"I never expected the Grand Elder to personally attend this time's Outer Sect Tournament," Zhao Xufeng said in surprise upon seeing the elder in white robes.
"Grand Elder?" Lin Tian asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Indeed. The Grand Elder is the second strongest member of the Xuanwu Sect, second only to the Sect Leader. He usually secludes himself in the Central Peak and rarely makes an appearance. I never imagined that he would personally preside over this Outer Sect Tournament," Zhao Xufeng explained. "The Grand Elder is very fond of talent. If he sees a disciple with extraordinary potential, he can't resist taking them as his disciple. During a past Outer Sect Tournament, the Grand Elder even broke the rules to take a disciple as his personal student. If the Grand Elder is present, the level of this Outer Sect Tournament is bound to rise."
"Because there are so many Outer Sect disciples, the first round of this tournament will be held as a chaotic battle. Currently, there are eight platforms on the field, and the final two disciples left on each platform will be the victors, advancing to the second round of the Outer Sect Tournament. I believe you've already drawn your lot by now. You may go ahead and stand on the platform you've drawn," the Grand Elder said as he finished speaking.
As the Grand Elder's words echoed across the arena, the disciples began to move toward the platforms. Lin Tian was assigned to Platform No. 8. As he stepped onto the stage, he immediately noticed several pairs of eyes glaring at him with obvious hostility. These, of course, were disciples from the Formation and Beast Peaks, who had clearly made up their minds to eliminate Lin Tian as soon as the competition began.
"Boss, you've been assigned to Platform No. 8 too?" A voice suddenly reached Lin Tian's ears. Looking toward the sound, he saw Du Feng approaching, excitement written all over his face.
"Du Feng." Lin Tian's heart lifted upon seeing Du Feng. It had been a month since they last met, and Du Feng's spiritual fluctuations were significantly stronger. It was clear that after joining the Pill Peak, Du Feng's cultivation had made remarkable progress.
"Boss, these few kids aren't even worthy of fighting you," Du Feng sneered, casting a disdainful glance at the others. His eyes flashed with an intense sense of superiority.
Upon hearing Du Feng's words, the disciples who had previously been scowling at Lin Tian all furrowed their brows. Compared to Lin Tian, Du Feng's arrogant attitude made them even more displeased.
As the Grand Elder announced the start of the competition, the few disciples rushed forward. Brilliant spiritual energy gathered around their fists. They charged toward Du Feng, clearly intent on giving him no chance to fight back.
But Du Feng's disdain only deepened as he watched them approach. With a subtle movement of his energy, countless fine spiritual needles shot out from his body.
Upon seeing the spiritual needles, the disciples' expressions changed drastically. They quickly summoned spiritual energy to form a barrier in front of themselves, attempting to block the incoming attack. However, Du Feng's cultivation had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, and with his mastery of the fourth form of the "Storm Pear Blossom," these mere disciples were no match for him.
With a series of anguished cries, the disciples were swiftly knocked off the platform. The spiritual beasts of the Beast Peak disciples suffered particularly severe injuries, and it would likely take several months for them to recover.
"You're not bad, kid. I didn't expect you to have mastered the fourth form of the Storm Pear Blossom," Lin Tian remarked, his eyes lighting up. When he first entered the Xuanwu Sect, he had thoroughly explained the fourth form of the technique to Du Feng.
To his surprise, in just a month, Du Feng had successfully mastered it. Lin Tian was impressed far beyond his expectations.
"That's all thanks to your guidance, Big Brother." Du Feng scratched his head in embarrassment, his face flushing slightly. Clearly, he hadn't expected to be praised by Lin Tian.
After this display, the disciples on the other platforms who had previously been harboring ill intentions toward Lin Tian began to show hesitation. After all, Du Feng's demonstrated strength had already surpassed everyone else on the platforms. If things went as expected, Du Feng would likely claim one of the two spots for the second round.
"By the way, I was thinking of holding onto this, but now it seems like the right time to give it to you." Seeing Du Feng's impressive performance, Lin Tian took out a jade slip and handed it to Du Feng.
"What is this?" Du Feng asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion as he took the jade slip. However, when he examined the contents of the slip, his eyes immediately brightened. The jade slip contained insights on mastering the fifth form of the Storm Pear Blossom.
After receiving Lin Tian's guidance, Du Feng had successfully mastered the fourth form of the technique. But the difficulty of the fifth form was far greater than the fourth. Even after spending a long time researching it, Du Feng had made no progress. Now, with the jade slip, it was like a timely gift, offering him the key to the next level.
"What's going on here?" The Grand Elder, observing the platform, seemed to have noticed something unusual. On Platform No. 8, while the other disciples were fiercely battling, Du Feng and Lin Tian stood untouched, as if they were in an isolated, peaceful corner of the arena.
"Grand Elder, this is Du Feng from the Pill Peak. Although he has only been in the Xuanwu Sect for a month, his cultivation has already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. He's also mastered the fourth form of a fourth-grade martial technique. If things go as expected, he's bound to claim one of the spots in the second round of Platform No. 8," an elder from the Pill Peak explained proudly.
It was an honor for Du Feng to attract the Grand Elder's attention, and if the Grand Elder accepted Du Feng as his disciple, the Pill Peak would undoubtedly benefit from it.
"But what about that kid?" The Grand Elder's interest clearly shifted to Lin Tian, his gaze lingering on him rather than Du Feng. Though Du Feng's talent was exceptional, the Grand Elder was more intrigued by Lin Tian.
Clearly, he was curious why a disciple at the sixth level of Qi Refining had earned the respect of a disciple at the eighth level.