Chapter 78: The Outer Sect Grand Competition

Life had been peaceful during this period. Fang Ling often brought food for Lin Hao, saving him much effort and allowing him to immerse himself wholly in his studies. For some reason, ever since he reached the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, Lin Hao rarely felt hunger—sometimes he could go two or three days without eating and not feel the slightest pang.

A month later...

A deep, sonorous bell tolled. Lin Hao was standing on the open ground outside his cave dwelling, holding a sword of deep blue that gleamed with a biting cold light. Suddenly, he hurled the sword toward a spot halfway up the mountain. It flew like an arrow released from a bowstring, embedding itself in the slope. Instantly, a thick frost spread out, blanketing a wide area. Under its chill, the trees were heard to shatter with a crisp crack, crumbling into icy powder.

“It’s done.” Watching from afar, Lin Hao’s eyes shone with satisfaction. The extreme cold sealed everything in its path—this was the perfect mastery of the Frost Technique!

For a moment, Lin Hao was filled with pride, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and gazing at the distant sky, his heart awash with emotion. Half a year ago, he had been a naive young man—who could have imagined that in just six months, he would become the foremost figure of the Outer Peaks of the Celestial Profound Sect? Aside from the enigmatic Ji Tianya, there was no one left in the Outer Peaks who could withstand a single blow from him.

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!” In the midst of Lin Hao’s reverie, a delighted voice called out. He looked up to see Fang Ling approaching, her white robes fluttering, long hair tied with a red cord, black strands dancing at her temples as she ran to him, beaming with excitement.

It was indeed Fang Ling.

“Senior Brother, the Outer Sect Grand Competition will begin in a month! I just heard it from some senior brothers on the mountain path.” Fang Ling gazed at Lin Hao, her eyes sparkling like little stars. “You’ve been at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation for some time now—you’ll definitely take first place!”

“Oh?” Lin Hao tousled Fang Ling’s hair with amusement, his gaze soft. “You should focus on your own cultivation, too. You run around all day—if I advance to the Inner Sect, who will look after you?”

“Ling’er can take care of herself!” Fang Ling pouted, mimicking Lin Hao’s proud stance as she gazed at the horizon, spiritual energy swirling around her. In her hand, a sword of pure energy took form. Cold air quickly condensed along the blade, and sweat beaded on her brow. Lin Hao, seeing this, placed his hand gently on her shoulder, sending his own spiritual energy to support her.

With Lin Hao’s energy bolstering her, Fang Ling relaxed, swinging her slender wrist to slash with her sword. The blade became a sweeping arc of biting cold, flying toward a distant tree.

“See? Ling’er can take care of herself!” Fang Ling stuck out her tongue playfully, her large eyes crinkling with a grin.

Lin Hao affectionately ruffled her hair again, saying nothing more. In this past month, he had reached the peak of the sixth layer, but the barrier to the seventh felt like an immovable mountain. No matter how many demon cores he consumed, he could not break through.

Fang Ling, on the other hand, had reached the third layer of Qi Condensation with his help—a feat that amazed Lin Hao, for her comprehension was nearly on par with his own! She had mastered the Frost Technique in just two days, and her understanding of the Qi-Guiding Technique had reached clarity. Yet thinking of his own talent, Lin Hao felt content. Sometimes, though, he wondered why he had never met a senior brother as good as himself.

Bai Chou, who had said he would be away for a while, had sent no word since. As for Chen Ping, his absence was unexpected, yet understandable—after all, as the top Inner Sect disciple, Chen Ping’s every move carried weight within the sect. If the sect allowed the Inner Sect to wantonly slaughter Outer Sect disciples, there would be far fewer left in the Outer Peaks.

Reflecting on this, Lin Hao realized that the more conspicuous he became in the sect, the less likely Chen Ping would dare act against him. If he kept a low profile, however, with so many Inner Sect disciples, the death of one or two would go unnoticed.

The news of Lin Hao’s resounding defeat of Chu Long had spread like wildfire through the Outer Peaks, as relayed by three Outer Peak disciples. Word of his duel with Ji Tianya had also gotten out, and the two were now regarded as the leading powers of the Outer Peaks.

Lower-ranked disciples, drawn by their reputation, often came to pay their respects. Lin Hao soon experienced the pleasures of effortless prosperity, but as the gifts piled up, he eventually had to close his doors to visitors. With that, attention shifted to Fang Ling, who, after consulting Lin Hao, cheerfully accepted these offerings.

As another month passed, Lin Hao’s spiritual energy grew increasingly dense—so much so that, upon close inspection, it rivaled or even surpassed that of disciples at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. This was thanks to his relentless cultivation: consuming demon cores, absorbing spirit stones, and refining his spiritual power. Though he had not broken through, he had reaped substantial benefits.

As for the three high-grade Qi Condensation artifacts gifted by Ji Tianya, Lin Hao had examined them carefully. Though not as powerful as his Sword of Heavenly Execution, they were far superior to the dozens of artifacts he had obtained from the Armory, and roughly on par with the three daggers.

Having pondered it deeply, Lin Hao was convinced that Ji Tianya was no ordinary person—generous, with bizarre techniques, and undoubtedly of extraordinary background, possibly even frightfully so. Though he sometimes made discreet inquiries among Outer Peak disciples, all he heard were scraps of rumor. No one knew when Ji Tianya had joined the sect; in fact, most only learned of him after Lin Hao’s defeat of Chu Long. Unable to unravel the mystery, Lin Hao simply kept it in mind.

The deep, resonant bell sounded again. Lin Hao slowly opened his eyes. Outside his cave, Fang Ling was already waiting.

Seeing her in snowy white robes, smiling sweetly, Lin Hao could not help but smile himself. Together, they made their way toward the Outer Peak plaza.

Along the way, many Outer Peak disciples were awestruck by Fang Ling’s beauty, but upon seeing her walking beside Lin Hao, they quickly averted their gazes, not daring to stare.

Though Lin Hao found it a little odd, he wore a teasing smile as he walked on. Fang Ling quietly followed by his side, her curious eyes taking in everything. Over the past two months, she had heard all about Lin Hao’s exploits since joining the sect and admired him deeply. Whenever she looked at the senior brother who had cared for her so well, her eyes always shone with admiration, as if filled with twinkling stars. Perhaps fearing Lin Hao would tire of her, she kept her budding feelings well hidden whenever they spoke.

“Senior Brother Lin is here!”

“It’s really him! Senior Brother Lin!”

“He’s so handsome... But why is the girl beside him so beautiful, too?”

Before long, Lin Hao and Fang Ling arrived at the plaza, feeling all the stares upon them. Lin Hao, a little embarrassed, found himself at a loss for words and could only stand quietly to the side, pretending nonchalance. Fang Ling remained at his side, chattering away about cultivation.

“Look! Senior Brother Ji is here too!”

“He’s so handsome...”

“Yes, he’s the only one who can rival Senior Brother Lin!”

As the crowd’s chatter rose again, a man in black Daoist robes entered the plaza—it was Ji Tianya. Ignoring the stares, he walked straight up to Lin Hao, smiling. “Brother Lin, it’s been a while. Your cultivation has improved again.”

“Not bad, just consolidating a little,” Lin Hao replied, nodding in greeting. By now, several disciples at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation had arrived; Lin Hao recognized two as those who had failed to ambush him on the day he refined his pill.

Those two, feeling Lin Hao’s gaze, shifted uneasily, not daring to meet his eyes. Just then, a man in Daoist robes suddenly appeared overhead, radiating a powerful aura that drew gasps from the crowd.

“Standing in mid-air—a Foundation Establishment expert! It’s Elder Zhong!” someone shouted, and everyone quickly bowed. Lin Hao and Ji Tianya respectfully cupped their fists.

The elder, dressed in Daoist robes with white hair and a long beard, exuded an ethereal, immortal air. With a kindly smile, he addressed the crowd, “This time, the Outer Sect Grand Competition will use a two-by-two advancement system. In the end, three disciples will be chosen for promotion to the Inner Sect.”

“Now, competing disciples, please come forward to draw lots.” With a wave of his hand, the elder released dozens of glowing spheres that floated in the air. Lin Hao and the others stepped forward to select theirs.

Curiously, apart from Lin Hao and Ji Tianya, all the competitors were at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation—there wasn’t a single fourth-layer disciple. But this was understandable, since the gap between the fourth, fifth, and sixth layers was vast and not easily crossed.

Only eighteen disciples stepped forward to draw lots. Once they had taken their numbers, they returned to their places to wait.

“Numbers one and two, enter the arena,” Elder Zhong announced from atop a high platform.

Two fifth-layer disciples quickly began their duel. Lin Hao glanced at his own token—number thirteen.

Suddenly, a scream rang out, startling everyone, including Elder Zhong. Lin Hao looked to see that the match had ended within a few breaths. Though Lin Hao hadn’t seen what happened, Fang Ling frowned and whispered, “Senior Brother, that man attacked his opponent while he was bowing—in the end, he killed him...”

Lin Hao shook his head and said quietly, “That’s how things are in the Outer Peaks. You must be careful in the future—your own strength is what matters most.”

“Mm... Ling’er will remember,” Fang Ling replied, her expression thoughtful. The killer calmly left the arena, waiting silently.

“Numbers three and four.” Elder Zhong’s voice betrayed no emotion as he called the next match. Lin Hao gave him a meaningful look, pondering the situation.

Shortly, another pair of fifth-layer disciples entered the ring. This time, they did not bow, instead eyeing each other warily in the wake of the earlier incident.

Time passed quickly. As more contestants fell, Lin Hao lost interest in the matches—not because there was nothing to learn, but because every victor either crushed their opponent with superior strength or resorted to underhanded tricks.

“Numbers thirteen and fourteen.” As another disciple fell, Elder Zhong called Lin Hao’s number. Lin Hao stepped into the arena.

His opponent was a frail-looking man.

“Please,” Lin Hao said, drawing a sword from his storage pouch rather than using the Sword of Heavenly Execution, and stood calmly with the blade in hand.

The man gave a slight bow, his eyes flashing slyly as spiritual energy surged around him and a layer of snake-like skin appeared on his body.

“Die!” he suddenly roared, eyes bloodshot as he lunged at Lin Hao, throwing a powerful punch. Lin Hao frowned and stepped forward to meet him, confident that with the density of his spiritual energy, no ordinary fifth-layer disciple could withstand his own forceful strike.

There was a dull thud as the man staggered back a dozen steps, while Lin Hao only shifted slightly.

“Possession of the Fire Serpent!”

The man bellowed, and waves of heat erupted around him, coalescing into a giant flaming serpent. The air grew stiflingly hot.

“Die!” With a shout and a flash of murderous intent, the man charged.

“Frost.” Lin Hao’s eyes turned cold as he uttered the word. His sword erupted with icy power, and in an instant, the arena was split between blazing fire and biting cold.

As the fire serpent closed in, Lin Hao raised his sword and slashed. A blinding arc of cold light swept out, blanketing the ground in frost.

The instant the two forces met, a cloud of white mist billowed up. Lin Hao’s icy sword cut straight through the fire serpent and struck his opponent’s chest.

A shrill scream rang out as frost spread rapidly from the wound, and with a muffled bang, the man’s chest exploded in a shower of icy shards. He collapsed, motionless.

The crowd stared at each other in astonishment, unable to make sense of what they had just witnessed.