Wansheng glanced at it briefly, then hurriedly went to set up the tournament ring, after all, time was running out.
Sunrise and sunset, three days passed swiftly.
On this morning, the sectâs square was crowded with cultivators.
Apart from those in seclusion, traveling, or bearing responsibilities, all other disciples had gathered.
Since they arrived early, the only two elders of the sect had not shown themselves yet.
Soon, the atmosphere grew noisy.
"Who do you think will claim victory in this great competition? Take the top spot?!" a certain disciple asked curiously.
"Who knows? The sect has developed so rapidly over the years, maybe someone has progressed significantly beyond our previous impressions of them."
"I feel that those six true disciples will surely achieve success. A hundred years of cultivation is not in vain."
"Logical! In these hundred years, theyâve trained with the strongest inheritance skills, enjoyed abundant resources, and received patient guidance from elders; their cultivation and strength must have advanced greatly. With such huge advantages, they are surely way stronger than us."
Many disciples echoed these sentiments, and the initially excited atmosphere calmed down immediately.
"Does that mean weâre all just background?" a certain disciple said, somewhat disheartened.
"Who says so!"
But some disciples disagreed, saying, "I donât believe Iâm worse than them!"
"Exactly! I think so too."
"Let me teach them a lesson!"
A few disciples spoke up, but compared to the overwhelming voices earlier, they seemed insignificant.
With the arrival of those six true disciples, the scene instantly quieted down.
Because everyone was shocked to find that in just a hundred years, they seemed completely transformed; their demeanor and presence had undergone earth-shattering changes, almost unrecognizable.
"Did they become so powerful after becoming true disciples in just a hundred years?" A disciple murmured to themselves.
In his heart, he couldnât help but wonder if he was mistaken, otherwise it wouldnât make sense.
Those disciples who initially claimed they would teach them a lesson now fell silent, not even daring to raise their heads, as if by doing so, people would forget what they had said earlier.
Xu Benlei and the six true disciples were unaware of the earlier conversations, so they found the crowdâs reactions a bit strange.
Just as they were about to inquire, Li Zhirui and Wansheng appeared.
"Disciples pay respects to Sect Leader and Elder!" Everyone bowed to greet them.
"No need for formalities."
Li Zhirui waved his hand and directly announced, "The sectâs great competition officially begins!"
"The purpose of the sect competition is to test each oneâs strength, so using any talismans, magical treasures, or external objects beyond oneâs cultivation is prohibited."
"Anyone violating the use of restricted spiritual objects will have their result directly canceled, and will be banned from participating in the next ten sect competitions!"
"Additionally, this is just a trial, a contest, you cannot use killing moves and must not harm fellow disciples..."
After announcing some rules, he left the scene to Wansheng, while he concealed his presence and continued to refine the new pill recipe.
"Do you have any questions or doubts about the rules of this sect competition? Quickly raise them now before the trial starts, otherwise, it will be too late to make changes once the competition starts and issues are discovered."
Wansheng reminded repeatedly, seeing nobody had objections, he loudly declared, "The first round of competition officially starts!"
Boomââ
As soon as the words fell, the square suddenly raised numerous rings, which would serve as the arenas for their upcoming battles.
"Randomly select opponents with equivalent cultivation in the rings to determine the winner; the winner advances to the next round, while the loser enters the first round of the resurrection match."
"Now, disciples with the first hundred numbers step forward, determine your opponent!"
Upon registering, disciples received sequence numbers which would accompany them throughout the entire competition.
Upon hearing this, everyone moved swiftly, soon ascending their respective rings and facing their opponents.
"Begin!"
With two disciples on each ring, as soon as Wansheng gave the order, most disciples instantly acted, eager to seize the initiative and defeat their opponent.
On the surface, the battle seemed intense, but in reality, there were flaws aplenty!
Many disciples failed to showcase their advantages and lacked a battle plan, merely attacking and defending rigidly.
If their opponents were external loose cultivators rather than fellow disciples, the fight would have been decided in moments!
Such painfully inadequate battles even Wansheng found hard to watchâit was simply torturous.
Then it suddenly realized this torment was just beginning; there was still a long wait ahead.
Momentarily, it understood Li Zhiruiâs reluctance to intervene.
After rounds of âintenseâ and âexcitingâ battles, a total of four hundred and fifty-one advanced to the second round, while others stopped regretfully.
The six true disciples all smoothly entered the second round.
If anyone paid attention to their battles, they would notice, compared to other disciples, not only were they stronger, but their battle awareness was also impressive.
"The second round also involves duels, but this time thereâs no resurrection match, and winning doesnât directly lead to the third round; instead, you earn points by defeating opponents, with the top hundred scorers entering the final round."
This time, the rules are more complicated, not just sudden-death matches, but more like a wheel battle.
"One two-hour session is given to recover mana and heal injuries."
Before long, it was time.
Disciples passionately engaged in battles, yet faced the same issues as before.
However, this was expected, considering little time had passed, making quick changes unlikely.
After lengthy battles, the top hundred scorers were determined.
Like before, Xu Benlei and the six true disciples were among the hundred, which wasnât much of a challenge for them.
"Give them six hours to recover, then announce the rules for the third round."
Finishing this, Wansheng swiftly entered a sky area where a stationary white cloud lingered.
This was where Li Zhirui stayed; this time, it came to inquire about the competition rules.
"Sect Leader, thereâs an issue requiring your adviceâshould the rules for the third round change?"
Hearing the question, he diverted a thread of his focus from alchemy to reply, "Use the same rules as the second round, no need for tricks."
"Understood."
However, it didnât leave immediately, instead waiting until the time for disciplesâ rest ended before returning to everyoneâs sight.
"The third round rules are also points-based; final rankings depend on points."
"So this time, work harder and strive for a satisfactory result."
Without further ado, the competition begins directly!
Boomââ
Intense fight sounds erupted, appearing quite spectacular.
"Who do you think will claim first place?"
"Seems likely itâll be one among the two Immortal Realm brothers from the six true disciples."
Since their points ranked top two in the second round, barring unexpected events, thereâs unlikely to be a change.
"Indeed, itâs now to see if anyone concealed their strength and surges at the last moment to overturn the results."
Disciples watching from below mostly focused on Xu Benlei and Jiang Yong, the two individual Immortal true disciples.
Because, barring any surprises, the head of this great sect competition will be born between the two!