The person was hidden in the grass by the river, with only her head exposed, hugging her knees and looking towards the manor; it was none other than Yu Yixiang.
If Qian Duoduo hadn't released his Spiritual Awareness, he wouldn't have been able to spot her motionless figure with just his eyes.
“What is she doing here? It’s cold in autumn, she wouldn’t have swum up again, would she?” Qian Duoduo thought to himself, but then retracted his Spiritual Awareness.
Other women liked to be seen, but this woman was afraid of being seen.
Just then, someone shouted, “Junior Brother, is that you back?”
Inside the manor, Huang Guiren stepped out, his expression flustered, muttering under his breath.
Qian Duoduo couldn't help but smile: “What’s wrong with Huang Guiren? Has he been bitten by some bug?”
In Qian Duoduo’s Spiritual Awareness, he was the only person in the manor. Although he was alone, his mouth kept moving, constantly asking and answering himself.
When he clearly saw that it was really Qian Duoduo, he became embarrassed, “You’ve come out of seclusion? What a powerful aura! It went smoothly, huh?”
“What was wrong with you just now? You looked as if someone had scared you that badly?” Qian Duoduo asked, a little curious.
He tidied his messy hair, “Just now, I felt a chilling sensation fall on me, like someone was observing me in the dark. I was guessing who it was.”
“You thought it was me?” Qian Duoduo asked aloud, thinking to himself: “That chilling sensation must have been my Spiritual Awareness. When I just arrived near the manor, the Yongfu Henggui Gong naturally activated, not only doubling the spread of my Spiritual Awareness but also giving it some thickness. The newly opened Spiritual Vein even added a vibrant, light green color.”
“There’s no one else near the manor,” Huang Guiren said confidently. Qian Duoduo was his reliance, and Qian Duoduo’s increase in strength made him the happiest.
Qian Duoduo thought, “That’s not necessarily true, Yu Yixiang is crouching by the river.”
However, when Qian Duoduo casually looked towards the river, it was already empty.
…
“Dong, dong, dong,” nine chimes echoed from the top of Mengyuan Mountain, scattering across the Immortal Mountains simultaneously with the morning light.
Today was the Outer Sect Minor Competition.
Qian Duoduo opened his eyes, his heart as clear as the autumn sky at that moment, neither fearful nor expectant.
After reaching Qi Condensation Level Five, Qian Duoduo had trained for another month in the training grounds. After sparring with several Level Six Senior Brothers, he had gained confidence and was no longer worried about whether he could make it into the top five.
And he was also Jin Buhuan, someone who had already won first place in the Outer Sect Minor Competition. Participating again, it was impossible for him to surpass his past achievements.
This Outer Sect Minor Competition was merely to fulfill a promise he had made.
Huang Guiren waited outside the manor. He had woken up before dawn and had been whispering to the Spirit Chickens in the manor for a long time.
“Let’s go.” Qian Duoduo slowly stood up and greeted Huang Guiren.
The Outer Sect Minor Competition was a major event on Mengyuan Mountain, held on a secondary peak called Tianzhu Peak.
Leaving the Zi District, the mountain path was filled with Disciples heading to Tianzhu Peak. The Outer Sect Minor Competition of each mountain was not open to other mountains. So they were all from Mengyuan Mountain.
There could be tens of thousands of Level Four, Five, and Six Blue-Robed Disciples on Mengyuan Mountain, but most participants in the Minor Competition were Level Five and Six, not exceeding a thousand, with Level Six Disciples being the majority.
If a Level Six Disciple achieved a good ranking in the Minor Competition, attracting the Sect’s attention, they could obtain a better Immortal Cave and more cultivation resources when entering the Inner Sect.
And those who made it into the top ten would receive additional rewards! The rewards for the top five were more generous than for the top ten. If one achieved first place, the rewards were the most substantial.
“Have you heard? Senior Brother Yan Boyuan swore to take second place in this competition?” Next to Qian Duoduo, a grey-robed Disciple said to his companion.
Grey-robed Disciples could not participate in the Outer Sect Minor Competition. Precisely because they couldn't participate, they were most enthusiastic about observing this Outer Sect elite competition and loved spreading gossip about it.
“Why not aim for first place?” His companion asked, echoing Qian Duoduo’s question.
“Senior Brother Boyuan said that first place could only belong to Senior Sister Yu Yixiang. Do you understand?” The grey-robed Disciple said, winking.
“Heh heh, Senior Brother Yan isn’t the only one willing to be a supporting role. Senior Brother Xu Fa and Senior Brother Jiang Xinhai both claim to be part of the ‘Xiang Faction’,” his companion sneered twice.
“Senior Brother Yan Boyuan could have advanced to Level Seven long ago, but he’s been suppressing his cultivation just for this day, to express his submission to Senior Sister Yixiang by being able to win but not winning.”
The grey-robed Disciple’s words attracted Huang Guiren, who pricked up his ears and followed closely. This kind of gossip was Huang Guiren’s favorite.
So many people admired Yu Yixiang, but Qian Duoduo was unimpressed. What was so special about a barbaric girl, even given the nickname Ice Phoenix?
Qian Duoduo quickened his pace, putting distance between himself and the two gossiping Disciples.
Huang Guiren noticed he was falling behind Qian Duoduo, so he hurried a few steps to catch up.
“Is Senior Sister Yu Yixiang really that popular?” Qian Duoduo asked him quietly, smiling.
“Senior Sister Yixiang, she’s one of our Sect’s Four Phoenixes, an Immortal-level figure. Many people usually can’t even get a word in with her. How could she not be popular?” Huang Guiren said, as if it were the most obvious thing.
“Is she that good?” Qian Duoduo retorted. A fierce woman, and so many male Disciples liked her; he didn’t understand.
Huang Guiren was momentarily speechless, looked up and thought for a long time, then threw out a line, “Junior Brother, you’re still young.”
“How many years older are you than me?” Qian Duoduo thought to himself that he was almost fourteen, what was there that he didn’t understand?
“Let’s use an analogy. Our manor’s Spirit Chickens, do they have to grow into adult chickens before they can lay eggs?” Huang Guiren spoke softly and slowly, in the same tone he used when talking to the Spirit Chickens in the morning.
“—Mm.”
“Although my cultivation isn’t as high as yours now, I’m an adult chicken, capable of laying eggs. While your cultivation is high, you’re still a half-grown chicken, unable to lay eggs.” Huang Guiren’s expression held a hint of arrogance, like the large, brightly plumed Spirit Rooster in the manor, stretching its neck.
“Tsk… It’s just that kind of thing, what is there that I don’t understand?” Qian Duoduo was dismissive. He understood that only when the tails of the male Spirit Chickens and female Spirit Chickens intertwined could the eggs they laid hatch.
What “this Phoenix” and “that Phoenix”—they were just the extremely beautiful female Spirit Chickens in the eyes of those male Spirit Chickens!
But in Qian Duoduo’s eyes, there was no difference. Thinking about it, she wasn't even as cute as Wang Meiruo.
“His heart hasn’t opened to love yet, his heart hasn’t opened to love yet…” Huang Guiren’s mature demeanor made Qian Duoduo a little annoyed.
As they walked further up, the crowd became denser. On Tianzhu Peak, the chatter was so loud that only nearby voices could be heard.
The Disciples at the mountain gate directed participants into the arena and spectators to the outside. Wu Binghuo, whom Qian Duoduo knew, was also among them.
On Tianzhu Peak, thirty-six competition platforms were set up. Around each platform were stands. The stands were higher than the platforms, making it easier to watch than the training grounds below the mountain.
The stands were packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, easily tens of thousands.
In the central area of the arena, over a hundred Outer Sect Disciples surrounded a cold and arrogant female Disciple in a blue robe; it was Yu Yixiang.
Qian Duoduo took a closer look for the first time and found that she wasn’t bad-looking. Her figure was somewhat precociously developed, a size larger than Wang Meiruo, with noticeable curves.
“Do male Disciples all prefer this type, similar to the well-fed and glossy appearance of a Golden Ox?” he mused, feeling a bit annoyed at Huang Guiren’s assessment of him as a half-grown chicken, even though he truly had no experience in that area.
Just as Qian Duoduo was observing Yu Yixiang, Yu Yixiang’s gaze shot back at him.
“She noticed I was looking at her.” Seeing a group of male Disciples also follow her gaze towards him, their eyes either containing knives or swords, Qian Duoduo quickly looked towards the top of Mengyuan Mountain.
He hadn't yet learned to glare back at people.
“Dong,” a bell rang, and two figures, like long rainbows, descended rapidly from the mountaintop. Tianzhu Peak instantly fell silent.