21: Chapter 21 The Grand Competition Begins

After Xiao Zhan announced the start of the Grand Competition, Chu Jiang immediately read out the tournament rules, his voice carrying through his spiritual power to reach the entire venue:

"The rules for this Outer Sect Disciple Grand Competition are divided into four rounds. It is a process of elimination, where strength alone determines the outcome!"

"The first round is the Pressure Trial! I will release my pressure and slowly increase it. Anyone who can withstand the pressure and remain standing will advance, until the top 800 are determined!"

"The second round is a random draw duel! Disciples will pair off, and the winners will advance directly to the next round. The losers will enter the loser's bracket for another round of draw duels, and the winners will also advance!"

"The third round is the Ultimate Showdown! Those who advanced from the first two rounds will compete on the same stage, and the final top 300 will be determined, qualifying them to enter the Inner Sect."

Once the rules were announced, the Disciples were revitalized.

After Chu Jiang finished speaking, Wen Ning stepped forward. The Outer Sect Disciples were mostly at the Foundation Establishment or Golden Core Stage. Since he was at the Peak of the Venerable realm, he was perfectly suited to test them.

"Are you little ones ready? I am starting now."

As his voice fell, Wen Ning raised his hand, channeling his spiritual power. A heavy and majestic pressure instantly enveloped all the Disciples.

In an instant, all the Disciples felt their bodies grow heavy and their legs tremble. Before long, hundreds of Disciples could not hold on, collapsed to the ground, and were carried off the arena.

The pressure continued to rise, and the pressure felt by everyone grew greater and greater. One after another, Disciples could not hold on and withdrew, until only 800 people remained on the field.

Wen Ning raised his hand to withdraw the pressure and announced loudly, "The first round is over! Rest for half an hour, then the second round of draw duels will begin!"

As his voice fell, the 800 Disciples on the field let out a long sigh of relief, their faces full of relief and excitement. On the other side, the defeated Disciples looked full of disappointment and regret.

"Sigh, I was too slack in my daily Cultivate, I couldn't even withstand this little bit of pressure!"

"Regret, ah! I slacked off in the past few days. If I had polished my Foundation more, I could have held on for a while longer!"

"Now it's over. I don't even have the qualification to duel, let alone think about the Inner Sect!"

Some people crouched on the ground, pounding it, while others looked at the advancing Disciples in the center of the arena with envy. Others sighed to each other, secretly resolving to Cultivate diligently without ceasing after returning, waiting to compete again next time.

After a short period of adjustment, the advancing Disciples stepped forward one by one to draw their number plates. Ten arenas began simultaneously, with Elders and guards guarding each stage to judge the outcome.

Arena No. 3: Lei Yan vs. Chu Hong.

"Senior Brother Lei, please go easy on me." Chu Hong gave a bitter smile; he didn't expect to run into Senior Brother Lei. It seemed he would have to go to the loser's bracket.

"Junior Brother Chu, please."

Chu Hong was at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment. Facing Lei Yan, who was already in the Golden Core Stage, he held his Flaming Blade and initiated the attack, slashing out a series of fire blades.

Lei Yan's flame power surged, his Golden Core Late Stage spiritual power overwhelming. With one punch, he shattered the fire blades, and with a sweep of his palm, he knocked Chu Hong out of the arena. He won in one move, clean and efficient.

"Senior Brother Lei's flame power is too tyrannical! Senior Brother Chu was already strong enough; it's just bad luck to run into Senior Brother Lei."

The Disciples watching from below clicked their tongues, growing increasingly in awe of Lei Yan's strength.

Arena No. 7: Shi Man vs. Wei Hu.

This duel was also a focal point of the entire venue. Shi Man had extremely high prestige among the new Outer Sect Disciples.

During the entrance examination, he was the first person to reach the top of the Heavenly Ladder. After entering the sect, he Cultivate diligently, and his strength improved by leaps and bounds, leading many Disciples to secretly regard him as the number one person in the Outer Sect.

Wei Hu was no ordinary person either; his Physical Body was formidable, and he was quite famous among the Outer Sect Disciples.

"Senior Brother Shi, today I want to see if your title as the number one in the Outer Sect is well-deserved!"

Wei Hu let out a low shout, his figure flickering as he threw out both fists. The sound of breaking air accompanied them as they headed straight for Shi Man's face. The force of his punches was fierce, actually causing the surface of the arena to ring slightly.

Shi Man was overjoyed at the sight. He was known for his formidable Physical Body, and seeing Wei Hu fighting with his own body, he advanced instead of retreating. He also threw out both fists, neither dodging nor avoiding, and met the punch head-on.

"Bang!" As the fists collided, a dull thud shook the surroundings. The majestic power of the Golden Core Peak surged like a rushing river. Wei Hu felt a massive force coming from the impact, his arm went numb, and he retreated several steps in a row.

Shi Man took advantage of the momentum to step forward, his large palm slapping onto his shoulder. Wei Hu felt as if he had been struck hard and had no strength left to fight back.

"Shi Man wins!" The Elder announced in a deep voice. Bursts of cheers erupted from the audience below. This kind of head-on, fierce fighting style made the Disciples' blood boil.

The liveliest one had to be Arena No. 9: Gu Ruoxue vs. Ye Qing.

Both were famous beauties in the Outer Sect and had many supporters. The shouting on both sides of the arena almost overturned the martial arts field. The supporters of both sides held their own, and the momentum was evenly matched.

"Senior Sister Gu is stunning and can fight; with her Golden Core Middle Stage strength, she will crush it and win for sure!"

"Senior Sister Ye's twin ring blades are supernatural; even at the Golden Core Early Stage, she can fight, she will definitely win!"

Gu Ruoxue wore a plain white outfit and held a cold, slender sword. The cold spiritual power of the Golden Core Middle Stage lingered faintly around her, with no ripples in her eyes, only a cold gleam on the blade of her sword.

Ye Qing wore a crimson dress, with twin ring blades at her waist shining with silver light. Her Golden Core Early Stage spiritual power was fully unleashed, and her jade face was frosty. Looking at Gu Ruoxue, she said loudly, "Senior Sister Gu, today I will go all out and will never yield!"

"Please." Gu Ruoxue's voice was cold, the tip of her sword pointing obliquely at the ground. Her aura was indifferent but carried its own pressure.

As her voice fell, Ye Qing initiated the attack, her toes touching the ground as she leaped into the air. The twin ring blades spun and flew out like two silver rainbows, heading straight for Gu Ruoxue's vital points.

The fierce wind brought about by the ring blades caused the arena surface to tremble slightly. Infused with Golden Core Early Stage spiritual power, every move was tricky and ruthless. Ye Qing's supporters below immediately cheered loudly, calling it spectacular.

Gu Ruoxue moved slightly, dodging as lightly as willow catkins. Her Golden Core Middle Stage spiritual power gave her superior speed. The ring blades flew past her clothes, not even touching a single corner of her hem.

In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance, her slender sword unsheathed. The sword light was as cold as stars, and her sword moves were nimble and elegant, aiming straight at Ye Qing's openings.

Ye Qing hurriedly spun to retrieve her twin ring blades to block. With a crisp "clang," the ring blades collided with the slender sword. A huge force came through the ring blades, causing Ye Qing to stagger back three steps, her thumb and forefinger slightly numb.

Ye Qing was secretly shocked, but still refused to admit defeat. The twin ring blades flipped and flew again, unleashing her unique technique. Layers upon layers of ring shadows enveloped Gu Ruoxue.

Gu Ruoxue's eyes narrowed slightly, her slender sword twirling out several sword flowers. The sword light broke through the ring shadows, and her Golden Core Middle Stage spiritual power suddenly erupted. The tip of her sword lightly tapped the connection point of Ye Qing's ring blades.

Ye Qing felt her wrist go numb, and the twin ring blades almost slipped from her hands. By the time she wanted to defend, Gu Ruoxue's slender sword had already stopped at her neck. The icy Sword Qi made her freeze instantly.

"I lost." Ye Qing's jade face dimmed, but she cupped her hands and admitted defeat, convinced.

"You are too kind." Gu Ruoxue sheathed her sword, remaining as cold as ever. The supporters of Gu Ruoxue below immediately erupted into thunderous cheers. Even many neutral Disciples couldn't help but applaud this spectacular duel between beauties.

Arena No. 8: Qin Feng vs. Liu Chuan.

This duel was also heart-wrenching; both were at the Golden Core Early Stage. Their strength was evenly matched, and after dozens of moves, it was still hard to tell the winner. The Disciples below watched with bated breath.

Liu Chuan's fist wind was fierce, and every punch carried the sound of breaking air, with every move aiming straight for Qin Feng's vital points.

Qin Feng, however, always responded calmly. His footwork was unpredictable, and his figure moved through the fist shadows like a ghost, only defending and not attacking. It looked perilous, but he always managed to narrowly avoid the attacks.

"Why is Qin Feng only defending and not attacking? If this continues, his spiritual power will eventually be exhausted!" A Disciple below couldn't help but whisper.

Seeing that he couldn't win for a long time, Liu Chuan became increasingly irritable. He roared, condensed his full spiritual power, and threw a punch. This punch was powerful and heavy, heading straight for Qin Feng with the momentum of burning bridges.

Everyone below thought that Qin Feng had no way to avoid it, and even the Elder in charge frowned slightly, as if ready to intervene at any moment.

Just as the fist wind was about to arrive, a flash of sharpness suddenly crossed Qin Feng's eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, curling into a wicked, crooked smile.

This smile came unexpectedly, making everyone stunned, and Liu Chuan was even more momentarily dazed.

In this split-second gap, Qin Feng moved! His spiritual power suddenly erupted, his figure moved sideways to avoid the fatal punch, and his right hand reached out like lightning. With precise, clever force, he gripped Liu Chuan's wrist, took advantage of the momentum to twist, and at the same time, used a tripping leg move, pushing hard with the help of Liu Chuan's own force!

Liu Chuan was caught off guard, his spiritual power dissipated instantly, and he lost his balance, falling heavily onto the arena. Qin Feng lightly tapped his shoulder with his toe, slightly concentrating his spiritual power to control his Meridians, making him unable to move.

"Qin Feng wins!" The announcement from the presiding Elder rang out. The audience below was silent at first, then exploded in an uproar!

Qin Feng's crooked smile, frozen before the victory, was seen by everyone and instantly became the focus of the entire venue.

On the high platform, Xiao Zhan, Yan Chen, and others all looked sideways, with surprise and curiosity flashing in their eyes. The Elders and guards beside each arena also looked over, the corners of their mouths involuntarily curling into a smile. The Disciples below were discussing it, their voices rising and falling:

"My god! Qin Feng's smile is too amazing! Both wicked and handsome, instantly reversing the battle!"

"That smile is too magical; Liu Chuan was obviously distracted, which is why he was countered!"

"So Qin Feng is this strong; he was just defending earlier because he was waiting for an opening. This mind is too deep! That crooked smile is simply his trademark!"

Some female Disciples blushed and whispered, "Senior Brother Qin Feng looks so good when he smiles," and even the winners of other arenas, such as Lei Yan, Shi Man, and others, also looked over.

Qin Feng withdrew his foot and stepped back, patting the dust off his clothes. The smile on his face had faded, and he returned to his usual indifferent appearance, as if the highly impactful crooked smile from just a moment ago had never appeared.

But that scene was deeply imprinted in the hearts of all the Disciples and Elders, making this Golden Core Early Stage Disciple instantly become highly recognizable.