Chapter 26: Qian Lingxue’s Power! Sudden Provocation! Mourning for Peak Master Lan!
As soon as the Sect Leader’s voice faded, she suddenly vanished from the Peak Masters’ hall.
She appeared above the arena in an instant, looking down at the disciples gathered below.
She said nothing.
Yet, her mere presence silenced the arena, whether it was the new disciples below or the audience in the stands.
Qian Lingxue felt no need for pretense or formality.
Unlike the usual cold demeanor of most experts, she wore a gentle smile as her gaze wandered through the disciples.
She then spoke up.
"I’m pleased to see you all here. I hope that you will all become the future pillars of Jade Pure Sect," she said, her voice spreading through the arena and reaching every ear.
"The rules of today’s competition are clear and simple. There will be a total of twelve arenas, each defended by a disciple."
"Every disciple will have three chances to challenge a defender. If they win, they will take their position and must face challenges from others."
"After each arena has hosted exactly one hundred battles, those standing on them will advance into the next stage."
Having said that, Qian Lingxue raised her right hand and made a grasping motion in the air.
The ground beneath her trembled.
The earth churned, as though an underground beast had awakened, and giant slabs of stone emerged.
With a thunderous crash, the slabs fused together.
Several large arenas materialized within seconds, right before the stunned eyes of the disciples and audience.
Qian Lingxue maintained a gentle smile throughout this process. She didn’t break a sweat, showing that this was but a trivial matter to her.
"The first to defend the arenas will be hand-selected by each Peak. As for who or when you’re going to challenge, it will be left to your discretion," she said somewhat cryptically, before her figure dissolved into a mist of light.
The disciples, left behind and with no one to guide them, stood there, unsure what to do.
However, some among them received special transmissions from their respective Peak Masters, guiding them on their next actions.
A closer look would reveal that those who received messages were the strongest of each Peak:
Situ Yang, Mu Chen, Xiao Huo, and others, all having reached the Middle Stage of Qi Refining at least.
The twelve selected disciples raised their heads in unison and faced each other. Their gazes collided through the air, forming daggers made of battle intent between them.
Situ Yang and Mu Chen, hailed as the two strongest talents in the earlier Disciple Ceremony, shared a particularly fierce rivalry.
The remaining ten disciples also sought a worthy opponent, wishing to prove themselves before the audience.
Only Xiao Huo chose an unusual person. He didn’t target the other Late Stage Qi Refining disciples, who should have been his equals, but locked his gaze onto Huo Ling’er.
After flashing a cruel, taunting smile, he took a step forward and entered one of the arenas.
A trace of surprise flashed across Huo Ling’er’s eyes as she watched his figure recede.
She didn’t know that Chen Xuan had attempted to cripple Xiao Huo, so his rapid recovery didn’t surprise her.
What caught her off guard was his cultivation speed.
The two had been at the same level when they first entered the sect. Yet, the other party had already surpassed her.
Thankfully, she didn’t dwell on it for long.
Huo Ling’er knew that she was the owner of a trash-tier talent and was the least talented of all the disciples here. She had only barely reached her current level thanks to the Immortal Vulcan Scripture gifted by her Master.
It was only natural that others would cultivate faster.
Still...
’You’re too arrogant!’ she snorted. ’Cultivation is cultivation, and combat power is combat power. The two are different! I refuse to believe you’re stronger than me!’
Huo Ling’er clenched her fists before following the crowd and stepping onto the arena.
--
"Haha! It seems that Senior Brother Lan and Junior Brother Chen’s disciples have quite a fierce rivalry going on. I heard that their grievances go a long way back..."
Back in the Peak Masters’ hall, a middle-aged Peak Master broke the silence, seemingly having noticed something.
The other Peak Masters smiled upon hearing his words, their expressions intriguing.
The battle of the Yin Yang Peak was not a secret.
Many disciples had witnessed the event, and the news had long spread through the Jade Pure Sect. It didn’t take long to reach their ears, too.
The grievances between disciples were hardly worth their attention originally.
However, the fact that Elder Long had been involved and ended up suffering greatly piqued their interest.
The martial prowess displayed by Chen Xuan was beyond their expectations. While sighing that Fairy Mu had a keen eye, other thoughts also arose.
"Hmph!" Lan Lanyue suddenly snorted and turned towards the speaker.
"Don’t try to provoke me!"
"Elder Long merely suffered the consequences of his own actions. The matters of the younger generation should be resolved on their own!"
"You don’t have to worry! I’ve already punished both him and his son, who started this all!"
His words were unexpected, not blaming Chen Xuan for his ruthless attack on Elder Long.
However, it was not surprising to the other Peak Masters.
Some rules could not be broken, among which was that Elders and Peak Masters should not interfere in the disciples’ affairs.
If this rule were to be broken, the Jade Pure Sect would soon fall into chaos.
Today, Elder Long crippled Chen Xuan’s disciple, and tomorrow, Chen Xuan would kill Elder Long’s disciples.
If this continued, it wouldn’t take long for there to be no disciples.
Chen Xuan understood Lan Lanyue’s thoughts and subtly nodded his head.
However, he couldn’t help but mourn for Elder Long and his son in his heart.
He knew very well that Xiao Huo was the main culprit behind all this mess. Yet, the father and son had ended up becoming scapegoats for the sect’s frustration.
The description from the System’s Evaluation given to Xiao Huo secretly resurfaced in Chen Xuan’s mind.
’All those who are close to him will suffer misfortune,’ he thought, realizing that the effects of this characteristic were already beginning to show.
At that thought, Chen Xuan cast a pitying glance at Lan Lanyue, ignoring the other party’s puzzled gaze.
’Could it be that this is why Senior Brother Lan made an enemy of the Sect Leader?’ Chen Xuan pondered.
’Is the aura of Xiao Huo powerful enough to influence even Nascent Soul cultivators?’
’No wonder all the protagonists in the books are either orphans or abandoned children, while their teachers are constantly on the verge of death.’
Thinking of this, the anger he previously held towards Battle Peak receded.
He could already see that it was only a matter of time before it was left in ruins. There was no reason to hold any grievances.
At the same time, a terrifying suspicion took root in Chen Xuan’s mind.
Could the Jade Pure Sect truly suppress such a troublemaker?
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