CHAPTER 56: SECT COMPETITION IV

"Pick one," the elder said, holding out the bowl filled with slips of paper.

One by one, the ten finalists came forward, each drawing a slip. Some looked excited, others a little nervous.

When everyone had picked, the elder raised his voice. "Alright, if your slips match in color, step forward. Those are your opponents!"

The slips began to glow faintly, and pairs started forming as the matching colors revealed themselves.

Tian Lei opened his slip—silver writing on a white background.

Across the arena, a girl with long, flowing hair and blue robes stepped forward, holding the same colored slip.

"There she is... from Spirit Rain Peak," someone murmured.

She was an Outer Court cultivator—just like the rest of the participants. A newly recruited genius from Spirit Rain Peak, she had turned heads from the very start of the tournament.

She didn’t rely on flashy moves or loud declarations. Her strength came from calm precision, elegant footwork, and a deep understanding of water-based techniques. Match after match, she had climbed the ranks steadily—quietly proving herself with control and grace.

Tian Lei looked at her with his usual calm.

She met his gaze without flinching. Not arrogant. Not fearful. Just steady and focused.

The elder’s voice rang out as he clapped once. "First match—Tian Lei versus Lan Yue of Spirit Rain Peak!"

A ripple of whispers spread across the stands.

A calm rising talent... against the storm in black.

The stage beneath them lit up with glowing formation lines, locking their arena into place.

And with that, the final phase of the tournament... truly began.

While Tian Lei and Lan Yue stepped onto the central stage, the remaining finalists received their match-ups and headed to their respective arenas.

Tian Lei glanced at his opponent calmly.

Lan Yue stood before him with a composed demeanor. Her long raven-black hair swayed in the wind, and her blood-red robes, adorned with subtle blue accents, marked her as a disciple of Spirit Rain Peak. Her eyes—quiet, focused, and sharp—met his without hesitation.

’Second stage of Qi Condensation Realm,’ Tian Lei noted in silence, his gaze sweeping over her. He quietly unsheathed his sword, then returned it to his side.

The elder overseeing their duel raised his hand. "Begin!"

For a moment, nothing happened.

Lan Yue narrowed her eyes, heart steady. She stepped lightly, circling—then lunged forward, water rippling at her fingertips, ready to strike—

But before her technique could even take form...

She froze.

A shallow line appeared across her neck. A single drop of blood trailed down.

Tian Lei stood behind her, his sword sheathed, as if he had never moved.

"If this were a real battle," he said softly, "you’d already be dead. But since it’s only a match... it ends with a shallow cut."

Lan Yue stood in stunned silence. She hadn’t even seen him draw his blade, much less strike. Her entire body tensed before she slowly nodded in acknowledgment, bowing slightly as she stepped off the stage.

From the elder’s seat, a slight glint flickered in his eyes. He recognized it—the Heavenly Veil Step, a powerful movement art famed for its ghost-like shifts.

Tian Lei had used it to appear behind her, deliver a strike, and return—all before anyone could react.

Another victory.

Swift. Clean. Absolute.

The first match of the finals was over.

The elder overseeing the match slowly rose from his seat and raised his hand. "Tian Lei wins."

The crowd erupted—not in cheers at first, but confusion, disbelief, and then sheer awe.

"What just happened?!"

"Did anyone even see the sword move?"

"No way! That wasn’t a technique—it was a blink! A flicker!"

Amidst the stunned murmurs, several elders exchanged wide-eyed glances. One of them, silver-haired and sharp-eyed, leaned forward with a trembling voice.

"That... that was the Heavenly Veil Step."

The words dropped like thunder into the arena.

Gasps followed instantly.

"That’s a high-tier movement art...! I’ve seen Core Disciples practice it for years and still not master the shift phase!"

"But that rookie—he just..."

"He didn’t just use it," another elder said, voice tight with disbelief. "He mastered it. That wasn’t the clumsy veil drift we see in training halls. That was a full veil step—clean, refined, seamless."

The crowd went wild.

Even disciples from the inner circle leaned over the railings, trying to catch another glimpse of Tian Lei as he calmly walked off the stage, not sparing a single glance back.

Meanwhile, from the Core disciple’s viewing terrace, Huang Jie was grinding his teeth hard enough to chip them. His glare locked onto Tian Lei with such force it could’ve cracked jade.

"Damn it..." he muttered. "That freak... that damn bastard."

At his side, Meng Li—a smug-faced Core Disciple who had kept to himself during most of the tournament—grinned ear to ear.

"Well, looks like he wasn’t bluffing. Heavenly Veil Step. Executed like he was born doing it," he said with a dramatic sigh. "Guess that means I win the bet, huh?"

Huang Jie said nothing.

Meng Li’s grin widened. "Ten thousand spirit stones, buddy. Pay up."

Huang Jie shoved a pouch into Meng Li’s waiting hand and stormed off, cloak billowing like a man caught in a hurricane of regret.

He knew it now—there was no stopping it.

Not the crowd’s obsession.

Not Tian Lei’s rise.

Not the final result.

At this point, there was only one direction the tournament could go—

Tian Lei winning this year’s New Disciple Sect Competition.

As the crowd continued buzzing from the last match, Tian Lei quietly returned to his seat, his expression calm as ever. He sat in silence, arms folded, black robes undisturbed—like the eye of a storm.

Meanwhile, the other four matches had already begun across the other stages. Blades clashed, spells exploded, and formations lit up as the remaining eight finalists fought with everything they had.

But despite the chaos around him, Tian Lei didn’t watch.

He simply closed his eyes once more—completely unbothered.

And turned his focus inward, quietly refining his nascent Sword Intent. Though not yet fully formed, it simmered within him like a sleeping dragon—waiting.

The final stage of the competition played out around him. Over the next half-hour, one by one, the remaining duels reached their conclusions. Blades were shattered, pride was broken, and cultivators walked off the stage—either in triumph or with regret.

And soon, only five finalists remained.

Lan Yue—graceful, determined, and admired by many—was not among them.

Though she had fought brilliantly and made it this far, she had faced the most immovable wall in the tournament.

She had met Tian Lei.

And that, more than anything, was why her journey ended.

The final five.

Tian Lei sat quietly among them, eyes still closed, aura still serene. He hadn’t moved since his match. As if the duel had barely disturbed his breathing.

Around him, the atmosphere thickened. The cheers had grown quieter. Not from boredom, but reverence. The crowd no longer shouted his name—they waited on it, like one waits for thunder after lightning.

The elder in charge of the duels stepped forward again, voice echoing through the grand arena.

"Now that the final five have emerged," he said, raising a hand, "we will proceed to the next round. Another draw."

A formation rose from the stage—this time more intricate, gleaming with spirit runes and pulsing with faint silver light. Within it hovered five glowing slips, each tied to the fate of one remaining fighter.

The elder gestured. "Step forward. Draw your opponent."

One by one, the remaining five contestants stepped forward.

The slips hovered midair, glowing faintly with the energy of the arena’s central formation. Each disciple reached out, drawing their lot with steady fingers—though tension simmered beneath every breath.

As the final slip settled into a palm, the elder raised his hand with practiced authority.

"Match one: Wei Zhen of Earth Core Peak versus Xiao Rou of Spirit Rain Peak."

"Match two: Meng Shen of Heaven Cloud Peak versus Gao Fei of Beast Spirit Peak."

He paused then, casting a glance toward the lone youth sitting off to the side—unmoving, eyes closed, breathing as calm as an untouched pond.

"...Tian Lei of Sect Master Peak will receive a bye. He advances directly to the final three."

A murmur ran through the crowd like distant thunder.

Some whispered complaints.

Some sighed in envy.

Regardless the Competition continued on,

The arena lit up, forming a new dueling platform. Wei Zhen marched forward, built like a walking mountain—bare arms wrapped in reinforcement bands forged deep beneath the Earth Core. Sparks trailed his feet with every step.

His opponent, Xiao Rou of Spirit Rain Peak, stepped into the light like a flowing stream. Her movements were serene, almost graceful, her healing robes tinted with shades of aqua. In her hands spun twin chakrams of compressed spirit water—shimmering and razor-thin.

From the first exchange, it was clear: power versus precision.

Wei Zhen slammed down with the force of an avalanche, cracking stone underfoot with every swing.

Xiao Rou responded with elegant, flowing movements—parrying, evading, redirecting the force of each blow like water against a cliff.