Pre-war deployment

As a melodious bell chime echoed through every corner of the Branch Sect, someone slowly opened their eyes.

That person was none other than Elder Sun, who had been punished by Elder Tu Fang to face the wall in the back mountain for half a month because of Long Chen.

"Long Chen, I am determined to obtain the battle skills you possess."

Elder Sun muttered to himself, a glint of greed appearing in his eyes. Ever since Long Chen released that halo, he had set his sights on it.

Furthermore, after seeing Long Chen unleash the Heaven Opening, he felt an itch he couldn't scratch. He had secretly investigated Long Chen and knew that he had no background, which was why he prepared to seize it.

Last time, he had intended to suppress Long Chen to make him submit, and then find a way to extract his Cultivation Technique and battle skills. Unfortunately, all of this was ruined by Elder Tu Fang.

Not only did he fail to obtain the treasure, but he was also punished to face the wall. This left him fuming, and while he didn't dare vent his anger at Tu Fang, he laid the grudge at Long Chen's door.

Slowly rising, Elder Sun walked out of his Immortal Cave and snorted coldly, "I would like to see just how long you can hold on."

…

In front of the Xuantian Square, it was crowded with people. Looking at the sea of heads, Long Chen couldn't help but exclaim inwardly that the strength of the Xuantian Branch Sect was truly terrifying.

There were seventeen factions here, each led by a Core Disciple, totaling one thousand seven hundred people, among whom one thousand six hundred and ninety-nine were experts at the Tendon Transformation Realm.

Seeing the strange looks cast towards him by many people, mixed with provocation and disdain, Long Chen couldn't help but smile bitterly. Was this a form of discrimination?

Looking at the surrounding crowd, a faint smile appeared on Tang Waner's pretty face, and she felt much more relaxed.

Although the Qi of most of the Tendon Transformation Realm experts here had stabilized, their Aura was still fluctuating, which indicated that they hadn't fully solidified their state.

However, on Tang Waner and Ye Zhiqiu's side, all the Disciples had steady Qi and extremely solid Foundations, which gave them a huge advantage.

The Disciples on their side could unleash ninety percent of a Tendon Transformation Realm expert's combat power, whereas it would be good if the others could unleash seventy percent.

Tang Waner looked at Long Chen, a warmth rising in her beautiful eyes. It seemed that with this guy around, everything became smooth.

As long as she could hold off the other experts, their team would surely be the strongest among all the teams.

Although there weren't many Inner Sect Disciples, this was a team battle, not a solo fight, so their advantage was very obvious.

"You are called Tang Waner?"

Suddenly, without anyone noticing, Gu Yang walked in front of Tang Waner. He looked her up and down, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes.

Tang Waner had long heard about Gu Yang from Long Chen and knew that this guy was terrifyingly strong. However, the fact that he was close with Lei Qianshang and the others meant that Gu Yang was definitely not a friend.

Before Tang Waner could speak, Gu Yang smiled slightly and said, "Very beautiful. If you are willing to join forces with me, I would be very welcoming."

"Thanks, but no need," Tang Waner said indifferently.

As if he had long known that Tang Waner would say this, Gu Yang wasn't angry. He glanced at Long Chen beside Tang Waner and said, "A pretty boy who looks good but is useless will do you no good. You will understand this in the future."

Tang Waner's expression changed. Gu Yang was going too far, insulting Long Chen in front of so many people. Just as she was about to speak, she was held back by Long Chen.

Long Chen stepped forward a few paces. Looking at the iron tower-like Gu Yang, and then at his shiny bald head, he shook his head and said:

"People say that smart heads don't grow hair, but your noggin is barren, and you don't seem that smart either. Do you think that sporting a bald head that shines under the sun increases your personal charm? You're wrong. Shining during the day is no big deal; if you have the ability, try glowing at night!"

Tang Waner pursed her lips tightly, trying her best not to laugh out loud, but her eyes couldn't help but drift towards Gu Yang's scalp. It had to be said, under the sunlight, hmm, it was very dazzling.

Gu Yang's height was almost a head taller than everyone else, making him stand out like a crane in a flock of chickens. His actions drew everyone's attention.

Therefore, everyone heard Long Chen's words and were all dumbfounded. This Long Chen was truly a weirdo. How could he be so bold?

Clearly his cultivation was the lowest among everyone, yet he did everything so unexpectedly. Did he really not know what fear was?

In the crowd, Lei Qianshang and Qi Xin wore faint smiles. They knew Long Chen's temper and they also knew Gu Yang's temper. This time, Long Chen was done for.

Both of them had originally wanted to pursue Tang Waner, not only because of her Heavenly Immortal-like appearance but also because of her powerful strength. If they could win the beauty's heart, not only would it be a great fortune, but they would also gain a powerful ally.

Unfortunately, ever since Long Chen appeared, they realized they were gradually becoming opposed to Tang Waner. Now, they had almost become mortal enemies, so winning her heart was absolutely impossible.

Now seeing Long Chen mocking Gu Yang, they were naturally gloating. Although they had already advanced to the Tendon Transformation Realm and far exceeded Long Chen in combat power, ever since they watched Long Chen defeat Gui Sha last time, with his endless array of methods, they still felt that even if they defeated Long Chen, given his personality, they would likely have to pay a certain price.

Now that they could humiliate Long Chen without having to do it themselves, this was the thing they most wanted to see.

"Long Chen, I said, don't block my path. I will beat you into a meat patty. It seems you really don't learn." Gu Yang's face turned cold as he slowly clenched his fists.

"You can try," Long Chen looked at Gu Yang and said coldly.

In terms of true combat power, Long Chen might not be Gu Yang's match, but if it were a life-and-death struggle, Long Chen feared no one.

The battles in the Branch Sect made Long Chen very uncomfortable. He didn't like those flashy fighting styles; he was accustomed to killing his opponent.

In past battles, he had been unable to unleash his full strength because killing was not allowed in the Branch Sect.

And these aristocratic family Disciples seemed to be very proficient in such battles, which put Long Chen at a great disadvantage.

If Gu Yang really dared to attack, Long Chen wouldn't mind going all out, striving to kill the opponent at the fastest speed. Battle and slaughter were two completely different concepts, and Long Chen was more accustomed to the latter.

"Stop, return to your respective teams!" Suddenly a cold shout came, and a person walked towards them with a cold face.

Behind that person were dozens of Senior Brothers, among whom was Senior Brother Wan. It seemed that Senior Brother Wan's status was very high, as he walked in front of all the Senior Brothers and even slightly nodded at Long Chen.

Long Chen was about to acknowledge Senior Brother Wan, but upon seeing the person walking in front, his pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly. "Elder Sun."

This made Long Chen's heart skip a beat. He didn't expect that the person presiding over the Guild Grand Competition would be Elder Sun.

Wasn't this old bastard punished to face the wall? How did he come back? Long Chen secretly felt something was amiss.

He felt that this old guy didn't like him, but in an occasion with so many people, he shouldn't dare to openly make things difficult for him.

Elder Sun coldly scanned the crowd and said, "Today is the day of the Guild Grand Competition. As for the importance of the competition, I won't say much more. Now, the battle map will be opened."

After Elder Sun finished speaking, the Nameplates at everyone's waists heated up, and everyone was teleported to an open space.

The open space was a hillside with undulating terrain. The hillside wasn't large, just a few dozen miles, and some small flags were sparsely inserted on the hillside.

At this moment, everyone was at the bottom of the hillside, while Elder Sun, Senior Brother Wan, and others were at the top of the hillside, looking down at everyone.

Behind Elder Sun and the others, in a pavilion, hung a huge ancient bell.

At this time, Senior Brother Wan stepped forward and said to everyone, "Now I will state the rules of the Grand Competition, you must listen carefully. In a moment, when the bell rings, it will signify the start of the Grand Competition. The time for the Grand Competition is one stick of incense."

After speaking, someone next to him brought out a huge incense burner, and an incense stick as thick as an arm was inserted into the burner.

"When the incense ash burns out and the bell rings, the competition ends. You have also seen that there are many small flags on the hillside, a total of one hundred and seventy. You need to collect as many small flags as possible. Whether you steal or rob, as long as you collect them before the bell rings, no matter how many you collect, it is valid."

"Each team will be assigned a flag cylinder. You choose one person to be responsible for carrying the flag cylinder. Remember, when the final tally is made, it will be calculated based on how many flags are in the cylinder. Flags held in hand do not count, and if a flag is held in hand for more than three breaths, the flag becomes void."

After Senior Brother Wan finished speaking, someone immediately stepped forward, and each faction was given a long wooden barrel a bit thicker than a thigh. The wooden barrel had buckles and could be buckled directly onto the body.

"Long Chen, who should be responsible for carrying the flag cylinder?" Tang Waner asked.

Long Chen thought for a moment. The person carrying the flag cylinder didn't need high combat power, but they must have sharp eyes, know how to protect themselves, not let enemies snatch it, and definitely be reliable.

"Guo Ran, I'll leave this to you."

Guo Ran nodded seriously and said, "Don't worry, Boss. Even if I die, I will protect the flag cylinder well. I will protect it just like I protect my woman."

After Guo Ran finished speaking, he even gently stroked the flag cylinder with extreme care, as if he were touching a lover's tender thigh, giving people a chill.

"This seems very much like a game, but I want to remind you that this is a matter concerning your future destiny. Whether you will be trampled under others' feet or step on others' heads depends on this moment. After the Grand Competition ends, the number of flags in your flag cylinder will determine your ranking. And your ranking determines your priority for missions. I believe the Senior Sisters at the mission distribution center have already introduced this to you, so I don't need to repeat it. Therefore, in the time ahead, what you need to do is fight with all your might. Good luck."

After speaking, a Disciple handed over a torch, and at the same time, someone walked to the side of the huge bell, preparing to strike it.

"Waner, you are the fastest. As soon as the bell rings, you dash to the left and do your best to snatch the small flags, and I will go to the right. The rest of you, form a triangular formation and move forward, protecting Guo Ran in the middle. The small flags we snatch will be given to Guo Ran for safekeeping. Because those small flags are not allowed to be held in anyone's hands for too long, otherwise they will be judged as invalid." Long Chen hurriedly instructed everyone. He had listened to the rules of the Grand Competition word for word and had to remind them again.

Tang Waner and the others nodded hurriedly. Just at this moment, the huge incense was lit, and the bell rang. "The Grand Competition begins."