I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World

Chapter 117: Chapter 99: (Revision) Opponent

The towering mountains were majestic, with cascading waterfalls and misty water vapor, adding a touch of coolness that dispelled the lingering heat of summer.

On the plaza of Heavenly Chief Peak, disciples from various peaks and valleys gathered, shoulder to shoulder, engaging in conversation.

Jiang Yuebai and Yun Shang landed together on the white jade steps, put away their flying swords, and looked around.

In the vast plaza, nearly a thousand disciples were gathered. Apart from the Inner Sect Disciples and Direct Disciples in their radiant Spiritual Light Treasure Clothes, most were Blue-Clothed Outer Sect Disciples and Gray-Clothed servant disciples.

This small competition was open to the entire sect. Anyone at or above the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, regardless of their status, could participate.

Yun Shang hugged Jiang Yuebai’s arm and shrank back behind her, muttering softly.

”Didn’t they used to have preliminary rounds on the stage in previous years? Why is everyone gathering here today?”

Jiang Yuebai scratched her forehead, ”I don’t know either, let’s wait and see.”

Jiang Yuebai, with Yun Shang in tow, navigated through the crowd, searching for Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan. The three had talked all night the previous day and rested separately yesterday, agreeing to meet at the plaza this morning.

”You’ve all heard, right? This time, over a hundred disciples from Guiyuan Sword Sect are participating.”

”How can that be? If they take up the top fifty, won’t we lose the chance to get the Foundation Establishment Elixir?”

”It’s indeed unfair. I’ve heard that the five strongest in the Qi Cultivation Stage from Guiyuan Sword Sect are here, especially Zhuo Qingfeng. He is undefeated in the same rank and isn’t afraid of Early-Stage Foundation Establishment at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer.”

”Why are you boosting others’ morale while destroying our own? Guiyuan Sword Sect might have Zhuo Qingfeng, but we’ve got Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan. They are no less skilled in swordsmanship and won’t lose to Guiyuan Sword Sect.”

”Exactly, our Heavenly Interence Sect Disciples are not easy to bully. Since Guiyuan Sword Sect dares to come, I won’t need the Foundation Establishment Elixir if it means showing Guiyuan Sword Sect who we are.”

”Get out, talking like you could even make it to the top fifty-one.”

Listening to the discussions around them, Yun Shang showed signs of worry.

”What to do, Little Bai? It’s going to be much harder to obtain the Foundation Establishment Elixir this time.”

”Just do our best. It’s okay if we can’t get it; we’ll think of another way. Anan!”

Jiang Yuebai spotted Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan and waved vigorously.

This shout drew many gazes, and Yun Shang nervously clutched Jiang Yuebai’s arm, lowering her head to fiddle with her bangs.

Jiang Yuebai walked over. Lu Nanzhi was talking with a sickly-looking male cultivator, with Shen Huaxi standing beside him, looking serene and gentle.

Jiang Yuebai frowned slightly. Shen Huaxi clasped his hands in greeting, ”Greetings to Senior Sister Jiang.”

Xie Jingshan glanced at the pair and hooked an arm around Shen Huaxi’s shoulder jokingly, ”How do you know Jiang Yuebai? You seem quite familiar?”

Shen Huaxi replied coolly, ”We’ve just met once.”

Jiang Yuebai couldn’t see through Shen Huaxi, but she didn’t show it and only remained cautious inwardly.

The one talking with Lu Nanzhi was Song Zhi’ang, who had Water and Fire Dual Spirit Roots and was at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, a disciple preselected by True Monarch Cang Huo.

Currently, he was following Yuu Qiuqi and was on the same artifact cultivation path. However, since his Water and Fire Spirit Roots conflicted, his constitution was poor, and he was always unwell.

”I am Jiang Yuebai, greetings to Junior Brother Song.”

Jiang Yuebai took the initiative to greet him, but Song Zhi’ang ignored her.

”Please don’t take offense, Senior Sister Jiang. Senior Brother Song isn’t good with words. He is cold on the outside but warm on the inside.” Shen Huaxi quickly offered an explanation.

Jiang Yuebai didn’t mind and glanced at Shen Huaxi.

She had only learned from Xie Jingshan’s introduction that Shen Huaxi had a Single Wood Spirit Root and had gained great fame when he joined, but later vanished because he focused on the Medical Dao and wasn’t skilled in Battle Methods.

Because of this, Shen Huaxi was very popular within the Inner Sect. Whenever anyone went on a mission, they would invite Shen Huaxi along.

Xie Jingshan and Shen Huaxi were close friends, having been together since they entered the sect at six, treating each other like brothers. Jiang Yuebai was unsure how to broach the subject of Shen Huaxi and Lin Suwan with Xie Jingshan.

For the moment, she decided to wait until after the competition to explain to Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan, lest Xie Jingshan, who couldn’t keep things to himself, let slip and affect the competition.

Jiang Yuebai pulled Yun Shang to her side, ”Anan, this is Yun Shang, whom I mentioned to you. Her talent and ability in Beast Taming are the strongest I’ve ever seen, and she’s a really good person too.”

Yun Shang blushed in embarrassment, ”No, I’m not as good as she says.”

Lu Nanzhi responded graciously, ”Nanzhi greets Senior Sister Yun.”

Yun Shang waved her hands in panic, ”Don’t call me Senior Sister. You’re the number one in the Inner Sect. Calling me Senior Sister... I’d be too embarrassed.”

Yun Shang is two years older than the three of them, but in terms of maturity, she’s not as advanced as Lu Nanzhi and Jiang Yuebai.

”Senior Brother Song, would you like to come with me to find Senior Brother Xiao?”

Shen Huaxi was tactful, taking Song Zhi’ang elsewhere.

”Just some bootlicker, clinging to Lu Nanzhi, why should you be so polite to her, Huaxi?”

”Please be cautious with your words, Senior Brother Song. Senior Sister Jiang is a bit younger than us and joined at the same time. With her cultivation reaching the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, she’s certainly not ordinary. For Senior Sister Lu and Senior Brother Xie to favor her, she must have something extraordinary.”

”Extraordinary? If you and I were to take Elixirs without restriction, what’s the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer?”

Lu Nanzhi glanced at Song Zhi’ang, and seeing that Jiang Yuebai’s expression hadn’t changed, she said, ”I heard the Supreme Elder is hosting this competition. Given her personality, I guess she’ll be throwing us into a Secret Realm for a chaotic battle.”

”Has the Supreme Elder returned? And what about Elder Lii?”

Jiang Yuebai looked around excitedly, not seeing any Sect higher-ups appear.

Lu Nanzhi took out a combined Jade Plate, separating it into three pieces and distributing them.

”No matter the situation, better to be prepared. This Jade, when within a hundred li of each other, will generate increasingly stronger attraction to guide you to converge. Just keep it outside your storage bags.”

Yun Shang carefully took one with both hands, glancing at Lu Nanzhi, her face happy and flushed.

Jiang Yuebai nodded, also taking out some things to distribute among the group.

”These are Cloud Lark Puppets and Movie Viewing Mirrors I made. Three each. The Cloud Lark Puppets can scout everything within fifty li, but the Movie Viewing Mirrors can only give a real-time view within ten li. Beyond that, you’ll have to wait for the Cloud Lark Puppets to return and use the Memory Jade. Oh, and they can self-destruct in critical moments, equivalent to an Eighth Grade explosive talisman.”

Seeing this, Yun Shang quickly pulled out four palm-sized Spiritual Beast Bags from her coat, taking three small rats out from one and giving them to three people.

”These... these are Spiritual Rats I cultivated. They are very sensitive to scents and danger, excel at distinguishing directions, and won’t be affected by Illusion Arrays.”

Holding a pile of things, Xie Jingshan awkwardly said, ”I only have Spirit Stones. Do you guys need any?”

Yun Shang shook her head, while Jiang Yuebai and Lu Nanzhi rolled their eyes in unison.

Xie Jingshan got annoyed, ”Just wait, you two. Once the competition starts, I won’t hold back.”

Jiang Yuebai snickered, ”Please, unleash a fierce attack on me, Anan, you as well.”

Lu Nanzhi said, ”Rest assured, I’ll treat everyone the same when encountered, giving my all. However, with these Jade Pendants I give you, I hope you all last until the end. Once we’ve cleared all obstacles, we’ll settle the score.”

Yun Shang watched them as they ’contested,’ letting out a quiet laugh.

The surroundings erupted in noise as everyone turned to look in the same direction.

Five giant swords split the sky majestically, advancing together.

On the giant swords, five Foundation Establishment Cultivators in azure martial attire led, each followed by twenty Green-Clothed Disciples.

The giant swords hovered above the plaza, a hundred Qi Cultivation Disciples moved in unison, directing their swords.

Swords unsheathed from behind them, forming a river, circling once before the hundred Qi Cultivation Disciples jumped onto these long swords, shooting downward one by one, landing in the plaza.

”Hmph~ showing off,” Xie Jingshan said disdainfully.

”The leader there is Zhuo Qingfeng, isn’t he? Not bad looking~” Jiang Yuebai stared at the leading fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth.

His posture was upright, with hands clasped around his sword, with a hint of sharpness hidden beneath an icy demeanor, like a solitary pine on a cold mountain peak, aloof and out of reach, standing out distinctly from everything around him.

”What’s so good-looking about him? Just a shiny dung beetle,” Xie Jingshan grumbled, crossing his arms, tilting his chin to reveal a supposedly extraordinary face.

Jiang Yuebai ignored him, focusing on the four people behind Zhuo Qingfeng, two men and two women, exuding different but equally striking auras.

Lu Nanzhi explained from the side, ”The Guiyuan Sword Sect is said to have existed since the Ancient Era, older than the Heavenly Interence Sect. The sect has produced countless Sword Dao experts, consistently ranking in the top ten of the Earth Spiritual Realm’s power rankings. If not for our Heavenly Interence Sect’s ancestor fending off the Guiyuan Sword Sect’s top ten Sword Monarchs single-handedly, our sect might still be a nameless small faction.’

”I inquired last night; Zhuo Qingfeng and the other four are all at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. Zhuo Qingfeng has already realized Gale Sword Intent. The siblings Xu Qianjin and Xu Qiancheng are different in their hard and soft energies, and then there’s Hua Yingshi’s Twelve Flower God Swords and Zhao Kunling’s Heavy Sword Mountain Shattering. They also command the Two Elements, Three Talents, and Four Symbols Sword Arrays—all formidable.”

”Should you encounter them, you might manage solo; against two or more, don’t fight recklessly. Sword Cultivators hold a top-tier combat position in the cultivation realm; with added sword array power, they shouldn’t be underestimated. You must remain on high guard.”

As Lu Nanzhi spoke, a phoenix cry echoed through the sky, lingering melodiously.

A shabby female cultivator, holding a wine jug, was cross-legged on the back of a white-feathered phoenix, flying over from Heavenly Leisure Peak.

Heavenly Interence Sect’s Sect Master, Wenn Ci, also led a group of cultivators, emerging from the main hall of Heavenly Chief Peak.