The Sect Grand Competition would be divided into an outer sect contest and an inner sect competition.
The outer sect contest was more of a performance.
The ten Outer Disciples who emerged victorious from the fierce outer sect contest would fight one another in pairs.
If any Peak Master took a liking to a disciple, that disciple would be admitted directly to their peak.
Those who were not chosen would still receive the status of Registered Disciple in the inner sect and go to the various peaks to do whatever work they could manage.
In other words, the ten finest disciples of the outer sect fought their way out of the encirclement with great difficulty, only to end up dancing a number for the big shots in the inner sect.
Back in the outer sect, they had dazzled everyone. Here, they instantly became chickens at a market, waiting for someone to pick them out.
Who among those admitted to the inner sect was not a genius? After all, this world had far too many geniuses.
The outer sect contest was utterly dull, a bunch of youngsters at no higher than the Foundation Establishment Realm pecking at one another like amateur chickens in the square before the Main Hall.
They pulled out every trick they knew and showed off their specialties, but the spectators in the stands watched them as though they were circus monkeys jumping through flaming hoops.
After all, Foundation Establishment cultivators were a dime a dozen in the inner sect.
Once the ten finished their performances, five were chosen by elders from the various peaks and accepted as Inner Disciples.
Among them was Ma Xingye, whose victory had been less than honorable. Five Elements Peak, which specialized in spell arts, took a liking to him.
The moment Ma Xingye was selected, his whole body trembled with excitement.
Years of hard work and his sect's expectations had all become worthwhile at this moment!
The immense joy, like that of a mortal scholar taking first place in the imperial examinations, left Ma Xingye shaking with excitement.
With the spring breeze at his back, his horse's hooves flew; in a single day, he took in all the flowers of Chang'an!
He had not disgraced his reputation as a genius after all. He had successfully earned his place in the Azure Cloud Sect!
He suddenly thought of Xiao Feng. Had Xiao Feng defeated him, he would never have had the chance to stand here.
Sorry, Junior Brother Xiao. Cultivation is just that cruel. If we meet again, I'll make it up to you.
Ma Xingye offered an apology in his heart, then immediately began celebrating with the fellow disciples beside him.
Meanwhile, Xiao Feng sat above the Azure Cloud Sect's Main Hall, watching the square in front of it with a strange expression.
His senior brother had lent him out so he could summon the phantoms of the Azure Dragon and the Vermilion Bird in the loft above the Main Hall.
Not only had he met the Sect Master, but the Sect Master had treated him with tremendous warmth and asked more than once whether he wanted to switch peaks and become his personal disciple.
Facing someone who had previously existed only in his imagination, Xiao Feng was excited, but when the Sect Master openly tried to poach him, he still nervously refused.
Almost everything he had now had been given to him by his eldest senior brother. If he truly left Little Mountain Peak, how could he have the face to keep cultivating?
Xiao Feng had worried that his refusal would anger the Sect Master. Instead, the Sect Master merely sighed and muttered something too indistinct to hear.
Judging by his tone, the curses were pretty filthy, but the Sect Master did not stint in the slightest on Xiao Feng's treatment.
Not only had he set up a Spirit-Gathering Formation here to help Xiao Feng cultivate, but he had also supplied countless spirit fruits and immortal medicines for him to consume.
Such treatment stood in stark contrast to Ma Xingye's lot in front of the Main Hall below.
A smile spread across Xiao Feng's face. Since coming to Little Mountain Peak, he had gradually grown more cheerful.
Besides his eldest senior brother, whose word was law, there was his second senior brother, whose Sword Dao reached the divine; his fourth senior brother, who understood every art; his third senior brother, a master of painting; and...
Xiao Feng touched the little withered flower tucked against his chest, a tender smile appearing on his face.
Once the Outer Disciples' performance ended, the real main event began.
Above the Main Hall, the eighteen attendants in the Mahayana Realm behind Dongxu Zi acted simultaneously.
An enormous separate dimension quietly appeared in the sky above Azure Cloud Peak.
"This is the Mustard Seed Space! The inner sect competition will take place here. Your cultivation must be at least at the Core Formation Realm. Those willing to enter may now go into the Mustard Seed Space and wait!"
Dongxu Zi's voice rang out again as he announced the rules of the competition.
Anyone below Core Formation was forbidden to compete. Even most disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect could only gaze at that strict requirement and sigh.
After all, the gap between each major realm was like a vast chasm.
Barring those below Core Formation was largely intended to protect fools who did not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth from accidentally getting slapped to death by a powerful cultivator.
Countless streaks of light flared in the stands, racing toward the Mustard Seed Space.
They were all favored children of heaven, and naturally none wanted to fall behind.
The most conspicuous among them was Hui Zhi, who had summoned his true Buddhist body.
Seated upright, Hui Zhi flew toward the Mustard Seed Space enveloped in his Eighteen-Foot Golden Body.
His Nascent Soul Realm pressure made everyone else shrink back.
Chen Changsheng stared above the Main Hall. When he saw Zu Yuan, dressed in fitted black clothes, fly toward the Mustard Seed Space, he could no longer restrain himself.
He was just about to rise and fly over when Ouyang pressed a hand onto his shoulder. Chen Changsheng looked at him in confusion.
Ouyang laughed and patted Chen Changsheng's shoulder. "You've bottled it up for so long. Go have a good, satisfying fight. Winning or losing doesn't matter. Stay safe!"
"Yes, Senior Brother!" Chen Changsheng answered solemnly, then rode his sword toward the Mustard Seed Space in the sky.
"Senior Brother, will he really be all right?" Hu Tutu asked worriedly.
"I don't know either, but with Changsheng's temperament, he'll definitely play it safe until the very end. Don't worry," Ouyang said with complete confidence.
Once the number of people inside the Mustard Seed Space reached four hundred, its entrance closed.
The cultivators who had hesitated and only just reached the entrance were shut out.
"If you waver when faced with a decision, your Dao heart is not yet steady. Leave," the Punishment Peak Master said calmly, appearing at the entrance.
The disciples who had been hoping to beg the Peak Master for special consideration immediately returned the way they had come, ashamed.
Inside the Mustard Seed Space, the contestants eyed everyone around them warily the moment they landed.
Here, there were only enemies, no allies. The only person they could trust was themselves!
"The rule of this competition is that there are no rules. The last person standing will be the victor. Fight without fear. We will rescue you at the first opportunity," the Punishment Peak Master said, his expression calm.
The instant the Punishment Peak Master finished speaking, the formerly spacious Mustard Seed Space went dark.
Hundreds of black-clad cultivators, their strength close to the Nascent Soul Realm, suddenly appeared inside the Mustard Seed Space.
An uproar immediately erupted throughout the Mustard Seed Space!
Even the Punishment Peak Master stared at the culprit in astonishment.
Dressed in purple Daoist robes, Chen Changsheng stood at the very center, surveying his opponents.
In his previous life, he had not even had the chance to enter this competition. He could only watch from afar as these geniuses shone before the world.
But this time, he was here too, and Senior Brother Ouyang had said there was no need to hold back!
Chen Changsheng had no interest whatsoever in fighting them one at a time. He had only one target, so he might as well sweep the whole lot into one pot!
A cold glint flashed through the masked Chen Changsheng's eyes. He stood with effortless poise, both hands hidden in his sleeves.
Hundreds of Nascent Soul Realm puppets filled the entire sky, intimidating everyone in the arena!
One man against 399, and he was still the one exerting overwhelming pressure!
That year, I kept both hands tucked in my sleeves and did not know what it meant to have an opponent.
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