Main Peak of Cyan Cloud Sect.
With a command from Han Qingxuan, the entire sect began to operate swiftly.
An Elder of the Soul Palace Realm was responsible for drawing lots in public, announcing the order of participation for all Inner Sect Disciples.
"Shi Bao, Li Yuan, First Peak!"
Upon hearing this, two Inner Sect Disciples immediately soared from the crowd, landing steadily on the first peak that had been turned into an arena.
"The Inner Sect Competition is only for sparring. Life and death actions are strictly prohibited. If anyone uses dirty tricks or forbidden techniques that result in mutual destruction, they will be directly disqualified from the competition."
An elder solemnly warned.
"Understood, Elder!"
The two disciples clasped their fists in salute, keeping the rules of the competition in mind.
The match then began, with the two disciples displaying their skills, battling fiercely, taking half an hour to finally decide a winner.
A similar scene played out simultaneously in other areas.
"Lu Yuan, Zhou Hao, Twenty-ninth Peak!"
Hearing his name, Lu Yuan lightly tapped the ground, and his whole person flashed like a stream of light, appearing on the twenty-ninth mountain peak’s arena in the blink of an eye.
A while later.
Another Inner Sect Disciple reluctantly ascended the arena, his expression a bit grim.
"How unlucky can I be to face Senior Brother Lu Yuan in my first match?"
Seeing his opponent, the disciple inwardly let out a wail of despair.
Although Lu Yuan had just recently become an Inner Sect Disciple, he had genuinely slain a Ninth Layer Spirit Sea Realm expert.
And this disciple was only at the Fourth Layer Spirit Sea Realm, so how could he be a match for Lu Yuan?
But with many elders and major figures from various forces observing the match, the disciple dared not concede directly. He could only accept his bad luck and brace himself to fight.
"Zhou Hao pays respect to Senior Brother Lu Yuan. I’ve long heard of your great reputation and hope you will be merciful."
The disciple wore a forced smile, worse than a cry, and humbly pleaded in a low voice.
"Alright."
Lu Yuan nodded, agreeing to the disciple’s request.
After all, he had no personal grievance with the person, and it was simply a spar, no need to deal a fatal blow.
Then.
The two exchanged moves, going back and forth for twenty rounds.
As the time approached, Lu Yuan casually struck a palm to blast him out of the arena, easily winning the match.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, for your mercy."
The disciple, unscathed, hurriedly got up from the ground, gratefully expressing thanks.
Due to the Inner Sect competition’s random draw, the sparring often resulted in a significant disparity between the competitors’ strengths.
In such situations.
Many decently skilled disciples would often be directly eliminated due to encountering a powerful opponent out of sheer bad luck.
However, because Lu Yuan intentionally held back, the disciple preserved his strength well enough. Despite losing this round, he still had a chance to fight for a higher rank through the losers’ bracket.
One could say.
This was indeed a huge favor for an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple.
"Just a small deed, not worth mentioning."
Lu Yuan dismissed the matter, slowly stepping down from the arena, returning to his original position.
"In the first match, Lu Yuan wins!"
The Inner Sect Elder, responsible for determining victory or defeat, announced Lu Yuan’s victory without surprise.
The competition continued.
However, Lu Yuan’s feat of slaying Lin Hu was already well-known within the Cyan Cloud Sect.
Some weaker Inner Sect Disciples would surrender before Lu Yuan even made a move.
Even occasionally encountering a few competent opponents, Lu Yuan’s cultivation still allowed him to effortlessly achieve victory with overwhelming strength.
As time progressed, more and more Inner Sect Disciples were eliminated, leaving only the truly outstanding inner talents to remain standing.
Three days later.
After numerous rounds, the top ten Inner Sect Disciples for this session were finally selected from over a thousand Inner Sect Disciples.
These disciples were extraordinarily imposing. Besides Lu Yuan, all were at the late stage of the Spiritual Sea Realm.
Among them, a few outstanding ones even possessed a combat capability comparable to Soul Palace Realm experts, causing many onlookers to gasp in awe.
"The Cyan Cloud Sect has been meticulously developing itself in recent years, vigorously seeking new blood, and now it’s truly flourishing."
"Indeed, the top ten Inner Sect Disciples this time are all extraordinarily talented. Any one of them could become a true inheritor of other sects."
"Yet, the Supreme Profound Sect, claiming to be the leader of Qingzhou, has been declining over the years. Even their former Inner Sect Chief died at the hands of a Cyan Cloud Sect Outer Disciple. It seems they weaken by the day."
Many powerful figures couldn’t help but express their feelings.
In the Qingzhou Territory, there were hundreds of large and small sect forces, many of which followed the lead of the Supreme Profound Sect.
However, in recent years, the Supreme Profound Sect’s actions had been losing public support, causing many sects to gradually lean towards the Cyan Cloud Sect instead.
"That may be so, but even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. As long as that person in the Supreme Profound Sect remains, they are unquestionably the number one sect in Qingzhou."
Someone sighed, quite helpless.
Upon hearing this, all the powerful figures present stiffened, wary of discussing further and unwilling to say more.
As for the other uninformed disciples of Cyan Cloud Sect, seeing the sect’s current glory, they became exceptionally excited, whispering among themselves.
"Next is the Inner Sect Top Ten Battle. I wonder which senior brother or sister will eventually claim the first place in the Inner Sect."
"That’s obvious. Senior Brother Zhao Xu’s strength is evident to all. This time, the title of Inner Sect Leader surely belongs to him!"