Chapter 39: “The Grand Competition Has Ended”

As the final day arrived, the Disciples participating in the Grand Competition became even more cautious.

By this time, the Yao Beasts and Heaven And Earth Treasures in the Grand Competition area had mostly been cleared out. For many, the most realistic option to continue gaining points was to snatch jade tokens from others.

Consequently, conflicts among Disciples became frequent, and the air was filled with a tense, murderous atmosphere.

Bang!

Lu Kuang's face was grim. He simultaneously struck with both palms, and a heavy Xuanhuang Qi surged forth, directly repelling an opponent at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Then, he stomped his right foot heavily on the ground, and his entire body suddenly shot up, breaking out of the encirclement formed by eight Cultivators.

"Don't let him run! He alone has over three thousand points. As long as we can snatch his jade token, it's enough for all of us to get into the top ten of the Grand Competition!"

Hearing this, the Cultivators involved in the siege immediately became excited and chased after him, scrambling to be first.

Lu Kuang ran frantically forward, his heart filled with anxiety.

He hadn't expected these people to be so greedy, daring to become his enemies for points.

The group of Cultivators behind him were originally his allies, hunting Yao Beasts together, but they suddenly turned hostile midway and had now become competitors chasing him!

If he hadn't been vigilant, he might have truly fallen into their hands.

Now, his body was covered in wounds from previous battles. Although they were all minor superficial injuries, if he delayed any longer, the True Qi in his body wouldn't be able to hold out.

He had to quickly shake off his pursuers and find a safe place to wait for the Grand Competition to end!

Thinking of this, Lu Kuang suddenly had an idea. While accelerating his escape, he formed a Dao hand seal and muttered:

"Earth Burst Art!"

The next moment, the soil behind him suddenly trembled violently, like a giant rock thrown into calm water, stirring up dirt everywhere.

Caught off guard, the pursuing Cultivators were pelted with splashing rocks and mud, forcing them to slow down.

At the same time, a crack suddenly opened in the ground in front of Lu Kuang. He leaped into it without hesitation, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

…

On the other side, a large group of aggressive Cultivators searched back and forth in the dense forest, shouting:

"Qi Da, get out here, you bastard!"

"Didn't you say you wanted to win first place in the Grand Competition? Why are you acting like a cowardly turtle?"

"Hmph! I'd rather give up my points than not beat you up. Let's see how arrogant you can be in the future!"

…

However, a long time passed. Although more and more people joined the search party, Qi Yuan's whereabouts remained undiscovered.

"Damn it, that kid must be hiding!"

"It's fine! He'll come out on his own when the Grand Competition ends. Although he escaped this time, a monk can run, but his temple cannot. We'll beat him every time we see him in the Outer Sect."

…

Just as everyone was fuming with anger from searching, a sound of footsteps landing suddenly came from not far away. Then, a young man dressed in servant attire walked out from the depths of the dense forest.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound; it was Qi Yuan, whom they were looking for.

"Kid, you finally decided to show your face."

"Haha, I finally caught you."

"Brothers, let's teach this trash a good lesson!"

Everyone grinned ferociously, rubbing their fists and palms as they surrounded Qi Yuan.

Facing the impending group beating, Qi Yuan didn't even bat an eyelid. Instead, he curled his lip in disdain and sneered:

"A bunch of trash, come on if you dare!"

Seeing that the opponent still dared to provoke them, the group was enraged. They all raised their Magical Artifacts and fiercely pounced forward.

Just then, a majestic shout echoed through the field:

"Enough! Everyone stop!"

As his voice fell, Elder Yang Xiude of the Internal Affairs Pavilion descended from the sky, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Hearing this, everyone quickly reined in their power and respectfully saluted:

"Disciple greets Elder Yang."

Yang Xiude snorted coldly and said:

"The Grand Competition is over. Fighting is strictly prohibited now. You all hand over your jade tokens. Qi Da will be responsible for tallying everyone's points."

"Also, after handing over your jade tokens, go find the others and tell them to come here to settle their points. Tell them that if they don't arrive within one hour, their results will be canceled!"

"Yes, we will go find them now."

After hearing these words, everyone bowed their heads in agreement and then obediently took out their jade tokens and handed them to Qi Yuan…

At the same time.

On the square.

Elder Yang Xiude of the Internal Affairs Pavilion stared blankly at the scene in the magic mirror, his head buzzing, hardly believing his eyes.

The Disciples in the image, upon seeing Qi Yuan, seemed to be possessed. They first respectfully bowed, then one by one handed their jade tokens to Qi Yuan, behaving in an unbelievably obedient manner.

Not only him, but the atmosphere in the square was almost solidified; everyone felt like they were dreaming.

"It's an illusion!"

Sect Leader Bai Qingwu of Luoyun Valley was the first to regain his senses, saying in disbelief:

"His demon pet suddenly broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the power of its illusion greatly increased. Those Outer Sect Disciples couldn't resist it at all, which is why they were so bewildered."

Elder Kang Wannian of the Pill Pavilion also recovered from his shock and exclaimed:

"That's right, the Medicinal Pill he gave the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox was most likely a supreme grade spirit nurturing pill. The fox demon achieved Foundation Establishment overnight after taking the pill."

"Compared to the Qi Refining Realm, the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox in the Foundation Establishment Realm is completely transformed. With its help, Qi Da can move unhindered in the Grand Competition!"

"This… is too incredible."

A nearby Inner Sect Elder was also dumbfounded, "Could it be that he previously helped others earn more points just to snatch all their jade tokens at this moment… If that's true, this kid is simply a Prodigy!"

As soon as these words came out, the other high-ranking officials of Luoyun Valley around them collectively gasped, and the scene once again fell into a brief silence.

After a long while, Elder Yin Qingyuan of the Entering Dao Pavilion finally composed himself, furrowed his brows, and said in a firm tone:

"Elder Yang, this child's actions are clearly cheating. I believe we should immediately go and stop this farce, cancel his Grand Competition qualification, and punish him severely according to the Sect rules to serve as a warning to others."

"Improper!"

Yang Xiude shook his head and mused, "According to the rules, no one is allowed to interfere with the Outer Sect Grand Competition's progress before it ends. This Grand Competition still has more than an hour left, and before that, I will not intervene."

"Moreover, the Sect has no rule prohibiting the use of demon pets in the Outer Sect Grand Competition. His actions are completely compliant."

Bai Qingwu also nodded, "Elder Yang makes sense. Since Qi Da hasn't violated any rules, let's continue to observe."

Even the Sect Leader had spoken, so Yin Qingyuan could only close his mouth with resentment, his expression extremely unsightly.