches simultaneously, the efficiency was doubled, sufficient to accommodate the entire sect's competition.

The sky grew brighter as the morning sun rose.

Dense crowds of figures gathered from all directions.

Thousands of outer sect disciples, hundreds of inner sect disciples, and the deacons of various halls and the leading elders stood in rows on the viewing platforms on both sides.

The stream of people was endless, instantly filling the vast plaza.

The tiers of the viewing platforms were packed, with not a single seat left empty.

The perimeter of the plaza was packed to the point of being impenetrable.

The sound of voices was deafening, the clamor rising to the heavens.

This was the grandest event of the Azure Cloud Sect, held every five years.

No disciple was willing to miss it.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the ten platforms in the center.

Discussions, speculations, and debates rose and fell within the arena, one wave higher than the next.

"The day of the grand competition is finally here! I've been holding back for two months just waiting for today!"

"This competition is different; it's linked to the opening of the Magneto Secret Realm, and the spots are too precious!"

"Don't think too much about it. There are only twenty spots for the secret realm, and with all the top geniuses of the sect gathered here, it won't be the turn of ordinary disciples."

Among the crowd, disciples whispered to one another, the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch.

Some were tallying up the popular powerhouses, some were analyzing the strength of their opponents, some were nervous and uneasy, and others were ambitious.

Many disciples gathered in groups to guess who would take the top spot in this competition.

"I bet on the outer sect's senior brother, Lin Chen, for first place! He is at the perfection of the ninth level of Qi Refining, with half a foot already stepped into Foundation Establishment; his combat power crushes those at the same level!"

"..."

This sect grand competition was divided into two main sections: the outer sect competition and the inner sect competition.

The threshold for participation was extremely high.

Those who could stand on the platforms were all core disciples at the seventh, eighth, or ninth level of Qi Refining.

Almost no low-level disciples below the seventh level of Qi Refining signed up.

It wasn't that they didn't want to compete, but they simply didn't have the qualifications.

Going up there would only result in being instantly crushed and losing face for nothing; it was better to honestly watch the battles and gain experience.

At the same time, all outer sect participants in the arena were under fifty years of age.

This was the Azure Cloud Sect, as well as the ironclad rule accepted by the entire cultivation world.

Fifty years of age was the watershed for a cultivator's vitality.

If one were over fifty and still trapped in the Qi Refining stage, unable to break through to Foundation Establishment, it proved that their path was limited and their talent set in stone, leaving them unlikely to achieve anything great in their lifetime.

Such disciples would no longer occupy the sect's cultivation resources.

They would be reassigned collectively, either stationed in secular cities to manage sect industries or assigned to guard spirit fields, herb gardens, or mineral veins to perform menial duties.

Therefore, everyone on the arena stage today was an elite sprout of the younger generation.

They were all the future hope of the Azure Cloud Sect.