Chapter 205: Chapter 203: A Change in the Rules

The Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Outer Sect Grand Competition.

This was an unprecedented event. All the Outer Sect Disciples of the Saint Martial Sword Sect had gathered before the Earth Martial Hall.

Even some masters from the Inner Sect would descend to spectate.

The ten Outer Sect Elders, the three Law Enforcement Elders from the Law Enforcement Hall, the Tower Guardian Elder, and one hundred ordinary Elders... a total of one hundred and fourteen Elder Level powerhouses at the Heavenly Destiny Realm would all be in attendance.

Even the Royal Family of the Saint Martial Dynasty would dispatch masters to observe the battles.

This was a grand competition among the Outer Sect Disciples of the Saint Martial Sword Sect, but it was also a clash between the most outstanding members of the Saint Martial Dynasty’s younger generation.

Naturally, the Saint Martial Dynasty paid it extra attention.

"So it is Prince Gong who graces us with his presence. I never expected the Royal Family to send you this time. Please forgive me for not giving you a proper welcome!" Grand Elder Zong Rui of the Outer Sect said with a placid smile to the middle-aged man in python robes who had appeared before him.

This man was none other than the master of the Martial Arts Arena, Prince Gong of the Saint Martial Dynasty!

Prince Gong wore a smile that was both gentle and imposing. He said, "Elder Zong, you are too kind! The Saint Martial Sword Sect is the pillar of our dynasty. If not for his busy schedule, my Imperial Brother would have been prepared to come personally."

"His Majesty? Hehe, he would probably only descend for the Celestial Fate Hunting!" Grand Elder Zong Rui laughed.

The Emperor of the Saint Martial Dynasty!

He was a wise sovereign of his generation, a magnificent ruler with grand ambitions and great talent.

He was ranked second on the Celestial List, a formidable existence second only to the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Sect Master. How could he possibly lower himself to appear for a group of Outer Sect Disciples who were below the Heavenly Destiny Realm?

Zong Rui was also well aware that these were merely Prince Gong’s polite pleasantries.

Prince Gong smiled faintly without denying it. He sat beside Zong Rui, his calm gaze sweeping over the dense, black-clad crowd of Outer Sect Disciples outside the Earth Martial Hall. He raised an eyebrow. "Elder Zong, this king has heard that among this batch of Outer Sect Disciples, there’s a new disciple named Jiang Chen. I wonder where he might be?"

"Jiang Chen?"

Zong Rui was taken aback, his expression changing slightly.

As the Grand Elder of the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Outer Sect, Zong Rui wielded great power. At the same time, he was also a member of the Celestial Alliance.

He was, of course, aware of the ’Blood-colored Killing Order’ issued by the Celestial Alliance. The target of that Killing Order seemed to be Jiang Chen. Elder Zong’s thoughts raced: ’Jiang Chen is the man the Celestial Alliance wants to kill. If Prince Gong intends to protect him, it will cause a lot of trouble. Hmm, I should probe a little and see what exactly the relationship between Jiang Chen and Prince Gong is!’

A glint flashed in Zong Rui’s eyes. He smiled and said, "There are too many people here, so this old man doesn’t know where Jiang Chen is either. However, the little fellow’s talent and strength are quite impressive. Not long ago, he defeated Lu Jie, one of the top ten prodigies of the Outer Sect. Prince Gong, do you know the little fellow?"

"We’ve met once before!"

Prince Gong chuckled and said no more.

After Jiang Chen broke the winning streak record at the Martial Arts Arena, previously held by Lan Haichen, Prince Gong had sent people to investigate Jiang Chen in secret.

He learned of Jiang Chen’s identity and, more importantly, the feud between him and Jiang Ziyou.

The current Jiang Ziyou was at the height of her power, serving as the handpicked representative of Saint Child Lan Haichen and controlling all of the Celestial Alliance’s affairs.

Originally, after learning of the grudge between Jiang Chen and Jiang Ziyou, Prince Gong had weighed the pros and cons and decided against trying to win Jiang Chen over. After all, although Jiang Chen was exceptionally talented, offending Lan Haichen for his sake would do more harm than good.

It was only after Jiang Chen’s decisive victory over Lu Jie that Prince Gong changed his mind and came to the Saint Martial Sword Sect in person.

The man before him, Zong Rui, was a member of the Celestial Alliance. Prince Gong would naturally not tell him the truth.

Zong Rui cursed ’Wily old fox’ under his breath, gave a faint "Oh," and said with a smile, "Prince Gong, please wait a moment. They will all make their appearance shortly!"

"Mm."

Prince Gong closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

Zong Rui remained expressionless. He glanced at the Third Elder beside him. The Third Elder nodded, rose to his feet, and his powerful voice boomed, echoing above the Earth Martial Hall: "The Celestial Fate Hunting is approaching. The Sword Sect is hereby holding a Grand Competition for Outer Sect Disciples. All who are Outer Sect Disciples may participate!"

The moment these words were spoken, an uproar erupted throughout the Earth Martial Hall.

"Didn’t they used to divide it into three tiers? One tier for new disciples in their first year, one for disciples within three years, and one for disciples within ten years... Why have the rules suddenly changed this year?"

"If the competition isn’t divided into tiers, doesn’t that mean new disciples will have to compete on the same stage as those old-timers?"

"Isn’t that too unfair?"

"Damn it! I thought I had a chance to break into the top ten for disciples within three years. Now, it looks like I’ll be lucky to even make the top five hundred."

One by one, the Outer Sect Disciples showed looks of dissatisfaction, but they dared not voice their anger.

Only those disciples who had been in the sect longer showed expressions of joy.

The experts from the Celestial Alliance, however, revealed an icy chill.

They all knew perfectly well why the rules for the Outer Sect Grand Competition had been changed!

In the crowd...

Lui Yifa’s face was filled with anger. In a low voice, he said, "Boss, this change in rules will have a huge impact on you!"

Jiang Chen had defeated Lu Jie, one of the top ten prodigies of the Outer Sect.

With his strength, he could have easily taken first place among the new disciples. But now that the rules had changed, Jiang Chen’s opponents would be the older disciples who had been in the Sword Sect for years, and even existences on the level of the top ten prodigies.

This undoubtedly created immense difficulty for Jiang Chen to win the championship!

Jiang Chen smiled faintly, a cold look on his face. He said coolly, "Only the weak need the protection of rules... No matter how they change them, they can’t stop me from moving forward."

’Change the rules? To limit me?’

’How ridiculous!’

’The Celestial Alliance, is it?’

’Your faction is so powerful you can even influence a grand event like the Outer Sect Grand Competition, but so what? If one master from your Celestial Alliance comes, I’ll kill one. If a pair comes, I’ll slaughter a pair!’

RUMBLE!

A terrifying clap of thunder suddenly echoed from the horizon.

A young man wreathed in purple arcs of electricity, treading on a cloud of lightning, walked through the air. The terrifying shockwave he generated forced many of the experts below to hastily move away.

"Zhong Yi, ninth among the top ten prodigies? I heard he awakened a Profound Tier Ninth Grade Martial Soul and has incredible combat power!"

"Zhong Yi is here, so the other top ten prodigies should be arriving soon!"

Before his voice had even faded, a long cry came from the horizon, "Zhong Yi, you certainly got here quick!"

It was two young men, standing side-by-side.

The vital energy emanating from them was like a rainbow—surging and tempestuous. Both were incredibly formidable existences, each stronger than Lu Jie.

Lui Yifa’s expression changed slightly. "Boss, those two are Hex Junchen and Sunx Yang, ranked seventh and eighth among the top ten prodigies. Like Zhong Yi, they are both masters from the Celestial Alliance."

"Mm, the three of them are quite strong," Jiang Chen nodded, his expression calm.

Suddenly, his gaze flickered. He looked toward the eastern sky, where a young man in long, flowing robes approached, riding on a longsword.

Ethereal, transcendent, like a Sword Immortal soaring through the clouds!

The sixth-ranked of the top ten prodigies, Ruan Lingyun!

Following him, more and more experts appeared. Qiu Yunbo, ranked fifth, and Lin Feifei, ranked fourth, both arrived one after another.

When Lin Feifei descended before the Earth Martial Hall, she was met with a tsunami of shrieks. She was one of the four great beauties of the Saint Martial Sword Sect, a goddess in the hearts of many.

"Lin Feifei’s pretty popular, huh!" Jiang Chen clicked his tongue.

As if sensing his gaze, Lin Feifei glanced over at Jiang Chen and nodded slightly. However, her eyes held a complex mix of emotions: admiration, a sigh of regret, and perhaps pity...

Not long ago, Jiang Chen had tied Lan Haichen’s record in the Earth Martial Hall.

That, coupled with Elder Qii taking a liking to Jiang Chen, had made Lin Feifei feel that he had a boundless future.

It was just a pity...

...that Jiang Chen had offended the Celestial Alliance.

In Lin Feifei’s eyes, this was a suicidal path, and he was undoubtedly doomed. Naturally, her enthusiasm had cooled.

Before long, more experts arrived...