This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 16 On the Day of the Maoshan Grand Competition, Zhong Bai Tries to Conceal His Skills

Another year has passed in the blink of an eye.

During that year, Zhong Bai went down the mountain more than 20 times, accumulating a total of 4500 demon-slaying points.

However, after adding 500 points to the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique, Zhong Bai allocated the remaining points to the Upper Purity Body Tempering Technique and Thunder Escape Technique.

Zhong Bai's progress in the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique is decent; he's at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining. If he wanted, he could basically break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

It's just that this makes it more eye-catching.

The Shangqing Body Tempering Technique is a long story.

Two thousand points, which means that if Zhong Bai needed to cultivate slowly on his own, it would take him six or seven years. Even so, the Shangqing Body Tempering Technique had not yet been pushed to perfection.

This left Zhong Bai speechless...

However, there were still gains. While the blood and qi were enhanced, the arms also gained the strength of 5,000 jin!
In addition, the Lightning Escape Technique was quite powerful; after spending two thousand Demon Exorcism Points, Zhong Bai's Lightning Escape Technique reached its peak.

That year, Zhong Bai was almost twenty-one years old, and had been in Maoshan for nearly five years.

Inside the Hall of Law Enforcement.

Master Qian Yuan looked at the respectful Zhong Bai in front of him, his eyes filled with helplessness. His disciple was absolutely unwilling to participate in the Maoshan Grand Competition held once every five years.

Originally, Master Qian Yuan thought that with Zhong Bai's current strength, even if he didn't win first place, just participating and letting his fellow disciples know about his disciple's talent would be enough to make him proud.

"Zhong Bai, my disciple, you... really don't plan to participate in this competition?"

Zhong Bai was taken aback, wondering why his master wanted him to participate in the competition.

He quickly shook his head.

“Master, your mind is made up. The so-called competition is nothing more than a friendly contest to compare the cultivation results of each other.”

The master knew his disciple's personality and was unwilling to compete with his fellow disciples from Maoshan.

Especially for Senior Brother Si Mu and Senior Brother Lin Fengjiao, this disciple truly does not wish to participate in the competition, and hopes that Master will grant their request!

Hearing this, Master Qian Yuan could only sigh helplessly.

"Enough, enough. This competition is already quite special. The world order is quietly changing, the Qing Dynasty is about to collapse, and chaos is on the horizon. The later you come out of seclusion, the later you will be."

At least this way, it's still safe, isn't it?

It sounded like he was talking to himself, and Zhong Bai was stunned when he heard the words "coming out of the mountains".

"Ahem, Master, what did you just say? The disciples who rank high in this competition can graduate?"

Zhong Bai suspected he was going crazy with his desire to become a master, but he was unwilling to give up even the slightest chance.

"That's right, the top five disciples, regardless of their cultivation level, can choose whether or not to leave the mountain!"

Only after Master Qian Yuan repeated it again could Zhong Bai be certain that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
"Ahem, Master, I will always remember your kindness. I never knew how to repay you before. Since you still want me to participate in the competition, I will obey your command!"

? ? ? ?
Master Qian Yuan also wondered if he had misheard, but seeing Zhong Bai's already changed expression and longing look, he was certain.

“Disciple, you... you don’t actually need to participate. I was just saying it casually. You’ve only been in the mountain for less than five years.”

Participating in the competition is fine for fun, but if you actually make it into the top five, even I, your teacher, can't guarantee your survival!

For some reason, Master Qian Yuan always had a feeling that his disciple was about to leave.

Just like an old father marrying off his daughter, Qian Yuan only had one disciple in his life, Zhong Bai, and he really cherished Zhong Bai.

However, Master Qian Yuan probably never imagined that Zhong Bai was so eager to leave the mountain and guard a region.

“Master, there’s no need to persuade me any further. When I first entered the sect, I said that my only wish in this life was to sweep away all the demons in the Nine Provinces. Now, I have been studying in the mountains for nearly five years. Although I am not very talented, I still have a heart that is not afraid of evil! Although the competition is difficult, I will do my best to make Master proud!”

Zhong Bai's righteous words left Qian Yuan Zhenren speechless.

"Sigh, never mind. Sooner or later you'll have to leave Maoshan to take charge of a region. You're almost at the fourth level of Qi Refining now, and with your extremely strong lightning combat ability, ordinary vengeful ghosts are no match for you at all."

Even ghost soldiers can fight against them!
Even if I'm worried, I still believe that you, my disciple, know when to advance and when to retreat, and understand gains and losses.

Master Qian Yuan did not continue with the rest of his instructions. It was still too early to tell, and what if Zhong Bai failed to make it into the top five?
Of course, the probability is actually very low.

......................................................

Back in the courtyard, after closing the door, Zhong Bai's heart was pounding wildly; he couldn't calm down at all, overwhelmed with joy.

"Heaven is helping me!"
Now that we have this opportunity, we must seize it. This competition should allow everyone to descend the mountain, and at least the sect leader's personal disciple, Shi Jian, and his senior brother, Lin Fengjiao, are likely to succeed.

Thinking of this, Zhong Bai was also quite moved.

Before arriving at Maoshan, Zhong Bai thought he was lucky to be able to become an outer disciple of Maoshan.

But luckily, he was chosen by his own master and accepted into the sect.

Upon learning that he had a senior brother named Lin Fengjiao and a disciple of the sect leader named Shi Jian, Zhong Bai felt that he didn't need to surpass these two big shots in the future; he just needed to maintain good relationships with both of his senior brothers.

When Zhong Bai had mastered the Body Tempering Technique and was cultivating the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique, his goal was to strive to become a Foundation Establishment True Person and succeed as an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall.

Everything was progressing steadily until the appearance of the Demon Exorcism Panel disrupted all of Zhong Bai's previous plans.

In just one year, his progress in all aspects was rapid, but he still couldn't acquire a large number of demon-slaying points.

Otherwise, Zhong Bai believed he could push his cultivation to an unimaginable level within a year!

"Shi Jian, the sect leader's personal disciple, seems to be only at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining. Lin Fengjiao, the senior brother of the Talisman Hall, has just entered the fourth level of Qi Refining. Si Mu, the senior brother of the Corpse Driving Hall, is at the third level of Qi Refining. They are not as good as me..."

"Well, making it into the top five shouldn't be too difficult, but there's no need to put on an overly spectacular performance!"

Having set the tone for the competition, Zhong Bai decided not to be too flashy. As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind," and without absolute strength, Zhong Bai did not want all his trump cards to be revealed.

And in the main hall of the sect!

At this moment, Shi Jian's eyes were somewhat tense. The current Shi Jian was not yet the Thunder King he would become in the future. Facing his own master, who was in seclusion, he dared not utter a sound.

“Jian’er, you were picked up by your master at Maoshan when you were ten years old, and you started formal cultivation at sixteen. Although you were delayed for some reasons, it is still not bad that you reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining at the age of twenty-four.”

The only one in Maoshan who can rival you is Lin Fengjiao, your Uncle Lin's disciple in the Talisman Hall.

A 23-year-old at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

After this competition, my disciple, you can go down the mountain and establish your own training ground.

Remember, you are a future candidate for leadership. There are some things you can do, and some things you must never do. Don't make a mistake that will ruin your life!

The thunderous sound came, and the current leader of Maoshan Sect, Xuanmingzi, still had not emerged from seclusion. Even without seeing his face, just hearing his voice made Shi Jian's soul tremble.

"Master, I understand. I will certainly not let you down!"

"I hope so. You may leave now..."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian nodded and left the main hall.

As Shi Jian walked away, Xuan Mingzi, who was in seclusion in his chamber, could only manage a wry smile.

He had just calculated Shi Jian's future, and well, it was a near-death experience!
As the leader of the Maoshan sect, Xuanmingzi couldn't interfere too much, especially since he was in seclusion. As for Shi Jian's future, he could only offer advice and watch helplessly as the future unfolded...

(End of this chapter)