Chapter 156

Song Yan walked onto the stage.

He was tall and slender, wearing a white robe whiter than snow, fluttering in the wind, which further highlighted his handsome bearing and elegant demeanor.

His opponent was a female disciple of the Holy Gate.

Before the match, the female disciple cupped her hands and said, "I am Gong Yuying of the Holy Gate."

Song Yan returned the salute.

"I am Song Yan of the Carefree Sect's Heavenly Martial Peak; I greet you, Fellow Daoist Gong."

After the referee announced the start of the match, Gong Yuying drew her sword and attacked toward Song Yan.

Song Yan conjured a long sword in his hand and raised it to block.

After several exchanges, Song Yan broke through her defense and pressed his long sword against Gong Yuying's neck.

"I lost." Gong Yuying felt the chill of the blade at her neck, she slowly lifted her eyes and exhaled.

"Carefree Sect's Song Yan wins!" the referee announced.

Song Yan sheathed his sword, gave Gong Yuying a slight nod, then stepped down from the platform and returned to the waiting area.

"Eldest Senior Brother is amazing!" Yuan Yao gave Song Yan a thumbs-up.

Xiao Lingwei and the others also lavished praise on Song Yan without reservation.

A smile appeared on Song Yan's usually cold face, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he spoke up to stop them: "All right, no need to praise further."

"Eldest Senior Brother, why are you blushing?" Xiao Lingwei teased.

Cang Li laughed loudly, "Second Senior Sister, you'd better stop, or Eldest Senior Brother will turn as red as a cooked shrimp."

Everyone laughed.

Song Yan's face was indeed getting redder; he helplessly looked at his five junior brothers and sisters and said sternly, "No more laughing."

Some younger disciples, hearing their commotion, looked over.

At first glance, they were indeed stunning.

The six disciples taken in by the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord all looked like immortals.

Each also had their own distinctive features.

Yuan Yao recalled something and couldn't help asking, "After the first-round disciple duels finish, will there be a day of rest?"

"Yes." Xiao Lingwei nodded, "Once the first-round duels are settled, there will be a day's rest, and among the thousand participants, only five hundred outstanding ones can break through and advance to the next round."

Yuan Yao curiously asked, "Then do the participants who fail to advance not need to continue competing?"

Xiao Lingwei replied, "They will continue to participate in the duels until the final ranking of the top five hundred is decided."

Yuan Yao nodded in realization.

As time trickled by.

The one who drew number ninety-six, Xue Jin, stepped onto the platform.

The youth had a striking pink-white long hair, half tied up, falling over his shoulders; his features were beautiful to the point of being androgynous, his eyebrows and eyes like distant mountains, lovely yet unattainable.

As soon as he stepped onto the platform, everyone's gaze gathered on him.

Upon seeing Xue Jin, his opponent's eyes went black, he could barely breathe, and he didn't even have the courage to step onto the platform.

Just then, Xue Jin glanced in his direction.

That glance made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

It was cold enough to make him shiver.

He tremblingly raised his hand and said to the referee, "I... I surrender!"

As soon as he said that, many people's faces showed an expression of "as expected."

"How strong is Xue Jin? Why did that person react with such terror, deciding to surrender even before stepping onto the platform?"

"Xue Jin isn't just strong; he's overwhelmingly strong! Moreover, his strikes are vicious and swift! If he can defeat an opponent with half a move, he certainly wouldn't need a full one."

"Hehe, if he doesn't surrender, he'll surely be split into serious injury by him!"

"That terrifying?"

"I heard he has already broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm!"

"What?! He's only ten and already a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

"No way, you haven't heard of Xue Jin? He's a world-renowned peerless genius of the Ninth Province! In the last sect grand tournament, his ranking wasn't high, but remember, he was only thirteen then—just old enough to participate in the sect grand tournament!"

"You haven't heard of the Five Children of Thousand Mountain?!"

"Now it should be the Six Children of Thousand Mountain!"

The crowd discussed heatedly.

Those who were previously unfamiliar with Xue Jin and the Six Children of Thousand Mountain, upon hearing their deeds from others, all felt greatly shocked.

Even... shaken!

In the end, it summed up to one sentence: "No wonder he's a disciple of the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord."

Xue Jin walked off the platform expressionlessly, then, under everyone's gaze, returned to the waiting area.

"Hahaha..." Cang Li burst out laughing, "Xue Jin, you went up onto the stage for nothing, hahaha..."

Xue Jin's eyes turned cold, and he punched Cang Li in the abdomen.

Cang Li winced in pain, almost vomiting his bile, and then coughed violently.

"Third Senior Brother, you're really asking for a beating," Yuan Yao couldn't help but laugh.

"He was asking for it anyway," Xue Jin said coldly.

Ying Wuji shook his head helplessly.

Cang Li opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but the next moment his face showed a sorrowful expression as he pressed his forehead against the shoulder of the Second Senior Sister beside him and began to sob.

"It's all my fault," he said in an affected tone.

Yuan Yao and the others: "……"

Xiao Lingwei looked speechless: "Stop shaking, you're making my goosebumps pop out."

Cang Li hastily raised his head and gave Xiao Lingwei a hehe chuckle.

Immediately after, he turned his head to look at Xue Jin, gritting his teeth as he accused: "You just hit me way too hard—after all, I'm your senior brother, and you don't respect me at all!"

Xue Jin: "Heh."

"Yao Yao, don't you think what he did was wrong?" Cang Li's gaze instantly locked onto Yuan Yao, and he gave a slight smile.

"Huh?" Yuan Yao blinked, then feigned ignorance with an "oh."

She then raised her head to watch the match on the fighting platform.

Cang Li: "?"

…

Time quickly came to night.

Xiao Lingwei, who drew number 121, went up onto the fighting platform.

Xiao Lingwei was tall and slender, with a black hairband bearing a phoenix pattern on her forehead, an oval face, her features heroic yet not losing gentleness, her hair pulled back into a black braid, and a long whip coiled at her waist.

Her opponent was Heavenly Cloud Sect's second senior brother, Qiu Chenghe.

Qiu Chenghe also didn't expect his opponent to be Xiao Lingwei!

Although in the previous sect grand competition he hadn't had the chance to face her, he also knew Xiao Lingwei's prowess and ferocity.

If Xiao Lingwei takes a liking to you, she'll just whip you a few times.

If Xiao Lingwei takes a dislike to you, she'll whip you into a spinning top.

She is, in fact, someone the storytellers have listed as the Ninth Province's top whip master.

And a whip master also has another meaning: corpse-whipping.

Upon thinking of this, Qiu Chenghe's face stiffened somewhat; he clasped his hands toward Xiao Lingwei and said in a friendly, almost fawning tone: "I am Qiu Chenghe of the Heavenly Cloud Sect; pleased to meet you, Fellow Daoist Xiao."

Xiao Lingwei returned the gesture.

"Carefree Sect Heavenly Martial Peak, Xiao Lingwei."

Qiu Chenghe nodded and smiled.

This appearance of his made him look a bit foolish in everyone's eyes.

The referee announced the start of the match.

Xiao Lingwei's hand moved to her waist and drew out a jointed long whip.

Crack!

It produced a loud sound in the air, making people's scalps tingle.