Chapter 398: Factional Dispute, Invitation from Zi Yan

He flashed his figure, executing the Rainbow Transformation Technique from the Zixia Immortal Scripture.

Swish— Zhou Chen transformed into a streak of purple light, instantly appearing behind Zhao Hu.

"Zixia — Heaven-Shaking Palm!"

Boom!

He struck Zhao Hu's back with one palm.

The terrifying palm power erupted, instantly shattering Zhao Hu's Vajra Tyrant Body.

Pfft!

Zhao Hu spat out blood, his body flying backward and crashing heavily onto the arena stage.

He struggled to stand up, but Zhou Chen's palm power was too strong; his Meridians were already damaged, and he was completely unable to move.

"I… I lost…"

Zhao Hu gave a bitter smile, completely abandoning any resistance.

The referee quickly announced: "Zhao Hu admits defeat."

"The winner is Zhou Chen!"

The entire venue was in an uproar once again.

"Too strong!"

"Zhou Chen actually defeated Zhao Hu in a single move!"

"To be able to Master a Domain at the Sixth Layer of the Venerable Realm, this talent is too terrifying!"

"No wonder he could get a ten-star rating in the first round…"

In the spectator stands, countless people were discussing animatedly.

Murong Fei's expression was terrifyingly gloomy.

He had just defeated Li Ming in one move, thinking he could awe the entire audience.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Chen also defeated his opponent in a single move.

Moreover, the Domain power Zhou Chen displayed was even more shocking than his own battle record.

"Damn it…"

Murong Fei gritted his teeth: "What exactly is this Zhou Chen's background?"

"To be able to Master a Domain at the Sixth Layer of the Venerable Realm…"

"Even some official Disciples of the Zixia Sect might not be able to do this…"

A trace of apprehension flashed in his eyes.

Originally, he thought Zhou Chen was just a lucky person who happened to obtain a ten-star rating.

But now it seemed that Zhou Chen's strength was far greater than he had imagined.

"However…"

Murong Fei sneered: "Even if you have mastered a Domain, so what?"

"This young Master also has trump cards."

"Wait for the third and fourth rounds; we will definitely meet."

"At that time…"

A trace of killing intent flashed in his eyes: "I will let you know the consequences of offending this young Master!"

The assessment continued.

Battle after battle played out on the arena stage.

Some successfully advanced by relying on superb combat techniques.

Some were defeated with regret due to insufficient cultivation.

Others unleashed their potential, winning against stronger opponents and becoming dark horses.

Several hours later, the assessment finally concluded.

Out of eight hundred people, only four hundred successfully advanced.

The remaining four hundred were all eliminated.

"Congratulations to everyone for passing the assessment."

True Person Ziyang stood on the high platform and said loudly: "Those who have made it this far are true Geniuses."

"But there is still one more round of assessment to pass before becoming an Outer Sect Disciple."

"Now, you have one day to rest."

"One day later, the third round of the assessment will officially begin."

After speaking, he waved his hand, and countless Spiritual Qi light orbs appeared on the arena stage.

"These are Medicinal Pills and Spiritual Springs for recovering spiritual power."

"Everyone is free to use them to restore your state."

The qualifiers took the Medicinal Pills and Spiritual Springs one after another to recover from their injuries and replenish their spiritual power.

Zhou Chen was not in a hurry to recover; instead, he found a quiet corner and sat down.

Just at this moment, a voice rang out beside his ear.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, may we step aside to speak?"

Zhou Chen opened his eyes and saw a young woman in a purple robe standing before him.

The woman was beautiful in appearance with a cold temperament, and her cultivation was at the Eighth Layer of the Venerable Realm.

She was none other than the other Genius who received a nine-star rating in this selection besides Murong Fei—the Zixia Sect Sect Master's daughter, Zi Yan.

"What advice do you have, Fellow Daoist Zi Yan?"

Zhou Chen said calmly.

Zi Yan smiled slightly: "Advice is not the word."

"It's just…"

She paused: "I am very interested in Fellow Daoist Zhou."

"To be able to Master a Domain at the Sixth Layer of the Venerable Realm—such talent is rare, even within the Inner Sect of the Zixia Sect."

"May I ask where you learned your craft, Fellow Daoist?"

Zhou Chen said indifferently: "I am just a Loose Cultivator and do not have a Master."

"A Loose Cultivator?"

A trace of surprise flashed in Zi Yan's eyes: "A Loose Cultivator being able to Cultivate to this extent…"

"Fellow Daoist Zhou's talent is truly astonishing."

"However…"

She glanced at Murong Fei not far away: "Fellow Daoist Zhou seems to have some conflict with Murong Fei?"

"I just saw that the way Murong Fei looked at you was full of killing intent."

Zhou Chen shook his head: "It is just a small misunderstanding."

"However…"

He looked at Zi Yan: "Fellow Daoist Zi Yan came to find me specifically; it shouldn't just be for idle chatter, right?"

Zi Yan laughed: "Fellow Daoist Zhou is indeed clever."

"To be honest, I would like to invite you to join my faction."

"What do you mean?"

Zhou Chen frowned.

Zi Yan explained: "Within the Zixia Sect, there are three factions."

"The Sect Master Faction, the Elder Faction, and the Loose Cultivator Faction."

"I am the daughter of the Sect Master, so naturally I belong to the Sect Master Faction."

"And Murong Fei, although he has not yet entered the Sect, the Mu Rong Family behind him has long reached an agreement with the Elder Faction."

"Once he becomes an Outer Sect Disciple, he will join the Elder Faction."

"Therefore…"

She looked at Zhou Chen: "I would like to invite you to join the Sect Master Faction."

"With your talent, Fellow Daoist, as long as you have the support of the Sect's resources, you will inevitably rise in a short time."

"Moreover…"

She lowered her voice: "If you join the Sect Master Faction, I can guarantee that Murong Fei will not dare to trouble you again."

Zhou Chen was silent for a moment.

He did not expect that there would be factional disputes within the Zixia Sect.

But thinking about it, it was normal.

Where there are people, there is Jianghu.

Where there is Jianghu, there are interests and strife.

"Many thanks for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Zi Yan."

Zhou Chen said slowly: "However, I would like to become an Outer Sect Disciple first before considering these matters. I will seriously consider your proposal."

"Good, then I will wait for your good news, Fellow Daoist."

Zi Yan smiled slightly and turned to leave.

Zhou Chen watched her back, a trace of thought flashing in his eyes.

"Sect Master Faction… Elder Faction… Loose Cultivator Faction…"

"It seems the waters of the Zixia Sect are deeper than I imagined."

"However…"

A cold smile curled the corners of his lips: "Regardless of which faction it is, it makes no difference to me."

"I only need to utilize the resources of the Zixia Sect to improve my strength."

"As for factional disputes…"

"In the face of absolute strength, these are not problems."

A day passed very quickly.

The next morning.

The Martial Arts Field was once again packed with people.

Today was the final round of the Zixia Sect Outer Sect selection—the arena stage competition.

The two hundred Geniuses who passed the first three rounds of assessment would launch their final competition here.

In the end, only the top ten would be able to become Outer Sect Disciples.

And the first place winner would even be able to be directly promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple.

Such temptation made everyone put in their full effort.

Tens of thousands of spectators gathered in the spectator stands.

Various Families, chambers of commerce, and Loose Cultivator forces from Qingfeng City all sent people to watch the battle.

There were even experts from other cities who came for their reputation.

"I heard that quite a few Geniuses appeared in this selection."

"Yes, that Murong Fei, I heard he can fight across cultivation levels."

"And there is Zi Yan, who is naturally gifted."

"The most anticipated one is still that dark horse named Zhou Chen."

"A ten-star rating, passing the Dao Heart test in a quarter of an hour—it's simply terrifying."

"I don't know what his true strength is like, or whether he can enter the Zixia Sect…"