Jade Dynasty: I am the master of the Burning Sword, my swordsmanship is unparalleled.

Chapter 29 Drawing Lots
The palace doors were wide open. Inside the Jade Purity Hall, the heads of the seven branches of the Azure Cloud Sect and the elders of each peak all looked up. When they saw the young man carrying two swords at the front, their expressions varied.

Zeng Shuchang, Shang Zhengliang, and other leaders of the various factions, as well as many elders, all had a flash of light in their eyes, with a hint of surprise. They felt that the disciple in the gray-white robe, who stood tall like a solitary peak, was so similar to an old friend from years past.

Master Shuiyue of Xiaozhu Peak also lost her composure. For a moment, she truly thought she had returned to a hundred years ago.

Back then, that person also walked into the Jade Purity Hall with an indifferent expression, followed by countless fellow disciples.

Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes once more. Master Shuiyue almost subconsciously turned his head to look at the main seat in the center. When he saw Dao Xuan Zhenren, his body swayed slightly.

Behind Master Shuiyue stood a woman dressed in white, holding a divine sword. She had been respectfully serving Master Shuiyue and immediately noticed his unusual behavior.

A look of surprise flashed in the woman's clear, beautiful eyes. Having served her master for many years, this was the first time she had ever seen him so distraught.

Immediately, the woman turned to look at the young man, recalling her master's occasional praises, and a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes.

Since the woman entered the sect, she had almost never heard her master praise her fellow disciples from the other peaks. Even the exceptionally talented junior brother Lin from Dragon Head Peak was nothing special in her master's eyes.

But this man before her received such high praise from her master, and in his words, it seemed that she was inferior to him. This ignited the competitive spirit in the woman's heart.

The chief monk of Dragon Head Peak, Daoist Cangsong, had an unusual expression, with a hint of pain in his eyes, and his fists were clenched tightly under his sleeves.

In contrast, the expression of Tian Buyi, the chief of Dazhu Peak, was quite noticeable. After a moment of surprise, a smug look quickly appeared on his chubby face, and the smile on his lips never faded.

A look of amazement flashed in Dao Xuan Zhenren's eyes, but out of the corner of his eye he caught the expression in Cangsong Daoren's eyes, and couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart.

But soon, Dao Xuan Zhenren composed himself, a smile appearing on his face as he spoke kindly to the disciples below.

"Everyone's here, right? Good, good. I see the future of Qingyun in you all. Good, very good!"

As he spoke, Dao Xuan Zhenren's gaze swept over the disciples below, revealing a look of satisfaction and gratification in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan and the other disciples of the Seven Lineages of Qingyun also bowed to Dao Xuan Zhenren.

"Disciple greets Sect Leader!"

Dao Xuan Zhenren smiled slightly upon hearing this, reached out to help him up, and returned to his seat, just as he had done in the previous Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament, letting Cangsong Daoren preside over the event.

Daoist Cangsong then stepped forward, his rather dignified eyes sweeping downwards, causing many Qingyun disciples to tense up and dare not show any unusual behavior.

Seeing this, Daoist Cangsong nodded slightly and began to recount the history of Qingyun Sect in a loud voice.

"Our Qingyun Sect has been established for over two thousand years. We are the orthodox lineage of Taoism and the leader of the righteous path. Our ancestors were worried that future generations would become arrogant and complacent and stop striving for progress. In order to remind future generations and to mentor young disciples, we passed down the grand event of the Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament, which has now been held for twenty sessions!"

"Now, under the leadership of our sect leader, the Qingyun Sect is thriving, and there are many outstanding young people. In order to avoid the regret of missing out on some talents, we have increased the number of participants in the Grand Examination to sixty-four."

Inside the Jade Purity Hall, the resounding voice of Daoist Cangsong echoed in everyone's ears, startling many disciples. Immediately afterward, a sense of pride welled up in their hearts.

After a pause, Daoist Cangsong spoke again, pointing to the large red wooden box beside him and gesturing to his disciples.

"Because the number of participants in this year's Grand Examination has doubled, there have been some changes in the draw. In general, there will be one more round than in previous years. Inside each of the sixty-three wax pills in the box is a slip of paper. The number on the slip of paper determines your order of appearance and your opponent. The match-up will be between the first and last players, that is, number one will play against number sixty-four, number two will play against number sixty-three, and so on. Do you all understand?"

Upon hearing Cangsong Daoist's words, Tian Buyi, who was sitting on the throne above, frowned slightly, as if he were somewhat angry, but he did not show it. He simply snorted softly.

"What skill is it to have many disciples?"

The other sect leaders, who had initially been somewhat resentful at Tian Buyi's smug expression, couldn't help but chuckle. Even the usually cold-faced Master Shuiyue now wore a smile.

Seeing this, Tian Buyi could only let out another soft hum, intending to close his eyes and rest, ignoring it completely. But the next moment, a disciple's words made Tian Buyi's face darken.

After the Taoist Cangsong finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the Jade Purity Hall. Suddenly, a disciple asked a loud question.

"Uncle Cangsong, why are there only sixty-three wax pills? Aren't there sixty-four people?"

Daoist Cangsong was clearly prepared and was about to speak when he saw Zhang Xiaofan, who was standing at the front, turn around and bow in the direction from which the voice came.

"This senior brother from Luoxia Peak is so engrossed in cultivation that he is unaware that my master is naturally quiet and values ​​predestined relationships. To date, he has only seven disciples, including my junior brother, plus my master's beloved daughter, making a total of eight."

As soon as Zhang Xiaofan spoke, he attracted the attention of all the disciples, and even the senior elders above looked at him again.

The woman standing behind Master Shuiyue looked at Zhang Xiaofan again with her clear, bright eyes. The young man remained calm and composed under the gaze of the crowd, and explained with a smile.

"As fellow disciples of Qingyun, my master originally intended to give the extra spot to other branches, but he was worried that just one spot would damage the camaraderie between the branches, which would go against the original intention of our ancestor. In the end, he had no choice but to give up, which is why there was one less person."

Tian Buyi, whose expression was not very good to begin with, felt extremely relieved after hearing these words. He immediately sat up straight, adopting the demeanor of a Taoist master.

The other leaders of the various lineages, especially Master Shuiyue, scoffed at the sight. They had known each other for hundreds of years, and everyone knew each other's character.
"That's right. So, this extra spot is a little surprise from your Uncle Tian. Whoever draws number one can advance directly. It's also a wish for all of you disciples to have great fortune and prosperous Dao luck."

Dao Xuan Zhenren chuckled and stepped forward, speaking with a smile. Upon seeing this, all the junior disciples in the hall bowed to Tian Buyi. Tian Buyi, with the air of a superior, waved his hand, indicating that everyone should dispense with the formalities.

"In that case, let's begin the draw."

As Dao Xuan Zhenren spoke again, ten disciples from the Tongtian Peak of the Longmen Sect stepped forward first, each taking a wax pill, followed by the disciples from the Longshou Peak led by Qi Hao.

After that, disciples from Feng Hui Peak, Chao Yang Peak, and Luo Xia Peak emerged one after another, followed by Da Zhu Peak, with Xiao Zhu Peak at the very end.

While the disciples of Xiaozhu Peak were drawing lots, the white-clad woman behind Master Shuiyue also came down and joined Wenmin and the other female disciples of Xiaozhu Peak to draw lots as well.

After all the disciples who participated in the grand examination had drawn their lots, Dao Xuan Zhenren asked softly.

"Which disciple was fortunate enough to draw that number?"

Upon hearing this, the disciples immediately fell silent and looked around. They saw Zhang Xiaofan, who was standing at the front, step forward and speak.

"Reporting to Master Uncle, the number one slip is here with me."

"Is that Senior Brother Zhang?"

"Senior Brother Zhang from Dazhu Peak?"

Instantly, many of the younger disciples in the Jade Purity Hall were stunned for a moment, and then burst into cheers. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that they had all drawn the number one lot.

However, that's pretty much it. In the minds of these disciples, there are only two best outcomes for the number one draw: one is themselves, and the other is Zhang Xiaofan.

After all, nobody wants to face an opponent they know they can't beat right from the start.

(End of this chapter)