Though it was called the Sect Grand Competition, it was hardly some street brawl or martial warriors' gathering. Fewer than three hundred people were actually eligible to enter the Sect Hall's Main Peak and participate.
Nine stone platforms, each a hundred zhang across, stood scattered through the valley west of the Main Peak. Following the old rules, the Third-Generation Disciples of the seventy-two peaks, the Sect Hall, and the Elder Hall took turns mounting the platforms for one-on-one bouts, stopping short of serious injury to determine the winner.
All were disciples of the Fourth or Fifth Realm, though naturally, most were in the Fourth Realm.
Despite giving it his all, Jinhua encountered a dark, skinny young man ranked eighth on the inner sect's Cloud Ranking in the very first round. The young man was reasonably modest... he merely sent Jinhua flying a full thirty zhang with a single finger, leaving him vomiting blood and unconscious.
Jin Guang and Lü Bufan hurried over to treat him. Two alchemist cultivators with superb medical skills also rushed over, pried Jinhua's mouth open, and stuffed two pills inside...
The wooden-faced cultivator at the peak of the Fourth Realm, ranked eighth on the Cloud Ranking, walked over and transmitted his voice to Lü Bufan. "You're Lü Bufan, correct? My master instructed me to severely injure this Longcheng Peak disciple, in revenge for Peak Master Qingming blowing up an outer sect mountain with a Sword Pellet long ago... you're a Sect Hall attendant, so I won't come after you. But the man beside you-I'll cripple him next time..."
With that, the dark, skinny young man turned and left.
Three days later, the first round of bouts ended, eliminating half the participants. Fighting with everything he had, Jin Guang actually defeated a Fourth-Realm Cultivator and advanced to