The atmosphere in the center of the martial arts arena was somewhat silent. Below the stage, the outer sect disciples who had the strength to challenge for the top ten but considered themselves unlucky were eyeing the top ten contenders on the platform.


    More precisely, they were looking at the three disciples at the ninth level of Qi Refining and Lu Yi.


    The three outer sect disciples at the ninth level of Qi Refining standing on the platform had cold expressions. Their gazes swept over their restless peers below, emanating an aura that warned others to think twice before challenging them.


    On the other hand, Lu Yi didn’t exude any aura at all, appearing as harmless as a little white rabbit.


    At this moment, Mo Lingxi stepped forward and said, “Yu Ming, I want to challenge you!”


    Yu Ming was a plain-looking disciple with thick eyebrows at the ninth level of Qi Refining. He frowned at Mo Lingxi and said, “Mo Lingxi, are you sure you want to challenge me?! Do you think I’m the weakest one?!”


    Mo Lingxi grinned and replied, “I have no choice. I admit I’m still a bit lacking compared to Tian Lu and Lin Yu. As for Junior Brother Lu Yi… heh, I already lost to him earlier. I think Junior Brother Lu Yi is even stronger than Tian Lu and Lin Yu. That leaves only you, and I feel I might have a chance.”


    Hearing this, many people’s expressions changed slightly, and they turned to look at Lu Yi.


    “What?! Mo Lingxi lost to Junior Brother Lu Yi earlier?!”


    “Is that true? Junior Brother Lu Yi’s strength is that strong?”


    “You didn’t know? The fight for the top ten on Stage 9 was between Junior Brother Lu Yi and Senior Brother Mo Lingxi. Junior Brother Lu Yi’s strength is amazing, and that White Cloud Sword Technique was an eye-opener.”


    “I had no idea. We were at Stage 4, which was separated from Stage 9 by the central platform, so we didn’t pay attention.”


    “Then you missed a great match. I think Junior Brother Lu Yi is stronger than Senior Sister Tian Lu and Senior Brother Lin Yu.”


    “Whoa…”


    Everyone gasped in amazement. The disciples who had been eager to challenge him looked at Lu Yi with apprehension and quickly shifted their gazes away.


    Since that was the case, they decided to find someone else to challenge.


    Lu Yi felt the stares from everyone and was completely stunned.


    He looked at Mo Lingxi and the disciples below who had been talking and felt utterly helpless. What grudge, what resentment?!


    He had hoped to gain a few perfect Qi Condensation Pills, but now?


    Why were they making him sound so strong???


    I’m really not that good!


    Lu Yi watched as the ninth-level Qi Refining disciples shifted their gazes away and felt his heart sink.


    Yu Ming, hearing Mo Lingxi’s words and the comments from the disciples below, also looked at Lu Yi. His expression changed slightly before he gritted his teeth and sneered at Mo Lingxi, “Fine! Let’s see what you’ve got! I’m not so easy to defeat!”Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Du Gu Fang saw this and smiled, “In that case, let the challenge begin.”


    The top ten challenge matches were held on the central platform. Lu Yi and the others stepped down from the stage, while Du Gu Fang floated in the air to serve as the referee. Mo Lingxi and Yu Ming stepped onto the platform.


    Below the stage, Lu Yi’s face was blank and lifeless, practically exuding the aura of a tragic victim.


    He regretted not going all out against Mo Lingxi earlier. That fool had exaggerated his abilities so much that if no one came to challenge him, it would all be Mo Lingxi’s fault!


    Then Lu Yi thought, if he had gone all out earlier, others might be even more afraid to challenge him.


    With this thought, Lu Yi felt even more disheartened.


    Nearby, Lin Wan’er looked at Lu Yi with a teasing smile and said, “Junior Brother Lu Yi, I didn’t expect you to be so powerful?”


    Lu Yi came back to his senses and saw several tenth-level Qi Refining disciples looking at him. He smiled sheepishly and said, “Senior Brother Mo Lingxi was exaggerating. I’m really just average.”


    Jiang Fan, standing beside them, chuckled, “Junior Brother Lu, no need to be so modest. I saw your strength with my own eyes. Your White Cloud Sword Technique is probably close to perfection, isn’t it?”


    Hearing this, the others’ expressions changed, and they looked at Lu Yi with surprise.


    “Mastering a basic technique to perfection?” The cold-looking young man with dual swords looked at Lu Yi with a gleam of battle intent in his eyes. “Interesting. I look forward to facing you in tomorrow’s ranking match.”


    The other tenth-level Qi Refining disciples also regarded Lu Yi more seriously.


    Seeing this, Lu Yi felt somewhat relieved. While he had lost the chance to spar with the ninth-level disciples, tomorrow’s ranking match was guaranteed to include fights. Surely, there would be rewards.


    With that thought, Lu Yi’s mood improved.


    He laughed and said, “Senior Brother Jiang, you flatter me. I just hope you all go easy on me in tomorrow’s ranking match.”


    While they were talking, the battle on the stage had already begun.


    Lu Yi knew Mo Lingxi’s strength well—top-tier among ninth-level Qi Refining—but Yu Ming was equally strong.


    Watching the fight, Lu Yi noticed that Yu Ming had also perfected his techniques. Most notably, Yu Ming wielded a low-grade magical weapon—a long blade—which Mo Lingxi lacked.


    The fight was intense, but in the end, Yu Ming leveraged his weapon advantage to win.


    Mo Lingxi was unwilling to accept defeat but had no choice.


    After their match, others stepped forward to challenge. Due to Mo Lingxi’s earlier comments, all challengers avoided Lu Yi.


    Perhaps because Yu Ming seemed to be the weakest among the three ninth-level disciples, he was challenged the most. Eventually, a dual-sword-wielding disciple defeated Yu Ming and took his spot in the top ten.


    Lu Yi recognized the dual-sword disciple as Wan Hua, a talented and well-known figure among the outer sect.


    Yu Ming, on the other hand, was slightly inferior. Making it into the top ten required both strength and luck.


    Unfortunately, Yu Ming ultimately lost to Wan Hua and paved the way for his rise.


    After Wan Hua’s victory, no further challenges occurred, and the top ten rankings were finalized.


    By this time, it was already evening. The matches for the day concluded, leaving the final ranking matches for tomorrow—the last and most crucial day of the competition.


    Despite the unexpected developments, Lu Yi still earned five perfect Qi Condensation Pills, leaving him quite satisfied.


    As usual, Du Gu Fang announced the end of the day’s competition. The crowd dispersed, and Lu Yi returned home alone instead of following Lu Gaoyang and Wang Siqi.


    …………


    Early the next morning.


    Nearly all outer sect disciples, supervisors, and elders arrived at the martial arts arena.


    Lu Yi was no exception. Upon arrival, he noticed even more people floating in the sky than before.


    Lu Yi realized that some of them were inner sect elders who had come to observe.


    Since the top ten disciples could directly enter the inner sect without further tests, they were already considered inner sect disciples. Some inner sect elders might even recruit them as apprentices if satisfied with their performance.


    However, the truly powerful elders and peak masters wouldn’t bother showing up.


    To them, even the most talented outer sect disciples rarely stood out after entering the inner sect. After all, most inner sect disciples had been top talents in the outer sect themselves, and some were even groomed by influential figures from a young age.


    For those big shots, the outer sect rankings were nothing special. Only those who continued to shine in the inner sect would catch their attention.