The qualifying rounds were divided into five arenas, proceeding simultaneously.
Xu Yi drew Arena One, and as expected, the person who drew Arena Two was from the Xuan Qing Sect.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, I've heard much about you."
Feng Qingyang stood on the competition stage and cupped his hands in greeting towards Xu Yi with a smile.
Feng Qingyang was also among the top combat disciples in the Xuan Qing Sect. He had been cultivating externally recently and had directly met up with the disciples of the Myriad Buddha Sect and the Xuan Qing Sect.
Therefore, he and Xu Yi knew of each other, but they had never spoken or sparred.
"Fellow Daoist Feng."
Xu Yi sized up Feng Qingyang before her, recalling the information Long Haotian had once mentioned about him.
Feng Qingyang possessed a rare spirit root, a mutated Wind Spirit Root, and was adept at movement techniques. His speed was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
In the previous few matches, his opponents hadn't even been able to clearly see his figure before being struck off the competition stage by his palm.
It was only because the Xuan Qing Sect had Bei Xinghan that his fame seemed less prominent. However, if one underestimated him because of this, they would surely suffer.
Wind Spirit Root...
Xu Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, concealing the specks of starlight dancing within them.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, be careful."
As he spoke, Feng Qingyang's figure suddenly vanished from the competition stage.
"He's gone!"
"Such speed!"
"Where did he go?"
Exclamations immediately erupted from below the competition grounds.
Feng Qingyang's speed was so fast that it was impossible to discern with the naked eye.
However, on the competition stage, Xu Yi smiled slightly and, with a movement that appeared slow but was actually extremely fast, raised her right hand.
Clang!
The palm strike, infused with immense spiritual power, was broken by Xu Yi using her Admonishment Ruler.
Feng Qingyang, his figure almost fused with the void, had his pupils contract as he looked at Xu Yi in disbelief.
It was blocked!
Was it an accident, or...
Feng Qingyang held his breath and once again concealed his figure, appearing silently behind Xu Yi and striking towards her back with a Wind Spirit Palm.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind surged, creating invisible waves.
A faint smile played on Feng Qingyang's lips, but in the next moment, that smile instantly froze.
Xu Yi had disappeared!
No, Xu Yi had dodged!
Feng Qingyang turned his head to look at Xu Yi, who had appeared not far from his side. Cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back.
He could now confirm that Xu Yi could indeed see his movements!
"Fellow Daoist Feng, as a courtesy, it's my turn now."
After testing Feng Qingyang's strength, Xu Yi no longer held back. Spiritual power surged into her Admonishment Ruler, and she fiercely drew it back towards Feng Qingyang's direction.
Seeing this, Feng Qingyang's eyelids twitched, and he realized something was amiss.
He channeled spiritual power into his feet, his figure flashing like an elusive, invisible phantom.
*Crack!*
A crisp sound.
A figure shot out from beyond the competition stage like a meteor. Just as he was about to crash into the ground, his movement abruptly halted, and he slowly descended.
The spiritual energy shield shattered, revealing Feng Qingyang's face, still etched with shock.
Even now, he couldn't understand how Xu Yi's ruler had so accurately found his position.
"What! Xu Yi actually won!"
The spectators at the competition grounds stared at the stage in disbelief.
Xu Yi's unexpectedly clean and swift victory made them feel quite unaccustomed.
"Xu Yi of Xuan Ji Sect wins!"
An elder from the Myriad Buddha Sect announced the result with a smile and then nodded at Xu Yi with a grin.
Xu Yi quickly returned the greeting and stepped off the stage, preparing to check on the other contestants.
Just as Xu Yi brushed past the Myriad Buddha Sect elder, a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz suddenly entered her ear.
"You must secure a top-three spot in this Grand Sect Competition."
Xu Yi's steps faltered. She turned her head to look at the Myriad Buddha Sect elder.
The Myriad Buddha Sect elder appeared composed, his smile unwavering.
Xu Yi nodded at him and passed by calmly, a storm brewing in her heart.
She was certain that the person who had just spoken was this elder. But why would he suddenly say such a thing to her?
Moreover, whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that the Buddhist cultivators of the Myriad Buddha Sect harbored goodwill towards her.
The three elders she had encountered on the Heavenly Steps felt the same.
Recalling the scene of Liu Jinghong she had witnessed below the Heavenly Steps, the massive cocoon of light that had enveloped him, and the words spoken to her by a Buddhist elder before the competition, Xu Yi understood that there must be a hidden connection she was unaware of.
After the Grand Sect Competition concluded, she would likely understand the cause and effect.
Xu Yi temporarily set these matters aside, focusing her attention on the other competition stages. She wanted to understand the strength of the other participants first.
Upon looking, Xu Yi's eyes widened considerably.
It could only be said that any disciple who reached the top ten in the Grand Sect Competition possessed their own unique skills.
Due to the anomaly in her eyes, she had been able to counter Feng Qingyang and end the first qualifying match early.
However, on the other competition stages, spiritual light was currently splashing everywhere, with fierce battles raging.
Xu Yi's primary focus was on Lu Zaiye.
His opponent was a youth whose name she didn't know, round-faced and with a naive, unadulterated appearance.
Her eyes flickered, and she walked over to the still-distracted Feng Qingyang, "Fellow Daoist Feng, I have something I wish to ask."
Feng Qingyang jolted back to attention, rubbing his still-aching ribs, and asked nervously, "Please, Fellow Daoist Xu."
"Who is that younger-looking person on the other competition stage?"
Feng Qingyang followed Xu Yi's指 direction and immediately understood whom she was referring to. He asked back in surprise, "You don't recognize him?"
Xu Yi shook her head, "Is he very famous?"
"Not necessarily."
Feng Qingyang was simply surprised that Xu Yi still hadn't memorized the identities of these individuals.
"That person's name is Bai Shan, a disciple of the Five Blessings Sect, and one of the dark horses of this Grand Sect Competition."
Feng Qingyang quickly divulged Bai Shan's background.
The Five Blessings Sect was an extremely inconspicuous sect on the Nine Provinces Continent. If not for Bai Shan's emergence this time, many people wouldn't even have known of its existence.
Hearing this, Xu Yi cast an appreciative glance at Feng Qingyang.
Feng Qingyang cleared his throat awkwardly. In truth, all of this was information collected by the Xuan Qing Sect disciples and relayed to him. He himself didn't have the patience to investigate the other contestants.
The youth named Bai Shan, though round-faced, was not slow. His weapon was a white silk thread that Xu Yi couldn't identify.
This silk thread was extremely tough, and it could soften and deform at Bai Shan's command, making it very difficult to deal with.
Lu Zaiye had narrowly escaped being bound by this thread several times.
Fortunately, his combat experience was rich, and he managed to escape at the last moment each time. For a while, neither could gain the upper hand.
Xu Yi watched for a while, noting Bai Shan's offensive methods, and then turned her attention back to another competition stage.
She gently nudged Feng Qingyang with her elbow and asked, "Hey, who is that young girl competing against Bei Xinghan?"
"What young girl? She is the Young Sect Master of the Great Artifact Sect."