To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Explore the genres of Xianxia novels; there's bound to be one that suits you.

The Lingxiao Sect conducts an assessment of its outer disciples every ten years. Strictly speaking, the Grand Competition is only one part of the assessment.

At that time, all outer disciples will undergo a cultivation test. If they are over sixty years old and their cultivation is still in the early stage of Qi Refining, their sect stipends will be stopped.

For someone like Gu Fan, who is proficient in cultivation techniques, the sect's salary is better than nothing, but for those outer disciples with shallow cultivation, it is a stable income.

If the supplies are stopped, these people will have no choice but to go out and hunt demons or do some miscellaneous tasks for the sect to earn resources.

However, going out to hunt demons is extremely risky, and the rewards for sect duties are very meager.

With no hope of achieving foundational cultivation and little lifespan remaining, many simply descended the mountain to enjoy worldly riches or became teachers at the Zixiao Temple.

Only those cultivators who have descendants will remain in the sect to accumulate cultivation resources for their children and grandchildren.

Those qualified to enter Lanyun Peak are all elites among the disciples of Lingxi Peak, so they naturally have no worries about the cultivation assessment.

What made everyone so enthusiastic was another reward of the competition—the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The owner of this place, Chen Suzhen, fought desperately in the previous competition to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, which enabled her to successfully enter the inner sect.

With only one year left until the grand competition, having a high-quality magic weapon would greatly increase our chances of winning.

Thinking of this, Gu Fan also became serious.

He not only carries a deep-seated blood feud, but he has also already promised Xuanji Zhenren that he will definitely achieve Foundation Establishment within ten years.

If one does not want to exhaust their family fortune to buy Foundation Establishment Pills, the only option is to compete for them in the Grand Tournament.

He was determined to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Just then, Chen Suzhen arrived late. Seeing Gu Fan and Meng Wei, she asked with a smile, "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing much, we were just talking about the sect competition," Meng Wei replied casually.

After consuming the petals of the Fleeting Beauty and through years of arduous cultivation, Meng Wei's cultivation level had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, and he was not far from the ninth level. He was quite confident about the competition.

"This sect competition is different from the past." Chen Suzhen nodded first, then changed the subject.

"Oh? What's the difference?" Meng Wei asked, puzzled.

Chen Suzhen did not reply immediately, but instead tapped the glass cup in her hand with her finger.

The clear, crisp sound, like a jade chime, echoed throughout the cave on Lanyun Peak, drawing everyone's attention.

Chen Suzhen walked slowly to the main seat and sat down, saying loudly, "You have all come at just the right time today, and I have some news to share with you."

Everyone listened attentively in silence.

Chen Suzhen glanced around and said in a deep voice, "The Grand Competition will be held in a year. I imagine everyone has already begun preparations. However, this year's competition is different from previous years. After the competition will be the Three Sects Dharma Assembly. The sect has already issued an order that the top thirty-two from the competition will represent the sect to go to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain to participate in the Three Sects Dharma Assembly and enhance the prestige of our Lingxiao Sect."

"Three sects of rituals?"

Gu Fan had never heard of the Three Sects Dharma Assembly before, but since it involved the three sects and was being held at Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, the outcome was not hard to guess.

Mount Wanshou is the location of the mountain gate of the Hualing Sect.

"Uncle-Master Chen, please forgive our ignorance, but what are the rules of this Three Sects Dharma Assembly?" Song Chibo asked, cupping his hands in greeting.

Chen Suzhen nodded and explained, "The Three Sects Dharma Assembly is held once every hundred years. We are all from humble backgrounds, so it is normal that we have never heard of it. If I had not just received a mission from the sect that requires me to go with the elders, I would not have known about it in advance."

"As you all knew when you entered the sect, our Lingxiao Sect holds the reins of the Xuanmen (Taoist) arts in the Wei Kingdom. But have you ever wondered how we earned this title?"

"Could it be from the Three Sects Dharma Assembly...?" someone asked tentatively.

"Not bad." Chen Suzhen nodded.

"The three sects of Wei all worship the Dao Ancestor of Creation. Although their cultivation methods are different, their lineages are interconnected."

"It would be too much of a hassle for a Golden Core cultivator to intervene, so their disciples will take their place. Each sect will select thirty-two Qi Refining disciples to represent their sect in the battle, and the sect's ranking will be determined based on the disciples' performance."

"This ranking not only involves the reputation of the sect, but also the allocation of resources. Therefore, the competition is even more fierce than the sect competition. If you have the opportunity to participate, you must be careful."

"Does that mean we'll have to fight two battles in a row?" Jiang Qingque exclaimed excitedly.

As a pure sword cultivator, he was naturally very fond of fighting, so he was overjoyed to have this opportunity to fight against cultivators from the other two sects.

"That's one way to put it, but not entirely accurate." Chen Suzhen slowly shook her head: "To avoid disciples getting injured in the sect competition and affecting their performance at the Three Sects Dharma Assembly, this competition will only select the top thirty-two, and the remaining places will no longer be contested."

"As for the grand competition rewards, all thirty-two people will receive the same rewards. Further rewards will be given after the three Dharma assemblies, based on the ranking of contributions."

Upon hearing that the rewards would be even more generous, everyone's hearts were filled with excitement.

As for the danger Chen Suzhen mentioned, no one took it to heart.

They were all people who risked their lives to earn cultivation resources from sea monsters. Who among them hadn't had the experience of surviving near-death experiences? Naturally, they wouldn't be deterred by danger and were all eager to fight and prepare to seize the right to engage in battle.

The atmosphere in the cave immediately became lively, with everyone drinking, chatting, and having a great time.

After Chen Suzhen finished speaking, she let everyone drink freely, but then called Gu Fan aside.

Gu Fan, puzzled, respectfully asked, "Does Uncle-Master have any instructions?"

"Actually, it's nothing, it's actually a good thing for you."

Chen Suzhen smiled and said, "What I just mentioned about the Three Sects Dharma Assembly was a martial arts contest, but in addition to that, there will also be a literary contest at the Dharma Assembly."

"A battle of wits?"

Chen Suzhen nodded: "The literary contest is about cultivation techniques, and it is divided into three rounds: alchemy, talisman, and weapon crafting. Those who rank high will receive a considerable reward. Since you are skilled in talismans and weapon crafting, don't miss it."

"The literary contest will not affect the sect rankings. It is designed to encourage disciples within the three sects who are not good at combat. Therefore, there are no restrictions on their rankings in the sect competition. As long as they pass the sect's selection, they can participate. There are no restrictions on the number of participants from each sect."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind it.

Most people who study cultivation techniques are not good at combat. If resources are allocated based solely on combat skills, it would be a waste to let such a gem be obscured.

Thinking of this, Gu Fan's heart surged with emotion.

It is our inescapable duty to uphold the glory of our sect!

The next moment, Gu Fan suddenly thought of something and asked, "The literary competition only has three parts: alchemy, talismans, and weapon crafting. Why isn't there a section on formations?"

Chen Suzhen spread her hands and said, "Of course it's because our Lingxiao Sect's array formation tradition is too strong."

"I also asked the elders of the sect about this issue, and the answer I received was that, because my disciples had won by no means in more than a dozen consecutive Dharma Assemblies, the array formation competition was canceled due to protests from the other two sects."

Gu Fan was speechless for a moment.

So they can't handle the game and are just flipping the table.

Chen Suzhen smiled helplessly and continued, "Among the three sects, our Lingxiao Sect is good at alchemy, the Bailian Sect is good at weapon crafting, and the Hualing Sect is good at talisman crafting, but none of them have an absolute advantage, which is why these three competitions have been kept."

Gu Fan clicked his tongue and stroked his chin as he thought.

"Alchemy is one thing, but I want to see just how strong the other two sects are at weapon crafting and talisman drawing."