Chapter 28: First Round Selection, Senior Sister, Don't You Believe Me?

Sect Master Qing, who do you think among this batch of disciples is most likely to seize the position of Holy Son and Holy Daughter?

In the square, Sect Master Qing Luo and the envoy of the Heavenly Demon Sect were talking.

The envoy wondered who it would be.

I think that mid-Yin Dan Xue Wuying should be able to seize the Holy Son's position.

As for the Holy Daughter, the gap between the few contenders is too small; right now we can't tell.

Hearing the envoy's opinion, Qing Luo nodded thoughtfully.

Afterward, she pointed her finger toward the direction where Lu Chen was.

Do you think that person could possibly?

"That kid who spent three days in an ancient tomb and came away with nothing—" the envoy shook his head; he clearly had low hopes for Lu Chen.

Upon hearing that, Qing Luo's sharp gaze flashed with a glint.

That brat isn't as simple as you think.

As the sect master, Qing Luo knows the six great forbidden techniques of the Demonic Skill Pavilion like the back of her hand.

After observing for a while, she faintly felt that the relationship between Lu Chen and Elder Su was not ordinary.

Based on this, she believed Lu Chen was definitely not simple.

Really? How about we make a bet?

Although the envoy is a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect, his cultivation level is far below that of Sect Master Qing Luo.

If the other party could produce something of value, it would definitely be a good thing for him.

Moreover, he had already secretly traded with a certain disciple yesterday.

In this grand selection, the victor could absolutely not be Lu Chen.

"A bet?" Qing Luo's eyes revealed a heroic spirit; she waved her hand, and several high-level techniques appeared before her.

"This is... cough cough, truly worthy of Sect Master Qing, your generosity is impressive." Looking at these techniques, the envoy's eyes lit up, "Then I can't fall behind either."

Not long after the two set their wager, the last elder and disciple arrived at the Grand Competition site.

Since everyone is here, let's begin the first round of selection!

The envoy flew up into the sky and took out a pitch-black ancient mirror from his storage bag.

The ancient mirror suddenly expanded, and its surface surged with intense yin-sha qi.

First round, test the depth of one's Dao Foundation! This mirror is the Spirit-devouring Mirror, capable of devouring spirit-killing qi.

The top hundred who can endure longest under the Spirit-devouring Mirror may advance to the second round!

As the envoy's words fell, the Spirit-devouring Mirror quickly expanded again, instantly enveloping the entire square.

"Xiao Xiao, where is she? Why is she missing?"

At that moment, Su Qian noticed that Gu Xiaoxiao was missing.

"Master, I'm back..."

Gu Xiaoxiao's face was red, her expression a bit off.

She glanced at Lu Chen, then immediately shifted her gaze away.

Lu Chen couldn't decipher the meaning of her gaze, and focused his attention on the Spirit-devouring Mirror above.

"I'll be waiting for you outside," Master said. Su Qian had great confidence in her four disciples.

If even those in the Yin Dan realm couldn't make it into the top hundred, then she wouldn't need to remain an elder.

As the elders all withdrew from the Spirit-devouring Mirror's range, soon low-level disciples began to falter, screaming as they dropped out.

"What strange mirror light... I feel the spiritual energy in my body is about to be sucked dry."

"I can't hold on..."

Just a quarter of an hour passed, and over thirty percent of the disciples could not bear the burden and withdrew from the square's area.

After withdrawing, they were naturally eliminated.

Compared to their agony, the Yin Dan realm disciples appeared quite relaxed.

For example, Gu Xiangxiang and her companions, despite the consumption of the Spirit-devouring Mirror, still had abundant spiritual power within them.

Even Mei Qianxue had the leisure to find Lu Chen and strike up a conversation at this moment.

"Lu Chen, after the Grand Competition, do you have time?"

Compared to her previous stern attitude, she was now noticeably more tactful.

"Sorry, Senior Sister Mei, I've been a bit busy lately."

Lu Chen could roughly guess what the other party intended to do.

After all, having known each other for five years, she only seeks him out when it's time for dual cultivation.

If it were the past, he might have just agreed to continue dual cultivation with her.

But he now has Su Qian and the Empress.

Moreover, even if worse comes to worst, he still has Senior Sister Gu Xiangxiang.

Compared to her, the Gu sisters treat him far better.

"..." Mei Qianxue fell silent, gazing toward the distant figures of Wang Lan and Xue Wuying, as if she were deciding something.

Soon, another quarter of an hour passed, and another thirty percent of the disciples could not endure and left the Spirit-devouring Mirror's range.

At this point, only forty percent of the disciples remained on the square.

That is, roughly four hundred people.

Among them, the lowest cultivation level was at mid Foundation Establishment.

"This Spirit-devouring Mirror is a treasure... I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to..."

Having existed for so long, the Demonic Sect's influence has shaped Lu Chen's thoughts; upon seeing such a treasure appear, his first thought was not to flee, but to seize it.

Looking at its appearance, it seems to have only exerted a small fraction of its power; if it were to unfold at full strength, it could probably drain our spiritual energy in an instant.

Moreover, it can convert the absorbed spiritual energy into killing aura...

Lu Chen grew fonder of this soul-devouring mirror the more he looked at it.

Just as he was thinking, Mei Qianxue suddenly left and walked toward Wang Lan not far away.

As for that, he wasn't surprised.

Mei Qianxue was originally someone who admired the strong, and she had made many preparations for this grand competition.

Because the grand competition ultimately selects the Holy Son and Holy Daughter by requiring a male-female team, she would surely choose a man she considers the strongest to team up with.

"Wang Lan... she should know about my relationship with him, right?"

After all, Wang Qun was killed by him; the other party couldn't possibly not know.

Lu Chen glanced at the departing Mei Qianxue and suddenly recalled that scene from her residence before.

His mindset seemed to have undergone a subtle change starting from that time.

He withdrew his gaze, and at that moment Gu Xiangxiang and Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly walked up to his side.

The two seemed to have discussed something beforehand, and they both looked at him in unison.

"Lu Chen, you should be able to last until the third round, right? Then how about we team up?"

Gu Xiangxiang extended an olive branch to him.

Hearing that, Lu Chen seemed somewhat surprised.

He had still been worrying about the final team formation, never expecting that Senior Sister Gu would be so proactive.

"What about Junior Sister Xiaoxiao, then?"

He had barely finished speaking when Gu Xiaoxiao waved her hand and said casually, "I have no interest in the Holy Daughter's position either; I'll withdraw after the second round ends."

"As for her older sister... never mind." Gu Xiaoxiao seemed to want to say something more, but ultimately didn't.

"Is that so." Lu Chen pondered.

He glanced at Gu Xiangxiang and gave her a confident smile.

"Don't worry, team up with me, and I guarantee I'll help you win the Holy Daughter's position."

"Pfft."

Lu Chen had just finished speaking when he heard the two sisters laugh in unison.

"How come? Senior Sister doesn't believe me?" Seeing this, he wasn't annoyed, merely asking the two.

"Junior Brother Lu, although your recent realm advancement has been terrifying, after all you're only at Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

Obviously, Gu Xiangxiang didn't believe him.

Gu Xiaoxiao beside him, though silent, also didn't believe him from her expression.

"Then how about we make a bet?"

"The stake?"

"We'll discuss the stake later."

"... Okay."