The day of the Qingmu Sect's inner sect selection finally arrived.
After a night of silence, Yang Shou, who cultivated the Nine Heavens Thunder Flash and Tai Chi Yin-Yang Fist, left the secret realm early and headed to the sect square.
Although it was only an outer sect disciple competition, it was a top priority for the Qingmu Sect.
After all, the disciples who stood out would represent the future of the Qingmu Sect and be the guarantee of its long-term inheritance.
Many sect elders would come to scout for outstanding geniuses, and many external forces would also be invited to attend and watch the competition.
The spacious and luxurious pavilions in the central grandstand were prepared for the representatives of these forces.
There were over a thousand outer sect disciples gathered, and the once quiet square suddenly became noisy and bustling.
Yang Shou, dressed in white, stood in the crowd, his handsome and otherworldly face revealing neither joy nor sorrow, standing proudly.
In the past, Yang Shou would definitely have been staring blankly at something, wondering when his golden finger would arrive, and doubting that he shouldn't be just an ordinary senior brother, and so on.
Now that he had successfully advanced to the Great Dou Master level, he had swept away the pent-up frustration in his heart. Years of anxieties had vanished like smoke.
At this moment, Yang Shou's gaze fell upon the inner disciples' seats, where an old acquaintance was glancing at him from time to time.
Yang Shou gave a bitter smile, inwardly lamenting his misfortune, but instead of deliberately avoiding the gaze, he met the other's eyes with a slight nod.
On the stands, a beautiful young woman looked embarrassed. The white-robed man's smile in the center of the square was a thorn in her side.
"Yang Shou, why won't you give up? Do you have to leave in despair after receiving such a hopeless answer?" The woman stared at the face that had once captivated her, her heart filled with confusion.
"Fang Zi, is Yang Shou here for the selection too?"
A voice beside her interrupted the woman's thoughts. She turned her head to look at the young man in brocade robes walking towards her, and smiled sweetly, "Junior Brother Chen, who are you talking about, Senior Brother Yang?"
"I just saw him looking this way, I thought you knew him, Junior Sister." The young man in brocade robes teased.
"Junior Brother Chen is joking. I haven't been in contact with Senior Brother Yang for a long time. Where is he?" Fang Zi naturally distanced herself from Yang Shou and said calmly.
Seeing this, Chen Ran's displeasure vanished. Sure enough, compared to that ordinary senior brother, Senior Sister preferred the promising me. He
recalled how, many years ago, he had poached Fang Zi from Yang Shou with his extraordinary talent, winning her favor. The helpless look on her face still made him secretly happy.
There was no way around it. In the Dou Qi Continent, strength was paramount. What use was being handsome? After fifteen years of hard training, he was still only a nine-star Dou Shi. Lost
in thought, Chen Ran's gaze fell on Fang Zi beside him.
Fang Zi noticed Chen Ran's gaze, a smile curving her lips as she casually stretched.
Her ample curves instantly made Chen Ran's breath catch in his throat, his face flushing.
Feeling Chen Ran's direct and intense gaze, Fang Zi remained composed.
Compared to Yang Shou, manipulating Chen Ran was far easier.
"Senior Sister, once I become an elder's personal disciple, what you promised..." Chen Ran said with a gentle smile.
Fang Zi's smile didn't fade, and she nodded.
Chen Ran felt reassured. Suddenly remembering something, he smiled and said to Fang Zi, "My cousin Chen Jing will also be participating in the inner sect disciple selection today. I wonder if he'll run into Yang Shou. If he does, it'll be a good opportunity to end Yang Shou's last hope."
Fang Zi didn't deny Chen Ran's deliberate targeting, her beautiful eyes fixed on the white-clad figure in the central square. He must understand the importance of this inner sect selection better than anyone else.
In the square, Yang Shou was chatting with Zhao Kuo.
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"Senior Brother Yang, I heard that if any outer disciples aren't selected for the inner sect this time, the older ones will be assigned to take over the sect's assets," Zhao Kuo said in a deep voice. Yang Shou nodded
in response, "I learned about that from the steward a long time ago. To be honest, I had already prepared to return to the mortal
world. If I hadn't been lucky enough to break through to the Great Dou Master level, I probably wouldn't have come to today's inner sect selection." Zhao Kuo gritted his teeth, indignantly saying, "If it weren't for that woman Fang Zi, you wouldn't have been so negative for so long, causing your cultivation to stagnate." "It
has nothing to do with her. My talent is just average to begin with
. People strive for higher goals, and you can't hold onto them." Yang Shou had long since let go of the past; now he focused on reaching higher realms. Women would only hinder my cultivation speed.
Seeing Yang Shou's open-mindedness, Zhao Kuo sighed and said nothing more.
Of course, Yang Shou's mood was far from calm.
Xiao Yan's three-year agreement proved the Nalan family's blindness and also mocked Nalan Yanran's so-called arrogance.
He, Yang Shou, would conquer everyone with his strength.
Thinking of Xiao Yan, a name both familiar and unfamiliar, Yang Shou was curious about the other's current strength.
The Luo Yan Empire, as one of the three major empires surrounding the Jia Ma Empire, regularly traded with them. As the senior disciple of the outer sect, Yang Shou naturally had connections to inquire about information from the merchant guild. The last time he had news of Xiao Yan was two years ago; it was said that the Xiao family's genius had just been jilted. Counting the days, the three-year agreement
was almost up.
"Silence!"
Suddenly, a roar carrying powerful Dou Qi resounded throughout the entire square.
The noisy square instantly fell silent. Yang Shou collected his thoughts and turned his gaze to the center of the stands. The host of this inner sect selection was Elder Chu Wei of the Lei Department. Chu Wei's face was serious, and the powerful Dou Qi emanating from him was chilling. His eyes seemed to hold the force of a thousand thunderbolts, as if they were about to burst forth and destroy everything. Was this the oppressive power of a Dou Wang expert? Terrifying indeed. Yang Shou frowned, enduring the pressure of a Dou Wang. Some of the weaker disciples around him were already pale and looked grim. Chu Wei stabilized the atmosphere in the hall, slowly nodded, and withdrew his oppressive aura. All the outer disciples breathed a sigh of relief. After Elder Chu Wei of the Lei Department appeared, the remaining elders of the Qingmu Sect—Fire, Wind, and Water—attended in turn. Elder Ling Shuzhu of the Fire Department was a beautiful woman dressed in a red robe, with flames leaping across it. The intense heat of the flames distorted the space around her, indicating that she was a Dou Wang powerhouse with terrifying strength. At this moment, Ling Shuzhu smiled charmingly and asked Chu Wei, "Elder Lei, has the Sect Master returned?" "The Sect Master has returned, but he seems to have suffered some injuries. It seems he was injured while competing for the 'Golden Flower Spirit Pool.' Fortunately, he secured a spot," Chu Wei replied truthfully. Upon learning that the Sect Master was injured, the elders of the Fire, Wind, and Water Departments all looked somewhat grim. After all, the Sect Master, Qing Ya Zi, was the foundation upon which the sect could stand in the empire. If anything were to happen to him, not only would the sect's strength decline, but certain forces might also cause trouble. "Ahem, I'm not dead yet, why are you all looking so serious?" (End of Chapter)