Chapter 37: Sect Competition Survival Trial

After Wu Tian disgusted He Jiang, He Jiang became much more subdued for a while, spending his days confined to his own residence with no other activities—perhaps he was too ashamed to show his face around the sect. Of course, Wu Tian guessed that He Jiang was simply waiting for the assassins from the Asura Gate to make their move.

During this period, Wu Tian stayed home, focusing on alchemy. He was preparing for the sect competition, sensing a looming crisis and believing that the more pills he had, the better. Liu Qi’s alchemy skills had reached the intermediate level, and lately he’d exchanged several recipes for profound-grade pills from the system’s marketplace, producing a large batch.

He also sold a portion of these pills to the Ji Min Pharmacy. Due to the mutated pills from the last auction, Ji Min Pharmacy had seen a surge in demand, and Wu Tian’s pills sold for ever higher prices, earning him a fortune in gold leaf.

With the sect competition imminent, Wu Tian had made all necessary preparations and paid close attention to his attribute panel.

Player: Wu Tian
Class: Warrior
Level: 20 (Martial Master, tenth rank), Experience: 210,000/300,000
Instant Kill (Beginner): 96/100 (currently at beginner level, can instantly kill enemies one level higher than the player; cooldown time is half an hour; ranks include Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Divine, Super Divine, and Heavenly Defying)
Health: 3,000/3,000
True Qi: 2,000/2,000
Main Skill: Black Dragon Blade Technique
Auxiliary Skills: Alchemy (Intermediate, mastery 2,000/10,000), Forging (mastery 0/100), Beast Taming (mastery 0/100), Puppetry (mastery 2/100), Disguise (Intermediate, mastery 100/1,000)
Main Quest: Investigate the true murderer of his master and the truth behind his own downfall
Side Quests: Find the Black Dragon Set (1/4), Nie Family Terminator (15/200)

Luck: 55 (max 100)
Charm: 51 (max 100)
He was only a few tens of thousands of experience points away from leveling up, but Wu Tian had no time to venture into the Misty Forest to grind; the sect competition was only two days away, and there simply wasn’t enough time.

“I already have several hundred pills on hand, and with Little Gold by my side, I should have no problem facing the sect competition. Now, I just need to worry about external forces interfering—like the Asura Gate or the Nie family. They’re bound to make a move,” Wu Tian mused quietly to himself as he finished his alchemy session.

“No matter. When the time comes, there will be a way forward. I’ll attend the sect competition’s oath-taking rally first and decide what to do next.”

Before the competition, today, there would be an oath-taking rally. All disciples participating in the sect competition were required to attend, or their qualification would be revoked automatically.

When Wu Tian arrived at the scene, the place was already packed with disciples set to compete in two days. People filled the area wall-to-wall. He arrived just in time, and after verifying his identity, the sect leader stepped onto the high platform at the front.

The sect leader was a kindly old man, his beard tinged with gray, dressed in flowing white robes with an aura of ethereal wisdom. Few knew the true extent of his power, but it was rumored he was at least at the Martial King realm, unmatched in Pingyang City.

"Outstanding disciples of the Qitian Sect, today is a momentous day for you all. I am delighted to see you standing here, proving yourselves the elite of the Pingyang City branch of Qitian Sect! In two days, the sect competition will be held. Any disciple who passes the competition will be eligible to train at the imperial capital’s Qitian Sect headquarters—an important opportunity for every one of you..."

After the sect leader’s encouragement, he handed the platform over to Elder Hao Hu of the Disciplinary Hall.

Hao Hu addressed the disciples with a stern face: "This sect competition will be extremely harsh for all of you. Our branch has sixteen divisions, with a total of five hundred disciples participating. The top ten ranked disciples will advance directly to the imperial headquarters! The rest must remain here to continue their training.

There will be two rounds in this competition. The first is a survival challenge. To keep things fair, the location will be announced on the day itself. This survival challenge carries mortal danger; as long as you survive, you can participate in the second round, the arena duel, which needs no further introduction.

The competition is of great importance. Headquarters will send judges; I will only assist in the judgment. Anyone who violates the rules will be removed from the candidate list immediately!

Finally, participation is voluntary. If anyone wishes to withdraw now, you may leave freely and we will not hold you accountable!"

Although the competition was dangerous, not a single disciple flinched; all wore expressions of grim determination. Living on the Shenlong Continent, where the strong prey on the weak, everyone understood that only by becoming powerful could they thrive. To withdraw now would mean losing the chance to become strong and being eliminated by the cruel reality.

Hao Hu looked down from the platform at the confident faces of the disciples and nodded slightly. "Good, very good! As expected of Qitian Sect disciples. The day after tomorrow is the competition. Go home and prepare well, and give it your all when the time comes!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd, everyone cheering themselves on.

At the oath-taking rally, the faces of all disciples were filled with excitement and confidence, but the competition itself was ruthlessly harsh: only ten out of five hundred would advance to train at headquarters, and their very lives were at stake.

"This sect competition is intriguing. Truly, the Shenlong Continent is a place where only the strong survive," Wu Tian murmured with a smile.

...

Time slipped by, and soon it was the day of the competition. At dawn, the whole Qitian Sect was abuzz, and all five hundred disciples gathered at the large venue where the oath-taking rally had been held.

Today, all key figures of Qitian Sect were present, along with some unfamiliar faces—likely those from headquarters, here to serve as the main judges. Since headquarters was selecting candidates from the branch, only the best disciples would be chosen.

"Today is the day of the Pingyang City Qitian Sect branch competition. Without further ado, we will begin the first test: the survival trial! I now announce that the survival trial will take place in the 'Crosscut Ridge' behind our Qitian Sect. Whoever crosses the ridge and reaches the endpoint alive will pass the first test!" Hao Hu declared, his voice resolute and clear for all to hear.

Then, Hao Hu’s expression sharpened. "However, the Crosscut Ridge is filled with all manner of monsters. Surviving will depend entirely on your own abilities! Once you enter, there are no rules—whoever crosses the ridge first is the victor! Furthermore, I must announce an important matter..."