After I left the sect, the entire sect knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

The Xuantian Sect's attempt to suppress the news is likely futile. Once it gets out, it will only spread faster and faster, and multiple versions may emerge.

After finishing their meal, Lin Yan said goodbye to Wen Ya and returned to her residence to continue preparing for the next match.

As soon as she opened the courtyard gate, she saw her master sitting in front of the tea table in the courtyard. He raised his hand and waved when he saw her return.

She walked quickly over and bowed respectfully, saying, "Master, what brings you here?"

Wen Ningqing took a sip of tea and slightly raised her hand, enveloping the courtyard in a protective barrier. "Disciple, the death of that old scoundrel Lingyun has nothing to do with you, does it?"

Lin Yan, with an expression that said nothing could be hidden from her master, bowed again and said, "I have caused Master trouble. Please punish me."

Wen Ningqing didn't punish her; instead, she looked at her with an expression that suggested she was teachable. This girl's personality actually had many similarities to her own, and they seemed to get along well.

"It's not that it's troublesome, it's just that Old Deng is investigating. If he finds out it was you who did it, he'll definitely make a big fuss about it. Of course, you didn't kill his apprentice for no reason, but since someone died there, even if we're in the right, we're at a disadvantage."

Lin Yan released the recording stone and played back the recorded video.

The footage showed Gu Zhu actively provoking her and even leading several disciples to chase after her. The recording continued until Gu Zhu finished cursing and was about to attack when the footage stopped.

I knew without even watching that there would definitely be a battle later on, but the visuals were so overwhelming that I didn't record it.

This video is enough. No matter how much Old Deng insists, he should release this video himself and let everyone see what kind of face his good apprentice has!
Didn't he say that his students were always respectful of their teachers, kind, upright, and of good character?

Look at the disciple in the video, his face is repulsive, he doesn't look like a righteous cultivator at all.

Such a sanctimonious and hypocritical demeanor is actually the disciple that Elder Lingyun values. No wonder the Xuantian Sect is no good, and no wonder his own disciple was bullied to the point of leaving the sect!
If I were to stay on Wenxin Peak any longer, I'm afraid I'd lose my life!
Thinking of this, Wen Ningqing looked at her disciple with heartache. "Don't worry, disciple, I won't let that old man do anything to you!"

"Thank you, Master!" Lin Yan bowed again.

When Ningqing asked to use her magic to extract the image from the recording stone to save a copy for herself, she was surprised to find that the next image was playing instead.

The other protagonist in the video has been replaced by someone else; the leader is a disciple of Xingyan Sect, but the people he is with are not.

"Disciple, this..."

Lin Yan hurriedly explained, "Master, after my competition, someone asked me to wait for you here. I found it strange and wanted to find out what was going on, so I went to wait. However, I was careful and placed a recording stone beforehand to avoid being falsely accused and having no way to explain myself."

Wen Ningqing nodded approvingly. It's good that she was cautious when traveling, especially when her own strength wasn't yet great, and that she knew to leave herself evidence.

This disciple of Xingyan Sect is no good either; judging from his appearance, he's probably developed inner demons!
How did these people manage to take on and teach their apprentices? They've all produced such hypocritical and sanctimonious individuals!

The video ended when they were about to take action. Presumably, what followed was footage of his apprentice doing the work, but the scene was probably too bloody, so his apprentice wasn't included in the recording.

Ningqing then imported the image into her communication jade disc before returning the image-recording stone.

"Leave these matters to me. The third round of the competition will be in two days. You should prepare well."

"Disciple understands." Lin Yan had been cultivating in her courtyard until the third round of the competition was arranged.

The third round had even fewer participants, with only twenty-five cultivators remaining. The rules also differed from the first two rounds; losing a single match resulted in immediate elimination.

She left the courtyard and headed towards the square. Before she had gone more than a few steps, several disciples of the Miaofa Sect surrounded her, including a few who wanted to spar with her.

They knew very little about her. They only knew that she was a disciple of Venerable Duan Yi, but she had not joined the sect and was participating in the competition as a rogue cultivator.

They had previously intended to befriend him, but had not had the opportunity. They had also heard that this disciple was aloof and not easy to approach, so they did not dare to take the initiative to strike up a conversation.

In the third round, three disciples from the Miaofa Sect advanced. After the other disciples finished their competitions, they had time to create opportunities to meet this "rogue cultivator."

Regardless of her previous status, a disciple valued by Venerable Duan Yi must have extraordinary abilities, and it's always good to befriend her.

Besides, Venerable Duan Yi's disciple will definitely join the Miao Fa Sect in the future. Since they are all fellow disciples, it is even more important to build a good relationship in advance!

"Is there something you need?" Lin Yan asked, seeing that they were just blocking her way without saying anything.

A female nun mustered her courage and said loudly, "I...I want to be your friend!"

"Okay, sure." Lin Yan nodded. "I'll be going now if there's nothing else."

"Oh... okay..." The female cultivator nodded hesitantly, only remembering to breathe after the person had flown away on their sword.

The female cultivator's name was Liu Si. She was only sixteen years old and had good aptitude, currently at the third stage of Foundation Establishment. She wasn't on the list of participants, but the elder brought her here to see what the Immortal Sect Grand Competition was like.

She was also present when Lin Yan sparred with the sword cultivators in the training ground. Seeing how swiftly and effortlessly she defeated one opponent after another, she was deeply impressed and took Lin Yan as her role model, wanting to become just as powerful!

Later, when I wanted to get to know him and make friends, I heard that he had already left the Miaofa Sect, and it wasn't until now that we were able to have a formal conversation.

"Junior sister...you're amazing! You actually dared to talk to her!" Her senior brother gave her a thumbs up. "You don't know, I got scared when I saw her cold eyes just now. I had a feeling she was going to draw her sword and stab me to the bone any second!"

Another disciple nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, yes... I felt like I was being choked just now."

Seeing the other disciples saying that Lin Yan had a cold temperament, was not easy to approach, and seemed quite fierce, Liu Si said angrily, "That's not what you're saying! Maybe she's just not good at socializing!"

Seeing their junior sister was angry, the disciples touched their noses and said with a forced smile, "Yes, yes, we used the wrong words. Let's go to the square and take a look. We can also place our bets! I think someone from our Wonderful Dharma Sect will definitely make it into the top three this time!"

The Miaofa Sect has performed reasonably well in recent competitions, with some members achieving third or second place. Including trial points, they have consistently ranked in the top ten overall.

The group arrived at the betting area in the square and saw the list of cultivators who had advanced to the third round posted. Each person's name was preceded by a corresponding plaque with a number on it.

Liu Si pointed curiously at the list and asked, "What is this?"

Several disciples scratched their heads awkwardly, "We don't know either, it's different from the last year." (End of Chapter)