I have the face of a great demon.

In the dead of night, the Azure Sky Sect was completely silent, except for a faint light still shining in Liu Xingchen's room.

Since Tie Zhu transferred to the Dragon Tiger Hall, he has been living alone in this room.

Normally, he always keeps his abilities hidden, but when the night is deep and quiet and no one is around, he can release his inner strength without any scruples and explore his true power.

Although the room was cramped and limited in space, it was an excellent opportunity for Liu Xingchen to practice his internal energy and swordsmanship in a confined space.

The Azure Sky Movement Technique is known for its agility, allowing it to move freely and effortlessly even in confined spaces.

After half a year of training, his skills improved by leaps and bounds, far surpassing those of his fellow disciples.

Inside the room, sword light flashed, and Liu Xingchen's figure moved through the room like a ghost. Every move he made revealed his profound internal strength and superb swordsmanship.

As the last sword shadow dissipated, he sheathed his sword, lay on his bed, and began to plan for the sect competition the next day.

Tomorrow is the annual grand event of the Azure Sky Sect—the Sect Grand Competition.

This is not only a stage for disciples to showcase themselves, but also an excellent opportunity for promotion.

Liu Xingchen's group of disciples were nominal disciples, the lowest rank of disciples in the Cangqiong Sect.

If they can stand out in the sect competition and be noticed by a hall master or deacon, they can be taken in as disciples and promoted to formal disciples.

Otherwise, they will have to wait for the next competition.

Liu Xingchen's group not only included newcomers from the same batch, but also disciples recruited in the first half of the year, which undoubtedly put them at a disadvantage.

However, Liu Xingchen was not worried. His strength far surpassed that of the newcomers. Not to mention those who had trained for half a year longer, he was confident he could even fight those who had trained for several years but had not yet been promoted.

Now, the only thing he needs to consider is how much strength he should demonstrate in the competition.

He needs to demonstrate sufficient strength without revealing all his cards, lest he be mistaken for a monster.

Sometimes, being too strong can be a happy problem.

The sect competition was held as scheduled the next day.

This competition was held in three separate venues: newly initiated disciples, previous disciples, and formal disciples.

The sect's leaders, hall masters, and deacons have all gone to focus on the competition for formal disciples, leaving only three deacons to oversee the competition for these new disciples.

A deacon surnamed Liao presided over the opening ceremony of the new disciple competition, encouraged the new disciples, and explained to them the path to advancement in the Azure Sky Sect—becoming a formal disciple through the competition.

Formal disciples who achieve success in their cultivation can become stewards. When their martial arts skills reach a certain level, they can open a hall, become a hall master, and recruit many disciples.

The competition rules are also very simple: each person has to compete in three matches, and the opponent is determined by drawing lots. The ranking is determined by the wins and losses.

A perfect record of three wins is Grade A, two wins is Grade B, one win is Grade C, and a complete loss is Grade D.

Fourth-class disciples can go to the competition venue for previous registered disciples and compete with them.

At this point, the competition will attract the attention of the hall masters. As long as you are noticed by a hall master and taken under their wing, you can become a formal disciple. This is the most ideal path to advancement for newcomers.

The hall masters didn't want the second-tier disciples; only the deacons were interested. These deacons came here to select a few promising talents that the hall masters had overlooked and take them as disciples.

After the rules were explained, each disciple drew lots to determine their opponent for the first match.

After the draw, some of Liu Xingchen's new disciples were happy while others were sad.

Those who drew previous disciples as their opponents looked worried. Facing opponents who had trained for half a year longer than them, their chances of winning seemed slim.

Liu Xingchen drew a disciple who started at the same time as him. He shrugged indifferently, not caring who he drew.

Tie Zhu's name was no longer drawn in the lottery. He was exceptionally accepted by the Dragon Tiger Hall Master and became a formal disciple, where he showcased his skills on the formal disciple's field.

Thinking of this, Liu Xingchen smiled.

"Tiezhu, Tiezhu, I never expected you to be so lucky, even faster than me. Just wait, I'll catch up soon. After this competition, I'll definitely become a formal disciple."

With a loud "clang," the gong rang out, and the competition officially began.

On the four-sided arena, the new disciples, like the rising sun, shone brightly, and a series of exciting duels quickly ignited the passion of the entire arena.

When it was Liu Xingchen's turn to appear, the air around them seemed to freeze.

His opponent, Junior Brother Lu, had a wry smile unconsciously appear on his face after he stood still, and he muttered to himself, "I'm afraid I won't even be able to put up a fight against this genius senior brother."

He braced himself, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said with a hint of helplessness and self-mockery, "I know I am no match for you, so please show mercy, senior brother."

Before he finished speaking, he gritted his teeth and, with a slightly exaggerated "Ya—", the wooden sword in his hand shot out like an arrow, carrying a sense of "honorable defeat", and charged straight at Liu Xingchen.

Liu Xingchen knew that his junior brother Lu was not very strong; he could defeat him with just one move.

But he didn’t do that. The competition had just begun, so why rush to show his full strength?

Liu Xingchen parried Lu's sword with a single move, and the two exchanged blows for several rounds before finding an opening and placing his sword against Lu's neck, thus ending the contest.

In this way, he didn't reveal his strength and also gave Junior Brother Lu face.

With the first round of competition concluded, the disciples drew lots again to choose their opponents for the next match.

To ensure fairness, the winners drew lots, and Liu Xingchen's opponent was a new disciple who had trained for half a year longer than them.

After a night's rest to allow the disciples to recover their strength, the second round of the competition began the next day.

Liu Xingchen stepped onto the stage, and his opponent, Senior Brother Gao, curled up a cold smile.

"So you're that supposedly genius new disciple? Heh, you're unlucky to have met me. I'll show you that no matter how talented you are, you're nothing if you skip half a year of training."

Faced with Senior Brother Gao's provocation, Liu Xingchen simply smiled indifferently.

He knew that true strength could not be proven by words.

Around the arena, several deacons also focused their attention on this place. They had also heard about Liu Xingchen from their senior brother who was passing on his skills, and they were quite interested in this genius.

Liu Xingchen's opponent in this match was his senior brother, who had trained for half a year longer. His chances of winning were slightly slim, which suited the wishes of the stewards.

If Liu Xingchen wins all three matches, then these stewards won't stand a chance; he'll simply be noticed by a certain hall master and taken under his wing.

Therefore, the best outcome would be for Liu Xingchen to lose this match and win the next one, so that with two wins, he could be recruited by one of the deacons.

As soon as the gong sounded for the competition, Senior Brother Gao made the first move.

His first move was his signature technique, "Soul-Chasing and Spirit-Stealing," which he had practiced diligently for many days.

Senior Brother Gao's wooden sword moved with lightning speed, chasing closely toward Liu Xingchen's throat.

The brilliance of this move lies in the fact that no matter how the opponent dodges, the sword tip always follows closely, like a leech clinging to a bone, making it impossible to avoid.

Unless... the other person's sword is faster than his.