Chapter 198: Chapter 198: The Grand Competition Begins

DONG... DONG... DONG...

A few deep tolls of a bell shattered the morning tranquility. In their wake, the disciples of the Five Elements Sect began to stir. Countless streams of people converged, flowing toward the Sect’s martial arts arena in a grand and mighty procession. Today was the day of the Five Elements Sect’s Grand Competition!

Within the Yao Sect, however, it was already deserted. Most of its members had returned to their respective Halls. The Sect Grand Competition was based on a Hall-by-Hall system, and the results of this tournament would determine the rankings of each Hall, so all the members had been recalled.

Shen Haoran stepped out of the Cultivation Room and took a deep breath of fresh air. The pallor was gone from his face, replaced by a much healthier, ruddy complexion. It seemed the past few days of rest had allowed him to recover the majority of what he had lost from using Spiritual Thought Creation.

"Brother Shen, you’re out!" Just as Shen Haoran was stretching his body, Long Zhen’s voice came from outside the door.

Following the voice, the two brothers, Long Zhen and Long Mo, walked in with Elder Huo. The three of them looked at Shen Haoran with warm smiles. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Shen Haoran was a little surprised to see them. ’A faint pressure is emanating from Long Zhen. Judging by his aura, he must have broken through to Tier Seven Spirit General. It seems that Three Pure Spirit Pill with the Pill Pattern was quite effective!’

When he looked at Long Mo, Shen Haoran was stunned. He found that he couldn’t see through Long Mo’s cultivation at all. However, a subtle sense of oppression coming from him told Shen Haoran that the current Long Mo was incredibly powerful!

"Looks like you two have made great strides in your cultivation!" Shen Haoran said with a smile.

"Haha, it’s all thanks to Brother Shen’s Three Pure Spirit Pill! If I’d had more time, I could have even broken through to Tier Eight Spirit General!" Long Zhen said excitedly, clenching his fists.

"Don’t force it. It’s best to let nature take its course. The path is walked one step at a time; don’t expect to get everything at once," Long Mo said lightly, his tone admonishing.

Hearing this, Long Zhen made a face at Long Mo. ’My older brother is so annoying!’ Shen Haoran couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

Looking at the three vibrant young men before him, Elder Huo felt much younger himself. After sensing the auras emanating from them, the smile on his face deepened. ’With their strength, they should be able to achieve good results in the Sect Grand Competition this time!’

"Alright, it’s getting late. We need to hurry to the Central Martial Arts Arena!" Elder Huo interrupted the three of them, urging them on.

The three acknowledged and followed Elder Huo toward the Sect’s Central Martial Arts Arena.

The Central Martial Arts Arena was the largest structure in the entire Five Elements Sect. Upon a vast plaza, ten enormous, circular platforms were built. They were arranged together to form a flower-like pattern, creating a grand and beautiful sight. Surrounding the stone platforms were layer upon layer of spectator seats. The tiered construction was reminiscent of a beast fighting arena: the fighting grounds at the bottom, surrounded by stands on all sides.

By the time Shen Haoran’s group of four arrived at the arena, the place was already packed. The spectator seats were filled with disciples of the Five Elements Sect, and on the ten platforms, the disciples from the other four Halls were already in position.

Elder Huo led Shen Haoran and the two brothers to land on one of the stone platforms, taking their place in the Red Flame Hall’s designated area.

The scene on the platforms was rather strange. The areas for the four major Halls were bustling and crowded, but the Red Flame Hall’s section was starkly empty. Including their leader, Elder Huo, there were only four people. The difference in numbers was glaring.

Shen Haoran glanced around and spotted a few familiar faces. Over in the Linglong Hall’s area, Shui Ruolan smiled and nodded at him. In the Thick Earth Hall’s section, Zi Mo and Su Xing were also present.

At the same time, Shen Haoran felt several hostile gazes fixed on him. They came from Elder Mu Feng and Mu Feiyu of the Cyan Wood Hall, as well as Xue Gong. Gou Shi from Linglong Hall, Fan Zhu from Thick Earth Hall, and Xie Chen from Golden Sun Hall were among them as well. It seemed all these people were members of the Chen Alliance.

Sensing their unfriendly stares, Shen Haoran chose to simply ignore them. ’The Chen Alliance and the Yao Sect are already like fire and water. It would be stranger if they actually showed me any kindness!’

Just as Shen Haoran was observing the disciples of the four major Halls, a dissonant voice rang out.

"Hmph, your Red Flame Hall really puts on airs, making so many of us wait for you," Mu Feng snorted coldly, glancing at Elder Huo.

"What? If you don’t want to wait, you can go ahead and announce the start of the Grand Competition!" Elder Huo shot Mu Feng a look, retorting bluntly without a shred of courtesy.

At these words, Mu Feng’s face darkened, and he could only let out another cold snort. ’Only the Sect Leader has the authority to declare the start of the Grand Competition. Even if I had ten times the nerve, I wouldn’t dare do such a thing!’

Seeing Mu Feng silenced by his words, Elder Huo gave him a cool glance and snorted, "Hmph. You’re still too green to mess with me."

"The Sect Leader is here!" Watching Elder Huo and his counterpart trade barbs the moment they saw each other, She Hall Master shook his head helplessly before looking up at the sky and announcing.

Hearing this, everyone turned their gazes to the sky. There, dressed in magnificent robes, Chen Yu descended slowly, walking on empty air.

Seeing Chen Yu walk upon the void, the eyes of everyone present filled with fervent admiration. A Spirit Emperor Powerhouse, treading through the air—Chen Yu was truly worthy of being the most powerful existence in the Five Elements Sect!

"Greetings, Sect Leader!"

Upon seeing Chen Yu, all the disciples shouted in unison, their deafening voices echoing endlessly throughout the martial arts arena.

Chen Yu waved his hand, signaling for everyone to dispense with the formalities. He glanced at the disciples of the four major Halls standing on the platforms and began to speak. "Today is the Five Elements Sect’s triennial Grand Competition. Any disciple at the Spirit General Tier is eligible to participate!

"Due to the large number of participants, the competition will be divided among ten arenas. Your opponents will be decided by drawing lots!

"Furthermore, this Grand Competition is the most prestigious one in decades. The Sect has not been stingy and has prepared generous prizes for the winners!

"The top 500 contestants will earn the right to enter the Dragon and Tiger List. The top 100 will be granted one day of access to the third floor of the Sect’s Library Pavilion, where they may choose any one Martial Skill. The top 50 will receive a Sixth Grade Elixir and the right to use a Celestial Level Cultivation Room for half a year! And the top 20 will be given the opportunity to enter the Sect Secret Realm to pursue their cultivation for one month!"

The moment Chen Yu’s words fell, a massive uproar swept through the crowd below.

"A Sixth Grade Elixir? The right to use a Celestial Level Cultivation Room for half a year? These rewards are too generous!"

"And cultivation in the Sect Secret Realm... The Sect is actually going to open the Secret Realm early for the top twenty?"

"The Sect has really spared no expense this time. It seems there are a lot of promising talents in this generation!"

On the stone platforms, the contestants also stared at Chen Yu with fiery gazes. Never mind how many powerful Martial Skills were on the third floor of the Library Pavilion—that single Sixth Grade Elixir was enough to make them green with envy, to say nothing of half a year in a Celestial Level Cultivation Room or the Sect Secret Realm!

At that moment, a formidable battle intent erupted from every contestant. For that Sixth Grade Elixir, for half a year in a Celestial Level Cultivation Room, they would risk their lives to fight their way into the top fifty!

Sensing the stirred-up atmosphere below, a slight smile touched the corners of Chen Yu’s lips. He then announced loudly, "Now, the Sect Grand Competition officially begins!"