At this moment, Lin Wanqing, who was standing at the very front, suddenly spoke, her clear voice echoing throughout the flying boat.
“Peak Master Wen, please rest assured.”
“We will definitely secure the top spot on the individual rankings of this Qingyun Grand Tournament, no matter who the opponent is.”
As she spoke, her gaze swept calmly over Ye Ling beside her.
Everyone around thought she meant she was determined to claim the championship herself, and their hearts filled with conviction. The dull, oppressive atmosphere from moments ago was instantly swept away.
Lin Wanqing continued, “Whether it is the individual first place or the sect ranking first place, they will only belong to our Qinglan Sword Sect.”
“However, the other major sects have been catching up rapidly in recent years. Their strength has grown fast, and many stunningly brilliant geniuses have emerged.”
“Even among the rogue cultivators, dark horses have appeared out of nowhere.”
“This session of the Qingyun Grand Tournament cannot be compared to previous ones.”
“Leng Feng, you must rein in the arrogance in your heart.”
Hearing this, Leng Feng, who had been arrogant and boastful just moments ago, immediately withdrew his sharp aura. He cupped his hands with a serious expression and replied.
“Yes, Senior Sister Lin, I have noted it down.”
The other disciples all stood silently with lowered heads, none of them daring to interrupt.
Ye Ling took in the entire scene. It seemed Lin Wanqing held immense prestige among the True Disciples; even the wild and untamable Leng Feng was willing to accept her admonishment.
Seeing that everyone's mindset had finally adjusted, Peak Master Wen's tense expression relaxed slightly, and she spoke.
“Wanqing and Feng Yao are both correct.”
“Leng Feng, your arrogant temperament indeed needs to be tempered properly.”
Having suffered successive setbacks, Leng Feng's expression stiffened slightly. However, he could only bow in respect, remain silent, and turn back to walk into the ranks of the True Disciples.
Peak Master Wen's gaze swept across the twenty disciples present. In a solemn tone, she continued.
“Before we left, the Sect Master set two levels of goals for us.”
“First, of course, is to strive with all our might for the number one spot in the sect rankings, defending the glory our Qinglan Sword Sect has held for hundreds of years.”
“Second, to secure as high a position as possible on the individual rankings.”
“But I must also state the harsh truth beforehand. Victory and defeat are common occurrences, and defeat is permitted.”
“However, we absolutely do not allow a disastrous defeat due to arrogance and underestimating the enemy, nor do we allow resorting to unscrupulous means to win, doing things that go against the original intent of the sword Dao or tarnish the sect's reputation.”
A solemn silence fell over the flying boat. The disciples said in unison, “We will keep this in mind. We will never do anything that goes against the original intent of the sword Dao or tarnishes the sect's reputation.”
At this moment, Peak Master Wen, standing at the very front, suddenly smiled gently. “Alright, let's end the serious talk here. Next, we shall do something else.”
With that, she took a step forward to Ye Ling's side and spoke aloud to everyone.
“True Disciple Ye Ling has only been in the sect for less than two years. She usually spends most of her time in closed-door cultivation, so many of her fellow disciples are still unfamiliar with her, and she is not familiar with you all either.”
“We shall take this opportunity for everyone to get to know one another.”
Just as she finished speaking, a figure quickly stepped out from among the inner sect disciples.
Xin Miaomiao walked up to Ye Ling, her eyes filled with lively enthusiasm. “Hello, True Disciple Ye Ling! I am inner sect disciple Xin Miaomiao.”
Ye Ling nodded slightly. “Hello, I am Ye Ling.”
Seeing Ye Ling's gentle response, Xin Miaomiao's face lit up with joy. She was about to say a few more words when a disciple behind her gently tugged her sleeve and pulled her aside.
That disciple took a step forward and bowed respectfully. “Hello, True Disciple Ye Ling. I am inner sect disciple Li Muyao.”
With the two of them starting off, the other inner sect disciples also came forward one after another, introducing themselves one by one.
Even the disciple surnamed Li hurriedly completed his self-introduction with a lowered head before quickly retreating to the back of the crowd.
Only after Gu Yanci stepped forward and calmly completed his self-introduction did the greetings from the inner sect disciples come to an end.
Immediately following them on the True Disciples' side, the Ninth True Disciple, Fang Huiyin, took the lead to step forward, her expression easygoing. “Hello, Junior Sister Ye Ling. I am the Ninth True Disciple, Fang Huiyin.”
“Hello, Senior Sister Fang,” Ye Ling replied with a sincere attitude, cupping her hands in return.
...
At this moment, the Fourth True Disciple walked over. She wore a bright red brocade robe, and her brow carried a cold and sharp expression.
“Junior Sister Ye, long time no see. I am the Fourth True Disciple, Zhou Jiangshao.”
Ye Ling looked up at the red-robed woman before her, remembering the past in her mind.
Back when she had first joined the Qinglan Sword Sect and went to the Library to request the 《Qinglan Sword Canon》, she had met this Zhou Jiangshao once.
Ye Ling cupped her hands and calmly returned the greeting, “Senior Sister Zhou, I have heard much about you.”
Soon, it was the Third True Disciple Feng Yao's turn.
She stepped forward slowly, her narrow eyes narrowing slightly. The extremely faint, fishy scent of Gu insects on her body was suppressed to the point of being almost imperceptible.
Her gaze landed on Ye Ling, and her voice was soft and cold. “Hello, Junior Sister Ye. I am the Third True Disciple, Feng Yao.”
Ye Ling's expression was calm as she composedly cupped her hands in response. “Hello, Senior Sister Feng.”
Feng Yao's gaze slowly swept over her, seemingly assessing her aura. A very faint smile curled the corners of her lips. Without saying anything more, she stepped aside.
The moment Feng Yao turned and stepped aside, a voice transmission that only the two of them could hear quietly entered Ye Ling's mind.
“My Gu insect tells me that it is terrified of the Sword Force on you.”
“To be able to make my carefully nurtured lifebound Gu wary, Junior Sister Ye, it seems your strength is not to be underestimated.”
As she finished speaking, Feng Yao stepped back into the ranks of the True Disciples.
From her wrist, Cang Si sent a soul transmission, her tone cheerful.
“Sister, she has so many tiny bugs hidden inside her body. Although they are small, they are wrapped in very dense spiritual energy. I really want to eat them!”
Ye Ling quickly sent a secret transmission to stop her. “Xiao Si, don't set your sights on those Gu insects. Later, I will find better food for you.”
Most demon beasts relied on consuming demon cores to cultivate. After a demon beast entered the Xiantian Realm, a demon core would condense in its head, which contained the essence of the beast's entire body.
Ye Ling thought to herself that once the Qingyun Grand Tournament concluded and she went to train in the surrounding kingdoms, she would collect more high-quality demon cores for Cang Si to use in her cultivation.
Cang Si replied somewhat reluctantly, “Alright.”
However, while her demonic sense still kept an eye on that inner sect disciple surnamed Li, she also remained firmly locked onto the Gu insects hidden inside Feng Yao's body, reluctant to avert her gaze.
Next, the Second True Disciple, Leng Feng, stepped forward.
The heavy sword hung diagonally at his waist. With every step he took, the scabbard vibrated gently, emitting a low hum.
He strode up to Ye Ling and spoke in a loud, hearty voice, “Hello, Junior Sister Ye Ling. I have heard of your great name for a long time. I am the Second True Disciple, Leng Feng.”
He sized Ye Ling up from head to toe, his expression carrying a hint of appreciation that a senior had for a junior.
“Junior Sister Ye, this session of the Qingyun Grand Tournament is full of experts. Even though your talent is peerless, you are still too young after all.”
“This time, just follow Senior Sister Lin and me to observe various opponents and gather some experience in arena combat.”
In his heart, Leng Feng highly acknowledged Ye Ling's talent. It was just that in his view, Ye Ling's cultivation time was too short, and her foundation was somewhat lacking.
In this grand tournament, if she could break into the top ten, it would already be an immense harvest. The next tournament would be the stage where Ye Ling truly shone.
Coiled on her wrist, Cang Si raised her head slightly and quietly sent a soul transmission to Ye Ling.
“Sister, this guy actually looks down on you. When the matches start, you must absolutely prove yourself to him!”
Ye Ling gently touched Cang Si's cold scales with her fingertip. Feeling no resentment in her heart, she slightly cupped her hands.
“Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother Leng. I will keep it in mind.”
Seeing her humble and respectful attitude, Leng Feng nodded with satisfaction before carrying his heavy sword and striding back into the ranks of the True Disciples.
At this point, on the deck of the Canglan Flying Boat Sword, only the First True Disciple, Lin Wanqing, had yet to step forward and formally introduce herself to Ye Ling.
The gazes of all the surrounding disciples quietly gathered on them.
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