The third watch of the night.
The Canglan Flying Boat Sword cut through the vast sea of clouds, the howling wind ceaseless as it sped at full power toward the Qingyun royal capital.
On Ye Ling’s wrist, Cang Si remained coiled up peacefully. She spread her demonic sense to monitor the surroundings of the flying boat sword while keeping an eye on everyone aboard, her gaze locking onto that disciple surnamed Li in the corner from time to time.
Most of the disciples on the flying boat were closing their eyes and regulating their breathing.
On the inner sect disciples’ side, Gu Yanci was circulating his spiritual energy to refine his cultivation, though his gaze drifted toward the True Disciples’ area from time to time.
He quietly observed the expression and aura of the Ninth True Disciple, Fang Huiyin, repeatedly weighing and comparing their strengths in his mind, secretly simulating the outcome of a battle on the arena stage.
That inner sect disciple surnamed Li shrank into the most remote corner of the flying boat, deliberately avoiding the direction where Ye Ling was.
Just then, Peak Master Wen’s gentle voice rang out, “All disciples, please gather in the center of the spirit boat.”
Hearing the command, everyone stood up one after another and walked toward the center of the flying boat.
Ye Ling looked up at Peak Master Wen. Peak Master Wen’s gaze happened to fall on her, and a voice transmission quietly reached her ears, accompanied by a soft, light chuckle.
“Before we left, the Sect Master told me that our departure was too rushed, and she forgot to introduce you to the other disciples. So, she entrusted me to introduce them to you on the way.”
Ye Ling’s expression was calm. “Then I will trouble Peak Master Wen.”
Soon, all the disciples gathered in the center.
Peak Master Wen looked around at the twenty Qinglan Sword Sect disciples before her and spoke aloud.
“Everyone, you are all the elite talents meticulously selected from the Qinglan Sword Sect.
“For this journey to the Qingyun Grand Tournament, the Sect Master specifically requested before our departure that she hopes our sect will strive to secure the number one spot.”
Hearing this, the True Disciples remained calm and indifferent, long accustomed to the heavy pressure of honor and responsibility.
Among the ten inner sect disciples, quite a few showed pride on their faces, their expressions excited and thrilled.
A crisp and lively voice suddenly rang out, “Peak Master Wen, please rest assured!
“In which Qingyun Grand Tournament has our Qinglan Sword Sect not been first? This one will naturally be no exception.”
The Qingyun Grand Tournament gathered all genius cultivators under the age of forty within the territory of the Qingyun Kingdom.
The tournament itself did not have an official faction ranking, but after the event, the world would spontaneously compile a ranking of forces based on the tournament standings of each sect’s disciples.
Since three hundred years ago, the Qinglan Sword Sect had often firmly held the top spot. Out of the sixty tournaments held, the Qinglan Sword Sect had claimed first place more than forty times.
In the past century, they had not lost the first-place spot even once, which was also the key reason they could firmly secure their title as the number one sect in the Qingyun Kingdom.
Hearing this, Peak Master Wen looked at the youth who had spoken.
The young disciple was named Xin Miaomiao, the youngest among the ten inner sect disciples at twenty-four years old, with a mid-stage Xiantian Realm cultivation.
Her talent was decent, and her personality was relatively carefree. At this moment, her mind was filled with the sect’s past glorious achievements, making her thoughts a bit too optimistic.
“Oh, Xin Miaomiao, you...” Peak Master Wen gently shook her head, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness.
“In previous sessions, we were able to pluck the crown because generations of disciples possessed formidable strength of their own.
“Now, the other sects in the Qingyun Kingdom are catching up rapidly, and geniuses from the great families are emerging in endless succession.
“We must absolutely not underestimate our opponents. Underestimating the enemy is a major taboo on the path of cultivation.”
Peak Master Wen’s expression grew solemn.
Xin Miaomiao’s cheeks turned slightly red, most of her pride dissipating as she lowered her head and replied softly, “This disciple will keep the Peak Master’s words in mind.”
Just as her voice fell, a tall figure stepped out from the ranks of the True Disciples.
The man had a sturdy and upright build, with a heavy sword several times thicker than an ordinary longsword hanging at his waist, its sharp edge faintly emanating outward from the blade.
“Peak Master Wen, please rest assured.
“In this Qingyun Grand Tournament, our sect will surely secure the first place in the rankings!
“The geniuses of other sects are nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs, and the disciples of the great families are not even worth mentioning. Hmph!”
He let out a light sneer, his tone arrogant, completely disregarding his various opponents.
As soon as he finished speaking, voices of agreement immediately rang out from the ranks of the inner sect disciples.
“Senior Brother Leng Feng is right! The geniuses of other sects are all clay chickens and pottery dogs!”
Several young inner sect disciples nearby also grew excited, nodding their heads in agreement.
Ye Ling also looked over. So this was the Second True Disciple, Leng Feng, who was also one of the Five Geniuses of Qingyun.
Observing his cultivation, it was clear that he was no longer at the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection described in previous intelligence reports, but had already broken through to the peak Xiantian Realm. No wonder he did not take anyone else seriously.
The expression on Peak Master Wen’s face changed quietly, her brow furrowing slightly as a trace of disapproval flashed in her eyes.
Such arrogance was a major taboo in the arena. With an attitude like Leng Feng’s, he was highly likely to suffer a major setback on the stage.
Just then, another figure slowly walked out from the True Disciple lineup.
The woman wore black martial arts attire, her posture relaxed, but her overall aura carried a faint hint of coldness and trickery.
Ye Ling looked up. Unexpectedly, this person was not carrying any sabers, swords, or weapons. In the Qinglan Sword Sect, which was built on the foundation of sword cultivation, such a situation was extremely rare.
Elder Leng Yue’s soul transmission sounded in Ye Ling’s mind at the right moment, “This is the Third True Disciple, Feng Yao.
“You must be curious why she doesn’t carry any weapons. She follows the extremely rare path of a Gu cultivator. She has a cold temperament, is thirty-six years old, and has a cultivation at the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection.
“She entered the ranks of True Disciples very early on and holds high prestige among them. Even the usually arrogant Leng Feng doesn’t dare to underestimate her.”
“Senior Brother Leng, you shouldn’t speak too boastfully.
“While our sect’s strength is indeed profound, the other major sects are by no means clay chickens and pottery dogs.
“There are plenty of true geniuses in the world, and we must absolutely not underestimate the heroes of the realm.
“For instance, Fairy Bai Ling of Jingshui Yaotai is an opponent we cannot afford to ignore.”
Hearing this, Leng Feng snorted heavily, his face filled with defiance, but in the end, he did not speak up to argue.
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of many True Disciples and inner sect disciples present quietly grew solemn.
Fairy Bai Ling, the top True Disciple of Jingshui Yaotai, possessed peerless beauty and formidable strength. Her cultivation had long stabilized at the peak Xiantian Realm, leaving her only a step away from the Tongxuan Realm.
In terms of reputation and strength, she stood on par with Lin Wanqing, making her an undisputed top rival for their sect in this Qingyun Grand Tournament.
The atmosphere on the flying boat instantly quieted down quite a bit.
At this moment, Cang Si, coiled around her wrist, sent a soul transmission to Ye Ling.
“Sister, is this Fairy Bai Ling very strong? Why did everyone stop talking after she was mentioned?”
The scene of Fairy Bai Ling crushing her opponent to victory at the Tianyuan Peak sparring sacred ground flashed in Ye Ling’s mind.
She silently transmitted back, “She is indeed very strong.”
Having transformed into a small green snake, Cang Si blinked her slit pupils. “But she definitely can’t compare to Sister. Sister is the most powerful.”
“Mm.”
Looking at the solemn expressions of the disciples, Peak Master Wen sighed inwardly. These disciples were still too young after all; the moment they heard the name of a formidable enemy, the atmosphere immediately grew heavy.
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