Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Xuanyan City.
At the venue of the Feast of Ziyun.
Thud!!
A faint echo reverberated. It was the sound of a youth lifting his hand and landing his palm on the body of another youth, pushing him off the high platform, and emerging triumphant in this friendly match.
Qi spread a third of a meter from the youth’s palm.
As for the other youth, a layer of Qi also swept under his feet when he landed on the ground, battered.
Clearly, the two of them were both early Connate adepts.
By now, the Feast of Ziyun had already begun. The early Connate adepts from the five major sects of Ziyun, who were here this time, were divided into three groups of five. They were first to take part in the friendly matches.
“Number two.”
Dressed in a long green robe, a young girl of delicate appearance sat in the second row of the audience seats. She was looking at the inscribed jade tag in her hand with shining eyes.
“The first group of matches is going to end soon.”
The girl looked at the monk on the high platform who was dressed in a white robe. Her heart twitched. “As long as there’s an outcome for the match between the two people from the Tianwu Sect and the Divine Light Sect… it will be time for the second group of people, which includes me, to take the field.
“Teacher said that if I win three matches, he will tell my senior to accompany me back to the Sixteen Countries of the East Valley and help me take revenge.”
“But I want to win four matches!”
The girl was none other than Chen Dandan. Her eyes twinkled and her expression was filled with confidence.
At the Feast of Ziyun, the first batch of people to take the field were 15 early Connate adepts, three from each sect.
Fifteen people drew lots to divide themselves into three groups. The strongest person in each group was to be determined.
Thereafter, the three people who distinguished themselves in each of the three groups would all achieve the generous reward given collectively by the five major sects.
Now, the most powerful person in the first group was going to be determined.
“Does Senior want to take a break?”
The monk dressed in the white robe was none other than the early Connate disciples of the Divine Light Sect. He appeared to be around 20 years old. When the youth defending himself on the high platform smiled, two dimples appeared on his cheeks.
“I didn’t expend much energy. It hasn’t affected me.”
The young man, also the first early Connate disciple from the Tianwu Sect to take the field, shook his head gently.
“If that’s the case, Senior, please make a move first,”
The disciple from the Divine Light Sect said politely with his palms pressed against each other.
“Sure.”
The youth did not stand on ceremony either. From head to toe, a layer of Qi wreaked havoc and seemed to immediately transform his entire body into cyan flames. It pounced on the disciple of the Divine Light Sect as if about to devour him.
Faced with the youth who attacked him with full force, the disciple of the Divine Light Sect had an imposing expression on his face too. When the youth was surging towards him, he simultaneously pulled back while warding off the attack.
After a short period of time, he finally gained the upper hand.
Thump!!
After ten moves, the disciple of the Divine Light Sect randomly threw out his fist. The destructive power of his Qi increased sharply, mercilessly ousting the youth, who had already won three matches in full, off the high platform.
Victory!
The disciple of the Divine Light Sect attained the top position in the Feast of Ziyun this time.
“As expected of a disciple of the Divine Light Sect. Although he’s merely an early Connate adept, he has shown immense power. If you survey the entire Ziyun, there are probably very few early Connate adepts who are on par with him.”
“Even if a typical mid Connate adept emerges triumphant in a battle against him, it will probably take them a lot of effort.”
…
The performance of the disciple of the Divine Light Sect made the audience gasp in awe.
The Divine Light Sect was deserving of its name as the best sect of the Ziyun since the olden days. Even a mere early Connate disciple from the sect was this impressive.
“Lord Tuo Jin, Cao Gang is already our strongest early Connate disciple in the Tianwu Sect… the disciples of the Divine Light Sect are amazing,”
The sect leader of the Tianwu Sect, a sturdy middle-aged man dressed in loose training clothes who looked like a street performer that smashed rocks on his chest, said in admiration.
“We don’t deserve Lord Ye’s praise.”
Tuo Jin smiled modestly.
The head of the Tianwu Sect, whose name was “Ye Wen,” looked incredibly rough. But his name described a scholarly person as opposed to a person from a military background.
After the Divine Light Sect’s disciple achieved victory and came down from the stage, the head of the Xuanyin Sect Liu Yi who was seated in the audience area said in a clear voice, “Now, the disciples of various sects who drew lots with the number two, can ascend onto the high platform.”
Whoosh!
Before Liu Yi had even finished speaking, a green figure had already left the audience area behind him like a phantom and ascended onto the high platform in the blink of an eye.
It was Chen Dandan.
The goal that Chen Dandan’s mentor, Zhong Ya, had set for her was to win three rounds. So she was the first to take the field so as to guarantee that she would attain her objective.
Even if she was confident that she was no weaker than the early Connate disciples from the other four sects, she was nevertheless the first to take the stage.
“A female disciple?”
“The Xuanyin Sect is going to send a female disciple?”
…
When Chen Dandan made her appearance, it was not just the spectators who felt that the Xuanyin Sect was messing around. Even the people of the other four major sects felt that the Xuanyin Sect was taking this way too lightly.
Because it was believed that female adepts could not compare to male adepts physically, females were usually at a disadvantage in fights between adepts of the same level of practice.
“Lord Liu, is the Xuanyin Sect giving the disciples of the four major sects benefits by doing this? I can’t believe you’re sending a female disciple to take the field.”
These words were said by the head of the Xuesha Sect while shaking his head and smiling as he looked at the leader of the Xuanyin Sect, Liu Yi from afar. He was a middle-aged man with a curly beard who was dressed in a long scarlet robe.
“Lord Hu, you definitely shouldn’t underestimate this female disciple from our Xuanyin Sect.”
Liu Yi smiled calmly.
“Why? Could it be that this disciple from the Xuanyin Sect has incredible qualities or something?”
The face of the Xuesha Sect Leader Hu Chengshuo was filled with disdain.
After Chen Dandan took the field, the other early Connate disciples from the four sects who had drawn the number two still did not move. Each and every one of them felt that they had an unfair advantage when pitted against a female.
No one was willing to come forth.
All of them were afraid of being a laughingstock.
“Her name is Chen Dandan.”
Without waiting for Liu Yi to respond to Hu Chengshuo, the old man seated beside Liu Yi, the Taoist Elder Qi Ming of the Xuanyin Sect glanced briefly at Hu Chengshuo. “She’s the disciple my senior took under his wing three years ago.”
Qi Ming’s words were immediately followed by a deathly silence across the whole venue.
Who was Qi Ming?
The Taoist Elder of the Xuanyin Sect!
One of the two prominent Golden Essence elders of the Xuanyin Sect!
In the Xuanyin Sect, the only person whom he called “Senior” was the other Golden Essence elder of the Xuanyin Sect, the most powerful person in the Xuanyin Sect, Zhong Ya!
“She’s… actually a disciple of Senior Zhong Ya?”
The disdain on Hu Chengshuo’s face vanished completely. In its place was an expression of shock. He could not have expected this female disciple from the Xuanyin Sect to be a disciple of Elder Zhong Ya of the Xuanyin Sect.
Zoom!!
Just when many people had yet to register what was happening, a figure rapidly flew out from the audience area where members of the Thousand-Year Sect were seated, and mounted the high platform directly.
It was a young man dressed in a brocade garment, an early Connate adept from the Thousand-Year Sect who had drawn the number two.
“Damn it! He beat me to it!”
“This chap moved way too quickly.”
“I missed the chance.”
When the disciple from the Thousand-Year Sect mounted the high platform and stood facing Chen Dandan, the other early Connate disciples from the remaining three sects who had drawn the number two beat their bests and stamped their feet in unison. They felt that it was such a pity.
Earlier, they felt that attacking Chen Dandan was a disgrace to them, but now, they felt that this was their chance to become famous in the span of one battle instead!
In their eyes, Chen Dandan was no longer a mere disciple of Xuanyin Sect, but the disciple of the Xuanyin Sect’s Golden Essence elder, Zhong Ya!
As long as they defeated this Chen Dandan, they would be at full liberty to go around boasting that they had once defeated a Golden Essence disciple of the Xuanyin Sect.
This feat would be impressive enough for them to boast about for the rest of their lives!
“Junior Dandan, I’m Zong Tan from the Thousand-Year Sect…”
While the disciple from the Thousand-Year Sect was introducing himself, Chen Dandan interrupted him and said indifferently, “I’m not interested in knowing the name of a losing opponent.”
The moment Chen Dandan said these words, the Thousand-Year Sect’s disciple was so infuriated that his expression changed completely. As for the other people, they went into an uproar. They could sense the immense confidence in Chen Dandan’s words.
Bang!
By the time Chen Dandan finished speaking, a layer of Qi had risen dramatically beneath her feet. Her entire body pushed off the ground and flew towards the Thousand-Year Sect’s disciple like an arrow that had left its bow.
“Hmph!”
After the Thousand-Year Sect’s disciple regained his senses, there was an extremely unpleasant expression on his face. He wanted to gain the upper hand using some tricks, only to realize that Chen Dandan was not firing blindly. Her skills were indeed at a higher level than his.
On top of that, Chen Dandan had gained the initiative by striking first and had the upper hand. After three moves, the Thousand-Year Sect’s disciple was sent off the high platform by Chen Dandan’s palm.
Just then, the expressions of the remaining disciples from the three major sects who had drawn the number two also became more solemn. They no longer dared to underestimate Chen Dandan because she was a woman.
Thud!!
Snap!!
Boom!!
Under the stupefied gazes of the spectators, Chen Dandan defeated one of the remaining three people in two moves. As for the other two people, she defeated one in five moves and the other in six moves.
Chen Dandan successfully emerged victorious in the second group of battles among the early Connate adepts in the Feast of Ziyun.
“Impressive! Impressive!”
“As expected of a disciple of a Golden Essence adept. Women are no less capable than men!”
…
After Chen Dandan reached the top, as expected, a wave of admiring exclamations started around her. As the crowd of people discussed amongst themselves, they were not stingy at all with their compliments.
At the moment, even some of the higher-ranked members of the four major sects had collectively started to praise Chen Dandan.
They also took the chance to flatter the Xuanyin Sect’s Golden Essence elder, Zhong Ya.
“Senior Zhong Ya is not just powerful. Even his methods of teaching his disciples are equally awe-inducing.”
At this moment, Chen Dandan stood on the high platform as the “main character.” She listened to the gasps of admiration and flattering compliments emanating from around her. She lifted her head proudly like an arrogant peacock.
At the same time, a figure dressed in snow-white clothing flashed in Chen Dandan’s mind without any warning signs.
“It’s a pity that Zhou Donghuang can’t be here to see this.
“Zhou Donghuang, I hope you’re still alive… after the Feast of Ziyun ends, I, Chen Dandan, will bring Senior back with me to the Sixteen Countries of the East Valley. I will make you witness firsthand your mother being tortured to death by me. Then, I’ll make mincemeat of you!”
…
Just when Chen Dandan had recovered her senses and was about to leave the stage.
“It’s been three years… Chen Dandan, have you only improved to this extent?”
These indifferent words suddenly traveled through the air and landed. As if it possessed some kind of magic power, it suppressed all the noise at the venue.
