80: Chapter 80 Grand Competition Rules

Qin Changsheng also arrived at the square alone.

His attire was very ordinary, just the standard uniform of an Outer Sect Disciple, and his cultivation was suppressed to Qi Refining Level 3 using the Breath Concealment Technique.

Entering the crowd, Qin Changsheng began to observe the favorites to win the championship.

At the very front of the crowd, Lin Hao's figure was particularly eye-catching; even though his left arm was empty, it still couldn't hide his flamboyant and boastful demeanor.

He wore a magnificent green brocade robe made of expensive fabric, drawing frequent glances from the many Disciples around him.

His expression was arrogant, as if the champion's position was already in his pocket, showing no regard for the other competing Disciples.

In stark contrast to Lin Hao's flamboyant display, Jiang Lijuan sat quietly on a stone bench at one side of the square.

Her eyes were slightly lowered, as if she were resting with her eyes closed, or perhaps secretly deducing combat techniques.

Qin Changsheng's gaze slowly shifted, scanning the crowd carefully, and he soon found Chen Erniu's figure.

Chen Erniu was dressed in an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple robe; he had a burly build and an honest Face, looking like an unremarkable bystander, silently biding his time, his intentions unknown.

What concerned Qin Changsheng the most was Li Hu's presence.

At this moment, Li Hu had a warm smile on his Face and was standing beside several Inner Sect Disciples like Zhang Han and Lin Yao. They were chatting and laughing with intimate tones; he would occasionally pat Zhang Han's shoulder while discussing today's competition. His expression was natural and his smile sincere, making him look no different from an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple.

He didn't look at all like the Young Lord of the Blood Demon Sect who had been enduring in secret for many years.

“Junior Brother Qin, over here...” Zhang Han saw Qin Changsheng and waved to him.

Qin Changsheng looked up, and seeing Zhang Han's appearance, his brow furrowed slightly.

Qin Changsheng knew Zhang Han very well.

This Zhang Han had always looked down on Qin Changsheng, even going so far as to bar him from the gatherings of fellow townsmen from Beihai Prefecture.

Yet today, Zhang Han had taken the initiative to greet Qin Changsheng.

Although Qin Changsheng was very puzzled, he still walked to a spot not far from Zhang Han.

“Junior Brother Qin, are you participating in the Sect Competition this time?” Zhang Han asked with a beaming smile.

“My strength is low, so I won't be participating in this competition!” Qin Changsheng shook his head slightly.

“Hahaha, what are you afraid of low strength for!” Zhang Han suddenly burst into laughter, the mockery in his voice no longer concealed. “Don't worry, you don't need to trouble yourself; I've already signed you up!”

“What did you say?” Qin Changsheng looked at Zhang Han with some shock.

The playfulness on Zhang Han's Face was undisguised: “Junior Brother Qin, I've already signed you up. Senior Brother has high hopes for you; you'll definitely get a good ranking this time!”

Beside him, Lin Yao covered her mouth and giggled, echoing: “That's right, Junior Brother Qin. Senior Brother Zhang is acting out of kindness. Just get on stage and try; who knows, you might even perform beyond your usual level.”

Her tone was full of mockery; clearly, both of them were waiting for Qin Changsheng to make a fool of himself.

“Senior Brother Zhang is indeed kind-hearted. Junior Brother Qin, since you're signed up, why not just go up and try? Participation is what matters in the competition; winning or losing doesn't matter.”

“Junior Brother Qin, you must do us proud this time!”

“If you make it into the top sixteen, you can get a hundred Spirit Stones!”

Many of the fellow townsmen spoke up one after another, though their tones were entirely mocking.

Clearly, they didn't think Qin Changsheng would have any kind of performance.

Even less did they believe Qin Changsheng could enter the top sixteen.

They were all waiting to see Qin Changsheng become a joke.

“Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Sister Lin, everyone is from the same town, why make things difficult for him?” At this moment, Li Hu couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to diffuse the situation.

“Bah... what fellow townsmen!”

“I don't have a fellow townsman with such poor cultivation!” Zhang Han spat fiercely.

In Zhang Han's view, Qin Changsheng's Spiritual Root was inferior and his cultivation was not high.

He had only become an Outer Sect Disciple by luck; it was impossible for him to ever amount to anything.

However, since Li Hu had stepped in for Qin Changsheng, it wasn't good for him to disregard Li Hu's Face; after all, Li Hu had helped him find his job in the market.

Seeing Li Hu intervene, the others also walked away to the side.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Li!” Qin Changsheng said, feigning great gratitude.

But in his heart, Qin Changsheng knew that this Li Hu was the Young Lord of the Blood Demon Sect.

He likely had no good intentions in helping Qin Changsheng out.

Seeing this, Li Hu said to Qin Changsheng: “Junior Brother Qin, don't worry. When the time comes to go on stage, just do your best. Winning or losing doesn't matter; no one will truly laugh at you.”

His tone was gentle and his smile sincere; any Disciple who didn't know the truth would surely think he was a kind and generous Senior Brother.

But only Qin Changsheng knew what kind of sinister and malicious heart was hidden beneath this mask of kindness.

At that moment, a thick and long-lasting chime of a bell suddenly came from the direction of the Heavenly Sword Sect's main peak.

The bell was deep and powerful, echoing endlessly, penetrating the noise of the square and resounding throughout the entire Heavenly Sword Sect mountain gate.

The noisy Martial Arts Square instantly fell silent.

The Disciples, who had been gathered in small groups discussing things, all stopped their conversations and looked toward the main peak.

Everyone knew that this bell was the signal that the high-level members of the Heavenly Sword Sect were about to arrive.

In the sky above the main peak, several streaks of spiritual light pierced through the clouds, carrying sharp and powerful auras as they flew on swords.

The spiritual lights were brilliant and varied, wrapped in faint fluctuations of Spiritual Qi. Like shooting stars chasing the moon, they rapidly approached the high platform of the Martial Arts Square, arriving in an instant.

Sect Leader Xuanyangzi of the Heavenly Sword Sect stood at the very front, reserved and profound, possessing a natural majesty.

Sect Leader Xuanyangzi stood upon a simple gold-patterned longsword, with spiritual light flowing over the blade.

Following closely behind Sect Leader Xuanyangzi was Qingxuan.

Beside Qingxuan was Elder Lin Zhentian.

He wore a green Elder's robe; he was burly with a resolute Face and a hint of sharpness between his brows. His aura was thick and majestic, not at all inferior to Sect Leader Xuanyangzi.

He stood upon a massive green sword; the blade was heavy and the spiritual light dense. As he flew, his posture was as steady as Mount Tai.

Behind them, Fairy Qingling wore a moon-white immortal dress and stood upon a white lotus. Faint white spiritual light swirled around her, making her look like a banished immortal under the moon.

Behind Fairy Qingling was Daoist Mochenzi from the Alchemy Pavilion.

The five streaks of spiritual light, arranged in an orderly fashion, flew on their respective items, cutting through the sky and slowly descending onto the high platform in front of the Martial Arts Square.

Sect Leader Xuanyangzi was the first to sheath his sword, his toes lightly touching down as he landed steadily by the central seat of the high platform. Then Daoist Mochenzi, Lin Zhentian, Fairy Qingling, and Qingxuan landed in turn, putting away their Magical Artifacts and walking slowly toward their respective seats with composed movements and powerful auras.

The five Sect Elders sat upright on the high platform, their thick Pressure intertwining and enveloping the entire Martial Arts Square.

“Greetings, Sect Head! Greetings, Elders!”

The many Disciples bowed to Sect Leader Xuanyangzi above.

On the high platform, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi raised his hand, gesturing for the Disciples below to rise: “Disciples, today is my Heavenly Sword Sect's once-a-decade Outer Sect Competition!”

“Thanks to the protection of past generations of ancestors, our Heavenly Sword Sect has been passed down to this day. Today's competition concerns the selection of talent for the Sect and the future of the Sect. I hope all Disciples will give their all and compete fairly!”

“We shall obey the Sect Head's command!” many Outer Sect Disciples shouted in unison.

Looking at the many Disciples below, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi nodded with satisfaction.

He turned to look at Lin Zhentian beside him and said: “Junior Brother Lin, you shall read the rules of this competition to the Disciples. Be sure to explain them clearly so every participating Disciple understands them, ensuring the competition is fair, just, and proceeds smoothly.”

“Yes, Senior Brother Sect Master!” Lin Zhentian rose to accept the order.

Next, Lin Zhentian came to the very front of the crowd. He scanned the area before saying: “Participating Disciples, listen well. The rules for this Heavenly Sword Sect competition are extremely simple, requiring no complicated procedures. The entire process is divided into three steps!”

“The first step is drawing lots for grouping. Shortly, deacon Disciples will bring out drawing boxes containing one hundred and ninety-six drawing tokens. The tokens are marked with the numbers of sixteen arenas, from number one to sixteen, each number corresponding to an arena.”

“All participating Disciples will come forward in turn to draw lots. Whatever number token you draw is the arena you will be assigned to. No unauthorized changes or cheating are allowed. Once discovered, your qualification will be immediately revoked, and you will be expelled from the Martial Arts Square without leniency!”

The Disciples below nodded one after another, discussing in low voices with expressions of anticipation and nervousness.

Drawing lots relied entirely on luck; if one could draw a group with weaker opponents, the hope of advancing would greatly increase.

If one drew a group crowded with experts, it would likely be difficult even to fight for the position of arena lord.

Lin Zhentian raised his hand, gesturing for the Disciples to be quiet, and continued reading the core rules: “After the drawing and grouping are finished, the participating Disciples for each arena will immediately ascend their corresponding arenas to begin their duels.”

“During the duels, you may use Cultivation Techniques and secret arts, and you may use your personal Magical Artifacts, but lethal blows are strictly forbidden, as is the use of sinister evil arts. You only need to knock your opponent out of the arena or force them to admit defeat. Those who cause loss of life will be disqualified and handled according to Sect rules.”

“Each arena will ultimately select only one arena lord!”

“Arena duels have no time limit and no round limit, continuing until only one person remains on the arena. This person will be the arena lord of that arena and will directly advance to the top sixteen of this competition!”

“In short, draw lots to determine the arena, duel to fight for the arena lord position, and the sixteen arena lords will be the top sixteen!”

“The sixteen arena lords will then draw lots for duels; winners advance, and losers are eliminated!”

As his voice fell, Lin Zhentian bowed slightly to Sect Leader Xuanyangzi: “Senior Brother Sect Master, the competition rules have been read.”

Sect Leader Xuanyangzi nodded slightly, his gaze scanning the Disciples below once more before looking toward Fairy Qingling: “Junior Sister Qingling, you shall announce the rewards for the competition!”

“Yes, Senior Brother Sect Master.” Fairy Qingling bowed slightly to accept the order and then slowly stood up.