A Thick Atmosphere of Hostility

"Wait, I have a question."

Suddenly, a voice rang out, interrupting Sixth Elder Yu Ji.

Flurries of gazes immediately turned toward the source. It was a young disciple standing beside the Yin Yang Peak's Chief Disciple. A hint of youthful bravado lingered on his face, and he lacked the hardened look of a veteran cultivator.

His conduct mirrored his appearance.

Ordinarily, if a disciple had a question, they would consult their own Chief Disciple after the fact. Even for something urgent, one would naturally whisper to those nearby.

To interrupt and question an Elder before such a vast crowd...

It was somewhat presumptuous.

Yet, no one stepped in to stop the youth. Even the Yin Yang Peak disciples standing beside him only looked at him with helpless expressions.

This helplessness held no reprimand, but rather a trace of indulgence.

This alone was enough to reveal the youth's extraordinary status.

"Speak."

The Sixth Elder looked at him, showing no sign of irritation.

"Well..."

The youth raised a hand, scratched the back of his head, and asked, "For us disciples, the greatest benefit of the Yin Yang Tower is the Yin Yang Qi within, right? And that Qi must be refined through dual cultivation."

"Surely... we aren't expected to dual cultivate in full view of the public?"

The youth tilted his head.

Even for Yin Yang Peak, which was known for its casual ways, such a thing would be unacceptable-unless one possessed a twisted mind.

No one could possibly accept such a spectacle.

"Hehe."

Sixth Elder Yu Ji smiled. She swept her gaze over the gathered new disciples and explained, "Inside the Yin Yang Tower, there are barriers of varying sizes. You are competing for the ownership of these barriers. Once you secure one, you may enter it to refine Yin Yang Qi with your Dao Companion. Of course, be aware that during this time, barriers can be broken open from the outside."

"You must be careful."

"Oh..."

Murmurs of realization rippled through the crowd. So they would not have to perform dual cultivation in front of everyone after all.

That was a relief.

There were many new disciples present, some who had joined the sect long after Ning Fan-who had been granted special permission to join his peak early.

Shortly after Ning Fan's arrival, a new batch of disciples had formally entered the peaks.

These were the disciples from Luo Ming's cohort.

As for who Luo Ming was...

Back at the initial Fated Chance grounds, he was the Senior Brother who had competed against Ning Fan for the Fate Spirit Fruit-a disciple from two cohorts before Ning Fan.

the youth with the youthful bravado was the top talent of the first grade from that very cohort.

He was not merely the top talent of the first grade.

The second and third-ranked talents of that grade...

Almost all of them had chosen Yin Yang Peak. After all, besides Ning Fan, everyone else coveted the vast resources and generous treatment offered by Yin Yang Peak.

Take the Spirit Stone distribution before departure, for example.

Ning Fan had only received two thousand Spirit Stones, while at Yin Yang Peak, even the most ordinary disciple was granted over a thousand.

Ranking Disciples started at three thousand, and those with higher standing received even more.

"Remember," Sixth Elder Yu Ji said, her voice dropping to a measured tone.

"When competing for the qualification to dual cultivate behind the barriers, always remember to secure the beds behind the eighth and ninth layer screens."

"The beds behind the eighth and ninth layers not only contain a massive amount of Yin Yang Qi, but they also grant the qualification for the final competition."

"This concerns the final ranking of each main peak in the upcoming competition."

With that, the rules for this Peak Competition were laid bare. No disciple harbored any further doubt.

"Eh!?"

Suddenly, a small cry of surprise rang out, drawing the attention of the nearby disciples.

It was Gu Mingyue.

Gu Mingyue was Li Yunqi's Dao Companion. The reason for her exclamation was a figure who had just squeezed in beside her from behind.

The owner of that figure was none other than Yun Qingyao, who had been missing for several days!

"Qingyao!"

"Junior Sister Qingyao!!"

Several low cries broke out. Li Yunqi, Lin Yu, and the others also saw Yun Qingyao, and expressions of pleasant surprise appeared on their faces.

But in the next moment, they all furrowed their brows. The reason was simple-Yun Qingyao had appeared, yet Ning Fan was nowhere to be seen.

"Junior Sister Yun, where is Junior Brother Ning?" Li Yunqi asked with concern.

At this moment, there was only a short while left before the Peak Competition commenced. As soon as Sixth Elder Yu Ji declared the start, even if Ning Fan arrived, he would have no qualification to participate and would be forced to wait for the next cycle.

For an ordinary new disciple, skipping one Peak Competition might not be a poor strategy, as Yin Yang Divine Sect disciples were only permitted to enter twice in their lifetime.

But Ning Fan was different.

Ning Fan had already displayed the potential of a personal disciple. Personal disciples were no longer at the bottom of the ladder in the Peak Competition.

Ning Fan had a genuine chance to compete.

Under these circumstances, abandoning the opportunity to participate was undoubtedly a massive waste of a Fated Chance!

"I do not know. He should be here soon," Yun Qingyao frowned.

Logically speaking, she and Ning Fan had traveled toward the Yin Yang Tower from different directions, but the distance was roughly the same. Even if Ning Fan had been more cautious and slightly slower, he ought to have arrived by now.

"Hehe."

"Changming Peak's most popular genius-Ning Fan. Why haven't we seen him? So many disciples of our Yin Yang Divine Sect have been boasting about him as if he were a deity."

A slightly grating voice cut through the air. The Sixth Elder had yet to announce the start of the competition, and it seemed someone could no longer hold back their sharp tongue.

The cultivators of Changming Peak cast their gazes toward the opposing formation-Lingyue Peak. The speaker was a Lingyue Peak disciple.

Due to their relative rankings, Lingyue Peak harbored a natural hostility toward Changming Peak. After all, if Changming Peak wished to climb the rankings, the first peak they would have to surpass was Lingyue Peak.

For the disciples of Lingyue Peak, they could accept stagnation, but they absolutely could not accept a drop in rank.

Losing to Changming Peak would be far too shameful to endure.

"Little punk."

"Watch us, your young masters and mistresses, thrash you!" Li Yunqi raised his middle finger at the Lingyue Peak disciples. Gu Mingyue, standing beside him, did the same. Both pressed their fingers together.

Four middle fingers were aimed blatantly at the group of Lingyue Peak disciples.

A commotion instantly erupted among the Lingyue Peak ranks. Even without listening closely, the Changming Peak disciples could easily imagine the venomous insults being hurled their way.

"Ever since the ancient relic's inheritance was developed, you Changming Peak disciples have been acting exceptionally unruly. Do not tell me you are planning to stir up trouble in this Peak Competition?"

Another voice rang out, once again drawing the focus of the crowd.

The speaker stood within the Qihua Peak formation. It was a personal disciple of Qihua Peak.

As those words landed, the Changming Peak disciples fell silent, their expressions turning grave. Interjecting at such a moment was certainly not a casual act; it was a clear signal.

And the signal conveyed by that Qihua Peak disciple was unmistakable:

Hostility.

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