25: The fight begins, and we meet a strong enemy for the first time

Lin Yuan smiled faintly and said, "The top hundred is just the beginning; what comes next is the main event."

Those who could survive among ten thousand people were all Outer Sect elites, and their strength was unquestionable. It would be quite difficult for him to aim for the top ten.

Gu Shuqin nodded and said, "The second round of the Outer Sect Competition is indeed not easy, but I am already very satisfied that you have made it this far. Even if you don't achieve anything further, I won't say anything, so don't put pressure on yourself."

Miao Yizi waved her small fists, cheering, "Senior Brother, you can do it! Junior Sister will always support you from behind!"

Looking at the two gentle women, Lin Yuan nodded and said, "Yes, I will do my best."

After a short intermission, the second round of drawing lots began.

Lin Yuan drew a bamboo slip from the lot container, and the number twenty-six was written on it.

"It seems I should be the twenty-sixth to appear."

He thought to himself.

As the second round of the Outer Sect Competition began, everyone left the beast-fighting arena and came to a nearby ring.

The ring looked ancient and majestic, clearly showing its age.

The Outer Sect high-ranking officials ascended a high platform nearby, overlooking the scene around the ring.

"Next, the Cultivators whose numbers are called, please come onto the stage to fight, starting from number one."

The referee Elder stood on the ring and spoke.

Then, two men were seen ascending the ring.

"In the Outer Sect Competition, Mortal Weapons can be used for combat, but Spiritual Artifacts are forbidden. Additionally, this is a friendly sparring match; stop when appropriate, and do not intentionally harm fellow Disciples. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Good, the first match officially begins!"

As the Elder's words fell, he jumped off the ring.

The two on stage quickly broke into a fight.

It ended with the victory of the man on the left.

Match after match, Lin Yuan observed the Moves of his fellow Disciples, gaining experience from the losers.

"Number eight Cultivator, please come onto the stage."

When it came to number eight, the figure of the purple-clad woman reappeared in everyone's sight.

"It's Liu Yuyan! It seems her opponent is in for trouble!"

"With Miss Liu making a Move, the other person has absolutely no chance of victory."

"How about we guess how many Moves her opponent can withstand?"

As everyone discussed, a man below the stage looked at the number eight bamboo slip in his hand, his face quite dejected.

He truly hadn't expected to be so unlucky as to run into the strongest Outer Sect Disciple of this year's competition.

Originally, he had wanted to try and break into the top ten, but now it seemed there was no chance.

Despite his inner turmoil, he had no choice but to jump onto the ring, cupping his hands and saying, "Outer Sect Disciple Zhou Bo greets Junior Sister Liu."

Liu Yuyan still maintained a cold and arrogant expression, calmly saying, "I won't bully you. You make the first Move."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bo wasted no more words, circulating his Qi and quickly stepping forward.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, just as he entered within three zhang of her, Liu Yuyan had already raised her long whip and casually lashed it out.

With a 'snap,' the man was whipped away, falling off the ring.

"Hiss!"

Seeing this, everyone gasped in cold air!

Although Zhou Bo's strength was not as good as Liu Yuyan's, he was a well-known master in the Outer Sect, possessing Opening Meridian Ninth Level cultivation, the same as his opponent.

However, with the same cultivation, he couldn't even last a single Move against her!

How could this woman's strength be so terrifying?

Is the gap between people really that vast?

"The strength of the Liu family's girl is indeed extraordinary. It's truly unfortunate for this Zhou Bo to have met her."

An Elder on the high platform spoke.

The other Elders also nodded in agreement.

If he hadn't encountered Liu Yuyan, with Zhou Bo's strength, he could have still contended for a spot in the top ten.

Now, he could only leave regretfully, truly having bad luck.

"How coincidental, I just arrived and saw my Young Miss win."

Suddenly, a voice sounded, and a purple-robed Elder appeared with the sound, suddenly materializing on the high platform.

Seeing the newcomer, everyone's expressions brightened, and they immediately stood up and saluted, "Greetings, Elder Liu."

The newcomer was precisely Liu Yuyan's clan uncle, the Inner Sect Elder Liu Mo.

At this moment, even Geng Xiu, who was nominally the Sect Leader of the Outer Sect, lowered his head the most.

He was nominally the authority figure of the Outer Sect, but in reality, he only had Qi Gathering Realm cultivation, equivalent to an Inner Sect deacon.

However, an Inner Sect Elder was at least a strong Cultivator of the Core Formation Realm!

Such masters, each one of them, were existences that could sweep through armies and dominate a region.

To put it bluntly, a Core Formation Realm Cultivator could already establish a Sect.

The Old Ancestors of some smaller Sects possessed this level of cultivation.

"We are all Elders; you are too polite."

Liu Mo waved his hand. As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the ring, clearly not putting these Elders in his eyes.

His purpose for coming today was to protect Liu Yuyan's safety and to see if any Disciple in the Outer Sect could contend with his niece.

Upon hearing his words, everyone couldn't help but inwardly grumble.

What do you mean 'all Elders'? Can our Elders be compared to your Elder?

There's a difference of two Major Achievements, alright!

To put it harshly, if the Sect hadn't given them the title of Outer Sect Elder, their Condensing Core cultivation would be nothing in the eyes of the Inner Sect.

They were merely a group of useless individuals whose talent had run out; any Disciple from the Inner Sect could easily defeat them.

On the ring at this moment, after Liu Yuyan won the fight, her face showed no ripples, and she leaped away directly.

For her, this Outer Sect Competition was merely a formality.

In her eyes, Outer Sect Disciples were all useless, not worthy of her full effort.

Fighting with these people was just a waste of her time.

Her goal was the Inner Sect.

Only by entering the Inner Sect could she truly enter the stage of Geniuses and truly unleash her value.

"Number nine Cultivator, please come onto the stage."

After a brief moment of surprise, the Outer Sect Competition continued.

Each match took on average less than a quarter of an hour, and it wasn't long before it was the turn of the twenties.

"Number twenty-six Cultivator, please come onto the stage."

Hearing his number, Lin Yuan steadied himself and stepped onto the ring.

Opposite him, a burly man stood with his arms crossed, his face arrogant.

"Who is that young man in plain clothes? He looks so handsome!"

"He's all show and no substance; his strength can't be that good."

"You're wrong about that. He repelled quite a few Wind Chasing Dogs in the first round of the competition, so his strength is definitely not a problem."

"His strength is indeed good, but unfortunately, he met Shi Ya. His path in the Outer Sect Competition is probably going to end here."

Everyone discussed, and many were not optimistic about Lin Yuan's match this time.

On the high platform, the Elders were also discussing.

"Shi Ya has finally appeared. He is a hot favorite to win this Outer Sect Competition."

"It is said that his Savage Rock Strength has reached Major Achievement; one punch from him can exert the force of a thousand jun."

"That kid is going to be unlucky meeting Shi Ya."

Like the Disciples, they also believed that Lin Yuan had no hope of winning.

In the corner seats, Gu Shuqin looked at the young man in the arena, her face showing some worry.

She also hadn't expected Lin Yuan's luck to be so bad, encountering the top-tier Cultivator in his very first match.

"It's already very good to have made it into the top hundred. It doesn't matter whether he wins this sparring match or not."

Amidst her worries, she comforted herself inwardly.