Three days later, early morning.
At the moment the sun rose three days later, Bai Xiaochun opened his eyes. He took a deep breath, his expression extremely serious. This kind of sect competition was his first time participating in.
The previous fights with Xu Baocai were nothing compared to this. The Xiangyun Mountain junior competition he was about to join was a true contest among fellow disciples.
Bai Xiaochun slowly stood up, tidied his storage pouch, and solemnly walked out of his room. But soon he ran back, rummaged under the bed, and found the leather clothes left from when he worked in the kitchen. Layer by layer, he put them on and then took out the jade pendant, hanging it where it could be activated immediately.
If it weren't for the Turtle Patterned Cauldron being inconvenient to carry, he would have liked to carry it on his back.
"Miscalculation, how could I forget to prepare a big black cauldron," Bai Xiaochun regretted. There was no time to look for one, so he gritted his teeth, turned, and walked out again. Looking at the distant sun, determination shone in his eyes as he lifted his head and marched toward the mountaintop.
He wore so many layers of leather clothes that, even without the cauldron, he looked like a tightly wrapped dumpling—airtight. Not long after, sweat appeared on his forehead.
Despite the sweat, he didn't remove a single layer. He cared deeply about this junior competition. Vivid, brutal scenes kept flashing through his mind as he followed the mountain path to the top. But the morning mountaintop was shrouded in thick fog. Walking along, Bai Xiaochun suddenly realized he had wandered off somewhere unfamiliar.
"Something's wrong..." he hurriedly asked people for directions, then changed course, his heart pounding with fear of being late and missing the event.
At the mountaintop of Xiangyun Mountain was a martial arena, the place for the junior competition. Many people had already gathered around, whispering among themselves.
Some disciples present even had cultivation beyond Qi Condensation Stage Five. Most crossed their arms, watching the junior disciples below. There were also some who came to cheer.
Although this junior competition for outer disciples wasn't very formal, it was still an important chance for them to showcase themselves. Over twenty people were participating, many sitting cross-legged around the arena, seriously preparing themselves.
Among them, none were below Qi Condensation Stage Three. Although the rules allowed those from stages three to five to participate, most present were Stage Five. Only five or six were Stage Four.
One woman stood out. She was tall and slender, and under the outer disciple robes, her curves were vaguely visible. Her figure was so attractive it stirred endless fantasies.
Her skin was as white as snow, with willow-leaf eyebrows and watery eyes, and an extremely beautiful face. Her robe looked loose, but the Daoist trousers at her waist and hips were tightly stretched, showing an eye-catching elasticity.
Many outer disciples surrounded her, clearly admirers.
This woman was Du Lingfei, a well-known outer disciple, though not as famous as Zhou Xinqi.
"This junior competition, with Du Senior Sister's perfected Qi Condensation Stage Five cultivation, she should be the top contender. No suspense at all."
"Chen Zi'ang isn't to be underestimated either. I heard he broke through his cultivation a month ago. Though not perfected Stage Five, he's close," whispered the crowd.
Near Du Lingfei stood a proud-looking youth — Chen Zi'ang, who had impressed Bai Xiaochun before with his bamboo staff.
He glanced at Du Lingfei, thinking to himself that first place was impossible, but second place was definitely his. Maybe he could take this chance to get closer to Du Lingfei.
Just as everyone waited, two long streaks of light roared from afar, transforming into Li Qinghou and an old man. The old man was thin, with slightly dark skin but bright eyes, giving off a strict aura.
At Li Qinghou's arrival, all the outer disciples were shocked and hurriedly bowed.
"Greetings, Sect Leader, Elder Sun," they all said in surprise. Usually, Elder Sun alone would preside over junior competitions like this, so the Sect Leader's presence was unusual.
Du Lingfei, Chen Zi'ang, and others also bowed respectfully.
Li Qinghou nodded gently, scanning the disciples, but frowned slightly as he didn't see Bai Xiaochun.
Noticing Li Qinghou's frown, the surrounding disciples felt uneasy. Even Du Lingfei was nervous, unsure why the Sect Leader was displeased.
"Sect Leader, can we begin?" Elder Sun asked quietly.
Just as Li Qinghou was about to speak, a figure appeared in the distance, running fast like a small ball, anxious as he came.
"Got lost, the fog is too thick..." Bai Xiaochun rushed up, spotted Li Qinghou, and quickly explained, feeling aggrieved. He wasn't familiar with the mountaintop and had been distracted, unknowingly taking the wrong path.
His words drew the attention of all the outer disciples. Some recognized Bai Xiaochun, and upon hearing this, some chuckled quietly. Those who didn't know him frowned or even showed disdain.
To get lost on Xiangyun Mountain meant one rarely came to the mountaintop and didn't pay attention to sect competitions — basically just a common disciple wandering the mountain.
Du Lingfei glanced at Bai Xiaochun, recognizing him as one of the disciples who had supported Zhou Xinqi recently. She had heard he was very active in catching a chicken thief and was disdainful. She immediately withdrew her gaze, ignoring him.
Chen Zi'ang was stunned when he saw Bai Xiaochun. He instinctively glanced at Li Qinghou and recalled that Bai Xiaochun had mentioned Li Qinghou was his uncle months ago. Now he understood why Li Qinghou frowned earlier and thought he shouldn't hit Bai Xiaochun too hard if they fought.
Li Qinghou snorted coldly and gave Bai Xiaochun a hard glare, then nodded slightly to Elder Sun.
Elder Sun looked thoughtful, glanced at Bai Xiaochun, smiled, and flicked his wide sleeve.
"Alright, those wishing to participate in the outer junior competition, come onto the stage."
Feeling both aggrieved and unable to argue against Li Qinghou's glare, Bai Xiaochun heard Elder Sun's words and was the first to rush out. He stood proudly on the stage, looking like someone ready to face any danger.
Soon everyone was on stage. Including Bai Xiaochun, there were twenty outer disciples.
The sect's junior competition wasn't very strict. Elder Sun scanned the crowd and raised his right hand, taking out a cloth bag filled with small balls, each marked with a number. The outer disciples came forward one by one to draw lots to determine their opponents.
Bai Xiaochun was not the first to go but stood in the middle, drawing a small ball marked "11."
"Alright, everyone step back. The first match: numbers one and two!" Elder Sun said calmly. Bai Xiaochun quickly stepped down with the others, leaving only the disciples who drew numbers one and two on stage. The two looked at each other, their eyes sharp.
The first match began, sounds of fighting echoed. Bai Xiaochun glanced around in frustration. He thought that with twenty participants, winning two matches would secure a top-five finish. He tried to find the disciple with ball number twelve but everyone was very secretive, giving him no chance.
The first match ended, and the second began. The competitor was Du Lingfei, who conjured a flag that formed a mist to trap her opponent, who wandered for a long time before admitting defeat.
The third and fourth matches passed quickly. The fifth saw Chen Zi'ang quickly defeat a Stage Four disciple.
"Eleven and twelve, come out!" Elder Sun's voice rang out. Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath, walking out with a serious expression. On stage, he saw a tall, skinny youth with a cold sneer step forward.
This youth's cultivation was not weak—also Stage Five—and his gaze was sharp and unwelcoming.
"Junior brother, you're unlucky to face me. You can surrender now. Otherwise, after our duel, injuries will be at your own risk," the skinny youth said coldly.
At the instant the youth spoke, Bai Xiaochun suddenly let out a loud shout.
The shout was full of vigor, startling many around. The skinny youth was shaken, instinctively stepping back a few paces. When he looked at Bai Xiaochun again, he was stunned.
After Bai Xiaochun's shout, he slapped the blue jade pendant on his chest. Suddenly, thick blue light burst forth, enveloping the area. Still uneasy, he pulled out many talismans from his pouch, sticking them onto himself. Each talisman glowed briefly, and soon over ten beams of light intertwined, forming a dense protective shield over four feet thick. From afar, it was striking and intimidating.
"Come on!" Bai Xiaochun's voice echoed from inside the glowing shield, muffled but resolute.
The skinny youth was dumbfounded. Not only him, but all the outer disciples and participants stared in astonishment. They had watched many junior competitions but had never seen such a dense defense.
Li Qinghou's face twitched, revealing helplessness.
Chen Zi'ang gasped inwardly, more convinced Bai Xiaochun was related to Li Qinghou. Du Lingfei snorted disdainfully, her contempt deepening.
On the stage, the skinny youth gritted his teeth under all eyes, shouted lowly, and quickly formed hand seals. A wooden sword immediately shot out, flying straight toward Bai Xiaochun.