The Trial Grounds, White Duckweed Island

Five days passed by as the cultivators devoted themselves to their cultivation, neglecting sleep and meals. When Elder Gu and others came to announce the start of the sect competition, some were still in a daze, unable to distinguish between day and night.

The sect competition was not scheduled to take place within the Azure Feather Sect, but rather at the trial grounds.

There are large formations engraved there, which can create a small world with thousands of Demon Beasts, making it the best choice for sect competitions.

Therefore, everyone had to set off from the Azure Feather Sect earlier and head to White Duckweed Island, which is located at the intersection of the three states.

On the day of departure, several enormous ships suddenly appeared in Spirit Prefecture Bay. Their tall sails blotted out the sky, attracting the attention of countless people.

Among them, the ships of the three major sects were the most eye-catching, and they also carried the faint pressure of sea beasts, making people feel trembling at a glance.

In order to win over teammates before the sect competition officially began, Sang Ying even went to find the senior brother of the Taotie Gate and invited him to board her family's ship.

The cheerful, Maitreya Buddha- like chef didn't think much of it and readily accepted Sang Ying's offer. He led a group of Taotie Gate disciples, along with their accompanying elders, onto Ten Thousand Daos Born's ship.

Not only the Taotie Gate, but even the Buddhist disciple from the Buddha Sound Temple approached Sang Ying, asking her to take his group along.

After thinking for a moment, Sang Ying agreed to his request.

So, following the cooks who carried large pots and small stoves onto the Ten Thousand Daos Born ship, the Buddhist monks were not to be outdone, sending over wooden fish drums and large bells without missing a single one.

Their movements naturally did not escape the notice of other sects, and for a time, they sparked quite a discussion.

"Hmph, I thought Ten Thousand Daos Born was so high and mighty. Didn't he still find helpers? It's just that their judgment is really poor. Why did they only hire monk cooks?" the disciple of the Beast Taming Sect mocked.

This elicited a burst of laughter.

"Ten Thousand Daos Born has won over two minor sects this time. Putting aside everything else, that Jingshui Buddha is probably no ordinary person. It seems that Ten Thousand Daos Born is determined to take first place in the competition this time!" a disciple of the Azure Feather Sect speculated.

He felt a growing sense of apprehension towards Ten Thousand Daos Born.

Meanwhile, on the Mara Gate side, Chi Yan, who had been feigning illness and hadn't left his residence for several days, also noticed these unusual movements. "We underestimated Ten Thousand Daos Born; we didn't expect them to even persuade the Buddha Sound Temple."

Mara Gate had also considered contacting the Buddha Sound Temple, especially since Su Fuyun had personally encountered the Jingshui Buddha.

Unfortunately, the other party avoided her like the plague; they wouldn't even sit down and have a chat with her, let alone befriend her.

Hearing Chi Yan mention this, Su Fuyun's expression darkened. "After all, they're all hypocritical people, so naturally they'd rather hang out together. How's your injury recovery going? You'll be entering the small world competition soon, so you mustn't disappoint the sect leader."

When Su Fuyun suddenly asked him about it, Chi Yan frowned. "You don't need to worry about my affairs. I will naturally keep the top spot in the Mara Gate!"

After saying that, he turned and went back into the cabin, completely unaware of the smugness hidden on Su Fuyun's face.

Let you be arrogant for a few days, you'll regret it someday!

Just as everyone was lost in thought, the ship quickly arrived at White Duckweed Island.

A transparent barrier protects this island, turning it into a secluded place where even birds cannot get close.

The tall ships were kept more than ten meters away from White Duckweed Island and could not get close.

The elders of the three major sects walked out of the cabin and stood at the bow of the ship. With a flick of their long sleeves, three tokens flew into the barrier.

The next second, the barrier on the island disappeared, and the entire White Duckweed Island slowly emerged from the sea amidst a tremendous rumble!

It was much larger than people could see, with wisps of white smoke rising from the island, giving it an ethereal quality.

"This is the true appearance of White Duckweed Island!" Looking at the island, which resembled a fairyland in the distance, Elder Gu exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

He had seen the original appearance of White Duckweed Island when he was young, and the shock he felt from that experience remained in his heart.

"Sang Ying, we can only escort you this far. The next ten days will depend on your fate. Remember to take care of yourselves. I, Ten Thousand Daos Born, am not so desperate as to rely on my disciples to risk their lives for this first place!" Elder Gu instructed again.

He seemed to be giving Sang Ying pointers, but in reality, he was enlightening everyone.

For Ten Thousand Daos Born, the top spot was important, but even more important were these disciples who were full of infinite potential.

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Several cloud bridges extended from White Duckweed Island and were steadily placed on the bows of several seagoing ships.

Sang Ying was the first to step onto the bridge. Only after feeling the solid ground beneath her feet did she step back and instruct Dong Fuzhu to lead the way, arranging for everyone to head towards the island.

After discussing the matter, the Buddha Sound Temple and the Taotie Gate agreed that the former would go first. As the Jingshui Buddhist disciple stepped onto the bridge, he turned to Sang Ying and said:

"The small world is fraught with danger, and my Buddha Sound Temple has few disciples. Fighting alone would be perilous. Would you be so kind as to accompany Ten Thousand Daos Born?"

Jingshui's words were very tactful, Sang Ying immediately understood the other party's intention in forming an alliance.

She reviewed the actions of Jingshui and her group over the past few days before saying, "Since the Buddha has taken the initiative to speak, we naturally have no reason to refuse. Please bear with us in the coming days."

Jingshui smiled gently and exchanged a knowing glance with Sang Ying.

Upon seeing this, the eldest disciple of the Taotie Gate immediately became resolute, his previously wavering resolve solidified.

Before Sang Ying could even ask, when it was their turn, the senior disciple was the first to approach. "I just heard that Ten Thousand Daos Born seems to be taking the disciples of Buddha Sound Temple with him. Hehe, I wonder if my Taotie Gate can also come along?"

Sang Ying was stunned; she hadn't expected happiness to come so quickly!

However, she did not show any surprise, her expression remaining calm. "If your sect has this intention, we will naturally not refuse. However, if you want to act together with me Ten Thousand Daos Born, you may need to follow my arrangements in some matters."

The eldest disciple rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Sang, rest assured, our Taotie Gate has no other merits, except that we are obedient!"

Thus, the two sides reached a consensus.

Only after all the disciples on the boat had left did Sang Ying turn around, bow to the two elders, and then step onto the cloud bridge, entering the misty, ethereal mountain.

The moment the disciples stepped into the small world, the several cloud bridges instantly turned into smoke and vanished.

At the same time, in the main cities of the three states, several stone tablets standing in the most prosperous areas suddenly lit up.

Several lines of text suddenly appeared on the originally smooth and flat stone tablet, with the words "Sect Ranking" at the top being particularly eye-catching.

The cultivators nearby, seeing this, finally realized what was happening. "Oh, the sect competition has begun!"

All the sects of the Immortal Spirit Realm were lined up on the stone tablet. After a ripple, Ten Thousand Daos Born's name suddenly jumped to the top of the list, followed by a string of numbers.

Those were the points earned after defeating the Demon Beast within the small world.