Junior Sister must ascend this time!

The number of disciples remaining was indeed much smaller than in the previous event. Apart from a few major sects who were well aware of the Sumeru Sect's formidable strength, the remaining disciples were simply thinking, "Since we're already here, we might as well watch the show before we leave."

Jiang Mian stood to one side of the arena, holding the stringed flute in his hand. "How have you been, Senior Brother Wuzheng?"

Those who do not understand Wuzheng only feel that the Buddhist disciple in front of them is like an Arhat who has stepped down from a mural, aloof yet compassionate, and that just one look can purify the soul.

"Do they know each other? They sound so familiar with each other."

"They probably met before; perhaps there's some connection between Buddhist scriptures and music?"

"They both seem so aloof, so..."

"That's insane!!!"

While the disciples below were discussing, Wu Zheng and Jiang Mian had already begun to fight—in a real sense!

Just as Wuzheng was about to swing his staff at Jiangmian, Jiangmian blew the flute first.

Then, the entire competition stage was filled with Wu Zheng's wild, distorted laughter.

"Hahahaha, I've grown hair!"

"My hair is long and straight, and this time it's finally not a wig! I'm going to learn how to tie a high ponytail like the sword cultivator!"

"No! Jiang Mian! You dare to play me!!"

"Bang!!"

Wuzheng's wooden fish struck Jiang Mian squarely on the head. Before he could dodge, the monk's staff followed closely, knocking him to the ground.

Jiang Mian lay on the ground, mimicking Yun Qing's gesture, stubbornly raising her middle finger, "You...you're serious!"

Wu Zheng clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, this humble monk never engages in empty talk. As the saying goes, 'Better a fellow Daoist dies than I,' this humble monk is merely protecting myself and incidentally sending Junior Brother Jiang off..."

Jiang Mian jumped up in anger, transforming her flute into a sword and hacking at Wu Zheng, yelling, "Stop reciting...stop reciting!!!"

The disciples who had just left heard the unusual commotion and turned back. This competition seemed much more interesting than they had imagined.

The stadium was packed again, and those who couldn't find seats climbed trees for a better view.

"Jiang Mian's sword seems to exude murderous intent! Is this music cultivator a legitimate music cultivator?"

"I'll let you in on an inside story: he's actually an illusionist."

"Oh~~ No wonder Senior Brother Wuzheng was shouting and laughing so loudly, I thought he had gone mad..."

"You think he's not crazy? A normal Buddhist practitioner using a staff to beat someone? My goodness, Jiang Mian got hammered away again!"

This "bloody" exchange of blows lasted for an hour, ending with Jiang Mian being knocked off the stage in a narrow defeat.

The other six sect leaders looked meaningfully at the abbot of the Sumeru Sect. They had spoken too loudly before, and they should be more respectful to him in the future...

The abbot of the Sumeru sect wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it. Before setting off, he explicitly forbade them from hitting people with their staffs again. They had been hiding it well for the first few days, but they were exposed in the last one.

"Um, would you believe me if I said my child wasn't like this before?"

The six sect leaders all shook their heads; this level of skill clearly indicated a repeat offender!

After this round of competition, the second round of the individual competition also came to an end.

The rankings of the top ten have also been released, as follows:

First place: Shen Qingchen of the Golden Jade Sect.

Second place: Pei Shubai of Chengtian Sect.

Third place: Yun Qing of Chengtian Sect.

Fourth place: Gu Changfeng of the Xuanming Sect.

Fifth place: Xumi Sect Wuzheng.

Sixth place: Jiang Mian of Chengtian Sect.

Seventh place: Yue Heng, the Zhenyue Sect Master.

Eighth place: Qin Mu of the Yu Ling Sect.

Ninth place: Chengtian Sect Master Mingche.

Tenth place: Cen Ning of Chengtian Sect.

The rogue cultivator tossed the melon seeds he was holding onto the betting stall, staring intently at the stall owner. "Speak! Five of the top ten in the individual points competition are from the Chengtian Sect, speak!"

"My spirit stones! My thirty spirit stones~"

The stall owner was also incredulous upon learning the result. How did these five direct disciples of Chengtian Sect manage to do it? Even during the sect's heyday, they hadn't achieved anything like this.

"This... don't rush, this is only the second round of the individual competition, there are still the finals and team competitions to come."

"They may all be very strong individually, but their teamwork isn't quite there yet. Yun Qing only became the fifth direct disciple of Cheng Tian Sect this year, so their teamwork is definitely not as good as that of other sects that have been together for many years."

The rogue cultivator scratched his head: "Is...is that so?"

At this moment, the leader of the Golden Jade Sect in the stands loudly announced the rules for the final of the individual competition.

"The rules for the individual finals of this year's sect competition are different from those of previous years."

"We have specially found some rootless trees for everyone. These trees will bear spiritual fruits."

The Rootless Tree Fruits, shaped like miniature figures, are distributed at different heights within the tree canopy. The top ten disciples in the individual ranking competition must climb the Rootless Tree and collect the fruits without using flying artifacts or attacking other competitors. The person who collects the most fruits will be crowned the champion of this individual competition.

"A fruit shaped like a little person?"

"In previous years, it was always a swordsmanship competition... why is it fruit picking this year?"

An older cultivator said, "This rootless tree fruit grows in the shape of a small person, and the spiritual power it contains is more than ten times that of ordinary spiritual fruits. It is said that several cultivators have comprehended the Dao after eating this rootless tree fruit, and their cultivation level has risen several levels."

This fruit is extremely rare and expensive; you can't buy it even if you want to.

Another cultivator said, "This competition is so extravagant, they've brought in rootless trees for them to pick. These direct disciples are already geniuses; if they eat these rootless tree fruits, won't that make it even more unattainable for ordinary cultivators?"

The older cultivator shook his head and laughed, "That depends on whether they have the ability to pick the Rootless Tree Fruit. This fruit is not as easy to pick as you might think."

Other cultivators disagreed, saying that climbing trees to pick spiritual fruits was something every cultivator had done, and it was an essential skill.

As the seven sect members formed a hand seal together, a giant tree appeared out of thin air in the center of the sect competition arena.

The tree trunk was silvery-gray with fine veins on its surface. Its roots did not penetrate the ground but floated above, with the ends of the roots gleaming with a pale golden sheen.

Within moments of its appearance, the canopy fully unfolded, and the branches began to fork from the middle of the trunk, extending upwards. The dense leaves shimmered with a pale golden luster in the sunlight.

The fruits, about the size of a palm, are distributed at the ends and forks of the branches. They have all four limbs and look like a group of little babies curled up on the tree from a distance, except that they are pale gold and have a soft, ethereal glow.

Seeing Yun Qing's slightly melancholy expression, Si Mingche asked, "Junior Sister, what's wrong? Can't you climb a tree?"

Yun Qing rested her chin on her hand. "I was just wondering if we could dig up all of this tree? If we did, would the sect leaders hunt me down?"

Si Mingche answered decisively, "Yes!"