Chapter 101 : The Grand Competition Mission Has Indeed Arrived

Chapter 101: The Grand Competition Mission Has Indeed Arrived

After True Person Zhiying took Xiao Ying and departed in a streak of sword light, the tense and subtle atmosphere inside the Precious Beast Pavilion immediately relaxed considerably.

Long Tao stood where he was, Zhiying’s words still echoing repeatedly in his mind, and his thoughts drifted in a strange direction—could it be that this woman… had some issue with her orientation?

“Senior Brother Long?” Nan Yuchen’s voice pulled him back from that speculation.

“Are you alright? Senior Sister Zhiying… did she say something to you?” The young man was perceptive and had noticed the fleeting odd expression on Long Tao’s face.

“Ah? No—no, nothing.” Long Tao quickly gathered himself and forced out a slightly awkward smile, casually finding an excuse.

“I was just a little curious—does True Person Zhiying… only accept female disciples?”

Nan Yuchen was taken aback by the question, then smiled as he explained, “That’s actually quite normal, isn’t it? Before my master accepted me, she only took female disciples for several hundred years as well. Some people, for various considerations, do prefer disciples of the same gender—it’s easier for instruction and avoids unnecessary gossip.”

“Oh…” Long Tao responded, but the doubt in his heart did not fully dissipate.

He could not help asking again, “But on Moon-Washing Peak, I remember there are quite a few male Inner Sect Registered Disciples, right? On Zhiying Peak… are there any?”

This question caused not only Nan Yuchen but also Zhu Huaisu, who had been standing quietly at the side, to lower her head in thought.

After a moment, she looked up, a trace of uncertainty in her tone as she answered first,

“It seems there really aren’t any. Senior Sister Zhiying rarely accepts Registered Disciples publicly. But now that you mention it… thinking carefully, although I seldom go to Zhiying Peak, I truly have never seen a male disciple there. Not even among those handling miscellaneous duties.”

Not good!

Long Tao’s internal alarm bells rang instantly! This situation sounded even more off! He secretly resolved that the next time he saw Xiao Ying, he would find an opportunity to remind her tactfully.

Uh… he could not say it too directly—he would just hint at it subtly and advise her not to develop any kind of “teacher–student romance”!

Just as he was still pondering how to deal with True Person Zhiying’s “abnormal” attention toward Xiao Ying, a cold and familiar voice suddenly rang out in the depths of his mind without warning:

【Mission Released: Participate in the Sect Grand Competition】

【Mission Content: The triennial Sect Grand Competition of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect is about to be held. The Host is required to participate in this competition as a contestant and ensure that the Child of Destiny, Nan Yuchen, enters the top four. At the same time, the Host must complete a Check-In on the top-four-level competition stage as a contestant.】

【Mission Reward: 6 Soul Lamp Value Points】

【Failure Penalty: Deduct 30 Soul Lamp Value Points】

【Current Soul Lamp Value: 31 Points】

……

Regarding this sudden mission release from the System, Long Tao’s emotions were mixed.

There was the sense of “it’s finally here,” yet also the astonishment of “how did it come to this?” Several aspects were both expected and unexpected.

First of all, for a major “plot event” like the Sect Grand Competition, it was inevitable that the System would issue a mission.

It would have been stranger if it had not.

What gave him a slight sense of “relief” was that this time, the mission actually granted him a full three months of preparation time! Compared to previous missions that required immediate action upon release, often on the brink of life and death, the System could almost be called merciful this time.

But the following issues were each more troublesome than the last.

First, the mission required him to participate as a contestant and complete the Check-In.

This was practically pushing him toward death! If it were limited to a Minor Competition restricted to Qi Refining disciples, he might, with some effort and perhaps a few off-the-record tricks, have a slim chance of squeezing into the top four.

But the Grand Competition… heh.

It was like sports events in his previous life—there was no so-called “men’s division,” only an “unrestricted division” and a “women’s division.” The unrestricted division was basically assumed to be the men’s division simply because women rarely entered it.

Similarly, the Sect Grand Competition did not forbid Qi Refining disciples from registering, but what fool at the Qi-Refining Sixth Layer would truly step onto the same stage as a group of Foundation Establishment experts to compete for glory? Others would not think you impressive—they would think you insane, courting humiliation!

In short, although this mission appeared less dangerous on the surface—after all, it was an official sect competition, and fellow disciples generally would not go for the kill—its difficulty within the System’s framework was still outrageously high! Others did not know he carried the System and needed to complete missions.

Naturally, they would not go easy on him just because he was in the Qi-Refining Sixth Layer.

In other words, under normal circumstances, the probability of completing this mission was lower than any previous one—on par with the Voyeurism Incident in difficulty.

Of the previous three missions, aside from the special nature of the Voyeurism Incident, the other two at least had unknown variables that allowed him to gamble for a slim chance of survival.

But the Sect Grand Competition consisted of genuine Foundation Establishment experts in a brutal elimination format.

If he, at the Qi-Refining Sixth Layer, mixed into that arena, then in the face of absolute strength disparity, any so-called “chance” or “miracle” would be a joke!

He had originally harbored a trace of wishful thinking.

If the System only required a “Check-In,” perhaps he could shamelessly jump onto the stage when no one was paying attention, quickly sign in, and at worst face sect discipline and public embarrassment.

As expected, the System would not allow such a loophole.

It explicitly required him to Check-In as a “contestant.”

However, two other aspects of this mission surprised him even more.

First, the System had directly listed Soul Lamp Value—previously only seen in “Destiny Luck Rewards”—as a clear mission reward! He no longer had to run himself ragged like an idiot for missions that offered no tangible reward and only imposed failure penalties!

This was not hard to understand.

In the past, to obtain Soul Lamp Value, Nan Yuchen had to participate in the core of the mission in some way.

Theoretically—only theoretically—even if Nan Yuchen did not participate, Long Tao might still complete the mission.

But this Grand Competition mission had Nan Yuchen’s participation as a prerequisite; there was no scenario where he would not participate.

Thus, Soul Lamp Value could naturally be issued as a direct reward.

The second strange point was the failure penalty.

This time, the System had actually… left him a sliver of hope? Failure would deduct 30 Soul Lamp Value Points, and he currently had 31—meaning he would still have 1 point left afterward! Although based on his near-death experience when first bound by the System, having only 1 point was not much different from being dead, it was at least a signal.

He would not naïvely assume the System had suddenly become kind.

If the personality of that “Transmigrator Senior” were dominant, perhaps.

But this current System… why? He suspected it might be related to the previous Secret Realm mission—perhaps the Hidden Side Quests?

That was it! In the previous mission, he had completed three Hidden Side Quests and obtained an extra 7 Soul Lamp Value Points.

Cutting his Divine Soul to force a breakthrough had consumed 5… a difference of 2 points.

In other words…

That was correct! If he had not completed any Hidden Side Quests last time and had not severed his Divine Soul, then his current Soul Lamp Value would be 31 minus 2—29 points! Just below the 30-point “execution threshold”!

Did this mean that Soul Lamp Value gained through Hidden Side Quests would not be counted toward the “execution threshold” baseline for each mission? Was the System encouraging him to complete as many side objectives as possible while finishing the main mission, thereby accumulating a “safety buffer”?

Long Tao did not dare to confirm this speculation with absolute certainty yet, but it was undoubtedly a positive sign! At the very least, he would no longer constantly feel as if the System had a blade pressed against his neck, forcing him to dance on the edge of a cliff.

“Senior Brother Long? What’s wrong? You’ve been spacing out for so long.” Nan Yuchen’s concerned voice interrupted his thoughts again.

“Oh! Nothing, nothing,” Long Tao hurriedly came back to his senses and covered it up.

“I was just thinking about my former maid.

She’s improved so quickly—she’s already become a Personally Transmitted Disciple of a True Person and even obtained such an excellent Spirit Pet. It’s a bit emotional.”

He swiftly changed the subject.

“By the way, Junior Brother Nan, the Sect Grand Competition is approaching. Are you going to participate this time?”

Upon hearing the question, Nan Yuchen’s lips curled upward, and a flame of fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.

With the unique confidence of youth, he said,

“Senior Brother Long! That question is a bit insulting! Since I entered the sect, I’ve waited almost three years—for this very opportunity! I don’t dare claim to be extraordinary, but… since that senior said I’m the ‘Child of Destiny,’ I can’t embarrass myself too much, right? I won’t dare dream of the championship, but the top four! Just watch—within these three months, I’ll definitely strive to break through to Foundation Establishment Third Layer and charge into the top four at the Grand Competition!”