Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Apparently, there are still many secrets hidden on Yun Xiao,” Elder Fu Du muttered in a barely audible voice from the northern seats, his drooping eyes flashing a hint of green light.

It is said that Elder Fu Du had met Yun Xiao over a year ago in Moon Bow City because of a pill recipe for the Yin Transformation Pill, which allowed him to control the Three Yin Meridians. Strictly speaking, he owed Yun Xiao a favor.

However, Poison Vein Masters like Elder Fu Du generally have a rather sinister nature, and such kindness was long forgotten. What they cared about were the secrets Yun Xiao carried with him.

For instance, his immunity to hundreds of poisons and the special techniques he exhibited now had sparked great interest in Elder Fu Du once again.

That was the main reason Elder Fu Du came to observe the Outer Sect competition personally; the young man known as Yun Xiao needed to be brought back to the Poison Vein Faction, which was crucial for Elder Fu Du’s future plans.

Not to mention Elder Fu Du’s unusual thoughts, beneath the arena, after an explanation from the Great Elder Lu Zhan, Song Tian finally understood what had happened and deeply bowed to Yun Xiao, expressing his gratitude.

”Thank you, Junior Brother Yun Xiao, for saving my life!”

Even though Yun Xiao had only joined as an Outer Disciple three months ago, and Song Tian, who had just advanced to the Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage, had a much higher cultivation than Yun Xiao, his gratitude at this moment was absolutely sincere.

Not everyone was like Elder Fu Du and his disciples, who repaid kindness with enmity, nor were they as cruel as Feng Hang or Shen Xiao. At least Song Tian knew how to repay a favor.

Moreover, Song Tian knew that this time Yun Xiao not only saved his life but also enabled him to break through to the Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage, a profound favor he didn’t know how to repay.

”Hehe, Brother Song Tian, you are too polite. It was the Great Elder who saved you; I merely helped a bit,” Yun Xiao said modestly, lightly waving his hand, which greatly improved many people’s impression of him, especially the Great Elder Lu Zhan, who grew fonder of the young man.

Indeed, the major reason Lu Zhan personally attended the Outer Sect competition was because of Yun Xiao. Little did he know that before the match even started, the young man had already given him a huge surprise.

It might not even be considered a surprise; for Lu Zhan, it could be seen as a fortuitous opportunity, as that enhanced version of the small Cosmos Meridian Array could enhance his capability in medical treatments and saving lives.

As someone like Lu Zhan knew how precious powerful meridian arrays could be, and Yun Xiao passed on such a valuable array to him subtly, just for the sake of reviving Song Tian, it was truly a great favor.

Not only did it show Yun Xiao’s compassionate nature, but it also displayed his broad-mindedness. Hence, Lu Zhan, just like Elder Fu Du, was determined to recruit this young man into his faction. Perhaps soon, fierce battles would come.

”Alright, let’s continue with the Outer Sect competition,” Great Elder Lu Zhan finally deeply looked at Yun Xiao, not saying much else, and gracefully walked back to his seat, only to meet a somewhat strange gaze.

”Great Elder, it’s been a while, your Medical Pulse Technique seems to have improved again!” Elder Fu Du sardonically commented, and even Su He, who had just stood up, felt somewhat embarrassed. How thick-skinned could this old guy get?

Su He also clearly saw what had transpired and couldn’t believe that Elder Fu Du didn’t know the whole story; clearly, he was intentionally being sarcastic.

Not particularly concerned with Elder Fu Du’s veiled criticisms, Lu Zhan sat back and, turning his head, softly spoke, ”Yun Xiao, I will secure the Medical Pulse faction!”

”Ah, what a coincidence, my Poison Vein faction is also very interested in Yun Xiao!” A glint of green flickered in Elder Fu Du’s eyes, and these remarks resolved the doubts Su He had harbored.

In past Outer Sect competitions, leaders of their respective factions seldom came in person. Before, Su He wondered if it was either Feng Hang or Shen Xiao that drew their attention, but now, it turned out to be the newly admitted three-months-old disciple, Yun Xiao.

However, after the recent incident, Su He also increased his attentiveness towards Yun Xiao but wasn’t too surprised, so he swept his gaze over the distant figure dressed in coarse clothes, moving the Outer Sect competition forward.

”Disciples from the ninth to the twelfth groups, please come up to the stage for your matches!”

With Su He’s loud announcement, the hubbub in the Arena Hall subsided a bit, and next, eight young geniuses stepped onto the arena to begin their Outer Sect competition.

However, due to the previous unexpected incident, many people were not especially interested in these four battles, which itself was quite a curious fact.

Originally, the most important competition had its flavor altered by Yun Xiao’s limelight, such that at this moment, even Feng Hang and Shen Xiao couldn’t outshine him.

Moreover, because of Feng Hang’s previous brutal move against Song Tian, everyone was hesitant towards him. Next, they might face Feng Hang. Should they fight, or should they not?

Regarding these gazes, Yun Xiao, as a person involved, didn’t care at all. But in the next moment, he felt a furious gaze shooting towards him. Turning his head to see, who else could it be but Feng Hang?

It can be said that due to Yun Xiao, Feng Hang’s initial intention of making an example during the first round had been thwarted. As someone from the top of the Mortal List, he naturally felt angry.

However, since it was not on the arena, Feng Hang dared not strike at Yun Xiao. Just when his anger was at its peak, he felt another gaze directing towards him, filled with resentment.

”Imbecile!”

When Feng Hang turned his head, he saw a familiar face—it was Song Tian, who he had almost kicked to death earlier. Full of rage, he simply sneered and muttered under his breath.

But Feng Hang seemed to have forgotten one fact: the current Song Tian had already broken through to the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, and was no longer just a Meridian Gathering Realm peak genius who could be easily manipulated.

If they were to confront each other again, who would fall was still unknown. Song Tian harbored deep hatred for someone who wanted him dead, wishing he could fight to the death with Feng Hang right then and there.

Putting aside the mutually resentful and vexed gazes between the few, the four battles on the stage soon concluded, and not surprisingly, the geniuses with higher Meridian Qi emerged victorious.

As time passed, some of Yun Xiao’s ”old acquaintances” also started their own Outer Sect competitions. For instance, Cao Luo, who drew the twelfth green sign, was swiftly knocked off the arena by a late-stage Meridian Gathering Realm genius, suffering quite severe injuries.

No matter how you look at it, Cao Luo was only at the middle stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm. Logically, possessing such cultivation and participating in the Outer Sect competition was simply humiliating himself, as any veteran genius could easily overpower him.

Indeed, Cao Luo was overthinking; originally wanting to showcase some of his own techniques and catch the attention of the two elders, he hadn’t managed to apply any before being directly defeated off the arena, which deeply frustrated him.

In another battle, Guan Tong, ranked third on the Mortal List, quickly defeated a fellow peak Meridian Gathering Realm genius, showcasing his formidable strength.

It is undeniable that Guan Tong, who had almost stepped into the Meridian Rushing Realm, was significantly stronger than a regular peak Meridian Gathering Realm cultivator. After defeating his opponent, Guan Tong, directing his attention towards a certain area below, lightly brushed his neck, a provocative gesture that drew everyone’s gaze.

And when these geniuses noticed whom Guan Tong was pointing to, they couldn’t help but muse, as that shabbily dressed youth was none other than Yun Xiao, who had just ”advised” the Great Elder.

Although Yun Xiao had recently risen to prominence, everyone knew that it was only in the art of Meridian Refining, specifically the Meridian Array aspect. Perhaps Yun Xiao happened to know such a Meridian Array, which had impressed the Great Elder.

However, strong as Meridian Refining Techniques could be, the foundation was still Meridian Qi Cultivation. From the surface, the gap in cultivation levels between Yun Xiao and Guan Tong was significant. Should these two meet on the stage, no one would favor Yun Xiao.

Ignoring Guan Tong’s provocative gesture, Yun Xiao, who had broken through to the late stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm, didn’t feel powerless against someone like Guan Tong, who had half-stepped into the Meridian Rushing Realm. What he truly dreaded were those who had reached the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm like Feng Hang and Shen Xiao.

The Outer Sect competition proceeded in an orderly fashion, with winners reveling in joy and losers showing dejection.

Fortunately, in these subsequent decisive battles, there was no death, nor did anyone, like Feng Hang, gravely injure their opponent and then proceed to finish them off. This relaxed the expression on the Great Elder Lu Zhan’s face somewhat.

”Big brother Yun Xiao, look, it’s Xuan Zhi!”

After another battle concluded, Ling Wan’s somewhat somber voice reached Yun Xiao’s ears, causing his eyes to sharpen as he turned towards the number one arena.

Except for the initial four battles that started simultaneously and due to the commotion Yun Xiao had caused earlier, after each arena battle concluded, the subsequent signees would fill in without waiting for all four battles to finish.

Speaking of which, Xuan Zhi had drawn the twenty-seventh sign while Yun Xiao the twenty-eighth, connected together. Only because one of the battles had a significant disparity in strength and ended too swiftly did Yun Xiao have the opportunity to watch this battle of Yun Zhi from below.