Chen Jingzhai had a calm expression as he stood on the stage.
He had no idea that the other four disciples who had joined the clan at the same time he had were now staring at him.
The young man stood on top of the stairs while racking his brain on the following battles.
Because he had gotten first place, it would take a long time before he would actually step onto the fighting stage.
It wasn’t a bad thing as he would get the chance to see the different methods each branch would use.
He believed that it was part of his responsibility as a Master-Uncle to learn the capabilities of his disciple nephews and nieces.
However, there was one problem.
The battle forum was separated into different categories according to the level the disciples were at.
Those in the Beginning Foundation Plane would be the first to fight, no matter the number on their jade token.
If Chen Jingzhai wanted to get into the top ten of the battle forum, he had to win all the battles in his category.
It would also mean that his fights were held earlier than the disciples in the Intermediate and Advanced Foundation Plane.
He still felt pressured because of what he had to achieve.
In the end, all of the participants were geniuses in each branch. Even those in the Beginning Foundation Plane were powerful as well.
A few minutes had passed, and the tokens of those who were ranked 2,000 and after in the Zhengdu battle started to shine.
Two random tokens flew out of the disciples’ hands and landed in the middle of the Eight Trigrams Platform.
Seconds after that, the owners of the two tokens were teleported onto the platform.
They were disciples of Elixir Peak and Tianzhu Peak, both of whom seemed to have just become inner disciples.
It wasn’t surprising, as most Beginning Foundation Plane cultivators would have only recently become inner disciples.
Chen Jingzhai was the only exception.
Both of them showed signs of surprise when they appeared on the platform.
The disciple of Elixir Peak was the first to react. He immediately drew his nine-section bamboo staff and charged toward his opponent.
The disciple of Tianzhu Peak took a defensive stance right away and deployed a spiritual item shield.
The two started their duel.
Chen Jingzhai remained calm.
Instead of focusing on the battle, he had his eyes set on the Eight Trigrams Platform.
As a treasure-grade item, the shockwaves that occurred from the battle were not spread into the crowd.
And once any participant was in life-threatening danger, the platform would instantly remove them from the battle.
Chen Jingzhai was highly interested in those features.
Outside the stage and on the Sea of Clouds, Chu Jingsong stood next to Sun Changrong.
“Aren’t you worried about affecting our own people now that you have helped Master-Uncle?” Sun Changrong asked.
“I was here to help Master-Uncle from the start.” Chu Jingsong grinned. “Also, with Chen Fuxiao participating, we should also get a high ranking this time. Don’t tell me that you didn’t recognize what that black whale was?”
“Although our Sky Whale Peak doesn’t have that many disciples, we have tons of geniuses.” Sun Changrong nodded.
There was no way he would not recognize the Dragon’s Beard Whale.
It was the Black Kiss Dragon’s Beard Whale, the most violent of them all and one that had not been seen in a long time.
The cultivators of Sky Whale Peak were masters of manifesting their will on their bodies and were trained in the Supreme Sky Whale Incarnation.
Different people would manifest different types of sky whales even when they had all studied the same scripture.
Different sky whales would also provide their host with different powers and divine arts.
The Black Kiss Dragon’s Beard Whale was of a much higher grade than Chu Jingsong’s blue whale.
It proved that Chen Fuxiao was highly talented and on par with Chu Jingsong, who was his senior.
The only thing he lacked now was that he could only manifest the black whale’s head and tail and was still unable to manifest the whole thing.
However, if he were to reach the realm that Chu Jingsong was in, he would be able to do that.
“Doaxuan Peak is something else as well.” Chu Jingsong grinned. “The disciples have benefited a lot from Master-Uncle.”
“I’m curious, Senior Brother Chu. Why do you trust Master-Uncle so much?” Sun Changrong couldn’t help but ask.
“Is that even a question? Because he has a sense of justice, is generous, smart, and talented. So is there a reason not to trust him?”
“That makes sense.” Sun Changrong laughed awkwardly before turning back to look at the stage.
Chu Jingsong smiled. There was a real reason why he had so much trust in Chen Jingzhai, but it was a secret that he couldn’t easily reveal to others, not even Sun Changrong.
The only thing that he was sure of was that he would not lose anything by following Chen Jingzhai.
“The battle forum has finally commenced,” Mrs. Yang exclaimed. “Battles after battles will be held in front of the Sages and lords. Everyone will do their best to bring glory to their own branch. When do you think Jingzhai will have his first fight?”
“I’m not sure. But, the only ones that could actually hold him back are the disciples from the sword branches,” Peak Master Yang replied. “I guess he won’t participate in the first 100 or so duels.”
“Are you sure?”
“Am I wrong?” Both Peak Master Yang and Hao Feng immediately turned to look at Mrs. Yang.
“I think he’ll get challenged in one of the first ten duels.”
“Someone will challenge him, you say? Well, it’s not impossible.”
“According to the rules, Master-Uncle has to win 300 battles at least to secure a spot in the top 100,” Hao Feng said. “But, if someone challenges him…”
“He’ll have to win 500 battles if he loses the challenge.” The Peak Master finished the sentence. “However, if he wins, the challenger will lose the right to participate in future battles.”
In the end, ranking first in the Zhengdu battle had its own merit.
All of the Beginning Foundation Plane cultivators were able to challenge him to a battle. If they won, they just had to win the subsequent ten battles to secure a spot in the top 100.
However, they would have to forfeit the entire battle forum if they failed.
On the other hand, if Chen Jingzhai won the challenge battle, it would accumulate, and he wouldn’t have to win 300 battles to get into the top 100.
That was why those who had issued a challenge and those who were challenged had their own pros and cons.
If one did not want to risk it, then they would just let the stage decide who they would battle.
Many people had their eyes on the battle while immersing themselves in their own thoughts.
Some also had their attention on Chen Jingzhai, who stood the highest.
They noticed that although Chen Jingzhai had shown his amazingness in the Zhengdu battle, they also noticed that his techniques didn’t have a lot of firepower.
The only advantages he had were the two swords, the magic mirror, and the five elements spell.
As Chen Jingzhai was trained in the scripture of Daoxuan Peak, it was natural that the headmaster would arrange for him to join Daoxuan Peak.
And as everyone knew, the cultivators of Daoxuan Peak weren’t proficient in one-on-one battles.
For most of the Beginning Foundation Plane disciples, getting a high ranking was almost impossible to achieve.
The only reason they were so excited about the battle forum was that they would finally have a chance to showcase their capabilities to the entire clan.
Those who had done well in the battle forum would be greatly rewarded as well, even if they didn’t achieve a high rank.
They would be able to attract the attention of their own branch if they showed their potential on stage.
These disciples were getting restless as defeating the Master-Uncle, who was on the same level as them, would prove their potential even further.
The fights on the platform were getting boring, but most still held their urge to challenge Chen Jingzhai.
The first to challenge him would either be really powerful or just an idiot.
Because of various worries, no one dared to make the first move.
As for Chen Jingzhai, he did not notice what the other disciples were thinking and continued to study the Eight Trigrams Platform.
