103. The Ranking Tournament of the Ten Great Sects

Xie Wuji felt helpless, thinking to himself that this sister-complex obsession was terminal, so he let go. But willing as he was to let go, Dongmen Xianyun on the other side refused to release him, still holding onto Xie Wuji's hand, gazing at him with a pitiful, delicate look.

Xie Wuji was dumbfounded. The two of them exchanging flirtatious glances also drew the attention of Dongmen Jianhao, whose eyes narrowed like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Cough, cough..." Two coughs sounded—it was Dongmen Yong who had come out. The crowd waved their hands in greeting, and only then did Dongmen Xianyun finally let go. Dongmen Yong caught sight of their little display and was secretly amused, nearly bursting out laughing.

"Alright, everyone, quiet down. The list is out now. Jianhao, Liancheng, Hongliu, Wuji—the five of you are the ones going this time. Our Danxia Sect is dispatching twenty people in total, and I hold four spots here," Dongmen Jianhao said.

"Twenty people, and we only get four spots?" Xie Wuji asked in confusion.

Ji Liancheng glanced at Xie Wuji and said, "Very few inner disciples can be acknowledged by an elder or the sect master as a personal disciple. On the elder side, there are six people, naturally including Baili Qingyan. The other ten are regular inner disciples."

Xie Wuji suddenly understood.

Dongmen Yong said, "This competition is of great importance. The world is temporarily at peace, so this is how everyone compares their strength. This time, we must raise Danxia Sect's ranking. Among our competitors, the Wan Yao Hall is also constantly trying to place themselves above us."

"The Wan Yao Hall uses all kinds of evil arts; they don't deserve to be among the top ten sects at all," Yang Hongliu said indignantly.

"There's nothing we can do about it. They are one of the important constituent forces of the Cloud Shang Nation. This time, the Empress herself is personally going to Li Country. While we go to compete, we must also protect the Empress's safety," Dongmen Yong said.

After Dongmen Yong's briefing, everyone understood the gravity of the situation. On the surface, it appeared to be just an ordinary martial arts competition, but in truth, it was a contest of dignity between nations and between sects.

For Danxia Sect, it was especially significant, because the rivalry between Dongmen Jianhao and Baili Qingyan was finally going to be settled. If Dongmen Jianhao claimed the sect's top seat, it would greatly aid Dongmen Yong's future ambitions of unifying Danxia Sect.

But if it were Baili Qingyan, then the Grand Elder would surely gain the upper hand.

Thus, Dongmen Yong also placed great importance on this competition.

Although only twenty disciples would participate, two to three thousand Danxia Sect disciples would also be brought along to watch. The duels between top experts would teach the disciples a great deal, and perhaps even trigger sudden enlightenment, elevating their own abilities.

After taking leave of Dongmen Yong, the others went back to their preparations. Just as Xie Wuji returned to the Alchemy Hall, he ran into Fatty Dragon, who said, "Hehehe, big brother, I've got great news for you. All one hundred phones you brought back are completely sold out—we've made a killing!"

Xie Wuji had previously made a trip back to the modern world and purchased a large batch of phones, and many disciples in Danxia Sect were curious about these strange, novel gadgets, so phones became the latest craze.

Of course, they couldn't make calls, but the camera and recording functions had everyone marveling at the magic of it. Xie Wuji was also working on setting up signal towers in the meantime, but those weren't so easy to build. For now, it was like selling game consoles—no one had yet experienced the true potential of the phones.

"Collect the funds, convert one portion into silver for me, and use the other portion for alchemy. How are the disciples who are learning alchemy doing now?" Xie Wuji said.

Fatty Dragon replied, "We pay five spirit stones a month, so plenty of disciples who know alchemy have signed up. Don't worry, big brother. With the business blueprint you've provided, we're developing quickly. Once Danxia Sect's business model is mature, we'll expand it everywhere and make money from the whole world!"

"Good, I'll have to rely on your hard work, and Thin Tiger's too," Xie Wuji said.

Fatty Dragon gave a lecherous grin and said, "Don't worry, big brother. I don't like women, and I don't like power. The only things I'm devoted to are silver and spirit stones. Since you've given me a platform, I'll serve you with all my heart. Even if you wanted my innocence, I'd agree!"

"You little rascal—you say you don't like women. You're not into men, are you?" Xie Wuji said with a shiver of disgust.

"Just kidding, hahaha!" Fatty Dragon bantered a little longer before quickly leaving.

Just then, Xi Men handed Xie Wuji a ring and said, "Brother, there's not much I can do to help. I've refined quite a few pills in the meantime. Take them—they might come in handy later. After all, I'm no longer a member of Danxia Sect, so I don't qualify to participate in this competition."

"Thank you. These pills will definitely come in useful," Xie Wuji said.

Xi Men's alchemy skills far surpassed everyone else in the Alchemy Hall—his expertise rivaled even the Grand Elder's.

A few days later, everyone was ready and gathered at the mountain gate of Danxia Sect. Xie Wuji stood behind Dongmen Yong. This time, Dongmen Xianyun was also going along, not to compete, but to help with miscellaneous tasks.

The Grand Elder's gaze toward Xie Wuji was decidedly unfriendly. Fortunately, the Grand Elder was also deeply invested in the upcoming competition, so he had no plans to deal with Xie Wuji for the time being.

To the Grand Elder, a mere disciple of Danxia Sect was easy enough to deal with, but his ultimate goal was the position of Sect Master. If his own people achieved outstanding results in the competition, that would serve him best.

"Master, everyone is assembled," Baili Qingyan said, wearing a veil as she approached the Grand Elder.

"Good. Now we await the Sect Master's decree. We'll depart in the first group; the second group of disciples will be led by the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Elders," Ding Desheng said.

"Yes!" Baili Qingyan took her place in the formation.

As it happened, Xie Wuji stood right beside her. The moment he thought of the scars on Baili Yan'er, his fury surged: "Baili Qingyan, do you know about your sister's injuries?"

Baili Qingyan froze. This was also the first time she had spoken to Xie Wuji in her identity as Baili Qingyan.

She thought to herself, is Xie Wuji concerned about me? Her heart warmed a little, but she still spoke in a male voice: "She's my sister, not yours. It's none of your business!"

"You call yourself her brother—what kind of man are you? You can't even protect your own sister. She's a girl, and she bears such terrible wounds, yet you as her elder brother are completely indifferent. I'm ashamed for you!" Xie Wuji said harshly.

"What, are you saying you like her?" Baili Qingyan said with narrowed eyes.

Xie Wuji froze, then quickly said, "Whether I like her or not has nothing to do with you. I'm speaking out of simple fairness."

"Since you don't like her, then you have no right to meddle in my family affairs. Don't forget, you're in trouble yourself right now. Better worry about yourself first!" Baili Qingyan said.

A single extra word was a word too many. Xie Wuji didn't want to waste his breath on her—there was no point in saying more.

At that moment, Ji Liancheng said, "Baili Qingyan has a sister?"

In truth, though Baili Qingyan appeared calm on the surface after hearing Xie Wuji's righteous words, inside her heart it was as if flowers were blooming, sunshine spreading far and wide.

Beneath the veil, a smile had already formed on Baili Qingyan's lips. She stole a glance at Xie Wuji, and he happened to catch it.

Xie Wuji said, "Got a problem with me? Come on, hit me then!"

"What a headache," Baili Qingyan said.

By then, the people who needed to arrive had mostly gathered. Everyone took out their spiritual artifacts, preparing to fly on them. Xie Wuji simply let out a whistle, and a massive bird slowly descended from the sky.

That great bird was naturally the Blazing Demon Chicken. The current Blazing Demon Chicken was no ordinary sight—as long as it didn't cry out, people would think it was a phoenix.

Its long tail burned with flames, its body was huge, and its colors were magnificent. It even stole the spotlight from Dongmen Yong.

Xie Wuji had become the most dazzling and conspicuous person in the crowd.

"Brother Xie, I can't fly. I'll ride with you!" Dongmen Xianyun said.

Xie Wuji didn't mind: "Fine, then sit behind me and just wrap your arms around my waist."

"Cough, cough. Wuji, are you openly flirting with my little sister right in front of me?" Dongmen Jianhao said with murderous intent radiating from his voice.

Xie Wuji broke into a cold sweat: "What else do you suggest? You'd have your sister standing behind you on your sword? How tiring would that be? On mine, at least she gets to sit."