On the upper level of the coliseum, there was a spacious landing where many of Spirit Grove’s elders had gathered to oversee the annual sect competition. At first glance, they were chatting over tea or playing board games, and didn’t seem like they were paying attention at all. However, with their high cultivation, they could easily keep track of everything taking place around them.

Two elders in particular were playing a game of go that drew the most gazes. They were the Vice Sect Leader Gong Tai and an elder by the name of Shangguan Yezi.

“Yezi, how is the Grand Elder doing?”

“...Grandfather is doing well, but he is still facing the same bottleneck.” The man sighed. “The wall between the Violet Core realm and Spirit Divide realm is just too difficult.”

“I see. You should have more confidence in him. If anyone can do it, it is him. You may not have been alive during the time, but your grandfather was heralded as a once-in-a-ten-thousand-year genius. If he wasn’t part of the Shangguan family, he would have been swept away by the big sects from the mainland.”

“...”

“Anyway, how about you?”

“What about me? It hasn’t been long since I’ve broken through.”

“No, I’m talking about continuing your family’s bloodline. I heard you’re friendly with the young lady from the Violet Sword sect.”

“She is just an acquaintance. I want to dedicate everything towards my cultivation first.”

“...Well, that’s not a bad plan, with the future of Violet Isle being so turbulent.”

As the two esteemed cultivators were conversing, the loud cheering from their disciples down below drew their attention.

“That…that is Ling Xue. The most talented disciple of the new generation that Elder Tian discovered.” The Vice Sect Master noted.

“Elder Tian? I thought he had perished?”

“Elder Tian may have hit a bottleneck in his cultivation and has remained in the early Violet Core stages for many years, but he has many aces up his sleeve. It’s not surprising that he managed to escape from those demonic cultivators alive. He holed up somewhere to recover and has recently returned.”

Shangguan Yezi narrowed his eyes at having heard about the demonic cultivators.

“Those scum sure have been acting up more and more in recent times…”

“Hmm…As despicable as they are, they know how to band together, especially if we push too hard. It’s not easy changing the status quo when the mainlanders don’t care about our affairs whatsoever.”

The two continued their game of go in silence for a little while until a woman in light brown robes walked over and took a knee. They stood out among all the other sect members who wore olive-colored robes. That was intended to highlight them as members of the Guardians, the protectors of the sect.

“Vice Sect Master, I have an urgent report.”

“Speak.”

“The people from the Demonic Cultivator Territory are showing signs of gathering by our borders. Since the sect master is in closed-door cultivation, we are awaiting your orders, sir.”

“Have you contacted the other sects?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, I will go head out first. Shangguan Yezi, you take over here.”

“Of course. You can leave it to me.”

After taking one more look at the commotion going on below, Gong Tai, the Vice Sect Master instantly vanished from sight.

----------------------------------------

After winning his second match, Li Lang found himself sent off to another arena to continue the tournament.

When he arrived at arena number ten, he couldn’t help but gawk when he spotted not one familiar person, but two.

The people he recognized reacted in completely opposite manners.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Ling Xue barely acknowledged his presence and glanced away while Yang Quan glared at him as he aggressively approached.

His dorm mate didn’t bother to hide his disgusted expression as he spoke.

“I can’t believe a servant like you made it to the third round. The other outer disciples should be ashamed of themselves for losing to grade one aptitude trash.”

Having been occasionally harassed by this young boy over the months, Li Lang had entirely gotten used to it. It reminded him of all the drama he had in his younger days before he realized how stupid they were as he aged.

Li Lang only nodded toward him before turning to examine the other disciples.

I just need to beat a few more of them before I can get my hands on an Ascension Pill!

Seeing Li Lang ignore him, Yang Quan almost wanted to slap the big-headed boy before him, but managed to rein himself in as the deacon cleared the start of the new round.

With fewer disciples each round, the time between them shortened. The deacon in charge of the arena quickly called for the first pair of contestants.

“Ling Xue versus Ma Hong!”

Many cheers immediately rang out at having heard the name Ling Xue. She gained many fans despite her cold demeanor.

Her opponent slowly walked up to the stage with a scowl on his face. This wasn’t only due to having the crowd against him. It was also because of the lack of confidence he had going up against someone as powerful as Ling Xue despite her age.

Ma Hong was one year older than Ling Xue, having joined the sect one year prior, but he was otherwise an average disciple. He knew that it wasn’t likely he would win against one of the stars of the new generation.

His fears came true when the match started, and he was quickly sent flying out of the arena as his struggles proved futile.

“Winner, Ling Xue!”

The ice beauty exited the stage gracefully at the cheering of the crowd.

“Sister Ling, please use my handkerchief!”

“Fairy Ling, I would love to go over various techniques with you!”

Ling Xue was popular with both the boys and girls of the sect. The deacon even imbued Qi into his voice in order to overpower the crowd as he called out the next contestants.

“Next, Liang Lei versus Long Hua.”

While the audience quieted down to allow the deacon to speak, the spectators in the adjacent arena went into a frenzy.

Li Lang strained his ear to collect information on the unfamiliar names.

“I can’t believe after Ling Xue we will get to see Liu Xing, the star of the latest generation!”

“I heard Liu Xing possesses both immense talent and a unique physique! He’s made tremendous progress despite coming from a normal background within the short time since he has joined the sect.”

Li Lang directed some Qi into his eyes to get a look at the famous disciple, only to find Ling Xue right before the neighboring platform. She had somehow gotten to the arena for newcomer disciples and was speaking with a young boy.

Li Lang watched as she handed something to him before the boy ascended onto the stage for his fight.

The girl suddenly snapped her eyes and made direct eye contact with Li Lang for a split second, which made Li Lang look down as if he had been caught peeking. By the time he glanced back up, she had already disappeared.

The fights for the next round progressed smoothly, as well as the round that came after it. It was in the fourth match that Li Lang heard his name called up.

“Next, Li Lang versus Yang Quan.”

…Really? Am I really that unlucky, or did they somehow manage to fix the pairings?

Li Lang shook off his idle thoughts before climbing up onto the stage.

It wasn’t pleasant to fight against someone with a grudge against him, but it seemed it was unavoidable if he wanted a chance to make it to the top eight to attain an Ascension Pill.

On the other side of the stage, Yang Quan had a wide grin the entire time. His eyes never left Li Lang, even when the deacon spoke to them.

After repeating the rules once more, the match quickly started.

“It seems your luck has run out, servant!” Yang Quan declared before dashing straight for Li Lang.

It was apparent he wasn’t going to hold back like Li Lang’s previous opponents. It may have to do with the fact Li Lang had stepped into the fourth stage of Energy Gathering or that he had heard what happened in the previous rounds.

Wielding a spear, the short disciple with a grudge unleashed a flurry of thrusts at the young boy with a large head. Just as the match started, Li Lang was instantly pushed onto his back foot. Yang Quan showed off the difference of what just one stage of cultivation could do.

Li Lang had picked up a training sword to use after experimenting with how to envelop his Qi around it. However, he was a complete beginner with weapons and it showed. He barely held on against the first few attacks before he was forced to dodge instead as his Qi was drained rapidly with each strike.

“Stop running, coward!”

It didn’t take long before Li Lang was forced to the edge of the arena. Left with nowhere else to run, Yang Quang pressed the attack.

He cleverly feinted an attack on the shoulders before thrusting out accurately at Li Lang’s throat. Just as he smiled as he saw his spear break past his opponent’s guard, the ground trembled.

The earthquake affected everyone in the area and numerous cultivators in the Foundation Establishment or higher realms swiftly flew up into the air to avoid the commotion. The other disciples didn’t have such a luxury and the sound of screaming quickly overtook the entire venue.

Many disciples lost their balance and fell to the ground, and Li Lang was no exception. He tumbled off the arena and remained on all fours as he glanced around.

Li Lang was able to just get a glimpse of the nearby Ling Xue running with the stunned Liu Xing in hand before a purple fog suddenly gushed out of nowhere, adding to the chaos as it obfuscated everyone’s vision.

What in the world is happening?