46: The Inner Sect Competition has begun!

After resting for a moment, Zhang Yang cast aside distracting thoughts, calmed his mind, and once again immersed himself in cultivation.

As the sun dipped into the west and twilight gathered, the Qi within Zhang Yang's body began to flow, and the footwork beneath him suddenly became profound and unpredictable.

With one step forward, seven solid-looking afterimages appeared, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the false. They crisscrossed and moved as if seven people were shifting positions simultaneously!

Seven Star Steps had finally reached Perfection!

In the time that followed, Zhang Yang devoted all his efforts to refining Purple Sun Pills to increase his cultivation.

Since stepping into the Profound Core Realm, the liquid True Essence in his Dantian had all been converted into more refined Origin Power, which possessed a higher level of strength.

However, with this came the fact that the number of Purple Sun Pills required for each Realm increase had become even more shocking—it could be described as a massive amount!

The Ninth Level of the Profound Core Realm—each step is like climbing to the heavens!

The Origin Power accumulation and the consumption of Purple Sun Pills needed to break through each level were far beyond what an ordinary person could imagine.

Zhang Yang focused his mind and peered inward, sinking his consciousness into his Dantian.

Upon the Profound Core, a single cloud pattern was faintly visible, shimmering with light; this was the symbol of the First Level of Profound Core Realm.

Every time he broke through a level, another cloud pattern would be branded onto the Profound Core. Once nine patterns were gathered, he could attempt to break through to the Infant Transformation Realm!

Thanks to his even more powerful Physical Body and his increased Realm, the speed at which Zhang Yang refined Purple Sun Pills had reached an inconceivable level!

Time flew by, and on the day the Inner Sect Grand Competition was to begin, the first light of dawn appeared.

Inside the quiet room, nearly six thousand Purple Sun Pills had been completely refined and absorbed by Zhang Yang, transformed into a surging torrent of Origin Power within his Dantian.

However, his cultivation Realm had only increased by one level, reaching only the Second Level of Profound Core Realm!

"Whew..." Zhang Yang exhaled a long breath of turbid air, his breath like an arrow, creating a slight breeze in the quiet room.

He couldn't help but shake his head slightly, a complex expression appearing on his face:

"The consumption of these Purple Sun Pills is simply too staggering! Nearly six thousand! It was only enough for me to break through to the second level of Xuandan?"

Recalling the past, when Zhang Yang was at the Fourth Layer of the Meridian Opening Realm, a mere five Purple Sun Pills were enough to help him smoothly enter the Meridian Connecting Fifth Layer.

Now, these six thousand pills had only yielded a single level Breakthrough in the Profound Core Realm!

The difference between the two was like the distance between the clouds and the mud.

"It seems I must obtain first place in this Inner Sect Grand Competition!" Zhang Yang's eyes shone with brilliance, and his Battle Intent surged.

"Calculating based on this rate of consumption, I wonder how many Purple Sun Pills it will take to reach the Ninth Level of the Profound Core Realm!"

"If I become the Sect Head's personal Disciple, I probably won't have to worry about Purple Sun Pills anymore, right?"

The thought of taking first place in the Inner Sect Grand Competition became more resolute than ever in Zhang Yang's heart!

In fact, the root of Zhang Yang's current "distress" lay in his Heaven-Defying refining speed.

Compared to Zhang Yang, the speed at which an ordinary Profound Core Realm Martial Artist refined Purple Sun Pills was like the difference between heaven and an abyss.

If those six thousand Purple Sun Pills were refined by them, it would take at least half a year to a year of hard work.

Yet Zhang Yang had only used about three short days!

This kind of shocking refining speed was far beyond even the Prodigies of the Clear Wind Sect!

The main reason for this was the Bright Moon Art simplified by the simplification system; it could be activated just by deep breathing, making it many times faster!

Only someone like Zhang Yang, whose refining speed was inhumanly fast, would have this kind of distress.

"The time has come! It's time to head to the Martial Arts Stage to participate in the Inner Sect Grand Competition!"

Zhang Yang stood up abruptly, pushed open the stone door of the quiet room, and walked toward the Martial Arts Stage.

At this moment, the Martial Arts Stage was a sea of people, with waves of sound crashing like the tide!

The triennial Inner Sect Grand Competition was a major event for the Clear Wind Sect. Almost all the Disciples of the Sect had come out in full force, gathering here to catch a glimpse of the Prodigies' elegance.

Not only that, but all the prominent martial arts families and Sects, large and small, in the Southern Region had received formal invitations from the Clear Wind Sect and had sent representatives to observe the ceremony.

As early as yesterday, the massive formation covering the Martial Arts Stage had been activated at full power. Array patterns interlaced and shone on the ground, forcibly expanding the original Martial Arts Stage by more than ten times.

Around the Martial Arts Stage, tiers of floating viewing platforms rose out of thin air, stacking layer upon layer and spiraling upward until they reached the surrounding mountain Peaks!

At this moment, the circular viewing platforms were already packed with Clear Wind Sect Disciples, heads moving and voices thundering.

The guests from various invited powers were arranged in the upper viewing areas.

The stronger the power and the deeper its foundation, the higher its viewing seats were, offering a broader field of vision and symbolizing a more respected status.

The very top layer, which overlooked the entire Martial Arts Stage and seemed to stand amidst the clouds, was entirely occupied by Great Experts of the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Such a grand gathering included almost all the known Nascent Transformation Realm experts in the Southern Region!

By holding this Inner Sect Grand Competition, the Clear Wind Sect also intended to showcase its foundation to the entire Southern Region.

On the top layer, hundreds of figures stood tall and prominent.

Some were as burly as dragons or tigers, in the prime of their lives with Peak blood and Qi;

Others had white hair and beards, their faces weathered by time.

The Lifespan of the Nascent Transformation Realm was long, nearly a thousand years!

Those who could reach this Realm were all the most brilliant geniuses of the Southern Region in the last thousand years!

Now, they were gathered together!

"Look! That's the Great Expert Jiang Dao from Lingyuan City! Senior Brother Jiang Haochuan's father! He actually came in person!"

"Oh my god! Old Man Lingkun! Even this Senior, who has been in seclusion for many years, has come! He wasn't seen in the previous competitions!"

"Sect Master! The Sect Master has come out of seclusion!"

Below the viewing platforms, countless Disciples looked up at the highest level in excitement, their discussions rising and falling. These Nascent Transformation Realm experts, famous throughout the Southern Region, were usually very hard to encounter!

Zhang Yang also followed the crowd's exclamations and looked over, his gaze falling upon the current Sect Master of the Clear Wind Sect.

He was a middle-aged man with a resolute face and short hair that stood up like a crew cut from his previous life, adding a bit more sharpness to his appearance.

Just by standing there casually, he seemed like a peerless demonic blade, his invisible edge threatening to tear through the firmament!

That gaze, which looked down upon everything in all directions, contained a heart-palpitating ferocity and majesty.

Slightly to the left of the Sect Master, Elder Wang stood quietly, his demeanor calm and profound.

As if sensing Zhang Yang's gaze, Elder Wang's eyes pierced through the crowd and landed precisely on him, a slight smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Zhang Yang felt a slight chill in his heart and withdrew his gaze.

That Elder Wang could stand on this top layer, which symbolized the highest status, and stand beside the Sect Master, meant his status was self-evident.

He must have a very close relationship with the Sect Master and was himself a hidden Great Expert of the Infant Transformation Realm!

"Jiang Dao! You old brat, you finally showed up!"

Seeing the newcomer, the Clear Wind Sect Master Ling Yue laughed loudly, his voice like a great bell, causing the surrounding clouds to scatter slightly.

"Ling Yue, your cultivation... is becoming more and more unfathomable!"

Jiang Dao strode up to Ling Yue. The two were life-and-death friends who had traveled together in their younger years.

Just from the majestic Aura that unintentionally leaked from Ling Yue, causing ripples in space, Jiang Dao knew.

His old friend's cultivation had made another great stride forward, and he was likely not far from the Grotto-Heaven Realm!

Dong—!

A loud sound, like a great bell, spread throughout the Sect gates, distant and long, announcing that the registration for the Inner Sect Grand Competition had officially begun!

This competition was divided into two groups: the first was the Meridian Opening Realm group, specifically established for Meridian Opening Realm Disciples;

The second was the "unlimited group," for which only those with a cultivation at the Spirit Aperture Realm and above could register.

Of course, if a Meridian Opening Realm Disciple considered their strength to be extraordinary, they could also challenge this group as an exception.

The Meridian Opening Realm group was an additional way for the Sect to provide resources to Disciples with slightly lesser talent.

Although the rewards for its rankings were far less generous than those of the unlimited group, there were many more slots to receive rewards.

The unlimited group, however, was the true battlefield!

Its rewards were enticing enough to drive all Inner Sect Disciples mad: Earth-rank Martial Skills, and even precious Storage Rings!

A Storage Ring, such a spatial treasure, could only be refined by peerless experts of the Grotto-Heaven Realm through great effort. On the market, they were considered priceless and extremely rare.

Only a top-tier Sect with a deep foundation like the Clear Wind Sect, which was guarded by a Grotto-Heaven Realm Old Ancestor, would have the boldness to offer one as a reward for the Inner Sect Grand Competition.