"HAHAHA... Qingfeng is too funny! He actually brought a cow with him to join the battle."
"Look at that dress, WOW... How could she even wear that out?"
"Truly the clown of the cultivation world!"
"Incredible!"
The sounds of discussion and ridicule were unceasing...
But Chen Pingping turned a deaf ear, as if blind to it all. He didn't care about these things. As long as Guang Xiaoyu secured one of the top ten spots, all the jeers and mockery would be crushed.
True power is the only truth.
So for now, laugh!
With a calm expression, he walked towards the square above, holding Hei.
The master of Snow Storm Peak laughed and said, "Chen, that cow of yours seems quite well-fed!"
Chen Pingping smiled in response, "The grass on Qingfeng is good."
"Have you named it?" asked the Wanjian Peak Master with a smile. "I think... it should have its own name. After all, it is a part of Qingfeng."
"Yes, it's called Lao Huang," responded Chen Pingping composedly.
At the side, Baili Jiansan's mouth twitched.
HAHA!
The master of Snow Storm Peak laughed heartily, "That's a good name."
Chen Pingping could naturally detect the mockery in their words, but he didn't mind. He held onto the same belief: strong power can prove everything. And everyone who looked down on Lao Huang would pay the price.
Taking a deep breath, Baili Jiansan asked quietly, "What's going on? Doesn't Qingfeng have any clothes for Guang Xiaoyu?"
Not even prepared to maintain a basic image. Is this a sign of giving up on the competition?
He was profoundly disappointed in Chen Pingping.
CLANG!
Above the square, a bronze bell rang, instantly quieting the entire area.
A middle-aged Steward stepped forward and announced some of the competition rules in a loud voice. Most of the principles were unchanged, with only a few exceptions, one of which was the combat mode.
A Disciple from Jiuli Peak would be sent out. They would accept the challenge from a Wanjian Peak Disciple. The winner would then face a challenge from a Snow Storm Peak Disciple, and finally from Qingfeng...
The order was: Jiuli Peak, Wanjian Peak, Snow Storm Peak, Qingfeng.
This meant that in every rotation of three, each peak had to send out a Disciple to fight.
The loser would have all their qualifications revoked. The winner would enter the next phase, or... they could choose to continue fighting.
There were two modes. First, the winner could prepare for the next stage. Second, to preserve their peak's strength, a Disciple could continue fighting to wear down the enemy's power.
Among the Wuji Sect's new generation, there were more than two hundred people. After the first Reincarnation, each peak would have to go through approximately fifty battles.
Jiuli Peak, Wanjian Peak, and Snow Storm Peak were fine since they had many new Disciples, evenly distributed. However, Qingfeng only had one person.
This meant that in the first Reincarnation, Guang Xiaoyu alone had to withstand fifty battles.
Very tough.
Unbelievably tough.
The first Reincarnation: fifty battles.
In the second Reincarnation, there would be only about a hundred people left, battling twenty-five times.
After the third Reincarnation, just over fifty people would remain, fighting about twelve times.
The fourth Reincarnation... only twenty-some people would be left...
This meant if Guang Xiaoyu wanted to secure a place among the top ten, she had to go through three Reincarnations of battles, nearing ninety bouts in total. Only by entering the fourth Reincarnation of combat could she vie for the top ten.
Moreover, among these ninety or so battles, she couldn't afford to lose even once.
Very unfair.
But... Guang Xiaoyu never believed there was such a thing as "fairness" in this world, for she was the Demon Emperor.
Chen Pingping silently watched her. "Junior Sister Xiaoyu, this is your first trial. Win or lose, your Senior Brother will stand behind you."
The only consolation was that not all the new Disciples had reached the Breaking Sun Realm. Guang Xiaoyu's strength at the fifth level of the Breaking Sun Realm was enough to crush over eighty percent of the new Disciples. Out of ninety fights, she only needed to take about twenty seriously.
"Begin the fight!" the middle-aged Steward's voice echoed in the plaza.
The first combatant was a new Disciple from Jiuli Peak. The challenger was a Disciple from Wanjian Peak.
As the opening match of the Newcomers' Competition, their battle naturally attracted much attention. However, it ended quickly. The battle had just begun, and they wouldn't reveal their strongest trump cards, as the early fights featured new Disciples who had not yet reached the Breaking Sun Realm.
About ten minutes later, it was finally Qingfeng's turn.
The atmosphere in the arena changed abruptly. Most eyes settled on Guang Xiaoyu, partly out of curiosity. Wasn't this girl's aptitude supposed to be poor? How did she manage to reach the Breaking Sun Realm?
On the other hand, they were eager to see how far Guang Xiaoyu could go.
The three Peak Masters were calm and composed, smiles on their faces. Baili Jiansan silently sighed.
Guang Xiaoyu strode forward, glanced at the young man, and said, "You might as well just surrender!"
The young man was stunned and couldn't help but say, "We haven't even started fighting, and you're telling me to surrender?"
Isn't that a bit too much?
BANG!
Guang Xiaoyu couldn't be bothered with idle chatter. Raising her hand, her wooden sword came crashing down with a force he couldn't possibly withstand, severely injuring him on the spot.
Foaming at the mouth, the young man fainted.
"Hmm, this girl does have some strength."
"A cultivation at the fifth level of the Breaking Sun Realm can crush many new Disciples in the early stages, but... it'll get harder later on."
People weren't surprised by Guang Xiaoyu's first fight. After all, Qingfeng had only her as a new Disciple. All the cultivation resources were concentrated on her; even a pig would probably show some strength under those conditions.
The middle-aged Steward announced loudly, "Qingfeng's Guang Xiaoyu wins! Next up is—"
"Wait a minute!" Guang Xiaoyu interrupted him. "I choose to continue fighting."
Everyone was taken aback. The three previously calm and composed Peak Masters suddenly became tense.
No matter how unassuming Guang Xiaoyu might seem, she was still a cultivator at the fifth level of the Breaking Sun Realm. If she insisted on continuing the battles, then the Three Peaks couldn't send out new Disciples with lower cultivation levels. They might have to deploy those above the fifth level of the Breaking Sun Realm, or even a few of those regarded as genius trump cards.
Yet the Newcomers' Competition has just started! Not even the first Reincarnation has finished! To rashly deploy their trump cards... it might affect the struggle for the top ten spots later on!
Moreover, fighting consecutively wasn't a good choice for Guang Xiaoyu.
What was she aiming for?
"Xiaoyu," the Jiuli Peak Master forced a smile, "won't you rest for a bit? You've just had a big fight. You must be tired, right?"
"Yeah! Yeah!" the Wanjian Peak Master chimed in.
Baili Jiansan, standing to the side, wore a peculiar expression. He glanced at them, then looked towards Chen Pingping.
This guy has been calm from the moment he entered, seemingly very confident that Xiaoyu can win a place in the top ten.
Guang Xiaoyu smiled and said, "No need, I'm not tired."
Is this a question of being tired? The Newcomers' Competition has only just started, and you're forcing them to use their trump cards! What happens when the strength of the trump cards is mostly depleted? If only a bunch of new Disciples who haven't even reached the Breaking Sun Realm are left for the later stages, how can the competition go on?
The three Peak Masters' faces darkened as they looked at Chen Pingping in unison. "Chen, I think Xiaoyu doesn't quite understand the rules of the competition! She has just finished a fight and is actually allowed to rest."