Chapter 421: Ye Shijie Returns to the Sect

Within the Xiang Jianzong's inner sect, a peak shrouded in clouds and mist.

On the mountainside, a straight staircase ascends, where two figures walk side by side toward the summit's Hall of the Xiang Jianzong.

No one else—Xu Xing and Bie Xuening.

"Why today did you suddenly feel like taking a walk?"

Usually, it's him who goes to the Sword Lord's Hall to find her.

Bie Xuening is not someone who likes to move much; when idle, she mostly stays within the Sword Lord's Hall, just like Ning Ruo, who prefers to remain in her lab.

Perhaps precisely because of this shared 'trait,' she has gotten along well with Ning Ruo over the years and even co-founded the Ascension Platform.

"I just suddenly felt like walking out, so I did."

In short, it's simply "I felt like it," with no other reason.

"How is the situation beyond the realm?" Bie Xuening asked casually.

Previously, her younger brother had re-deployed the Sword Intent Spiritual Body and mapped the conditions beyond the realm, yet the third Ascender has yet to appear.

"There are a few candidates who fit, but they still require further evaluation."

The realms explored so far are only those nearby; someone like Li Ming, with top-tier talent and character, and already at the peak of Return to Void—how easily could such a person be found?

There are a few like Chen Yan and others who could be found.

In the past, perhaps they would have been allowed to 'Ascend' up.

But now, that is no longer possible.

Xuan has spent these years while he was in seclusion refining Hun Tian Yi, laying out plans across the Chaos Infinite Realm—surrounding realms have nearly become sieves!

True, His primary goal was to plant the 'Dao Anchors,' but could He not have idly placed a few extra pieces as well?

For instance, the 'Xuanxiang Celestial Track Transformation Ritual' within the Xuanxiang Realm.

Thus, no amount of caution is excessive.

Bie Xuening nodded slightly, then brought up another matter: "Xian Ning is about to return to the sect."

After this, she paused, then continued.

"Li Ke now oversees all affairs of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall."

The rotation of Star Domain Wardens is handled by the Sword-Wielding Hall, but all post-return procedures are arranged by the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

For a Cave-Truth Warden, the head of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall must appear in person.

Yan Ming is in seclusion, and Jing Hai's temperament is unsuited to managing the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

After deliberation by the Sect Master, the heads of all halls, and the Four Elders, it was decided to postpone Li Ke's warden duties and assign her to oversee the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall for now.

Though somewhat reluctant, Li Ke knew she was the most suitable candidate, so she did not refuse.

This Star Domain rotation was quite fortuitous.

Li Ke and Xu Xianning… the two have never gotten along well.

Still, it hasn't reached the point of viewing each other as enemies.

As for the reason, Li Ke is inherently fiercely competitive; since entering the sect, she has always wanted to catch up with and surpass Xu Xianning.

But after all these years, despite countless contests, Li Ke's goal remains stuck in the realm of 'wanting.'

Yet Xu Xianning, in her usual demeanor, appears rather dull, and after every contest, she directly points out Li Ke's shortcomings.

At first, Li Ke listened seriously; later, as her cultivation advanced, she… listened seriously while being angry.

In short, her pride took a hit.

The more often this happened, the more obsessed she became, determined to outdo Xu Xianning in everything.

"Isn't that quite interesting?" Xu Xing chuckled. "Besides, Jiu Yu has been clamoring to meet her 'Ye Shijie,' hasn't she?"

"That rebellious disciple…"

That rebellious disciple claims to be the eldest disciple of the Sword Lord lineage, and meeting the Ye Shijie of the Xiang Jianzong lineage is a solemn and important matter.

And strangely enough, she truly believes that herself.

"Never mind."

As her younger brother said, these things are quite interesting indeed.

As they spoke and laughed, the two arrived before the Hall of the Xiang Jianzong.

Without pausing, they walked straight inside.

Bie Xuening's gaze swept casually around; she had only intended to glance, to see if anything had changed, yet her eyes lingered a moment longer when she spotted the 'e-sports room.'

She then turned to look at Xu Xing.

"My rebellious disciple's doing, your rebellious disciple's suggestion," Xu Xing said.

Indeed, her younger brother also had a 'rebellious disciple.'

Bie Xuening smiled lightly: "At least your 'rebellious disciple' listens to you."

Unlike my 'rebellious disciple'—one hundred jin of weight, forty jin of defiance, sixty jin of absurdity.

Speaking of which, regardless of what happens on the Spirit Net, she usually presents herself as distant, serene, and unapproachable.

Yet this soft laugh, like winter snow beginning to melt, brightened the entire Hall of the Xiang Jianzong.

Xu Xing paused, then said: "Though mischievous, Jiu Yu is undeniably hardworking; my rebellious disciple is far more lazy."

Though Jiu Yu has many goals—showing off before others, becoming Sect Master, and so on…

Yet her current diligence in cultivation stems not merely from achieving those goals, but from wanting to avoid helplessness when faced with choices or surprises…

To realize this at such a young age is already quite impressive.

Overall, after the incident where Bie Xuening and Xu Xing fell out of the Tai Xuan Realm together, she has truly matured considerably.

As they spoke and walked, the two reached the deepest part of the Hall of the Xiang Jianzong.

Before them, a hazy, magnificent aura swirled, tiny specks of light flickering like stardust orbiting a galaxy.

In an impossibly vast space, a cluster of starlight seemed to have been poured in.

At its center, a single crimson glow burned fiercely, like a principal star—both perfectly harmonious and utterly sharp-edged.

It appeared to exert an invisible pull, drawing in surrounding specks of light, causing them to orbit it like planets.

Thousands?

Tens of thousands?

The specks flickered dimly and brightly, making it nearly impossible to count them.

At first glance, they seemed chaotic and disordered, but upon pausing, focusing, and observing closely, one could discern an underlying pattern.

The core was that single crimson point at the center.

In essence, this "star cluster" far surpassed even a true star-sea!

This was a node of the "Tai Xuan Immortal Net," built upon the power of true immortals; that central crimson point even surpassed the immortal energy he had once shown off to Yuan in the Alliance of Orthodox Sects.

Star-sand seeping from the seams of the blue jade bricks flowed silently beneath their feet; Bie Xuening's gaze reflected the entire chamber's star-cloud, dissecting its operational rules.

As for this scene?

To ordinary people, it might be rare to see—but she was a true immortal.

If she wished, she could grasp an entire star-sea in one palm.

"Excellent. This 'Tai Xuan Immortal Net' is indeed precise."

Her younger brother had previously explained to her the method of constructing this Tai Xuan Immortal Net node.

But she was never skilled at creation; seeing it with her own eyes still differed significantly from merely hearing the method and deducing it herself.

"Ning Ruo thinks it's overly precise, so she wants to simplify it."

"Oh? One hair pulled moves the whole body—the purer and simpler it is, the harder it is to alter or influence." Xu Xing also gazed at the central crimson point. "After this Immortal Sect Grand Competition's trial concludes, perhaps we'll clarify the direction for improvement."

"Mm."

"..."

For a moment, silence reigned, leaving only the swirling star-dust throughout the chamber.

Xu Xing looked at Bie Xuening's calm expression and suddenly thought she looked better when smiling.

Two days later, only one week remained until the official start of the Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

The leaders of all major Immortal Sects had previously received all data from the Xuanxiang Realm, but after endless deliberations, they ultimately chose a remarkably simple and brutal set of rules.

The arena for this competition is an entire world!

!

The situation is complex; overly intricate rules might instead restrict the competitors' performance...

Simultaneously, with the conclusion of the preliminary rounds, each sect's list of competitors was published on the Spirit Net.

Three categories: Jin Dan, Yuan Ying, and Spirit Transformation Stage.

Fifteen competitors per sect in each category, selected comprehensively based on age and realm—all were geniuses among geniuses.

Besides Jin Dan and Yuan Ying having many new faces, the vast majority in the Spirit Transformation Stage category were veterans from the last competition, with only a few newcomers.

Notably, Zhao Ruohan did not participate in the last Immortal Sect Grand Competition, so she too counts as a new face.

Simultaneously with the list's release, all major Immortal Sects, the Alliance of Orthodox Sects, and even other factions opened betting pools with varying odds.

This was one of the rare gambling events that relied purely on luck and was relatively fair.

Nowadays, most cultivators know at least a little divination.

Even if they aren't skilled themselves, they can pay someone on the Spirit Net to calculate for them—online divination services have been wildly popular for years.

This made the gambling industry very difficult.

What about harassing the fortune-tellers?

The two largest online divination brands were backed by the Tai Shang Dao Sect and the Alliance of Orthodox Sects, respectively.

But the Immortal Sect Grand Competition was different—it involved the Qidaxian Sect; whoever tried to divine it would be cursed.

Pure luck, at most, lets you learn a bit about the competitors' profiles and gain a slight edge.

However, since this year's competition footage wouldn't be publicly streamed, there were fewer betting options than in past years—only rankings could be wagered on.

Even so, it couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm—who doesn't dream of becoming rich overnight?

Just as the hype around the Immortal Sect Grand Competition remained at its peak,

Within the Xiang Jianzong's inner sect,

Li Ke stood quietly with a Tongxuan-stage vice-prefect and several clerks from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Of course, Chi Jiuyu was there too—and she had specifically brought along Zhang Yunlu.

Today, she had donned her Xiang Jianzong disciple uniform, rarely worn in daily life, and carried her life-soul sword; its scabbard matched the blade perfectly, and she had somehow acquired a feathered crown to tie up her hair.

Honestly, though she usually seemed abstract and odd, she now looked like a sharp, elegant sword cultivator—quite impressive.

Damn it!

This ungrateful, rotten fish!

Li Ke seethed inwardly; she desperately wanted to hang this pretentious fish up and beat her senseless!

She had treated her so well, yet she had never been this serious before!

No good!

After this is over, I'll find an excuse to hang her up and beat her!

She's entering the Immortal Sect Grand Competition anyway—she needs some "training."

Chi Jiuyu remained unaware of the "Hidden Needle Sword Master's" ill will toward her; she was currently scrolling through her phone, reading the joint announcement released by the Qidaxian Sect.

As the exceptional contestant granted a rare exception to enter the Soul Transformation category, her avatar was unlike any other.

Unlike her usual playful grin, the photo showed her with a serious expression, even mimicking Bie Xuening's faint air of indifference.

So cool!

Most importantly, while others' avatars were simple headshots, hers had a pair of golden wings along the edges, proclaiming her unique status.

"Xiao Yunlu, look quick—aren't these wings amazing?"

Chi Jiuyu proudly held up her phone before Zhang Yunlu, showing off.

Zhang Yunlu glanced at it: "Nice."

"..."

She pursed her lips, sensing Zhang Yunlu's reply felt half-hearted—but she knew Zhang Yunlu wasn't being dismissive.

Actually, those golden wings on the avatar's edge were something she'd personally requested from the Sect Master to add.

Hmm...

Though her junior uncle constantly fixated on his position, this request was harmless and could even promote the Xiang Jianzong to some degree.

So Du Ruoheng had agreed.

Since the top prize of the Golden Core category had already been awarded, such a minor request gave no reason for other Sect Masters to refuse.

"Sister, as an exceptional contestant entering the Soul Transformation category, do you get extra rewards?" Zhang Yunlu finally gave her the chance to keep showing off.

"Oh, well, according to the original category divisions, I should've been in the Golden Core group—but then the Grand Competition would've had no suspense," Chi Jiuyu sighed dramatically. "No choice—we have to enter Soul Transformation and give them a fighting chance."

This damn fish really knows how to act!

Li Ke's face was expressionless, yet he'd been watching them closely all along.

"By the way, Xiao Yunlu, did you place any bets?"

Chi Jiuyu reopened the Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect's "Gambling" interface, which displayed avatars of all contestants from every sect.

"This is a golden chance to make some money!"

"Bet on Sister?" Zhang Yunlu also took out her phone.

But Chi Jiuyu's reply surprised her: "Pfft, why bet on me? I'd just lose—those old bastards are way too strong."

Her blunt answer left Zhang Yunlu momentarily stunned.

Is this really my sister?

"I wouldn't even bet on myself. Bet on the Golden Core group—I'll recommend a few for you."

Without clear self-awareness, how could she have completed so many tasks?

As the previous Golden Core group's top-ranked contestant—by an overwhelming margin—she knew the strength of the competitors in that category well.

She couldn't claim perfect accuracy, but estimating roughly was easy.

"Alright."

As Zhang Yunlu listened to Chi Jiuyu analyze the strengths of the Golden Core contestants, Li Ke's voice broke in from beside them.

"Here it comes."

Here it comes?

Chi Jiuyu froze, immediately stowing her phone, gesturing with her eyes, then looking skyward.

Boom—!

With a muffled crash, the clouds ripped open into a massive hole, the heavens instantly turning a deep crimson.

A terrifying torrent of aura surged downward, then halted in an instant—everything in the void seemed drained, suffocating.

Qi, omnipresent and drifting, was crushed and dyed scarlet in that single moment.

Thick, reeking blood filled every corner; everyone present, except Li Ke, had their magic power, spirit soul, and even their cultivated Dao suppressed to near nothingness.

Even the Sub-Abbot of the Tongxuan rank was no exception.

Boom!

Like a meteor trailing a long fiery tail, it tore through the heavens and crashed down toward the group! (End of Chapter)