Just as Su Jiu had expected, the sword cultivators' match ended within a quarter of an hour.
Immediately afterward, Su Jiu and another cultivator stepped onto the Red Platform.
Perhaps this was a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road. By sheer coincidence, Su Jiu's final opponent came from the Heavenly Dawn Sect.
The male cultivator looked supremely confident. Before stepping onto the platform, he even remembered to give his fellow disciples a flamboyant wave.
The Heavenly Dawn Sect's male and female cultivators alike gazed at their Eldest Senior Brother with deep admiration.
Jiang Xiaomeng was among them.
"Look at their faces. You'd think those ten spots were already in their pockets," someone could not help muttering.
"Still, Ding Fen really is formidable. After all, he's taken first place in the Dao arts competition three times running."
At the mention of those three competitions, several people's expressions soured.
"So what if he came first? He stole every victory with dirty tricks. What's there to be proud of?"
Rumor in the marketplaces had it that one would be better off losing the match before reaching the Red Platform than facing Ding Fen! His moves were simply too dirty-so dirty they hardly seemed like anything a disciple of a respectable orthodox sect would use.
That was why many cultivators were unwilling to fight him, especially female cultivators.
Yet someone like him was the Heavenly Dawn Sect's Eldest Senior Brother, and most people could not afford to offend the Heavenly Dawn Sect.
They only dared whisper about him behind his back.
The moment the earlier speaker finished, his companion hurriedly clapped a hand over his mouth. "The Heavenly Dawn Sect disciples are nearby. Are you mad, shouting like that?"
The man pursed his lips indignantly. "It's not as though I'm lying."
His