Chapter 87: Outer Sect Disciple, Ranking Tournament

The panlong spear thrust through the air, aimed directly at Zhao Ming's neck.

By now, the latter was completely unable to parry; if this spear landed, Zhao Ming would undoubtedly die…

"Stop!"

Just then, a resounding, majestic voice rang out—it was He Yutang.

Xiao Fan stood before Zhao Ming, holding the panlong spear in one hand, its tip less than half an inch from Zhao Ming's neck…

Zhao Ming's face was deathly pale, drained of all color. He was drenched in a cold sweat from fear and didn't even dare to move a muscle…

Xiao Fan slowly withdrew the panlong spear. Only then did Zhao Ming let out a sigh of relief. A wave of lingering fear washed over him, causing him to plop down onto the ground.

In that moment, he clearly felt that death had been very close… just half an inch away!

However, after sitting on the ground, Zhao Ming regretted it. He remembered that he was currently on the No. 4 Arena…

It's over… Seeing the mocking and scornful gazes all around, Zhao Ming jolted up and glared viciously at Xiao Fan.

He hated Xiao Fan to the core, but he dared not provoke him now. After all, his strength did not allow it.

"You…" Zhao Ming was fuming. He wanted to utter some threatening words, but in the end, he didn't dare. Instead, he said viciously, "I am the one tasked with maintaining order at the scene. You dared to attack me, violating the Sect rules. You should be punished by having an arm and a leg broken, crippled, and then expelled!"

Xiao Fan looked at Zhao Ming with a calm gaze, his expression placid; he didn't take the other party seriously at all.

At this moment, He Yutang's voice echoed again from the Void Realm: "This competition is for selecting incoming Disciples; Outer Sect Disciples are not permitted to participate!"

"Continue the competition."

A single, light sentence, and the matter was over? Zhao Ming was stunned… He felt bitter, but since He Yutang had spoken, what could he do?

The onlookers were dumbfounded. No one expected Xiao Fan to be this strong. Zhao Ming was a genuine Huaqi Realm Ninth Layer Cultivator—and he just won like that?

Among the ten thousand Disciples being selected, most were surprised only by the strength Xiao Fan displayed. But those Outer Sect Disciples were surprised by He Yutang's attitude.

These Outer Sect Disciples were sent here to maintain discipline, acting under orders. Although they didn't know why the two had ended up on the Arena, it was extremely rare for such a matter to be dismissed so casually.

Zhao Ming was unconvinced, but since He Yutang had spoken, he, a lowly Outer Sect Disciple who wasn't even a deacon, dared not resist. He turned and left the Arena.

Xiao Fan cupped his hands in a salute toward the Void Realm, then flashed off the Arena.

The people at the No. 4 Arena looked at Xiao Fan as if he were a monster… They were also more convinced than ever that if Xiao Fan challenged any of them, they would definitely forfeit!

Chen Shi was dumbfounded by the exchange he had just witnessed. How long had it been since the Spirit Stone mine? Xiao Fan could actually defeat a Huaqi Realm Ninth Layer Cultivator now… It was too terrifying. He possessed at least the strength of a small Family head!

Defeated by a Disciple who hadn't even entered the Sect yet, Zhao Ming felt his face burning with shame. Finding an excuse, he left the No. 4 Arena and left the affairs here to the other Outer Sect Disciples.

With the brief skirmish over, sparring and competitions resumed in every area. Prodigies like Nangong Lingxuan, Chen Feixing, and Shan Yanghui displayed extraordinary strength; whenever they attacked, they crushed their opponents.

Meanwhile, in a peach blossom grove a few miles away from the Outer Sect Martial Arts Arena, He Yutang was playing chess with an old man. The old man had snow-white hair and a kindly appearance, smiling as he looked at the chessboard.

"This Xiao Fan is not bad; his talent is very strong," the old man said with a faint smile, picking up a teacup to take a sip.

He Yutang nodded noncommittally, saying, "On the path of Cultivate, talent is only one aspect."

This could be considered a tacit admission of Xiao Fan's talent! The White-haired Elder chuckled and asked, "What, are you interested in taking him as your Disciple?"

Upon hearing this, He Yutang did not speak immediately. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "Still observing."

The White-haired Elder laughed loudly, "Unexpected, this little lad actually caught your eye. Tsk tsk tsk… I'll send someone to investigate his background just in case. I heard before that he was a live-in son-in-law; I'm a bit curious, how could such a good seedling end up as a live-in son-in-law?"

"…" He Yutang remained silent, agreeing with what the White-haired Elder had said.

The day passed quickly, but there was no rest at any of the Arenas; the three days He Yutang spoke of meant three days and three nights… Utility Disciples in gray robes had come twice today, preparing food for everyone.

Xiao Fan was in no rush to step onto the Arena; for him, there was no hurry. Excluding the challenge against Zhao Ming, he still had nine chances to compete.

The results in the other Arenas were as expected; the Prodigies at each Arena had never lost, and no one dared to challenge them. Xiao Fan felt that this selection method of the Jixian Sect was very clever… those with good talent remained, and those with high strength and potential also remained.

Time flew by, and in a blink, it was the final day. On the last day, Xiao Fan stepped onto the Arena and casually selected nine people to spar with… However, the result was that everyone challenged by Xiao Fan uniformly conceded… This was a true The Terror; no one dared to offend him.

Perhaps because of Xiao Fan, no one challenged Chen Shi during the three days. He focused on challenging people weaker than himself, and in the end, he was promoted to Outer Sect Disciple with a ranking of eighteenth.

The third assessment ended. All those who had been promoted to Outer Sect Disciples gathered on the main Arena, totaling five hundred people. The remaining nine thousand five hundred people could choose to become Utility Disciples and wait for the subsequent Utility Disciple selection, or leave the Sect.

He Yutang appeared on the final day. Standing majestically on the Arena, he nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the five hundred newly promoted Outer Sect Disciples, his gaze lingering on Xiao Fan for a moment longer than the others.

Among them, Nangong Lingxuan, Shan Yanghui, Chen Feixing, Li Dong, and a host of direct descendants from Families were all promoted without exception. Zhu Gang also successfully promoted to Outer Sect Disciple thanks to his shrewdness… As he put it, he went up and directly challenged people weaker than himself without any embarrassment, farming points first…

"You have done well. Congratulations to everyone on becoming Outer Sect Disciples."

"Next, there will be a ranking tournament specifically for those who have become Outer Sect Disciples this time…"

"In the end, the Sect will provide different rewards based on everyone's ranking. Those who enter the top one hundred will be rewarded with ten Contribution Points."

"The top fifty will be rewarded with twenty Contribution Points."

"The top twenty will be rewarded with thirty Contribution Points."

"The top ten will be rewarded with one Profound Rank Cultivation Technique from the Scripture Pavilion and thirty Contribution Points."

"The top three will be rewarded with one Profound Rank Cultivation Technique from the Scripture Pavilion, thirty Contribution Points, and a private Immortal Cave."

"The first place winner will be rewarded with one Low Grade Earth-Rank Cultivation Technique from the Scripture Pavilion, fifty Contribution Points, and a private Immortal Cave."

He Yutang's words made everyone around gasp… The five hundred people's eyes all shone with intense light… Earth-Rank Cultivation Technique? A private Immortal Cave?