Chapter 451: Internal Selection

The next morning, Piao Yun delivered breakfast, and after they ate together they went to the Grand Hall to await the start of the selection competition.

After waiting a while, Ye Liuyun saw the over ten young participants, who were slightly older than him and mostly at the Heavenly Gang Second or Third Level.

Among them, a disciple at Heavenly Gang Third Level, whose strength Ye Liuyun considered the strongest, was estimated to be able, at Heavenly Gang Third Level, to leap Two Levels and challenge a typical Heavenly Gang Fifth Level strongman.

Ye Liuyun scanned the contestants and formed a count in his mind; he was certain he would be selected.

Jing Wudi hurried over and announced, "We have summoned everyone this time to select candidates for the Great Cloud Competition. In less than three months we will hold a regional selection. This is our internal selection for focused cultivation. For the regional selection, Iron Eagle Sect has ten slots. Today we will pick ten people among you. Now begin; you may challenge freely."

The selection method he arranged appeared quite casual.

At that moment, the Heavenly Gang Third Level contestant Ye Liuyun favored stepped forward first, bowed to Ye Liuyun and said, "I have long heard of Chief Ye's great name. I am Jiang Wanhao, serving in the main sect. I would like Chief Ye to give me some instruction."

Jiang Wanhao was originally the obvious choice for the competition, the strongest among the younger generation of Iron Eagle Sect. At only twenty‑one, he had already cultivated to Heavenly Gang Third Level.

He did not expect Ye Liuyun to appear midway, not only stealing the limelight in achievements, but now rumors within Iron Eagle Sect claimed Ye Liuyun's strength surpassed his, so he was naturally resentful.

He was familiar with the other participants and knew none were his match, so he could only challenge Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun merely smiled, not being overly modest, and replied, "Fine. Go ahead and use your technique!"

Ye Liuyun's current status is higher than his idle position, so when speaking to him, there's no need for forced humility.

However, in the eyes of Jiang Wanhao and some Elders, they thought Ye Liuyun was overly arrogant. Jiang Wanhao politely asked for instruction, and Ye Liuyun actually agreed!

What kind of arrogance is this? Perhaps his recent smooth sailing at the Qingcheng branch made him a bit complacent.

Jiang Wanhao felt angry, secretly resolved to give Ye Liuyun a good show.

At that moment he rotated his entire True Essence, unleashing Heavenly Gang Third Level momentum, preparing to go all out to crush Ye Liuyun. It should be noted that he is a prodigy capable of battling Heavenly Gang Fifth Level, so his strength exceeds Heavenly Gang Third Level.

Ye Liuyun, however, remained calmly smiling, waiting for him to strike first.

Jiang Wanhao was unreserved, launching a full‑force punch. Unexpectedly, Ye Liuyun didn't move. The punch was about to hit Ye Liuyun.

Jiang Wanhao and the crowd didn't understand what was happening. Was Ye Liuyun trying to take it head‑on? That would require an extremely strong Physical Body.

What they didn't expect was that the punch passed straight through Ye Liuyun's body, never hitting him. Ye Liuyun simply, at the instant before the punch's force contacted his body, slipped into the fourth layer of void, and emerged after the force passed.

However, the process was so brief that those of lower realms thought Ye Liuyun remained standing still. Only Jing Wudi and a few Elders above Heavenly Gang Seventh Layer discerned the reason.

Ye Liuyun displayed this technique, and Jiang Wanhao was stunned on the spot. How can one fight like this, you can't even hit a person! He didn't know how Ye Liuyun avoided his punch, but he knew that even if he kept striking, the result would be the same, so why embarrass himself.

At that moment, Ye Liuyun moved. "You try to counter me with a move as well."

Speaking, he employed Divine Dragon Claw; with a single claw, he expelled all the True Essence within his core.

Sensing Ye Liuyun's surging True Essence, Jiang Wanhao's complexion changed drastically. He hadn't expected that this claw contained so much True Essence. With such power, even if Ye Liuyun hadn't dodged the earlier punch, he was destined to defeat him.

But Ye Liuyun had already acted; in the sky a massive dragon claw, solid as a real claw, slammed toward him. He now couldn't dodge, could only meet it with full force. However his punch could only release part of the True Essence from his core, unable to resist Ye Liuyun's claw.

Seeing him counter with that punch, Ye Liuyun evaluated and withdrew some True Essence. This would be enough to defeat Jiang Wanhao without severely injuring him.

Boom!

The two True Essences collided in the air. After a deafening blast, Jiang Wanhao was blasted out of the Grand Hall, while Ye Liuyun remained unmoved, his face still bearing a faint smile.

The Elders and Jiang Wanhao all sensed Ye Liuyun had withdrawn part of his True Essence. Their respect for Ye Liuyun grew. Even the Elders who previously thought him arrogant changed their view.

"Looks like Ye Liuyun really has some skill!"

Jiang Wanhao immediately stood, bowed to Ye Liuyun and thanked, "Thank you, Chief Ye, for sparing my life!"

"No need for formalities, just a same‑sect spar, not a life‑or‑death duel." Ye Liuyun brushed it off lightly, not wanting to embarrass Jiang Wanhao.

Jiang Wanhao clasped his fists again, then returned to his seat. He secretly admired Ye Liuyun's magnanimity. He had gone all out to give Ye Liuyun a good show, but Ye Liuyun still gave him face.

Then the others began to duel, but no one challenged Ye Liuyun again. They couldn't even defeat Jiang Wanhao, let alone Ye Liuyun.

Thus, after the selection ended, Ye Liuyun was the undisputed first, and no one mattered.

"Ye Liuyun, as the first place, you may make some requests; as long as we can fulfill them, we will try our best to satisfy you," Jing Wudi said contentedly.

Ye Liuyun thought for a moment and asked, "Vice Chief, do you know any Artifact Refining Master? I have two spirit artifacts I wish to further enhance."

"That's all? Easy, leave it to me; I'll arrange it. There are a few Qi Refining Masters who have good relations with our Iron Eagle Sect." Jing Wudi immediately agreed.

Thus, Ye Liuyun directly produced the Nine Dragon River Mountain Cauldron and the Nine Dragons Mountain-flipping Seal, handing them to Jing Wudi.

The other ten selected individuals each received rewards, as a token of support.

Afterwards, everyone returned to cultivate. The whole process was trivial for Ye Liuyun; it was merely a passage, and he didn't even display half his strength.

But the gains were considerable; the two Spirit Grade treasures can be upgraded to the Revered Grade! That will be very useful for him later.