Back in First Place!
It was the same familiar teahouse, but compared to the hustle and bustle of the past, it was as quiet as if no one ever visited.
A quick glance revealed that the teahouse was bustling with people, but apart from a pair of fellow disciples, everyone else wore bitter expressions.
The few Rogue Cultivator sitting at a square table were no longer as dashing and carefree as they had been a few days ago. The one with the highest cultivation level among them could hardly even manage a smile, let alone wave a fan.
From a small stall in the distance, a commotion was raging. Anyone who listened carefully would know that it was a group of people who had bet on the wrong thing and were demanding a refund from the owner.
"That's impossible. Betting is entirely voluntary, and once you place a bet, there's no going back!" The stall owner felt a headache coming on; he never imagined such an absurd thing would happen to him a second time.
If he had known that the black-robed cultivator was a gambler who always won, he should have tried to curry favor with him when he appeared!
But the Rogue Cultivator wouldn't listen to his explanation, saying only, "Normally, sect competitions last at least ten days, but this one has only been six days, and the results on the stone tablet have already been locked. This is clearly an error on the stone tablet; how can the results on it be considered valid?!"
The others echoed in unison, hoping to use this excuse to get back all the Spirit Stone they had thrown in.
But the stall owner wasn't easily persuaded, "There's nothing wrong with the stone tablet; it's just that something unexpected happened during this competition!"
The Rogue Cultivator didn't care whether it was unexpected or not; all they knew was that they had spent a fortune betting on the Mara Gate, but Ten Thousand Daos Born was the one who won!
Having lost half their fortune, they were far from willing to let it go.
The commotion outside somewhat affected the teahouse. The female cultivator in the pink dress had been waiting there for many days, and finally, she received a result that satisfied her.
She couldn't help but break the silence of the room. "Oh, I wonder who was it that boasted the other day that Mara Gate?"
The more resentful the female cultivator had been before, the happier she was today.
She not only had to thank her fellow disciples, but also her senior brother. If he hadn't insisted on keeping her here, she wouldn't have had such a satisfying moment!
As soon as the female cultivator spoke, everyone in the teahouse knew who she was referring to.
Apart from the two senior and junior siblings and those few Rogue Cultivator, everyone else, even after several changes of people, had already been told this exciting and extraordinary story by others.
It is because of this special bet that this teahouse has become so popular these past few days.
Those who hadn't participated in the betting immediately adopted a schadenfreude expression, waiting for the two sides to stir up more trouble.
The Rogue Cultivator had initially predicted the Mara Gate's victory grew increasingly grim. He forced a smile and cupped his hands towards the female cultivator, "We were wrong and misjudged. Ten Thousand Daos Born truly deserves to be the number one sect in Qing Zhou. It is only right that he has returned to the top spot!"
As soon as he spoke, the others at the table also stood up, which was considered a generous admission of their mistake.
The Rogue Cultivator' words were not untrue. They originally did not harbor much malice towards Ten Thousand Daos Born, but seeing the Mara Gate overpower other sects too many times, they couldn't help but speak more recklessly this time.
The female cultivator wasn't the type to hold a grudge. Seeing the sincerity in the eyes of the Rogue Cultivator, her anger completely dissipated. "Remember what you said today. Ten Thousand Daos Born guards Qing Zhou, patrols the sea beasts, and protects everyone's safety. Although he doesn't ask for anything in return, he shouldn't be slandered."
The female cultivator's magnanimous words caused many of the Rogue Cultivator to blush with embarrassment.
Although they were well aware of Ten Thousand Daos Born's extraordinary significance to Qing Zhou, as time went on, they inevitably took the opportunity of the sect competition to mock him.
Now that this female cultivator has pointed it out, they have begun to reflect on their actions.
The competition had come to an end, and the two disciples no longer intended to stay in the teahouse.
After paying for their tea, the two left the place under the watchful eyes of everyone.
Watching the two figures walk away, the Rogue Cultivator with the folding fan, who had just lost face, suddenly asked, "I wonder which sect these two belong to. To be able to teach such cultivators, this sect must be quite extraordinary!"
Finally, the owner, who had run the teahouse here for over a decade, smiled and replied, "It's understandable that you don't know. Both of these men are disciples of Ten Thousand Daos Born, and they only recently stepped down from their important patrol duties. That male cultivator is none other than Ten Thousand Daos Born's former chief— Ji Fucang!"
Everyone in the teahouse was startled upon hearing this. When they hurriedly tried to look at the two figures again, they found that they had already disappeared into the crowd and could not be found again.
A sect competition began amidst the anticipation of all sects, only to end with an unexpected conclusion.
The aloof attitude of White Duckweed Island made it clear to everyone that returning to continue the competition was definitely not an option.
Fortunately, it wasn't entirely irresponsible; it still published the rankings for each category.
Elder Xu was completely unaware of what was happening until the curtain of water rose from the sea.
However, according to past practice, both the Beast Taming Sect and the Seven Emotions Pavilion will do their best to help the Mara Gate kill the Demon Beast. Therefore, Elder Xu believes that this sect competition should be a sure thing.
So, without consulting Chi Yan and the others, Elder Xu took the initiative to provoke Elder Gu: "Your sect made quite a splash in the individual competitions earlier. I wonder how things went in today's sect competitions?"
Elder Gu snorted coldly upon hearing this, but even though he had no confidence whatsoever, he showed no sign of it on his face. "Why is Fellow Daoist Xu so concerned about how our sect is doing? Aren't you worried about yourself? If you lose first place in the competition, how will you report back to your sect leader?"
Elder Xu's face darkened at those words. He feared nothing but his own sect leader.
If something unexpected happens during this competition, even he, as an elder, will suffer greatly.
Elder Xu was not the only one who was reminded by Elder Gu.
Su Fuyun and Chi Yan exchanged glances silently behind Elder Xu, one with sorrow and the other with jealousy.
In Chi Yan's view, if Su Fuyun hadn't caused trouble for no reason, he wouldn't have been sent out of the small world so quickly.
Although he didn't know what happened in the small world during the short hour after he left, Chi Yan had a vague feeling that he might not be able to keep his first place.
Suppressing the jumbled thoughts in her mind, Chi Yan turned her gaze back to the water curtain.
A massive water curtain seemed to descend from the sky, with pure white water droplets forming the sect competition rankings out of thin air.
The rankings were announced one by one from lowest to highest, and sighs of regret or surprise could be heard from time to time.
Surprisingly, Taotie Gate ranked exceptionally high this time, securing fifth place.
Yun Tun and the others chuckled, surprised by their unexpected success.
Next was the fourth-ranked Buddha Sound Temple. Jingshui Buddhist Disciple led his fellow disciples in bowing to Sang Ying and the others. "This time, we owe our Buddha Sound Temple this fortuitous opportunity entirely to the assistance of Ten Thousand Daos Born and the others."
Even if Buddhist cultivators don't like to fight for power and profit, who would refuse a larger share of Cultivation Resources?
The fact that the third place had not yet been announced made the elders of the three major sects somewhat anxious.
Elder Xu glanced at Elder Gu, whose expression was serious, and couldn't help but speak again, "Your sect is quite lucky this time, actually making it into the top three, unlike in the past when you hovered around fourth or fifth place. Congratulations!"
Elder Gu moved his lips, a few sarcastic words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.
At this moment, Elder Gu couldn't care less about anything else; his mind was only focused on the last three rankings that had been obscured.
Fortunately, White Duckweed Island wasn't one for creating suspense. Under the watchful eyes of the elders and with all the disciples holding their breath in anticipation, the situation was resolved.
The top three have finally been revealed!
All eyes were fixed on the third place, the three large characters "Azure Feather Sect" stirring the hearts of countless people.
Elder Xu was even more so; he eagerly shifted his gaze upwards, his heart filled with trepidation and fear that almost consumed him.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the top spot on the list, and the enormous name made his blood freeze instantly.
"Oh dear, I didn't expect us to be in first place this time. It seems Elder Xu, you congratulated us too soon."
Jiulian's voice rang in Elder Xu's ears at just the right moment. The old man felt a heat on the top of his head, his mind went blank, and his limbs went weak.
In a daze, he seemed to see the panicked faces of Chi Yan and Su Fuyun, and heard someone shouting hysterically, "It's over, Elder Xu has been angered to death!"
Elder Xu felt as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in his chest, and his previously somewhat conscious mind began to blur.
Finally, his head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness.
A note from the author:
White Duckweed Island: Pshaw!
Today is a busy day for the little sparrow!
See you tomorrow! Love you all~ Sparrow sends heart emoji. JPG