“Who is it?” Xiong Zhuangzhuang asked.
Yin Li hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t know who he is either, only that he is a disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect. He is currently on the Heavenly Steps receiving the initiation from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect. He is enveloped in golden light, and his appearance cannot be seen clearly.
If he can appear before the Sect Competition, his strength will undoubtedly leap forward. Senior Brother, you must be very careful when you encounter him.”
Yin Li was meticulous, considering every possibility that could lead to a change in events.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang nodded solemnly, silently noting down this disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect.
The two of them chatted and laughed as they returned to the sect’s encampment, awaiting the arrival of the sect competition the next day.
The following day.
The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze was blowing.
It was perfect weather for holding the sect competition.
The competition grounds of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect were bustling with activity.
In the center of the grounds, eighty-one competition platforms were constructed.
The outermost area was for those without sect affiliation who had paid incense money to enter the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect to watch the competition.
The inner areas were occupied by various families or organizations from the Nine Continents Continent. The area with the best view was prominently marked with the symbol of the Formation Heaven Alliance.
In front of them were the sect disciple teams, their positions demarcated by sect.
As the sect competition was being held at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, the presiding elder was Elder Jing Fa of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
Elder Jing Fa had kind features and exuded an aura of compassion.
He briefly introduced the rules and rewards of the competition, and then, to everyone’s astonishment, announced the official commencement of the competition.
The sect competition would proceed in order: first, the Golden Core stage disciples’ matches, then the Nascent Soul stage disciples’ matches, and finally, the Departure from Void stage disciples’ matches.
Today’s event was the preliminary round for the Golden Core stage disciples’ competition.
All Golden Core stage disciples came forward according to the requirements to draw lots. Based on their numbers, they stepped onto the competition platforms and began their competition journey.
“Clang!”
“Ha!”
“Boom!”
Spiritual light shot out from the competition platforms.
Elder Qing Feng leaned lazily on his seat. The matches of the Golden Core stage disciples were like a fight between two toddlers in his eyes, failing to stir any interest.
However, he forgot that the person standing behind him was not his senior disciple Ning Xiuzhu, but Lu Zaiye.
Seeing his languid posture, Lu Zaiye frowned and gave a soft cough, a subtle warning.
Elder Qing Feng inwardly chided himself for his carelessness, quickly straightened his posture, and fixed his gaze on the competition platforms ahead.
On one of the platforms he was looking at, a disciple from the Xuan Ji Sect happened to be present.
The disciple felt the intense gazes from below, almost dropping his magic artifact. When his opponent attacked with a saber, he could only roll and narrowly dodge the attack, daring not to be distracted any further.
Elder Qing Feng also realized that he might have put too much pressure on that disciple. He shifted his gaze, focusing on two disciples not from the Xuan Ji Sect.
Sensing that the subtle threat behind him had disappeared, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. m..oΓg
At the position of the Beast Taming Sect.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang was eagerly watching a competition platform to his left, where Yin Li was competing against a scrawny disciple.
The scrawny disciple was adept at movement techniques, his speed so fast that Yin Li could not even track his movements with her naked eye.
However, Yin Li’s contracted beast was the Phoenix Crown Nightingale, which excelled in sound attacks.
The Phoenix Crown Nightingale perched on Yin Li’s shoulder and chirped piercingly. The invisible sound wave power acted like ropes, tightly binding the scrawny disciple.
Yin Li stepped forward and kicked the opponent off the platform, easily winning the match.
She looked towards the direction of the Beast Taming Sect, her eyes meeting Xiong Zhuangzhuang’s. She gave him a smile as bright as blooming flowers.
At the position of the Formation Heaven Alliance.
Chou Tianying stood behind his father, Chou Yuanfeng, and curled his lip with disdain, his expression betraying his arrogance.
Were these the sect disciples of the Nine Continents Continent?
They were nothing special.
After watching for a while, he lost interest. His gaze swept across the competition grounds. When he saw a female cultivator with an ethereal aura, he scanned her from head to toe with a burning gaze, showing no restraint.
Some female cultivators, sensing his offense, glared at him. He, however, only smiled more triumphantly.
The targets he chose were all female cultivators from small families without any sect background. Even if they were angry, they could do nothing to him.
As expected, after the female cultivators noticed the mark of the Formation Heaven Alliance beside Chou Tianying, they could only resentfully withdraw their gazes.
The Way of the Formation Heaven Alliance was notoriously overbearing.
They could not afford to offend them.
“Tianying, restrain yourself. This is the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.”
Chou Yuanfeng said indifferently without turning his head.
The Buddhist cultivators of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect had peculiar personalities and were not easy to get along with. He did not want to clash with them on their territory.
“Understood, Father.”
Chou Tianying obediently replied, and his gaze indeed became more restrained.
In the team of Xuan Qing Sect disciples, Chen Tao nudged Wang Yi’an with his elbow, winking at him and urging him to look at Long Haotian.
Wang Yi’an, unable to bear the disturbance, turned his head as requested. His expression then froze, showing surprise, and then he actually smiled, which was rare.
Today, Long Haotian held his head high, his eyes bright and spirited, appearing exceptionally refreshed and imposing.
He had not seen such a spirited Senior Brother Long for a long time.
Chen Tao also looked nostalgic. He had deliberately approached Long Haotian not only because of his special identity but also because he greatly admired Long Haotian.
In his eyes, Long Haotian was also an admirable peerless genius.
However, he didn’t know when it started that Senior Brother Long seemed to gradually lose his sharp edge, often wearing a somber expression.
Chen Tao felt that Senior Brother Long’s radiance was dimming.
But now, the familiar Senior Brother Long had returned!
Chen Tao felt an indescribable joy, and a sense of upward momentum was injected into his own body.
Chen Tao’s focused gaze was noticed by Long Haotian.
He turned his head and glared impatiently at Chen Tao, signaling him to be well-behaved, before turning his face back, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curling upwards.
The feeling of being watched was truly nostalgic.
…
Below the Heavenly Steps.
A golden cocoon of light, one person tall, was particularly eye-catching.
The golden light flickered on and off outside the cocoon, like the rhythm of a beating heart, or like something indescribable brewing within.
And outside the cocoon, three Buddhist cultivators sat cross-legged, their prayer beads rotating, their eyes fixed on the cocoon.
“Second Elder, this is the seventh day, isn’t it?”
The Buddhist cultivator on the far left suddenly asked softly.
“Yes, it’s the seventh day. If I recall correctly, Hong Jing awakened on the fifth day after receiving his initiation. This young friend has a predestined connection with our Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.”
The Second Elder looked at the cocoon with joy.
It was rare for an outer sect cultivator to receive the opportunity of initiation, but once it happened, a good relationship would surely be forged with the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
“I remember that a thousand years ago, a female benefactor also received golden light,” the right-side cultivator mused slightly, recalling records within the sect that mentioned similar situations.
“That’s right, that was Ancestor Jinghong of the Xuan Ji Sect,” the Second Elder immediately stated the person’s origin, his expression tinged with aloofness.
“So it was her.”
The other two Buddhist elders also remembered the deeds of Ancestor Jinghong and fell silent, as if the name Liu Jinghong was a taboo that could not be mentioned.
The Second Elder refocused his attention on the cocoon, his lips moving as he recited Buddhist scriptures.