Chapter 730: Sect Competition

Although Chen Yan’s background and lineage were both shortcomings for him in the Inner Court,

his becoming Kongyuan Mountain’s current Chief Disciple still caused no controversy within the sect.

That was because among this generation of Kongyuan Mountain’s disciples, no one was more qualified than him to take the position of Chief Disciple.

Kongyuan Mountain placed great importance on lineage. The main reason was that Yun Yichen, the current Sect Leader of the Kongshan Sect, was extremely protective of his own.

Sect Leader Yun had a total of six disciples.

His eldest disciple, Zhong Yin, was currently serving as Kongyuan Mountain’s Dignity Elder.

His second disciple, Yue Chi, had broken through to the Myriad Transformations Realm more than a decade ago.

According to the customary rules, with no vacancy among the sect’s Peak Elders, he should have stepped down from his position as an Alchemy Hall Elder and become an Offering Elder of Kongyuan Mountain.

But Yun Yichen had not issued an assignment order. He had simply allowed Yue Chi to continue managing Kongyuan Mountain’s Alchemy Hall.

His third and fourth disciples also held important positions on Kongyuan Mountain. His fifth disciple, Lin Qifeng, had offended Yun Yichen, so the current Sect Leader of the Kongshan Sect had banished him to the outer court to serve as an Outer Court Elder.

As for his youngest disciple, Liu Yantang, she was currently serving as the Dao Sect Wanderer of the Kongshan Sect.

It could be said that Kongyuan Mountain’s direct-line faction wielded tremendous power within the sect.

For that very reason, at first, quite a few elders within the sect were unhappy with Yun Yichen’s practice of appointing his own people, and voiced considerable criticism.

But the direct-line disciples of Kongyuan Mountain had indeed performed admirably in their respective positions.

As time passed, those voices of opposition gradually faded away.

As for Chen Yan, his background as someone from the outer court and a disciple of a Yuanhua Mountain student had also gradually become something the cultivators of Kongyuan Mountain overlooked.

The first reason was that Chen Yan himself was outstanding. The talent he had displayed in the Kongshan Sect, and even throughout the cultivation world of the entire Chenping Continent, was exceptionally impressive.

The second reason was that Chen Yan’s Master, Lu Li, was increasingly valued by the Scripture Hall of Kongyuan Mountain.

A year ago, when Chen Yan was fourteen, Lu Li broke through to the Qi Sea Realm under Kongyuan Mountain’s favor, and soon afterward began serving as a Scripture Hall Guardian there.

The Scripture Hall Elder and Kongyuan Mountain’s disciples alike gave him unanimous praise. Kongyuan Mountain’s Martial Elder was also very satisfied with his performance, and seemed keen to groom Lu Li as his successor.

It could be said that from the time Chen Yan joined the Kongshan Sect at seven until now, at fifteen, his life had gone smoothly every step of the way.

Because of this, Chen Yan often heard people compare him to someone else.

Qin Qingyu.

She was the Chief Disciple of Moon Void Sect within the Star Heaven Sect. She was sixteen this year, and by the time she was fifteen, she had already reached the mid-stage of the Martial Spring Realm.

Although others praised this Chief Disciple of Moon Void Sect as an astonishing talent, and spoke of her exceptional aptitude for cultivation, Chen Yan had never taken any of it to heart.

He had the pride of a genius, as well as the arrogance of a transmigrator.

One day, he would stand at the pinnacle of the cultivation world of the Chenping Continent.

As for Qin Qingyu, Li Qingyu, or whoever else.

Three years from now, at the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, he would naturally shatter her empty reputation.

That was what Chen Yan, whose life had gone smoothly from the beginning, truly thought from the bottom of his heart.

But before the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, the first thing Chen Yan had to take part in was the Kongshan Sect’s triennial sect competition.

......

Yibai Peak.

A solitary, steep elegance, with flowing clouds like a sash.

Bamboo stood like swords, their shadows gleaming like blades.

Spring water seeped from the rocky heart of the mountain and gathered on the peak into a cold pool more than ten zhang wide. Its waters were so clear that the bottom was visible, and thousands upon thousands of sword edges lay piled across the pool bed.

When birds flew across the sky, their reflections could even be clearly seen in the sword edges at the bottom of the pool.

The cultivators of Yibai Peak had named this cold pool, more than ten zhang wide, the Sword-Burying Pool.

Only the swords of Yibai Peak disciples who had contributed greatly to the sect, made significant contributions, or sacrificed themselves for it were worthy of being placed in the Sword-Burying Pool.

About six hundred zhang south of the Sword-Burying Pool stood Yibai Peak’s Training Grounds.

The curved walls were gray-white, their eaves lifting like the tips of swords.

Within the walls, voices and crowds surged.

The Kongshan Sect’s triennial sect competition was hosted in turn by its seven major peaks.

This time, it was Yibai Peak’s turn.

On the raised platform at the Training Grounds, facing south with its back to the north, sat seven cultivators dressed in Kongshan Sect daoist robes representing their respective peaks.

Every disciple in the Training Grounds who turned their gaze toward the seven cultivators seated on the platform could not help but reveal admiration and awe in their eyes.

That was because the seven cultivators seated on the platform were the seven Martial Elders of the Kongshan Sect, one for each of its seven major peaks.

At the very center sat Qiu Yuanqing, the Martial Elder of Yibai Peak.

To Qiu Yuanqing’s left and right sat Murong Wen, the Martial Elder of Kongyuan Mountain, and Fu Qian, the Martial Elder of Qingchan Peak.

As the Martial Elder of Kongyuan Mountain, Murong Wen’s standing among the seven major peaks went without saying.

And the authority held by Fu Qian, the Martial Elder of Qingchan Peak, was by no means limited to that of an ordinary Martial Elder.

“How about it, Elders Murong and Fu?”

Qiu Yuanqing, seated in the middle, smiled as he spoke.

“Whether it’s Chen Yan of Kongyuan Mountain or Chu Xiyao of Qingchan Peak, both are outstanding among this generation of our Kongshan Sect’s disciples. Which of you thinks will take the champion’s title in this sect competition back to their peak?”

“Hmph.”

Murong Wen gave a soft snort through his nose.

“Elder Qiu, are you making fun of the two of us?”

“Elder Murong, what makes you say that?” Qiu Yuanqing asked.

“How could the champion’s title in this sect competition possibly go to Kongyuan Mountain or Qingchan Peak? Isn’t that right, Elder Zheng?”

As he spoke, Murong Wen’s gaze shifted to his left, toward Zheng Xiucheng, the Martial Elder of Yuanhua Mountain.

“Hahahaha! Not necessarily, I say, not necessarily.”

Zheng Xiucheng laughed heartily. His words might have sounded modest, but his smile made no effort to hide his certainty of victory.

The most outstanding disciples of the current generation of the Kongshan Sect were Chen Yan, Chu Xiyao, and Li Haowen.

Li Haowen was two years older than Chu Xiyao and three years older than Chen Yan.

For these heaven-chosen talents, all of whom were only in their teens, being two or three years older gave them an enormous advantage.

Just like now: fifteen-year-old Chen Yan had only just entered the Martial Spring Realm, and sixteen-year-old Chu Xiyao had yet to break through to the mid-stage of the Martial Spring Realm, while eighteen-year-old Li Haowen had already been in the late stage of the Martial Spring Realm for half a year.