135: The Promise of War

“......”

Under the Wudao Tree, as Lin Xiao spoke, the atmosphere instantly became intriguing.

Hu Qianxue and Lan Ruobing exchanged glances, then fell silent. Bai Jie stood beside them, covering her mouth and chuckling softly.

After all that talk, why not just say it was a martial arts competition? And a bunch of Disciples participating in duels? They only just realized how truly strange their Revered Master’s way of speaking was.

“Cough, cough.”

Seeing their reactions, Lin Xiao coughed twice to hide his embarrassment, then turned his head to the side and hummed softly.

“In short, as long as you understand. If you want to go out, then defeat everyone. At that time, I will naturally let you out.”

“Defeat everyone…”

Hu Qianxue murmured, rubbing her beast ears, then said with a bitter face.

“Those are truly strict conditions, Revered Master.”

“What?”

Lin Xiao’s lips curved into a slight smile, teasing.

“Lost confidence?”

Upon hearing this, Hu Qianxue was silent for a moment before suddenly looking up, biting her lip, and saying firmly.

“Yes… I’ll fight!”

As the strongest Cultivator of her generation in the entire Wuji Palace, she also had her pride and naturally would not fear battle.

“That’s more like it.”

Seeing this, Lin Xiao nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Lan Ruobing beside him, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

“Girl, interested in participating?”

“Hmm?”

Seeing Lin Xiao suddenly invite her, Lan Ruobing was stunned for a moment before quickly waving her hand slightly, saying softly.

“Let’s not, Palace Lord.”

This was an internal battle of Wuji Palace, and she felt strange participating as an outsider. Besides, she believed she wouldn't win even if she joined, so it was better not to participate to avoid getting beaten.

“Alright.”

Seeing this, Lin Xiao did not press further. Instead, his gaze fell on Bai Jie beside him, and he nodded.

“Then I’ll trouble you to make a trip, Bai Jie. Go inform the various peaks to start preparing.”

“Yes!”

After Bai Jie responded, she soared into the air. Before long, a message swept through the various peaks like a storm, immediately causing a sensation among the Disciples.

Their Wuji Palace was going to hold a grand competition, and all Disciples had to participate to determine the winner.

Of course, if it were only this, the Disciples would not be so excited. What truly thrilled them were the rewards.

In this competition, those from 500th to 100th place would receive one Dao weapon and three months of self-Cultivation in the Ten Thousand Beast Cave or Enlightenment Hall, of their choice.

Even this lowest-tier reward excited the Star Lord Realm Disciples. One must know that ordinary Dao weapons were usually used by Celestial Venerable Realm Cultivators, which shows how tempting these were to them.

And the three months of Cultivation in the Enlightenment Hall and Ten Thousand Beast Cave also made them envious. After all, entering and exiting such Cultivation grounds required a considerable amount of contribution points, but the Cultivation effects inside were so good that the Disciples couldn't resist. Now that they had a chance to get it for free, they could save a lot of contribution points, so they were naturally interested.

Further up, from 100th to 50th place, the rewards were a level higher: Dao weapons directly became Divine Weapons, plus one yuan ling fruit.

And with the announcement of this level of reward, the Celestial Venerable Realm Disciples instantly had red eyes.

Divine Weapons! Weapons that only God King Realm Cultivators could use, and they now had a chance to obtain them, along with yuan ling fruit, Heaven Rank Cultivation holy items, which were even rarer and harder to come by!

But the rewards even higher than that were what truly drove all Wuji Palace Disciples into a frenzy of Karma.

From 50th to 10th place, they could obtain a portion of Enlightenment Tea Leaves and one year of self-Cultivation in the Enlightenment Hall and Ten Thousand Beast Cave.

The latter was nothing, but what were the Enlightenment Tea Leaves? It was well-known.

These were tea leaves produced by the Heaven Rank High Grade, the world’s top Spiritual Root, the Enlightenment Tea Tree. Their Cultivation effects were far superior to the yuan ling fruit, and they were renowned throughout the world.

After the Enlightenment Tea Tree went extinct many years ago, the price of Enlightenment Tea Leaves remained high, truly a good item that even money couldn't buy. Now, they only needed to work hard to have a chance to access and obtain such a good item. How could it not excite the Disciples?

As for the rewards above that, they would only be announced after the top ten were decided. This also made the Disciples itch with anticipation, all curious about what good items could surpass Enlightenment Tea Leaves.

However, this also somewhat stimulated the Disciples, and everyone began to rub their fists, preparing to show off their skills in the competition.

As for why the Sect would suddenly hold such a competition…

…

“Ah?”

Under the Wudao Tree, Qin Wudao, looking at Lin Xiao who was lounging on a hammock with his legs crossed, tilted his head, his mouth twitching slightly, and asked.

“Bo, boring?”

At this moment, not only Qin Wudao but many more figures were gathered under the Wudao Tree compared to before, such as Kaido and other Elders, all gathered together, and then Yun Ling'er and several other direct Disciples.

It was fortunate that this place was spacious, otherwise, it wouldn't accommodate so many people.

“That’s right.”

Lin Xiao clasped his hands behind his head, his eyes slightly closed, and said lazily.

“Since I’m idle anyway, I might as well take this opportunity to see your Cultivation achievements over the years.”

“The first sentence was the truth, wasn’t it…”

This thought appeared in everyone's minds. Hu Qianxue even muttered it softly. This time, before Lin Xiao could act, Yun Ling'er, who stood beside him, pulled her and then gave her a warning look, signaling her to shut up.

“Bai Jie, Zhou Meng, Zhang Liang, Li Ming.”

“Palace Lord (x4)”

Looking at the four who stepped forward, Lin Xiao slightly turned his head, nodded and smiled.

“You four Peak Revered Masters, you will serve as the referees.”

“Yes!”

Seeing them respond, Lin Xiao nodded slightly, then his gaze fell on An Lan, who was leaning against a tree trunk nearby with his hands hanging down, and he spoke.

“Elder An, the competition venue is entrusted to you.”

“Yes, Palace Lord.”

An Lan nodded in agreement. After a moment of contemplation, he frowned and looked at Lin Xiao again.

“Palace Lord, what kind do you think is suitable?”

Even for a competition venue, there were various options: directly building a huge arena similar to a gladiatorial ring, or avoiding disturbances in a separate Small World. There was nothing you couldn't imagine, and nothing Cultivators couldn't do.

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao thought for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed upwards, chuckling.

“Then let them fight in the air. Fighting on the ground isn’t very interesting.”

“Mm.”

Upon hearing this, An Lan nodded and said no more, instead leaning back against the tree trunk and beginning to ponder the arena.

“Qing Luo.”

The girl Qing Luo, carrying an oil-paper umbrella, floated out of the group and responded.

“Here, Palace Lord.”

“The medical aspect is entrusted to you.”

At this point, Lin Xiao was clearly much more serious, saying in a deep voice.

“Don’t spare the Three Lights Divine Water and other items. Safety first.”

“Yes!”

After watching Qing Luo, who had received her task, float back into the group, Lin Xiao’s gaze fell on Kaido. He opened his mouth but for a moment didn't know what to say.

“Kaido, you… uh.”

“Palace Lord!”

Seeing this, Kaido instantly grew anxious. All the surrounding Elders had tasks, but when it came to him, there was nothing left. How could this be?

“…”

At this moment, Lin Xiao looked at Kaido’s massive physique and fell silent. For a moment, he didn't know what other tasks Kaido could handle; it seemed almost everything had been assigned.

But looking at Kaido’s expectant little eyes, Lin Xiao remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.

“Kaido, then the position of Chief will be entrusted to you.”

Upon hearing this, Kaido’s expression instantly cleared up. He didn't care what Lin Xiao said and bowed in gratitude.

“Yes, I understand, thank you, Palace Lord!”

It was only after he straightened up that he realized something was off. He then scratched his head again and looked at Lin Xiao, puzzled.

“Palace Lord, what does a Chief do?”

Not only him, but even the people around him were very curious. It was the first time they had heard such a fresh term, but it sounded quite impressive.

“Cough, cough…”

Under everyone’s gaze, Lin Xiao coughed twice and said slowly.

“A Chief is specifically responsible for presiding over the battles between the top ten, to prevent them from causing serious consequences due to losing control during the fight, and so on.”

“…”

After Lin Xiao finished speaking, everyone’s faces instantly darkened. Qin Wudao even hugged his staff and muttered.

“After all that talk, isn’t it just like a referee…”

“Hmm?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao’s gaze swept over instantly, his right middle finger rising and bending. Then, with a flick in the air, the spiritual mist above Qin Wudao’s head instantly condensed into the same shape, and a bent transparent finger flicked down through the air.

“Bang, ah!”

With a crisp sound, Qin Wudao instantly clutched his head and squatted down, a noticeable red lump swelling up in the middle of his forehead, looking very conspicuous.

“Senior Brother, are you alright…”

Little Shi Hao, seeing this, moved closer and, while Qin Wudao wasn't paying attention, poked the lump, saying sympathetically.

“It looks like it hurts so much.”

“Hiss!”

Qin Wudao, whose sore spot was touched, instantly gasped, completely covering his forehead with his hand, and said with a grimace.

“That really hurts, Junior Brother.”

“Hmph.”

Lin Xiao merely snorted, then lay back in his hammock, saying irritably.

“How can that be the same? Officiating the top ten matches requires higher demands on the Cultivators.”

“Indeed.”

Zhang Liang, standing by the side, nodded slightly in agreement.

“As the contestants continue to grow stronger, the demands on us adjudicators are also gradually increasing. Elder Kaido is indeed the most suitable for the position of Chief.”

“Mhm mhm mhm mhm.”

After Zhang Liang finished speaking, Li Ming, Bai Jie, and Zhou Meng, who stood beside him, also nodded repeatedly, their expressions showing that they strongly agreed with what the two had said.

“Right?”

Lin Xiao gave Zhang Liang an approving look, then looked at Kaido, saying solemnly.

“Kaido, the lives of my beloved Disciples, I entrust them to you!”

“Yes, Palace Lord!!”

At this moment, Kaido’s face was already flushed, and the mace on his shoulder slammed heavily onto the ground, the thunderous sound letting everyone feel his excitement.

“Our lives…”

Hu Qianxue and Qin Wudao looked at each other. Although it was a bit disheartening to say so, if it was about the top ten, most of them could basically enter.

Even little Shi Hao, who had the lowest Realm among them, only Star Lord Realm, was a born Supreme. If they truly fought, he probably wouldn't fall too far behind the others in ranking.

After the tasks were assigned, An Lan and the other Elders also left, and the once somewhat crowded area instantly became spacious.

However, Disciples like Yun Ling'er did not leave. Instead, they gathered around Lin Xiao. Without the Elders present, they were visibly more relaxed.

“So, Revered Master.”

Qin Wudao hung upside down on the Enlightenment Tea Tree, chuckling.

“What exactly are the rewards for the top ten? Can you reveal just a tiny bit to us?”

“That’s right, Revered Master.”

Hu Qianxue, sitting in Lin Xiao’s previous spot, idly tossed and caught a yuan ling fruit in her hand, and said.

“Just tell us, anyway, it’s going to be given to us.”

Hu Qianxue was not wrong. Among the current Wuji Palace Disciples, their Cultivation was the highest, and the champion would basically be chosen from among them, though it was not yet certain who it would be.

“You two are really something.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao rolled his eyes and said irritably.

“Are you that confident you can defeat everyone?”

“Of course. (x2)”

As soon as Lin Xiao finished speaking, the two nodded simultaneously, then said in unison.

“I am the strongest! (x2)”

“Hmm? (x2)”

After speaking, the two immediately turned their gazes to each other, their expressions instantly becoming unfriendly.

“Wudao.”

Hu Qianxue suddenly became aloof and spoke coolly to Qin Wudao.

“Are you going to snatch the championship from your Senior Sister?”

“You’ve got it reversed, Senior Sister.”

Qin Wudao, however, snorted, saying without showing weakness.

“You’re the one trying to snatch the championship from me.”

After this exchange, the atmosphere instantly became somewhat subtle. Yun Ling'er subconsciously hugged little Shi Hao beside her, looking nervously at her Senior Sister and Senior Brother who were facing each other not far away.

Lan Ruobing looked at this scene with some worry, then turned to Yun Ling'er beside her.

At this moment, Yun Ling'er frowned slightly, put down her teacup, and was about to speak when a voice spoke before her.

“Alright, stop arguing.”

As a calm voice sounded, Lin Xiao’s figure flashed from the hammock to between the two, and as he appeared, the two also fell silent.

“It seems you are both quite confident in yourselves.”

Lin Xiao glanced at the two indifferently, then said in a deep voice.

“Since that’s the case, then go back and prepare. Success or failure will be seen on the competition stage.”

“Yes.”

Since their Revered Master had spoken, the two lowered their heads in agreement, but when they looked at each other, their eyes clearly held a bit more Battle Intent.

“Oh, right.”

Just as the two were excited, Lin Xiao spoke again, raising an eyebrow at them.

“Do you two want to make a bet with me?”

“Hmm?”

At these words, everyone present was stunned. As they looked at each other, they seemed somewhat lost in thought.

A bet, that word coming from their Revered Master’s mouth, was truly fresh.