Bamboo Mound

"Oh?" Ning Chang asked in confusion, "Are there any restrictions on this Three Sects Competition?"

"Didn't the Grand Elder tell you that?" Wang Yan asked back.

Seeing Ning Chang shaking his head, he had no choice but to explain.

"The Three Sects Tournament is an agreement reached by the three major sects of Ping Kingdom..."

"Ah, Pingguo?...Oh!" He then remembered that Pingguo existed.

"...The inner disciples competition is held every three years to select outstanding disciples and rank them."

The restriction is that each sect can only bring fifty inner disciples, and they cannot exceed the seventh level of the Spirit Fusion stage. The previous competition held within the sect was to select these fifty disciples for the Qingyun Sect.

We, the elders' disciples, are not among these fifty, but still cannot exceed six, and our cultivation level cannot be higher than the seventh level of the Spirit Fusion Realm.

Ultimately, the top fifty people from the three sects will receive a spot to enter the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm, and will also be given rewards according to their ranking.

However, all of our direct disciples can enter the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm together, regardless of their grades.

Although I came last time, I had only been in the sect for a month then and was only at the third level of the Spirit Gathering stage, so I only watched one competition with my master.

However, although I can't participate in the grand competition this time, I can enter the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm.

"Moreover, you are the only direct disciple of our Qingyun Sect who will be participating this time. The three of us are all at the seventh or eighth level of the Spirit Fusion Realm."

“However…” Wang Yan paused, then said firmly, “I believe in you. Although you are only at the third level of Spirit Fusion now, you can definitely be among the top!”

However, Ning Chang didn't hear the last sentence at all, because he heard an unexpected word.

"Cloud and Mist Secret Realm? There's a secret realm here? Well, we can run some dungeons when we're bored!" He wasn't so bored anymore.

But knowing very little about it from its name, Ning Chang asked, "Brother Wang Yan, what exactly is this Cloud and Mist Secret Realm?"

Since Wang Yan didn't use the term "brother" or "student," he followed suit, since he wasn't really used to it either.

Wang Yan scratched his head. "I know very little about the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm. My master didn't tell me much about it."

"And, doesn't the Grand Elder teach you anything?" Wang Yan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Recalling the times she saw her master, Ning Chang couldn't hold back her emotions any longer.

"Uh, more or less. I haven't been up the mountain more than three or five times myself, and I've learned less from you, Brother Wang Yan, than from my master..."

"Huh...?" Wang Yan was also stunned, and glanced blankly at the elders.

He then came to his senses, leaned closer to Ning Chang, and whispered, "Brother Ning Chang, to be honest, I guessed from Master that the Grand Elder is probably taking on a disciple for the first time and doesn't know how to teach him yet."

"Uh..." Ning Chang was stunned. "No wonder I felt that my master's greatest role was being my master."

"However, isn't this the first time for the Third Elder?" He detected the key words in Wang Yan's words.

Wang Yan shook his head and said, "I am the master's fifth disciple. The first four have already left the sect."

"Moreover, the other elders have also taken on several disciples, except for the Grand Elder."

"Then I'm lucky, haha," Ning Chang said self-deprecatingly.

"I wouldn't dare say that. Brother Ning Chang's talent is obvious to all and has already spread among his disciples."

"Alright, we've been chatting for so long, but I haven't introduced these two to you yet." Wang Yan pulled the two people who were being affectionate with each other over to Ning Chang and introduced them to him.

Pointing to a young man with striking features, he said, "This is Fang Nanyi, the disciple of the Fourth Elder."

"The other one is Yue Mingyu, a disciple of the Fifth Elder, who is in a relationship with Junior Brother Fang."

Then he introduced them to the two, saying, "This is Ning Chang, the one who advanced to the third level of Spirit Fusion in just one month."

Ning Chang greeted the two with a smile, "Brother Fang, Sister Yue, this meeting is truly a match made in heaven. Please take good care of me in the future."

"I've long heard of Senior Brother Ning's exceptional talent, and seeing him today confirms that his reputation is well-deserved," Fang Nanyi said with a smile.

"With just a little effort, Senior Brother will catch up with us in no time," Yue Mingyu chimed in.

Ning Chang's comment about them being a perfect match made them feel a little favorably toward him from the start.

"Not at all, you flatter me, senior brothers and sisters," Ning Chang said modestly. "Besides, among us of the same generation, there's no need to be so formal with titles."

“That’s fine then, there’s no need to argue about who’s the elder brother and who’s the younger brother.” Fang Nanyi nodded in agreement with Ning Chang’s statement.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the group started talking about the upcoming Three Sects Competition.

Three years ago, the Three Sects Grand Competition was held at the Huayu Sect, but Fang Nanyi's master did not take him there.

Yue Mingyu's master went into seclusion temporarily, so neither of them went to see him.

Although Wang Yan had been there, he said he couldn't remember the details of the time.

After chatting for a few more minutes, the group ran out of things to talk about, so Fang Yue and her partner went to the side to be affectionate, while Ning Chang and his partner sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes to rest.

About an hour later, Ning Chang felt the giant sword stop.

He opened his eyes and found himself in the air above a square.

Looking down, several stone platforms have been erected in the center of the square, and three raised stands stand along the edge of the platforms, one of which is already occupied by people.

There was another ring of wooden steps leading outwards, and half of the space was occupied by burly men with broad shoulders and thick waists.

The Grand Elder chased everyone off the flying sword and pointed to a deserted spot on the steps, instructing the disciples to go there and wait.

Ning Chang was about to follow when Wang Yan grabbed him.

“Brother Ning Chang, let’s go with the elder, we don’t need to go there.”

Ning Chang had no choice but to reluctantly turn back.

The group followed the elders to an empty viewing platform. After all four elders were seated, Ning Chang also picked up a small stool and sat on the edge.

He looked around and saw that all the disciples of the Xuanshan Sect were burly and strong, each of them comparable in size to Wang Yan. Moreover, Ning Chang did not find any female disciples in the Xuanshan Sect.

But this is understandable. Every disciple of the Xuanshan Sect is like this, which means that this is the general direction of the Xuanshan Sect. Which female cultivator would want to become a double-door refrigerator?

At this moment, another giant sword flew down from the sky and landed in the center of the square. A group of disciples dressed in green robes descended from it.

One team went to the nearby steps, while the other team went up to the empty stands.

"These must be people from the Huayu Sect," Ning Chang guessed.

Not long after everyone had taken their seats, a figure flew into the air in the center of the square.

As the man stopped, a loud voice rang out. Although the voice was loud, Ning Chang did not find it deafening.

I thought it would be a long, tedious, and pointless speech, but to my surprise, the person got straight to the point after only two sentences.