Chapter 217: Outer Sect Grand Competition - No Way Out

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Outer Sect Grand Competition – No Way Out

The crowd slowly dispersed, and even the members of the Crown Prince Hall left with dark expressions, their eyes glimmering with hidden killing intent as they swept their gazes over Luo Cheng!

Luo Cheng remained indifferent to the stares of others and bowed respectfully to the Fifth Elder:

“Thank you, Elder Mu!”

The Fifth Elder smiled and replied, “No need to thank me. I am merely fulfilling a request to preserve your life as much as I can.”

Luo Cheng pondered for a moment and asked, “Is it from my master?”

“Indeed. Your master couldn’t act directly, so he entrusted me to intervene.”

Nodding, the Fifth Elder continued, “However, whether you survive or not ultimately depends on yourself.”

“You and Yan Qi are locked in a life-and-death duel. It is a fair fight, and no one is allowed to interfere. If your strength is inadequate and you are slain by Yan Qi, there will be nothing I can do. Only when your strengths are evenly matched do I have the chance to mediate and end the battle.”

Luo Cheng nodded.

He fully understood that this was the utmost his master could do.

“Looking at it now, all those concerns were unfounded. Old Chen probably never anticipated that your strength would reach such a level, defeating even the strongest in the Second Layer of the Tongxuan Realm…”

Recalling the events that just occurred, a flicker of amazement passed through the Fifth Elder’s eyes.

Having been in the Xuanyuan Sect for decades, few things truly astonished him, yet today had brought one shock after another.

Chen Lingyu giggled and teased, “Who would have thought our junior brother would be so incredible! If Master hears of this, his beard would probably stick up in surprise!”

The Fifth Elder turned to Chen Lingyu and smiled, “You little imp, don’t just focus on others. I heard you lost to Ren Xiaoguang before. In the Outer Sect competition a month from now, you’re sure to face him again. After today’s events, he definitely won’t hold back. You’d better be careful!”

Chen Lingyu pouted her lips and huffed, “He’s the one who should be careful! Next time we fight, I’ll definitely defeat him!”

The Fifth Elder stroked his goatee and chuckled, “Haha, it’s good to have confidence. If you can beat Ren Xiaoguang, you’ll have a chance to enter the top ten of the Outer Sect.”

“Let me give you a heads-up: the rewards for the top ten in this year’s Outer Sect competition will be unprecedentedly generous. You’d better work hard this month.”

Chen Lingyu’s eyes curved with curiosity. “What are the rewards?”

The Fifth Elder shook his head, wearing an enigmatic smile. “Don’t think you can get anything out of me. The specific rewards are still being discussed by the elders, and the final details will be announced later. However, they will far surpass previous years.”

Unable to resist, Luo Cheng asked, “What were the rewards for the top ten in past Outer Sect competitions?”

“The tenth place received at least 2,000 Essence Energy Pills. With each higher rank, the rewards increased! Last year, the first-place prize was 30,000 Essence Energy Pills, a Meridian Opening Pill to help break through to the Awakening Vein Realm, and the opportunity to study a core sect cultivation technique in the Martial Storage Hall!”

When the core techniques were mentioned, Chen Lingyu spoke with barely concealed excitement in her tone.

Good cultivation techniques could not only enhance the quality and quantity of Essence Energy but also significantly boost a martial artist’s combat prowess while saving substantial training time.

It could be said that outside of a Martial Soul, the cultivation technique one practiced was the most important aspect for a martial artist.

Unfortunately, Outer Sect disciples could only select techniques below Four-star in the Martial Storage Hall—Five-star Techniques had to be purchased with Contribution Points.

As for core sect techniques, only Inner Sect disciples who had advanced to the Absolute Vein Realm had the chance to train in them.

Luo Cheng, however, had little interest in cultivation techniques. Even one of Xuanyuan Sect’s strongest techniques, the Mountain and River Xuanming Skill, was undoubtedly far inferior to the All Heavens Dragon Control Technique.

Compared to techniques, the reward of 30,000 Essence Energy Pills intrigued him far more.

As things stood, what he lacked most was wealth.

Every opportunity to earn wealth was one he couldn’t afford to miss.

The Fifth Elder noticed Luo Cheng’s train of thought and smiled. “The Outer Sect competition is open to all Outer Sect disciples, and it’s usually a gathering of prodigies.”

“Luo Cheng, if you can break through to the Second Layer of the Tongxuan Realm within a month, with your strength, you might have a shot at making the top 100. That said, I don’t recommend you participate.”

The Fifth Elder shook his head.

Luo Cheng was slightly taken aback. “Why not?”

The Fifth Elder sighed wryly and said, “Today, you’ve humiliated members of the Crown Prince Hall so thoroughly that you’ve completely offended them.”

“The Crown Prince Hall has no shortage of powerhouses among its Outer Sect disciples. Six of the Outer Sect’s top ten disciples belong to the Crown Prince Hall. Should you enter the competition, they definitely won’t let you off easily. If for no one else, Ren Xiaoguang alone won’t let this slide.”

“The Crown Prince Hall’s members have grown increasingly unruly. If you participate in the competition, there’s no guarantee that accidents won’t happen.”

Luo Cheng nodded, his cold gaze flickering with an icy sharpness.

Ren Xiaoguang dared to disregard the authority of the elders, and Qi Guyun, merely an Outer Sect disciple, could casually promise Inner Sect placements!

These two incidents alone illustrated how terrifyingly pervasive the Crown Prince Hall’s influence was within the sect.

But since he’d already provoked them, there was no turning back.

Rather than figuring out how to avoid them, it was better to work hard and strengthen himself.

The Fifth Elder offered a final word of caution before waving dismissively:

“Alright, go about your business. I still need to clean up this mess.”

After bidding farewell, Luo Cheng and Chen Lingyu left the stage.

Yuan Zhilan and Gu Lingfeng, who had been waiting for some time, stepped forward to greet them.

“Luo… Luo Cheng…”

Their expressions appeared somewhat uneasy as they looked at Luo Cheng.

The current Luo Cheng exerted an invisible pressure on them.

This wasn’t due to differences in status but purely from the disparity in strength.

Luo Cheng noticed their discomfort and smiled. “You don’t have to act like this. No matter how strong I become, we’re still friends.”

Hearing this, Yuan Zhilan exhaled a sigh of relief and smiled faintly, as though in a daze. “It still feels like I’m dreaming.”

Gu Lingfeng remained silent.

He shared similar sentiments.

Too many unbelievable things had happened today.

Chen Lingyu looked at Luo Cheng with a playful smile. “Luo Cheng, this isn’t even your full strength, is it?”

Throughout the entire series of events, Luo Cheng hadn’t revealed his Sword Dao Realm.

Moreover, when Ren Xiaoguang made his move, and she stood close to Luo Cheng, there was a fleeting moment where she sensed a sharpness so terrifying it made even her skin crawl.

That sharpness seemed capable of tearing through anything!

It was utterly terrifying!

“Perhaps,” Luo Cheng replied without providing a direct answer.

But Chen Lingyu had already reached her own conclusion. Her eyes flashed with astonishment as she chuckled:

“What a pity. Your realm is too low. Otherwise, I’d be looking forward to your match against Ren Xiaoguang in the Outer Sect competition.”

Luo Cheng didn’t dwell on the subject and instead said:

“Let’s go. Let’s head back.”

He was already impatient to return and review his gains from the day.

The group of four left the Martial Arts Square.

“Senior Sister Chen Lingyu…”

“Senior Brother Luo Cheng…”

Along the way, the surrounding Outer Sect disciples instinctively moved aside to clear a path.

As they looked toward Luo Cheng, a different emotion could be seen in many of their eyes compared to before.

There was amazement, fear, suspicion, and most prominently… envy!

Each of them had talents in Martial Soul that surpassed, or far surpassed, Luo Cheng’s, yet their strength remained worlds apart from his.

Luo Cheng paid it no mind and gave a small nod in acknowledgment before leaving the square.

During the journey, Luo Cheng retrieved 10,000 Essence Energy Pills from his storage ring and handed them to Chen Lingyu.

“Senior Sister, here are 10,000 Essence Energy Pills. As for the remaining 11,000, I’ll give them to you later.”

Chen Lingyu was surprised. “So much? But I only lent you 7,000 Essence Energy Pills.”

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