Chapter 116: Taking the Initiative—Mistaken for a Pushover!

For Cao Xuan and his group, she was somewhat surprised that all three of them had advanced.

As for her own sect, the Qingyun Sect of Guyun Prefecture, she was now the only one left. She had expected at least two of her fellow disciples, both at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, to make it through, but the competition had proven far more intense than anticipated, leaving only her behind.

She could not discern the depth of Cao Xuan’s power, so his advancement seemed natural. As for Li Yao and Xing Mengfan, she could vaguely sense their strength; even without using her spiritual sense, she knew they were weaker than her. Xing Mengfan, in particular—advancing while only in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment—meant her true ability was not to be underestimated. To advance at the mid-stage required luck, certainly, but it also implied a level of "invincibility" among one's peers.

"It seems we shall all be fellow disciples from now on. May I be so bold as to ask, Senior Brother Cao, are you at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, or have you already reached the pinnacle?"

Having reached the top hundred, Ru Hanhan felt that such a question was not too abrupt.

Cao Xuan answered generously, "The pinnacle of Foundation Establishment!"

"I knew it! Senior Brother Cao’s strength must be extraordinary. The moment I saw you that day, I felt you were like a heavenly being!"

As a female cultivator from the Southern Border, Ru Hanhan spoke with a candid, carefree air that was not at all off-putting. However, Cao Xuan clearly felt nine gazes from the surrounding area sweep toward him.

Good heavens, it turned out there was a dragon hiding among the branch sects; Cao Xuan, at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, had nearly slipped through unnoticed. They exchanged a brief glance, subtly signaling to him. Although no words were spoken, Cao Xuan understood their intent clearly: the ten of them were to avoid fighting each other for now. To move from the top hundred to the top ten, one only needed to win ten consecutive matches. They would secure the top ten spots first before vying for the fifth position. As for the champion, they would see how things unfolded later.

After all, unlike the original Qingyun Dharma Assembly, this event determined who would enter the Six Great Sacred Lands. Fighting to the death for the title of champion—the right to meet the ancestor Qingmu—was meaningless if one suffered heavy injuries that hindered their breakthrough in the Qingyun Cloud Cave. Thus, everyone was more focused on securing a top-five spot; whether or not they met the ancestor mattered little. They were all disciples from the various peaks of the Central Prefecture’s Qingyun Sect; even if they met the ancestor, the most they would receive were some cultivation resources—they could never become the ancestor’s direct disciples. They were well aware of this.

Feeling the sudden heavy tension in the air, Ru Hanhan’s mouth fell open, and she quickly covered it with her right hand. "I am sorry, Senior Brother Cao, I was too forward!"

In her view, she might have pushed Senior Brother Cao into the crosshairs. But Cao Xuan truly didn't mind. Through this struggle to reach the top hundred, he had gained some concept of his own strength. Namely, it seemed that he was, in the Foundation Establishment stage, incredibly strong! He hadn't even utilized the synergy between his three perfected techniques; his sword intent alone was enough to wipe the floor with everyone. Not to mention the "Proverb Domain" he had yet to unleash.

Just as they were speaking, perhaps because the Six Great Sacred Lands were growing impatient, Ancestor Qingmu spoke directly: "The Qingyun Dharma Assembly, the battle for the top ten, begins! Those who wish to be challengers may take the stage!"

As his voice fell, most of the hundred present did not move, but almost all eyes turned simultaneously toward the nine, including the black-robed, short-bladed youth Qiu Qianliu and the red-skirted maiden Meng Weizhi. After all, while everyone else wore the standard green robes or simple skirts, only these geniuses from the various peaks dared to be different, wearing their own attire while merely pinning their Qingyun Sect identification tokens to their waists.

If not for this trip to the Six Great Sacred Lands, these individuals would never have attended the Qingyun Dharma Assembly. But within the Qingyun Sect, they were destined to be the standouts of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, perhaps even becoming great figures at the Soul Formation stage and pillars of the Central Prefecture’s Qingyun Sect. In any sect, there were only so many geniuses who could be called pillars. These figures might not know them, but they certainly had to know these geniuses. The prerequisite for competing for resources was staying alive; one usually made sure to steer clear of such people.

But this Qingyun Dharma Assembly was different. Once these nine took the stage, if no one challenged them, other contestants would be arranged to face them at random. To say nothing else, everyone who had come here wanted to secure a future, so naturally, they would hold nothing back, displaying their strongest facets to the Sacred Lands in hopes of being noticed. By this logic, the later one was chosen, the more opportunity there might be to pick up a win by default. If one were lucky enough to reach the top five, they could exhaust their savings to force a cultivation breakthrough—from the late stage to the pinnacle—and then enter the Qingyun Cloud Cave to reach the Golden Core stage. If they became one of those thirty Golden Cores, even the most unstable ones, they would meet the standards for entering the Sacred Lands.

Though they were not geniuses of the main lineage, being able to reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment at their age meant they were clearly the elite among outer sect disciples. Naturally, they all had sources of inside information regarding the Six Great Sacred Lands. Under normal circumstances, they would surely consolidate their foundations, seeking a top-tier Golden Core. But this time, if they could enter the Six Great Sacred Lands, even a rushed breakthrough could be rectified with the opportunities found within. Not only could their Golden Cores be elevated, but the Nascent Soul stage, and perhaps even Soul Formation, might not be mere delusions.

Therefore, when Qiu Qianliu and the others flew onto the nine platforms, no one stood in their way; there were not even any challengers. As for the final platform, everyone watched with amusement to see if any unlucky fool, ignorant of the heights of heaven and earth, would step up to act as a stepping stone.

At this moment, the nine stood on their respective platforms—some with eyes closed, some flicking their blades, some looking on with indifference, and some glancing toward Cao Xuan. Because they now understood the unspoken agreement, Cao Xuan nodded to his junior sisters and Ru Hanhan and flew directly toward the tenth floating platform.

Those who had overheard Ru Hanhan’s earlier question naturally looked solemn, but with a hundred people in the venue and the surrounding noise, many had not heard it. So, when they saw Cao Xuan, dressed in the three-striped robes of a direct disciple, take the stage, they were first stunned, then delighted—they had forgotten about this guy. A headstrong youth from a branch sect had actually taken the stage; was he trying to act bold, thinking that because no one else had stepped up, he would be the one to claim it? Most likely, it was just youthful arrogance, wanting to be the tall poppy that gets cut down!

Consequently, for a time, no one stepped up to challenge Cao Xuan’s platform either. Time ticked by, and soon, if no one challenged him, the identification tokens would automatically match someone to take the stage. At this moment, someone stepped forward, heading directly toward Cao Xuan’s platform. When everyone saw that it was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, they were slightly taken aback, but quickly understood the reason.

Reaching this point at the mid-stage was already impressive enough, but these people knew they had no chance of catching the eye of the Six Great Sacred Lands. Their goal now was to gain attention within their own sect and go as far as possible. Thus, the other eight mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators also wanted to take the stage, and all of them headed toward Cao Xuan’s platform.

"I’ll go first!"
"Get out of my way!"
"Heh!"
"..."

For a moment, the scene was somewhat comical. Both the waiting contestants below and the people on the other nine platforms watched Cao Xuan with amusement. To prove oneself, one naturally had to display their full strength. Rather than challenging the nine long-famed experts at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, it was far better to squeeze this soft persimmon from the branch sect!