Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

After resting for a night, Xu Lingguang played with the cubs for another day before the Hundred Refinements Competition began.

Xu Lingguang entrusted the cubs to Youyu's care, and after giving a long, rambling instruction, he took off his Sumeru Ring and the Jade Unicorn Ring he wore close to his neck and handed them over to Youyu for safekeeping.

"This Sumeru Ring contains all my possessions, and the Jade Unicorn is my life-saving charm. You absolutely must keep a close eye on it."

Xu Lingguang stared intently at Youyu, his expression solemn and serious.

If it weren't for the fact that no magical artifacts or treasures were allowed during the Hundred Refinements Competition, he would never have been willing to take these two items off his person. These were the accumulated wealth he had painstakingly built up since transmigrating.

They wear it close to their body even when they sleep and don't want to take it off.

Youyu was stunned for a moment because he did not expect him to entrust such an important thing to her. It was only after Xu Lingguang urged her that she solemnly promised, "Don't worry, I will keep it safe for you."

Xu Lingguang patted his shoulder, waved his hand and said, "Then I'm leaving. I'll be out in ten days. If you get bored, you can go back to Qingyu City and ask someone from Jiuzhuan Manor to leave me a message."

After glancing at the cubs one last time, Xu Lingguang headed towards the assembly point for the Hundred Refinements Competition.

The entrance to Wenling Slope was already crowded with people. Apart from the cultivators participating in the competition, the rest were just there to watch the excitement. At this time, a joint enforcement team composed of disciples from Nine Revolutions Manor and Hidden Edge Sect was maintaining order, and several middle-aged men with serious faces were drawing lots to select the cultivators to participate in the competition.

Each group of ten people had to step forward and be checked by a middle-aged cultivator using a magical artifact after their names were called, to prevent anyone from falsely reporting their cultivation level.

Once the monks pass the inspection, they can go to the waiting area at the exit to wait for teleportation.

Xu Lingguang participated in the competition as a disciple of Jiuzhuan Mountain Villa, so his participation process was different from that of the independent cultivators who signed up on their own. He struggled through the crowd and found the Jiuzhuan Mountain Villa team.

Dongyang stood alone at the very end of the line, far away from the others. When he saw Xu Lingguang, he nodded. His small face, with its red lips and white teeth, was even darker than the bottom of a pot.

Xu Lingguang felt a pang of guilt for a moment when he recalled what happened the night before last.

Dongyang Li didn't come to see him yesterday, and he secretly wondered whether Dongyang Li was busy with something or remembered what happened when he was drunk.

Now it seems 120% certain that he remembered what happened while he was drunk.

Xu Lingguang scanned the crowd and spotted Chai Feng a few steps away. Chai Feng looked radiant and pleased with himself, glancing occasionally in Dongyang Li's direction.

Dongyang Li ignored it, but his fists, hanging at his sides, clenched so tightly they cracked.

Xu Lingguang: "..."

Can this competition still be held properly?

He was really worried that the two of them would start fighting during the competition.

The atmosphere was so strange and oppressive that Xu Lingguang took a deep breath and cleared his throat to ease the tension: "When do we go in?"

Fortunately, although Dongyang Li was in a bad mood, he didn't take it out on others. His expression softened a bit, and he explained to Xu Lingguang, "Once all those rogue cultivators have passed the inspection and been sent into the Spirit Inquiry Slope by the teleportation array, it will be our turn." Then he glanced at Xu Lingguang and asked, "You didn't bring anything, did you?"

He deliberately emphasized, "In the competition, not only are magical artifacts and treasures forbidden, but even elixirs and magical robes cannot be brought. It's best to have nothing on your person, otherwise it's easy to get into a fight and waste time."

Although Xu Lingguang already knew the rules, he was still somewhat surprised to hear Dongyang Li repeatedly emphasize them: "I didn't bring any, but why are we arguing about it?"

He thought this kind of competition should be very serious?

Dongyang Li sneered: "You'll find out soon enough."

Soon the inspection of the rogue cultivators was completed, and they were all teleported away by the teleportation array. Then it was the turn of the disciples from Nine Revolutions Manor and Hidden Edge Sect.

When Xu Lingguang saw the elders of Cangfeng Sect walking towards him, he finally understood the reason why Dongyang Li had repeatedly given him instructions.

The inspections of the disciples of Nine Turns Manor were actually conducted by elders of Hidden Edge Sect. Similarly, the inspections of the participating disciples of Hidden Edge Sect were also conducted by elders of Nine Turns Manor.

The two sects already had old grudges, and now they are in a competitive relationship, so naturally they are trying every means to find fault with each other's disciples.

The person examining Xu Lingguang was a middle-aged cultivator with a harsh face. He glanced at Xu Lingguang with his shrewd triangular eyes, then told Xu Lingguang to open his arms and used a peculiar magic artifact to sweep him from head to toe.

It wasn't scanned once, but three times.

If it weren't for the fact that they were in a public place, Xu Lingguang suspected that he might have even asked him to take off his clothes and check them again.

Xu Lingguang was now glad that he had the foresight to remove the jade toe; otherwise, removing it in front of so many people might have caused trouble if someone recognized it.

After repeatedly checking, the middle-aged monk coldly went to check the next one.

Xu Lingguang went to collect the distributed fasting pills and Sumeru rings as instructed. When he returned, he saw disciples of Nine Revolutions Manor and people from Hidden Edge Sect arguing. It turned out that the cultivator who had examined Xu Lingguang earlier had discovered a jade pendant on another disciple while examining him.

The jade pendant was just an ordinary ornament, but the elders of the Cangfeng Sect insisted that it might be some kind of magical artifact with an unknown purpose, and insisted that he take it off.

Xu Lingguang listened from the side, his lips twitching.

It wasn't just the elders of Cangfeng Sect who were deliberately making things difficult; the elders of Jiuzhuan Manor weren't much better. Both sides were equally matched, and the scene was as noisy as a vegetable market.

After passing the inspection, Dongyang Li also returned with the Bigu Dan and Sumeru Ring. He pouted and said, "I told you long ago not to wear any ornaments, but some people still did. They look like idiots."

Xu Lingguang hesitated and said, "Is this how you always do it in your competitions?"

Seeing the disillusionment on his face, Dongyang Li chuckled: "Didn't expect that? Did you think that even if major sects had a feud, it would be done respectably? That they would settle the score fairly and squarely?"

Xu Lingguang nodded, looking puzzled.

Is not it?

Dongyang Li snorted, "Then you're overthinking it. We've used plenty of underhanded tactics to win against Cangfeng Sect. For example, once when we captured one of their people, a female disciple pretended to be injured and dying. One of our disciples took pity on her and went to heal her, but the female disciple took the opportunity to kidnap him and forced us to release him."

Xu Lingguang: "..."

"But we've learned our lesson after being fooled a few times."

Dongyang Li said smugly, "Don't we set traps for each other every year? In the previous two sessions, we had a senior brother who was proficient in formations. After he found the formation set up by Nine Revolutions Manor, he didn't destroy it. Instead, he modified it into a trap for Cangfeng Sect. Those idiots in Cangfeng Sect were completely unprepared when they saw their own trap, and as a result, they were all wiped out, hahaha."

Xu Lingguang: "..."

"However, this technique was later adopted by the Hidden Edge Sect. Every year when they compete, both sects bring one or two disciples who are skilled in formations. So if you see a formation marked with the Nine Revolutions Manor logo, be careful. It might have been modified. Also, be extra cautious if you encounter an injured cultivator seeking help, or you might very well be in trouble."

Xu Lingguang: "..."

He nodded blankly, "Understood."

Your major sects are really playing dirty tricks.