Volume 3 Chapter 13
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Volume 3 Chapter 13: Content
"The Newcomer Competition is about to begin. I will now announce the details of this contest to all of you, my fellow Taoist friends." Venerable Xuan Jian flew up from the jade platform, looking around at the disciples from various sects below before slowly speaking.
Xu Qingfan was slightly surprised to see Venerable Xuan Jian looking so serious. He had interacted with many cultivators from Penance Valley before, whether it was Xuan Xiu, Xuan Xian, or the Venerable Ones who healed him in difficult times, none of them had such a stern demeanor. He had never encountered a personality as serious as Xuan Jian’ among Penance Valley’s cultivators.
Seeing the thousands of disciples from various sects attentively watching him, Xuan Jian looked pleased and nodded slightly, then continued, "In the East Sea, about five hundred miles from the eastern coast of Shenzhou Continent, there is a small island covering nearly a hundred acres called ‘Huandao Island.’ There are many ‘Seven-colored Deer,’ human-level advanced demon beasts, on Huandao Island, and your challenge is to capture the Seven-colored Deer. The sect that captures the most Seven-colored Deer within three days will advance to the next round of the competition."
Hearing Xuan Jian’ words, the thousands of disciples below erupted into a clamor, except for a few individuals.
It is known that human-level advanced demon beasts are as powerful as Lingji Stage cultivators, while the majority of those present are only at the Inedia Stage. Even if five of them work together, capturing a single human-level advanced demon beast is a daunting task likely to result in injuries or fatalities, not to mention capturing more to surpass other sects.
The few people in the crowd who remained unfazed were precisely those whom Xu Qingfan had paid attention to earlier.
The middle-aged man from "Qingxu Gate" with a weathered face was slightly taken aback upon hearing the challenge’s content but then laughed it off. Noticing the worried expressions of his junior brothers nearby, he said something that made Lv Ziqing, Shang Nianyao, and the others smile slightly, their previous worry disappearing.
The five similar-looking individuals from the "Five Elements Sect" merely exchanged glances without speaking, seemingly understanding each other through their eyes, and continued to look calmly at Venerable Xuan Jian in the sky.
The young woman in white from "White Lady Palace" was busy whispering with her elder martial sisters and seemed completely uninterested in Venerable Xuan Jian’ words, or perhaps she simply didn’t care, evidently very confident in her abilities.
Furthermore, the young man in a Taoist robe from "Liuhe Gate" wore a proud expression. Upon hearing Xuan Jian’ words, he smiled haughtily, gazing at the sky with an air of contempt.
Finally, there was the childlike figure from "Eight Wilderness Hall," who was idly fiddling with the gold ring on his arm. It was unclear if he was paying attention to Venerable Xuan Jian, but his furrowed brow hinted at a sense of urgency, though Xu Qingfan felt he was merely impatient with the waiting.
Moreover, five solemn-faced monks caught Xu Qingfan’s attention. After hearing Xuan Jian, their expressions didn’t change; they continued to bow their heads and chant quietly. It seemed they had been whispering since Xu Qingfan arrived, without any change in posture or expression. They appeared to be disciples of Zen Cloud Temple.
Observing the scene, Xu Qingfan felt a slight sense of awe. Those unfazed by Xuan Jian’ words were disciples of prestigious Immortal Realm sects, each possessing at least Lingji Stage cultivation. Their magical skills were profound, and their magical items were exquisite. Together, capturing a few human-level advanced demon beasts wasn’t difficult.
For other sects, however, having even one or two disciples with Lingji Stage cultivation was rare. Catching a human-level advanced demon beast was incredibly challenging, and even survival was uncertain. Thus, as in past Newcomer Competitions, these sects merely served as spectators. The true competition was among the six Holy Lands, "Liuhe Gate," and "Eight Wilderness Hall."
Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan glanced at his fellow disciples, noticing they, too, remained composed at the mention of human-level advanced demon beasts. Feng Qingtian’s expression stayed aloof, Jin Qinghan remained indifferent, and Wang Qingjun appeared calm. Only Lv Qingshang seemed slightly serious, but his eyes carried a hint of eagerness.
Seeing their reactions, Xu Qingfan felt a bit relieved.
As for Xu Qingfan, he wasn’t worried about the "Seven-colored Deer," a human-level advanced demon beast. Two years ago, he had managed to kill a Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, another strong human-level advanced demon beast, on his own. With his significant progress over the past two years, he paid little heed to the "Seven-colored Deer."
Observing the varying responses of thousands of disciples, some anxious and losing confidence, others calm and dismissive, a faint smile crossed Xuan Jian’ face, tinged with sarcasm. He continued, "There’s more to know, my fellow Taoist friends. Huandao Island doesn’t only house the Seven-colored Deer. A demon beast called ‘Green Snake Dragon,’ also human-level advanced, preys on the Seven-colored Deer. Additionally, there’s a king among the Seven-colored Deer on the island—one nearing Earth-level strength. Exercise great caution if you encounter it."
As Xuan Jian finished speaking, the crowd erupted in even louder murmurs. The disciples who had already lost their confidence turned pale, and those who were once confidently calm from the eight major sects also abruptly changed their expressions.
The middle-aged man from Qingxu Gate could no longer maintain his carefree demeanor. He glanced at his fellow disciple beside him, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. The five members of the Five Elements Sect couldn’t keep their composure, exchanging worried glances. The white-clad girl from White Lady Palace stopped chatting with the person next to her and looked seriously at Venerable Xuan Jian in the sky. The chanting monks from Zen Cloud Temple suddenly paused. As for the young Taoist from Liuhe Gate, though still looking proud, his face turned faintly pale.
Xu Qingfan, without turning around, couldn’t see how Feng Qingtian, Jin Qinghan, and the others were reacting. But he knew their expressions must have changed because, at the moment Xuan Jian finished speaking, he sensed the four breaths behind him suddenly quickening slightly.
The "Green Snake Dragon" surpassed even the famed Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast among human-level advanced demon beasts. It moved swiftly on the ground, its scales hard to damage with ordinary weapons, and the venomous fire it spewed was so powerful that even a master of the Condensed Core Stage had to be cautious. Xu Qingfan was very familiar with this kind of demon beast, as thirty years ago, he had accidentally consumed a "Green Snake Dragon’s" inner core. At that time, the "Green Snake Dragon," though far weaker, managed to defeat the renowned "Mountain Spirit Wood Monster" of the Southern Wasteland.
While the group might manage to handle the "Green Snake Dragon" with caution, they couldn’t ignore a demon beast nearing the Earth level. Earth-level demon beasts equaled the strength of Condensed Core Stage cultivators, and the gap between Lingji Stage cultivators and Condensed Core Stage cultivators was like heaven and earth. A cultivator at the early Fake Golden Core stage could easily defeat six to seven late-stage Lingji Stage cultivators.
Although the Seven-colored Deer was only close to Earth level, five Lingji Stage cultivators facing it could barely protect themselves, with no chance of victory. That’s why everyone was so shocked to hear Xuan Jian’s words.
Among the thousands, only the child-like figure from Eight Wilderness Hall showed no change in expression, still fiddling with the golden ring on his arm. Observing the four disciples of the Eight Wilderness Hall behind this person, they also remained unchanged, seemingly more fearful of the child-like figure than the Seven-colored Deer.
Seeing the great change in the crowd’s expressions, Xuan Jian showed a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, then added a malicious smile as he said, "One last thing, according to my investigation, there are only ninety-seven Seven-colored Deer on Huandao Island. To qualify, taoist friends must capture at least ten within three days. Capturing that one Seven-colored Deer is equivalent to capturing seven."
If Xu Qingfan hadn’t known Xuan Jian’s identity in advance, seeing the malevolent smile on his face, he couldn’t have associated him with the humble and graceful cultivators from Penance Valley.
On Huandao Island, there are fewer than a hundred Seven-colored Deer, meaning at most nine groups can qualify, yet there are over thirty sects participating in this Newcomer Competition. One can imagine the fierce battles for capturing the Seven-colored Deer, and disciples from different sects might even fight over the right to catch a specific deer.
As for capturing that particular Seven-colored Deer, Xu Qingfan believed that no one in the crowd had thought of it…
Meanwhile, Xuan Jian ignored the commotion among the disciples and gently moved his hands. With a flick of his fingers, dazzling five-colored lights rose from the empty ground behind the disciples, with the strong flow of Five Elements Spirit Qi. Noticing the change behind them, the disciples turned around to look.
After a long while, the gleaming colors gradually faded, and an enormous formation appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Then, with another wave of Xuan Jian’s hands, an even larger illusion appeared above the formation—a vivid depiction of a small island. To everyone’s amazement, focusing intently on any part of this island would cause that scene to suddenly enlarge before their eyes, with unparalleled clarity.
As everyone was marveling at the extraordinary change before them, Xuan Jian’s voice echoed in their ears once again.
"This teleportation array leads directly to Huandao Island; you will reach the competition site through it shortly. The illusion above the array is an image of Huandao Island extracted by me and some fellow taoist friends using the ‘Mirror Technique.’ We will also watch your competition through this ‘Mirror Technique.’ Now, let the competition begin, fellow taoist friends, please enter the array."
