"Over on Xuan Tian Sect's side..." Rong Yuying's voice carried a hint of solemnity, "they seem to want to cooperate with Sword Heart Sect. And word has it that Sword Heart Sect was the one to take the initiative."
Li Nanzhu and the others exchanged looks, disbelief clear in everyone's eyes.
Duan Xianxing couldn't help but whisper, "Sword Heart Sect initiated it? Have they lost their minds? Those people were their..."
Zhu Yinxi shook his head slightly, signaling him to be quiet.
Feng Qingping frowned and sent a secret voice transmission: "Does Xuan Tian Sect not know the real cause of Wen Qianhui's death?"
Feng Weilan's expression was complex: "Or... do they have other schemes?"
Mu Wenyan pondered for a moment. "Fellow Daoist Rong, what is the attitude of Jinyang Sect?"
"Jinyang Sect is currently remaining neutral," Rong Yuying replied. "They seem to want to sit back and reap the spoils, hoping to benefit from both sides."
Mu Wenyan spoke solemnly, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Rong. This information is vital."
Rong Yuying gave one last reminder, "Be extremely careful. The cooperation between Xuan Tian Sect and Sword Heart Sect is strange, and Jinyang Sect might not truly be neutral. When the competition starts, Hehuan Sect will also help you keep an eye on the sect flags."
After the communication ended, the residence fell into silence.
Everyone looked at each other, sensing the complexity of the situation.
Mu Wenyan looked around at the group and asked in a deep voice, "What are everyone's thoughts regarding tomorrow's competition?"
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yifan was the first to speak. "After entering the secret realm... everyone will most likely be scattered."
Duan Xianxing was startled. "Fourth Senior Brother, you know this?"
Jiang Yifan analyzed, "If everyone starts in one place, the competition would be too simple. Capturing flags and forming alliances to fight would lose their meaning. Only by being scattered can the disciples' ability to adapt and their speed of regrouping be tested."
Zhu Yinxi frowned. "Fourth Junior Brother has a point. Past team battles have indeed had similar rules where participants are randomly teleported to different locations."
Feng Qingping said worriedly, "This is too disadvantageous. We have fewer people; it will be even harder to regroup after being scattered."
Feng Weilan added, "Moreover, Xuan Tian Sect and Sword Heart Sect have many people. Even if scattered, they can form small squads faster."
Li Nanzhu pondered for a moment. "Perhaps... being scattered is actually our opportunity."
She continued her analysis, "If we encounter cultivators of the same stage, in terms of individual strength, every one of us from Five Elements Dao Sect is enough to crush them."
Duan Xianxing's eyes lit up. "That's right! In a one-on-one, who are we afraid of?"
Zhu Yinxi also showed a smile. "That is indeed true."
Feng Qingping nodded. "Although Xuan Tian Sect and Sword Heart Sect have twenty people each, the ones who are truly a threat are just those few direct disciples."
Jiang Yifan added, "Furthermore, with fewer people, it's actually easier for us to hide. Their groups of twenty are large targets and easier to discover."
Feng Weilan said coldly, "We can defeat them one by one."
Mu Wenyan nodded in approval. "Little Junior Sister's analysis makes a lot of sense. We have fewer people, which gives us an advantage in the mist; the probability of being discovered is indeed lower. A team of twenty is too big a target, while a team of seven is more flexible."
Li Nanzhu added, "Most importantly, we can use the mist to set ambushes. Their large numbers might actually cause them to fall into chaos."
Duan Xianxing said excitedly, "Then doesn't that mean we can turn the tables and hunt them?"
Zhu Yinxi nodded slightly. "But we must be careful not to be surrounded by them."
After pondering for a moment, Feng Qingping raised another point: "Another thing is, if divine sense is restricted to ten zhang, then communication jade slips will likely be blocked as well, making normal communication impossible."
The others nodded; this was indeed a significant problem.
"However..." Feng Qingping's smiling gaze swept over the others, "for us, it's not a problem, right?"
...
The next morning, as the sun rose, the arena was already bustling with noise.
The eight Soul Transformation sect leaders stood upon the high platform, with the ten sect disciple formations participating in the first round of the team battle behind them.
Around the arena, the spectator stands were already packed.
Disciples from various sects, rogue cultivators, and even some old eccentrics who had been in seclusion for years had come to watch, wanting to witness this Sect Competition with their own eyes.
Or rather... they were here to see if this Five Elements Dao Sect, which had reappeared in the cultivation world, could truly fight its way back to a seat among the Eight Sects.
At this time, the seven major sects were lined up in order of ranking—Sword Heart Sect, Hehuan Sect, Shenmu Sect, Water Moon Sect, Wuji Sect, Beast Taming Sect, and Tianyan Sect.
Meanwhile, the other three sects were lined up behind them—Five Elements Dao Sect, Xuan Tian Sect, and Jinyang Sect.
The most eye-catching was naturally the Five Elements Dao Sect.
While the other sects all had full twenty-person rosters, Five Elements Dao Sect only had seven people standing there, making them look particularly striking.
"Look! Five Elements Dao Sect really only has seven people!"
"Isn't that too much of a disadvantage? Every other sect has twenty."
"But they did take multiple first places; their strength shouldn't be underestimated."
"The team battle is different; numbers provide a massive advantage."
The audience whispered among themselves, their gazes focused on those seven figures.
Li Nanzhu and the other six had once again put on their uniform disciple robes.
These disciple robes had been personally reforged by Feng Yi; the royal blue robes were embroidered with silver five elements patterns, matching the color of the sovereign robes worn by Feng Yi, shimmering with a faint light in the morning sun.
"Master is truly generous this time," Duan Xianxing said with a silly grin. "This material could probably rival a tier 4 magic robes."
Then he couldn't help but continue muttering, "The Sect Competition is really annoying about one thing—they don't let competing disciples leave the mountain gate, nor do they allow private gambling. If we could go out, I would definitely bet my entire fortune at a gambling house on us winning. I'd make a killing!"
Mu Wenyan shook his head helplessly. "Seventh Junior Brother, you only ever think about that."
Feng Qingping chuckled. "In the entire Five Elements Dao Sect, only Seventh Junior Brother worries about spirit stones all day."
Feng Weilan immediately followed with a nod.
Duan Xianxing said aggrievedly, "What choice do I have? I can't let Wait a Moment suffer!"
Li Nanzhu couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
It was true; in the entire Five Elements Dao Sect, only Seventh Senior Brother spent all day thinking about how to get more spirit stones.
Mu Wenyan said gently, "Seventh Junior Brother, focus on the competition. If we win, I'll give you an extra reward."
Duan Xianxing's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Mu Wenyan gave a helpless smile.
Hearing that, Duan Xianxing immediately became invigorated, standing tall and straight. The royal blue disciple robes made him look exceptionally sharp.
Their relaxed attitude drew unfriendly glares from the direction of Xuan Tian Sect, the disciples' eyes filled with clear hostility.
Hui Ming of Jinyang Sect held his hands together in prayer, looking calm, but the occasional glance he cast over also carried a sense of scrutiny.
On the high platform, Feng Yi looked at his disciples with a faint smile in his eyes.
Ling Xiao snorted coldly, "No matter how good they look, it doesn't change the fact that they're outnumbered."
Just as Ling Xiao finished speaking, Zhao Wufeng slowly stepped forward on the high platform and began to announce the competition rules.
The rules were basically the same as what Rong Yuying had shared yesterday, though with more specific details.
For the first hour of the competition, it was impossible to eliminate opponents by forcing them into the elimination circle. During this period, if anyone was successfully robbed, that disciple would directly lose ten initial points.
There would be a red light warning when the elimination circle shrank. Each disciple would be equipped with a secret realm jade pendant; in a life-threatening situation, they could crush the pendant to be automatically teleported out, but their points would be halved.
At the same time, captured flags could not be placed into storage spaces; they had to be carried on one's person.
This meant that after capturing a flag, one would become a conspicuous target, increasing the risk and difficulty of the theft.
After confirming that everyone was clear on the rules, Zhao Wufeng's voice rang out across the entire venue.
"Disciples of every sect, enter the secret realm!"
Rate on N.U.
