Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 380 Romantic Encounters and the Beginning of the Competition

"Junior brother, Elder Wu of the Zixiao Sect has come to pay a visit!"

Zhou Ling was carefully sensing the state of the sword heart when he suddenly heard his senior sister's voice transmission, and he was immediately stunned.

Tomorrow is the day of the grand competition against the Zixiao Sect.

What could Elder Wu have to do with this?
However, considering that he was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, she thought to herself.

Moreover, they were quite polite to them at the Zixiao Sect a couple of days ago.

He immediately got up and left the room.

They then went into the lobby.

Inside the hall, Master and two senior sisters sat on the right.

On the left is Wu Shihong, a Nascent Soul elder of the Zixiao Sect, and beside him is a beautiful young woman dressed in white with a bare face.

"Greetings, Elder Wu!"

As soon as Zhou Ling entered the main hall, he bowed to Wu Shihong.

"Sect Leader Zhou, you're too kind!"

Wu Shihong returned the greeting with a smile.

Although Zhou Ling's cultivation level was lower than his, he knew that Zhou Ling was now the head of the Inspection Division.

That's no less than his.

"This is my granddaughter, Wu Rong!"

"This is Zhou Ling, the sect leader of the Lingxiao Sect! He is also the youngest inspector in the current Inspection Division! His future is limitless!"

Wu Shihong introduced the situation to both parties.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Wu!"

Looking at the woman with a serene expression, Zhou Ling also bowed and greeted her.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be Wu Rong, the granddaughter of Wu Shihong.

He now knows quite a bit about the Zixiao Sect.

Wu Rong is a prodigy in the Zixiao Sect, no less than Liu Polei and Zhang Yuhu.

His background is also quite prestigious; he comes from the long-established Wu family, a family of cultivators who have reached the Nascent Soul stage.

He was not even a hundred years old when he entered the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage, and he also had a Heavenly Grade Spiritual Root.

Together with Zhang Yuhu, they are known as the twin peaks of the Zixiao Sect.

"Greetings, Sect Leader Zhou!"

Wu Rongxing's eyes swept over Zhou Ling, and she replied with a faint smile.

Zhou Lingxuan immediately took his seat in the main seat.

After all, he is now the sect master of Lingxiao Sect.

"I wonder what brings Elder Wu here today?"

After taking his seat, Zhou Ling asked.

"It's nothing, our two sects are family!"

"It's just that the family has separated."

"Even if it's a competition, it's just a friendly exchange; there's no need to make it seem like we're enemies!"

Wu Shihong picked up the teacup, took a sip of the spiritual tea, and said with a relaxed expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling couldn't help but look at his master.

In matters like this, if the master doesn't speak up, he naturally won't offer any opinion.

In any case, everything should be based on the master's standards.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, your idea is quite good."

"But the Liu and Yun families may not think the same way you do!"

"It was Zi Ling Fairy who said calmly."

Currently, the Zixiao Sect has three major families that have reached the Nascent Soul stage.

They are the Liu family, the Yun family, and the Hu family.

Each family has two Nascent Soul cultivators in charge.

The Liu family also has a Void Refinement cultivator, so their overall strength far surpasses that of the other two Nascent Soul families.

The Yun family leans more towards the Liu family.

Therefore, within the Zixiao Sect, the Wu family's power was not as strong as that of the other two families.

Naturally, the Wu family also hoped to bring in the Lingxiao Sect to balance the power of the three families.

"Fellow Daoist Ziling is overthinking it!"

"If our two sects join forces, our strength will be enough to rank among the top three in the Dao Alliance!"

"It can be said that cooperation benefits both sides!"

Wu Shihong smiled and said.

Zi Ling Fairy smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but she believed that Wu Shihong was telling the truth.

But she was naturally aware of the situation within the Zixiao Sect.

The fusion of the two is simply impossible.

Wu Shihong took another sip of spiritual tea and smiled at Zhou Ling, "Actually, there's another matter I've come here for."

"I hope to form a marriage alliance with Sect Leader Zhou."

"This way, even if there are disagreements between the two families in the future, they won't necessarily fall out!"

"Marriage?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback.

This was something he hadn't expected at all.

It seems that Wu Shihong is a kind and honest man who genuinely cares about both sects.

However, right now, he and Bai Ji are the only men in the entire Lingxiao Sect.

Bai Ji is currently at a critical juncture in his attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so it's naturally impossible for him to get married.

And it's even more impossible for me.

Having already agreed to marry Wang Qingshang, he naturally couldn't marry any other woman.

Not only him, but also Fairy Ziling and the others showed surprise.

Wu Shihong's idea was something they could hardly imagine.

They all knew that this competition was basically a life-or-death battle.

What's Wu Shih-hung up to now with this arranged marriage?
"Elder Wu, to be honest, there aren't many male cultivators in my Lingxiao Sect these days, just me and one disciple."

"As for the women, there are no suitable candidates either!"

Zhou Ling said with a smile.

Seeing that his master did not express his opinion, he simply refused.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble for yourself.

Upon hearing this, a look of disappointment flashed in Wu Shihong's eyes.

His reason for wanting to form a marriage alliance with the Lingxiao Sect was naturally because he saw Zhou Ling's enormous potential.

At such a young age, he is already the head of the Inspection Department.

Moreover, he is the city lord of Qingyun Immortal City.

The future looks bright.

A marriage alliance with them would be of great benefit to the Wu family.

This is also why he brought Wu Rong with him this time.

However, Zhou Ling didn't seem to be interested.

Wu Rong, on the other hand, remained calm, showing no signs of emotion.

"Fellow Daoist Ziling, what do you think of this matter!"

Wu Shihong did not give up easily and spoke to Fairy Ziling again.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, I don't object to marriage alliances, but we should wait until after this competition to see what happens."

“If our Lingxiao Sect wins, I will welcome your entire Wu family into our Lingxiao Sect with open arms.”

"I can even arrange for the sect leader to marry Wu Rong!"

Fairy Ziling smiled and said.

"Fellow Daoist Ziling, this is too much of a concern."

"My Wu family can never leave the Purple Cloud Sect now!"

Wu Shihong shook his head.

He naturally didn't believe that Zhou Ling and his two companions could defeat Liu Polei and his group.

Although Zhou Ling is quite strong, Liu Polei, Zhang Yuhu, and others are all future Nascent Soul cultivators of the Zixiao Sect.

He still has great confidence in their abilities.

Hearing his master's words, Zhou Ling was also startled.

But upon further reflection, I realized that my master was probably also rejecting the other party.

After all, how could the entire Wu family possibly submit to the Lingxiao Sect?

Therefore, the subsequent statement about the marriage with Wu Rong is naturally invalid.

However, this also gave him a fright.

If Wu Shihong agrees, he really doesn't know how to bring it up with Wang Xin and the others.

Upon hearing Fairy Ziling's words, Wu Rong's face, which was originally as white as snow, blushed slightly.

"In that case, I shall take my leave now!"

Wu Shihong looked helpless.

He had done his best in dealing with the matter between the two sects.

"Elder Wu, please take care!"

Zhou Ling, Fairy Zi Ling, and the others stood up to see them off.

"Junior brother, you're about to have a stroke of good luck with women!"

After watching Wu Shihong leave, Fang Yuyun jokingly said with a smile.

"Senior sister, you can't say things like that."

Zhou Ling hurriedly shook his head and said.

"Hey, junior brother, with your current conditions, there will be plenty of women who want to marry you in the future!"

"If it weren't for my senior sister's principle of not eating the grass near my nest, hehe..." Fang Yuyun chuckled.

"Junior sister, can't you have a proper job?"

"Senior Wu was indeed thinking about the future of both sects!"

Jin Yun shook her head and said.

After all, if the two sects continue like this, it will only lead to internal strife.

Moreover, the Lingxiao Sect is currently far weaker than the Zixiao Sect.

Wu Shihong, as an elder in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, has done such a thing.

Indeed, they didn't understand the Lingxiao Sect's intentions.

"Unfortunately, the Wu family is no longer in charge of the Zixiao Sect!"

Fairy Ziling also shook her head.

"Master, if the Wu family agrees to your conditions, you won't really let Junior Brother marry Wu Rong, will you?"

"However, this is a good plan. It can both greatly weaken the Zixiao Sect and strengthen my Lingxiao Sect."

"Moreover, my junior brother will also be able to marry a Nascent Soul cultivator as his Daoist partner."

"In any case, we all made a fortune!"

Fang Yuyun asked with a smile.

Fairy Ziling glared at her, "It's not that easy!"

He then picked up the gourd and took a big gulp, saying, "The Wu family meant well."

"But it won't have any impact. You still need to do your best to prepare for tomorrow's battle!"

"Yes, Master!"

The three of them bowed in unison.

······.

The next day.

Zhou Ling and the others left the courtyard early in the morning and headed to the Zixiao Sect.

Upon arriving at the Zixiao Sect, Wu Shihong personally welcomed them into the sect outside the mountain gate.

They went directly to the plaza of the Zixiao Sect.

The entire Zixiao Sect has five main peaks, as well as a ninth-order spiritual vein.

The sect is rich in spiritual energy, and its various buildings are magnificent and spectacular.

It was not much inferior to the Dao Court that Zhou Ling had visited two days earlier.

The entire plaza is paved with high-grade black crystal jade, with a huge purple thunder cauldron in the center.

Thunderous light occasionally roared up from inside the Thunder Cauldron.

Purple lightning surged.

It looks absolutely spectacular.

Led by Wu Shihong, the Lingxiao Sect group arrived at the competition platform.

On the other side of the arena, a large number of disciples from the Zixiao Sect had already gathered.

At a glance, there were several hundred people, each with a powerful aura.

Two Nascent Soul cultivators sat in front of these disciples.

One of them was Liu Zhengjia from the Liu family.

The other was a middle-aged man with a slender build.

According to Wu Shihong's introduction, this person is Yun Haitian, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yun family, who is at the early stage of Nascent Soul.

After exchanging greetings, the atmosphere gradually became more serious.

"Fellow Daoist Ziling, could you bring the other half of the Thunder Dragon Seal?"

Liu Zhengjia was the first to ask Fairy Ziling.

Zi Ling Fairy raised her jade hand.

Suddenly, a purple light flashed.

Then, a purple jade seal appeared on her jade hand.

Mysterious inscriptions are carved on the surface of the jade seal.

Above it is a lifelike jade statue of a purple dragon.

With its bared teeth and claws, it appeared extremely ferocious and menacing.

Looking at the Thunder Dragon Seal, Liu Zhengjia nodded and waved his hand, a purple light flashing in his hand.

A jade seal identical to the one in Fairy Ziling's hand appeared.

"This is the Thunder Dragon Seal of my Zixiao Sect!"

Liu Zhengjia said with an arrogant expression.

The Zixiao Sect is determined to win this competition.

After all, the Thunder Dragon Seal is of paramount importance to the Purple Cloud Sect.

It contains the lineages of many sects.

This is also the sect's greatest foundation.

If we could obtain the complete Thunder Dragon Seal, the strength of the entire Zixiao Sect would definitely increase even further.

"Fellow Daoist Ziling, according to the original agreement, whoever wins this time will obtain the Thunder Dragon Seal and be recognized as the legitimate successor of the Zixiao Sect!"

Liu Zhengjia looked at Fairy Ziling and said seriously.

In his view, it was a foregone conclusion that the Zixiao Sect would win this competition.

"Of course!"

Fairy Ziling nodded in agreement.

This agreement was set by our ancestor long ago, and they naturally have to abide by it.

If they lose this battle, the Lingxiao Sect will have no choice but to hand over the Thunder Dragon Seal.

"Alright, enough with the small talk, let's begin the competition!"

After Liu Zhengjia finished speaking, he turned to the three Nascent Soul cultivators behind him and asked, "Which of you three will go first?"

"Third Elder, I'll lead the charge!"

The woman in the middle, with a cool expression and beautiful features, was the first to step forward.

This person was none other than Zhang Yuhu.

The three of them agreed with Jin Yun's prediction.

They are Liu Polei, Zhang Yuhu, and Qin Ji.

After all, the three of them were the strongest cultivators below the late Nascent Soul stage in the Zixiao Sect.

This battle is about legitimacy.

The Zixiao Sect dared not be careless in the slightest.

Since Fairy Ziling dared to bring her disciples here, it proves that she was prepared.

"it is good!"

Liu Zhengjia nodded, then solemnly instructed the three, "No matter who it is, if you encounter Zhou Ling, you must kill him. We absolutely cannot allow him to grow stronger."

"Otherwise, it would be a huge threat to my Zixiao Sect!"

In his opinion, any one of the three was enough to deal with the three members of the Lingxiao Sect, let alone Zhou Ling.

"Disciple understands!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Polei and Qin Ji both bowed in response.

Zhang Yuhu frowned slightly, but still bowed and agreed.

Although this competition is crucial, in her opinion, it hasn't reached the point where she has to go all out.

In particular, Zhou Ling is the sect leader of the Lingxiao Sect and also the chief inspector of the Inspection Department.

However, she naturally dared not disobey Liu Zhengjia's orders.

Then he walked toward the competition platform.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to be the first one to go."

Fang Yuyun looked miserable as she slowly walked towards the competition stage.

"Second Senior Sister, watch out for her thunderous sword sound!"

Zhou Ling gave Fang Yuyun some instructions.

Through [Intermediate Analysis], he also observed that in addition to the Thunder Sword Domain, Zhang Yuhu's Sword Domain also contained a powerful Thunder Sword Sound attack.

This is also a huge trump card.

Moreover, there were no referees for this competition.

Both sides will fight with all their might until the last one concedes defeat.

If you don't admit defeat, then you can't blame anyone else if you get killed.

Fang Yuyun nodded with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, I am Fang Yuyun from the Lingxiao Sect!"

Stepping onto the competition platform, Fang Yuyun greeted everyone with a relaxed bow.

"Zhang Yuhu of the Zixiao Sect!"

Zhang Yuhu also cupped his hands in greeting.

His tone was indifferent.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, I would like to ask you for some guidance!"

Fang Yuyun didn't stand on ceremony and spoke directly.

As soon as she finished speaking, she swayed and suddenly flew into the air.

At the same time, several loud booming sounds were heard.

Around her, four pillars of crimson fire shot into the sky with a loud howling sound.

This was a magic array she had prepared long ago, the Fire Armor Array.

It was also specifically prepared to counter attacks from Zhang Yuhu's sword domain.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, then take my sword."

Seeing that Fang Yuyun was not in a hurry to attack, but instead formed a defensive array, Zhang Yuhu was stunned for a moment. Her light body flashed, and then a great light shone brightly.

A purple lightning sword beam condensed and slashed down towards Fang Yuyun.

(End of this chapter)