novelhk Chapter 26 Sect Grand Competition 5
Chapter 26 Sect Grand Competition 5
Lin Yue's heart was already starting to stir with excitement. Although his reckless actions had caused an accident during the sect competition, he believed that his father could handle everything.
Seeing Dong Wan and Zhang Yunling leave, Elder Wang ignored them and continued the sect competition. The elders in the Elder Council all had furrowed brows, and Sect Master Lin Jiangcheng was also deep in thought. Although he was mostly aware of the sect's underhanded dealings, he turned a blind eye, and sometimes even participated himself.
But this blatant disruption of a major event like the sect competition has caused quite a stir. Regardless of Lin Jiangcheng's attitude, even Elder Lin Shan looked grim and had some suspicions that it was his son Lin Yue who was behind it.
"Damn it, he's like a dog that gets up on the roof if you don't discipline him for three days. We've only had a few days of peace and quiet, and he's already causing trouble again... If it weren't for the fact that he's still young but his cultivation level is not low, I would have severed our father-son relationship long ago, hmph!" Lin Shan thought to himself, his left hand supporting his forehead.
Soon, the third round of the competition began. Unlike the previous two rounds, the third round involved using alchemical fire to refine herbs. Within one hour, the person who could refine as many herbs as possible into essence would be guaranteed to advance.
Because many powerful inner sect alchemists participated in the second round of the alchemy competition, the overall quality of the pills was raised, so unsurprisingly, the number of disciples eliminated was much higher than in the first round.
At this moment, only a hundred or so disciples remained in the arena. After what had happened, everyone was more or less worried about the final result of this sect competition. Elder Wang remained calm and composed, and with a wave of his sleeve, more than a hundred storage bags flew out from his sleeve and landed in the hands of the disciples.
Lin Qingxue, the sect's holy maiden who chose to keep a low profile in the first two rounds, still did not go all out in this third round, hoping only to secure her place in the next round.
Although the disciples beside her were already overwhelmed with the matter of refining herbs, they still kept an eye on the Holy Maiden. They were all puzzled as to why this outstanding talent did not show off like the other inner disciples, but remained silent.
Lin Qingxue's expression was cold and indifferent, as if everyone on the field, including the entire sect competition, was nothing more than an insignificant thing to her.
Indeed, given her current status and reputation, she can ignore everyone else in the Qiankun Dao except for the sect leader and elders.
Inner Gate Mountains, Dong Wan Cave.
Zhang and Dong were discussing their treasure-hunting plan in the mansion, but Dong Wan remained deeply suspicious. As Zhang Yunling carefully examined the map of the inner sect's territory, she spoke up again, asking:
“Xu Tianli, if you do this, not only will you no longer be able to stay in the sect, but if you choose to run away, you will also be hunted down by the powerful figures sent by the elders until the treasure is taken back. It’s not worth it to make your future a life of hiding and running away just to get a treasure.”
Zhang Yunling smiled, rubbed his dry eyes from staring at the map for a long time, and looked up at Dong Wan. The sharp light in his eyes made Dong Wan, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, feel like she wanted to dodge.
Dong Wan pouted her red lips and said somewhat indignantly, "What's wrong? Am I wrong? No matter how hard you try to get something that isn't yours, it's destined not to belong to you. Judging from the current power situation of the Qiankun Sect's higher-ups, the rankings for this sect competition are probably predetermined."
Zhang Yunling listened with great interest to Dong Wan's persuasion until she emphasized several times how dangerous it was to seize the Dao Fortune Lotus Seed. Only then did Zhang Yunling interrupt, "Alright, alright, listen to me."
"What, you've changed your mind?" Dong Wan blinked, waiting for Zhang Yunling to continue.
“Just as you said, the Qiankun Dao itself has corrupt aspects. Since you know this, don’t the other disciples know it?” Zhang Yunling stared at Dong Wan, his strange expression growing stronger.
Upon hearing this, Dong Wan's delicate body trembled violently, and the words stuck in her throat. Zhang Yunling continued, "If I go alone and openly rob them, that would definitely be the worst option. But if it causes a riot among the disciples who know about the sect's scandals, it would be much safer for me to go and fish in troubled waters."
Dong Wan suddenly understood, and the seriousness on her face eased a lot. She laughed along with Zhang Yunling, "Listen to me, we'll both blend into the audience. When the sect competition is about to end, we'll split up and shout out the pre-determined rankings from different places, and I'll get the treasure in no time."
Then, Zhang Yunling took out a dark yellow copper ring from the patched and tattered storage bag at his waist, placed it on the stone table and said, "If the plan doesn't go smoothly, this will become my trump card. It's a life-saving treasure that can protect me from being killed by those elders."
Seeing Zhang Yunling's confidence, Dong Wan had a question: "What benefits will I get after this is done?"
Zhang Yunling was taken aback for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "Don't you want to organize those disciples who have prejudices against the Qiankun Dao to unite against this corrupt Elders' Council?"
A barely perceptible ruthlessness flashed in Dong Wan's beautiful eyes, her expression turning serious, and her gaze towards Zhang Yunling became complex. "You're right, but we've only met by chance. This shouldn't have come from your mouth..."
Zhang Yunling put away the brass ring on the table, chuckled nonchalantly, and said, "I don't care. Our goals are different. You've taken advantage of my plan to carry out your own actions. Let's keep to ourselves, isn't that wonderful?"
Dong Wan's expression remained complicated, and she remained silent, but she still nodded slightly in agreement.
Inner Gate, Martial Arts Arena.
At this time, the third round of the sect competition had also ended. Disciples who did not reach the top thirty in terms of the number of herbs they refined were eliminated. However, the sect still rewarded these disciples as a way of compensating them for coming to participate in the competition and persevering until the end.
After a short rest, the fourth and final round of the ultimate competition began. Not only Elder Wang, but also several elders from the Elder Pavilion, including Sun Fuling, flew out and stepped into the arena to stand side by side with Elder Wang.
"In the path of alchemy, no matter how you cultivate and comprehend the Dao, the ultimate goal is to refine pills. This final competition will truly test your foundation."
After saying this, several elders raised their hands and waved them. Instantly, a pill furnace and a storage bag appeared in front of each of the thirty people present. The furnaces were small and old, and seemed to have been through many years, so their original appearance was no longer visible.
Elder Wang's deep voice resounded in the ears of all the disciples once again: "I will give each of you a pill formula, which records the method of refining a third-grade pill. Although it is only a third-grade pill, the refining of this pill is very complicated and unpredictable, and it will severely test the alchemist's basic skills and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The slightest carelessness will lead to failure, and in severe cases, it may even cause the furnace to explode."
The alchemy furnaces used in this competition are all dilapidated, as you can see, which exponentially increases the difficulty of the competition...
After the introduction, these fourth- or even fifth-grade alchemists from the inner sect felt some pressure, but they already had a stereotype that third-grade pills could be easily refined, and most disciples were still full of confidence.
"The four elders beside me will strictly supervise your refining process. If any accident occurs, we will rush to the rescue immediately. So there's no need to worry too much about the furnace exploding. Now, the final battle begins!"
As soon as Elder Wang finished speaking, the thirty participating disciples immediately began refining the pills. Since there was no time limit, and no one was a fool, they all chose to follow this unfamiliar pill formula step by step.
Saintess Lin Qingxue finally decided to use all her strength. Because many of the disciples in front of her had been eliminated in the third round, her position was closer to the elders. The storage bag and alchemy furnace that were given to her contained something else entirely.
At this moment, Sun Fuling secretly transmitted his divine sense to Lin Qingxue, saying, "Holy Maiden, the alchemy furnace I gave you may look old, but it is actually a high-level alchemy cauldron that has been packaged. I have already placed refined Dao Luck Lotus Seeds inside. You only need to use the other auxiliary herbs in your storage bag to refine them into pills and you will be done."
Upon hearing these words, Lin Qingxue's joy was palpable, yet her expression remained indifferent. She silently took out herbs from her storage bag and began to diligently refine the pill that was exclusively for her.
Time passed slowly, and gradually some disciples began to experience furnace explosions. The elders rushed over to rescue them until only a dozen or so people remained unharmed by the explosions. Finally, the other disciples noticed Lin Qingxue's alchemy process.
"Why are the pills refined by the Holy Maiden different from ours?" A fifth-grade alchemist stared intently at Lin Qingxue's alchemy furnace and asked the elder in a deep voice.
Instead of directly refuting him, Sun Fuling used his Nascent Soul stage cultivation to forcefully suppress the disciple's voice and wait for Lin Qingxue to finish refining the pill.
Seeing that he was suppressed and unable to speak further, the disciple had to suppress his anger and submit to the elders' powerful cultivation. Seeing that the one who stood out had been targeted, the other disciples also stopped trying to question them and silently refined the pills in their hands.
At that very moment, someone in the audience shouted, instantly drawing gasps and gasps from the crowd outside the stadium:
"The rankings for this sect competition were predetermined; the first place will definitely go to the Holy Maiden!!!"