Each Dan Ding Sect Direct Disciple's attire features unique patterns; the jade-green embroidered robes are in no way inferior to those of the neighboring Fu Immortal Sect.
Next came the disciples of the Refinement Sect in crimson robes, and the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, accompanied by their impressive spirit beasts. Especially noteworthy was Zhou Han, the Chief Senior Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, arriving on a Fire Phoenix—truly magnificent!
With the Tempering Body Sect disciples appearing, showcasing their well-developed muscles with their upper bodies bare, only the impoverished Sword Cultivators remained. The watching cultivators didn't expect much from their attire, as they had always worn plain white in previous years.
The only appealing aspect of the Wanjian Sect was the entrance of their Direct Disciples, flying on swords in unison, as always—nothing new. Unlike the Beast Taming Sect, whose disciples' spirit beasts varied each year.
However, unexpectedly, the Wanjian Sect pulled off a shocking stunt this time.
The first group of Direct Disciples entered, flying on swords, their white competition uniforms bearing striking characters on their backs.
Each disciple had one character on their back. The Sect Leaders and audience of the other six sects combined the characters, reading the words 【 Sauce Sauce! Wanjian Sect makes a dazzling appearance! 】
"..."
What in the world was that?
Then, the Direct Disciples under various Elders flew in formation, boasting with various arrogant statements: "I'm number one, come and challenge me!", "I'm invincible, do what you want!", "The Six Sects' strongest is still our Wanjian Sect"...
Audience: "..."
The other five sects: "..."
Didn't they realize how annoying they were being?
"Make way! Make way!"
Believing that to be the limit of the Wanjian Sect's antics, a loud crash echoed from the sky, and a coffin made a grand entrance—
When five people appeared in the arena sitting in a coffin, Sect Leader Xiao was stunned. These youngsters were truly troublesome.
The audience hadn't expected this either. They had seen Sword Cultivators make grand entrances, but never anything so outrageous. The key was that the coffin was surprisingly sturdy; it carried five people, falling without breaking!
"Are those five the Wanjian Sect's New Disciples? I've never seen them before."
"Look at what's written on their backs: 'Sword Protecting Mountain is the best'... Sword Protecting Mountain? Does the Wanjian Sect have such a mountain?"
"Of course! You youngsters wouldn't know. Five years ago, Sword Protecting Mountain participated in the Six Sects Grand Competition and single-handedly boosted the Wanjian Sect. Their sect is full of geniuses, all incredibly talented. It's just a pity..." That Cultivator paused, not continuing.
"A pity?" someone asked.
"Oh dear! Haven't you heard about Zhou Mengya, the daughter of the Zhou Family, falling to demonhood? Zhou Mengya, who was the fifth ranked disciple of Sword Protecting Mountain, colluded with the Devil Race years ago, attempting to destroy the entire Wanjian Sect. If it weren't for Thousand Tribulations Real Person and the disciples of Sword Protecting Mountain protecting the Wanjian Sect, today would be the Five Sects Grand Competition!"
"I heard that Sword Protecting Mountain suffered severe damage as a result, Thousand Tribulations Real Person fell into a coma, and the remaining four disciples either went mad or lost their cultivation, becoming useless... truly tragic..." That Cultivator sighed.
Other spectators watched the five people happily placing the coffin near Sect Leader Xiao.
"..."
Apparently, the trauma drove them mad.
Sect Leader Xiao of the Wanjian Sect was a good person; knowing that Sword Protecting Mountain's disciples were all incapacitated, he wasn't embarrassed to let them participate...
Long Han and Wenren Yang arrived late, quietly joining the group, initially worried about being late.
You know, having these five attention-grabbing individuals around was quite good.
Fu Hongming had recovered his daytime personality. He cautioned Sect Leader Xiao, "My Master loves cleanliness. They can't stay cooped up in the coffin all day; it will smell musty. Sect Leader, remember to lift the coffin lid to air it out when the sun is shining..."
"..."
In front of so many people, Sect Leader Xiao tried to maintain a smile.
Could he just leave immediately?
Tian Ning was greeted by several disciples from other sects, old acquaintances. Some were disciples she had saved while searching for the Blazing Flame Fruit for Shi Qinxin, others she hadn't thanked for saving her from the Beast Tide. Even Mao Chengfei, from the Fu Immortal Sect, who was highly anticipated by the Elders, ran over, shouting from the outer perimeter because he couldn't get closer, "Fellow Cultivator Tian! Long time no see!"
The audience looked on, puzzled.
"Tian Ning... is she famous?"
"I don't know, she's a new Direct Disciple this year. It's normal for her to have good relationships with disciples from her own sect, but why are there so many disciples from other sects?"
"Speaking of which, she's from Sword Protecting Mountain, but isn't there only four disciples left?"
...
Even Wenren Xue was surprised by Tian Ning's popularity. Not even the Chief Senior Disciples of various sects were this popular!
Incredibly, even Helian Boda, the Chief Senior Disciple of the Dan Ding Sect, and Zhou Han, the Chief Senior Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, courteously greeted her.
Helian Boda: "Junior Sister Tian Ning, long time no see! I wonder if I can witness your alchemy again this time."
Zhou Han: "Good job, you've worked hard, your cultivation has improved."
The most bizarre thing was that the Body Refinement Senior Brother who had meticulously moved stones for Tian Ning in the Bloodthirsty Formation Secret Realm, skillfully took out stones from his Dimensional Pouch, allowing Tian Ning to stand on top, so everyone could see her clearly.
Tian Ning enthusiastically said, "Hello everyone! It's good to see you all!"
Audience: "..."
Six Sects' Sect Leaders: "..."
Who were they? Why were they sitting here?
Jiang Xi and Shi Qinxin applauded their junior sister enthusiastically from below.
Long Aotien fell into deep thought: How could he be like his junior sister and senior brother, showing off effortlessly?
Finally, the six sects' Sect Leaders couldn't bear it any longer and ordered all disciples to return to their sect's ranks. Was this still the Six Sects Grand Competition? It had become Tian Ning's personal show!
By now, everyone in the six sects and all the spectators had gotten to know this young girl.
To be greeted by so many Direct Disciples, Tian Ning must be incredibly strong!
After finally restoring order, an Elder from the Fu Immortal Sect responsible for the competition stepped forward to explain the rules of the first round of the Team Competition:
The first round of the Team Competition will take place within a Secret Realm. Each sect's Direct Disciples will receive a jade token, which must be visibly worn around their waist. The Secret Realm will randomly place the disciples in different locations.
The competition will use a points system. Each jade token starts with 1 point. To increase points, one must seize and crush the jade tokens of others. Note that even if a teammate's token is crushed, points will still increase.
But, should one prioritize teammates or points? This must be carefully considered.
After all, even if not from the same sect, cooperation between fellow disciples is still more reliable.
Of course, to make the competition more interesting, this time, not only will Direct Disciples enter the Secret Realm, each of the six sects will send two Elders to hunt down the Direct Disciples, adding to the excitement of the competition.
The Elders will also have jade tokens, but their jade tokens will be a different color, worth 30 points!
If one wants to stage a comeback, widening the points gap, targeting Elders is a good strategy.
Also, there will be spirit beasts and Chance Encounters within the Secret Realm. If one encounters danger, they can crush their jade token to exit, but this will be considered a forfeit.
"