That idiot from the Sword Sect turned out to be a lucky charm.

Lin Zhifeng roughly calculated that as long as he could get into the top fifty, he could get fifteen to sixty luck points. The system was being so generous, which meant that this ranking list was definitely not easy to climb. Compared to the sect competition within their Sword Sect, it was probably much more difficult.

However, Lin Zhifeng wasn't the type to give up easily. He had recently absorbed a portion of his master's inheritance, greatly improving his mental strength and swordsmanship. Furthermore, the elemental control ring his master gave him enhanced his mastery of both water and fire swords. With a little effort this time, making it onto the list shouldn't be a problem.

Ding Mo was naturally among the disciples participating in the Nascent Soul stage.

It must be said that Ding Mo truly deserves to be called a top cultivation genius of the Sword Sect. Although he was fortunate enough to receive the inheritance of the master of the secret realm this time, which allowed him to make significant progress and reach the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his astonishing talent and comprehension ability are virtually unmatched in the entire cultivation continent.

No wonder the secret realm has been open for a thousand years, yet its master only passed on his legacy to Ding Mo. Those who achieve immortality naturally have extremely high standards, and would certainly choose an outstanding successor. In this light, Ding Mo's ascension is just around the corner.

And in this competition between the various sects before him, Lin Zhifeng felt that Ding Mo was probably a strong contender for the top spot on the Nascent Soul stage rankings. He was truly someone to be admired!

Lin Zhifeng carefully reviewed the competition rules issued by the sect and discovered that the use of talismans and other magical artifacts was prohibited. Wasn't this unfair to talisman cultivators, alchemists, and spellcasters? It seemed that sword cultivators were at a significant disadvantage.

However, the sword talisman given by Ding Mo is definitely unusable.

This rule must have been unavoidable. If everyone used high-level cultivator talismans and started bombarding everyone with attacks, who could possibly defeat them? That would defeat the very purpose of holding the competition.

Since there were no shortcuts or loopholes to exploit, Lin Zhifeng had no choice but to diligently cultivate at home.

Lin Jun and the others knew Lin Zhifeng was in a critical situation, so they didn't want to bother him and didn't dare include him in their several drinking and feasting events. Upon hearing this, Lin Zhifeng, thinking of his own miserable predicament, shed tears of envy.

This is really discouraging. It's like you're studying like crazy for the college entrance exam, even sacrificing sleep and meals, while your brothers have been arranged by their families to attend some dubious foreign university, where they can get in without taking the exam and the diploma is easy to obtain.

His own arduous cultivation life is truly heartbreaking to hear and tearful to see!

However, the intensive preparation before the exam didn't last long before the day for assembly and departure arrived.

Lin Zhifeng entrusted the queen bee to Qingfeng's care and set off with the treasure-hunting rat.

Actually, he was going to participate in the inter-sect competition, so he basically wouldn't have a chance to use the Treasure-Hunting Rat. But the little mouse volunteered to go with him, saying it was boring to stay home alone.

After the treasure-hunting mouse repeatedly assured him it would behave, Lin Zhifeng had no choice but to take it with him on his journey. There was another reason as well; Lin Zhifeng wasn't comfortable leaving it behind. He had a feeling that this audacious little mouse would cause some trouble if left unattended.

This time, the Heavenly Sword Sect will be hosting the competition.

The Heavenly Sword Sect and the Sword Sect differ by only one character.

Why would anyone name their sect like that? The Sword Sect is a long-standing sect that has existed for thousands of years, while this sect is a relatively new one that has only emerged in the last hundred years.

Is this naming method clearly targeting the Sword Sect?

Since the Heavenly Sword Sect became a first-class sect and entered the public eye, it has been trying to compete with the Sword Sect in every way and targeting the Sword Sect in everything.

Anyone with eyes can see it. It's just that since it doesn't concern them, they're all waiting to see the Sword Sect make a fool of themselves.

Lin Yuan, the sect leader of the Sword Sect, was not a domineering person. He simply ignored and disregarded the overt and covert provocations of the Divine Sword Sect.

After his disappearance, the nine elders continued his usual practice.

Seeing that the Heavenly Sword Sect always dared not directly respond to their provocations, the Heavenly Sword Sect assumed that the Sword Sect had declined and was not as powerful as before. When they met outside, the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect became increasingly arrogant and outrageous.

This time, the Heavenly Sword Sect is the organizer. I wonder how they will take this opportunity to target the Sword Sect!

The nine elders repeatedly instructed everyone on what to do if they were being targeted. It was the same old routine: don't provoke; don't strike first; but once you do strike, you can't fail!

Lin Zhifeng thought to himself: This is supposed to be a message that everyone shouldn't cause trouble, but also shouldn't be afraid of trouble. It's either don't fight at all, or fight to the death?

Alright! With the Sword Sect's strength, it's rare to encounter someone daring to challenge us in the last thousand years. We should cherish this opportunity, shouldn't we? These are all whetstones for our skills!

Surprisingly, the location of the Heavenly Sword Sect wasn't far from the Sword Sect. I wonder if they deliberately chose to be next to the Sword Sect when they founded their sect.

The Sword Sect sent people to greet the Heavenly Sword Sect members well in advance, meaning that since we had arrived, they should quickly arrange accommodations for us.

The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect who were in charge of receiving guests treated the Sword Sect members and other sects completely differently: they were proactive, enthusiastic, and responsive to other sects, arranging guest rooms for guests to rest immediately; but when it came to the Sword Sect members, they all had cold faces and said they were too busy to handle everything, asking the Sword Sect members to wait a moment.

They waited from dawn till dusk.

Even Lin Zhifeng, with his good temper, was getting a little angry. He was about to join his other senior brothers in causing some trouble for the Heavenly Sword Sect when a manager came and coldly led them to a secluded and spacious place within the Heavenly Sword Sect to park their flying vehicles.

The manager led them to park their aircraft and then took his leave, infuriating the entire Sword Sect. What? They had to wait half a day just to park their aircraft? Would they have to wait even longer for their accommodations?

A disciple of the Sword Sect stopped the person in charge and raised the above questions.

The steward feigned apology, saying, "I'm sorry, this is the first time our sect has hosted such a large-scale event. Due to insufficient preparation, we currently lack guest rooms. You all arrived a bit late, so we'll have to make do with the flying vehicle during the event. However, this venue is usually very quiet, and no one will disturb your rest or cultivation, so you can rest assured."

The Sword Sect members were furious: "If you don't have the ability, don't apply to host the competition! Who makes people sleep in flying vehicles? And what about the claim that we arrived late? There were clearly others who arrived even later than us, and you warmly arranged guest rooms for them. We arrived early, but you ignored us and made us wait until dark. Now why are you blaming us?"

The manager shrugged and said dismissively, "If you're not satisfied, you can forfeit and withdraw from the competition!" Then he turned and left without looking back.