Chapter 628: 宗内初试

Chapter 5: Renowned in All Directions. Inside the hall, disciples gazed at the small bronze cauldron and the wisps of blue sandalwood smoke. While no one dared to speak out, those who believed they met the criteria had flickering eyes, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Brother Han, are you going to participate?" Silvermoon couldn't help but ask quietly when the sandalwood had burned down nearly halfway, noticing Han Li's indifferent expression.

"Yes, why wouldn't I? All the other disciples seem eager. If I don't participate, it will only draw more attention," Han Li replied calmly through spiritual transmission.

Hearing this, Silvermoon became silent.

A moment later, the sandalwood in the bronze cauldron burned out completely, and the middle-aged man, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them.

"Disciples who do not meet the requirements, or who do not wish to compete, may now exit the Hall of Cleansing Heart."

"As you command, Grandmaster!"

Most of the disciples bowed and slowly departed from the main hall.

Apart from the Foundation Establishment cultivators, only thirty to forty young disciples remained in the hall, including Han Li and a burly man.

The middle-aged cultivator surveyed Han Li and the others, then nodded and spoke with satisfaction:

"Excellent. I'm pleased that nearly all qualified disciples have remained. Even if you're not selected in this internal sect trial, gaining experience and sparring with fellow disciples from other peaks will greatly benefit your future cultivation. Now, your Senior Disciple will explain the competition rules. Grandmaster Yu and I have other important matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving."

Having said this, the cultivator surnamed Xin stood up and walked towards the back hall. The grey-robed elder followed closely behind him without a word.

"Cough! Since the Peak Master has entrusted this matter to me, I hope all junior disciples will listen carefully. After all, this is a friendly competition among fellow disciples, and there are certain taboos to avoid." The sickly-looking young man surnamed Miao coughed a few times, then stepped forward and spoke unhurriedly to Han Li and the others.

"First, any overly vicious or lethal cultivation techniques and magical artifacts are forbidden in the competition. Violators will face expulsion from the sect at best, or the severing of their cultivation at worst. Also..." The disciples who had remained walked out of the hall doors once more, then excitedly flew away.

Han Li watched the retreating figures of the others, shook his head, then ascended on his own artifact and departed from Tianquan Peak.

Upon returning to his cave dwelling without issue, Han Li immediately began preparations for the sect's internal competition scheduled for next month.

He needed to secure one of the twenty-four spots without revealing his true strength. This meant he would rely on talismans and a few magical artifacts he hadn't used in years.

As for top-tier magical artifacts, Han Li had accumulated over a dozen just from the Core Formation cultivators who had fallen by his hand.

To avoid drawing undue attention, however, he could only carefully select a few.

For the sect competition, he did not intend to use all his magical artifacts. Instead, he began refining a large quantity of low-to-mid-grade talismans, intending to use them to decisively defeat his lower-level opponents.

However, relying solely on talismans wouldn't be quite enough. Han Li also took the time to re-examine the "Flame Manipulation Art" he had acquired years ago from the old Daoist of the Xin Prince's Manor in Yue State. While this technique offered little benefit to high-level cultivators, it proved remarkably effective for deception against those in the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment stages.

Han Li had, in fact, possessed the Flame Manipulation Art for many years. He had previously taken time to study it and found it quite insightful.

However, given his current late Core Formation cultivation, reviewing this technique was naturally trivial. Within just a few days, he had completely mastered the art of flame manipulation. His understanding, even in subtle nuances, far exceeded what was described in the "Flame Manipulation Art."

In the days that followed, Han Li was fully absorbed in refining various talismans.

During this period, Han Li's gold and silver Devouring Gold Beetles finally began to consume one another.

Han Li glanced at them and was naturally overjoyed.

He believed that with this latest evolution, even if the Devouring Gold Beetles weren't fully mature, they must be close to reaching the legendary stage where they could devour anything.

The Soul-Crying Beast next door, however, remained a persistent headache for Han Li. It was still sound asleep in the spirit beast room, showing no signs of waking up.

Fortunately, the Soul-Resonance Pearl within his body confirmed the beast was unharmed, otherwise, he would have been truly worried.

After all, the evolution period for this formidable beast had been unusually long. The following day, the area became exceptionally lively.

Numerous cultivators converged on the mountain peak. While many weren't participants, thousands came simply to witness the spectacle.

Nearly all cultivators not bound by official duties came to observe the competition.

After all, even for those not directly involved, observing the duels of other cultivators was an excellent way to broaden one's knowledge and gain considerable insight.

The Sword Trial Assembly was held on a large open ground beneath the mountain peak.

Three magic formations, each over a hundred zhang in width, were set up, forming a massive hemispherical light barrier. This allowed competing disciples to duel within without accidentally injuring spectators.

Three high-level cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage served as judges, ensuring competitors didn't lose control and cause fatalities.

The selection trials were now in their third day. Many disciples had already suffered disheartening defeats during the battles of the first two days.

Tianquan Peak had thirty to forty disciples participating in the selection, which wasn't a large number. Huoyun Peak, with the highest participation, surprisingly had one hundred disciples in the competition. By comparison, Han Li's Tianquan Peak seemed rather insignificant.

Even so, the total number of participating disciples reached four to five hundred. Even with three venues operating simultaneously, completing a single round would still take several days.

Among these disciples, only three or four were in the Foundation Establishment stage. They were exempt from the initial rounds, instead waiting for the final round to face the victorious Qi Condensation disciples. A win would secure their selection.

After all, even if these few weren't among the seven directly chosen, their ability to reach Foundation Establishment before the age of thirty naturally marked them as exceptionally talented individuals.

At this moment, Han Li stood silently among several Tianquan Peak participants, observing a match within the massive light barrier between a Tianquan Peak cultivator and a Baifeng Peak cultivator.

Among the Six Crafty Peaks, Baifeng Peak held a unique position. Both of its peak masters were female cultivators in the Core Formation stage, and the majority of its disciples were also female. Consequently, the peak's population had always been sparse among the Six Odd Peaks, and for this competition, only a dozen young female cultivators arrived to participate.

The Tianquan Peak disciple currently battling the female cultivator from Baifeng Peak was a disciple named Yuan, who looked mature but was actually around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Although an outer sect disciple, this individual hailed from a distinguished and influential cultivation family in Xi State. The high-grade magical artifact he wielded, the "White Gold Halberd," was quite powerful, steadily forcing his somewhat attractive young opponent backward, with victory seemingly imminent.

The Tianquan Peak cultivators standing near Han Li were clearly friends with this disciple, and they excitedly discussed the battle without pause.

However, just as the disciple surnamed Yuan transformed the White Gold Halberd into a white rainbow and struck fiercely, the female cultivator opposite him raised an eyebrow. With a single hand, she conjured a ball of green light that shot out, halting the white rainbow's descent. Immediately afterward, her figure flickered and vanished from her original spot.

Seeing this, the disciple surnamed Yuan's expression drastically changed. He quickly formed hand seals, attempting to cast a detection spell to force the woman out. However, a cloud of red mist suddenly flew from behind him, instantly enveloping him.

With a muffled thud, the Tianquan Peak disciple immediately fell to the ground.

"Jin Rong of Baifeng Peak wins," a tall, thin cultivator presiding over the competition high above the arena immediately announced.

Upon hearing this, the female cultivator named Jin Rong immediately bowed respectfully towards the sky. She then retrieved a small bottle from her storage pouch and gently waved it under the nose of the unconscious disciple surnamed Yuan.

Only then did the disciple surnamed Yuan slowly regain consciousness.

Once he understood what had occurred, he immediately exited the competition area, his face flushed. Jin Rong, with a hint of triumph, also flew out of the formation. Nearby, several female cultivators immediately surrounded her, chattering incessantly, drawing considerable attention from the male cultivators in the vicinity.

"Next match: Han Li of Tianquan Peak versus Xuntong of Huoyun Peak," the gaunt cultivator announced expressionlessly from above the light barrier. His voice, though not loud, carried clearly to all nearby cultivators.

Hearing this, Han Li smiled, stepped out of the crowd, and slowly walked into the formation.

Shortly after he entered, a handsome young man in white also walked in from the opposite side. As soon as this individual stepped into the arena, he immediately caused a stir among the numerous watching cultivators.