Chapter 65

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Chapter 65

Yun Chuyou, as the early winner who had obtained the list, walked out from the competitors’ passage and immediately spotted Xie Fuzhi in the crowd.

He could not hold back his excitement, raising his hand high and waving a small red flag. If the audience hadn’t been restricted from moving around, Chuyou wouldn’t have liked him either.

Yun Chuxiu smiled at Xie Fuzhi, signaling that she had seen him, and walked quickly in his direction.

Outside the sect, the cultivators were discussing excitedly. Some well-informed individuals said, "The Genius List has changed a lot recently. Several disciples from Qingxu Sect are now on the list. Yun Chuxiu is now ranked among the top nineteen talents, surpassing Guanshan Yue!"

Having defeated the contestant ranked twentieth on the Genius List, Yun Chuxiu made her first appearance in the Grand Competition of the Hundred Sects and jumped straight into the top twenty of the spiritual world’s talents, placing just ahead of Guanshan Yue.

This Genius List does not represent absolute fighting power; it reflects the overall potential of young talents under the age of five hundred.

After all, there are many talented cultivators, but without the right resources, partners, and opportunities, having talent alone may not lead to long-term success. Some extraordinary individuals have everything except for good fortune; they may fall young, even before breaking through to Nascent Soul, leaving their names unheard.

The potential ranking is based on a complex set of calculations that consider the backgrounds, cultivation progress, sect support, and publicly owned wealth of the talents.

The Tianji Sect is responsible for this list; this sect focuses on predicting the mysteries of heaven and does not usually engage in fighting, making them the most famous information brokers in the spiritual world.

Most of the time, the information provided by Tianji Sect is quite accurate, but occasionally there can be unexpected outcomes.

For example, Yun Chuxiu, a cultivator from a small sect, became a Nascent Soul cultivator before turning one hundred years old. Her cultivation speed has even surpassed that of the first-place Ye Xuanye and the second-place Song Mingzhu.

Such an existence, even if she were a short-lived genius who vanished before breaking through, should still not go unnoticed compared to Guanshan Yue.

Tianji Sect could not tolerate such a significant error, so when the competition results came out, they quickly reanalyzed Yun Chuxiu’s profile.

The good news is that she is not a reincarnated powerful being; she is indeed a young talent with such cultivation level at a young age. The bad news is that her fate line is shrouded in thick white mist, making it impossible for the leader of Tianji Sect to see her true destiny.

They successfully found the reason why Yun Chuxiu was not on the Genius List. One reason is that the Qingxu Sect is a small and unknown sect, while Yun Chuxiu is very low-key, and this seriously lowered her ranking.

Who could have imagined that the small Qingxu Sect had such deep talent? In fact, Qingxu Sect does not have much talent at all. It has developed from nothing to its current size in a short time because Yun Chuxiu worked hard using outside help and Xie Fuzhi provided a lot of his private wealth to support the sect. This private wealth should not be counted in the overall strength of the sect.

It is not that Tianji Sect calculated wrong; rather, Qingxu Sect does not follow normal rules and cannot be assessed like an ordinary sect.

Tianji Sect can predict the future and see the talents, but Yun Chuxiu has a unique fate. Even the sect master of Tianji Sect cannot predict her destiny. Since they cannot foresee Yun Chuxiu’s future and potential, and the protective artifact of the sect remains silent, Tianji Sect naturally overlooked her existence.

Based on Yun Chuxiu’s performance in today’s five matches, the cultivators of Tianji Sect debated several times and decided to temporarily place her in the nineteenth position.

The reason she was not ranked higher is that many of Yun Chuxiu’s battles today relied on outside forces, like spirit tools and the divine alchemical furnace. They will re-evaluate rankings after observing her performance in the next two rounds.

Besides Yun Chuxiu, several other disciples from Qingxu Sect also made it onto the Genius List, but their positions are not as high, ranking below Yun Chuxiu.

Every time, Meng He is ahead of Yu Jiu, but this time, Meng He is ranked seventy-sixth on the Genius List, while Yu Jiu is ranked forty-third.

The fate lines of these few disciples from Qingxu Sect are very unique; their futures take two different paths: one is a tragic downfall at a young age, and the other is a long life.

This was also the reason why they were nameless before. This time, after re-examining their appearances, these few people finally had their names on the list.

As for Guanshan Yue, she lost to Yun Chuxiu in this match, but she had beaten other talented players before, so she still held the twentieth position.

Except for the match against Yun Chuxiu, Guanshan Yue had a winning streak after that. Because she was filled with anger towards Yun Chuxiu, she fought especially fiercely and performed better than before when she practiced in her sect.

When Yun Chuxiu came out, Guanshan Yue also obtained her qualification to advance. She hurriedly rushed through the passage and managed to overtake Yun Chuxiu.

This fiery and hot-tempered female cultivator clenched her fists and declared, "Today, I simply was not on guard, which allowed you to win by chance. In the next round, you will definitely lose to my blade!"

Relying on an alchemical furnace, what does that count as a win? She was unconvinced and did not accept it.

In response to Guanshan Yue’s provocation, Yun Chuxiu remained calm like a winner, "I look forward to that moment."

Her calm demeanor only made Guanshan Yue angrier. This person really didn’t take her seriously, did she?

If she were battling Ye Xuanye, even if he was at the Golden Core Stage and she lost to his swordplay, she wouldn’t be this angry. It was just that the way Yun Chuxiu beat her was completely unserious.

But she still cared about her reputation. In front of so many people, Guanshan Yue could not linger any longer. With a cold huff, she hugged her beloved sword and quickly walked away from the passage, heading towards the Tianheng Sect’s seating area.

Cultivators who come out earlier have their own advantages; they can see their still-to-fight opponents and learn their attacking methods.

However, Guanshan Yue prepared more thoroughly. She asked her younger martial sisters and brothers, who were not competing, to help record the opponents she had identified with a Camera Stone.

In the next round of the competition, she would definitely not lose to that "wicked woman"!

After this little episode, Yun Chuxiu quickened her pace and walked briskly towards the audience area.

Xie Fuzhi took a few steps forward and warmly praised, "Chuyou, you are amazing! I watched every match, and you did very well!"

When he smiled, the air around them felt a little warmer, and Yun Chuxiu replied with a smile, "Actually, I could have done even better."

"Chuyou is too modest. In my heart, you are the best."

Yun Chuxiu smiled and shook her head, "You just saw it. Guanshan Yue blocked me and seemed very displeased. Everyone thinks I am relying on underhanded methods."

At that moment, Yu Jiu, who was at the Golden Core Stage, also came out and happened to hear Yun Chuxiu talking to Xie Fuzhi. He somewhat disagreed and said, "Winning is winning, and losing is losing. If you encounter the enemy outside, will they still talk to you about rules? They just lack skill and want to save face."

Xie Fuzhi found Yu Jiu’s words quite agreeable, "He is right, Chuyou won, and you didn’t use any unfair methods. You clearly won with your own intelligence and skill. They are just foolish and slow to react."

"Exactly."

Hu Xiao Bai said repeatedly, "Master, you are the strongest!"

When Yun Chuxiu went on stage, he did not plan to bring a spirit pet. Blue Smoke, being a merperson, cannot stay away from water for long, so he was left on the spirit ship to guard their home.

Hu Xiao Bai did not come over at the beginning; he stayed with Blue Smoke to guard the spirit ship. He ordered a large amount of spiritual food in advance from several cultivators who stayed behind at Five Palates Sect and brought it back half an hour ago using a storage bag.

The area Xie Fuzhi occupied was quite spacious. Hu Xiao Bai used his large tail to curl around the chairs and diligently arranged the tables and chairs for eating, placing delicious snacks on them.

Zhong Wei was the last disciple to come out and immediately helped take the items from Hu Xiao Bai, saying, "I will help too."

In fact, the competition hadn’t ended yet, since many cultivators still had to endure until the eliminations or until the complete list of two hundred was announced.

But this did not stop Qingxu Sect from having a small gathering. In front of everyone, Yun Chuxiu sat in the main seat, Xie Fuzhi sat beside her, and she happily raised her shining white jade wine cup. "Let’s celebrate everyone for winning and successfully earning the first round spot. Congratulations to me, congratulations to Meng He, Yu Jiu, and Zhong Wei; everyone performed exceptionally well. Also, congratulations to Xie Fuzhi for having such outstanding disciples like me…like us to celebrate for Qingxu Sect."

Xie Fuzhi quickly clinked his cup with Yun Chuxiu in front of everyone. "Cheers."

The wine cups made a cheerful sound, and Yun Chuxiu drank it all at once. They were drinking a spirit from Qingxu Sect, made from plum blossoms and spiritual fruits gathered from the mountain top, with a rich floral and fruity aroma. The alcohol content was low, not intoxicating.

Those cultivators who had been defeated by Qingxu Sect were looking for these few people’s figures. They instinctively went to look at those big sects but could not find the opponents that made them feel irritated. Instead, they glanced around and saw these few eye-catching figures in the lands of a lesser sect.

Other cultivators were standing around, some were squatting, while they, from Qingxu Sect, had brought a set of tables and chairs, laid out a pile of delicious food, and happily began their celebration.

"Such a small sect, and now that they have a bit of success, they’ve become too proud." Someone made a sour comment, and those words were quite bitter.

"They didn’t just have a bit of success; they had only four disciples competing, and three made it to the Genius List Top 100."

Zhong Wei was a little weaker; she had just reached the early stage of the Golden Core Stage. Being able to earn a spot had a lot to do with luck; during the competition, she didn’t face very difficult opponents. The ones she faced were all early-stage Golden Core cultivators, and the only one in the mid-Golden Core stage was quite weak.

Zhong Wei had worked very hard these past few years. Her combat skills were honed by cutting down demon beasts in the mountains, and she had to face criticism from her two senior brothers every day.

Although Zhong Wei always lost when battling her senior, she made significant progress during her matches with the two seniors.

However, by the time she earned her spot for a winning streak, more than one hundred eighty people had already succeeded, making her the only one among the four who did not rank in the top hundred.

But Zhong Wei was not doing well, and those who disliked Qingxu Sect did not spare her, saying, "Yes, even that one who did not make it to the top hundred is actually at the Golden Core Stage. At such a young age, to have reached the early stage of the Golden Core Stage is really impressive."

An elder from another major sect shrugged it off, saying, "Reaching Golden Core in your forties isn’t that amazing, is it?"

Reaching Golden Core in your forties isn’t particularly common, but among her peers in the spiritual world, she would definitely rank in the top ten percent.

"That’s not the main point; the main point is her registered Spiritual Root. She has Four Spirit Roots. To have such skill at this age means she either encountered some extraordinary talent or found a great opportunity."

The speed of cultivation among several disciples of Qingxu Sect is incredibly fast; a small sect like theirs could raise disciples like this. Yun Chuxiu has a Single Spiritual Root, or a mutated Wind Spiritual Root, which is still acceptable.

Meng He and Yu Jiu are also quite talented, but Zhong Wei has Four Spirit Roots. This implies that Qingxu Sect likely possesses some unique training techniques, perhaps even ancient divine techniques.

Or maybe Qingxu Sect has acquired an opportunity that would excite countless people, such as a Sword God-level inheritance.

There are some special secret realms where time moves much slower than in the outside world. Ten or a hundred years in the secret realm may only be a month or a year in the outside world.

Some sects use this method to help their disciples become more powerful, so they can compete in the hundred sects competition and outperform their peers.

However, the age limit for the hundred sects competition is not based on when these people were born, but on their bone age. In similar secret realms, cultivators still use their own time, which means they are borrowing from their future; their bone age remains the same.

Whether it’s Yun Chuxiu or Zhong Wei, they are all very young, not even fifty years old.

Such special places have already attracted the attention of some people; knowing that the Qingxu Sect is weak, they have thoughts about claiming that special location.

The cultivators gathered together to talk are all from the sects organizing this hundred sects competition, so they quickly received detailed information about the Qingxu Sect.

"Qingxu Sect, the last time they sent a disciple to participate in the hundred sects competition was three thousand years ago… wait, Qingxu Sect hasn’t sent a disciple to the hundred sects competition for three thousand years; is this sect new?"

"No," said the leader of Tianyuan Sect, "Three thousand years ago, my Martial Uncle, Ning Lanzhi, represented Qingxu Sect at the disciple meeting."

He cleared his throat softly to draw attention to himself.

"Then why hasn’t there been any news from the Qingxu Sect for so many years? If there are no disciples in the sect, how could they suddenly qualify to participate in the Grand Competition of the Hundred Sects?"

The leader of the Tianyuan Sect said, "Because of this."

He took out a fiery red token, "With the former leader of the Qingxu Sect here, he has this token. So even if the Qingxu Sect has no disciples, it is still an independent sect. As long as they have disciples who meet the competition’s requirements, they can compete."

"Ah, this token is from three thousand years ago, from a contributor in the battle to save the world."

The leader of the Tianyuan Sect nodded gravely, "That’s right. Back then, my Martial Uncle established the Qingxu Sect with some disciples, but during the battle to save the world, the Qingxu Sect suffered heavy losses. A sect that made such a great contribution to the spiritual world deserves certain privileges."

The leader of the Qingxu Sect at that time was not Xie Fuzhi but his Martial Uncle, who had a natural talent for swordsmanship between the Sword God and Ye Xuanye. At that time, the spiritual world’s Spirit Qi was not as thin as it is now. His Martial Uncle achieved the unity of man and sword at a young age, and before he was three hundred years old, he became a True Lord in the Out-of-Body stage.

Unfortunately, heaven is jealous of talent. His young Martial Uncle fell while saving the world. The sword bone he left behind is buried in the Tianyuan Sect, under the phoenix tree on the mountain where his master was, which is now a forbidden area of the Tianyuan Sect.

And the phoenix, which was plotted against by humans and despised them, drove all the surviving disciples of the Qingxu Sect to the current Tianyuan Sect. It, alone, no, it should be said, as a monster, directly activated the great formation of the Qingxu Sect and then disappeared from the spiritual world.

Even the Tianyuan Sect, which was a brother sect to Qingxu Sect at that time, did not know where the phoenix went. They only knew that the phoenix was injured, perhaps had fallen into a deep sleep, or maybe it had entered a state of rebirth.

In legends, the phoenix is an immortal being. After it dies, it will rise from the flames, and its soul will not change because of this.

However, it is said that a phoenix reborn from the flames will lose its memory. Strictly speaking, it could be considered as being born again.

Whether or not the phoenix loses its memory is just a rumor. After all, there is only this one phoenix in the spiritual world, and no one has ever seen a phoenix rise from the flames.

Not to mention witnessing the phoenix rising; even among cultivators who remember the great events from those years, not many are left. Some have fallen, and others remain in their sects. Most of his old friends did not come specifically for this grand competition among the hundred sects.

In fact, it is unusual for the leader of the Tianyuan Sect to come personally this time.

The leader of Tianheng Sect looked at him with a complex expression, "You are not just here for your disciple; you are also here for the Qingxu Sect, right?"

The latter smiled but said nothing, wearing a deep expression that suggested understanding.

A cultivator unaware of the past events asked, "How many disciples does Qingxu Sect have now? Who is the current leader?"

It is true that the former Qingxu Sect may have made significant contributions to the spiritual world, but these few disciples are very young, and their accomplishments were not made by them.

These people did not know that Xie Fuzhi was the only Phoenix in the spiritual world. His message had always been a secret, unless the Phoenix wanted to announce it to the world.

Those who were thinking about it felt even more excited: those were all divine items, and there must still be some good things left from ancient times.

Even though the disciples of the Qingxu Sect were talented, they were not worthy of such fine items.

However, there was very little information about the Qingxu Sect. It had hidden away in the spiritual world for so many years, and now it returned so loudly. They needed to learn more to avoid accidentally getting into trouble.

The cultivator in charge of finding information said in a very complicated tone, "The current leader of the Qingxu Sect is Yun Chu Xiu, who is competing in this year’s big competition at the Nascent Soul Stage."