Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”I announce that the second round of the Outer Sect competition officially begins!”

Elder Su He nodded towards the two Great Elders beside him, then stood up and declared loudly, igniting the atmosphere in the arena like a spark.

Each Outer Sect competition is the most anticipated event for the Jade Pot Sect’s Outer Sect, and even those who do not qualify to participate are incredibly excited.

Moreover, as round after round of the competition progresses, the battles on the stage between talents only become more spectacular, as evidenced by today’s second round, which is of much higher quality than yesterday’s first round.

”Please have the winners of the first to eighth numbers from yesterday’s victory, to face off in pairs!”

After Elder Su He made another loud announcement, he then sat back down. The rules of the Outer Sect competition have been well established after so many iterations, and he would hardly bother to repeat them if it wasn’t to accommodate new Outer Disciples like Yun Xiao and Xuan Zhi.

As the loud voice faded, all eyes uniformly shifted towards the fourth platform. There, it looked as if a figure in a purple robe had already been waiting – who else could it be if not Feng Hang, the top-ranked combatant on the Mortal List?

However, while the battles on the other three platforms had already begun, Feng Hang’s opponent – the genius who won the seventh number sign from yesterday – was nowhere to be seen.

To the audience, this scene was thought-provoking, but Feng Hang, standing on the stage with his hands behind his back, seemed unruffled, exuding the demeanor of a strong fighter.

*Cough*... uh... Elder Brother Feng Hang, Elder Brother Zhang Yue says he has some urgent matters to attend to, so he will not compete in the second round!”

After a moment of awkward silence, a voice finally rang out from around the platform, and the entire arena fell silent upon hearing it.

”Wow!”

But the next moment, the quiet Arena Hall erupted with a flurry of speculative chatter. It seemed that Zhang Yue, yesterday’s winner of the seventh number sign, was intimidated by Feng Hang’s strength and chose not to show up at all.

Many in the hall had heard of Zhang Yue, a top-tier talent on the Mortal List with Meridian Qi that had reached the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, hardly any weaker than Song Tian, who was defeated by Feng Hang yesterday.

The so-called ”urgent matters” were clearly nothing more than an excuse, and although the disciples were somewhat surprised by Zhang Yue’s decision, they also understood it well.

Despite Song Tian’s fortuitous breakthrough to the Meridian Rushing Realm yesterday, such an event was purely coincidental, and no one would forget Feng Hang’s ruthless moves.

If it weren’t for the intervention of the Great Elder Lu Zhan and Yun Xiao’s unexpected and peculiar technique yesterday, Song Tian might have met with a fatal disaster; how could he be alive and chatting with Tan Yun today?

Even if Feng Hang had struck just a bit harder and killed Song Tian on the spot, perhaps not even a High-level Saint Rank Medical Pulse Master could have brought him back to life.

It seemed that Zhang Yue had realized this and did not dare to take the risk; he did not believe he had the same good fortune as Song Tian, and a single misstep could lead to death and the end of his martial path.

”Hmph, at least you know your place!”

On the platform, Feng Hang clearly heard the awkward announcement and a smug smile appeared on his face, cloaked in purple robes. When he spoke, his gaze involuntarily shifted to Song Tian.

In Feng Hang’s eyes, the person who did not know their place was naturally Song Tian. If given the chance, he might still target Song Tian, since from a certain perspective, Song Tian’s survival had embarrassed Feng Hang the previous day.

But now Song Tian, having broken through to the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, did not back down from Feng Hang’s sinister gaze – on the contrary, a fierce battle spirit arose in him.

Feng Hang wanted to trouble Song Tian, but the latter felt the same.

Yesterday’s humiliation on the stage was not something Song Tian was willing to swallow quietly. No matter if Feng Hang was ranked first on the Mortal List, if their Meridian Qi Cultivation was on the same level, it was still uncertain whose deer would fall.

With no opponent to face, Feng Hang could be said to have easily advanced to the third round, and judging by the situation, even if a certain talent on platform three won, they would probably, like Zhang Yue, admit defeat without a fight.

As Feng Hang stepped down from the stage, the winners of yesterday’s ninth and tenth number signs also moved onto the fourth platform. One battle after another proceeded in an orderly fashion, with victories and defeats, joy for some, and sorrow for others.

However, as time passed, Yun Xiao calculated in his mind that it was time for the winners of yesterday’s fifteenth and sixteenth number signs to fight. To his surprise, he saw a familiar figure heading towards one of the platforms.

”Eh? Isn’t that Xuan Zhi? How...”

Yun Xiao realized something was amiss, as Ling Wan beside him couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment, her voice filled with profound confusion, because as far as she knew, Xuan Zhi’s opponent this round should be her brother Yun Xiao.

Opponents in the second round of the Outer Sect Competition are always the winners of two adjacent drawn numbers, following a longstanding and inviolable rule of the competition.

Yet both Yun Xiao and Ling Wan were clear that Xuan Zhi had drawn the black twenty-seventh number yesterday, which meant he should be facing the winner of the twenty-eighth number, Yun Xiao. So what was he doing stepping onto the arena stage alongside the winner of the fifteenth number?

”Right, what was Guan Tong’s number?”

Thinking of one possibility, Yun Xiao’s expression grew slightly grim. As he asked the question, his gaze shifted in a certain direction where a sturdy figure was sneering coldly at him.

At this point, Yun Xiao didn’t need Ling Wan’s answer, as he had already pieced it together. It seemed that Guan Tong and Xuan Zhi had swapped their draw numbers, forcing himself in the second round to face a talent of the Mortal List ranked third who had one foot in the Meridian Rushing Realm: Guan Tong!

Ling Wan’s reaction was not slow either, but being an upright and outspoken person, he immediately called out loudly to the north: ”Elder, Elder, I want to report cheating! That guy there isn’t the sixteenth number!”

This loud outcry drew everyone’s attention, and upon understanding the implication of Ling Wan’s words, their faces showed a trace of amusement, including Elder Su He, the sixth elder.

However, since Ling Wan had voiced his suspicions, Su He had no choice but to stand and offer an explanation. His gaze wasn’t directed at Ling Wan, but towards Xuan Zhi, who had already set foot on the arena stage.

”Xuan Zhi, I remember that you drew the black twenty-seventh number yesterday. Why are you on the arena stage now?”

This was Su He’s methodical line of inquiry, though he already knew the reason, but he was also aware that Ling Wan was a newly rising talent who deserved some explanations.

Hearing Su He’s words, Xuan Zhi looked mockingly towards Yun Xiao and Ling Wan, before turning his head and stating loudly, ”Reporting to Elder Su He, indeed I had drawn the black twenty-seventh number yesterday, but I have now exchanged it for the sixteenth number. I beg for the Elder’s discernment!”

From the moment Su He calmly began his inquiry, Yun Xiao had already felt that something was amiss. Seeing Xuan Zhi speaking so nonchalantly now, he felt even more that he and Ling Wan might have overlooked something.

Sure enough, after Xuan Zhi finished speaking, with a gesture, Su He called out loudly, ”Who is the winner of the sixteenth number?”

”Sixth Elder, it’s me!”

Just as an idea struck Yun Xiao, a familiar voice reached his ears — none other than Guan Tong. Glancing over at Yun Xiao, Guan Tong continued, ”I, Guan Tong, voluntarily exchanged numbers with Prince Xuan Zhi. This shouldn’t be breaking the rules of the Outer Sect Competition, right?”

Clearly, Guan Tong, a talent who joined the Jade Pot Sect’s Outer Sect three years prior, already knew the competition rules well; that as long as both parties were willing, they were free to exchange opponents.

This was something that both Yun Xiao and Ling Wan were obviously unaware of, as was Zhao Ningshu over there, who after learning about this was first stunned, then promptly overjoyed.

In reality, if it weren’t for the special relationship between Xuan Zhi and Guan Tong, typically nobody would exchange their draw number, or rather, even if you wanted to exchange, the other party might not be willing.

For example, the winner of the seventh number, Zhang Yue, his second-round opponent was Feng Hang, ranked first on the Mortal List. He indeed wished to switch opponents, but would anyone be willing to exchange with him?

As for Xuan Zhi and Guan Tong, it was different. Guan Tong was originally a subordinate of Prince Xuan Zhi and wouldn’t dare disobey his orders. Furthermore, Guan Tong himself bore resentment towards Yun Xiao. The so-called voluntary exchange was indeed without issue.

With the statements from Xuan Zhi and Guan Tong, Su He finally turned his gaze to Ling Wan who had raised the question and said loudly, ”This disciple, as you have heard, the exchange between Xuan Zhi and Guan Tong was voluntary and in accordance with the rules of the Outer Sect Competition. Do you have any further doubts?”

Listening to Su He’s loud voice, Ling Wan touched his head somewhat embarrassedly, finally realizing he had made a huge blunder, murmuring to himself, ”I didn’t know about this rule.”

Since Ling Wan had nothing more to say, Su He also sat back down, yet his gaze fell upon the figure in rugged clothes next to the plump boy, thinking to himself that this kid named Yun Xiao really knew how to stir up trouble.

”Tsk tsk, I wonder if Yun Xiao, facing Guan Tong, can give us another surprise like yesterday!”

Su He pondered a possibility, revealing a smile as he remarked to the two other great elders beside him, but falling into an awkward silence upon receiving no response.

On Yun Xiao’s end, now that he knew about this special rule, he realized he had been outmaneuvered by Xuan Zhi. The second round he thought he could win easily was now shrouded in complications.

Facing a talent ranked third on the Mortal List who was half a step into the Meridian Rushing Realm wouldn’t be as simple as dealing with yesterday’s Gao Zheng. It seemed Yun Xiao would have to employ some secret methods if he wished to advance further.