Volume 4 Chapter 39

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Volume 4 Chapter 39: The Competition

"Junior Brother Xu, you’re finally here."

Seeing Xu Qingfan flying onto the main stage, Lv Qingshang was the first to stand up, smiling as he spoke.

As Lv Qingshang stood, the other elders also rose to welcome Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan glanced around, noticing that all the new elders of Jiuhua Mountain, except for Feng Qingtian, had already arrived. Given Feng Qingtian’s personality, even though the grand competition is a significant event for Jiuhua, he probably won’t come.

At some point, the elders of Jiuhua Mountain divided into two groups: one group was made up of the elders with the character "Hua" in their names, who usually surrounded Zhang Hualing and Gongsun Huasa, while the elders with the characters "Qing" and "Yu" formed their own faction, subtly led by Xu Qingfan, even though he rarely made an appearance.

After looking around, Xu Qingfan smiled and asked, "What? Am I late?"

Lv Qingshang laughed and replied, "You’re not late, but we arrived earlier. Over the years, we’ve been in seclusion, rarely meeting. This time we’ve finally found an excuse to gather longer, yet you came so late."

Xu Qingfan chuckled and said, "It’s my fault."

Dongfang Qingling, who had been quietly listening, suddenly pointed behind Xu Qingfan and giggled, "Senior Brother Xu, your niece is quite popular."

Hearing Dongfang Qingling’s words, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback. When he turned to look, he saw Jiuhua’s male disciples bravely approaching Ting’er to chat, but unfortunately, her expression remained as cold as ever. When faced with those who wouldn’t give up, she simply walked away with a stern face. Despite this, more male disciples hesitantly approached her.

Seeing this, Xu Qingfan was amused yet exasperated, while Jin Qinghan just let out a cold snort, probably disdainfully judging these male disciples in his mind.

As he looked at the smiling Dongfang Qingling, Xu Qingfan felt a sudden thought stir in his heart, and he conveyed something to Dongfang Qingling through a private message.

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Dongfang Qingling nodded with a smile and then delivered a message to a group of Jiuhua’s female disciples gathered in the distance. Before long, the group made their way to Ting’er. Once they arrived, they first decisively shooed away the "flies" surrounding Ting’er and then encircled her, asking her endless questions.

It seemed like Ting’er had never encountered so many girls before. Seeing these females proactively seeking her friendship, her eyes were full of surprise. Dongfang Qingling’s elder martial sister friends were evidently very curious about Ting’er, chattering away with a barrage of questions. Normally quiet and reserved, Ting’er occasionally responded to a few questions from this lively group, resembling "sparrows". Gradually, she seemed to accept these female friends around her, finding it far more comfortable than the earlier advances from the opposite gender.

Witnessing this scene, Xu Qingfan felt a slight sense of relief. Seeing Ting’er, amidst so many, although a bit at a loss, not showing any resistance, comforted him even more. Gratefully, he smiled at Dongfang Qingling and said, "Thank you, Junior Martial Sister Dongfang."

Dongfang Qingling laughed and replied, "It’s nothing. I also think Ting’er’s personality is too lonely. You protect her too tightly, never letting her leave your abode. Otherwise, I would have introduced her to some elder martial sisters long ago."

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something, he heard Lv Qingshang speak seriously, "It seems that this time, the first place in the inner competition will surely go to Ting’er."

Hearing Lv Qingshang say this, Xu Qingfan thought Lv Qingshang had recognized Ting’er’s strength and said, "Ting’er, that girl, may be quite skilled, but who knows if there’s a disciple who has been secluded with extraordinary strength? Such things are hard to predict."

But Lv Qingshang remained serious, shaking his head as he said, "You underestimate Ting’er. Forget about those Jiuhua disciples, even I could only defend desperately if I were to duel with her."

Hearing Lv Qingshang’s statement, everyone was taken aback and looked towards him, waiting for an explanation.

After a pause, Lv Qingshang seriously said, "With Ting’er’s appearance, if I were to duel with her, my heart would certainly be full of pity, and how could I bring myself to attack her? Naturally, I could only defend. Not to mention those other disciples, they might barely be able to stand."

At this time, his master Elder Hou had recovered from his injuries and resumed his position as the guardian elder of Jiuhua, and Lv Qingshang started joking with everyone again, even though the joke was somewhat irreverent.

Hearing Lv Qingshang’s words, understanding he was teasing everyone, they couldn’t help but laugh and scold, with Xu Qingfan smiling wryly, "Senior Brother Xu, mind your position, you are Ting’er’s martial uncle."

Xu Qingfan knew Lv Qingshang’s personality well, so although he was annoyed at Lv Qingshang’s joke about Ting’er, he couldn’t be truly angry, feeling somewhat helpless.

Just as everyone was condemning Lv Qingshang, they suddenly felt a dozen extremely powerful forces appearing from afar. At the same time, celestial music resonated throughout the world, and countless dazzling rays of light rose from the horizon. Among these rays of light, Zhang Hualing and Gongsun Huasa led a group of elders from the "Hua" clan, swiftly flying on clouds toward the main stage.

Seeing this imposing scene, Xu Qingfan sighed quietly in his heart. Although he and others had reached the Condensed Core Stage, their presence was still far inferior to that of these senior elders.

While Xu Qingfan was lost in thought, Zhang Hualing descended with a group of elders to the main platform. After the disciples performed ceremonial bows, we will not elaborate on Zhang Hualing’s speech.

After Zhang Hualing encouraged the participating disciples, he said, "Next, let Deacon Elder Xu Qingfan announce the arrangements and rewards for the top five places in this inner sect competition."

Hearing Zhang Hualing’s words, Xu Qingfan first bowed slightly to him, then loudly addressed the disciples below, "This inner sect competition, like before, is divided into sixteen arenas. Each arena hosts a contest among eight disciples, and only one from each arena can advance to the semifinals."

Pausing for a moment, Xu Qingfan continued, "Moreover, to motivate everyone, the rewards for this competition are more generous compared to before. Those who advance from their arenas will receive a reward of one hundred spirit stones. Those who reach the top eight will get two hundred spirit stones. Furthermore, the rewards for the top five are as follows: the disciple who wins fifth place will receive a demon beast egg of a human level middle class ‘White-headed Eagle.’ The fourth place will receive a bottle of ‘Naling Dan,’ the third place will receive a high-grade human level artifact ‘Hundred Blades,’ the second place will receive a high-grade human level artifact ‘Hundred Thread Staff,’ and the first place will be rewarded with the rare ‘Soothing Spirit Pearl.’"

After Xu Qingfan announced everything, he calmly returned to his seat, leaving the disciples below in a flurry of astonishment. Even the Jiuhua elders showed expressions of surprise, not expecting the rewards for this competition to be so precious.

The rewards for second to fifth places were notable but mostly consisted of human level artifacts, demon beast eggs, and spiritual pills. However, the reward for first place, the "Soothing Spirit Pearl," was extraordinary. This artifact is highly valuable, even for some of the elders present.

The "Soothing Spirit Pearl," although naturally formed, possesses various characteristics of magical treasures. It can only be used after being refined by its owner and requires cultivators to periodically replenish it with Spirit Qi. When thrown as an attack, it is like a massive boulder crushing down, with immense power.

But the greatest benefit of the "Soothing Spirit Pearl" does not lie in its attack capability; rather, it allows the cultivator to more smoothly circulate Spirit Qi within their body and helps reduce the risk of Qi deviation, making it exceedingly valuable.

In fact, Xu Qingfan awarded the "Soothing Spirit Pearl" to the first place with some personal bias because, according to his observations, this year’s competition lacked geniuses like Jin Qinghan Feng Qingtian. Even talents of Lv Qingshang Dongfang Qingling’s level were quite rare, so with Ting’er’s abilities, winning would be almost effortless.

When Xu Qingfan was reviewing the green slip with records from the Jiuhua secret vault, he discovered the "Soothing Spirit Pearl" among the treasures of the first layer. He immediately decided to offer it as the prize for the competition’s first place.

As Xu Qingfan knew, the major attribute of the "Soothing Spirit Pearl" is the ability to slow down the circulation of Spirit Qi within a cultivator’s body without diminishing the growth in power. This trait is particularly beneficial for Ting’er’s situation.

Due to Ting’er’s body being altered by the demonic orb, her meridians and dantian are filled with demonic energy. Whenever Ting’er’s cultivated Spirit Qi circulates within her body, the demonic nature in it intensifies slightly. However, with the "Soothing Spirit Pearl," any future crises Ting’er might face could be significantly reduced, and the demonic energy within her fire techniques could be considerably lessened.

In the audience, after Xu Qingfan’s announcement, a wave of astonishment swept through the crowd, all surprised by the precious reward for the competition. Then, in unison, everyone showed enthusiastic determination, vowing to perform exceptionally well in the contest.

Then, Zhang Hualing announced the start of the competition. As if sixty years ago, sixteen stone platforms appeared in the open space of the square. Sixteen elders flew to the platforms to act as judges, while disciples stepped onto the platforms to showcase their skills. In an instant, the platforms buzzed with fiery displays, golden flashes, roaring sounds, and Spirit Qi waves, creating a lively scene.

Ting’er, on the other hand, was assigned to the tenth platform. According to Xu Qingfan, there were no significant competitors on this platform.

Since Ting’er’s match hadn’t started yet, Xu Qingfan leisurely watched the ongoing contests on various platforms. Just as he had anticipated, after years of secluded training, the disciples’ abilities surpassed those of his time, yet lacked a genius like Jin Qinghan Feng Qingtian.

After watching for a while, Xu Qingfan noticed Jin Qinghan suddenly closing his eyes. With a smile, he asked, "Junior Brother Jin, what’s wrong? Not interested?"

Jin Qinghan said calmly, "It was alright, intense enough, but nothing really exciting."

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly, acknowledging that this time the internal competition indeed lacked someone who could make a striking impression.

Then, Xu Qingfan started discussing the matter of cultivation with Jin Qinghan. Jin Qinghan was exceptionally talented and practiced diligently. He had already reached the late stage of the Fake Golden Core Stage, just a step away from the Real Golden Core Stage. Xu Qingfan estimated that within the next couple of years, Jin Qinghan would break through.

After a lengthy conversation, Jin Qinghan’s realm was more advanced, while Xu Qingfan’s cultivation was quite unique. Both felt they had gained much from the discussion. Later, Lv Qingshang, Li Yuhan, and others joined in, further highlighting that this internal competition had nothing particularly captivating.

Just as everyone was deeply engaged in conversation, Lv Qingshang suddenly asked Xu Qingfan, "Why, Senior Brother Xu, aren’t you worried at all?"

Xu Qingfan asked, "What’s there to worry about?"

Lv Qingshang laughed and said, "This issue has spread among us already. This internal competition is also a test of our three academies’ effectiveness. If we don’t do well, the responsibility for the academies won’t be ours anymore."

Hearing Lv Qingshang’s words, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback but quickly understood. It was likely Gongsun Huasa who orchestrated this rumor to corner Xu Qingfan in case of defeat. Nonetheless, Xu Qingfan didn’t mind and smilingly said, "I’ve been busy cultivating these years, and you know the three academies better than I do. Especially the Lingji Stage disciples in Tianyuan Academy, many of whom are practically your disciples. Don’t you have any confidence in them?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, everyone smiled subtly. Only they knew how much effort they’d put into the academies over the years. In fact, the disciples with notable talent in the three academies had close ties with them. Additionally, some disciples in the academies had considerable skill even before their mentors passed away, so everyone was quite confident in this assessment.

Just then, Dongfang Qingling suddenly pointed at Platform Number Ten and said, "Ting’er is stepping up."