Clan Competition, Duel with Seventh Brother?

[As soon as you meditated, you discovered that your absorption and refinement speed of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy had doubled.]

[Overjoyed, you chose to continue cultivating.]

[Three months later, you successfully broke through the third-layer bottleneck.]

[That same month, your mother sent you a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills, which you gladly accepted.]

[Another month later, after finishing the Qi Gathering Pills, you faintly sensed that you were about to break through the fourth-layer bottleneck.]

[You attempted a breakthrough, but returned disappointed.]

[After a burst of excitement, your father gave you a token.]

[It was precisely the token for entering the Scripture Pavilion.]

[The next day, you arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.]

[This time, you displayed your token and entered the Scripture Pavilion openly and aboveboard.]

[You skipped the first floor and went directly to the second floor.]

[You met Third Elder Mu Shengda.]

[After careful selection, you ultimately chose Water Flowing Steps and Fire Snake Technique.]

[Third Elder told you that biting off more than you could chew would only leave you unable to digest it, hoping you understood what he meant.]

[You still insisted on your choice.]

[Third Elder snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with you.]

[However, he did not deliberately make things difficult for you.]

[He merely said sternly, "The recklessness of youth will ultimately harm you!"]

[In the end, you obtained the copied Bamboo Slips of Water Flowing Steps and Fire Snake Technique to your heart's content.]

[You returned to your room and began comprehending the newly acquired techniques.]

[In the fifth month, with the help of the lingering medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pills and your own efforts, you successfully broke through the fourth-layer bottleneck.]

[You were only one final bottleneck away from the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.]

[In the seventh month, you continued cultivating.]

[Every day, you set aside two hours to practice techniques.]

[In the eighth month, Water Flowing Steps reached Entry Level.]

[In the ninth month, Fire Snake Technique reached Entry Level.]

[In the tenth month, the New Year arrived.]

[You still ate the reunion dinner alone.]

[In the second year, you sensed the fifth-layer bottleneck.]

[You began attacking the bottleneck.]

[Your luck was good, and you successfully broke through the fifth-layer bottleneck.]

[You successfully advanced to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.]

[In the first month of the second year, you consolidated your cultivation.]

[A few days later, you told your parents that you had broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.]

[Your parents were both happy for you.]

[Your father suddenly remembered that the Lineage would hold its Clan Competition one month later.]

[Now that you had successfully broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, they hoped you would participate in the Clan Competition to temper yourself.]

[You accepted your father's suggestion.]

[You registered for the Clan Competition.]

[One month later, your cultivation had not budged an inch.]

[Because you were participating in the Clan Competition, you diligently cultivated Fire Snake Technique and successfully raised it to Minor Accomplishment.]

[You became even more confident in the Clan Competition.]

[That same month, the Clan Competition arrived as scheduled.]

[You arrived at the Family Martial Arts Arena, where the venue was already packed wall to wall.]

[Fourth Elder Mu Shenghuan was responsible for presiding over the Clan Competition.]

[After Fourth Elder delivered an impassioned speech, the Clan Competition officially began.]

[In the first round of the Clan Competition, you encountered a Branch Lineage disciple and easily defeated him.]

[Within the Mu Family, there was a distinction between the Main Branch and the Branch Lineage. The Main Branch consisted of the six great elders and the family head's line.]

[The Branch Lineage consisted of disciples selected from among the Mu clan mortals protected around Muye Mountain, those possessing Spirit Roots and the aptitude to cultivate.]

[Although Branch Lineage disciples had poorer cultivation aptitude, they far outnumbered the Main Branch, making them the backbone of the Mu Family.]

[In the second round of the Clan Competition, you encountered a Main Branch disciple.]

[Your Seventh Brother, Mu Xingluo.]

[Main Branch disciples of the same generation addressed one another as brothers. Mu Xingluo was Fifth Elder's second son, ranked seventh among the Main Branch's "Xing" generation disciples, while you ranked ninth among the "Xing" generation disciples.]

[You were also currently the youngest among the "Xing" generation disciples.]

[Thus, you naturally called him "Seventh Brother."]

[Mu Xingluo looked like a refined young gentleman and seemed very easy to get along with.]

[You cupped your hands and called out, "Seventh Brother."]

[Mu Xingluo likewise cupped his hands in reply. "Ninth Brother."]

[Mu Xingluo marveled that you had successfully broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer only one year after awakening your Spirit Root. You could truly be called a heaven-gifted prodigy.]

[You responded with a smile.]

[With Fourth Elder's command, your match against Mu Xingluo officially began.]

[Mu Xingluo was nineteen this year, six years older than you.]

[His cultivation had reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, and he was not far from the Late Stage Qi Refining.]

[At first, with Fire Snake Technique at Minor Accomplishment and Water Flowing Steps at Entry Level, you could barely hold your ground.]

[However, as time dragged on, your spiritual power could no longer keep up, and you ultimately had no choice but to concede defeat.]

[You lost the second round of the Clan Competition.]

[But on second thought, it was not that you were too weak—it was that your Seventh Brother was too strong.]