CHAPTER 31: WU ZHEN’S APPEARANCE

"Disciples of the Divine Cauldron Sect, five years have passed, and the day has arrived once again for the Outer Sect Trial."

At the center of the circular raised platform in the middle of the Outer Sect Arena, Elder Hua’s voice echoed loudly.

At the same time, he released his spiritual pressure at the Foundation Realm, instantly silencing everyone present.

"Like every year, this year’s trial will follow the same rules. There are ten rings in the arena and ten winners. Circle battle until only ten remain."

"The rules are simple. Win, and you advance. Lose, and you wait another five years."

"Life-and-death blows are strictly forbidden... unless it’s an accident and you’re too slow to stop them."

Elder Hua swept his cold gaze over everyone. His meaning was clear.

While killing someone outright was prohibited, if you were severely injured accidentally, no one would interfere.

You could only blame yourself for being weak and hesitant to withdraw in time.

Besides, they had already set the rule that only late Qi Condensation cultivators were allowed to participate in the trial.

If someone of the same realm couldn’t defend themselves or stop a fatal blow in the heat of battle, that was their own fault.

The weak had no rights in this world, and the Divine Cauldron Sect was no exception.

After confirming that everyone understood his words, Elder Hua continued,

"As always, the ten top Outer Disciples can directly enter the Inner Sect after the competition is over. And the top three will even have the privilege to choose a peak of their choice."

He paused, a faint smile appearing on his face as he stroked his long white beard.

"And this time, there is an additional reward."

When the additional reward was mentioned, the crowd suddenly grew restless, and noise once again surged through the arena like a rising tide.

Especially those disciples at the late stage of Qi Condensation, their eyes gleamed with burning eagerness and barely restrained desire, as if they could already feel the reward slipping through their fingers and into their grasp.

But this time, Elder Hua didn’t suppress the disciples’ enthusiasm and instead let them be.

Only after the crowd had calmed down a little did he finally speak.

"What you heard is correct. This time, there are additional rewards for the top ten disciples besides the usual ones.

And that is the quota to enter the newly discovered secret realm, Blood Mist Valley."

"All top ten disciples are eligible for this. A chance to enter a secret realm like the Blood Mist Valley, I don’t think I need to explain how rare an opportunity this is."

Elder Hua spoke as his gaze swept over the excited disciples. As he said, a secret realm was a rare opportunity, even for someone like him.

To be honest, even he felt a twinge of envy.

If he had had such a chance when he was still at the Qi Condensation Realm, he might not have been stuck at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage for the rest of his life.

But regret was only regret, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Alright, now that you know everything, let the competition begin. Qui Ronghai, you take it from here."

Elder Hua sighed inwardly and finally ended his speech. He gave a short command to Qui Ronghai standing behind him before stepping off the stage.

"Yes, Elder."

Qui Ronghai immediately bowed to Elder Hua and only straightened up after the latter disappeared. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

After all, Elder Hua was the true authority of the Outer Sect, and he was merely the one managing it under him. Of course, he was nervous.

"Alright, you all heard the Elder. Now, without wasting any time, let the competition begin. I will randomly select two jades from these jars, and the disciples whose names are on them will come forward to fight."

Qui Ronghai announced while gesturing toward the two jars filled with jade slips placed before him.

They were the same jade Mo Zhiran had received from the disciples during registration and handed over to the guard when entering the inner rooms of the arena.

To ensure fairness in the competition, the jars were made opaque and shielded from the spiritual sense.

Besides, with Elder Hua observing from behind, Qui Ronghai didn’t dare to manipulate the matches in any way.

"First ring arena, Han Wei versus Fang Rui."

"Second ring arena, Zhou Liang versus Duan Heng."

As Qui Ronghai continued drawing jades and announcing the first batch of competitors, Mo Zhiran’s attention was elsewhere.

He was watching the two burly men standing a short distance away; one of them was openly releasing murderous intent without even trying to hide it.

"Mo Zhiran, you actually dared to come here. I heard you even registered for the Outer Sect Trial? Hehe... it seems you really have a death wish."

Unsurprisingly, they were Wu Kang and Wu Zhen.

From the looks of it, Wu Kang had already recovered from his previous injuries.

"Hehe... don’t think you can save yourself with those petty tricks this time. In front of absolute strength, such tricks are worthless."

Wu Zhen spoke with a mocking tone, his voice dripping with venom.

Because of this person, he had been bedridden for an entire month and had only managed to recover after his brother came out of seclusion and gave him a rare healing elixir.

That elixir was so precious and rare that it not only healed his injuries but also allowed him to break through to the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

Yet, instead of feeling good, it only fueled his hatred further.

After all, if Mo Zhiran hadn’t injured him back then, he believed he might have already reached the late stage of Qi Condensation by now and even earned a chance to enter the Inner Sect.

But all of that had become nothing more than a shattered dream. And for that, he hated Mo Zhiran to the very core.

"Absolute strength?"

Mo Zhiran was looking at Wu Zhen, who stood calmly without even glancing in his direction, when he heard Wu Kang’s mocking words.

So he turned to Wu Kang, scanning his entire body from head to toe before shaking his head in disappointment and clicking his tongue.

"Tch... tch... unfortunately, you aren’t in the late stage of Qi Condensation. Otherwise, I might have shown you what absolute strength really is."

Zhiran spoke with genuine disappointment, and he wasn’t lying. If he could meet him in the arena, he would truly show him what brutality meant.

’What a pity!’

Zhiran thought, shaking his head, his eyes filled with quiet contempt.

"You...BASTARD, you are courting death."

It would have been fine if Zhiran had stayed silent, but he had to strike at the sore spot in Wu Kang’s heart.

He thought Zhiran was mocking him, being sarcastic about his lower realm and the fact that he had missed the chance to enter the Inner Sect.

Not to mention the look of disdain on Zhiran’s face.

Naturally, he was furious.

"Alright, Kang’er, stop. Is it wise to fight in this place?"

Just as Wu Kang, fuming, was about to strike Zhiran right then and there, he was suddenly stopped by Wu Zhen, who finally spoke.