Volume One, Chapter 39: The Sect Competition (Part Five)

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The next day, when Gu Mingxi went to the sect's plaza to collect her number plate, she discovered that only two hundred disciples had advanced to the third round, and her number was sixty-six.

Sixty-six?

As the saying goes, sixty-six is a number of great fortune. She hoped that the opponent assigned to her at the start wouldn’t be too strong.

Perhaps her silent prayer had been answered, for the first opponent assigned to Gu Mingxi was a male cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

The referee announced, “Number sixty-six versus number one hundred thirty-eight, please take the stage!”

When both parties ascended the stage, Gu Mingxi saw the male cultivator opposite her looking rather pale.

The crowd below was buzzing with speculation.

“Jin Ming got through the second round purely by luck, but he’s immediately met his match in Gu Mingxi, a formidable contender.”

“Jin Ming is the only one with an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivation to have advanced to this round.”

“Unfortunately for him, facing Gu Mingxi today means his journey ends here.”

Gu Mingxi curled her lips slightly and glanced at Jin Ming.

Indeed, no matter how lucky he had been, today was where his path would end.

“From Xiaoyao Peak, Gu Mingxi!”

“Inner Sect disciple, Jin Ming!”

After the introductions, Jin Ming immediately swung his sword at Gu Mingxi, clearly aiming to catch her off guard.

But Gu Mingxi never made such careless mistakes. Seeing his intentions, she didn’t indulge him but countered with a single stroke that sent him tumbling off the stage.

The winner was decided in an instant—Gu Mingxi won with just one move.

Not only was Jin Ming dazed from falling, but the audience was also stunned.

The referee announced, “Number sixty-six, Gu Mingxi, wins against number one hundred thirty-eight!”

“Oh my heavens, she won with just one move!”

“Just one strike and Jin Ming was knocked down!”

“Amazing! Although Gu Mingxi has reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, Jin Ming is no pushover either—he’s still an eighth-level cultivator, yet he couldn’t even withstand one of her strikes!”

“Truly incredible!”

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From two hundred to one hundred, Gu Mingxi prevailed.

From one hundred to fifty, Gu Mingxi triumphed again.

In the second match, her opponent was a female cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

Once more, Gu Mingxi sent her opponent off the stage with a single sword strike.

Next came the round from fifty to twenty-five.

Gu Mingxi’s third opponent was a female cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

The opponent was an array master.

Gu Mingxi didn’t want to waste time. Before the array could be fully set, she struck and sent her opponent off the stage.

Once the array was fully formed, it would be nearly impossible to dispatch her opponent with a single strike. Speed was essential.

Since all her opponents were busy competing, revealing too many of her attack techniques in advance would allow them to study her moves and devise counters.

Though Gu Mingxi was not afraid of her opponents researching her, it was still best to avoid it when possible.

The next round reduced twenty-five to twenty.

With an odd number of contestants, one would receive a bye, advancing directly to the next round.

Who would be the lucky one?

All twenty-five disciples waited anxiously, hoping for that fortunate place.

Though they did not fear combat, fighting was exhausting. If given the chance to rest, why not take it?

Under the expectant gazes of the twenty-five contestants, the elder slowly announced a number: “Number sixty-six!”

Number sixty-six!

That was Gu Mingxi.

Gu Mingxi hadn’t anticipated receiving the bye but smiled and raised an eyebrow—perhaps this was a sign of her good fortune?

In novels, byes often go to the protagonist, male or female.

Among these twenty-five disciples, Gu Mingxi receiving the bye could indicate she was the luckiest of them all.

So, as the next battles began, Gu Mingxi found herself unusually seated in the audience, observing her future opponents.

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Since Gu Mingxi had entered the sect’s grand competition, she had yet to encounter any direct disciples.

Direct disciples undoubtedly possessed greater strength than ordinary disciples, so she needed to prepare thoroughly to avoid an upset.

Now that the Qi Refining phase of the sect competition had advanced this far, only the strongest disciples remained.

One could only imagine how formidable the top ten would be by tomorrow.

Among Gu Mingxi’s generation, the only direct disciples at the Qi Refining stage were those who had just joined the sect: Gu Mingxi herself, Gu Mingyue, Lan Ci, Xu Chen, and Yu Wei—the five direct disciples.

She hoped to face the other four tomorrow.

Today’s task was to determine the top ten.

Tomorrow’s competition among the top ten would draw the sect leader, the peak masters, and elders as spectators.

Some elders who had yet to find suitable disciples during the recruitment conference would attend the grand competition to scout promising talents.

Tomorrow’s top ten would face off in one-on-one battles, but after a defeat, each disciple would have one chance to challenge another competitor.

In other words, each contestant would have two opportunities tomorrow, making the contest fairer and more reasonable.

After all, the survivors tomorrow would be strong, and two chances would ensure fairness.

Gu Mingxi first observed the direct disciples, starting with Gu Mingyue.

Though Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue had grown up and trained together, Gu Mingxi had been in seclusion for three years.

Both had improved during that time, and Gu Mingxi was unsure of Gu Mingyue’s current level.

Watching Gu Mingyue’s fighting style, Gu Mingxi had mentally prepared herself but couldn’t help a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Gu Mingyue wielded an enormous alchemy furnace, swinging it left and right—a somewhat eye-watering sight.

The alchemy furnace’s attack power wasn’t strong, but its sheer size posed a significant threat if it struck an opponent.

Yet, being so cumbersome, it was unwieldy.

For example, Gu Mingyue’s current opponent was highly skilled in agility; Gu Mingyue kept trying to smash him with the furnace, while he skillfully evaded using his footwork.

Over time, Gu Mingyue would expend much spiritual energy, while her opponent’s reserves remained plentiful.

It remained to be seen when Gu Mingyue would change her tactics.