Chapter 154

According to the information our Li family received, the Four Sects' Assembly will be held in the Qilian Mountains, at the border between Jingzhou and Taizhou.

This mountain range is rich in resources but strategically ambiguous, and due to ongoing disputes between the Thousand Bamboo Sect and the Sunset Sect, it has never been developed on a large scale; rumors say it still harbors many rare entry-grade demonic beasts unseen in the outside world.

After deliberation among the four sects, they plan to designate an outer zone within the Qilian Mountains where participating disciples may enter to compete for a specific rare resource, with rankings determined by the quantity of that resource collected. Li Tianqi spoke confidently, as if she had mastered every rule of this Four Sects' Assembly.

「Is this rare resource referring to spiritual herbs or minerals, demonic cores, or spiritual fruits? Do you know the exact details, Sister Li? asked a middle-aged, refined-looking scholar beside her.

「Brother Huang, don't rush. The specific resource to be contested will be decided collectively by the ancestral elders of each sect at the time—this is to prevent anyone from preparing in advance and cheating. Li Tianqi smiled lightly in explanation.

「That does seem fair, but is it truly true, as Sister Li's information suggests, that teams are limited to five members? Could this change later? asked a sweet-looking girl of seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a purple robe with two long braids; her voice, like her appearance, was soft and melodious.

「Sister Liu, rest assured on this matter.

In past Four Sects' Assemblies held in team format, the number has always been around five.

This number tests each sect's disciples' coordination while allowing every individual's strength to be fully expressed—it rarely changes. Li Tianqi turned and smiled at the girl in purple.

「I see. I've only been in the sect for a few years, so I wasn't familiar with this tradition. Thank you for clarifying, Sister. Liu's sister replied with a bright smile.

「Sister Liu and Brother Wang are both recent entrants to the inner sect, so it's natural you're unfamiliar with past Assembly customs.

But I've heard this year's Assembly differs from previous ones—seeking to counter invasions by the Black Soul Sect and other demonic factions of Yu Kingdom, and to boost morale within our sect, the four sects have unveiled considerable ancestral treasures as rewards for top-ranking participants. The prizes are said to far surpass those of earlier Assemblies. added the last speaker, a pale-robed young man with a refined face, who suddenly smiled and let his burning gaze linger mostly on the purple-clad girl's sweet face.

「The Sun family is the second-largest clan in the sect after the Li and Yun families. If Brother Sun says so, it must be true. No wonder so many of our sect's disciples are signing up for this Assembly. Liu's sister replied with a sweet smile, meeting the young man's intense gaze.

Her smile made Brother Sun's heart swell with delight, and he eagerly added:

「My ancestral elder also said that among the rewards, other sects may not know, but our Four Symbols Sect's ancestral elder appears to have offered a set of 'Minor Spirit Gathering Array' array plates.

Upon hearing this, everyone except Li Tianqi subtly changed expression.

「Minor Spirit Gathering Array! That's the auxiliary array that concentrates nearby spiritual energy and greatly enhances its purity in the cultivation area! Liu's sister widened her beautiful eyes in disbelief.

「That's right—this Minor Spirit Gathering Array is found only in the training grounds of our sect's true disciples and Golden Core ancestral elders. Even Foundation Establishment elders don't have access to such an array. Huang's brother murmured, his face unmistakably filled with astonishment.

「Sister Li, you're from the Li family—do you also know this? Wang Yu finally asked Li Tianqi.

「Yes, my ancestral elder did hint at this.

But if it's the Minor Spirit Gathering Array, don't even dream of it—it's clearly meant for the true disciples competing. If we can secure second-tier rewards, like Foundation Establishment Pills, that's already excellent. Li Tianqi nodded, then shook her head to remind them.

Her words doused Huang's brother and the others like a bucket of cold water, their earlier excitement dimming noticeably.

Wang Yu listened, his gaze flickering slightly.

「Sister Li speaks wisely, but if this Assembly truly ranks participants by the quantity of rare resources gathered, luck still plays a vital role. I may be unworthy, but I have some skill in tracking people and objects. The pale-robed youth chuckled, his gaze sweeping again toward Liu's sister.

「Brother Sun, are you serious? If we're lucky, could we actually win the Minor Spirit Gathering Array? The purple-clad girl's face lit up with renewed hope as she fixed her eyes on him.

「Sister Liu, Brother Sun, don't forget—the Four Sects' Assembly tests disciples' strength. Even if you find enough of the designated resource, you'll still have to fight other teams to take it away. Huang's brother, now fully sober, sighed wryly at them.

「That's right. Our performance in this Assembly ultimately depends on our own strength.

Among our five, Brother Huang has the highest cultivation—he's already reached Qi Condensation peak.

I'm at Qi Condensation ninth layer. Brother Sun and Sister Liu are both at Qi Condensation eighth layer.

Brother Wang is only at Qi Condensation seventh layer, but his actual strength is astonishing—I'm no match for him. Li Tianqi plainly laid out everyone's cultivation levels, deliberately highlighting Wang Yu's true power.

Hearing this, the other three exchanged strange glances.

Wang Yu's cultivation was so low, yet Li Tianqi claimed his strength surpassed even her own Qi Condensation ninth layer. Though they'd heard rumors about the recent minor clan struggle for the spiritual vein slot, they still doubted the legitimacy of Wang Yu's victory.

After all, they hadn't witnessed the match firsthand, and the rumors were mixed with falsehoods—they suspected Wang Yu's claim to the spiritual vein slot carried significant exaggeration.

They agreed to let Li Tianqi include Wang Yu in their team mainly because of his official status as a metallurgist, hoping to cultivate goodwill with him.

「Sister Li flatters me too much—if you truly fought me without holding back, how could I possibly be your match? This time, I'll rely on you and the other brothers. Wang Yu replied humbly.

Hearing this, Huang's brother and the others naturally offered polite refusals.

「This year, our Four Symbols Sect has roughly seven or eight hundred participating disciples, including one-third from the inner sect and two-thirds from the outer sect—most are at late Qi Condensation, and there are also two Qi Condensation true disciples joining. Li Tianqi smiled faintly and continued sharing what she knew.

Qi Condensation true disciples!

Wang Yu's expression sharpened at this.

Huang's brother and the others also grew solemn.