"Senior Brother, are you saying they want to lower the Holy Hall’s ranking through a Cultivation Academy battle?" Mingren asked.
Mu Ziqing nodded. "That’s right, you guessed it. They’ve challenged us to a survival match, and we must accept. If we win, we can both foil their plot and raise the Holy Hall’s status. We need one disciple above the fortieth layer, two above the thirtieth, and three below the thirtieth to participate in this battle."
"Senior Brother Li Jing will take the position above the fortieth layer, and the two of us will take the positions above the thirtieth. The three disciples below the thirtieth layer will be chosen from among you. Zhiyuan just reached the Thirtieth Layer, so he can no longer participate. Who is willing to fight?"
Hex Zui asked.
The battle had co sooner than expected. The disciples exchanged glances. Though they didn’t know the format of the fight, the grave expressions on Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing’s faces suggested it would be incredibly dangerous. The Ten Thousand Demons Sect had certainly co prepared.
Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing gazed at the crowd. Ma Tian’Er’s recent performance had been too conspicuous, and the current group of Holy Hall Disciples was indeed formidable. The Ten Thousand Demons Sect wanted to strike first to gain the advantage.
"Senior Brother, I’ll fight!" Ma Tian’Er was the first to volunteer. She was a representative figure for the Holy Hall now.
Hex Zui nodded. "Junior Sister Ma will be one of our main fighters. Anyone else?"
"Count in, if you’ll have ," Wang ng said. It was his duty to step forward at a ti like this, but even if he volunteered, there was no guarantee they would pick him.
Previously, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing would have simply ignored him. But after Wang ng’s miraculous performance during the last test, they were intrigued. They truly had no idea what his actual skill level was.
"Wang ng, you’re tentatively selected. We’ll spar in a bit to confirm."
"Who else?" Hex Zui’s gaze swept over Li Tianyi, Mingren, and Tang Wei.
"Junior Brother Li, you’re injured, so just forget it. You can’t use your full power, so going would be suicide."
Mu Ziqing said.
Only then did the others realize Li Tianyi was injured. No wonder he looked so pale.
The remaining spot would certainly go to either Mingren or Tang Wei.
Just as Tang Wei was about to speak, Mingren smiled. "Let go. I have plenty of experience dealing with Demon Cultivators."
Seeing Mingren volunteer, Tang Wei said nothing more.
Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing exchanged a look. "Excellent. Then it’s settled!"
"Wang ng, co inside with ," Hex Zui said.
Mu Ziqing addressed the group. "Senior Brother Li Jing and we are in direct life-and-death duels. This is a good chance to crush the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s arrogance. You three will be in a survival battle. A Small Thousand Realm or a Cultivation Space will be selected for the final confrontation, and you’ll fight until only one side remains."
Mu Ziqing said gravely, "Whether for the Main Hall or for ourselves, there is no room for retreat. Junior Sister Ma, you must be decisive!"
A short while later, Wang ng and Hex Zui erged. Hex Zui clearly had a strange look on his face. "Wang ng is fine. He can participate."
"Excellent. Everyone, use these next few days to prepare. Be ready to fight at a mont’s notice."
"Brother Hex, do we have any intel on our opponents?" Tang Wei suddenly asked.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. It was impossible that Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing didn’t have any information.
"That information will be sent to your Star Rings in due ti. Rember, everything we discussed today is top secret!"
Hex Zui instructed, and everyone nodded in agreent.
"Wang ng, we should spar when we get the chance. You’re too good at hiding your strength," Li Tianyi said with a laugh. He had been cultivating a bit too intensely lately and had injured himself in the process.
"Anyti!" Wang ng chuckled, glancing at Ma Tian’Er. She glanced back at him.
"Senior Brother Wang, it looks like we’ll be fighting side-by-side again," Ma Tian’Er said.
"I’m looking forward to it!"
"Haha, Wang ng, you’re always so full of fighting spirit. I’m feeling the pressure now," Mingren chuckled.
"Senior Brother Mingren, you’re being too modest. As for those clowns from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect... what a sha! This would have been such a good chance to practice!"
Li Tianyi was filled with regret. ’Why couldn’t the battle have been earlier, or later? Why now of all tis?’
In the room, the expressions on the faces of Hex Zui, Mu Ziqing, and Ning Zhiquan remained grave.
"According to solid intelligence from the Main Hall, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect has a spy among them. Junior Brother Ning, who do you think it is?"
Of all the people present, Ning Zhiquan was the first to be ruled out. If he were the spy, the Holy Hall would have no secrets left, and its losses would have been far greater than they were now.
"No matter who it is, we have to drag them out this ti, or there will be endless trouble later. The timing of this challenge from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect is also suspicious, coming right when Junior Brother Li is injured!"
Mu Ziqing continued, "In the matches for those above the fortieth and thirtieth layers, both sides know each other well. Even in a duel to the death, the odds are fifty-fifty at best. The battle below the thirtieth layer has beco the crucial one."
"Look at it from another angle: why would Junior Brother Li get injured at this exact mont?" Hex Zui countered.
Ning Zhiquan paused, then shook his head. "That’s impossible. Li Tianyi is a direct descendant of the Li Family and has been in the Main Hall for years. Even if he fits the profile in so ways, it can’t be him!"
"Why not? Even a disciple from the Li Family could be a traitor!"
"Soone so dedicated to the sword isn’t capable of such things," Ning Zhiquan said, shaking his head. "Besides, he interacts with few people and isn’t typically involved in these matters."
A Second Generation Immortal wouldn’t have that kind of subtle mind.
"Next is Ma Tian’Er. Junior Sister Ma can also be ruled out."
The three n agreed on this point. The chance of it being Ma Tian’Er was minuscule. Even if she was at odds with the Ma Family, she wouldn’t resort to such tactics.
"That leaves Wang ng, Mingren, and Tang Wei. Wang ng was a strong possibility, but he arrived at the Holy Hall relatively late, and the problems started before he ca. So, that leaves only Mingren and Tang Wei."
Ning Zhiquan nodded. "Either of them is possible, especially given Tang Wei’s personality. He was hesitant to volunteer just now. As for Mingren, based on my years of knowing him, it’s unlikely, but not impossible. We’ll have to see how he performs in this battle."
Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing exchanged a glance. An attack from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was expected, but the timing was certainly a surprise. Only a handful of people knew Li Tianyi was injured. Regardless, this was an opportunity.
Information on their opponents arrived in the Star Rings of Wang ng and the others.
The Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s combatant for the over-fortieth-layer match was Qi Feiyu. He was incredibly powerful and an old rival of Li Jing’s. It seed the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was betting everything on this.
In the domain of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, Qi Feiyu also wore a grave expression. The stakes were incredibly high this ti. To be honest, he had no desire for a fight to the bitter end with Li Jing; his goal was to beco a mber of the Star Alliance. But he could not disobey an order from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. However, this was also an opportunity. Killing Li Jing would be a great rit, and he needed the sect’s support.
It was ti to settle things. If the Ten Thousand Demons Sect could use this to greatly boost its prestige and eliminate the Holy Hall in one fell swoop, that would serve as powerful backing for his future bid to join the Star Alliance.
This was the dream of every Cultivator in the Cultivation Academies.
Qi Feiyu’s heart couldn’t help but POUND in his chest. ’I need to plan this carefully,’ he thought.
When Wang ng returned to his room, Fan Hong was waiting for him.
"Wang ng, has sothing happened? If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word!" Fan Hong asked.
Wang ng shook his head. "You can’t help with this one. It’s a life-and-death battle between Sects within my Small Thousand Realm."
Fan Hong understood imdiately. It was the sa where he ca from—the conflicts between Sects were endless. It was just that his turn hadn’t co yet.
"Then you must prepare in advance. You’ll need several essential Pills, and weapons... I’ll go get you a good sword!"
Fan Hong offered. The "good sword" he spoke of was an Immortal Sword from the Cultivation Academy, which would certainly cost an astronomical price.
Wang ng smiled and shook his head. "No need, my sword is good enough. Pills, however, are a must. I’ll need to spend the next few days preparing."
After seeing Fan Hong out, Wang ng considered the items he would need. This was a rare opportunity for a real battle, and he felt a flicker of anticipation.
’The Star Alliance doesn’t like the Sects in the Small Thousand Realms to stagnate,’ he mused. ’At its core, it encourages survival of the fittest. It’s just a matter of who initiates the conflict.’
Wang ng continued his cultivation as usual, reporting to the Alchemy Institute each day. Using the materials from Fan Hong, he refined a few types of Pills he needed. This ti, however, he didn’t infuse them with his Divine Sense. He had figured out that he was definitely the one who had shattered the Pill Furnace last ti, and given its cost here, he couldn’t afford to replace it.
「Three days later」
Extrely bad news ca from Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing.
Senior Brother Li Jing had died in battle. This was a devastating blow to the Holy Hall. Li Jing had been at the Cultivation Academy for years and was imnsely powerful.
Mu Ziqing slamd his fist on the table in fury. "Damn it! That bastard Qi Feiyu actually used an Overlord Needle! Otherwise, how could he have possibly been a match for Brother Li!"
"We need to be careful, too. Who knows what else they’ve prepared. The Ten Thousand Demons Sect is sparing no expense this ti!"
In this regard, the Holy Hall truly couldn’t compare to the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. The demon sect had plundered voraciously over the years, acting without any scruples. With the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s backing, even a Small Sect like the Mad Sword Sect dared to massacre an entire city.
Most of the spoils from such massacres had to be turned over to the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. It was no wonder they could afford a powerful Magical Artifact like the Overlord Needle.
Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing’s initial confidence had stemd from Li Jing. Now, the pressure was imnse. They had lived low-profile lives for years, knowing full well how deep the waters of the Cultivation Academy ran and how nurous and powerful their enemies were. But it was clear they could not hide forever.
"Fuck it! Let’s give it everything we’ve got! The worst they can do is kill us, so what’s the big deal? We can’t let those animals from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect get away!"
Mu Ziqing raged. There was no retreat. They truly had no way out. To show fear now was to court death; their only choice was to fight with everything they had.
In terms of individual strength, both sides knew each other inside and out. After all these years, who didn’t have a Protective Spiritual Artifact or two? The odds should have been fifty-fifty. But now, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was sparing no expense to see them dead.
Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing felt helpless, and the others even more so. The disciples weren’t even in the mood to drink; they could only return to their rooms and wait, resigning themselves to fate.
Magical Artifacts from a Small Thousand Realm could exert almost no power in the Great Yuan Realm. The Elental Power of an artifact was closely tied to its environnt; the Great Yuan Realm’s Elental Qi was purer, which made artifacts from a Small Thousand Realm seem crude by comparison. Over ti, disciples of the Cultivation Academy would accumulate enough to acquire an artifact or two from the academy itself, but it was clear the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was far more ruthless in their preparations.
Besides, one had to be proficient with a Magical Artifact. Sharpening your spear right before a battle was, at best, a way to intimidate soone.
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