Chapter 79

Not long after, Wang Zongzhu, whom Xiaoming had seen when he first entered the sect, appeared in the air. (www..com)

Wang Zongzhu looked at the disciples in the square, nodded, and said loudly:

"Disciples of Luoxia Sect, please be quiet. This selection is to choose the most outstanding disciples of our sect. According to the registration statistics, a total of 734 people have registered, and all meet the requirements."

"Now, all disciples participating in the competition will draw numbers. The competition will proceed according to the numbers drawn. The drawing will begin now."

After speaking, Qin Fengming saw an elder holding a large black basket floating in the air.

Disciples kept flying to the elder, taking jade tokens from the black basket. Qin Fengming did not dare to delay and followed the other disciples over.

When he reached the elder, he used his divine sense to scan the black basket, but a barrier repelled his divine sense. The elder chuckled, glanced at him, and snorted.

Qin Fengming's face turned red; he was not the only one to encounter this barrier. Not daring to linger, he reached into the basket and took a jade token, then turned and flew to the side.

Looking at the jade token, he saw the number 134. If the elimination rounds proceeded as planned, it would be a long time before his turn came.

For cultivators, especially low-rank cultivators, the time needed to determine a winner in a duel is quite long. The defensive spells learned by low-rank cultivators are basically the same, and their attacks mainly rely on magical artifacts. To break through the opponent's defense with a magical artifact requires considerable effort.

Seeing that all the disciples participating in the competition had drawn their numbers, a middle-aged man immediately appeared in the air and said loudly: "Now, disciples who have drawn numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, please go to the corresponding arenas for the competition. During the duel, you must stop at the first sign of victory and must not harm the other's life. Those who violate this rule will be severely punished."

As soon as he finished speaking, eight disciples immediately flew out from the crowd and entered the aerial arenas.

Qin Fengming used his divine sense to scan the eight people, and found that four were at the eighth level of the Qi Gathering stage, two were at the ninth level, and two were at the Great Perfection stage.

Seeing that all eight had entered the arena, four Foundation Establishment stage cultivators also followed, serving as the judges for each arena. With four Foundation Establishment stage cultivators present, they could provide timely assistance if any life-threatening situations occurred during the competition.

After the judges waved their hands, the four arenas began the competition simultaneously.

Qin Fengming scanned the four arenas with his eyes and quickly assessed the situation. Two of the arenas would likely take a long time to determine a winner.

The reason was that in one arena, two disciples at the eighth level of the Qi Gathering stage were using magical artifacts with weak offensive capabilities, and both had mid-level defensive talismans. The winner would be the one with more profound magical power. In another arena, two disciples at the ninth level of the Qi Gathering stage were in a similar situation.

As expected, the winners in arenas 3 and 4 were determined quickly, with the two disciples at the peak of the Qi Gathering stage winning effortlessly. The competitions in arenas 1 and 2 were still ongoing.

After the four winners left the arena, the disciples with numbers 5 and 6 entered the competition arenas to continue the competition.

This time, the two disciples with number 5 had similar strength and were in a stalemate. Only in arena 6 did the winner emerge quickly, another disciple at the peak of the Qi Gathering stage.

After an hour, the three ongoing competitions finally concluded. All ended when one party's magical power was exhausted, and the winners were also drained and barely standing.

The competitions proceeded one by one, and Qin Fengming found them boring and uninteresting. Such duels were no longer impressive to him. However, the other disciples watched with great interest, and he did not want to be too conspicuous. He found a relatively quiet spot, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

As time passed, when it was almost dark, the competition had only reached number 56.

At this point, after the four arenas had determined their winners, Wang Zongzhu flew out and announced that the competition for the day was over and would continue after breakfast the next day.

Back at his residence, Qin Fengming reflected on the more than fifty competitions that had taken place that day. He found them entirely unremarkable and hoped for more exciting matches the next day.

The next morning, the competition started on time. Just as Qin Fengming was feeling bored, a beautiful figure suddenly appeared in the competition arena—it was the Senior Sister Zeng who had asked Qin Fengming to refine a top-tier magical artifact.

Qin Fengming's divine sense immediately revealed that Senior Sister Zeng was at the peak of the Qi Gathering stage.

Wearing a light red palace dress with a light pink sash around her waist, Senior Sister Zeng looked graceful and radiant. Her appearance immediately drew cheers from the male disciples, injecting a dose of excitement into the otherwise dull competition, making the scene lively.

Senior Sister Zeng's opponent was a disciple at the ninth level of the Qi Gathering stage. Facing Senior Sister Zeng's beautiful face, the disciple appeared somewhat nervous and was already at a disadvantage before the competition began.

The cultivator overseeing the competition announced the start of the duel. Senior Sister Zeng extended her hand and cast a talisman, immediately forming a blue protective shield—a Water Shield Talisman. She then raised her jade hand, and a high-grade magical artifact appeared in her hand. With a flick, it transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the opponent.

The male disciple did not hesitate, casting a talisman that formed a yellow protective shield around him. He then raised his hand and summoned a high-grade magical artifact to meet the attack. The two magical artifacts engaged in a fierce battle, making it difficult to determine a winner.

Seeing this, Senior Sister Zeng was not anxious. She calmly raised her hand and summoned another high-grade magical artifact, which circled in the air and quickly flew toward the opponent.

The man was taken aback, his face showing difficulty. He hurriedly summoned another magical artifact, but this time it was only a mid-grade magical artifact. It seemed he had no more high-grade magical artifacts.

For a typical late-stage Qi Gathering cultivator, unless they had a cultivation family as a backing or exceptional talent, reaching the ninth level of the Qi Gathering stage with a high-grade magical artifact was already a rare achievement.

The four magical artifacts circled and danced in the air, creating a dazzling spectacle. The man's mid-grade magical artifact only lasted for a meal's time before losing its spiritual power and becoming unable to continue.

The man considered summoning another mid-grade magical artifact but hesitated and ultimately did not do so.

He knew that even if he summoned another magical artifact, it would not last long, as the opponent had two high-grade magical artifacts while he had only one. In the end, he had to admit defeat, bow to Senior Sister Zeng, and fly out of the protective shield.

Senior Sister Zeng's victory was unquestionable, and the thousands of low-rank cultivators in the audience erupted in cheers. She calmly put away her two high-grade magical artifacts and flew out of the competition arena.