Before stepping onto the platform, Shen Jingyue calmly took out a bottle of elixir pills from his sleeve and, taking advantage of the fact that his fellow disciples were not paying attention, swallowed them down.
This bottle of elixir, named "Gathering Life Powder," can temporarily stimulate one's mental capacity and maximize computational ability. However, this pill's impact on the body is akin to a poison of tigers and wolves, essentially overdrawing one's essence to enhance potential. Even if no harm comes immediately, one's lifespan will be drastically shortened.
Yet the third match was of utmost importance for the Guangyuan Sect. Shen Jingyue would rather sacrifice his lifespan than hold back his efforts.
He straightened his robes and cupped his hands to Wen Jun, saying, "Senior Brother, I shall go now."
Detecting a faint ominous tone in Shen Jingyue's words, Wen Jun furrowed his brows slightly, though imperceptibly. He offered words of comfort, saying, "Junior Brother, don't overthink it. Just do your best."
Shen Jingyue smiled faintly and stepped slowly onto the earth platform.
Zhang Yan faced him once more but did not wish to exchange too many words. He merely cupped his hands briefly in greeting.
Shen Jingyue remained standing, unmoved. Fixing his gaze on Zhang Yan, he said in a low voice, "Junior Brother Zhang, earlier, I underestimated you." Pausing for a moment, he smiled slightly and added, "Nonetheless, what I said before still stands."
Zhang Yan did not respond to his comments directly, instead opening with, "Senior Brother Shen, please proceed."
Shen Jingyue smirked, walking a few steps to the desk and sitting down. His gaze swept across the Star Tablet, which had previously seemed like a chaotic mess of Erosion Text to him. Now, with merely a glance, every word appeared clear and legible. Without needing to use bamboo divination, the result seemed almost ready to leap forth.
Unhurriedly, he spread out paper, picked up a brush, and began to write casually.
A wave of exclamations suddenly erupted from the audience below. Earlier, they had been astonished to see Zhang Yan solve the Star Tablet without using bamboo divination. Now, they couldn't believe Shen Jingyue had been hiding his own extraordinary capabilities all along!
Zhang Yan furrowed his brows slightly. He had already done his best to estimate Shen Jingyue's computational prowess but hadn't expected him to surpass even Mo Yuan's skills.
Nonetheless, Zhang Yan had long anticipated that the third match would be a bitter struggle and refrained from overthinking it. Guangyuan Sect's choice to deploy their most skilled disciple in the path of Erosion Text made one thing clear: if he could win this match, ultimate victory would be his. Relaxing slightly, he smiled faintly, flicked the hem of his robes, and sat down confidently. Picking up his brush, his gaze shifted toward the third Chapter on the Star Tablet.
While the two were locked in competition, not far from this scene, three entry-level disciples from Mingcang Sect's Lower Court were gathered on a mountain path.
"If Zhang Yan wins against the Guangyuan Sect, he will most likely become yet another entry-level disciple, which will undoubtedly hinder our plans..." Lin Yuan said coldly, abruptly throwing out his remark: "This person cannot be allowed to remain!"
In the Lower Court, elixirs, books, and other resources for cultivation have always depended on allocations from the Upper Court. Over the past decade, however, the Upper Court's constant clashes with the Three Pools Lake Demon over the shell field have only grown fiercer. As a result, the yearly allocations have been steadily decreasing. The distribution among the twenty-eight Lower Court disciples has already been stretched thin. Adding one more person would undoubtedly reduce their existing shares further.
But this wasn't the main concern. Should Zhang Yan gain entry, Opening Meridians would practically be guaranteed, meaning that even in the Upper Court, Zhang Yan would still compete with them for resources. At that point, their ability to suppress him would be nearly nonexistent.
Over the years, factions had long been formed among the disciples over how to allocate cultivation resources. Agreements within family clans had also been established. Introducing another person into this delicate balance would inevitably upset the arrangements, rendering their previous plans meaningless.
Lin Yuan glanced at the faces of Chen Lan and Hu Shengyu before him and asked, "What do you two think?"
Chen Lan initially showed disbelief on his face. "Would the Master truly accept Zhang Yan into the sect? He's merely a registered disciple with no family background. Why would the Master take such a risk and admit him?"
Lin Yuan scoffed. "Junior Brother, you've seen Zhang Yan's potential—it's no less than ours. Watching him, a single person, overpower the Guangyuan Sect, do you think the Master would pass up such an opportunity?"
To strengthen his argument further, Lin Yuan continued, "Have you noticed how Zhang Yan's computational methods seem to have an unclear origin? Previously, he kept his abilities hidden and did not stand out, perhaps because the Master had already taken note of him but held back out of concern for us. Now that he's had this moment of brilliance and established his reputation, voicing opposition from us will be much harder."
Chen Lan's expression grew intense. Though Lin Yuan's reasoning initially seemed stretched, upon careful reflection, it appeared plausible. It was indeed possible that the Master would bring Zhang Yan into the sect. Ensuring his removal seemed to be the safest course of action. A malicious glint flashed across Chen Lan's face as he said, "Then so be it—Zhang Yan must die!"
"Good!" Lin Yuan exclaimed with delight and then turned to ask Hu Shengyu, who had remained silent all along, "Senior Brother Hu, what do you think?"