CHAPTER 44: ARENA CHALLENGE! FINAL BATTLE!

Hua Wensheng, an Inner Sect elder of the Divine Cauldron Sect, had been sent to the Outer Sect after offending a core disciple.

The reason was said to be extremely sensitive, and rumors claimed that the core disciple had been so furious he would’ve killed Hua at the first opportunity.

That was what Zhiran had heard in his previous life. He also knew that Elder Hua later died in Blood Mist Valley, alongside Liang Feng.

’Now that I think about it, this secret realm really is cursed, isn’t it? Even Elder Hua is dead.’

Zhiran shook his head.

Truth be told, this was also one of the reasons he dared to confront a Peak Foundation Realm elder in front of the entire crowd.

Well, he admitted, he didn’t want to be bullied, but he wasn’t stupid either.

Only when he realized this elder would die in a secret realm anyway did he decide to cripple Wu Zhen as well, testing his reaction, thereby hitting two birds with one stone.

’But... there was no coldness or hatred in his eyes just now. Then why was Elder Hua targeting me?’

’He didn’t seem to be acting with Wu Kang either, judging from how he behaved.’

Zhiran was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Elder Qui’s voice resuming the competition.

Since Elder Hua had already decided, nobody dared to oppose his judgment. Besides, most people didn’t like the duo of Wu Zhen and Wu Kang anyway.

So, while some showed sympathy, most felt whatever happened was fine.

But whatever they felt, their view of Zhiran changed. They now saw him as someone unpredictable and ruthless.

[Sixth Arena, Huang Fu vs Terpe]

As Elder Qui’s voice echoed across the arena, the atmosphere boiled with tension and excitement.

One match after another erupted with bursts of qi and the clash of techniques.

The weak were eliminated in quick succession, while the strong fought with everything they had; desperate for a spot in the top ten and a chance to enter the inner sect of the Divine Cauldron Sect.

Everyone was chasing the same dream: to step into the secret realm and rewrite their fate.

As one round after another concluded, fewer participants remained, and the Outer Sect Competition neared its end.

Unfortunately, Su Ruyue, with just her seventh-layer Qi Condensation realm, failed to defeat her opponent and was directly disqualified.

Her luck was simply too bad as she faced someone at the eighth level of Qi Condensation.

Poor girl, her rejuvenation pills were wasted for nothing. Zhiran had to spend quite some time calming her down.

Surprisingly, Wu Lanyin was quite lucky. Her opponents were similar in realm to hers, and she easily entered the top ten.

As for Mei Xuan, the demoness, although she lost her match against Mo Zhiran, she still barely managed to squeeze into the ranking just like she wanted.

Zhiran could see how she was desperately trying to draw less attention to herself. After all, she was a spy.

"Okay, the top ten has finally been decided. Congratulations to those who are selected. Now, it is time for the last battle."

Elder Qui Ronghai’s voice suddenly boomed across the stage, riling up the crowd in excitement once again.

This meant the next matches would determine the top three positions.

With Wu Kang out of the question, everyone was eager to see who would take the top three spots this time around.

"I think the strongest ones in this batch are Mo Tianyu, Liang Feng, Wu Zhen, and Mo Zhiran."

"Since Wu Zhen is already out, it should be Tianyu first, Liang Feng second, and Mo Zhiran third, right? What do you think?"

One of the lean youths in the crowd voiced his opinion, thinking his ranking sounded reasonable.

"Yeah, I think it’ll be like that. There are only three others in the top ten who reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation, and they’re no match for those three."

"Yeah, sigh... maybe this time there won’t even be much of a fight?"

As quickly as they got excited, they had to calm down again, realizing there weren’t many top disciples in this batch.

Tianyu had already defeated Liang Feng in the ring, while Wu Zhen was crippled. If there was anyone who could still challenge for a higher position, it was Mo Zhiran.

But even though he had shown impressive strength, not many were optimistic about his chances.

He couldn’t just crack the nuts to win against Tianyu and Liang Feng again, right?

"Okay, since the top ten has been decided, let’s decide the top three as well."

Elder Qui Ronghai spoke again, looking at the ten disciples standing before him. Seeing their energetic and youthful vigor, he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

"Just like in previous years, this year’s top three will also be decided by the Arena Challenge."

Elder Qui spoke while pointing at the rings in front of him.

"The number on each ring corresponds to your position in the top ten. All you have to do is choose one position that you think suits you."

"As long as nobody challenges you, or you defend it till the end, you can keep that position."

"But remember, each person can only challenge once. Don’t make a mistake."

Elder Qui then smiled as he looked at everyone.

"Like Elder Hua said before, the reward for the top ten this time is entry into the inner sect and a quota to enter the Secret Realm."

"However, besides that, the sect will also give additional monetary rewards according to your rank."

"For example, the first position will get twenty middle-grade spirit stones along with other benefits, while the tenth position will only get fifty low-grade spirit stones."

"So, I suggest everyone try their best to rank higher."

He said that to lift their competitive spirit.

In the Outer Sect, middle-grade spirit stones were hard to come by. Many disciples had never even seen what they looked like.

"Shssss... damn, twenty middle-grade spirit stones, did you hear that? That’s two thousand low-grade spirit stones alone!"

"I’m so jealous!"

"Sigh... why don’t they give me a few as a gift? Maybe I’d reach late Qi Condensation by then."

Sure enough, after hearing Elder Qui’s announcement, the crowd hissed in envy. The reward was just too lucrative.

’20 middle-grade spirit stones, huh? Guess, I have to take the first place.’

Zhiran also smiled after hearing about the reward. He had reached the ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm using only low-grade spirit stones.

If he managed to get purer, middle-grade ones, then with his proficiency in the Divine Core Technique, he should be able to easily reach the peak and even aim for Foundation Establishment.

"Okay, that’s it for the information. All top ten disciples, climb the ring you want or challenge whoever you wish."

"The match will end once everyone has used or forfeited their challenge. Also, remember, no one can be challenged more than twice."

"Start!"

Elder Qui announced, signaling the top ten disciples to take the positions they deemed most suitable for themselves. Now that all of them were about to enter the inner sect, every resource they could secure held great importance.

After all, their competition would only grow fiercer within the inner sect, where Foundation Establishment cultivators roamed freely, and Qi Condensation disciples were considered insignificant.