While Luo Changqing was speaking with Lu Anshan, Xuan Zheng was staring at Luo Changqing in shock.

"Spirit Palace 6th Layer? How is that possible?!"

Outer Sect Chief Duan Qingyun lowered his voice. "This is too strange. With Trash-grade Aptitude, reaching even the second level of the spirit palace in nine months would be a fool's dream."

"And yet he actually advanced to Spirit Palace 6th Layer!"

Xuan Zheng pondered for a moment.

"No doubt Empress Tantai must once have given him some high-grade pills that aid cultivation."

Duan Qingyun beat his chest in pain. "To forcibly 'push' this piece of trash all the way to Spirit Palace 6th Layer, how many pills would that take? And of what grade?"

"What a waste, such a terrible waste!"

"If those pills had been used on our strongest disciple, Zhao Ling'er, how wonderful would that have been!"

"But to use them on a trash disciple like Luo Changqing—what a complete squandering of heavenly treasures!"

At that moment, Xuan Zheng looked toward Luo Changqing, his brows drawn tight. "Luo Changqing, let me remind you of something."

"The disciples from every sect participating in this Grand Tournament are all at Spirit Palace Great Perfection, while you are only at Spirit Palace 6th Layer. If you take part, you will certainly die!"

"Think carefully!"

Luo Changqing answered without the slightest hesitation, "To save Elder Lu, I must go!"

Seeing that Luo Changqing had already made up his mind, Xuan Zheng shook his head and stopped trying to dissuade him. Instead, he turned to the ten disciples taking part in the tournament and said solemnly,

"Before we depart, there are things you must remember."

"This Grand Tournament is the only chance in your lives to leap through the dragon gate."

"If you wish to enter the Piaomiao Immortal Sect, you must possess ninth-grade aptitude or higher."

"As for those of you whose aptitude is below ninth-grade, if you also wish to join the Immortal Sect, then you must place among the top sixty-four in the Grand Tournament!"

"Only by advancing into the top sixty-four can you soar into the heavens and enter the Piaomiao Immortal Sect!"

At those words, the disciples' blood boiled with excitement.

They all steeled themselves to give everything they had and fight for a place in the top sixty-four.

Once they entered the Piaomiao Immortal Sect, they would surely bring glory to their ancestors!

But at the same time, they knew clearly that every participant in the Grand Tournament was one of the three thousand genius disciples drawn from the Three Hundred Heavenly Sects.

To break into the top sixty-four would be harder than ascending the heavens.

Xuan Zheng's expression grew grave, and his voice rang out like iron striking stone.

"Furthermore, the combined scores of the ten of you in the Grand Tournament will also determine our sect's ranking."

"The higher the sect's ranking, the more support and cultivation it will receive from the Immortal Sect."

"You all know as well that our sect has already fallen to an Earth-grade sect."

"This is not only my shame, but yours as well!"

"This last chance to compete must be seized! Only by taking a top-fifty sect ranking can our sect return to Heavenly-grade."

"Otherwise, this will also be my final year as the Sect Master of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect."

"What?" The competing disciples' expressions changed drastically.

Chief Duan let out a sigh and explained, "Once a Heavenly Sect is demoted, the current sect master will also be removed by the Immortal Sect."

It was actually that serious?

Bitterness welled up in the disciples' hearts, and they lowered their heads in silence.

A mournful atmosphere spread through the air.

Xuan Zheng sighed and shook his head. "I, Xuan Zheng, do not care about being stripped of the position of sect master."

"What I care about is that the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect, built over thirty thousand years, was demoted in my hands."

"Even after my Dao vanishes and my life ends, I will have no face to stand before the Founding Patriarch!"

"So!"

"I entrust this to all of you!"

"Until the very last moment, this sect master still places hope in you!"

When he finished speaking, the dignified master of an entire sect actually bowed deeply to the ten competing disciples.

This bow was not for himself.

It was for the thirty-thousand-year foundation of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect.

For the future of every elder and every disciple in the entire sect.

"Sect Master, you mustn't! Please rise!"

The competing disciples' eyes instantly reddened, tears shimmering within them.

Every one of them made up their minds. For themselves, and for the sect, they would give everything they had in the Grand Tournament!

The disciples' fighting spirit blazed high as they shouted, "Please rest assured, Sect Master! For the honor of our sect, we will brave boiling water and raging fire without hesitation!"

Luo Changqing watched it all.

To be fair, Xuan Zheng was a benevolent sect master.

And he himself had once personally promised the Founding Patriarch that if he had the ability, he would shelter the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect.

Luo Changqing's gaze turned resolute.

To save Elder Lu, and for the sake of the entire sect, there was only one road before him—

He had to take first place!

Xuan Zheng warned them, "Remember this well: according to the rules of the Grand Tournament, the cultivation of participating disciples may only be within the Spirit Palace Realm."

"During this one-month journey to the Piaomiao Immortal Sect, you may cultivate as you please, but remember—do not break through into the Soul Palace Realm!"

With that, Xuan Zheng guided the Spirit Ship, carrying the group slowly into the sky as it sailed toward the distant horizon...

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

One month later.

They arrived at the Piaomiao Immortal Sect.

The disciples had long been filled with endless fantasies about the Immortal Sect, and all rose to their feet to gaze around them.

What they saw was—

The towering Piaomiao mountain range stretched between heaven and earth like a slumbering azure dragon lying across the world!

One majestic peak after another, each thirty thousand zhang high, pierced straight into the clouds!

And at the entrance to the Immortal Sect stood a colossal stone stele a thousand zhang tall.

Two domineering lines of characters were carved upon it:

"Piaomiao Immortal Sect, eternal and evergreen!"

"Beyond this stele lies our boundary—trespassers die!"

The giant golden characters were vigorous and powerful, brimming with authority. A single glance at them was enough to make one feel suffocated.

When the Spirit Ship reached the mountain gate, a vast surge of spiritual energy rushed toward them, making every disciple's blood boil with excitement and envy!

"As expected of the Immortal Sect—the concentration of spiritual energy here is actually five times that of our Heavenly Sect!"

"If we could cultivate in the Immortal Sect too, our results would surely come twice as fast with half the effort!"

Even Luo Changqing was moved.

At that moment, a female welcoming disciple standing before the gate stepped forward coldly. "You must be Sect Master Xuan Zheng. Please enter the sect and proceed to the Grand Tournament Arena."

"All the Heavenly Sects have already arrived. Yours is the only one left."

The cold attitude of the welcoming disciple made Xuan Zheng and the others look extremely ugly.

Luo Changqing's sword-like brows drew slightly together. Even a tiger brought low could be snapped at by dogs.

No matter how far the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect had fallen, Xuan Zheng was still the master of a sect.

And yet even a mere welcoming disciple did not put him in her eyes...

...

Piaomiao Immortal Sect, Outer Sect, Grand Tournament Arena.

Inside the spiritual-energy-shrouded Grand Tournament Arena, there was already a sea of people.

The sect masters and elders of the various sects who had come to participate were all already seated.

On the eastern side of the arena stood a grand nine-story white jade tower.

From the first through the seventh floors sat the Outer Sect Elders of the Immortal Sect.

On the eighth floor there were only two people.

One was a white-haired old woman, and on her chest were embroidered the four words, "Outer Sect Chief."

The other was the incomparably beautiful Saintess, Mu Qingxuan.

As for the highest, ninth floor, it stood completely empty.

As the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect entered the arena, countless gazes shot toward them.

The sect masters of the major Heavenly Sects began sneering one after another.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect, dead last for a hundred straight years. Oh no, no, no—it should be called the Xuanqing Earth Sect now, hahaha!"

Laughter broke out all through the arena.

On the Jade Tower, a mocking sneer slowly appeared on Mu Qingxuan's stunning face.

The Sect Master of the Mystic Sword Heavenly Sect let out a cold chuckle. "I heard the Saintess granted you one final chance to participate in the Grand Tournament."

"When you didn't show up for so long, I thought you were too ashamed to come. Who would've guessed your skin was this thick—you actually dared to show your faces."

The Sect Master of the Crimson Cloud Heavenly Sect shook his head faintly. "That's not quite right. Them coming here to make everyone laugh is also a kind of merit, is it not?"

The laughter grew even louder.

The sect masters sang in chorus, their words dripping with ridicule.

Xuan Zheng's face had turned ghastly. Just as he was about to speak, Luo Changqing smiled blandly and said, "Please calm your anger, Sect Master. They're just a pack of mad dogs barking. Why bother with them?"

In an instant, the uproarious laughter in the arena stopped dead.

Luo Changqing's single sentence made the sect masters of the major Heavenly Sects explode with rage. They felt a humiliation they had never experienced before!

The Sect Master of the Mystic Sword Heavenly Sect shot to his feet and pointed angrily. "Who dares speak so wildly!"

"This is a conversation between sect masters. You, a mere ant of a disciple, dare interrupt? You—"

"Hm? Luo Changqing? Am I seeing wrong?"

One sect master hurriedly asked, "Sect Master of the Mystic Sword Heavenly Sect, you know this brat?"

The Sect Master of the Mystic Sword Heavenly Sect burst out laughing. "Hahaha, how could I not know him? He's the trash disciple my sect kicked out!"

"A 'talent' like this is one of a kind in all the world. How could I possibly forget that face of his!"

The crowd was stunned!

A waste with Trash-grade Aptitude?

Luo Changqing had once been expelled by sixteen sects, and the Mystic Sword Heavenly Sect was one of them.

At this point, the Sect Master of the Crimson Cloud Heavenly Sect stared carefully at Luo Changqing, then doubled over laughing.

"I remember now! He also took the disciple examination at our Crimson Cloud Heavenly Sect, and we kicked him out too!"

"Oh, he came to our Black Edge Heavenly Sect as well! We drove him down the mountain in disgrace!"

"Hahaha, now that you mention it, I recognize him too. Our Severing Blade Heavenly Sect saw him as well..."

For a time, the sixteen sect masters who had once driven Luo Changqing away all spoke up, their eyes filled with contempt.

"This is killing me—a piece of trash we all threw out, and the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect actually treasures him like a priceless gem?"

"And they even fucking brought him here to participate in the Grand Tournament?"

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

"Xuan Zheng, oh Xuan Zheng—your Xuanqing Heavenly Sect actually brought along a Spirit Palace 6th Layer piece of trash just to make up the numbers!"

"You haven't fallen so low that you've become this pathetic, have you? Ahahaha!"

Amid the sky-full of jeers and mockery, the faces of everyone from the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect flushed red. They were so ashamed they wished they could sink into the ground.

Xuan Zheng had wanted to refute them, only to realize that he had no words at all.

On the Jade Tower, Mu Qingxuan looked at Luo Changqing with teasing amusement, clearly enjoying the sight of him being mocked by the whole crowd.

But very quickly, she frowned.

She discovered that the corners of Luo Changqing's mouth had lifted.

He was actually smiling along with them!

And within that smile was thick, naked disdain for all those sect masters!

Luo Changqing's smile made Mu Qingxuan flare with anger!

What right did this trash, this spineless coward, have to look at the sect masters with such an expression?

Just as Mu Qingxuan was about to speak, she suddenly lifted her head and looked to the sky.

The heavens split apart, the void shattered, revealing boundless nothingness!

From the depths of that void, two figures radiating ten-thousand-zhang white light slowly descended.

"The Sect Master of the Piaomiao Immortal Sect has arrived!"

"Empress Tantai has descended!"

The two figures came down side by side, landing atop the Jade Tower.

One was a white-haired old man with the bearing of an immortal, crane-haired yet youthful-faced.

The Sect Master of the Piaomiao Immortal Sect!

The other was a masked woman in a red dress, with a graceful and enchanting figure.

Empress Tantai!

Even though her face could not be seen, that single silhouette alone was already beautiful enough to shake the soul.

A beauty so perfect one could only marvel at the wonder of the creator!

All Three Hundred Heavenly Sects fell silent as one.

Every elder and disciple of the Heavenly Sects dropped to their knees together, their faces full of worship.

"Greetings, Sect Master of the Immortal Sect!"

"Greetings, Empress!"

All the sect masters of the Heavenly Sects put away their smiles, clasped their fists respectfully, and bowed.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

"Greetings, Empress!"

At that moment, atop the Jade Tower, Empress Tantai seemed to notice something. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Luo Changqing in the crowd, and her heart jolted.

"How could it be him?"

"That night's... menial disciple!"