The five of them knew very well that in terms of talent, there was an insurmountable gap between them and Ye Ling.
Yet they had cultivated bitterly for many years and carried the prestigious reputation of geniuses. With pride bone-deep, they would never quail before a fight.
As Zhou Ming finished speaking, their leader, Leng Xueling, finally raised her eyes slowly.
Shifting her gaze slightly, she looked past the layers of crowds and cast a faint glance toward a secluded corner of the waiting area.
“That is Ye Ling.”
Hearing her words, the other four followed her gaze.
Facing the five direct gazes, Ye Ling merely raised her eyes to sweep over them before calmly retracting her gaze, her eyes completely placid.
To her, who the opponent was, how high their cultivation realm, or how grand their reputation had never mattered.
From beginning to end, there was not the slightest suspense in this match.
In contrast, the moment those five gazes locked onto them, Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe instinctively tensed, their backs straightening instantly.
Although they were inevitably nervous, they did not dare show even a hint of fear.
They knew that at this moment, they were not just representing themselves; they were standing beside Ye Ling under the gaze of the entire sect, and they absolutely could not show any weakness in front of the five geniuses.
The five on the elevated stage watched quietly for a moment. Seeing that Ye Ling remained as indifferent as ever from start to finish, not even sparing them an extra glance, they suddenly felt bored.
One after another, they withdrew their gazes, walked toward the seats on one side of the martial arena stage, and sat down in order.
Once seated, Zhou Ruoyao blinked, looking at the slender figure in the distant corner, and murmured softly.
“So that is Ye Ling. She really is exactly like the sect rumors say—her entire aura is cold and aloof.”
“But she is truly beautiful. Her features are clean and delicate, and her temperament is one of a kind.”
Su Wanqing, who was sitting beside her, quickly nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. I heard long ago that she always wears green robes. Seeing her from afar today, those elegant and simple green robes really suit her perfectly.”
Seeing this, Wang Jingyuan, on the other side, patted his forehead helplessly and grumbled in a low voice.
“You two are absolute suckers for good looks. Can you pull your gazes back a bit?”
“The tournament is about to start, which is the most critical moment, yet you're actually still staring at her face.”
Teased on the spot, the two girls didn't argue. They smiled sheepishly and obediently withdrew their gazes.
Soon, all five of them sat upright with closed eyes, calming their minds and quietly regulating their breathing to adjust their states.
The action of the five Xiantian Realm geniuses focusing their attention on one corner just now was witnessed by all the surrounding new disciples.
Following those five lines of sight, everyone instantly guessed Ye Ling's identity.
“So that is the legendary peerless genius of the sect, Ye Ling?”
“It must be her! To have five Xiantian Realm geniuses staring at her at the same time, she's the only one among the new disciples with that kind of weight.”
Many disciples turned their heads to look, their eyes falling upon the slender, green-robed figure in the corner, filled with curiosity and wonder.
“I heard she spent the entire six months since entering the sect in secluded bitter cultivation, never showing her face. Seeing her today, she is truly stunning.”
A female disciple praised sincerely, and the people beside her quickly chimed in.
“Indeed! Her talent completely eclipses her peers, and her looks and temperament are top-tier as well.”
Someone who observed closely sighed softly.
“It's just that her aura is too cold. She looks so aloof and difficult to approach.”
As the discussions grew louder, many disciples recalled the flashy, high-profile entrance of the five geniuses earlier.
Feeling a wave of indignation in their hearts, they couldn't help but voice their hopes.
“To be honest, I'm really hoping Ye Ling can fiercely crush their arrogance!”
“It's bad enough that Xiantian Realm cultivators are participating in the new disciple tournament, but making such a flashy entrance is just annoying.”
These words instantly struck a chord with most of the crowd, and a large number of surrounding disciples nodded in agreement, their voices rising and falling.
“Exactly! I want to see Ye Ling beat them up too! Let these five Xiantian geniuses know that talent has never been defined by cultivation realms!”
In an instant, almost all the new disciples on the martial arts grounds threw their support behind Ye Ling.
Everyone deep down was looking forward to Ye Ling, with her Houtian Realm stature, defeating the five Xiantian geniuses.
All the commotion happening around her reached Ye Ling's ears.
She had kept her Divine Sense active the entire time, missing not a single movement within a twenty-meter radius.
The surrounding disciples thought they were whispering quietly and speaking in private.
But to Ye Ling, who had long since awakened her Divine Sense, these words were incredibly clear.
Every word of praise for her appearance, every sigh of admiration for her peerless talent, and every hope for her to turn the tables against the odds was heard with perfect clarity.
However, it was specifically the crowd's hope for her to thrash the five Xiantian geniuses that she quietly agreed with in her heart.
So what if they were in the Xiantian Realm?
Relying on their higher cultivation to participate in a lower-tier tournament, acting flashily, and looking down on their peers—they deserved to pay a price for that.
She raised her eyes to cast a faint glance at the five people on the stage who were regulating their breathing with closed eyes, her cool gaze devoid of any ripples.
It held only absolute confidence.
Even without everyone's wishes, she would definitely thrash the five of them in today's tournament.
...
Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd, the Qinglan Sword Sect's new disciple tournament officially commenced.
A figure in a simple white dress slowly descended from the air, landing steadily right in the center of the martial arena stage.
It was the elder hosting this tournament.
Ye Ling recognized her at a glance. It was Elder Leng Yue, who had personally presided over and hosted the selection back in Heishui Commandery six months ago.
She could be considered an old acquaintance from when Ye Ling first entered the Qinglan Sword Sect.
At the same time, low murmurs rose once more in the surroundings.
The new disciples lowered their voices, quietly discussing this cold and aloof female elder.
“This is Elder Leng Yue! I didn't expect her to host it again this year!”
“I heard she comes from the Leng family, a top-tier clan in the capital, Qingyun City. Her background is extremely extraordinary.”
“There is also a very popular rumor that she is the niece of our Sect Master, Leng Zhiwei.”
“However, the sect has never officially announced it, so no one has been able to confirm whether it's true.”
Though the rumors were many and hard to verify, they did not affect Elder Leng Yue's authoritative status in the hearts of the disciples in the slightest.
Standing tall on the high stage, she was elegant and ethereal, her eyes naturally carrying the solemn aura of a sect elder.
A faint pressure of spiritual energy slowly spread, instantly suppressing all the noise and chatter in the venue. The vast martial arts grounds fell completely silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Elder Leng Yue's calm gaze swept across the venue, and her clear, crisp voice, carried by a hint of spiritual energy, echoed clearly throughout the entire martial arts grounds.
“Due to special circumstances, the rules of this new disciple tournament have been temporarily modified.”
As soon as she said this, the entire field fell silent, and everyone focused their attention to listen closely.
“Among the participating disciples this year are five Xiantian Realm geniuses, as well as the top newly joined disciple, Ye Ling.
“The strength of these six far exceeds the average level of this year's new disciples, so they do not need to participate in the preliminary elimination rounds.
“Therefore, all six of them will receive a bye today and advance directly to tomorrow's top ten spots.
“All the remaining participating new disciples will undergo elimination matches today, competing against one another to decide the final four spots.”
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