Chapter 205: Out of Retirement

To become a true disciple, one must participate in this year's Sect Grand Competition.

Although Chen Mobai had observed the competition last year, he still thought it best to consult someone experienced.

In the pavilion at the top of Xiaoyang Ridge, Qi Rui laughed heartily upon hearing Chen Mobai's words. "Junior Brother, you're finally going to make your debut," he exclaimed.

Xi Jinghuo took a sip of spirit wine and expressed great confidence in Chen Mobai. "With your cultivation," she said, "you're sure to make a splash this time."

"Although my cultivation realm is good," Chen Mobai replied, "my combat experience and techniques are far inferior to yours. Making it into the top hundred in this Sect Grand Competition would be quite an achievement for me."

"Junior Brother," Qi Rui countered, "you're good at everything, except you're too modest." Qi Rui's words made Chen Mobai smile wryly.

For some reason, both of them were very confident in him, believing that as long as he participated, even if he couldn't become a True Disciple, getting into the top hundred would be a piece of cake. However, Chen Mobai himself estimated that given his combat proficiency, making it into the top hundred would already be quite good.

Last year, a total of 1,600 Qi Refining disciples participated in the Sect Grand Competition. Having observed the entire event, he took detailed notes on several noteworthy individuals. Among them, there were 176 cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Of the twenty-four True Disciples from the previous competition, eight ascetic cultivators did not participate again as they had obtained Foundation Establishment Pills. They were diligently in seclusion, refining their essence, qi, and spirit, preparing to seize the opportunity for transformation and consume their Foundation Establishment Pills to break through at any moment.

Among the remaining sixteen True Disciples, E Yun, Zhou Wangshen, and Hong He, the three major True Disciples, had all successfully established their foundations. Under the sect's arrangements, they had taken their retinues to Yunmeng Marsh to establish markets.

Six others had failed their Foundation Establishment and wished to contend for a True Disciple position again to obtain a second Foundation Establishment Pill. Liu Guilong from the Spirit Plant Department was among them. Unfortunately, without the support of the Spirit Plant Department and with his injuries still unhealed, he was defeated by a rising star when he reached the top hundred.

Besides Liu Guilong, three other individuals also lost their True Disciple positions.

Additionally, seven others, including Yuan Chiye and Ding Ying, although having obtained Foundation Establishment Pills, had not yet perfected their cultivation of the Two-Phase Art, and therefore had no intention of relinquishing their True Disciple positions.

Even so, last year's Sect Grand Competition saw a major reshuffle among the Divine Wood Sect's twenty-four True Disciples. Fourteen new True Disciples ascended to prominence, becoming influential figures in the Divine Wood Sect.

As for Chen Mobai's acquaintance, Yuan Chiye, he advanced further, ranking third among the True Disciples and taking over E Yun's previous position.

"I hope my luck with the draw is as good this year as it was last year," Qi Rui said, drinking and hoping. Last year, he hadn't encountered any strong opponents throughout his matches and managed to break into the top forty-eight. Unfortunately, in the final battle for True Discipleship, from the top forty-eight to the top twenty-four, he met the current Sixth True Disciple and was utterly defeated.

Afterward, Chen Mobai inquired about things he should pay attention to during the Sect Grand Competition, and Qi Rui and Xi Jinghuo informed him of each detail. However, ultimately, all the details boiled down to strength. As long as one was strong enough, the position of True Disciple was assured.

The next day, Chen Mobai made another trip to Divine Wood City, first bringing two jars of newly brewed Jade Bud Spirit Wine to visit Supervisor Sun Gaochang.

"Alright, I understand. Go find Lu Jun," Sun Gaochang said. Upon learning that Chen Mobai intended to participate in the Sect Grand Competition and vie for a True Disciple position, Sun Gaochang nodded slightly. After accepting the two jars of wine, he simply uttered that one sentence and dismissed Chen Mobai.

Slightly puzzled, Chen Mobai exited and found Lu Jun, who shook his head slightly after hearing the story. "Junior Brother Chen," Lu Jun explained, "this means Supervisor Sun doesn't have high hopes for you."

"Oh, why?" Chen Mobai asked. "If I'm not mistaken," Lu Jun replied, "you must have broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining; otherwise, you wouldn't be thinking of contending for a True Disciple position."

"Senior Brother possesses keen insight," Chen Mobai acknowledged, not denying it.

"Then you should also know that there's a significant gap between the ninth level of Qi Refining and a True Disciple," Lu Jun continued. "Senior Brother Li Li, with his practiced Grain Rain Sword Art and a Tier 2 flying sword supported by our Spirit Plant Department, barely managed to enter the top twenty-four." Lu Jun's words made Chen Mobai understand why Li Li suddenly had a Tier 2 Spring Rain Sword last year; it turned out the Spirit Plant Department provided it to maintain their prestige.

"Disciples from our Spirit Plant Department participating in the Sect Grand Competition can generally receive a magic artifact from logistics," Lu Jun elaborated. "For someone like Senior Brother Li Li, who was being groomed to become a True Disciple, they would provide a Tier 2 artifact."

"However, this requires the approval of those three Foundation Establishment cultivators. If I were to make a request, at most, I could get a top-grade Tier 1 artifact for you," Lu Jun said. "But Junior Brother, don't be discouraged. This year, just experience the atmosphere of the Sect Grand Competition. If your ranking improves in a few years and you show promise of becoming a True Disciple, Supervisor Sun will definitely put in a word for you and arrange a suitable Tier 2 artifact."

As Sun Gaochang's confidant, Lu Jun making inquiries at the Spirit Plant Department's logistics was already a show of respect, influenced by the two jars of wine Chen Mobai brought.

In response, Chen Mobai chose a top-grade Tier 1 Azurewood Sword.

The Longevity Scripture has an extremely broad developmental path; one can advance in the direction of spells or cultivate sword techniques. Since Chen Mobai had decided to use the Crimson Flame Sword Art to conceal the Pure Yang Scroll, and given that his current cultivation realm couldn't be improved, it was time to practice sword manipulation techniques.

Before leaving, Chen Mobai also gave Lu Jun a jar of Jade Bud Spirit Wine as a token of gratitude, which Lu Jun accepted without ceremony.

He then inquired whether Foundation Establishment Pills had begun to be refined. The response was the same as before: the Spirit Plant Department was instructed to always reserve the auxiliary spirit herbs for refining a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills and not harvest them. This implied that refining had not yet started, but the intention was there. It was estimated to happen within the next one or two years.

Participating in the Sect Grand Competition for the first time reminded Chen Mobai of the combat trial he took for his entrance exam back in Danxia City. However, compared to his calm composure and confidence back then, this time he felt a bit nervous.

Fortunately, the Divine Wood Sect's organizers didn't randomly arrange the matchups; cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining were separated in the initial rounds. Chen Mobai's opponents in the first two rounds were cannon fodder below the sixth level of Qi Refining. Even with his poor combat techniques, he easily defeated them with a single move, relying on the sheer difference in spiritual power.

His opponents in the third and fourth rounds were at the late stage of Qi Refining. However, with Chen Mobai at the ninth level of Qi Refining and the aid of a top-grade Tier 1 flying sword from the Spirit Plant Department, none of them managed to withstand a single move from him.

Through these four rounds, Chen Mobai finally experienced the exhilarating feeling of suppressing opponents with higher cultivation, as Master Qingping had described.

It wasn't until the fifth round that he finally encountered a well-matched opponent: a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator from the Talisman Creation Department. However, the opponent seemed not to have received artifact resources from the Talisman Creation Department. Relying on his Azurewood Sword and his own profound understanding, equivalent to a Tier 2 talisman master in the Tianhe Realm, Chen Mobai saw through the flaws in the opponent's talisman array operation and narrowly defeated them.

After this round, Chen Mobai entered the top forty-eight.