Battle against Chu Yong
At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), in the Direct Disciple Area,
The Disciples of each Peak all had fixed seating. After Chen Yuan found the Ziqing Peak seats, he sat down directly and closed his eyes to Cultivate.
Behind the Five Peaks' seating, rows of seats were arranged like stadium stands, for other Disciples to come and watch.
Before long, Qin Shuhan brought Ye Baixi, flying over from the horizon on Flying Swords.
After landing, Chen Yuan stood up and bowed, “Great Senior Sister.”
Qin Shuhan retracted her Flying Sword, waved her hand, and said, “No need for formalities. Sit down first and adjust your condition.”
Chen Yuan nodded.
Little Baixi, standing next to him, hooked her arm through his and smiled, “Big Brother, good luck!”
Hearing this, Chen Yuan pinched her cheek and encouraged her similarly, “You too, good luck.”
Just then, the space above twisted, and five spectral figures stepped out from the Void Realm—they were the Peak Masters of the Five Great Peaks.
In mid-air, the four bowed respectfully to the Sect Master, and then exchanged greetings.
Although they were exchanging greetings, there was a feeling of sharp antagonism.
“Elder Leng is here today too! I remember those two Disciples under you were only accepted half a month ago, right? Coming to participate in the Newcomer Grand Competition after only half a month of Cultivation, aren't you afraid they'll embarrass your Ziqing Peak?”
Yuanqing Peak Elder stroked his beard and teased.
“You don't need to trouble yourself worrying about me, Elder Yuan. My requirements for them aren't high; top ten is fine.”
Leng Youmeng chuckled lightly, showing no deference to Elder, and retorted, “I'm just afraid that Elder Yuan's Disciple might accidentally lose to my Little Disciple, causing everyone to laugh.”
The Four Peaks constantly checked and competed against each other. Elder had always been at odds with Leng Youmeng.
The reason was simple: during the last Sect Grand Competition, Elder's Grandson lost to Qin Shuhan, suffering damage to his Dao Heart, which Elder had held a grudge over ever since.
Sect Master Sect Master stood between the two and waved his hand, saying, “Enough. The Grand Competition is about to begin. Please take your seats.”
Leng Youmeng took a step and landed in front of Chen Yuan and the others.
Seeing this, the three of Qin Shuhan quickly bowed.
“We greet Revered Master.”
Today, Leng Youmeng was wearing a fiery red dress outlined with gold and silver threads. When her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, her entire aura seemed to be wrapped in ice.
“No need for formalities.” She gently raised her hand and sat directly in the Peak Master's seat.
The three of Qin Shuhan sat behind her.
In front of outsiders, Revered Master had reverted to her usual cold and aloof demeanor, Chen Yuan thought, before looking around.
The seating arrangement for the Five Peaks was also very particular, divided according to the strength of the Five Peaks' Elders.
In the very center, backed by the Dao Discussion Cliff and facing due south, were naturally the seats of Tianqing Peak, led by the Sect Master.
The remaining Four Peaks were located at the four corners of the Dao Discussion Platform, surrounding the entire platform in the center.
According to the rule on Xuanling Continent that the right side is the position of honor, Leng Youmeng was the strongest expert below the Sect Master, so Ziqing Peak was naturally located to the right of Tianqing Peak.
Yuanqing Peak Elder, ranked third in strength, was located to the left of Tianqing Peak.
Opposite Ziqing Peak was Yanqing Peak, ranked fourth, and to its right was Zhuqing Peak, which ranked last.
Zhuqing Peak had a Female Elder named Peak Master.
She wore a light green Flowing Immortal Dress, with exquisite Vermillion and Jade Hair Accessories adorning her classical chignon, and strands of black hair draped over her shoulders.
Her face was beautiful, her lips like cherries, and her nose delicate, but the biggest contrast was her height.
Chen Yuan had met Peak Master Elder before, when he made his Golden Core Breakthrough.
Her name sounded like a gentle big sister, but she turned out to be a 1.55-meter Little Loli.
Don't let her short stature fool you; she's ruthless when fighting.
The System rated her with an extremely high score of 96 points.
Chen Yuan shifted his gaze behind Elder Zhu and happened to meet Song Shiwei's eyes.
He saw her give a sweet smile and wave at him.
Chen Yuan was stunned. Was she greeting him?
“What, you know Song Shiwei?” A cold voice sounded from the left.
Chen Yuan turned his head to look at Qin Shuhan and explained, “Great Senior Sister, I don't know Senior Sister Song.”
“Then why is she greeting you?” Qin Shuhan's eyes were scrutinizing. After a moment, she looked away, “I don't like her, and you are not allowed to have any dealings with her.”
“Yes,” Chen Yuan replied. This Great Senior Sister is a bit overbearing! But she is his Senior Sister, after all!
Afterward, Chen Yuan looked toward Yuanqing Peak.
Elder was sitting in front, and a person behind him caught Chen Yuan's attention.
This person was Zheng Tiancheng, the Young Revered Master of the Zheng Family, at the Late Nascent Soul stage cultivation.
He had a somewhat effeminate appearance, yet gentle with underlying strength, and his eyes concealed sharp intent.
Zheng Tiancheng seemed to sense someone observing him. He turned his head and met Chen Yuan's gaze.
Seeing that it was only a Golden Core Stage Disciple who looked rather unremarkable except for being handsome, he immediately withdrew his gaze, stopped observing, and continued to close his eyes in feigned sleep.
Exactly at Chen Shi (7-9 AM),
An Elder leaped onto the Dao Discussion Platform. Then, he cleared his throat and announced, “The 660th Newcomer Grand Competition officially begins!”
Instantly, earth-shaking cheers erupted from the Outer Sect Area and Inner Sect Area. Compared to the Outer and Inner Sects, the Direct Disciple Area seemed much quieter.
Only fourteen people participated in the Direct Disciple Grand Competition in total.
At this moment, dozens of figures stepped through the mist from the distant sky—they were all Personal Disciples from various Peaks.
The Grand Competition was divided into two rounds.
In the first round, opponents were determined by drawing lots, with pairs fighting each other.
The seven winners of the first round would be the top seven in the Grand Competition.
In the second round, the top seven and the remaining seven would engage in separate Team Battles, and the person ultimately remaining on the Dao Discussion Platform would be the Grand Competition's champion.
Therefore, getting into the top ten was truly not difficult.
The drawing began. Ye Baixi drew number two to go on stage. Her opponent was a Zhuqing Peak Female Disciple whose cultivation was at the Golden Core Third Layer, the same strength as her.
Ye Baixi had a very high chance of winning.
Chen Yuan drew number one to go on stage. Unfortunately, his opponent was Tianqing Peak Disciple Chu Yong.
“That must be the Newly Initiated Disciple from Ziqing Peak! What terrible luck! To be matched against Chu Yong.”
The Direct Disciples below gathered and discussed amongst themselves.
Some people felt overshadowed when they looked at Chu Yong.
Because Chu Yong's Aptitude was the highest, the only Saint Grade, during the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony.
He only took two years to Break through to the Golden Core Eighth Layer.
The previous batch of Direct Disciples, who had been initiated 22 years ago, had only just managed to reach the Golden Core Fifth Layer.
One can imagine what Disciples with worse Aptitude looked like.
The endpoint for the Outer Sect is likely Foundation Establishment.
The endpoint for the Inner Sect is mostly Golden Core. Those with good luck might be able to Break through to Nascent Soul and become a Deacon Elder.
Breaking through from Golden Core to Nascent Soul is an even bigger hurdle; many generations of Personal Disciples have been stuck at the Golden Core Ninth Level for over a hundred years.
Direct Disciples with high Comprehension Ability usually Breakthrough to Nascent Soul around three hundred years of age.
However, the Path of Cultivation is long and arduous; there is no need to rush.
On stage, the Elder presiding over the Grand Competition announced loudly, “The match begins! Please welcome Ziqing Peak Disciple Chen Yuan and Tianqing Peak Disciple Chu Yong onto the stage.”
“Don't be too nervous. With your strength, defeating him shouldn't be a problem.”
Leng Youmeng's voice was cold. Inside, she felt a slight anticipation, wondering what expression Elder would have when Chen Yuan knocked Chu Yong off the Ring.
“Yes!” Chen Yuan respectfully clasped his fists and then jumped onto the Dao Discussion Platform.
“Do you think this Chen Yuan can defeat Chu Yong?” A woman's voice sounded next to Zheng Tiancheng's ear.
The woman was named Wei Lan. She was Zheng Tiancheng's Dao Companion, had joined Yuanqing Peak forty-four years ago, and her cultivation was at the Golden Core Ninth Level.
There were also differences among Direct Disciples. This Wei Lan was the type with high Comprehension Ability, resources at hand, and came from a Fifth Grade Nascent Soul Dynasty.