"Hey, Fatty, do you think Senior Brother Fan will participate in the Seed Disciple competition this time?"
Among the inner disciples watching, Lu Wei was as striking as a beautiful swan. She spoke to Guo Gui, who was beside her, round as a ball of flesh.
Guo Gui was even fatter than before. He continuously stuffed food into his mouth. He replied indistinctly, "I don't know. Young Master Fan only became a true disciple a short while ago. By rights, he shouldn't be qualified to contend for a seed disciple spot. But... that's Young Master Fan! I wouldn't be surprised by anything that happens to him. Remember, as soon as Young Master Fan became a true disciple, he suppressed a direct descendant genius of the Gao family, a top true disciple, in the Hall of True Disciples! Later, he even clashed head-on with a hegemon genius like Kong Yu. I have a premonition that Young Master Fan might snag a precious seed disciple spot."
Lu Wei nodded incessantly, agreeing with Guo Gui's words.
"What about your sister? Does she have a chance to become a seed disciple?" Guo Gui asked again.
"I'm not sure either. My sister went into seclusion after completing a sect mission. I don't know her current situation. But my sister is one of the hegemon geniuses, so she's definitely a strong contender for a seed disciple spot."
"Speaking of which, I'm a bit worried that Senior Brother Fan didn't take this opportunity to leave the Qing Xuan Sect, to leave Jin Zhou. It would be great if he could become a seed disciple this time. Even the Gao family wouldn't dare to easily move against a seed disciple, because every seed disciple is a treasure of the Qing Xuan Sect, its foundation and future."
"Look, it's Young Master Fan!" The fatty suddenly shouted.
Two figures were seen approaching from the horizon, treading on air. In an instant, these two figures landed before the Hall of True Disciples. It was Ling Fan and Long Xuan.
"Senior Sister Lu Rui, what a coincidence." Not long after the two appeared, Lu Rui also emerged from seclusion. Long Xuan immediately went up to greet her.
Ling Fan glanced at Lu Rui, nodded slightly, and then withdrew his gaze. Lu Rui, however, was startled! Her current strength had undergone a world-shattering change compared to before. With her improved strength, her confidence had soared. But in that glance from Ling Fan, she felt as if she had been seen through from head to toe.
"Just how terrifying is Fan Lin's strength... But this is normal. He refined the Supreme Ancestral Dragon Seal and the Nine-Rank Heavenly Dragon Emperor's remains into his body. It's not surprising at all how strong he is." Lu Rui finally managed to calm the turmoil in her heart.
At this moment, two sharp gazes, as if they wanted to devour someone, shot over.
"Fan Lin! You still dare to participate in the Seed Disciple competition? I'll let you know later what it means to wish you were dead! I will use your blood to wash away my shame!" A roar erupted. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. Gao Ya was staring at Ling Fan from afar, gritting his teeth. Beside Gao Ya were several other incredibly powerful young figures.
Gao Wei. Gao Chun. And... Gao Tianshen. Like Kong Yu and Lu Rui, these three were among the top ten hegemon true disciples of the Qing Xuan Sect. Each of them possessed unfathomable strength, foundation, and trump cards. Especially the last one, Gao Tianshen, was known as the second Gao Gan. Astonishingly talented, he was almost on par with his elder brother. Who was Gao Gan? He was an unparalleled young Heavenly Emperor! A former seed disciple of the Qing Xuan Sect, he had now been promoted to the position of Vice Sect Master of the Qing Xuan Sect. The fact that Gao Tianshen could be mentioned in the same breath as Gao Gan spoke volumes about his terrifying talent and strength.
After listening to Lu Rui's introduction, Ling Fan's expression remained as calm as ever. He glanced at Gao Tianshen with great composure, then withdrew his gaze. He completely ignored Gao Ya's provocation. A former defeated opponent was now someone Ling Fan wouldn't even bother with. As for Gao Tianshen, his strength was indeed incomparably formidable, far surpassing other hegemon geniuses. If Ling Fan had encountered him before entering the Underground Dragon Cave, he would have found him troublesome. But now... he was nothing special.
Ling Fan's dismissive attitude immediately sent Gao Ya into a furious rage. Recalling the humiliation of being made to kneel in the Hall of True Disciples, he felt his past shame resurface. His face contorted, and he glared at Ling Fan, his eyes burning with hatred.
"You wait!" Gao Ya said fiercely.
"Gao Ya, Vice Sect Master Gao Gan has confined you for over a month. You are not to leave seclusion until you reach the Sixth-Rank Xuan Emperor. This Seed Disciple competition is your chance to prove yourself. Do not miss it," Gao Tianshen, wearing a high crown and possessing an ancient aura like a noble prince, said calmly.
"Yes, I will not disappoint everyone. I will definitely use this person's blood to wash away the Gao family's disgrace," Gao Ya replied respectfully and quickly. Among the young direct descendants of the Gao family of his generation, besides fearing Gao Gan, he feared Gao Tianshen the most. Even against the hegemon true disciples Gao Wei and Gao Chun, he felt a bit of defiance. But towards Gao Tianshen, he dared not show the slightest hint of provocation.
"Good, you know your place," Gao Tianshen said, hands behind his back, and walked away.
...
With all the participating true disciples assembled, the Seed Disciple competition was finally about to commence. This time, the one presiding over the Seed Disciple competition was still Emperor Qian Shan. His imposing gaze swept across the entire venue. The pressure of a top-tier Sixth-Rank Xuan Emperor, deep as the sea, washed over them wave after wave, instantly silencing the entire crowd.
"The Qing Xuan Sect has been established for over ten thousand years. Currently, there are millions of outer disciples, a hundred thousand inner disciples, but only three hundred true disciples. And the seed disciples, there are only thirty-six."
"Seed disciples are the most outstanding disciples of the Qing Xuan Sect, the future candidates for Heavenly Emperors. Every seed disciple is a precious asset that the Qing Xuan Sect cannot afford to lose. For you, becoming a seed disciple means ascending to the heavens in one step, joining the upper echelons of the Qing Xuan Sect, having the right to participate in high-level affairs, and your status can even be on par with mine."
"The Seed Disciple competition is held once every ten years, and there is no fixed number of seed disciples. In eras where peerless prodigies emerge, it is not uncommon for three or five true disciples to be promoted to seed disciples. In eras without prodigies, there might not be any seed disciples at all. The opportunity is before you; you must strive for it yourselves."
"The rules are very simple."
"Defeat all your opponents, and then challenge a current seed disciple and succeed, you can become a seed disciple."
As soon as Emperor Qian Shan finished speaking, the newly admitted outer and inner disciples gasped. They had never imagined that becoming a seed disciple would be so difficult. It was practically as difficult as ascending to heaven. Just the first condition, defeating all opponents, was challenging enough. And then, they still had to defeat a current seed disciple... One must know that every seed disciple possesses the strength of at least a Sixth-Rank Xuan Emperor, with profound accumulations, and each is an astonishingly talented individual, otherwise, they wouldn't be qualified to be called Heavenly Emperor candidates. This condition was almost an impossible task. No wonder among the millions of disciples in the Qing Xuan Sect, there were only a mere thirty-six seed disciples!
"There are such rules?" Ling Fan said with slight surprise.
"Yes! To become a seed disciple from a true disciple is no less difficult than to directly ascend from an outer disciple to a true disciple," Long Xuan, who already knew these rules, said with emotion. Lu Rui also wore a solemn expression.
"A total of one hundred and sixty-nine true disciples have registered for this Seed Disciple competition. We will now begin the draw for the duels," Emperor Qian Shan's voice rang out.
"The first match..."
"Hmm?" Emperor Qian Shan's voice paused. He looked at the draw result in his hand, seemingly surprised by such a matchup. His expression became somewhat peculiar.
"Qian Shan, announce it quickly!" Gao Ya said arrogantly. After speaking, he glared provocatively at Ling Fan again.
Emperor Qian Shan thought for a moment, as if he understood something, and let out a cold snort. He said, "The first match, Gao Ya versus Fan Lin."
Boom!
This announcement caused an uproar throughout the entire venue.