THE RULE KING

More than ten towering peaks stood among the clouds, suspended in mid-air. Below were also clusters of peaks, with thousands of rocks vying for beauty and surrounded by clouds and mist. The peaks of the Zixiao Sword Sect shimmered with purple light, competing with the sunlight. Especially the main peak, where a magnificent hall stood tall. Spiritual birds circled above it, and a sense of being detached from the world welled up.

Xu Shan could clearly sense that the spiritual energy in the surrounding air was much richer. This is the cultivating sect I imagined... Xu Shan was left speechless in amazement.

Previously, in his heart, Xinglan Sect had beautiful scenery and good spiritual energy. In his previous life, it would definitely outshine any 5A scenic area. But compared with the Zixiao Sword Sect, it was completely dwarfed. The gap between the two was like the difference between a dry toilet at the village entrance and the toilet of a five-star hotel!

It wasn't just Xu Shan. The disciples of the entire Xinglan Sect all seemed a bit dispirited. There was a sense of inferiority... helplessness... and bewilderment... Xinglan Sect had been established for less than a hundred years. This was the first time they had traveled so far to participate in the competition, and also the first time they had witnessed the grandeur of a top sect.

Only Qi Lingshuang, who was controlling the flying boat in the front, had an unchanged expression and seemed to turn a blind eye to the shocking scene in front of her.

Xu Shan tilted his head and asked Lu Xiangjun, who was looking around, "Senior Brother, how many sects as poor as ours are there in the Water Mirror Region? There should be sects even poorer than us, right?"

Lu Xiangjun looked outside, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and said, "I don't know. Before we came out, I thought our life was pretty good...."

Just as the two were talking in a low voice, an extremely cold voice came from the front. "If you two think Xinglan Sect is too small, you can leave anytime. If you don't want to come, there are plenty of others who do."

...

Lu Xiangjun immediately covered Xu Shan's mouth and said in a whisper, "Don't provoke this woman. Once we're in the secret realm, she could stab us to death and we'd have nowhere to complain."

Xu Shan gently patted his hand away and looked at Qi Lingshuang. This woman really had a bad temper. No wonder someone with Lu Xiangjun's personality disliked her. I wonder what her reaction would be if she ate the dishes I cooked... It'd probably be quite a contrast... Xu Shan started to let his imagination run wild.

After a while, the minibus-like flying boat of Xinglan Sect had flown to the square in front of the main hall of the Zixiao Sword Sect. The square was huge, and the flying boat landing on it was like a fly landing in a bowl of Lanzhou beef noodles.

At this moment, Xinglan Sect had a bit of presence. Although they weren't the first to arrive, they were the only flying boat that landed on the square. The flying boats of the other sects were hovering in the air, and their disciples flew down with their swords.

The disciples of the various sects who were already standing on the square were all amazed when they saw the flying boat of Xinglan Sect.

"Are they really that stingy with money? Is it really necessary?"

"To think you can use a flying boat like this... I've really seen something today."

"The eagle-headed flying boat of Tuoyue Sect. Isn't this thing only used inside their sect? How did it end up flying out here?"

As soon as Xu Shan stepped off the flying boat and heard the surrounding people's comments, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch. Damn it, it wasn't even a long-distance minibus. It was just a shuttle bus in a scenic area. Was Xinglan Sect going bankrupt?

Although Xu Shan was full of complaints in his heart, he didn't actually feel too bad. He wasn't a stranger to working in small companies. The huge gap wasn't something he couldn't accept. But the disciples of Xinglan Sect clearly had much weaker psychological qualities. When they heard the surrounding comments, they all avoided eye contact.

Ye Qingbi walked up to everyone and said calmly, "Don't let this affect your state of mind. It's the same for every newly established sect. The conditions are indeed a bit poor, but what the sect will develop into in the future depends on your hard work."

"That's right! Cheer up, everyone. Poverty isn't scary. What's scary is having no ambition! If you think the sect isn't good, instead of complaining about it, you should work on building it up!"

Xu Shan jumped out eagerly and said, "Before you achieve success in your career, don't ask what the sect has done for you. Instead, ask what you have done for the sect! The sect provides a platform for us, and we should make contributions to the sect!"

After Xu Shan finished speaking, he took the lead in clapping. The disciples of Xinglan Sect followed suit foolishly, and the tense atmosphere was somewhat dispelled.

Ye Qingbi's pretty face lit up with a smile. "Xu Shan, you said it very well!"

Jin Yangqiu also looked pleasantly surprised and stepped forward to grab Xu Shan. "You kid have this talent? You're so articulate. If you can't cultivate well, you can stay in the sect and do management work in the future."

"Master, you're just joking." Xu Shan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He really didn't mean to show off on purpose. Right now, before the competition even started, the morale of his fellow disciples had plummeted. Being timid before the battle was a big taboo, and it might have an impact once they entered the secret realm. Although he had two protective magical artifacts, the range and functions of their skills were too limited. Coupled with his lack of combat experience, it was normal for the battles between cultivators to cover dozens or even hundreds of meters. It was hard to say what kind of danger they might encounter in the secret realm, and he still needed to cooperate with his teammates. So he could only try to ease the tense atmosphere first.

"Great ambition, well said!" Just then, a polite middle-aged man, who looked like a scholar, walked in and his gaze fell on Ye Qingbi. "Sect Master Ye, long time no see."

"Sect Master Sun." Ye Qingbi nodded slightly and turned to introduce to the disciples, "This is Sun Yuanzheng, the Sect Master of the Zixiao Sword Sect."

All the disciples saluted and greeted him.

Sun Yuanzheng smiled and said, "Xinglan Sect should be the only newly joined sect in this Centennial Competition. I heard that there is a cultivator with Heaven's Luck Divine Ability in your sect. I wonder which talented person it is?"

...