Chapter 557: The Grand Competition Begins
A group of people blocked Lin Yun and Qin Feng’s path. The Core Disciple leading them looked at Qin Feng with eyes full of hostility.
Without Qin Feng having to explain, Lin Yun could sense from the man’s eyes that he and Qin Feng must be enemies. The two clearly couldn’t stand the sight of each other.
However, what Lin Yun hadn’t expected was that this Core Disciple was actually Qin Feng’s senior brother; they shared the same master.
According to Qin Feng, after their master had taken a liking to him and he became a Core Disciple of Taiqing Academy, this senior brother of his started making things difficult for him at every turn. At first, Qin Feng would tolerate it, but as the man’s actions grew more and more excessive, their relationship gradually became like fire and water.
"Qin Feng, is the Taiqing Academy Core Disciple Area a place you can just bring anyone to?" The man walked up to Qin Feng, completely unaware of Lin Yun’s identity and paying him no mind, and spoke arrogantly.
Hearing his senior brother’s words, Qin Feng snorted coldly. "Who I bring here is none of your business."
Hearing Qin Feng’s retort, the man finally looked at Lin Yun. Seeing that Lin Yun’s clothes weren’t the attire of a Taiqing Academy disciple, and thinking of the grand competition starting tomorrow, he quickly guessed Lin Yun’s identity.
However, now that Lin Yun had broken through to the Celestial Spirit Realm, the man couldn’t sense his cultivation level at all. Therefore, he didn’t guess Lin Yun’s true identity, merely assuming he was a disciple from Flawless Palace and not thinking much more of it.
After letting out a cold snort at Lin Yun, Qin Feng’s senior brother left arrogantly. As he departed, he didn’t forget to cast a threatening glance at Lin Yun.
Lin Yun paid Qin Feng’s senior brother no mind. A mere cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Primordial Ocean Realm wasn’t even enough of a threat to concern him.
They made their way to Qin Feng’s small courtyard, where the two of them sat down and started drinking right away.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Qin Feng’s senior brother, a group of Taiqing Academy Direct Disciples had gathered around him. His face was grim as he said, "That little bastard. Does he really think that just because he became the master’s disciple, he’s on equal footing with me? Just you wait. During the competition, I’ll crush you under my heel."
After speaking, he paused for a moment before continuing, "And those Flawless Palace disciples... They really think Lin Yun can be compared to Brother Wei. A few of you, challenge the Flawless Palace disciples tomorrow. And beat them to death for me."
Hearing their senior brother’s words, the group of Direct Disciples felt uncertain. Their cultivation levels were about the same as the Flawless Palace disciples. They had no confidence they could guarantee a victory.
Seeing the worried expressions on everyone’s faces, Qin Feng’s senior brother gave a sinister smile. He took out more than ten elixirs from his Space Ring and said to the group in a low voice, "These are Blood Burst Pills. Take one tomorrow when you challenge the Flawless Palace disciples. I guarantee you’ll be able to give them a savage beating."
"Senior Brother... but taking elixirs is..." Seeing this, one of the Direct Disciples said with some concern.
Before he could finish, however, Qin Feng’s senior brother slapped him on the back of the head. "Idiot! What rules are there for challenging Flawless Palace disciples? Even if the Director and the Supreme Elders find out, do you really think they’re going to protect the disciples of Flawless Palace?"
Hearing this, the group of Direct Disciples finally accepted the Blood Burst Pills. Of course, taking any elixirs that could boost one’s strength was forbidden in the grand competition with Flawless Palace; doing so would result in disqualification.
But for challenges against the Flawless Palace disciples, it was just as their senior brother had said. Would the Taiqing Academy Director and Elders really side with the Flawless Palace disciples?
According to the senior brother’s plan, during the grand competition tomorrow, he would challenge Qin Feng. Even if he had to resort to some petty tricks, he was determined to defeat him.
He would defeat Qin Feng in front of everyone at Taiqing Academy. Combined with the other arrangements he’d already made, he planned to knock Qin Feng from his position as a Taiqing Academy Core Disciple in one fell swoop tomorrow.
’Qin Feng, I’d like to see how long you can stay happy. A Taiqing Academy Core Disciple... Did you think just anyone could hold that position?’ With everything prepared, a vicious smile spread across the face of Qin Feng’s senior brother.
Naturally, Lin Yun knew nothing of this, nor did Qin Feng. The two of them drank late into the night, and in the end, Qin Feng personally saw Lin Yun back.
「The night passed silently.」
Early the next morning, the entire Taiqing Academy was abuzz with activity. Outer Sect Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, Direct Disciples, and Core Disciples—all of them gathered in the academy’s main plaza.
The main plaza of Taiqing Academy, which could normally accommodate tens of thousands of people without feeling crowded, was now already a roaring hub of noise. The number of disciples in Taiqing Academy was not much different from that of Flawless Palace, and on such an important day, nearly every disciple had arrived.
Led by Wei Yunhang, Lin Yun’s group arrived at the Taiqing Academy’s main plaza. Naturally, the contingent of Flawless Palace disciples followed behind Lin Yun.
At the head of the main plaza, three high platforms had already been erected. The central platform was for the Taiqing Academy Director and the Six Supreme Elders, while the platform on the left was for the Taiqing Academy Main Seat Elder.
The platform on the right was where Lin Yun, the other Flawless Palace disciples, and the Taiqing Academy Core Disciples were seated.
Following Wei Yunhang, they ascended the ten-meter-high platform. From this vantage point, the view of the crowd below was even more spectacular. Furthermore, ten arenas had been set up in the main plaza, and directly in front of the three high platforms was a main arena, much larger than the others.
This main arena was specifically for battles between Direct Disciples and Core Disciples. After all, the upper echelons of Taiqing Academy were only interested in disciples of this level; they had no interest in watching the fights between Inner Sect and Outer Sect Disciples.
As the First Brother of Taiqing Academy, Wei Yunhang naturally sat in the central position. What surprised everyone, however, was that another chair had been placed next to Wei Yunhang’s seat today.
These two chairs became the center of the entire platform.
"Brother Lin Yun, please." Without a doubt, the person who would sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Wei Yunhang was none other than Lin Yun. Responding to Wei Yunhang’s words, Lin Yun didn’t stand on ceremony. He smiled faintly and sat down in his seat.
Seeing Lin Yun actually sitting next to Wei Yunhang, the expressions of several of the Taiqing Academy Core Disciples turned sour. This was especially true for Qin Feng’s senior brother, whose eyes held a trace of icy coldness as he let out a heavy, cold snort.
Hearing the snort, Wei Yunhang said nothing, and neither did Lin Yun. He simply gave Qin Feng’s senior brother a faint glance before turning his head away, ignoring him completely.
To be honest, at the height Lin Yun had reached, he no longer needed to pay any mind to Core Disciples from the Six Great Forces. Across the entire Eastern Domain, only four people could be considered his peers—the other four of the Eastern Domain’s Six Great Demon Fiends. As for He Shang from the Death Row Shelter, he had long since become a monster, so Lin Yun didn’t count him among them.
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