Champion, Calm Before the Storm?

"Hahaha, didn't expect that, Seventh Brother?" Mu Xingqi burst out laughing in reality.

His Seventh Brother had been dealt a blow in the simulation by his astonishing cultivation speed.

After all, he had a cheat.

[Your match with Seventh Brother officially began!]

[Although you had broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, your Seventh Brother was now at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer as well.]

[The two of you clashed, and for a time neither could gain the upper hand.]

[You barely managed to contend with Seventh Brother by relying on Water Flowing Steps at Minor Accomplishment.]

[In the end, after each of you had exchanged no fewer than several hundred moves, you narrowly defeated Seventh Brother by a single move.]

[Seventh Brother cupped his hands toward you and said frankly, "Ninth Brother truly is a dragon and phoenix among men. Seventh Brother admits he is inferior!"]

[You likewise cupped your hands. "Seventh Brother is a hero among men as well. Why be so modest?"]

[You could not help but sigh. Even after losing to you, Seventh Brother remained refined and courteous, like a gentleman. Such temperament and integrity filled you with admiration.]

[You could not help but put yourself in his shoes, feeling ashamed of the arrogance in your heart.]

Mu Xingqi in reality also fell silent. He admitted that he had indeed gotten a little carried away.

[The final match of the Clan Competition—the championship match—was about to begin.]

[Your opponent was Mu Xinghan.]

[He ranked fourth among the Main Branch disciples and was your Fourth Brother.]

[His father was Mu Shengshi, the Sixth Elder who oversaw the External Affairs Hall, and Mu Xingluo's biological elder brother!]

[Mu Xinghan, who had turned twenty-two this year, was eight years older than you and was also at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. However, he had clearly not just broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.]

[Mu Xinghan gave you a different impression from Mu Xingluo. Mu Xingluo was like a gentle and refined scholar, polished and courteous in all his dealings.]

[Mu Xinghan, on the other hand, seemed carefree and forthright, like the friendly older brother next door whom you had known for years.]

[The moment he stepped onto the stage, Mu Xinghan slung an arm around your shoulders and chatted with you like an old friend he had not seen in years.]

[It left you at a loss.]

[You had not expected this Fourth Brother of yours to be so familiar with strangers.]

[Only when the presiding elder could no longer bear to watch did he cough and signal, "Mu Xinghan, you brat, are you going to compete or not?"]

[Seeing this, Mu Xinghan gave an embarrassed smile. He first responded to the elder, then said to you, "Ninth Brother, another day, Fourth Brother will definitely find you for a good drink."]

[As Mu Xinghan put some distance between the two of you, your match officially began!]

[After you and Fourth Brother Mu Xinghan exchanged nearly a hundred moves, Mu Xinghan raised his hand and conceded defeat.]

[You did not understand, because you could sense that Fourth Brother had not used his full strength.]

[Your Fourth Brother seemed to see the confusion on your face and explained, "Ninth Brother is eight years younger than me, yet can already fight me to a standstill. As your older brother, I am naturally completely convinced."]

[You felt that Fourth Brother's explanation was somewhat forced.]

[The Sixth Elder announced that you had won the Clan Competition championship!]

[You received the reward for winning the Clan Competition championship: a bottle of Yellow Grade High Rank Qi Gathering Pills, as well as the qualification to enter the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion and select one technique.]

"?"

"Are the Clan Competition rewards really this good?"

Mu Xingqi could not help looking several more times. After confirming that he had not misread it, his eyes were filled with shock.

There was no need to say anything about Yellow Grade High Rank Qi Gathering Pills. In the entire Mu Family, only his mother was a Yellow Grade High Rank alchemist.

The medicinal ingredients required for Yellow Grade High Rank Qi Gathering Pills were also exceptionally precious. The value of the ingredients alone was enough to buy ten bottles of Yellow Grade Mid Rank Qi Gathering Pills.

Even within the clan, only the elders and Grandfather were likely qualified to consume Yellow Grade High Rank Qi Gathering Pills.

Yet now, an entire bottle was being offered as the reward for the Clan Competition champion. How could he not be shocked?

What made his whole body shudder even more was the qualification to select a technique from the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

He had visited the Scripture Pavilion before. The first floor was mainly used to store secret tales of cultivation and the cultivation summaries left behind by the Clan Ancestors.

The second floor stored Yellow Grade cultivation methods and techniques. The Water Flowing Steps and Fire Snake Technique he had selected before had both come from there.

But the third floor stored Spirit Tier cultivation methods and techniques!

The Spirit Tier corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Even among the clan elders, there were probably only a few who had successfully cultivated Spirit Grade Techniques, right?

The rewards for this Clan Competition were a little too generous. They even made him suspicious.

[The next day, you went to the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion to select your reward technique.]

[You encountered Third Elder Mu Shengda on the second floor and cupped your hands in greeting.]

[Third Elder responded with a smile. He had more or less guessed why you were there. After asking about your well-being, he specifically reminded you, "He who grasps at too much chews it poorly," and "What suits you is the best."]

[You nodded to show that you understood.]

[Third Elder allowed you to go up to the third floor.]

[You arrived on the third floor and found only three exquisite jade slips placed sparsely around.]

[You opened and read through them one by one. The first was a cultivation method—the Wood Spirit Body Cultivation Technique that you were familiar with.]

[The second jade slip contained a technique, Wood Spirit Jade Body Armor, a Mid-grade Spirit Tier defensive technique. It could form a layer of Wood Spirit Power jade armor around the body, with both defensive and healing effects.]

[The final jade slip also contained a technique, called Water Dragon Fist, a Spirit Tier Low Grade offensive technique. It condensed spiritual power into a water dragon; one punch shook the heavens and pierced straight through the firmament.]

[After giving it some thought, you ultimately chose Water Dragon Fist.]

[You believed that only overwhelming offensive power could protect those you loved.]

[You obtained a copied version of Water Dragon Fist!]

[Ten days later, near the end of the month, your grandfather came to find you.]

[He explained that he had originally intended to appoint you as the clan's Young Patriarch. It was precisely for this reason that he had made you participate in the Clan Competition, hoping that you would perform brilliantly there.]

[You had not disappointed him either, successfully claiming the Clan Competition championship.]

[But unfortunately, earth-shattering news disrupted your grandfather's plans.]

[The Zhang Family Ancestor had vanished without a trace, and the Zhang Family was wiped out by the Wang Family in one fell swoop!]

[Your pupils contracted sharply, but when you thought of Grandfather still being there, the Mu Family should have no reason to fear the Wang Family.]

[Your grandfather said that the Mu Family now needed to recall its clansmen and prepare to resist the Wang Family, so he had no choice but to put off appointing you as Young Patriarch. He hoped you would not harbor resentment.]

[You nodded and told Grandfather that you did not care about such empty titles.]

[Grandfather was even more satisfied with you.]

[One month later, in March of the third year, the Mu Family entered a defensive state. You felt that the atmosphere within the clan had grown even heavier.]

[This month, you refined the Yellow Grade High Rank Qi Gathering Pills you had received as a Clan Competition reward, and you felt that you had moved another step closer to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.]

[That same month, your Seventh Brother Mu Xingluo and Fourth Brother Mu Xinghan came to find you for a hearty drinking session.]

[Your relationship with them became even closer.]

[In April of the third year, you learned that the Wang Family had wiped out all the other minor forces in Jinzhou City apart from the Mu Family.]

[In May of the third year, the Wang Family still held back, seemingly waiting for something.]

[In June of the third year, the Wang Family finally could not restrain itself and attacked Muye Mountain!]

[Your grandfather and father led the seven great elders in resisting the Wang Family together.]

[With the aid of Muye Mountain's Clan Protection Array, the Mu Family temporarily held the upper hand.]

[Ten days later, the Wang Family Ancestor was severely wounded, while your grandfather was also seriously injured. The Wang Family Ancestor hurled wild threats before fleeing in defeat.]

[The Wang Family members fled in rout.]

[You also contributed greatly in this battle. Together with Fourth Brother Mu Xinghan and Seventh Brother Mu Xingluo, you slew several Wang Family cultivators of the same realm in succession, achieving a dazzling record!]

[In July of the third year, it seemed as if everything had returned to calm...]

"Could it be?!" Mu Xingqi clenched his fists...