Chapter 382: Provoke

As last year, the top three of the Grand Competition are exempt from the inner sect assessment mission, and they may freely choose one cultivation method from the second floor of the Canggongdian.

In addition, the top three receive an extra reward: for the coming year, they may exchange elixirs at half price.

That means the Guiyuan Elixir, which normally requires thirty contribution points to exchange, can be obtained by the top three for only fifteen contribution points.

Of course, exchanges are limited to once per month; it is not unlimited.

Once this news broke, all outer sect disciples were instantly thrilled.

Half-price exchanges mean doubled resources; in an instant, some who had not intended to register could no longer hold back.

"The Zong Sect is offering such generous rewards to spur us to participate; I will go register," Sun Tao said, somewhat excited.

What if he doesn't make the top three? He can still gain experience and prepare for next year's Grand Competition.

By next year's outer sect Grand Competition, he would be confident of reaching the Great Perfection of Gang Qi; even if he couldn't secure the top three, he could still contend for the top twenty.

"Senior brother, calm down!"

Xu Yang pressed down on the blood-rushed Sun Tao and said, "I heard people say the Zong Sect isn't trying to spur everyone to participate; these benefits are prepared specifically for the top three of the Ten Heroes."

By now, some things have become clear: among all outer sect disciples, only Li Li Chuyang, Du Chuan, and Jiang Fan possess Marrow-Washing cultivation base; the top three of the Grand Competition are basically locked in by these three.

The rewards for the top three this year are even richer than last year's; one cannot help but draw conclusions in this direction.

Jiang Fan is a young Marquis; Du Chuan and Li Li Chuyang also have deep backgrounds within the inner sect. In past years, only exemption from the assessment mission and free choice of a cultivation method were offered; this year, the sudden addition of half-price elixir exchanges—how could anyone not overthink it?

"There's such a saying?" Sun Tao was immediately as if doused with a basin of cold water.

It wasn't that he was naive and hadn't considered this; the higher-ups were also worried about being too obvious and drawing criticism from the disciples, so the rewards for other rankings also changed.

For fourth and fifth place, besides free choice of one cultivation method from the Canggongdian, an additional reward this year is one hundred contribution points.

For sixth to tenth place, the contribution-point reward increased from two hundred last year to three hundred; for eleventh to twentieth place, the contribution-point reward became two hundred.

"I still want to participate; I want to temper myself," Sun Tao said.

His decision to join the Grand Competition wasn't solely for these reasons; both he and Zhang Yong possess the Small Perfection of Gang Qi cultivation base, and both want to step onto the stage to spar with peers of their generation and increase practical combat experience.

While they have been training in the Yunling Mountain Range and combat has not been lacking, it has been mostly against strange beasts; fighting strange beasts is not the same as fighting humans.

Xu Yang nodded and did not dissuade Sun Tao further. Although the outer sect Grand Competition carries some danger, no one has died in it; the Zong Sect forbids fatalities during the outer sect Grand Competition.

Registration began. During the previous Grand Competition, only a handful of disciples from their cohort had registered.

But this time, many people registered; many with Small Perfection of Gang Qi cultivation base had just signed up.

This is because there are fewer experts this time than last year.

The experts from last year have either already joined the inner sect or died while performing assessment missions; not many remain alive in the outer sect.

Moreover, more than a month has passed; besides the Ten Heroes geniuses, some others have also reached Great Perfection of Gang Qi.

Soon, the top three of the Ten Heroes all registered; immediately afterward, people discovered that Han Feng in fourth place, Xiong Kun in fifth place, as well as Lu Ren, Su Zhe, and others had also registered for the Grand Competition.

Everyone realized that among the Ten Heroes geniuses, only Xu Yang in tenth place had not registered.

"Why didn't Xu Yang register? As a Ten Heroes genius, the top ten might be difficult, but the top twenty should still be possible!"

Soon, news spread that Xu Yang did not intend to participate in this outer sect Grand Competition.

Some outer sect disciples were puzzled; two hundred contribution points for the top twenty is quite a lot; is Xu Yang really not tempted by the rewards?

"Xu Yang is cautious and timid. Every Ten Heroes genius has entered the Yunling Mountain Range many times to temper themselves and fight strange beasts; only he hides in the Ziyang Sect every day. How would such a person dare to fight in the outer sect Grand Competition where experts abound?"

"I said back then he wasn't worthy of being listed among the Ten Heroes, and some still didn't believe it. His talent is sufficient, but his martial will is inferior even to mine."

"He is probably the most cowardly Ten Heroes genius in history."

Voices looking down on Xu Yang grew louder, deeming him as timid as a mouse and unfit to be a martial artist.

Xu Yang paid no attention to these voices at all, treating them as mere wind.

What he has publicly displayed is that he has reached Great Perfection of Gang Qi for less than two months; if he truly participated in the Grand Competition and broke into the top twenty without using Gang Qi, even a fool would know something was wrong.

But if he used Gang Qi, the Jin Gang Qi would be impossible to conceal; he would rather forgo the two hundred contribution points than draw such attention.

If he were to participate in the Grand Competition just to prove to others that he is not a waste, his mind would be heated; he could not have remained low-key for so long.

He is not a hot-blooded young man who cares about face, that kind of empty thing.

"These Bai Chi have no idea how strong Junior Brother Xu is; if he participated, seizing first place would be as easy as reaching into a bag to take something out," Sun Tao said, his blood surging with indignation.

For the first time, he realized how painful it is to keep someone's secret.

Especially since some people often disparage Xu Yang before them; many times he had to force himself to hold back and not refute them.

"Xu Yang is merely a hypocritical coward; he must be worried that if he steps onto the arena in the Grand Competition, he will be beaten into revealing his true form and removed from the Ten Heroes List."

"If he steps onto the stage to participate in the Grand Competition, I can defeat him in ten moves."

Although many people had discussed Xu Yang before, they were all figures who couldn't hold a candle; this time, a true genius finally spoke out.

Su Zhe, the ninth-ranked of the Ten Heroes, publicly stated that Xu Yang was afraid of stepping onto the arena and revealing his true form, which is why he dared not register for the Grand Competition, and even claimed he could defeat Xu Yang in ten moves.

Once these words were spoken, they spread widely; everyone wanted to know whether Xu Yang truly lacked the courage even to participate in the Grand Competition.

"If Xu Yang reveals his true strength, he can kill you in a single move."

Sun Tao felt a surge of anger, because this Su Zhe was none other than a disciple of the Su family, and apparently the younger brother of Su Man.

It was obvious that Su Zhe had set his sights on Xu Yang.

"Trying to provoke me onto the stage?"

Xu Yang knew it was probably not about the matter of Su Su Qiming; if the Su family knew he had killed Su Su Qiming, their retaliation would certainly not be limited to forcing him to step onto the stage for the Grand Competition; it was likely due to Xiao Chen.

But it didn't matter; right now, he could not expose his true strength under everyone's gaze. Whether it was the Su family or Xiao Hua, he could not confront them head-on at present and must continue to endure in silence.

In a few more months, Xiao Hua would return; he could not let everything come to nothing because of a few words.

Until registration ended, Xu Yang still had not registered; many in the outer sect felt a wave of disappointment.

They had thought they would see Xu Yang contend with Su Zhe in the Grand Competition; they never expected Xu Yang to completely disregard the challenge sent across the distance by Su Zhe.