Outer Sect Grand Competition (2)

Everyone feigned excitement, nodding repeatedly and eagerly echoing the sect leader's words. Yet their hearts seemed shrouded beneath a heavy gloom, weighed down by an inescapable shadow.

Now that they knew of the hidden danger of a demonic cultivator infiltrating the competition to cause trouble, no one could truly relax. That worry was like a thorn, faintly lodged in everyone's heart.

Fortunately, Shen Yuxi was still immersed in his thoughts about the demonic cultivator and did not notice the strange atmosphere hanging in the air.

He continued muttering to himself inwardly, "Come to think of it, that demonic cultivator wasn't actually very strong. Under normal circumstances, he could never have succeeded. It was only because the elders decided not to interfere in this Outer Sect Grand Competition and handed full responsibility to the disciples.

Everyone was undertaking such an important task for the first time, and with so many outer sect disciples, it was understandable that one fish had slipped through the net."

His expression was exceptionally focused, as though he had vividly reconstructed in his mind the scene of the demonic cultivator infiltrating the competition.

He continued calculating in his heart, "That demonic cultivator secretly poisoned the outer sect disciples. The poison was extremely sinister—the more they stimulated their spiritual power, the more the demonic qi in the poison would rapidly take root along their meridians.

In the original work, several exceptionally talented outer sect disciples had their minds disturbed by demonic qi in full view of everyone at the end of the competition. They even injured Sixth Junior Sister." At that thought, a trace of worry flashed through his eyes, as though he had personally witnessed that chaotic, peril-filled scene.

"Fortunately, Eldest Senior Brother acted decisively. He wounded them without killing them, but the demonic qi had penetrated too deeply. If those disciples still wanted to cultivate, they could only choose the demonic path. Once that happened, they would have no further ties to the righteous path and would be practically ruined. As a result, not a single person from that year's Outer Sect Grand Competition entered the inner sect. Sigh, what a pity."

Shen Yuxi sighed inwardly, deeply regretting the fate of those disciples whose futures had been destroyed by demonic qi.

Listening to Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice, everyone let out inward sighs. They looked at one another, their eyes full of shock and worry. None of them had expected events to turn out so badly.

"Speaking of that demonic cultivator who infiltrated the competition—" Shen Yuxi's thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to the original novel.

That demonic cultivator had once been one of the many cultivators yearning to join the Profound Heaven Sect.

When he participated in the Heavenly Mystery Assembly, he had been harmed by a treacherous person. The other party had secretly played dirty, striking him with a vicious hidden blow that severely damaged the foundations of his cultivation, causing him to fail the trial.

From then on, the seed of hatred took root and sprouted in his heart. Love turned to hatred, and he gradually stepped onto the path of demonic cultivation, leaving him with nothing but the desire to take revenge on the Profound Heaven Sect.

For this Outer Sect Grand Competition, he had arrived alone and quietly. First, he secretly killed an unsuspecting outer sect disciple, then boldly assumed his identity and successfully infiltrated the competition.

He had slipped into this competition, so vital to the Profound Heaven Sect, precisely to strike in the dark, stir up towering waves, and deal the sect a heavy blow in order to vent the resentment in his heart.

To be fair, with his strength and that somewhat crude, loophole-ridden plan, even if he truly managed to create some chaos and bring the sect a certain degree of trouble, he could never shake the Profound Heaven Sect's deep foundations.

Before the elders, such conduct was like a clown capering on a stage—ridiculous and laughable, both childish and overestimating himself. Such an act of striking a stone with an egg could never inflict any substantial harm upon the Profound Heaven Sect.

Had it been in the past, with such negligible tricks and limited strength, he likely would not even have had the chance to put his scheme into practice.

The elders of the Profound Heaven Sect were all unfathomably powerful. Under their strict protection, any petty villain attempting to disrupt the sect's peace would be swiftly detected at the slightest sign of movement.

He likely would have been annihilated by the elders with thunderous force long before he reached the competition grounds, without even a sliver of room to struggle.

Yet this time, perhaps fate had deliberately played a joke on him. Through a series of strange coincidences, he had stumbled into incredible luck and truly obtained the chance to carry out his scheme.

Upon careful thought, the reason was not difficult to understand.

After all, in the story's setting, without this sudden upheaval, how could Long Aotian's quality of standing like a crane among chickens, distinct from all the other disciples, have been brought into relief?

As the crisis pressed down like dark clouds bearing upon their heads, Chu Shihan resolutely stepped forward.

His posture was as upright as a pine, his gaze as firm as rock. With extraordinary strength and decisive judgment, he turned the tide and swiftly stabilized the utterly chaotic situation.

Moreover, Lin Mumu had been accidentally injured because she could not bear to strike ruthlessly at her fellow disciples. Chu Shihan then staged a scene of a hero saving a beauty and rescued Lin Mumu in time.

"Honestly, if Sixth Junior Sister's destined match hadn't been someone else, with how completely love-brained she was, she definitely would've become one of Eldest Senior Brother's harem." This rather wild and unexpected thought suddenly surfaced in Shen Yuxi's mind again.

Upon hearing this, Eldest Senior Brother could not stop the corner of his mouth from twitching slightly. His expression was full of helplessness, and in the end, he could only respond with silence: "..."

"What, what? My destined match? Second Senior Brother knows where my perfect match is?!" Lin Mumu, who had been deeply shocked by the matter of the demonic cultivator, seemed to catch a crucial piece of information. Her eyes instantly lit up like stars.

She was immediately drawn in by the topic, as though endless vitality had been injected into her. Her face brimmed with anticipation as she stared unblinkingly at Shen Yuxi, waiting for him to continue.

Hearing Shen Yuxi's teasing thought, the senior and junior brothers found it amusing on one hand, yet their hearts were also full of shame on the other.

After all, the Outer Sect Grand Competition had always proceeded without incident under the elders' management. Yet this time, after being handed over to them, an accident such as a demonic cultivator infiltrating it had actually occurred.

How could they not feel dejected at that thought? It was undoubtedly a challenge to their abilities, and it made them realize that they still had no small gap between themselves and the elders in organization and crisis response.

"It's just a pity for that outer sect disciple. At this time, the demonic cultivator has probably already acted. Why couldn't I remember sooner? If I'd remembered this earlier, maybe I could have saved a life." Shen Yuxi sighed.

This gathering came to an end amid the lively atmosphere everyone had put on.

On the surface, everyone conversed with broad smiles, full of confidence and anticipation for the coming Outer Sect Grand Competition. Their enthusiasm made it seem as though everything was entirely under control. They used that feigned warmth to conceal their complicated emotions and ended the gathering with each person harboring their own thoughts.

After the gathering ended, everyone dispersed. Yet the senior and junior brothers tacitly avoided Shen Yuxi and quietly gathered in a secluded place.

The matter of the demonic cultivator was no trivial matter and allowed no carelessness. Chu Shihan took out a sound-transmission talisman and contacted True Person Yu Qing to discuss how they should deal with the demonic cultivator.

At that moment, the talisman flickered with light, and True Person Yu Qing's somewhat aged yet steady voice emerged from it. "This matter of the demonic cultivator concerns not only the success or failure of the Outer Sect Grand Competition, but also the sect's reputation. We must not lower our guard."

"Demonic Cultivators act in strange and unpredictable ways. This competition involves many disciples, and the slightest mishap could lead to catastrophe. We truly cannot rest easy. After thinking it over, it would be more appropriate for us to personally supervise the competition." Sixth Elder Yu Xuan True Person said.

However, the disciples firmly rejected the proposal. Their gazes were resolute. Though they knew full well that their abilities were still far inferior to the elders', and though the information Shen Yuxi knew indicated that the sect had indeed suffered considerable losses because of the demonic cultivator, they did not retreat. Instead, the foretold failure stirred their competitive spirit.

Chu Shihan stepped forward on behalf of his junior brothers and sisters. "Since Second Junior Brother has already stated that the demonic cultivator is not so powerful that he cannot be contended with, then we naturally believe that we also have the ability to deal with him.

"Now that we know the demonic cultivator will infiltrate the competition, and have some understanding of the methods he may use, it is not impossible to capture him. If the elders are still concerned, you may supervise us in secret. That way, nothing can go wrong."

The elders could not help but fall into thought upon hearing this. The disciples longed to grow and wished to shoulder more responsibility in sect affairs. Seeing their determined expressions at this moment, the elders saw their sense of duty and were filled with gratification.

Secret supervision was indeed a solution that satisfied both sides. It could ensure that the Outer Sect Grand Competition proceeded safely and orderly, while also giving the disciples a valuable opportunity to train, accumulate experience in actual situations, and improve their ability to respond to crises.

After pondering for a long while, the elders exchanged looks. Approval showed in all their eyes, and they nodded in agreement.

True Person Yu Qing said with a smile, "Since that is the case, go ahead and do as you see fit. We will keep watch in secret and ensure the competition proceeds smoothly."

Hearing this, joy immediately spread across the disciples' faces. They answered respectfully in unison, "Thank you, Sect Leader!"

After settling on their strategy for dealing with the demonic cultivator, the direct disciples swiftly threw themselves into preparations for the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

Among the current generation of Profound Heaven Sect disciples, when it came to meticulous thought, the first people who came to mind were Zhou Wan, ranked fourth among the senior and junior disciples, and Ye Jingxuan, ranked seventh.

Because Zhou Wan's duties for this competition were particularly heavy, the responsibility of coordinating the overall situation naturally fell to Ye Jingxuan.

He carefully assigned every task to each senior and junior disciple. He rushed about day and night, moving among the various sites and inspecting every detail closely. From the stability of the Sword Trial Platform to the arrangement of the competitors' resting areas, he sought perfection in all things.

Meanwhile, Zhou Wan led several inner sect junior brothers and sisters in fully preparing the written examination. Day and night, they searched through texts in the Profound Heaven Sect's Scripture Pavilion, using the knowledge framework provided by Fourth Senior Sister to carefully select the most representative and valuable questions.

The Profound Heaven Sect's Scripture Pavilion appeared small, but every floor contained spatial formations, and there was another world within. Cultivation manuals and secrets of the cultivation world filled the shelves in dazzling abundance, too numerous to count. With the authority granted to inner sect disciples, they could enter only the first four floors at most. Still, the knowledge contained in those four floors was exceptionally vast—more than enough for composing questions.

The Scripture Pavilion was named "A Touch of Ink." When it had first been built years ago, the sect leader of that era personally inscribed the name. Originally, it had been a joke about how few cultivation methods the pavilion contained, with only the sect leader's own cultivation method within. It had been quite fitting then.

As the years flowed by, the Profound Heaven Sect continued to grow and flourish. The number of books in the pavilion increased day by day and could no longer be compared with its former state, yet the name had remained in use to this day.

In valleys throughout the Profound Heaven Sect, the disciples used formations to build enormous examination halls. Every seat was separated by formations, ensuring that examinees would not interfere with one another while allowing the inner sect disciples proctoring the exam to monitor everything from every angle.

This task had originally been best entrusted to Fifth Senior Brother Lin Huaixu, who possessed profound attainments in talismans and formations. Unfortunately, Fifth Senior Brother happened to have gone out on business and was not in the sect, so after weighing their options, they could only entrust this heavy responsibility to Sixth Senior Sister Lin Mumu.

Though Lin Mumu was lively and impulsive by nature, her abilities were the real deal, and she also possessed a strong sense of responsibility. She might not have guaranteed absolute perfection, but she would at least perform above passing standard and leave no fault for others to pick at.

Feng Yue and Shen Yuxi, who were responsible for logistical support, led a group of inner sect disciples everywhere to gather spirit plants and ore, intending to prepare the various pills and materials needed for the coming competition.

Most of the Profound Heaven Sect's warehouse reserves consisted of heavenly treasures and earthly materials obtained by disciples during their travels, as well as materials harvested from all kinds of demonic beasts and spirit beasts. There were huge piles of materials that regularly shed from the spirit beasts of Beast Peak.

As for resources such as spirit ore and spirit plants, so long as they were species naturally found on the sect's mountains, the warehouse usually stored only a small amount for emergencies.

After all, allowing spirit ore and spirit plants to continue absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth in their natural environment would improve both their medicinal effects and their quality. They could be harvested as needed when the time came, ensuring the best possible condition and quality of the resources.

—Yet this also meant that whenever a major sect event approached, the disciples needed to make preparations in advance.

The disciples who ranked near the top in the competition would naturally receive rewards prepared by the sect. However, the Profound Heaven Sect had a tradition—every disciple who successfully entered the inner sect received a congratulatory gift. The elders left the preparation of these congratulatory gifts to the disciples themselves.

Not to mention that the competition would inevitably include sparring matches, and injuries were difficult to avoid during sparring. Outer sect disciples in particular often lacked a sense of restraint and found it hard to precisely judge the proper limits. They needed to stockpile all kinds of potentially useful medicinal pills in advance for emergencies.

Additionally, there was the bluestone needed to repair the Sword Trial Platform.

The Sword Trial Platform stood atop Spirit Sword Peak. Its sturdiness was such that not only could it withstand attacks from Foundation Establishment Realm disciples, but even the full-force impact of a Golden Core stage expert could be steadily endured. Still, in keeping with the principle of being prepared for anything, finding some bluestone in advance for backup could do no harm.

The bluestone used to build the Sword Trial Platform was no ordinary material. Legend had it that after the Twin-Life Tree was planted, the Profound Heaven Sect suffered a calamity that nearly destroyed it. At that time, the Twin-Life Tree, still only a sapling, was unfortunately buried beneath a landslide of rocks that had tumbled down the mountain. Later, after the sect survived the crisis, the Twin-Life Tree pushed away the stubborn rocks pressing upon it and regained its vitality.

Afterward, the mountain stones that had once covered the Twin-Life Tree, having remained close to it for so long and subtly absorbed much dense spiritual qi, gradually became distinct from ordinary rocks.

Not only did they become sturdier, but they even gradually gained the ability to heal themselves. If a sword scar was only shallowly left upon them, it would disappear without a trace after just a few days, as though it had never existed.

This was bluestone.

Whether the legend was true or false remained open to debate, but some mountain rocks nourished by the Twin-Life Tree's spiritual qi did indeed undergo a qualitative transformation. These special stones were carefully selected and used to construct the Profound Heaven Sect's major buildings, such as the Sword Trial Platform and Clear Parasol Hall.

Only places with especially rich spiritual qi contained traces of bluestone. And places rich in spiritual qi nourished not only bluestone, but also all kinds of spirit plants and demonic beasts drawn by the dense spiritual qi.

This was a genuine physical labor job. It required enormous effort to search for the materials, and they also had to remain constantly alert to possible dangers.

Besides that, Little Junior Sister had also been assigned to their team.

Little Junior Sister had originally hoped to act together with Shen Yuxi. Ye Jingxuan considered that the work handled by the others was intricate and complicated, and even the tiniest mistake could pull one hair and move the whole body, throwing the entire preparation effort into chaos.

Then there was Little Junior Sister's energetic, headlong temperament. If she joined them, there was no telling whether she might accidentally turn everything into a complete mess.

In the end, he could only helplessly nod and agree to her request. As a result, Shen Yuxi and Feng Yue had no choice but to take this overly lively "little troublemaker" along with them.

On the other side, Chu Shihan focused on studying the methods the demonic cultivator might employ. Wen Jian, the medical cultivator, and Song Zhiyi gathered and prepared various antidotal pills and magic artifacts capable of suppressing demonic qi, ready to distribute them to the competing disciples and the inner sect disciples responsible for security.

Finally, through everyone's combined efforts, the day of the Outer Sect Grand Competition arrived as scheduled.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Scripture Pavilion—"A Touch of Ink"

Located halfway up Misty Spirit Peak, it possessed the largest collection of books in the Heavenly Domain.

Servant disciples had permission to enter only the first floor; outer sect disciples, the first two floors; inner sect disciples, the first three floors; inner sect disciples with masters, the first four floors; and direct disciples, the first five floors. Only elders could enter the sixth floor, while the seventh floor required the sect leader's approval.