Sect Competition

The statement was flawless, leaving no room for doubt or suspicion, and virtually devoid of loopholes.

“Oh, so such things exist? Do you know what these colors represent?” Yuemei asked, a hint of curiosity in her tone.

“Hmm, I only know that red aura signifies anger, and cyan aura represents fear. I’m still contemplating the meanings of the other colors,” Ye Qingyun replied, deliberately vague, leaving them to guess at the truth and falsehood in his words.

Yuemei and the others were formidable cultivators, well-traveled and experienced. Given that demonic cultivation itself involved similar powers, it wasn’t difficult for them to make comparisons.

Thus, Yuemei ventured a question.

“Is that so? Then, what colors do you perceive from the three of us?”

Seeing this, Ye Qingyun subtly raised his head, glancing at Liu Ningxue and the other two. He quickly discerned their colors. Ziling’s aura was a void-like white, indicating no emotional fluctuations whatsoever.

Such a person possessed an exceptionally strong mind, a formidable opponent Ye Qingyun couldn’t yet contend with.

Liu Ningxue’s aura was a deep, intense cyan, signifying that her heart was currently consumed by fear. This, Ye Qingyun could understand.

As for Yuemei, her aura was a vibrant pink, the color of affection. This affection wasn’t necessarily love, but rather a profound admiration for someone.

At this moment, Yuemei harbored deep appreciation for Ye Qingyun, which manifested as this joyful hue.

“Hmm, the Supreme Elder’s mind presents as white, Protector Yue’s is pink, and the Sect Master’s is cyan,” Ye Qingyun stated, quickly lowering his head.

As these words left his lips, Liu Ningxue and the other two were stunned. Even Ziling showed a flicker of surprise.

Yuemei’s joyful aura intensified even further.

“Heh heh, indeed, Sister Ziling. This girl’s ability to perceive one’s emotional state is truly rare.

Legend has it that a century ago, there was a Seven Emotions Immortal who mastered a method of controlling living beings’ seven emotions and six desires. If my guess isn’t wrong, she also possesses this power,” Yuemei said, smiling at Ziling.

Ziling nodded in agreement, yet her gaze toward Ye Qingyun remained tinged with suspicion.

“Hmm, since we now know what power it is, you may return,” Ziling said, directly gesturing for Ye Qingyun to leave.

Seeing this, Ye Qingyun was naturally overjoyed and swiftly departed from the Five Poisons Sect’s main hall.

After he left, Yuemei began discussing Ye Qingyun with Ziling.

“Sister Ziling, this girl… even during the Five Poisons Sect’s heyday, she would be perfectly capable of holding the Saintess position. I think she’s the one,” Yuemei suggested again.

However, Ziling remained hesitant. The position of Saintess was far too crucial. If Ye Qingyun were to ascend, they would have to relinquish power.

This was no mere puppet they were elevating; in their hearts, the Saintess was the future leader of the sect, holding a status comparable to the Five Poisons Sect Master.

Ye Qingyun had been quite startled just now, though he had managed to appear calm. The moment he exited the main hall, he let out a sigh of relief.

‘That gave me a fright! Thankfully, I managed to bluff my way through,’ Ye Qingyun sighed.

He then returned to his residence.

The days of cultivation passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, several months had gone by. Repeating the same routines made time feel indistinct.

Ye Qingyun practiced combat daily in the training grounds, and he was now unequivocally recognized as the top new disciple. To this point, no one had managed to fully grasp the extent of his abilities.

[Prompt: Player has gained a special identity, rewarded with the title: First Among Entry-Level Disciples. Sect Reputation +100]

[Title: First Among Entry-Level Disciples. Sect movement speed +10%, reputation gain +30%, sect quest rewards increased by 10%]

[Prompt: Sect Reputation System has been activated]

These system prompts momentarily stunned Ye Qingyun. He quickly examined his newly acquired rewards. The title was excellent; though intangible, upon “equipping” it, he felt his movement speed dramatically increase.

His pace became remarkably swift. As for the reputation, he needed to take a closer look at that.

Ye Qingyun quickly opened the reputation system. It was similar to the Jianghu Experience system, allowing him to exchange for many items, such as Cultivation Conversion Pills, True Qi Conversion Pills, equipment, cultivation techniques, and martial arts.

However, he needed to increase his reputation. How was reputation acquired? This depended on Ye Qingyun’s standing within the Five Poisons Sect.

His current Sect Reputation totaled 1200 points, classifying him as a Tier 1 identity.

The items available for exchange at Tier 1 were not particularly impressive. To gain more Sect Reputation, he needed to complete quests, but the daily sect quest system had not yet been activated.

For now, there was nothing he could do. As for his thousand-plus reputation points, Ye Qingyun exchanged them all for Cultivation Conversion Pills. He needed to focus entirely on improving his internal cultivation.

And now, Ye Qingyun’s information panel.

Name: Ye Qingyun

Faction: Demonic Path

Age: 19

Realm: Proficient Mastery

Title: [First Among Entry-Level Disciples]

Attributes: [Serpent Charm Art (Tenth Level) Arm Strength: 45, Agility: 60, Physique: 40, Internal Energy: 80, Aura: 50]

[Internal Art Effect: Attacks have a chance to disorient enemies]

Meridians: Ren (9), Du (9), Chong (9), Dai (9), Yin Qiao (9), Yang Qiao (9), Yin Wei (9), Yang Wei (9)

Sect: Five Poisons Sect

Five Poisons Sect Identity: Junior Disciple (Tier 1)

Equipment: Five Poisons Skirt (Identity Set), Rose Dancer’s Garb (Lifestyle Identity Set)

Cultivation Techniques: Five Poisons Heart Technique (Sixth Level), Creation Art (Fifteenth Level), Serpent Charm Art (Tenth Level), Seven Emotions and Six Desires Art (4 incomplete scrolls)

Special Talent: Blood Spirit Demonic Eyes

Skills: Basic Swordplay (Martial), Five Poisons Palm (Martial), Viper Palm (Martial), Charm (Pupil Technique)

Wealth: 230 Gold, 980 Silver, 550 Copper.

Ye Qingyun’s eight fundamental meridians were all fully upgraded, leading to a certain increase in his attributes. However, he had reached a bottleneck and wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed with his cultivation.

He only knew that combat could continuously enhance his True Qi.

[World Prompt: Major sects have initiated Sect Grand Assembly events! All players who have joined a sect can participate. Rewards include large amounts of sect contribution, sect reputation, and various other prizes. As activities differ between sects, players should observe their respective sect events.]

The system’s notification sound echoed in Ye Qingyun’s ears once more.

After this system alert, a “Sect Events” tab appeared in Ye Qingyun’s sect interface, with the “Sect Grand Assembly” glowing brightly.

Ye Qingyun quickly checked the event details.

Upon reviewing the event, it was essentially a martial arts competition organized by the sect, offering extremely generous rewards such as abundant Cultivation Conversion Pills, Cultivation Pills, and more.

Ye Qingyun was certainly going to participate in this.

Just then, Liu Ningxue of the Five Poisons Sect suddenly announced a grand martial arts competition among the five major factions. This was ostensibly to test the entry-level disciples’ cultivation progress.

In truth, Ziling and the others wished to observe the capabilities of these new disciples.

Ye Qingyun, however, was unsure if this was genuinely a system-driven event.

Soon after, at the Five Poisons Sect’s training grounds, all disciples who had been out returned. This competition was mandatory for all disciples, divided into three tiers: entry-level, intermediate, and advanced disciples.

The advanced disciples were the seasoned veterans of the Five Poisons Sect, far beyond what Ye Qingyun and his peers could contend with.

“Disciples, starting tomorrow, the sect will hold a martial arts tournament for entry-level, intermediate, and advanced disciples. The top ten in each group will receive abundant rewards. We will set up three arenas. I hope all disciples strive to perform well,” Liu Ningxue announced.

Ye Qingyun and the others were quite surprised by this announcement. A martial arts tournament was certainly a good thing.

“Heh heh, Sister, the top spot among entry-level disciples is surely yours. You are, after all, the First Among Entry-Level Disciples,” Mo Qinyin remarked.

The competition stage for new disciples genuinely held little interest. They hadn’t cultivated for long, knew few techniques, and even the strongest wouldn’t surpass the Proficient Mastery realm.

Furthermore, Ye Qingyun currently possessed the highest cultivation, having reached Proficient Mastery. Almost all the more formidable entry-level disciples had already fought him and proved to be no match.

“My name is Li Qing, an advanced disciple of the Five Poisons Sect. I will be the referee for your third arena. The rule is simple: unleash your full power, hold nothing back. If you cannot win, you may concede,” the woman on the arena stage said, sweeping her gaze over Ye Qingyun and the others.

Hearing this, Ye Qingyun felt momentarily speechless. What kind of rule was that? Was there any difference from having no rules at all?

He, however, was indifferent. If there were true restrictions, it would be truly boring—not being able to use this or that. How was one supposed to play then?

“Alright, the first round begins. When your name is called, step onto the stage,” Li Qing stated coldly.

After speaking, she opened a booklet. This so-called “drawing lots” simply meant the referees randomly selected names from the roster.

She glanced at it, then called out two names.

“Chen Yan, Ding Ling.”

After the names were announced, two more female disciples immediately stepped forward. It appeared they were disciples from the Heavenly Centipede and Purple Scorpion factions.

Once on stage, the two merely observed each other. Li Qing immediately retreated, standing at the edge with her eyes closed in contemplation, clearly uninterested in watching an entry-level disciple’s battle.

“Blood Poison Palm!” Chen Yan initiated the attack, unleashing a crimson palm print.

Ding Ling swiftly retreated, simultaneously opening her mouth to exhale a puff of purple poisonous gas. The gas rapidly collided with the crimson palm print, directly corroding it away.

Poison could dissolve blood, which put Ding Ling at a disadvantage.

After the poisonous gas corroded her palm print, tiny insects drifted out from the toxic mist. Disciples of the Scorpion Spirit faction were skilled at controlling venomous insects to attack enemies.

These venomous insects resembled small scorpions, appearing quite unsettling.

Seeing this, Chen Yan’s expression stiffened. She simultaneously launched several blood palm prints, striking down the venomous insects. However, their numbers were too vast, and they quickly swarmed her.

With no other choice, she could only flee. The sparring sessions during this period had given them some understanding of the various factions, and Scorpion Spirit faction’s venomous insects were absolutely not to be touched.

“Can you escape?” Ding Ling sneered, then changed her hand seals—these were the seals for controlling venomous insects.

As the hand seals changed, the venomous insects immediately accelerated. No matter how Chen Yan tried to escape, she was ultimately caught, as the arena was only so large.

Finding herself with no retreat, Chen Yan hardened her resolve. She opened her mouth and bit her own wrist, causing blood to immediately gush forth. She then scattered the blood in all directions.

“Poison Blood Skyfall!” she roared simultaneously.

Subsequently, the blood suddenly erupted in dazzling crimson light. Under this light, Ding Ling’s venomous insects were rapidly annihilated. The technique covered a vast area, leaving the insects no path to escape.