amaotonovel Chapter 31 Registration Storm
Chapter 31 Registration Storm
The teahouse was bustling with noise, a cacophony of messages, but the words "Immortal Sect Grand Competition" clearly pierced my ears. A thought struck me, and I tugged at Li Yan beside me: "Let's go take a look!"
The Immortal Cultivation Grand Tournament is a grand event in the cultivation world, held every ten years. It brings together elite disciples from various sects to hone their skills and vie for glory. Although I am new to this place, I have heard many legends about the tournament and have long yearned to attend.
We entered the teahouse, inquired about the location, and headed straight for the Tianxuan Sect's registration office. Along the way, we saw groups of cultivators everywhere, most of them with imposing bearing, eloquent speech, and overwhelming spiritual energy, clearly having come prepared.
"It seems that this Immortal Sect Competition is indeed full of experts," I exclaimed, feeling a little uneasy.
"What are you afraid of? We're not here to play around!" Li Yan clenched her fist, full of confidence. "Yao'er, your cultivation has already improved by leaps and bounds. Coupled with your endless stream of ingenious ideas, you're sure to make a name for yourself!"
I was amused by her words, and my nervousness dissipated considerably. Yes, we're already here, so instead of worrying about this and that, we might as well go all out and fully enjoy this grand event!
Upon arriving at the registration area, we found a long queue already formed, a bustling and lively scene. Li Yan and I finally managed to squeeze into the crowd and discovered a huge stone tablet at the front of the line, densely covered with the registration rules.
"Age must not exceed one hundred years, cultivation level must reach the Golden Core stage..." I read through the list carefully, my expression gradually becoming serious. "And you also need to provide letters of recommendation from three elders?"
"What? There's such a rule?" Li Yan was also stunned. We exchanged bewildered glances, a shadow falling over our hearts. Although I possess exceptional talent, I've only been cultivating for a short time, and haven't yet had the chance to visit the elders, let alone obtain their letters of recommendation…
Just as I was at my wit's end, a sarcastic voice suddenly came from behind me: "Oh, isn't this the great genius Xiao Yao who just arrived in Tianwaitian? What, you can't even meet the registration requirements?"
I turned around and saw that the one who spoke was Sun Yue, who had clashed with me during the trial. She was accompanied by several female disciples who were on good terms with her, and they all had gloating expressions on their faces.
“This Immortal Sect Grand Competition isn’t something just anyone can participate in,” Sun Yue looked me up and down, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “Some people should just go back and cultivate for a few decades before coming back!”
“You…” Li Yan was about to step forward to argue when I stopped her. I took a deep breath, suppressed my anger, and said coldly to Sun Yue, “My affairs are none of your concern.”
After saying that, I pulled Li Yan and walked straight to the front of the line, but we were stopped by the disciple in charge of registration.
"My lady, please show me your letter of recommendation," the disciple said expressionlessly.
"I..." I was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain.
At this moment, Li Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up. She straightened her back and said firmly, "Senior brother, my friend, she..." "Senior brother, my friend, she..." Li Yan wanted to say something more, but I gently tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I knew Li Yan wanted to help me, but her words would only make things worse. Instead of pleading here, I should think of other ways.
"I'm sorry, senior, I forgot to bring my recommendation letter today. I'll come back to register tomorrow." I forced a smile, pulled Li Yan, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Sun Yue called from behind. She strode up to me with a meaningful smile on her face. "Xiao Yao, you don't actually have a letter of recommendation, do you?"
I gave her a cold look, said nothing, and pulled Li Yan to continue walking forward.
"Don't go!" Sun Yue grabbed my arm and said in a feignedly enthusiastic tone, "Look at you, you can forget something as important as registering for school, you're so careless! Well then, I feel sorry for you, so I'll help you out!"
I stopped and looked at her with a puzzled expression, wondering what she was up to.
“I know Elder Li has always admired you,” Sun Yue whispered in my ear, “Go ask him to write a letter of recommendation, it’ll definitely be fine!”
Elder Li? My heart skipped a beat. Elder Li was one of the most respected elders of the Tianxuan Sect, said to be upright and impartial. If I could get his recommendation, that would be ideal. However, I had never met Elder Li before. Would he be willing to help me?
"What, you don't believe me?" Sun Yue raised an eyebrow when she saw my hesitation. "I'm just trying to help you out of kindness, don't be ungrateful!"
"Thank you, Sun Yue." I suppressed my doubts and decided to give it a try. "I'll go and try Elder Li."
"That's more like it!" Sun Yue patted my shoulder with satisfaction. "I told you you'd thank me!"
I said goodbye to Sun Yue and headed to Elder Li's residence with Li Yan. Along the way, my heart was pounding with a mix of anticipation and trepidation.
Elder Li's residence is located in a secluded courtyard on the back mountain of Tianxuan Peak. When we arrived at the courtyard, we saw that the gate was closed and the courtyard was quiet.
"Is anyone home?" Li Yan stepped forward and knocked on the door, but no one answered.
"Perhaps Elder Li isn't here," I said, somewhat disappointed.
"No way, isn't today the registration deadline? Elder Li shouldn't be out at this time," Li Yan muttered to herself. Suddenly, as if remembering something, her expression changed slightly. "Yao'er, don't you feel like something's not right here?"
I also sensed something was off; the air around me seemed unusually heavy, and a strange sense of oppression welled up inside me.
"What's wrong?" I asked in a low voice.
Li Yan didn't speak, but simply gripped my hand tightly. Her palms were icy cold, and her fingertips trembled slightly. Just then, I sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching from behind...
I whirled around and saw a tall, middle-aged man in a blue robe standing behind us. His face was stern, his eyes sharp as lightning, and he exuded an aura of imposing authority that was incredibly oppressive. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart pounded wildly.
Li Yan was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she gripped my hand tightly, unable to speak.
"Who are you? Why are you trespassing on this forbidden area?" The middle-aged man's sharp gaze swept over us, his tone icy.
"I...we've come to visit Elder Li..." I mustered my courage and stammered, "We are disciples of the Tianxuan Sect. My name is Xiao Yao, and this is Li Yan..."
"Elder Li is currently in seclusion and is not receiving guests." The middle-aged man waved his hand impatiently. "You'd better leave immediately, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
"But..." I wanted to say something more, but Li Yan stopped me.
"Let's go, Yao'er," Li Yan said softly. "We'll visit Elder Li another day."
I sighed helplessly, knowing I wouldn't be seeing Elder Li today. Just as we turned to leave, the middle-aged man suddenly spoke up, "Wait."
I was overjoyed. Had he changed his mind?
"Your name is Xiao Yao?" The middle-aged man's gaze fell on me, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
"Yes...yes," I replied somewhat nervously.
"So you're that freak who has no spiritual root but can still cultivate true qi?" The middle-aged man asked with a hint of curiosity.
I was shocked; I hadn't expected that he already knew about my affair.
"Yes...yes," I said softly, head down.
"Interesting." The middle-aged man's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Would you be willing to become my disciple?"
I jerked my head up, staring at him in disbelief. Become his disciple? He's...
"Master Li? What are you doing here?" A surprised voice came from inside the courtyard, interrupting my thoughts.
“Master Li is busy with his affairs, so he only comes to visit this old man occasionally.” An elderly man with a venerable air, white hair and a youthful face, walked out of the courtyard. It was Elder Li.
I quickly bowed respectfully to Li Yan and said, "Greetings, Elder Li."
Master Li glanced at me and said to Elder Li, "This girl is quite interesting. I'd like to take her as my disciple. What do you think?"
Elder Li stroked his beard and smiled, "The person that Hall Master Li has chosen is naturally excellent. However..." He paused, then turned his gaze to me, "Xiao Yao, would you be willing to become Hall Master Li's disciple?"
I was extremely excited. Hall Master Li was the Hall Master in charge of punishments in the Tianxuan Sect. He had profound cultivation and countless disciples. If I could become his disciple, my cultivation path would surely be smooth sailing!
"This disciple is willing!" I knelt down and kowtowed without hesitation, my heart filled with anticipation for the future.
Master Li nodded in satisfaction. "Get up. Come with me to Tian Shu Peak tomorrow."
And so, I became Master Li's last disciple, and naturally gained the qualification to participate in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition.
After registration, Sun Yue and I walked back, but our hearts were heavy.
"Yao'er, what's wrong? You should be happy to participate in the competition," Sun Yue asked with concern when she saw that I was looking downcast.
"I was just thinking that with so many experts in this competition, I'm afraid my meager cultivation level won't even get me past the first round." I sighed. Ever since I learned that I could cultivate true qi because I possessed a special physique, I've worked even harder at my cultivation. But the harder I try, the more I feel the gap between myself and those genius disciples.
"Don't underestimate yourself. You must have something special to be chosen by Hall Master Li. Besides, we just need to do our best and don't need to worry too much about the result," Sun Yue comforted her.
I nodded, trying to suppress my unease. In the following days, I practiced even more diligently. However, the more anxious I was, the slower my progress became. I seemed to have hit a bottleneck, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break through it.
Am I really not suited for cultivation? Am I destined to be just an ordinary, useless person? My heart was filled with confusion and despair.
"Yao'er, I heard..." Sun Yue suddenly leaned close to my ear mysteriously and whispered, "Windrunner is back..."
My heart skipped a beat. Windwalker, that legendary figure from the Heavenly Profound Sect, that powerful figure who comes and goes without a trace... Could he be my breakthrough point?