Chapter 315: Half a Year Has Passed, the Grand Competition Begins (5k, Seeking Subscriptions)

"Eh? Summoning me to the Central Capital?"

A few days later, Ying Dongqing, far away in Changle City, received this summons.

Feeling inexplicably delighted, she hurriedly set aside her current tasks amidst the congratulations of her subordinates, such as Zhang Qing, and rushed off to answer the call.

And very quickly, this delight began to fade.

Because to reach the main sect in the Central Capital, under normal circumstances, one needs to pass through the local Hub City; furthermore, the main reason for summoning her early was to put on a show for True Person Zhenhong and the others.

Thus, she naturally needed to come here first.

While they were each in secluded cultivation before, this point had not yet manifested.

Her mind, previously muddled by joy, only then realized it in hindsight, yet it was already difficult to turn back.

She had been ecstatic about it, and when she came to her senses, she was just about to thank Du En for his patronage.

Incongruous!

It was not that his appearance had become handsome, but the overall impression he gave was different, faintly revealing a sense of awe-inspiring mystery, especially his eyes, which had become somewhat difficult to look at directly.

In a vast and lonely plaza, the Falling Feather Immortal Sect had constructed a complete small world in the sky here to serve as the actual arena for the competition, and rows of white iron pillars floated and gathered together.

Although there were some minor setbacks on the way here, compared to this actual benefit, it suddenly felt like nothing; rather, if there were such good things next time, please call her too!

"Fine, I know."

Ying Dongqing was somewhat dazed and subconsciously followed along, taking a step.

So, this matter was handled too sloppily!

In his attitude toward Du En, he was much better than he was toward Ying Dongqing, which made her feel speechless; because Du En's style did not seem too simple either, of course, looking at him, she naturally dared not speak recklessly.

Seeing this, Meng Changqing was left speechless.

He must have his own schemes; it was just that they were too stupid to understand!

It seems, she actually didn't need to quibble with them about anything?

Listening to this blunt response, she couldn't help but think this in her heart.

As she said this, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

A short half-year had passed, but was it really that simple to break through to the Transformation Deity stage?

In the end, Du En still had to shoulder some of the responsibilities of being the boss.

Ying Dongqing was shocked again at this moment, but this time it was truly a pleasant surprise.

"Sorry to trouble you for traveling here to welcome me."

You can dodge the first day, but you can't dodge the fifteenth!

"Don't worry, the requirements for the resolution here are very low; if you can't beat them, you can surrender. Also, calling you over early is to give you special training. Seize the opportunity to strengthen your power so you can strive for self-improvement."

In the eyes of those three—Xiong Fa, Hao Liaoxue, and Su Wanhe—Ying Dongqing was an opportunist who sought personal gain, had no persistence, and was profit-driven; she was definitely not one of their own.

"Here, over here!"

And the attitude and determination shown by Xiong Fa were also the thoughts of the other two.

Ying Dongqing was startled at first, but after seeing that it was someone she was relatively familiar with, she breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he wasn't any boss right now, so what did this have to do with him?

Among these people, his cultivation was the lowest; behind him were either late-stage Nascent Soul or peak Nascent Soul cultivators.

Also, because my place is actually spacious and has a unique atmosphere, and it's indestructible, don't just practice the Meteor Rock Art with all your might!

Next, everyone will occupy a pillar, and each time one wins, they will merge the opponent's floating pillar; thus, slowly expanding and optimizing, the internal conditions will change from barely meeting daily cultivation needs to becoming even better than a fifth-grade cave dwelling.

"We understand!"

Indeed, she had clear demands for profit, but she considered herself not to be begging on her knees; as long as she was given the right position to work, she could contribute her own value within the faction... anyway, after Du En glanced at it and understood the general situation, he didn't intend to intervene, letting Meng Changqing have a headache over it himself.

This ensures the quality of the winners, and as the number of people decreases, the intervals between battles shrink, while the enemies become more formidable, all being those who have stood out from the crowd.

And the upper echelons here had long since received the news; the moment she appeared, she felt a gaze that seemed to have condensed into substance. She didn't know how long these great cultivators had been waiting, but it had already accumulated to such an extent that it made Ying Dongqing's joyful expression freeze instantly.

Fortunately, the next moment, the white iron pillars descended.

"... You should take some responsibility. In the upcoming grand competition, it is not suitable for me to intervene directly. If they are being stubborn, you must speak up to stop them; don't let them do stupid things."

As she said this, she, who revealed a sense of frailty, couldn't help but feel a bit resentful.

But now, just by walking into this place, she actually felt her bottleneck loosening!

Therefore, this small group of Du En and the other four geniuses was truly not very eye-catching.

At this moment, there was no longer the previous joy in her heart; only shock remained.

Consequently, in the end, many people often had to return to the arena to fight before their injuries had healed, making it very easy for their foundations to collapse.

Within these long pillars, spaces were excavated, with observation ports and railings, looking just like a prison, with a total of 1,772, corresponding to the number of participants gathered here.

You have to consider that the boss's true body is in secluded cultivation here; don't make noise around me all day!

Du En didn't care at all about the long sighs in Meng Changqing's heart, continuing his daily grind in the grass hut that had its own mysteries.

It was precisely Du En, who was racing against time, even though he had been called over to pick someone up and act as a guide by the increasingly annoyed Meng Changqing, and had not wasted any time at all!

He pulled open the wooden door of the crude hut.

While stunned, she only vaguely and barely thought that before Du En waved his hand silently to say goodbye and returned to his own hut, he seemed to have pointed in a certain direction.

Ying Dongqing: "..."

But now that things had reached this point, even though she couldn't stop wailing in her heart after realizing it, she couldn't change the status quo and could only choose to accept it.

And when the white iron pillars were dismantled, recycled, and floated back into the sky, her eyes reflected this Central Capital of black steel and white iron, and she was shocked by the lifeless coldness, feeling a thick sense of surprise, as well as a deeper sense of terror.

"It was my presumption to disturb the talent's cultivation."

With just a glance, he rose to his feet, his whole person appearing calm and full of energy; it was the moment he was prepared to reach perfection, in his best state.

But when they left the main sect and arrived in the Central Capital, it made everyone who saw them naturally feel that he was the unquestionable leader among them!

However, at this very moment, no one was paying too much attention to this side.

"Du Yingcai, from now on, as long as we work together with one heart, we will surely make others look at us with new eyes and understand our determination and resolve—we absolutely cannot be underestimated!"

"What, the Thousand-Day Grand Competition?!"

But in this state, she appeared like a humble little beggar kneeling to curry favor, while the three of them were generous, kind-hearted people passing by to bestow charity.

The door was knocked on lightly.

Knock, knock.

At this moment, inside the small thatched cottage where Du En was staying, there was no manifestation of a hidden heaven and earth; there was only the ordinary, with him alone sitting cross-legged on the bed.

She did not care about being secretly isolated and excluded, only thinking that different paths make it hard to return.

The losers are cleared out, the winners heal their wounds, and then they fight again.

Everyone to their stations, the Grand Competition begins.

And after all, no matter what, one had to consider the layout and planning of Meng Changqing's side and needed to acknowledge the judgment and decision of this boss overhead.

"This..."

This conversation ended simply, and he took the lead to start moving forward.

He explained these things concisely and to the point, without a single bit of redundant or miscellaneous description.

In fact, the entire Meng Changqing faction was actually very young; all things considered, it was estimated to be less than fifty years old.

Suddenly seeing the situation here, Ying Dongqing was shocked again for a moment, and it took a while before she reacted, only smiling bitterly without stop: "Yingcai, you didn't give a reminder; your concubine encountered this abruptly and lost her composure repeatedly..."

Du En, however, did not care at all; not wanting to waste time, he walked with hurried steps, only giving a perfunctory reply, saying that it was like this for everyone when they first came to the sect, it was very normal, and then he brought the person to the thatched cottage by the fenced courtyard.

Being a Nascent Soul perfection who had the potential to break through to the Spirit Severing stage, it took Ying Dongqing the time of one incense stick to barely soothe her repeatedly stimulated heart.

It could not be said that she was being hard-isolated, because the three of them, Xiong Fa and the others, belonged to the type of people with good tempers; although they felt she was not of the same path, their attitude could be considered polite.

The gazes of all the competitors could not help but turn over instantly, and their figures also subconsciously walked closer to the railings, as if they were prisoners in a jail yearning for freedom.

Therefore, the gap period between the duels was mainly left for the competitors to lick their wounds.

Thus, the blue sky and yellow earth, the lush green trees, and such scenes of visualization all retreated and vanished.

Ying Dongqing silently chewed over this change in position, then looked at Du En again, only to see him still the same as in the past, calm and without waves, only the dharma robe on his body seemed to have been changed for another, and, his features also had some changes.

If he spoke now, he would only frighten her.

She did not care about being openly attacked with sharp words, because she felt she was not timid.

Thus, Du En spoke directly: "It won't be presumptuous, because the time is about right; I was going to come out anyway, so, the clone for the resolution? Has it already set off first?"

Moreover, as the Grand Competition was about to begin, the air was filled everywhere with a tense, sword-drawn atmosphere; apart from within the small groups, everyone else appeared exceptionally guarded and nervous.

It was truly, a bit too pure and clear!

Looking at Du En again, she suddenly discovered that in this faction, he would naturally be the pillar; it was truly a situation where they really couldn't do without him!

It had only been a few years, yet the changes were already so great, and he had even broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, becoming unfathomable.

After all, when it came down to it, it was by latching onto his side that she entered Meng Changqing's field of vision and defected to this faction, which was why she could obtain such an opportunity now!

Only at this moment did she notice that a figure was located outside the teleportation plaza, in the shadow of the black steel building, silently practicing spells.

It was just suffering some insubstantial fright, it was completely not an issue!

And then, she saw that the person who had just been standing in front of her had already disappeared.

Furthermore, as a minority faction, because of their philosophy, they had always been subjected to open or secret exclusion, which made these core personnel always harbor a breath of frustration in their hearts.

The Thousand-Day Grand Competition, one match per day, one must not fear or avoid battle, one needs to exert all one's strength.

Because in this city paved with black steel, cultivators from all four directions of the Immortal Sect were gathering; every one of them was at the Nascent Soul stage—geniuses were truly everywhere, and the top-tier were no better than dogs.

At this moment, her face was pale with fright, looking quite disheveled and embarrassed.

At this moment, the Nascent Souls began to take their places one by one; a spreading sense of miserable silence permeated the air, each with a heavy and solemn expression and heavy footsteps, yet they could not avoid the unfolding events to come.

Standing outside was the somewhat awkward Ying Dongqing.

It felt as if she were a grain of rice, voluntarily stepping into a cold mortar, about to be crushed in the next moment!

Du En had just stepped into his own pillar space and had not yet fully familiarized himself with it when he saw two white iron floating pillars drift out from the group and arrive before that small world.

Then, she asked cautiously: "I wonder why the Resolution Consultant has summoned your concubine?"

It was just that he usually didn't have much expression, but that wasn't a big problem, so, as expected, the one I must rely on is Du Yingcai!

Thinking this, she quietly shifted her standing position.

Xiong Fa responded to the conversation, came over with the other two, and made a formal acquaintance with Du En.

"Whatever the resolution says, that is what we will do."

As for Du En, he only cast his divine sense transmission toward the main house where Meng Changqing's true body was in seclusion, or rather, the original thatched cottage.

"It is like this."

Clearly, Ying Dongqing also knew of this famous, one could say notorious and terrifying, Thousand-Day Grand Competition.

Ying Dongqing was exceptionally emotional about this; in a trance, she actually had the feeling that decades had passed, a sense of great changes in the world.

When the Heaven-Reaching Pillar landed again at the Southern Hub City, and True Person Zhenhong and the others received confirmation, they all breathed a sigh of relief; and then, Yang Dong was about to officially begin his long road of overtime work.

Amidst this tense atmosphere, everyone gathered and moved to the Grand Competition venue that had been prepared long ago.

Du En spoke like this and pointed out a change: "Also, I am no longer serving as a Traveling Walker; the resolution side gave me another position: Sect Talent."

With a burly stature, broad nose, and bear-like eyes, his Nascent Soul perfection cultivation was faintly surging, difficult to calm; clearly, he had just had a breakthrough, and his progress was obvious, hence he wore a smile on his face.

Walking one after the other, very quickly, they unknowingly stepped into the sect's territory.

Heaven have mercy, she had been trapped at Nascent Soul perfection for quite a while, and for over a dozen years, she had been unable to make any further progress, stuck at a certain bottleneck, faintly realizing that relying solely on her own talent and resources, she was afraid she could not break through to the Spirit Severing stage.

Du En only emphasized this one point, which translated meant: my goal is to strive for a good ranking, while your goal is to strive not to overexert yourselves and ruin yourselves.

Meng Changqing gave a response from his side, feeling quite helpless about this.

Du En opened his eyes and glanced at the panel; it had only been half a year, and although the environment here was even better than his own fifth-grade cave dwelling, because of Meng Changqing's "private tutoring" actions, he was still restricted by the resolution items and could not exert his full effort, only able to try every possible way to attack from the side regarding comprehension and such, so the boost to his side was actually not too excellent, causing the change in numbers to not be too large.

Because there were no limitations at all, only ensuring one would not die on the spot, so after every fierce battle, if they were evenly matched, many injuries would inevitably be left behind.

"Naturally so!"

Amidst the contemplation and visualization, the blue sky stretched for ten thousand miles, the thick earth was silent, and there stood a lush, vigorous tree, dripping with emerald green, its branches spreading out like a giant umbrella beginning to be propped up.

At the same time, he gestured with his hand.

"Do not worry, talented one!"

But today was the day the Grand Competition was to be held, and everyone had emerged from seclusion to gather, so the effect was immediately apparent.

"How is it that each and every one of them is like a mold cast from that Fu Yong from before?"

However, Ying Dongqing had no leisure to care about anything else now; as the White Iron Heaven-Piercing Pillar descended, cutting off the direct gazes of the True Immortals and the Great Cultivators, the indescribable pressure she had been enduring finally began to dissipate.

"In about half a year, the Thousand-Day Grand Competition is about to unfold here in Central Capital; all Nascent Soul stage geniuses and those top-tier individuals who might be geniuses are required to participate, which is why I called you over in advance."

During the Grand Competition, the participants mainly reside within it; they can cultivate and are allowed to visit one another, but its primary purpose is actually for healing and recovery.

The talented ones of this sect...

Half a year passed quietly.

As a result, even if she wanted to exchange pleasantries, draw closer to one another, and attempt to unite, she was met with soft rebuffs time and again.

Therefore, now that they had encountered a stage that seemed to allow them to voice their opinions and perform, they naturally appeared exceptionally proactive and quite restless.

Had I known Central Capital was this kind of place, I truly would not have yearned for it at all!

Turning her head to look, it was a small thatched cottage, the door was open, and it seemed, perhaps, maybe, it was left for her?

Ying Dongqing did not dare to ask aloud, only moving cautiously with light lotus steps, looking extremely nervous yet salivating, completely unwilling to give up.

Although Ying Dongqing had anticipated this, being deep-scheming after all, facing this kind of "care" made her somewhat unable to endure it!

Competing with her for power and profit—she did not care, as she had long been accustomed to such things.

In the eyes of the Nascent Soul stage cultivators of the Falling Feather Immortal Gate, it is generally considered a malicious affair second only to going to the battlefield!

Du En only nodded lightly, which made her feel bitter inside.

Du En also took the opportunity to end this practice of Dharma-Devouring Spirit-Grafting and turned to walk over to greet her.

Thus.

In other words, the point of her true sigh did not actually lie here, but in other aspects.

Of course, compared to the previous lack of any direction, she had now seized the opportunity to pry open the bottleneck and shackles, generally groping for a path that could be followed subsequently.

"No need to be so polite."

Especially the geniuses; the final brutal slaughter was simply shocking to the eye and made one sigh involuntarily.

The winners are miserable, the losers are wretched!

Therefore, in the eyes of the Nascent Soul stage cultivators, the Thousand-Day Grand Competition is just a show for the upper echelons to watch, where they desperately fight to the death on the stage, trying their best to perform!

And thus it became the second thing they feared most!

To put it simply, Meng Changqing's instructions had almost been forgotten by them.

The three of them thought this way, so their attitude was one of holding their noses and accepting it first, grumbling inwardly while outwardly still having to "take care" of Ying Dongqing's mood to avoid ruining the grand plan of the resolution, making a display that they considered appropriate but which appeared exceptionally abrupt and obvious to others.

They saw the two floating pillars move forward and the railings quietly open, as if releasing beasts for a fight; two top-tier elites at the mid-Nascent Soul stage stepped through the air into the arena and began the first duel.

New volume starting; also, future update times will be moved forward by fifteen minutes.

(End of chapter)