The younger disciples below were also having a great time. The disciples of Dazhu Peak were a bunch of goofballs; although they weren't young, they still managed to get along well with Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu. However, only these two could be considered juniors.
The other disciples of the Hidden Immortal Sect, though nominally disciples, had all cultivated for over two hundred years. Moreover, those who followed Lu Xuan all adopted a mature demeanor. Only Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing pretended to be young girls and mingled with the disciples of Dazhu Peak.
Lu Xuan noticed that, although it had only been an afternoon, Zhang Xiaofan had already started secretly glancing at Tian Ling'er.
Ah, a kid's first love always comes so suddenly!
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Chapter 413 Abducting the Water Kirin
Over the next two days, Lu Xuan took another stroll through the bamboo forest. However, he still couldn't find the Soul Devourer, so he stopped worrying about it, as the Qingyun Grand Competition was about to begin.
The Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament of the Qingyun Sect is held only once every sixty years. This year, it has the largest number of participants yet. The only pity is that several famous scenes in the original novel were created by Zhang Xiaofan.
As an observer and the leader of a sect, Lu Xuan naturally received special treatment. He and Hongxiu sat in VIP seats, while the others mingled freely among the Qingyun Sect disciples.
The Qingyun Sect has grown to nearly a thousand disciples. This time, sixty-four elite disciples were selected for the competition, making it a truly elite contest.
Even by Lu Xuan's standards, these disciples' cultivation levels were quite good. The Qingyun Sect's cultivation techniques are divided into three levels: Jade Purity, Upper Purity, and Profound Purity. The participating disciples are all at the Jade Purity level, but the specific levels vary considerably.
Lu Xuan glanced around casually; most of the disciples were at the fifth or sixth level of the Jade Purity Realm. About ten had reached the seventh level, and three or four vaguely appeared to be at the eighth level. Lu Xuan hadn't practiced this kind of cultivation method before, so he wasn't entirely clear on the distinctions.
Among them, the aloof woman, the playful and easygoing young man, and the somewhat arrogant young man were the three strongest in Lu Xuan's estimation.
It should be Lu Xueqi, Zeng Shushu, and Qi Hao from the original novel. These three are also the four strongest characters besides Zhang Xiaofan in the original novel.
Among them, Zeng Shushu's Xuanyuan Sword and Qi Hao's Frost Sword are both extremely powerful magical treasures. However, the strongest is Lu Xueqi's Tianya Sword. Even through the scabbard, Lu Xuan could feel a spiritual fluctuation emanating from the Tianya Sword.
Of all the magical artifacts appearing in the original novel, aside from innate-level spiritual treasures like the Immortal Execution Sword and the Dragon Subduing Cauldron, the Heavenly Jade Sword is considered the highest-level magical weapon. Only the Heavenly Jade Sword and Zhang Xiaofan's Soul Devouring Sword are capable of actively protecting their masters.
While Lu Xuan was observing the contestants, Dao Xuan was also secretly observing him. Seeing that Lu Xuan's gaze fell upon Lu Xueqi and the others, Dao Xuan nodded discreetly. This sect leader of the Hidden Immortal Sect possessed first-rate cultivation and perception. Surrounded by hundreds of disciples, he immediately identified the few with the most potential.
Tian Ling'er of Dazhu Peak was also exceptionally outstanding, mainly because of her beauty. Her magical artifact, the Amber Crimson Silk, was an extremely dazzling and eye-catching treasure, naturally attracting a great deal of attention.
On the arena, Tian Ling'er's Amber Crimson Silk danced in the air, encircling the entire arena and blocking all escape routes for a disciple from Chaoyang Peak. The Amber Crimson Silk rolled inwards, completely binding the disciple without any blind spots. The opponent could only be considered to be of average skill among this group of disciples.
Neither the magical artifact nor the spiritual power in his hands were sufficient to completely break through the Amber Crimson Silk. Therefore, facing such an attack, defeat was practically inevitable. This piqued Lu Xuan's interest in the magical artifact. This concept did have some merit.
Lu Xueqi appeared relatively late, but this second most popular female lead in the original novel was a master of the art of showing off. Without even drawing her sword, she directly knocked a disciple from Chaoyang Peak out of the arena, sword still in its scabbard. The entire arena erupted in cheers, with no one paying any attention to the disciple who had been knocked off the stage. Lu Xuan found it somewhat amusing; these Qingyun Sect disciples, who spent most of their lives cultivating in the mountains, had little contact with the world and were endearingly naive. They were so focused on cheering for their goddess that they paid no attention to the people from Chaoyang Peak.
After two people descended from Chaoyang Peak, Shang Zhengliang's face turned ashen, and he left without a word.
The first day of the competition concluded smoothly. More than half of the contestants were eliminated. However, the entire Qingyun Mountain was still immersed in various discussions. Besides discussing Lu Xueqi, who had defeated her opponent without even drawing her sword, the main topic was speculating about who would be the champion this time.
"I'm absolutely certain it's Lu Xueqi from Xiaozhu Peak. Not only is her cultivation level terrifyingly high, but she also possesses the ancient divine weapon Tianya. Who could possibly defeat her?"
"That's not necessarily true. Senior Brother Qi Hao from Dragon Head Peak has inherited the Frost Sword. That's a divine weapon powerful enough to contend with the Heavenly Jade Sword. Moreover, Senior Brother Qi Hao has amazing talent, started his training earlier, and has a deeper cultivation level. Lu Xueqi might not be able to defeat him."
"I said, have you forgotten Zeng Shushu? He's always laughing and joking, but don't forget, he's the one who wields the Xuanyuan Sword. In the previous competition, he easily defeated that senior brother from Tongtian Peak."
The debate raged on, and no one could convince anyone else.
Lu Xuan had no intention of joining the discussion. Several of his female disciples had been invited to visit Xiaozhu Peak. His two male disciples had gone drinking with some goofballs from Dazhu Peak. Lu Xuan, enjoying some rare peace and quiet, strolled around Qingyun Mountain alone.
He knew exactly where he was going, and only wandered around public places. Until he reached the pool at the end of the Rainbow Bridge. He heard a low roar, and a colossal creature surged from the pool. It was a gigantic, ferocious beast.
Standing over five zhang tall, with a dragon's head and a lion's body, covered in scales, with enormous eyes and a gaping mouth, its two sharp fangs gleaming in the moonlight, its ferocious appearance inspiring awe. This was none other than the guardian beast of the Qingyun Sect, the Spirit Venerable Water Qilin.
The water unicorn rose from the water and swam to the shore. Its enormous head lowered, less than two meters from Lu Xuan's face.
In the distance, the Qingyun Sect disciples who were secretly following Lu Xuan changed their expressions drastically. However, at this moment, Cang Song, who was leading the group, stopped them.
"Don't move yet." Several disciples looked at Lu Xuan and Ling Zun with suspicion. But they found that Ling Zun did not seem angry. Instead, he hummed softly a few times, as if greeting Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan was naturally aware of the existence of the Water Kirin. In fact, he had tried to communicate with it earlier that day. However, there were many people around, so Lu Xuan didn't approach it directly.
Lu Xuan possesses the ability to communicate with mythical beasts. Originally, communicating with the Water Qilin required a special spiritual technique known only to the leader of the Qingyun Sect. However, Lu Xuan established a connection with the Water Qilin after only a few attempts.
The disciples not far away stared in shock as Lu Xuan appeared to be conversing with the Spirit Venerable. Cang Song's expression was also uncertain. After all, Lu Xuan hadn't overstepped his bounds, and the Spirit Venerable seemed to acknowledge him. It would be quite impolite for him to rush out and interrupt. But what surprised him most was why Lu Xuan was able to communicate with the Spirit Venerable.
Beside the pool.
"Do you like it here?" Lu Xuan asked softly.
"I don't like it. This place is too small, and there's not enough room to move around."
"Then why are you here?"
"There's no other way; I promised that little guy I'd protect this place."
The so-called "little guy" naturally refers to Master Qingye, who subdued the Water Kirin back then.
"So, do you want to leave here?"
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Chapter 414 The Kid's Romance
Leaving is out of the question; at least, it's impossible for it to be swayed by Lu Xuan's words. Although the Water Qilin has feelings for Lu Xuan, it's not enough to make it betray the Qingyun Sect, which has protected it for thousands of years. Lu Xuan was just testing it casually; if the Water Qilin really went with him, Lu Xuan would have to put in a lot of effort to deal with the matter.
After chatting with the water unicorn for a while, Lu Xuan turned and left. The water unicorn returned to the pool to continue sleeping. This relieved the anxious Qingyun Sect members who were watching from afar.