87: Chapter 87 You're such a coward!

"Zhe'er, rest assured, first place is absolutely yours."

On the plaza, atop a pavilion for the Inner Sect Competition, Inner Sect Elder Leng Qianqiu looked calmly at the dense crowd of disciples below and said to Yun Zhe in a very gentle voice.

"I have the confidence to take first place. Qianqiu, do you not believe in me that much?"

Yun Zhe replied very confidently.

"I know, Zhe'er." A look of doting appeared on the face beneath the mask of Inner Sect Elder Leng Qianqiu: "No one can take your first place away. No one."

The ranking of the Inner Sect Competition determines future resources, so no one could ignore this.

"Ahem, ahem—"

The two of them acting like this naturally caught the attention of the surrounding elders. A young Elder in the Heaven Profound Realm coughed twice, his face slightly dark, and he couldn't help but remind them: "Elder Leng, the thirty thousand Outer Sect disciples from all over have arrived. Can this Inner Sect Competition begin now?"

"Hmm... since that is the case, Elder Wang, then let us begin." Inner Sect Elder Leng Qianqiu looked at that young Elder Wang and said indifferently.

If one observed carefully, one could discover that this Elder Wang was the very person who had once brought Ye Xuan to the Outer Sect of the Cangqiong Holy Land. Unexpectedly, he was now also serving as an Outer Sect elder.

"Dong, dong, dong—"

The ancient bell chimes resounded across the plaza, dominating the space for dozens of miles around.

Thousands of arenas rose from the ground instantly, suddenly evoking a sense of solemnity.

Gasps of amazement, cheers, and shouts of joy rose and fell incessantly; it was the first time the new disciples had seen such a scene, and they were all venting the emotions in their hearts.

"Arena number ten?"

Ye Xuan looked at the information on his Inner Sect disciple token, found the rest area for Arena number ten, sat inside to rest, and waited for the call for his turn.

"Arena number ten, first round, tenth match: Ye Xuan of the ninth level of the True Profound Realm versus Zhi Ming of the eighth level of the True Profound Realm."

The cultivation levels read by the elder were all based on what was detected by the Cangqiong Holy Stone during registration.

At the same time, Ye Xuan opened his eyes. Dressed in a white robe, he leaped onto the arena, which was dozens of feet high.

"Come, Junior Brother Zhi."

Ye Xuan glanced at Zhi Ming indifferently and lost all interest.

Zhi Ming was an ordinary and mediocre disciple in the True Profound Realm; his destiny was merely that of a passerby, devoid of any significance.

"Heh, both Senior Brothers are in the ninth level of the True Profound Realm; this match will surely be very exciting."

"Compared to Senior Brother Zhi Ming, who has an ordinary appearance, I feel that Senior Brother Ye Xuan, who has a handsome appearance, has a higher chance of winning!"

"Come, come, don't waste any more words. For Zhi Ming, the odds are one to nine! For Ye Xuan, the odds are one to one!"

Below the rest area for Arena number ten, a group of disciples began shouting about the results of the match between Ye Xuan and Zhi Ming.

Of course, most did not think highly of Zhi Ming. There were those taking bets, and there were those betting on Zhi Ming to win; it was exceptionally lively.

"Damn it, to encounter a fellow disciple at the ninth level of the True Profound Realm in the very first match; do I really have to concede in the first round?"

Zhi Ming was struggling painfully in his heart. He looked at the ethereal-looking Ye Xuan with an unwilling expression, and in the end, could only let out a deep sigh.

"Elder, this disciple concedes!"

Without thinking, Zhi Ming bowed deeply to the stern-faced elder beside him and said with cupped hands.

"No way?! Damn, he just conceded like that? Why is this kid so cowardly!"

Jeers came from the rest area below the arena.

The presiding elder glanced at Ye Xuan, then nodded to Zhi Ming to show his approval, and immediately announced: "Ye Xuan wins!"

Following this announcement, Ye Xuan returned to the rest area contentedly to rest, waiting in anticipation for the second round of matches to arrive.

...

"Arena number ten, second round, first match: Ye Xuan of the ninth level of the True Profound Realm versus Wan Wuhui of the ninth level of the True Profound Realm."

"Ye Xuan wins!"

...

"Arena number ten, tenth round, third match: Ye Xuan of the ninth level of the True Profound Realm versus Xing Yu of the seventh level of the True Profound Realm."

"Ye Xuan wins!"

The presiding elder of Arena number ten announced the results coldly, and the disciples below were almost numb.

Who exactly is this Senior Brother Ye Xuan? Almost all the disciples he encounters cannot last ten moves against him, or they just concede at the start. Is he really that powerful?

...

"Is it finally going to end? Next is the melee for the thousand arena masters!"

It was just afternoon, and the scorching sun had shifted slightly. The top one thousand among the thirty thousand disciples had finally been decided.

Ye Xuan stood on Arena number ten like an immortal who had descended to the mortal world. After dozens of matches, most disciples were not his match and had all conceded.

Only one hotheaded youth thought that since he and Ye Xuan were both at the ninth level of the True Profound Realm, he wouldn't lose to Ye Xuan. As a result, he was beaten very badly and turned into a pig's head.

But in reality, Ye Xuan's true cultivation had long since reached the Spirit Profound Realm, and was even at the late stage of the sixth level.

"This Senior Brother Ye's strength is truly powerful. Clearly, they are all at the same cultivation level as other senior brothers, yet those senior brothers cannot last three rounds before him."

A disciple stood in the rest area, looking up at Ye Xuan on Arena number ten, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Heh, a weirdo has also emerged in this Inner Sect Competition of ours. See that? That Spirit Profound Realm senior brother has actually been lucky enough to have a bye for nine consecutive rounds."

A defeated disciple said loudly with envy.

At this time, another disciple also spoke the name of that lucky senior brother.

"Yeah, I heard about it this morning too. You all said that our Senior Brother Ye from the tenth district is a Pretty Boy, but in my opinion, that black-clad kid who has been standing by the female Elder is the real Pretty Boy!"

"The only few battles he had were against a few opponents at the seventh level of the True Profound Realm. If you ask me, that black-clad kid definitely has some relationship with the female Elder; he must be a guy who relies on a woman! Otherwise, I really don't believe he could have such good luck?"

Voices of contempt wandered through the rest area. When the other disciples heard this analysis, they all began to complain about the fairness of this Inner Sect Competition.

Ye Xuan heard the analysis of the disciples below and couldn't help but look toward Arena number ninety-nine, where he saw Yun Zhe, who was dressed in a black windbreaker and had an ordinary appearance.

"Oh? Yun Zhe? Inner Sect Elder Leng Qianqiu, this elder, is really a rich woman. However, if the protagonist didn't have some privileges, how could he soar straight into the clouds?"

Having a bye for ten rounds out of a total of fifteen matches; Inner Sect Elder Leng Qianqiu is really supportive.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

"Being able to stand out among tens of thousands of disciples has already proven your true talent." The elder standing beside Inner Sect Elder Leng Qianqiu stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said slowly: "In the afternoon at the Hour of the Sheep, the ranking match to compete for the top ten will be held. I hope you will all take it seriously."

Another elder at the ninth level of the Heaven Profound Realm used a profound technique to directly withdraw the thousand arenas. With a flick of his hand, an ancient, super-large arena the size of a hundred zhang instantly appeared before everyone.

"Wow, is this the final melee?"

"Looking at this move, what follows next is the melee of a thousand people. Whoever can get into the top ten will surely be able to obtain good things!"

"Yeah, sigh, it's a pity. We are all mediocre people and can only stand in the rest area and watch..."

A crowd of disciples looked at everything above with envy, jealousy, and hatred.