Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 198 Competition
In the Juzhen Palace, Xu Xuan, Wang Xiwei, and Wen Sian sat at the table, sipping spiritual tea.

More than a month had passed since Li Jin's last visit. Xu Xuan had not told anyone about Liu Xiaowen's affairs, only saying that he was still traveling outside, and that the [Rain Master Book] had been handed over to Wen Sian.

"According to Junior Brother, we want to organize a competition to motivate everyone in the sect."

Wang Xiwei looked at Xu Xuan, took a sip of the spiritual tea, and there was some curiosity in his voice.

"Exactly."

Xu Xuan looked at his senior brother with a smile and said:

"It's a good opportunity for the disciples to compete with each other and test their skills. The sect will give out rewards to motivate everyone."

"We can also compare alchemy, weapons, talismans, and formations. There are some simple discussions on fetal breathing and Qi refining in the Sutra Library, but few people are willing to delve into them. The rewards are sufficient, so there is no shortage of people who will learn."

"If there are some talented people, they can be promoted to avoid burying talents. It is more flexible."

Wen Sian, who was standing by, heard this and said:

"Most disciples don't have much Dao Gong accumulated. They prioritize using it to exchange for Qi-refining techniques and self-defense spells, so there's rarely any surplus."

"Gao Xia mentioned this to me not long ago. Perhaps we could establish new sect rules, allowing them to temporarily owe money to borrow the Dao skills of these unconventional techniques. If they achieve a place in the competition, the debt can be directly forgiven, and a reward can be given. This way, more people will be willing to give it a try."

"After all, if he fails in cultivation, there are other disciples with better talents. It would be a pity to bury him."

Xu Xuan nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice:

"There are already hundreds of people in the inner sect now. I've seen the roster, and there are over a hundred Qi Refiners, with over thirty around twenty years old. They all have the hope of breaking through to the sixth level, and some have foundation-building seeds as well."

Wang Xiwei heard this and said in a deep voice:

"When the sect was still weak, the requirements were lower. Many disciples were old enough to train Qi and enter the inner sect. However, most of them were stuck in the early stages of Qi training and could never break through to the sixth level."

"Many of the new disciples we have accepted were directly listed as true disciples in previous years. These disciples are dissatisfied."

Then Wang Xiwei looked at Wen Sian, a little hesitant, not knowing whether to continue.

"Brother, just speak frankly."

Wen Sian looked over, wondering what this senior brother wanted to say.

"A few days ago, Qiyun told me that there were some disturbances within the inner sect. Most of them were conflicts between the new and old, and some of them were directed at Gaoxia."

Wang Xiwei sighed and said:

"Gao Xia stayed in Changming for too long, and her cultivation was slow. Many of her new disciples disobeyed her. Qiyun wanted to discipline them several times, but Gao Xia persuaded her to leave."

"She never told me about this. I guess she was afraid I'd worry."

Wen Sian looked a little lost, with his eyes lowered.

When Xu Xuan heard this, he immediately understood the reason. Zhang Gaoxia's aptitude was indeed average, and he was currently stuck at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Qiyun was about to break through to the fifth level recently. He was in charge of the Houhuo Hall and had superb weapon refining skills, so naturally no one dared to question him.

Zhang Gaoxia was in charge of a peak alone, and originally wanted to let her take charge of spiritual plants, but it was quite easy to get started in this field, and the qualifications required were not high. With Shi Yuanyu and Wen Si'an in charge of Chunya Hall, her role was much smaller. In fact, there were many people who made faster progress in spiritual plants than her in recent years.

Under such circumstances, she naturally became the target of dissatisfaction among many newcomers in the inner sect.

Now she wants to be transferred to manage the Sutra Repository. I think it is not her original wish, but she just can't stay in Chunya Hall, or even in Dapan and Changming.

"Gao Xia was with my fellow disciples when they were in trouble. She prefers to report good news over bad news, and she won't tell her elders about any grievances she has."

"This cultivation matter"

Xu Xuan was also a little worried. He did have seven elixirs that could increase his cultivation level, similar to the [Gift Yiling Pill] he had received before, but they all had the marks of their respective sects. It would be inconvenient to take them without receiving the seal. The only common one, the [Changqi Xinhe Pill], had already been given to Wen Si'an to refine.

As for the matter of receiving the seal, Gao Xia had no luck and was not good at fighting, so he had no one suitable.

"I will discuss this matter with her then, so don't worry."

"Now let's finalize the sect's competition. I think it can be held soon."

Wen Sian spoke in a low voice and looked at Xu Xuan, reassuring him.

"Okay, I've already planned this. I'll announce it six months from now, so the disciples can prepare."

Xu Xuan took out two jade slips and handed them to Wang Xiwei and Wen Si'an. Various matters concerning the competition were written on them, and they would soon be delivered to every disciple, from the inner gate to the outer gate.

After the two of them looked at it, they had no objection, so the matter was settled and they left to make preparations.

Wang Xiwei and Wen Sian stepped out of the palace gate, only to see a yellow-eyed man waiting outside. It was Xu Fayan, who had been waiting there for a long time. When he saw the two elders, he immediately bowed and greeted them with great courtesy.

After the two left, Xu Xuan looked outside the hall and whispered:
"Come in."

Then a man with yellow eyes walked into the hall. He was thin and walked in the dark. His face looked gloomy, but his yellow eyes were extremely bright.

"Master."

"No need to be so polite. How are the two people I asked you to investigate?" Xu Xuan looked at him and saw Fa Yan take out two scrolls of portraits, one with the names of Qi Zhengyi and the other Zhang Yiwan written on it. Then he listened to Fa Yan's detailed explanation:

"Qi Zhengyi, seventeen years old, has seven inches of spiritual roots and is in the late stage of fetal breathing. His father, Qi Xiuli, is the steward of Baishi, and his mother is a mortal. He is extremely stubborn and inflexible. When he first joined, he made many jokes. Now he works in Wangqi Hall and lives at the foot of Shuanghui Peak."

Xu Xuan opened the portrait. He had a handsome face, a pair of bright eyes, a strong build, and was much taller than an ordinary person. It was completely different from the timid look of his father Qi Xiuli at the beginning.

"Okay, how about Zhang Yiwan?"

Xu Xuan looked at another portrait of Zhang Yiwan and saw a girl in a purple dress, with dull eyebrows and eyes, no luster, and a thin body.

Fa Yan's voice paused for a moment, and he said softly:

"I asked around, and there is such a person. His situation is a bit special. He has a six-inch spiritual root, is sixteen years old, and is in the late stage of fetal breathing. He is from the Zhang family in Dapan."

"Both his parents died at the hands of the monks. This person has a solitary and almost aloof disposition. He rarely interacts with his fellow monks and has few acquaintances."

"She lives on the edge of Luoqing and is responsible for maintaining the formation. Actually, she has some kinship with Senior Sister Gaoxia. Senior Sister Gaoxia once visited her and wanted her to go to Ruixue Peak so that she could be taken care of, but she refused."

"Zhang Yiwan's initiation into the sect is somewhat awkward at this time. The sect has raised the threshold for true transmission to six inches, so she can only enter the inner sect."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan understood that the last true disciple accepted by the sect was Zhou Du, the granddaughter of Jiang Chiyu. It was only because of Wang Xiwei's intercession that Wen Sian was accepted because of the other party's many years of achievements.

Since Xu Xuan established his foundation, the rules of the sect have changed a lot. Only those with at least eight-inch spiritual roots have the opportunity to directly become disciples of the elders, be listed as true disciples, and take charge of a peak.

If the inner sect disciples have sufficient cultivation and reach the sixth level, they can also be promoted to true disciples and take charge of spiritual lands. However, among the inner sect disciples nowadays, the highest cultivation level is only the fourth level, which is still a long way off.

"Keep an eye on these two. Use some tricks to get them both to participate in the next competition. Let Qi Zhengyi fight in the magic battle, and let Zhang Yiwan refine the elixir."

"Be gentle, don't alarm these two, and don't let anyone else know about this."

Xu Xuan gave the order in a low voice. He did not want to promote the two men directly, but to take advantage of the opportunity of this competition to recruit them legitimately. Since these two men had good luck, they would naturally win the competition easily.

Xu Fayan responded in a low voice, but did not retreat. Instead, he looked at Xu Xuan and said in a deep voice:

"Master, Senior Brother Xiao Wen, are you really alright?"

Xu Xuan stared at Fa Yan, never expecting him to ask about this matter, so he just sighed and said:

"The situation is not good. We are trapped now. Please don't tell anyone about this. It's not appropriate to make it public."

"Yes, Fayan understands."

Xu Fayan's yellow eyes brightened a little, but he didn't say much. No one knew what he was thinking.

After saying this, Xu Xuan waved his hand and let the disciple leave.

Outside the hall, Xu Fayan rode on the smoke and sand, hiding his figure. After thinking for a while, he first went towards the edge of Luoqing. He already had a guess in his mind that his master's vague words might be related to the seal script.

His mind raced, and he had already guessed what the future of these two would be like. He had already figured out Qi Zhengyi's character, so there was nothing much to say. With this man's personality, he would definitely participate in the competition.

However, Zhang Yiwan has an extremely introverted personality. It is really difficult to ask her to participate in this competition and practice alchemy.

There are many spiritual places on the edge of Luoqing, which are outside the many spiritual peaks. The spiritual energy is lower, but it is not bad. There are still many disciples practicing here.

He could see a small courtyard from a distance, which was Zhang Yiwan's residence. There were only pine and cypress trees around it, and the chirping of birds made it seem even more desolate.

“There really isn’t much interaction.”

Xu Fayan looked at another place where many disciples were gathered and practicing. The courtyards were connected, and some of them had many crude spirit-gathering formations arranged.

He stood on the clouds and looked towards the courtyard below. He saw two people sitting in the small green wooden pavilion in the center, seemingly talking.

One of them was wearing a purple silk skirt, with lowered eyebrows and a slender figure. She was Zhang Yiwan, whom he was looking for. The other woman in a green skirt was very familiar to him. She was Zhang Gaoxia.

'Why is she here?'

Xu Fayan felt a bit troubled. This senior sister didn't like him very much. If he had some dealings with Zhang Yiwan, it would be difficult for him to get close to her. His master also forbade him to reveal his plans.

Previously, when they had worked together in the Sutra Repository for a period of time, he and Zhang Gaoxia hardly spoke to each other the entire day. This senior sister was friendly to everyone except him, and she avoided him as much as possible.

'Wait and see what happens after she leaves.'

Just as he was thinking this, he heard an angry voice coming from below. It was Zhang Gaoxia's.

"What are you thinking? Giving up at this time will only ruin your future."

"Aunt, there's no need to persuade me anymore. I've made up my mind."

The clouds were floating, the wind and sand were rising, and the voices of two people came from below. Xu Fayan frowned gradually.

　More updates tomorrow

　　
　
(End of this chapter)