Chapter 1623: Crisis

Could she really be satisfied with this disciple-son-in-law?

But this truly didn't fit Yan Xuehen's character. Shouldn't she have given him a cold look and told him to get lost? Not killing him would already be an act of grace; how could she possibly allow him to pester her disciple?

What he found even more perplexing was Yan Xuehen's gaze. When she looked at Zu'an, there seemed to be something special in her eyes, something he had never seen before. He couldn't immediately grasp its meaning, but it made him feel a little uneasy.

However, he quickly chuckled to himself, realizing what he was thinking. He had almost felt jealous of a junior young man.

Soon, the evaluations for disciples from various sects were complete. Some rejoiced, while others despaired. There were well-known chief disciples like Wu Xiaofan, and also dark horses who emerged unexpectedly, like Pei Mianman. Everyone was speculating who would win first place and who would secure second in their group—first place was widely assumed to belong to one of the nine chief disciples; others dared not even consider it.

During the drawing of lots for group assignments, the elders from various sects delivered their final motivational speeches before the grand competition.

Guan Chouhai said to Zhiyin: "It's certainly a bit surprising that Wu Xiaofan and Wan Guiyi have broken through to the Grandmaster realm. However, you shouldn't feel intimidated. Realm doesn't represent ultimate combat power; it also relates to combat skills, adaptability in real combat, mindset, and so on. You are just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster, so there's no fundamental gap between you and them. As long as you respond appropriately, you might very well win."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Zhiyin nodded, and fierce fighting spirit reignited in his eyes.

After all, he was the most outstanding disciple of Li Hentian. Although he had fallen for Chu Chuyan at first sight, his life wasn't solely about love. Having just been provoked by Wu Xiaofan and Wan Guiyi, his pride was reawakened. Hadn't he diligently cultivated for so many years precisely to make a splash at this grand competition?

Soon after the drawing of lots concluded, the Peak Master of Guanxin Peak announced the official start of the grand competition. The matches for the nine groups would proceed simultaneously, and the Zhengyang Sect had already designated nine areas to serve as arenas.

Fortunately, the Golden Summit was vast enough to accommodate them.

Each arena had various restrictions jointly set up by the Peak Masters and Elder-level figures of the Zhengyang Sect to prevent damage from the residual power of the combatants' battles.

Disciples from each sect ascended the stages one by one, following the order of the draw.

By then, Xie Daoyun had returned to Zu'an's side, shaking her head slightly. She had just scouted around and found no traces of a killing formation. Fearing her cultivation might be insufficient, she had even secretly tried the method her teacher taught her, but still, there was no reaction.

Zu'an smiled and told her, "This is good news. Now you can enjoy your vacation and watch the matches of the elite disciples from the Nine Daoist Sects. You might even gain some insights."

Xie Daoyun hummed in agreement and stood obediently beside him. Although the Imperial Academy boasted strong teachers and abundant resources, she indeed lacked practical combat experience. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been in such a predicament when she ventured out of the capital alone and was cornered by Shuanglong Mountain.

The matches soon began. Xie Daoyun had initially expected dazzling and spectacular battles, but to her surprise, victory or defeat was often decided in just a few rounds.

Seeing her disappointed expression, Zu'an smiled and explained, "Competition among masters is often decided in an instant. It's the evenly matched fights that are harder to come by."

"I see," Xie Daoyun thought, her heart sharpening. As she watched more closely, she gradually discerned more: the initial probing between competitors, the thunderous strikes once an opportunity arose. She felt she was learning things she hadn't understood before.

Zu'an's gaze, however, was mainly focused on Pei Mianman. He wasn't concerned about the outcomes of the other matches.

Finally, Pei Mianman made her appearance, and gasps of awe echoed around.

Clearly, this woman had an overwhelming visual impact. Crucially, in addition to her striking presence, she possessed such a delicate and perfect face, and a bright, captivating smile, making it difficult for anyone not to be favorably impressed.

"Yuan Kun of Qingxu Manor, please... please enlighten me." A young disciple bowed to her, his voice noticeably trembling.

Naturally, it wasn't out of fear, but rather overwhelming excitement.

After all, competing against such a goddess-like figure meant there would inevitably be physical contact later. What if they developed mutual admiration in the arena, became friends after the match, and perhaps even advanced their relationship further...

"Pei Mianman of Biluo Palace. I hope Senior Brother will show mercy," Pei Mianman said with a beaming smile. Upon seeing her smile, Yuan Kun instantly felt a little dizzy.

"Miss Pei is truly beautiful, and her smile is so lovely," even Xie Daoyun, also a woman, couldn't help but exclaim.

Zu'an chuckled wryly. "Big Mianman" was always like this, smiling at everyone. However, if you truly believed she was interested in you, you'd likely suffer a great loss.

Sure enough, as Yuan Kun heard her ask for mercy, he constantly told himself to remain calm, but his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his chest.

Although her cultivation realm was high, his wasn't low either. And such a delicate junior sister probably wasn't very skilled in combat.

He mused, he would first let her make three moves, allowing her to appreciate his gentlemanly conduct. Then he would engage her further to prolong their time together, and finally, find an opportunity to defeat her, earning her admiration for his strength...

However, no sooner had this thought arisen than he suddenly felt a surge of black flames assailing him.

He turned pale with fright and quickly raised his sword to block, but the black flames were incredibly potent, incinerating his sword into ashes.

Terrified, he frantically circulated various cultivation methods and combat skills to disperse the black flames. However, no matter how hard he tried, the black flames clung to him like a gangrene. Left with no choice, he tore off his sleeve and tumbled completely off the stage; only then did the black flames recede.

Pei Mianman bowed gracefully with a smile, "Senior Brother, you yielded."

Yuan Kun's expression was awkward, as if he wanted to cry but couldn't.

A moment ago, he had only felt her smile was bright and dazzling; now, he felt a chill down his spine.

He still had too many trump cards he hadn't used, yet he was knocked off the stage without even touching his opponent's sleeve.

In front of so many eyes, he was too embarrassed to say anything. He simply bowed casually and slipped away in shame.

At this moment, many nearby spectators erupted in an uproar. They had never imagined that this delicate beauty would be so powerful, with visibly explosive combat abilities. From then on, no one dared to judge a book by its cover.

"Miss Pei is so formidable!" Xie Daoyun exclaimed, her mouth agape as if it could fit an egg.

Zu'an was also a little surprised. Big Mianman's cultivation had improved significantly recently. It seemed Biluo Palace truly lived up to its reputation as a venerable and deeply established powerhouse among the Daoist sects.

Qiu Honglei also sighed, "I heard about her remarkable talent back in Mingyue City. Now that I've seen her, she seems no less capable than I am."

"Indeed, she's not beneath you; she's even hidden some of her strength," Yun Jianyue said, feeling a headache coming on. "How are all the women around that boy such prodigies?"

Qiu Honglei said, somewhat proudly, "My A'Zu is simply capable."

Yun Jianyue was speechless.

*My silly disciple, is this really something to be happy about?*

On the other side, Yan Xuehen's gaze sharpened. She naturally noticed some anomalies and felt a flicker of worry in her heart. Qiu Honglei of the Demonic Sect was already a formidable opponent, but she hadn't expected Pei Mianman to be so powerful too.

Wang Wuxie also had a hint of surprise flash in his eyes, but his expression soon turned amused. Since this female disciple wasn't in the same group as Wu Xiaofan, there would likely be some good entertainment later.

The subsequent matches were unremarkable, though there were a few minor dark horses. Despite having lower cultivation levels, they managed to defeat opponents of a higher rank. However, this was usually only a difference of one rank; it was almost impossible to challenge someone significantly higher.

When it was time for the seeded contestants from various sects to compete, their opponents' expressions were grim, and most chose to automatically concede.

Normally, some strong individuals might have mustered the courage for a grand battle, for even if they lost, the experience of fighting such opponents would be invaluable.

However, in this grand competition, besides the group winners directly advancing, the top 8 second-place finishers from all groups would undergo a brutal elimination round.

They not only needed to win as many matches as possible within their own group to secure a spot in the elimination round, but also had to prepare for it. With so many matches to be completed within a few days, expending too much energy fighting a chief disciple could put them at a disadvantage in subsequent matches.

However, there were still some stubborn ones. For example, Peng Wuyan's opponent. Perhaps because Kongming Island had always been at the bottom among the Nine Daoist Sects, and Peng Wuyan's reputation wasn't prominent, her opponent decided to go "all-in." He thought that if he could defeat this relatively weaker chief disciple, he would directly qualify as group leader, avoiding the brutal second round of eliminations.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel. He was quickly knocked off the stage by Peng Wuyan, suffering serious injuries. Clearly, he wouldn't be able to fight for a while and was directly out of contention for the remaining spots.

*That ugly woman's moves are truly ruthless!*

The surrounding disciples watched the woman on stage with eyes full of awe and reverence.

Zu'an, however, understood why she had struck so heavily. It was clearly to "kill the chicken to scare the monkeys"—to make an example. Otherwise, if others perceived her as easy to bully and came to challenge her one by one, even if she could defeat them, she would still expend a lot of energy. This would put her at a disadvantage when facing other chief disciples later, so it was better to settle it once and for all.

As for the seriously injured disciple, he deserved it. Since he chose to gamble, he should have been prepared for either great reward or severe consequences.

However, the injured disciple's sect didn't see it that way. Someone from Luofu Mountain stepped forward and challenged, "This Miss Peng's strike was so heavy, it clearly violated the previous competition rules! She should, by rights, be disqualified!"

Yun Jianyue, who had been feeling quite pleased watching her beloved disciple effortlessly defeat the elite Daoist disciples, immediately burst into fury upon hearing this. "Nonsense! He was simply inferior in skill. What does that have to do with my disciple!"

Being reprimanded by her like that, Elder Xu, the leader from Luofu Mountain, also couldn't sit still. "Sect Master Wang just stated earlier that the matches should stop once a point is reached. Your disciple could have easily won, yet she struck so heavily, directly crippling our disciple and preventing him from participating in subsequent matches. Naturally, this is a violation and should be punished."

On stage, Qiu Honglei felt a pang of panic. After all, she was from the Demonic Sect, and her instinct was to make an example of someone. She had never expected the Daoist sects to have so many rules. If a real commotion started and her identity were revealed, it would be dangerous.