Chapter Four: The Mysterious Law of Answering Questions

Two months later, Zhou Qi finally paused his cultivation.

Ming Yu and Zhao Fei also returned to the courtyard; Ming Yu had reached the sixth layer of Qi Refining, Zhao Fei the fifth, both seemingly having had their own fortuitous encounters.

Zhou Qi, as always, addressed them as senior brothers, showing no arrogance despite his increased strength; after all, Qi Refining was but the realm of ants, hardly worthy of pride.

“Junior brother, will you participate in the sect’s grand competition? If you achieve a good result, you could represent the outer disciples in the battles—there are substantial rewards,” Ming Yu praised him.

Zhou Qi was taken aback—sect grand competition? A stream of information surfaced in his mind.

The Five Sects—True One Sect, Peach Blossom Sect, Spirit Silence Cave, Heartless Pavilion, and Immortal Farmer Garden—were all governed by the Gate of Life and Death.

The Gate of Life and Death allocated resources among these five sects according to their strength; each sent disciples at the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages to compete, and the overall strength determined the distribution of resources for the following year.

Thus, before the grand competition, each sect first held its own internal contest to select the three strongest disciples at each stage to represent them.

Once chosen as a representative, regardless of victory or defeat, the sect would reward generously. If victorious, there would be rewards not only from the sect but also from the Gate of Life and Death—truly a multitude of benefits.

True One Sect placed great importance on this competition; if the Fifth Elder failed to extend his lifespan, the sect would lack high-level combat power and surely be swallowed by the other four—after all, the cake was only so big, and fewer people meant more for each.

Even if the Fifth Elder succeeded, it would only guarantee True One Sect’s existence for another two centuries; if no one of similar prowess arose, the sect’s demise would not be far.

To nurture another powerhouse, resources were paramount.

Zhou Qi shook his head. “The senior brothers and sisters can take the stage; my strength is too low. The sixth layer of Qi Refining is hardly worth mentioning.”

Ming Yu and Zhao Fei said no more; only those at the peak of the ninth layer might represent the sect. Among True One Sect’s Qi Refining disciples, there were nearly a thousand, at least eight hundred—entering the top three was no simple feat. Their inquiry was mere courtesy.

The three of them regarded the grand competition as spectators; though unable to participate, observing and learning was valuable for cultivators.

Three days later, the sect’s grand competition began.

Numerous cultivators gathered at the martial arena—this was a major event for True One Sect, more important than the commendation ceremony two months prior.

Liu Chengfeng began his speech once again, urging all disciples to cultivate a sense of honor for the sect, to strive with all their might to enter the top three, to defeat the other four sects and bring glory to True One Sect.

The cultivators soon fell into a state of restlessness; the sect leader’s promises were so grand, difficult to digest.

Only when he announced the rewards for the competition did the disciples perk up, instantly clear-headed.

With great rewards comes great motivation—the sect had invested heavily, and disciples now rubbed their hands together, eager to try.

The martial arena was divided into nine platforms: three for Qi Refining, three for Foundation Establishment, and three for Golden Core.

With Liu Chengfeng’s command, the competition officially began.

Yet the scene of disciples rushing to the stage did not appear; the sooner one ascended, the greater the disadvantage—one would have to face all challengers. Most intended to challenge last, hoping to pick up an easy victory.

For a while, the atmosphere was awkward.

Liu Chengfeng’s face darkened as he looked around; all disciples kept their heads down, reminiscent of a teacher in the previous life calling on students in class.

Zhou Qi felt amused; unlike the others, he did not lower his gaze. Surely the sixth layer of Qi Refining would never be called.

After scanning the crowd for a long time, Liu Chengfeng finally spotted Zhou Qi’s smiling face. “Hmm, this disciple looks familiar. So confident—he’s the one.”

When Liu Chengfeng’s finger pointed at him, Zhou Qi was stunned—such a mysterious law of answering questions.

The disciples secretly laughed; as Liu Chengfeng glanced over, they quickly lowered their heads again. Two were a bit slow and were caught.

Zhou Qi and two other disciples, like condemned men, had no choice but to ascend the stage, cursing the sect leader’s ancestors in their hearts.

Liu Chengfeng finally recognized Zhou Qi; seeing his cultivation at the sixth layer, he thought nothing more—his aptitude was decent.

Pointing to Zhou Qi, he spoke loudly: “This disciple Zhou Qi risked his life seeking spirit ginseng for the Fifth Elder; now, for the grand competition, he’s the first to step up. Though only at the sixth layer, his courage, confidence, and sense of sect honor—shouldn’t these be qualities everyone should emulate? Look at yourselves, always putting personal interest first. Shouldn’t you feel ashamed?”

The disciples were indeed ashamed, but still refused to step forward.

Liu Chengfeng was so furious he could spit blood; at this rate, who knew when the competition would end. When did cultivators become so cautious, so steadfastly unwilling to stand out?

In a fit of anger, Liu Chengfeng called six more to the stage. The nine unlucky souls now stood as platform masters.

Zhou Qi marveled inwardly; he had imagined cultivators to be bold and fearless, yet here each was more reserved and life-loving than the last. Survival was indeed not easy.

Since he was already up, Zhou Qi accepted it calmly—an opportunity to test his learning. Yet the nine stood alone on stage for ages, with no challengers; the disciples were still observing.

Liu Chengfeng, helpless, and the elders quickly changed the rules: victory would now be determined by the number of rounds one could withstand on the platform.

With the rules amended, disciples had no loopholes to exploit; now, being first on stage might even be advantageous. Suddenly, they rushed to challenge with enthusiasm.

The disciple challenging Zhou Qi saw he was only at the sixth layer and paid him little mind.

He himself was at the ninth layer—defeating a sixth layer should be effortless. He sent a fireball spell at Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi dared not relax; this was his first real battle. Though the opponent was at the ninth layer, Zhou Qi still had a chance. The ninth layer meant more internal energy, stronger spells, greater stamina—but none of these were decisive.

Watching the fireball approach, Zhou Qi used the Five Elements Step to evade, quickly widening the distance.

The challenger, having missed, unleashed another fireball; Zhou Qi dodged again.

After two misses, the challenger grew embarrassed and resorted to Sword Control—a flying sword hurtled toward Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi saw the sword coming and ran, using Five Elements Step. The sword pursued relentlessly, always missing by a hair’s breadth—dangerous indeed.

After a long chase, the sword finally dropped to the ground.

The sword-controlling disciple’s face was pale, clearly exhausted—controlling a sword was difficult for Qi Refining disciples. Failing to land a hit, maintaining sword control throughout was taxing, and the result was predictable.

A perfect opportunity—Zhou Qi used Five Elements Step, and his sword was now at the opponent’s throat.

“Thank you for letting me win, senior brother!”