Chapter 33: Prelude to the Great Competition

On this day, the sky was clear and the air crisp.  The entire Seven Extremes Sect was buzzing with excitement!  One disciple after another hurried toward the main peak, each face animated with eager discussion.  "Which peak did you bet on?"  "Heh, Spiritual Extremes Peak!"  "Damn, traitor!"  "And you?"  "I'm also on Spiritual Extremes Peak!"  "Same here!"  "Who do you think will win? I bet on Senior Brother Wei Wen!"  "I bet on Sun Hong! I heard she’s almost reached the ninth perfect layer!"  All the disciples were talking, from the lowly servants to the Golden Core immortals—everyone was caught up in it.  Previous Inner Sect Competitions had never been this lively.  But this time, it was different!  It involved everyone's money—how could they not care?  At dawn, the Law Performance Plaza on the main peak was already packed with people, surrounding the plaza in thick circles.  Some Inner Sect disciples participating in the competition wore tense expressions, nerves stretching tight on their faces.  Though it seemed like they didn’t need to fight for a top ten spot and this didn’t concern them, that wasn’t true!  If they ran into top ten disciples, even just tiring out their stamina, spiritual energy, and spiritual sense, or revealing a few tricks, it could still affect the chances of victory!  This forced all Inner Sect competitors to be extremely anxious, afraid of being scolded to death.  Many regretted signing up, but since the betting market appeared too late and they had already enrolled, they could only give their all!  Mysterious Extremes Peak.  Su Yuan stretched lazily, calmly sipping tea while feeding the little fish.  There were 49 fish swimming in the pond, steadily settled at the low-grade spiritual fish level.  The advantage of promotion was convenience in feeding; each spiritual fish only needed one Fragment Spirit Stone.  As Su Yuan tossed pieces of Fragment Spirit Stone, a group of fish poked their heads above the water, their big eyes full of anticipation.  Each fish would leap midair to catch the stone, trailing faint starlight as they landed—a beautiful sight.  Especially Little Cai, who was especially lively.  Su Yuan’s mood brightened considerably.  Knock knock knock!  A hurried knock sounded at the door.  "Senior Brother, Senior Brother!"  An anxious voice called outside.  Su Yuan lightly waved his sleeve, applying spiritual energy to the door, which swung open.  Song Cai hurried inside.  Seeing Su Yuan so calm and leisurely sipping tea by the table, Song Cai’s anxious mood eased somewhat.  "What’s up?" Su Yuan asked.  "The competition is about to start! Aren’t you going? Zhang Wei and Zhou Wuyou have already saved seats for you," Song Cai said.  "Of course I’m going!" Su Yuan replied calmly.  He still wanted to keep an eye on the competition results and was curious about how many spirit stones he might earn.  "I’ll feed the fish first, then leave. Wait a moment!" Su Yuan said.  "Okay, Senior Brother!"  Song Cai curiously looked into the pond.  Little Cai noticed his gaze and spat a mouthful of pond water toward him.  Song Cai tried to dodge but the tri-colored water moved too fast; he was caught and drenched instantly.  Little Cai jumped happily around, looking proud.  Song Cai smiled wryly, wiping his face—he was actually outdone by a fish.  "Little Cai, stop fooling around!" Su Yuan shook his head, amused. He realized that the water contained some tri-colored spiritual energy, which was beneficial for Song Cai.  He chuckled, "Little Cai is just playing with you."  Song Cai then noticed the strange water on his body—faint spiritual energy was merging within, purifying his own spiritual energy somewhat.  He hurriedly absorbed the spiritual energy on his skin, his gaze toward Little Cai shifting.  Even a fish near Senior Brother was so extraordinary?  After feeding a few more pieces of Fragment Spirit Stone, Little Cai was finally full.  Su Yuan said, "Let’s go!"  "Oh, okay!" Song Cai nodded.  Su Yuan walked out of the courtyard, then summoned a low-grade magical artifact flying sword, stood on it, and slowly soared toward the main peak.  The flying sword technique was simple. Su Yuan had seen it once in the Scripture Pavilion and could pick it up at a glance. It was a basic skill anyone could learn—simple and straightforward, but just a foundational technique, not anything complex.  Song Cai followed, flying on his own sword behind Su Yuan.  From afar, Su Yuan already saw the lively scene atop the main peak.  A massive crowd of disciples had gathered—a grand spectacle!  Looking from high above, Su Yuan spotted Zhou Wuyou and Zhang Wei waving to him.  After confirming his position, Su Yuan descended outside the Martial Arts Plaza.  Song Cai led the way as Su Yuan squeezed through the crowd to reach Zhang Wei’s group, who were on a small hill with a good vantage point.  "So many people!" Su Yuan couldn’t help but sigh.  Zhang Wei said excitedly, "It’s my first time seeing so many disciples gathered together! Someday, I want to stand on that arena and be admired by everyone! Too bad I don’t have the chance this time!"  He looked regretful, then glanced at Su Yuan, "Big Brother Su, what about you? Can you make the top ten? I bet you’ll get there!"  Zhou Wuyou said, "I bet Senior Brother will make the top three!"  Su Yuan was stunned, looking at them, "Why are you betting on me? I’m not even competing."  Zhang Wei and Zhou Wuyou were both surprised, then turned to look at Song Cai.  Song Cai’s expression stiffened, nervously glancing at Su Yuan’s face. Seeing that Su Yuan was still watching elsewhere, Song Cai awkwardly looked at Zhou Wuyou and Zhang Wei.  Zhang Wei whispered, "Song Cai, what’s going on?"  Song Cai scratched his head and whispered, "I think I misunderstood Senior Brother’s intentions."  Zhou Wuyou whispered, "Did you place a bet?"  "I bet Senior Brother will win the championship. Mainly because, win or lose doesn’t matter, attitude is important!" Song Cai said.  Zhou Wuyou gave a thumbs-up, "You’re awesome!"  Su Yuan sensed something was off, looking at the three, "What are you whispering about? Are you hiding something from me?"  Song Cai looked embarrassed, "Well..."  Boom!  A thunderous roar suddenly echoed throughout the venue!  Everyone fell silent!  Looking up, the next moment seven beams of light rose from each peak, converging in midair above the sect to form a rainbow bridge swiftly connecting to the main peak!  On the massive rainbow bridge stood the peak masters and Golden Core elders from each peak, their overwhelming presence making all the disciples breathe faster!  The grand scene stunned disciples who had witnessed past competitions—was it really this extravagant?  The seven-colored rainbow light connected to the Martial Arts Plaza, enveloping everyone beneath its glow.  On the rainbow bridge, rainbow light cascaded down to the seven stands, where Golden Core elders and true disciples descended, instantly filling the previously empty stands!  The seven peak masters appeared in their main seats at the stands, surrounded by numerous strange phenomena—some with blooming lotuses, others with drifting colorful clouds—the aura perfectly controlled.  When the rainbow light dissipated, everyone regained their senses.  Su Yuan internally complained again, "Wow, this sect definitely has traditions—such flashy entrances! Sigh, now I want to study some entrance styles too. When I get to higher realms, if I don’t have something special, I might be laughed at."  At that moment, Su Yuan felt a piercing gaze fixed on him.  He looked over immediately.  The Mysterious Extremes Peak Master, Wang Siming, was staring at him with an expression full of suspicion and doubt.  A clear look of puzzlement showed on his face.  A voice transmission suddenly appeared in Su Yuan’s mind.  "I heard you were running a betting market, Su Yuan. I thought it was someone with the same name, but it really is you! I thought you were dead?" Wang Siming said.  Su Yuan was stunned, whispering, "What? I’m not dead. When did I die? How come I don’t know about it?"  "Alright, after the competition ends, I’ll take you for the Mysterious Extremes baptism. You’ve been delaying for a year and still haven’t entered the core roster of Mysterious Extremes Peak!" Wang Siming transmitted.  Though puzzled, Su Yuan nodded, "Understood."  Wang Siming was impressed. He hadn’t expected Su Yuan to reappear, but it was just in time. This guy had reached the peak of Qi Refinement stage six with a low-grade spirit root. His potential was extraordinary; the other peaks couldn’t snatch him away.  Su Yuan had no idea about Wang Siming’s thoughts. He eagerly anticipated the competition’s start and enjoyed watching the styles of his senior brothers and sisters.  Suddenly, the seven peak masters stood up simultaneously, shouting toward the heights, "Greetings, Sect Leader!"  Hearing this, the disciples immediately rose and saluted in the same direction.  At the Martial Arts Plaza, over one hundred thousand disciples shouted in unison,  "Greetings, Sect Leader!"  The powerful voice shook the heavens, befitting the grandeur of the Sect Leader’s appearance!  Su Yuan bowed his head and shouted loudly, then looked up curiously.  A young man strode down from the sky, golden flowers blossoming with each step—dazzlingly splendid.  But Su Yuan paid no attention to the flashy effects; he was stunned by the young man’s face!  "Th-this, this, this... Gu..." Su Yuan was dumbfounded.  The young man seemed to sense Su Yuan’s gaze and glanced over.  Their eyes met in midair, then parted instantly!  Su Yuan thought he saw a faint smile playing on Sect Leader Gu’s face.  "Damn, damn, damn!" Su Yuan shouted in his heart. "Senior Brother Gu is actually the Sect Leader of Seven Extremes Sect! This guy controls the entire sect and is the most powerful boss under the Supreme Elder. Why is he playing these games with me? This is messed up! The sect’s tricks run deep—I’m going back to the secret realm!"  After several internal curses, Su Yuan’s heart blossomed with joy.  "All set, all set, the betting market is secure. Turns out the Sect Leader himself opened it. No wonder he’s not afraid of the higher-ups. I’m a winner lying down! Sect Leader MVP, I’m the lucky dog! Hehe—"  Sect Leader Gu glanced around and declared, "I hereby announce the official start of this sect’s competition!"  "Elder Yu, you will host, beginning with the Servant Competition and Outer Sect Competition!"  "Yes!"  An old man with white hair and a youthful face stepped forward.  He then flew into the air and began to preside over the competition.  Su Yuan watched with great interest.  The Servant and Outer Sect Competitions were also lively.  But no one paid much attention; the servants and outer disciples were anxious and fought quickly. The two competitions finished rapidly.  Only two hours passed, and both competitions ended—by far the fastest ever. Normally, these two would take a full day combined!  "Now, I announce the start of the Inner Sect Competition! Ten matches at a time. When your name is called, come up for your match!"  "Zhou Hongguo... Li Ziping... Yuan Dao..."  Names were called one after another.  Su Yuan remained calm.  Until...  "...Su Yuan! All disciples, please proceed to your respective arenas for competition!"  Su Yuan’s expression flickered, doubting he had heard correctly.  But the elder repeated the call, confirming Su Yuan had not misheard.  Su Yuan immediately turned his head and glared at Song Cai with a terrifying gaze.  Song Cai awkwardly said, "Well, Senior Brother, I signed you up. You better get on stage. The elder is already anxious!"