Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Night, silent as a whisper!

In a certain Outer Sect courtyard of the Jade Pot Sect, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared, as if without stirring a single speck of dust, and without touching the ground, arrived right before a door.

”Whoever you are, how dare you break into my courtyard at night!”

However, at this moment, an angry shout came from within the room, and then the door was yanked open from the inside, revealing a slightly familiar figure.

”Tsk, tsk, not bad, at such a young age to have such extraordinary soul sensing abilities, it seems I have not misjudged you!”

Just as the owner of the courtyard was about to burst out of the door with an angry face, the intruding figure spoke with a faint smile. Only then did the owner of the courtyard clearly see the visitor’s features, and was immediately taken aback.

”Shen Xiao did not know the Second Elder was gracing us with his visit, my earlier words were disrespectful, please forgive me, Second Elder!”

It turns out that the owner of this courtyard was none other than Shen Xiao, the second-ranked talent on the Mortal List of the Outer Disciples. Seeing the green-robed elder, he was quick to bow and pay his respects with extreme deference.

For talents like Shen Xiao, who ranked at the top of the Mortal List, each had their own independent courtyard. But he never imagined that an authority of the Jade Pot Sect, one of the most powerful figures, would come to his humble abode in the dead of night.

Despite Shen Xiao and Feng Hang holding sway over the Outer Sect, where no one dared to offend them lightly, they would amount to nothing when it came to the grand scheme of the Jade Pot Sect. Not to mention the Elders with real power; even individuals like Yin Huan and Xue Gong would not take these Outer Sect talents seriously, right?

”Shen Xiao, let me ask you, do you want to join the Inner Sect of the Jade Pot Sect?”

Elder Fu Du did not care about Shen Xiao’s attitude but asked a seemingly inexplicable question, which sent a chill through the heart of this Outer Sect talent, leaving him confused.

Of course, Shen Xiao wished to join the Inner Sect, and with his own Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage Cultivation, within the whole Outer Sect, only Feng Hang posed a slight concern for him.

Nevertheless, with two spots for promotion from the Outer Sect’s grand competition to the Inner Sect, it seemed assured that Shen Xiao would enter the Inner Sect after this competition, so he did not understand the meaning behind Elder Fu Du’s words.

”You must believe that your entry into the Inner Sect is already without accident, right? But let me tell you, even if you win the first two places in the Outer Sect competition, it’s not certain that you will join the Inner Sect. Do you believe it?”

When Elder Fu Du reached the last few words, his face suddenly took on a playful look, causing Shen Xiao’s color to change dramatically, and he secretly wondered if he had somehow offended the Second Elder, or perhaps one of the Second Elder’s disciples?

Elder Fu Du’s words were clearly a threat to Shen Xiao, and as a holder of power within the Poison Vein of the Jade Pot Sect, he indeed had the right to say so. An Outer Disciple was but a word away from his decision—wasn’t it?

After all, Shen Xiao was no ordinary talent. With a slight moment of contemplation, he had an epiphany and immediately replied, ”Second Elder, if there’s anything you need this disciple to do, just order me, and Shen Xiao will do his utmost!”

”Heh, you’re not stupid. Indeed, there is something I need your assistance with this late at night!”

Seeing Shen Xiao so cooperative, Elder Fu Du no longer uttered threatening words, continuing to say, ”As long as you help me accomplish this great matter, I can guarantee that your treatment within the Inner Sect will certainly be no less than any of my direct disciples!”

”Please issue your instructions, Second Elder!”

Shen Xiao was extremely excited by the conversation and immediately bowed and spoke without any delay, clearly showing his willingness to cling to this powerful benefactor, which was something he had long dreamed of achieving.

Thinking that once he entered the Inner Sect, receiving treatment like Bi Luo and Yin Huan, Shen Xiao believed that even the Inner Sect prodigies from the Medical Pulse wouldn’t dare to bark orders at him anymore.

Thinking back to that day at Yurong Volcano, Mo Qing’s cold demeanor had indeed irritated Shen Xiao, making him quite resentful toward the Medical Pulse. Combined with his own sinister nature, he felt even closer to the Poison Vein.

Elder Fu Du must have noticed something, and thus did not seek out Feng Hang but instead approached Shen Xiao, the second on the Mortal List. He believed that with his mix of threat and temptation, this young man could not possibly refuse him.

Swish!

Seeing Elder Fu Du wave his hand over his waist, a Jade Bottle appeared in his hand, after which he said, ”If you encounter Yun Xiao during the Outer Sect competition...”

”Yun Xiao? He’s in the upper bracket, and I’m afraid it might not be possible for this disciple to come across him?” Before Elder Fu Du could finish, Shen Xiao remembered something and interrupted the Elder.

As Shen Xiao said, Yun Xiao drew the green lot number twenty-eight, while he was in the latter half of sixty-eight. This meant that if he wanted to face Yun Xiao, the latter would have to become the champion of the first half of the draw.

But in the first half division, there stood a towering mountain named Feng Hang. Even Shen Xiao himself wasn’t confident of definitely being able to defeat Feng Hang, let alone a newcomer like Yun Xiao.

”You don’t need to worry about these matters. I mean, if... if you ever come across Yun Xiao, I hope you can...” Elder Fu Du’s voice suddenly lowered at this point, and even Shen Xiao had to prick up his ears and listen intently to catch what was said clearly.

Even after Elder Fu Du’s figure had disappeared into the courtyard, Shen Xiao was still clutching the Jade Bottle in his hand, unable to snap back to reality for a long time, seemingly shocked by what Elder Fu Du had told him.

However, after a short moment, Shen Xiao finally stored the Jade Bottle in his Waist Storage, and an unusual smile emerged on his face, muttering to himself, ”Feng Hang, this time, I will definitely beat you!”

It seems that in Shen Xiao’s heart, he still believes that the ”if” could indeed become reality!

...

Night passed in the blink of an eye!

When the morning sun of the next day bathed the Outer Sect of the Jade Pot Sect, the once-silent machine seemed to start moving again, suddenly becoming extremely lively.

Especially at the Arena Hall of the Outer Sect, where early on, hundreds of Outer Disciples had occupied the best spots. Today was the second round of the Outer Sect tournament, which should be even more exciting than yesterday’s first round.

It is worth mentioning that in the southeast and northeast corners of the Arena Hall, four genius disciples of the Inner Sect still stood spectating. It seems that their interest in this Outer Sect tournament was also quite intense.

As the Outer Sect geniuses who had entered the second round filed into the Arena Hall, the buzz of conversation inside undoubtedly intensified. What was different was that among these watching talents, there were several faces whose aura was a bit unstable.

These were naturally the geniuses who had been defeated in yesterday’s first round, including Song Tian, who had broken through to the Meridian Rushing Realm, as well as Gao Zheng, whose left hand was chopped off by Guan Tong after being burned by Yun Xiao’s Meridian Fire, and Zhao Xin, who was severely injured by Ling Wan’s Mixed Element Qi.

But the expressions on Gao Zheng and Zhao Xin’s faces were relatively unsightly. One ranked ninth on the Mortal List, and the other tenth. If nothing unexpected happened, reaching the third or even the fourth round would not have been impossible.

It’s just that, in this Outer Sect tournament, the emergence of two anomalies like Yun Xiao and Ling Wan led these two top ten talents of the Mortal List to lose inexplicably, causing them immense frustration.

Relatively speaking, Song Tian, who was conversing with Tan Yun at some place, had a joyful look on his face, completely lacking the dejected expression of those geniuses who lost in the first round.

Indeed, Song Tian was particularly unlucky with his draw, having drawn the Mortal List’s top-ranked Feng Hang and nearly getting killed by Feng Hang’s merciless attack.

Little did he know that Song Tian’s seemingly unlucky draw turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Thanks to Great Elder Lu Zhan and Yun Xiao’s assistance, not only did he survive a trip to the Ghost Gate, but he also broke through to the Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage overnight, becoming a top Outer Sect genius comparable to Feng Hang and Shen Xiao.

For such a great favor, Song Tian was unable to thank the Great Elder, but after the end of the first round yesterday, he found his way to Yun Xiao’s small courtyard.

Yun Xiao and Ling Wan both had advanced to the second round, so Song Tian didn’t dare disturb them much. Instead, he got to know Tan Yun and a few others better. Through them, he learned a lot about Yun Xiao, which piqued his curiosity about the shabbily dressed youth even more.

Any fallen genius would inevitably feel desolate in their heart, so Song Tian’s cheerful interaction with Tan Yun and the others attracted the involuntary attention of the crowd to the shabbily dressed youth with an indifferent demeanor.

Yun Xiao naturally stayed with the sixty geniuses who entered the second round, and his gaze had already shifted to his second round opponent, the Third Prince of the Empire, Xuan Zhi.

Facing such an opponent was undoubtedly a boon for Yun Xiao. With his current Meridian Qi Cultivation, he could easily defeat even Gao Zheng, who was at the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, let alone Xuan Zhi who was only at the Meridian Gathering Realm Late Stage.

However, as soon as Yun Xiao looked in Xuan Zhi’s direction, he was slightly taken aback. Logically, Xuan Zhi wasn’t foolish and should be aware of the discrepancy in their combat abilities. So why wasn’t there any trace of worry on his face? This left Yun Xiao utterly puzzled.

Yun Xiao believed that whether it was him facing Xuan Zhi or Xuan Zhi facing him, if there was an opportunity, neither would show mercy. Knowing that he would lose, why was that fellow still so composed at this moment?

Right when Yun Xiao was perplexed, a door deep in the Arena Hall suddenly opened, and three elderly figures emerged. They were the Great Elder Lu Zhan, Second Elder Fu Du, and Sixth Elder Su He.

What the crowd didn’t see was the moment Elder Fu Du walked out from the depths of the hall, Shen Xiao’s eyes couldn’t help but flash an unusual light.

The arrival of these Elders also signified the official start of the second round of this Outer Sect tournament. As Su He announced loudly, the entire Arena Hall suddenly erupted in fervor, soaring to the ceiling, and lasting for a long time.

”I declare, the second round of this Outer Sect tournament, officially begins!”