Chapter 41: The Tournament Begins! Full Sect Surveillance!
She remembered seeing three of them during morning lessons a few days ago. Back then, they were only at the first or second level.
One breakthrough was understandable, but all of them?
Even Yu Hua, who had witnessed countless storms, couldn’t help but feel surprised. Her thoughts began to race.
What about the other two deacons?
Had they also broken through?
The Grand Elder and the deacons had just come from the back mountain, right?
Yu Hua narrowed her eyes.
The back mountain, the Demon-Locking Prison, a stroke of fortune…
Elsewhere, Zhou Qin, dressed in a moon-white combat outfit to match the tournament’s atmosphere, smiled. Today, she appeared not only pure and charming but also brimming with heroic spirit.
She hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but someone else had.
The jade pendant nestled between her chest flickered, and a gentle female voice sounded in her mind.
“Aunt Qing, what’s wrong?” Zhou Qin asked silently.
Upon hearing the explanation, she was equally astonished.
A coordinated breakthrough among the deacons? Could something this coincidental really happen?
Breakthroughs weren’t something that could be controlled!
After discussing it, the girl and the spirit both traced the cause back to the mysterious Demon-Locking Prison.
“Xiao Qin, in this tournament, you must give it your all and attract the attention of the higher-ups. Try to uncover its secrets!”
“Understood,” Zhou Qin nodded without hesitation.
Although her talent lay in alchemy, that didn’t mean she was incapable of combat.
Among the newcomers, she was confident she could stand out.
Amidst a sea of white robes, Duanmu Yao stood out, completely indifferent to her mismatched attire.
As a royal, having special privileges was only natural, right?
Like everyone else, she didn’t notice the deacons’ cultivation changes—only that they looked more radiant.
Come to think of it, every time her father stayed overnight at her mother’s palace, the next day, her mother always appeared refreshed…
Duanmu Yao’s eyes widened before she hurriedly shook her head, driving away the ridiculous thought.
Ugh! What nonsense was she thinking?
This was a righteous sect! How could such indecent things happen here?
With Grand Elder Xu Qingyao and five deacons overseeing the event, the tournament proceeded smoothly as planned.
First came the veteran disciples’ battles, divided into the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment levels.
Previously, as the senior disciple, Nangong Ling had dominated with her eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation. Now that she had reached the Golden Core stage, she didn’t even bother to participate. Instead, she had been sent on a mission to exterminate demon beasts.
With the departure of the male disciples, the overall strength of the competition had dipped.
Among the remaining veteran disciples, the highest cultivation was only at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. Many of the female participants were even older than Nangong Ling, their potential already limited.
Had there been any true talents, they would have been taken as direct disciples by Liu Ruyan long ago, just like Nangong Ling.
Thus, everyone knew that this time, the spotlight belonged to the newly recruited female disciples.
After nearly half a day, the veteran disciples’ battles concluded.
The rankings remained mostly unchanged, except for the removal of male cultivators, which allowed the female disciples to move up the leaderboard.
This shift actually worked in their favor.
The top 128 received rewards.
Without the male cultivators, even those who originally ranked in the 300s and 400s now had a chance to enter the list.
Additionally, the top ten received even more generous rewards, including third-tier pills and weapons strong enough to remain useful even at the Golden Core stage, serving as motivation for the veterans to push their cultivation further.
After a brief cleanup of the arena, the new disciples’ battles began.
Even though this year’s recruitment had attracted stronger candidates due to the sect’s rising reputation, the new disciples had only been training for six months.
Their fights weren’t flashy, but the youthful energy of their clashes—gritted teeth, clashing fists, swinging swords—still made for an entertaining spectacle.
The cries of effort, the gasps when struck, the soft grunts of pain upon falling—all of it had a certain appeal.
At least, for Ning Chen, watching through the system’s live broadcast, it was quite enjoyable.
Ever since he had planted a slave imprint on Liu Ruyan, the sect master of Qinglian Sect, he had gained partial control over her authority. This had unlocked the sect-wide surveillance system.
Now, with just a thought, he could switch perspectives through a light screen and observe any part of the sect.
Although the current system only provided an overhead view, once Liu Ruyan was fully transformed into his “Star Slave,” he would likely gain full 360-degree surveillance of the entire sect.
Ning Chen was quite pleased with this feature.
Even while in seclusion in the underground dungeon, he could still monitor the outside world.
Liu Ruyan’s Qinglian Sect?
Sorry, but now it was his Qinglian Sect.
The talents selected in this tournament directly impacted his daily experience points limit, so Ning Chen naturally paid close attention.
He glanced down at the two figures collapsed at his feet, the bamboo and peach maids he had “played with” until exhaustion.
His voice turned cold.
“Still gasping? Still gasping? Still gasping?”
[The seems to have been locked. I’m waiting for the editor’s response and will restore it as soon as possible.]
[Quick recap: The seven deacons became Ning Chen’s attendants, with Bamboo and Peach staying to serve him while the rest managed the tournament. Yu Hua, a reincarnated ancient Mahayana cultivator, discovered that all five had increased their cultivation. This chapter should connect smoothly from there.]