20: Ma Zi is dead, Jiang Yan's murderous intent

The grand competition was in full swing.

While everyone was watching the matches and chatting, it was soon Ma Zi's turn to take the stage.

"Good luck!" Liang Jian encouraged.

"Mm." Ma Zi nodded and walked toward the arena with an expression of one prepared to die.

But just as Ma Zi was about to step onto the arena, Ji Daofeng suddenly shouted urgently, "Surrender quickly!"

Hmm?

Jiang Yan and Liang Jian were a bit dazed, completely failing to understand Ji Daofeng's actions.

Seeing that Ma Zi seemed to ignore him, Ji Daofeng said anxiously to Jiang Yan, "Tell your companion to surrender quickly, don't lose his life!"

Jiang Yan looked at the young man stepping onto the stage opposite Ma Zi: "Do you know him?"

"Oh, hurry up!"

This time Ji Daofeng was truly desperate; he directly shook Jiang Yan with his hands.

Jiang Yan was getting a bit annoyed. It was just a match; if he couldn't win, he could just surrender.

Impossible... Before Jiang Yan could finish that thought, the match on the arena had already begun.

But in the next moment, the situation on the arena suddenly changed.

The young man opposite Ma Zi waved his hand, and three streaks of Sword Qi shot out like shooting stars.

Immediately after, the three swords merged into one and shot toward Ma Zi's chest.

"Pfft!"

Ma Zi groaned as a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, splashing onto the arena and appearing exceptionally striking.

His body was like a sheet of paper swaying in the wind, slowly falling backward and slamming heavily onto the ground.

He wanted to struggle to his feet, but found all his strength gone, followed by a burst of sharp pain in his chest.

"I..."

Before Ma Zi could open his mouth to surrender, a gust of wind flipped him over again.

Then, the young man was seen clasping his hands together as a bolt of lightning instantly struck Ma Zi.

"Not good..." Jiang Yan was about to move, but in the next instant, he froze on the spot.

Ma Zi was dead... He died a miserable death, without even a corpse left behind.

Jiang Yan clenched his fists, his expression instantly becoming extremely grim.

In his ears, the voice of Ma Zi calling him "Little Brother Jiang" kept ringing.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the young man on the high stage, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.

His nails dug deep into his palms, and blood slowly dripped from his fists to the ground, yet he seemed unable to feel the pain.

A surge of sky-high rage welled up like a volcano about to erupt.

"Calm down! Don't let the Heart Demon erode your mind!" Ji Daofeng pressed his hands on Jiang Yan's shoulders and said in a low voice, "This is cultivation! This is reality!"

Jiang Yan's chest heaved as he stared fixedly at the young man walking off the stage, his teeth grinding audibly, and the Spiritual Qi around him swirled frantically.

"Who is he?" Jiang Yan asked word by word.

"The Fifth Prince of Da Gan, Zhou Ling!" Ji Daofeng said.

"Good! Another ghost from Da Gan seeking death!"

Jiang Yan closed his eyes abruptly. When he opened them again, the last trace of warmth in his eyes had completely vanished, leaving only intense killing intent.

"Don't worry, if I encounter him, I will kill him too!" Ji Daofeng promised.

Jiang Yan didn't take Ji Daofeng's words to heart; he wanted to personally avenge Ma Zi!

The competition continued as usual. No one would give up the competition because of a dead person, and no one would stop the fight because of the anger in a corner.

The cultivation world was just that cruel; the fall of a Cultivator was as common as carp crossing a river, let alone a mere Qi Refining First Layer Utility Disciple.

Just then, the match between No. 111 and No. 113 began.

"Be careful, don't be careless," Ji Daofeng warned.

Jiang Yan nodded and stepped toward the arena.

His opponent was a child of a noble family from outside the sect, a tall man with a very fierce appearance.

"Kid, surrender quickly, I don't want to kill anyone."

Jiang Yan frowned, his fists clenching even tighter, because whenever killing was mentioned, he thought of Zhou Ling.

It could even be said that Zhou Ling had already become his Heart Demon.

If Zhou Ling didn't die, he wouldn't be able to break through his Heart Demon.

Seeing that Jiang Yan ignored him, the young man instantly became angry.

"You're looking for death!" the young man roared, throwing a punch at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan neither dodged nor avoided, meeting the punch with one of his own.

"Bang!"

As the two fists collided, the young man screamed and flew backward, spitting blood.

As Jiang Yan stepped forward, the young man waved his hands repeatedly: "I... I surrender!"

Hearing the opponent surrender, Jiang Yan turned and left.

"Are you really here for the Outer Sect Disciple selection?" Ji Daofeng came to Jiang Yan's side in shock and whispered tentatively, "I feel like you're an Outer Sect Disciple who snuck in to smurf."

Jiang Yan squeezed out a smile and said calmly, "Maybe I really am."

This joke left Ji Daofeng and Liang Jian stunned.

But on second thought, it was impossible; after all, Outer Sect Disciples wouldn't have such leisure.

The competition continued, and it was soon Ji Daofeng's turn to take the stage.

His opponent was a Spirit Plant Menial Servant; the two exchanged blows quickly, but Ji Daofeng won even faster.

Jiang Yan could feel that Ji Daofeng wasn't using his full strength, or rather, the methods he was hiding were no fewer than his own.

As the first round of matches ended, the number of participating Disciples was halved.

And there were only one hundred spots for Outer Sect Disciples.

So the next round of matches would weed out those Disciples who were just trying their luck.

The rules for this round were simple: odd numbers against even numbers.

Of course, there was a bye in this round, and the bye number was No. 8, Liang Jian.

Seeing he had the bye, Liang Jian jumped up in joy.

"This dumb luck is truly unparalleled!" Ji Daofeng complained.

Jiang Yan also admired Liang Jian's luck; on second thought, this guy's luck along the way was indeed a bit Heaven-Defying.

The second round of matches began.

As the Disciples took the stage, Jiang Yan curiously asked Ji Daofeng, "Why did you choose cultivation? Isn't it better to be a prince or a lord living in peace and luxury?"

To Jiang Yan's question, Ji Daofeng smiled and said, "You're not the first person to ask me that, but I'd still like to tell you a story."

Jiang Yan didn't expect Ji Daofeng to be such an interesting person.

Ji Daofeng's story wasn't long; it was about a high-and-mighty monarch who was loved by his people and assisted by countless ministers, yet one day, such a grand figure had to kneel before an ordinary old man and was willing to pay tribute every year just to live a little longer.

"Glory and wealth might work for ordinary people, but for those who already possess them, they would rather trade them away, because they all understand one truth: as long as they live long enough, they will acquire even more wealth."

As Ji Daofeng finished, Jiang Yan nodded in agreement.

In fact, when he stood before the mountain gate of the Qingyun Sect, he had made the same choice as Ji Daofeng.

Therefore, he didn't think Liu Ruyan had done anything wrong.

After all, if there was a choice, who would choose to be an ordinary person?

"Senior Brother Jiang, it's your turn," Liang Jian reminded.

Jiang Yan stood up and walked quickly onto the arena.

Seeing that his opponent was Niu Xin, a Menial Servant from the Pill Refining Room, he didn't say much.

"Jiang Yan, you've been in the sect for two months, I didn't expect you to make it this far. However, your luck has run out." Niu Xin flexed his wrists, his eyes full of mockery.

Jiang Yan didn't want to waste words with him; he took a step forward and arrived directly in front of Niu Xin.

Seeing this, Niu Xin cursed "dammit" under his breath and swung his large saber at Jiang Yan.

Before Niu Xin's saber could fall, Jiang Yan's punch landed directly on Niu Xin's chest.

Niu Xin screamed and flew backward, slamming heavily onto the ground and passing out.

As he walked off the stage, many people who had never paid attention to him began to take notice.

Especially those Outer Sect Elders; Jiang Yan was now on their list of potential Disciples.

"Senior Brother Jiang is truly amazing," Liang Jian praised.

"Alright, stop flattering me. It'll be Ji Daofeng's match soon," Jiang Yan said.

As Ji Daofeng took the stage, the Disciples who viewed him as an opponent all focused their attention on the arena.

This time, Ji Daofeng's opponent was a noble from the Da Gan Dynasty. The moment they clashed, Ji Daofeng drew his longsword.

Before the opponent could react, Ji Daofeng had already taken his head.

Hiss...

The surrounding Disciples gasped; no one had expected Ji Daofeng to be so strong.

However, in Jiang Yan's view, Ji Daofeng's strike was still much too slow.

If it were him, he probably wouldn't even give the opponent a chance to strike.

Perhaps as his weapon skill proficiency increased, he also gained different insights into swordplay; it was this subtle feeling that gave him this confidence.