Five days passed in succession.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The melodious sound of a bell spread out, signaling the assembly call of the Canglan Sect.
"Junior Brother, the Sect's grand competition has begun. Let's go and watch the matches," Li Changxiao flew in from the horizon and landed on Sword Peak.
"Sure!" At the same time, hearing the bell, Yang Ji too stepped out.
The two transformed into streaks of light, soaring towards the sky, and quickly took their seats on the high platform at the Canglan Sect's square.
Both of them were Nascent Soul True Monarchs, with powerful auras. In the sect, they were comparable to the great elders such as the Peerless True Lord of the Skies and True Lord Yun Guang. As soon as they landed, they immediately caught the attention of the disciples present.
"Who are they? To actually qualify to sit next to the Sect Leader?" some disciples wondered.
"You've only joined the Sect a few years ago and don't know. These are Brother Li and Brother Yang; they are both geniuses who have joined the Dao Sect and have already passed two assessments," an older disciple recognized them at a glance.
"They are Canglan Sect's so-called 'talents that come once in a thousand years,' Senior Brother Li Changxiao and Senior Brother Yang Ji? Shouldn't they be at the Dao Sect? Why have they returned? Did they fail the third assessment?" some disciples couldn't help but speculate.
Sect Master Qing He, also a Nascent Soul True Monarch with great strength, obviously heard the disciples' murmuring and discussed sternly, "Many of you are disciples who have entered the Sect in recent decades and have not seen your Senior Brother Li Changxiao and Senior Brother Yang Ji."
"Let me introduce them, your Brother Li has already passed the third assessment of the Dao Sect and has earned the qualification to stay in the Dao Sect forever."
"Additionally, your Brother Yang has astonishing comprehension and mighty strength. He too will soon pass the third assessment and earn the qualification to stay in the Dao Sect forever."
"Their presence here today to supervise the competition is an honor for you. Do not embarrass yourselves; compete well."
"What? Brother Li has earned the qualification to stay in the Dao Sect forever?" Everyone's heart shook, and the crowd was instantly abuzz, looking at Li Changxiao with eyes full of admiration and worship.
To be able to stay in the Dao Sect forever, what a great honor that is!
It is known that most people can't even pass the first assessment, let alone become an official disciple of the Dao Sect.
The hearts of the people present were truly shocked at this moment.
Although they were from the same Sect, the gap between them was immense, not even on the same level, akin to the difference between heaven and earth.
Yet some disciples, unaware of their own limits and still full of pride, disdainfully said, "I have a Supreme Spiritual Root too. What he can do, I can likewise achieve."
Yang Ji, who had extraordinarily acute hearing, merely smiled upon hearing those words.
Throughout his journey, he understood most clearly that a true genius need not have an extraordinary Spiritual Root, but his comprehension must never be mediocre.
Senior Brother Li Changxiao may only have a Supreme Spiritual Root, but his comprehension is extremely strong, comparable to those with a Sacred Body, and even not inferior to the average Taoist Body, truly a genuine prodigy. Enjoy additional stories on m-vl-em|p-yr
Such a person, within this mere Thousand-Islands Sea Area, let alone once in a thousand years, it would be difficult to find another even in ten thousand years.
To judge achievement based on the Spiritual Root is a grave mistake.
The mentality of these disciples still needs much refinement; otherwise, it will be difficult for them to go far.
Presumably, Sect Master Qing He also heard these words. As a Sect Leader, he had the most experience in how to manage, cultivate, and temper the disciples. These were not matters for Yang Ji to worry about.
At this moment, the square was already crowded with tens of thousands of disciples, buzzing with people as dense as a swarm of bees.
Dong!
As the bell rang, Sect Master Qing He waved a cluster of spiritual light that scattered onto the platform below the stage, a dazzling array of medicine pills, magical treasures, and materials, all exuding powerful spiritual power. The glowing aura dazzled some of the disciples for a moment.
"The top three core disciples will each be rewarded with a Supreme Spiritual Artifact, a Superior Spiritual Artifact, and a Medium-grade Spiritual Artifact, respectively. In addition, they each will receive five hundred bottles of Heaven Spirit Pills from Dao Sect."
"The top three Inner Sect disciples will each be rewarded with a Lower-grade Spiritual Instrument. As for medicine pills, they will respectively be rewarded with four hundred, three hundred, and two hundred bottles of Heaven Spirit Pills."
"The top three Outer Sect disciples will each be rewarded with a Supreme Magic Tool, a Superior Magic Artifact, and a Medium-grade Magic Artifact, respectively. Additionally, each will receive a hundred bottles of Heaven Spirit Pills."
"As for those who place in the top one hundred, they shall receive a Low-grade Magical Artifact along with one hundred to ten varying bottles of Heaven Spirit Pills."
"Alright, the competition officially begins now."
At the command of Sect Master Qing He, the disciples divided into three groups, converging on the Outer Sect, Inner Sect, and Core areas of the plaza, respectively.
Besides the three arenas in the core area, there were dozens of arenas in the other two areas.
Under the orderly arrangement of the stewards, the disciples began their matches, with many showcasing their impressive skills.
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An Outer Sect disciple was punched and sent flying, his entire arm exploding in mid-air. It was a fierce-looking disciple who had infused tremendous spiritual power into his opponent's flesh and bones, causing his arm to explode on impact.
Accompanied by screams, the area around the arena fell silent all of a sudden, leaving only the fierce disciple standing with his chest proudly puffed out on the stage.
Not much later.
On Arena No. 1 of the Inner Sect, a flash of sword light passed, and a disciple's legs were directly severed, blood spewing forth. Accompanied by his screams, blood covered the ground.
The onlookers couldn't help but turn pale.
The young man wielding the sword revealed a cruel smile and laughed coldly, "This is the consequence of not admitting defeat!"
Meanwhile, on the core arena.
A Golden Core disciple extended a pitch-black handprint hundreds of feet large into the air, its overwhelming pressure pinning down the space, and slammed down mercilessly, leaving his opponent with nowhere to hide.
With a loud boom, the formation-etched arena shook violently as his opponent was suppressed by the handprint. His body split on the spot, his Primordial Spirit terrified beyond belief as he shrieked, "I admit defeat!"
"Hmph! Wise of you!" His opponent sneered sinisterly and withdrew the magic technique.
Li Changxiao watched several matches involving these three individuals and noticed that in each fight they were extremely brutal. He frowned slightly and said, "These three are too vicious. They strike like they are from the Demonic Path, showing no regard for the fellowship of the same sect. While not fatal, these injuries could take someone years to recover from.
If the limbs and bones aren't perfectly reattached, it might even affect their future cultivation."
"These three are indeed ferocious. The one from the Outer Sect is named Wu Xilong, while the one from the Inner Sect is named Fan Haihong, and the one from the Core is called Xing Dao. It's unknown what sort of fortuitous encounter they've had, but all three have achieved Supreme Spiritual Roots and have risen rapidly in recent years."
Sect Master Qing He paused for a moment and then said pensively, "The Supreme One has examined their bodies and found their foundations to be solid and everything normal, unlike those who practice rapid success methods of the Demonic Path."
"Heavenly Demon?" Suddenly, two voices rang out at the same time. One was the inward comment from Yang Ji who had also noticed the trio and after observing them for a while, realized there was a peculiar message in the techniques they used—the aura of a Heavenly Demon.
The other voice was a transmission from the Buddha Child hidden in his sleeve. "Master, damn it, those three have the aura of a Heavenly Demon. The Buddha-Demon Scripture I cultivate is especially sensitive to the aura of Heavenly Demons. These three must have some connection with them. They strike even more ruthlessly than me, no wonder they have been tainted by the Demonic Qi."
As Yang Ji's brow furrowed and he was about to communicate with his senior brother Li Changxiao, Jian Yuanzi suddenly flew in from the sky and transmitted to both Yang Ji and Li Changxiao:
"The Supreme One wants you both to immediately come to the Supreme Palace; he has successfully received the Dao and is about to break through to Void Refining. He wants you to observe his crossing the Dao Calamity so you can have a clear understanding of it, as it will help you prepare for your own crossings in the future."