ALL NOVEL Chapter 17 – The Great Competition Begins
A fortnight passed quickly, and the outer sect competition of the Xuan Yin Sect began.
During this time, with the help of his Senior Sister and Cui Qing'er, Lin Hao, although stuck at a bottleneck and unable to break through, managed to refine his spiritual power even further.
Competition day.
Due to the nearly twenty thousand outer sect disciples of the Xuan Yin Sect, it would take a year and a half if everyone were to compete in the arena.
Therefore, the competition was divided into three stages. The first stage was a cultivation test, eliminating all those below the sixth level of Qi Refining!
This stage alone eliminated more than half of the participants. The second stage was a chaotic battle, where all participating disciples were randomly assigned to groups for a battle royale. Those who lasted until the end could advance to the arena competition.
This stage had a high degree of randomness and some room for maneuver. Participants could temporarily form alliances, increasing their chances of winning compared to fighting alone.
Lin Hao's luck was decent. In his assigned group, the strongest opponent was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, giving him a good chance of winning and advancing.
However, as soon as the chaotic battle began, he was targeted by two cultivators, one tall and one short, who surrounded him.
"Are you two trying to gang up on me?"
"Kid, you got it right. Kneel and beg for mercy, and we'll spare you a beating."
Heh.
Lin Hao sneered, seeing through their cultivation levels. Both were at the sixth level of Qi Refining, yet they dared to act so boldly.
Initially, he thought of taking them down with a single punch, but then he decided to play along. Pretending to be scared, he turned and ran.
The tall and short cultivators, thinking they had him cornered, quickly gave chase.
In the chaotic battle of a hundred, those who formed groups targeted those with higher cultivation. Seeing Lin Hao being chased by two at the sixth level, they lost interest.
Huff, huff, huff...
"Big brother, this kid is slippery."
After chasing for a long time without catching up, the tall one leaned on his knees, panting heavily.
"He must be running out of steam. Let's push harder!"
The short one gritted his teeth, taking out a Spirit Recovery Pill from his storage bag, ready to consume it.
"Hey, don't eat that."
In a flash, Lin Hao darted in front of the short one, snatching the storage bag and the pill from his hands with lightning speed.
"These are my spoils, so you can't just eat them. But this pill in your hand is dirty, I don't want it."
Crunch!
He crushed the pill in his hand and then kicked the short one, sending him flying several meters.
"Big brother!"
Seeing his brother beaten, the tall cultivator's face turned angry. He drew a broad sword from his back, ready to fight to the death.
But for someone at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, dealing with someone at the sixth level was as easy as a father disciplining a child. The tall one didn't even withstand a single move before ending up like his brother.
The Xuan Yin Sect, to cultivate the disciples' ferocity, allowed anything in the competition except killing.
Having exposed his strength, Lin Hao chose to keep running in circles even when faced with a dozen attackers.
His main goal was to waste time, letting other cultivators settle their scores, making things easier for him.
Li Qiushui, known for her reputation, was a target for group attacks. However, due to her fallen cultivation level, she was eliminated in the chaotic battle of a hundred.
With nothing else to do, she watched Lin Hao's fight. Seeing him leading a group of people around like walking dogs, she couldn't help but laugh.
Lin Hao, always attentive to the outside, heard his Senior Sister's laughter and immediately waved at her.
This action, however, annoyed someone.
In Jiang Mingfei's group, about ten people were his followers. Together, they cleared out external threats, allowing him to claim victory.
After winning the battle, he thought of pursuing romance, only to see Lin Hao and Li Qiushui exchanging glances, which instantly soured his mood.
"Where did this lowlife come from, daring to flirt with the fairy I've set my eyes on?"
A rat-faced guy, grinning slyly, said, "Young Master Jiang, that kid is Lin Hao, the follower of Fairy Qiushui."
"Heh, just a stinking follower, thinking of biting the hand that feeds him." Jiang Mingfei tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then said nonchalantly.
"Go tell Xiao Liu and the others to give that kid a hard time."
"At your command, Young Master Jiang!"
...
"Huh?"
Lin Hao frowned, his eyes filled with confusion. Did these dogs eat something wrong? Why are they all coming after me?
Looking at the thirty or forty people following him, he was speechless. He hadn't done anything to stand out, so why was he suddenly the target?
"Damn, do they really think I'm easy to bully?"
Annoyed by the chase, Lin Hao stopped abruptly, facing over thirty cultivators alone.
A burly man stepped forward, speaking fiercely, "Run, kid, why aren't you running anymore?"
"I'm tired."
"You little brat, daring to mess with the woman my boss fancies, today I'll break your leg!"
Boss? Lin Hao's gaze darkened as he looked outside the arena, noticing someone entangling his Senior Sister.
It was Jiang Mingfei, one of the twelve Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivators in the outer sect.
A flash of killing intent crossed Lin Hao's starry eyes as he unleashed his Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivation, his voice cold, "Break my leg, huh?"
Great Perfection Qi Refining?!
The surprise on the burly man's face hadn't even settled when he felt a pain in his left leg, losing his balance and falling to the ground.
Hiss~
The crowd gasped, amazed at the speed of his sword!
Jiang Mingfei's pupils contracted, shocked by Lin Hao's cultivation. He forgot about harassing the beauty and focused entirely on watching Lin Hao's display of power.