Grandpa, times have changed.

Ignoring Chen Yuanlin's confusion, Xiao Fan kept his eyes fixed on the arena.

One could see a series of images flashing continuously, making the whole scene appear extremely chaotic.

However, the arena itself is a magic artifact of considerable quality. As long as you focus on the contestant you want to see, the image of that contestant will be magnified in front of you, while the rest of the projected image will be blurred.

Therefore, even for ordinary people who have not yet entered the path, the viewing experience is still very good.

'Still no gap...'

Zhang Yunlu's performance surprised Xiao Fan.

He had thought that after experiencing so many cruel trials, he should be stronger than his old classmate who had also had a miraculous encounter.

But judging from her behavior just now...

Taking into account some hidden methods, her actual combat strength is probably not much different from his.

Chen Yuanlin, who was standing to the side, finally found 'Xuanjian City Third Middle School' on the Spirit Network.

Looking at the introduction on the Spirit Network, he fell silent, even wondering if he had searched for the wrong place.

This is a middle school where the principal's cultivation level is not yet at the Void Returning stage, and the teaching staff is also very... ordinary.

It's unbelievable that geniuses like Xiao Fan and Zhang Yunlu could emerge!
"It hasn't been easy for you to get to where you are today," Chen Yuanlin said sincerely.

"..." Xiao Fan simply replied, "It's alright."

not easy?
It's not easy.

Since becoming his disciple, none of the trials he has experienced over the years have been easy.

He still remembers his first trial to this day.

That was to test his resilience. His master used unparalleled methods to create a space filled with demonic beasts and then threw him into it.

He was forced to confront opponents who were the materialized forms of various demonic spirits and beast souls.

At first, he was full of confidence, after all, he had even survived the influence of the Cang clan bloodline, so what were mere demonic beasts?
In addition, those monsters were not strong and could be killed easily, so at first they did not realize the seriousness of the problem.

What truly made him begin to regret it was a week after he was thrown into that space.

The endless monsters to kill and the seemingly endless trials were taking their toll on his spirit, even with his boundless physical strength.

He already regretted it very much at that time.

But no matter what he did, how he shouted, or even cursed, all he received in response were monsters that pounced on him from all directions.

He spent the rest of his time slaying monsters and feeling regret.

A month later, his initial ambition and even his 'regret' had been completely worn away, and he could only numbly fight back against every monster that pounced on him.

At that time, his mental and physical will was already on the verge of collapse.

But after persisting for three months, he finally broke down and cursed his master before giving up and letting the monster bite him to death.

However, the moment he opened and closed his eyes, he reappeared unharmed in that space, even his extremely exhausted mind had returned to normal, and there were still endless monsters in all directions.

Regret, endless regret filled every corner of my heart.

Three full years.

He spent most of his time in regret; whether he begged for mercy or cursed, his master never responded.

After experiencing ninety-seven mental breakdowns, the first ordeal finally came to an end.

Each subsequent trial was arguably even more challenging than the first.

You can't live, you can't die.

Even if his body and soul are destroyed and his mind is broken, his master can restore him completely.

It can be said that from the moment he chose to become an apprentice in Xuanjian City, he had no room for regret.

Xiao Fan was recalling all the trials that Huo had arranged for him over the years, but he didn't notice that Chen Yuanlin beside him had followed his gaze.

After watching Zhang Yunlu's battle with her second opponent for a while, he turned his gaze back to Xiao Fan.

At that moment, he seemed to have guessed what Xiao Fan was thinking:
"Do you feel like you've put in a lot of effort, but haven't managed to widen the gap between you and her as expected, so you don't understand why?"

"..."

Xiao Fan paused, but did not reply.

“Actually, you don’t need to think like that at all.” Chen Yuanlin spoke with the tone of someone who had been through it all. “Is it possible that while you are working hard, others are also working hard, and their efforts may not be less than yours?”

He understood that feeling all too well.

He used to feel pressured every moment because of the "Top Prodigies Ranking" compiled within the league.

Especially after Chi Jiuyu, the former "second place on the list of prodigies", began to stand out, the pressure on him reached its peak.

He began to cultivate more diligently, working harder to hone his magical powers and learn supernatural abilities.

Finally, he hastily advanced to the Nascent Soul stage before accumulating enough power.

However, the gap between the two continues to narrow.

He felt resentful back then, wondering why the gap was getting smaller and smaller despite his hard work.
It wasn't until after he entered the martial arts hall that he calmed down and began to face his cultivation head-on.

I also took some time to learn about Chi Jiuyu's experiences, and then I realized that Chi Jiuyu had put in just as much effort as I had.

Later, they even received a tip from the Supreme Daoist Sect.

Despite seemingly spending his days eating, drinking, and having fun, Chi Jiuyu actually incorporates cultivation into every aspect of his daily life...

She's the curliest one.

"You're overthinking it," Xiao Fan said calmly.

He was just a little surprised; he didn't think much of it.

More than trivial matters like who was stronger between himself and his old classmate, he was concerned about what the next trial his master had arranged for him would be.

"On the contrary, you seem to care a lot about being surpassed by Chi Jiuyu."

“...How could that be!” Chen Yuanlin said in a relaxed tone, “She fixes hers, I fix mine, why do I have to compare myself to her?”

In fact, after hearing the rumors from the Supreme Dao Sect, he also tried Chi Jiuyu's approach of integrating cultivation into daily life.

However, they were completely unable to adapt.

In the end, I had to give up.

……

……

As noon approached, the selection competition for the Nascent Soul group had reached its fifth round.

After the previous four rounds, a total of twenty-four matches, there are now thirty-seven people left in the Transcendent God group.

Chi Jiuyu and Zhang Yunlu were among them.

It is worth mentioning that Zhang Yunlu's record is 22 wins and 2 losses.

Chi Jiuyu won a complete victory!
Moreover, the longest match only involved two sword strikes.

Her strength is on a completely different level, already showing the flair she displayed in the previous Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

In the audience, some viewers from other immortal sects who were expected to participate in the immortal sect competition couldn't help but feel pressured after seeing her sweep through the selection rounds.

Because of her exaggerated performance, after being evaluated by Tai Xuan Xian Wang, Chi Jiu Yu received a bye in the first match of the fifth round.

But in the second match, she faced the best performer from the first match of the fifth stage—

A female sword cultivator dressed in black, with short, neat hair and delicate, beautiful features.

He held a long sword in his hand, its blade entirely black, yet upon closer inspection, it shimmered with a strange color.

After discovering that her opponent was Chi Jiuyu, she raised an eyebrow.

"Ye Rou, please enlighten me."

She was also a participant in the previous Immortal Sect Competition. She was very strong, but she was eliminated early on.

He was being chased by an avatar of Hong Zun, but was discovered by Qiu Zheng who was crouching nearby...

Severely injured and unconscious, she had no power to resist and was eliminated in a daze.

However, it was during her encounter with Hongzun that she successfully forged the will to survive and resist—the thought of "the sky is about to collapse and all things are about to crumble, but with only the sword in her hand, she can seek a sliver of hope"—into her sword.

He switched from a sword cultivator who mainly focused on sword formations to one who cultivated his natal sword.

Their overall strength is among the top in this year's Immortal Sect Competition!
One of Zhang Yunlu's two losses was against her.

"Chi Jiuyu, please enlighten me." Chi Jiuyu also bowed, appearing quite aloof.

Chi!
Without any warning, a blood-red shadow suddenly appeared in front of Chi Jiuyu, the black sword blade surrounded by a blood-red light.

Amidst the terrifying crimson flames, Ye Rou remained calm.

After the last Immortal Sect Competition, she cultivated diligently for a long time and finally achieved her long-held goal.

With her current strength, she is not afraid even of Lin Changsheng from the previous generation.

My junior grandmaster is indeed exceptionally talented, but he's ultimately too young to be a match for me. Therefore, I must finish this quickly without revealing too many of my trump cards!

"kill!"

A chilling sword intent filled the air, and a long sword wreathed in blood-red light slashed toward Chi Jiuyu's neck.

After a while.

Endless red light engulfed everything, like a star falling to earth; a surging, terrifying power annihilated everything.

"Sanjian, you are the strongest opponent I have encountered in this selection competition."

Amidst the vast crimson light, Chi Jiuyu slowly sheathed his sword, his tone calm.

Ok.

So cool!

Ye Rou's body disintegrated inch by inch in the red light, her eyes filled with disbelief.

How can it be!

"How can it be……"

……

……

The audience was completely silent.

for a long time.

"This guy has gotten even more powerful," Ye Zhiwei said with a smile.

Lin Xuanxuan glanced at her discreetly.

She knew very well that although Senior Sister Ye seemed to be smiling, she was actually out of options.

Then he looked to the other side.

Zhao Ruohan pursed her lips tightly, her hands clenched so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Gee!

Lin Xuanxuan clicked her tongue twice in her mind, took out a newly cultivated spirit orange from the small pouch at her waist, peeled it, ate a segment, and then...

She froze for a moment.

Immediately, a smile spread across her face as she handed the remaining oranges aside.

"Senior Sister Ye, do you want some? It's so sweet."

Ye Zhiwei glanced at it.

“I participated in the cultivation of this Lingju orange.”

Lin Xuanxuan's smile immediately vanished.

Live it!

No wonder they weren't selling!
After muttering a few words to herself, she forced a smile and handed the remaining oranges to the other side.

"Sister Ruohan, do you want some? It's so sweet!"

Zhao Ruohan didn't reply, or even turn around, but reached out and took the orange.

Under Lin Xuanxuan's expectant gaze, she picked up a piece and ate it.

ate!

Just as she was anticipating Zhao Ruohan's reaction after eating the orange, she saw Zhao Ruohan finish one segment and then pick up another.

Eh?
Soon, Zhao Ruohan finished the remaining oranges and casually tossed the peels back to Lin Xuanxuan.

Lin Xuanxuan's expression was somewhat blank.

Could it be that……

Only one petal is sour, and the rest are sweet?

"Is it sweet, Sister Ruohan?"

"sweet."

Zhao Ruohan still didn't turn around.

"..."

After hesitating for a while, she took out a tangerine from the small pouch at her waist, peeled it, took a segment, and put it in her mouth.

Abundant spiritual energy, accompanied by an extreme sour taste, explodes in your mouth!

Lin Xuanxuan's whole face scrunched up.

But she refused to believe it and forced herself to eat another slice.

ten minutes later.

Zhao Ruoming, who had come to the vicinity to talk to Zhao Ruohan, had five oranges in his hand.

……

……

The Sword Master's Hall is located halfway up the mountain.

"Jiuyu and Yunlu both performed better than expected."

Xu Xing held a fishing rod in his hand, and the baited hook kept changing position in the pond, attracting the fish in the pond to chase after it.

"They are working very hard." Bie Xuening looked into the secret realm.

Compared to Chi Jiuyu's easy victory over his opponent, Zhang Yunlu, who won the first match, found herself in a tough battle.

Her opponent was a young sword cultivator who had also participated in the previous Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

The longsword in his hand resembled an arc of light, displaying a gradient of purple. Stardust could be seen flowing beneath the semi-transparent material, and a rainbow flickered uncertainly.

The cultivation technique he practiced was called "Stardust Realm Annihilation True Sword Chapter".

It is recognized as the 'number one in special effects' among the many true techniques of the Sword Sect.

Especially for sword cultivators below the Dao Integration level, the visual effects of their techniques far surpass those of sword cultivators practicing other true methods.

In the previous Immortal Sect Competition, he had encountered Chi Jiuyu and Ye Zhiwei, who were both seriously injured. His overall strength was among the top tier of participants in this year's Immortal Sect Competition.

Even when Zhang Yunlu used the 'Killing Sword One' that she had comprehended, she was still no match for him.

Defeat is only a matter of time.

“I remember that we didn’t get a particularly good ranking in the last Immortal Sect Competition, and Jiu Yu always felt very sorry for you, Senior Sister,” Xu Xing said.

She's mischievous and likes to court disaster, but her character is generally good.

"I know."

Over the years, although that rebellious disciple often provoked her and courted death, he could be considered quite sensible, aside from that.

Some things, if said aloud, might make that traitor arrogant.

It was precisely because of that rebellious disciple's behavior over the years that she had the idea of ​​taking Xiao Yunlu as her disciple.

After all, being a teacher was a completely unfamiliar thing for her.

She is also very clear about her own personality; she is irritable and somewhat awkward.

Therefore, before accepting that rebellious disciple into her fold, she did not believe that she could become a qualified master.

But now it seems...

Okay.

She didn't continue on that topic, as if she had remembered something, and instead asked:
"I heard there's news about Junior Sister Chenhuan?"

"Well, whether it succeeds or not will be decided soon."

this world.

He is the first person in the Tai Xuan Realm to comprehend the Dao while currently in seclusion in the Cave of Truth. He is the creator of the "Star Dust Realm Annihilation Sword Chapter" and the first hall master of the Sword Sect's Sword-Holding Hall.

At the same time, she was also one of Hongzun's former Daoist partners.

He was revered by the world as the 'Master of the Universe Sword'.

If you calculate carefully, he has been in seclusion in the mortal realm for ten thousand years.

As for why he joined the Sword Sect instead of the Supreme Dao Sect...

Firstly, she is a sword cultivator.

Secondly...

Some truly melodramatic things have happened in the past. (End of Chapter)