The Iron Bones Sect’s first Sect Grand Competition began today. A thousand disciples wearing clean uniforms stood in orderly rows on the training ground.
The disciples who had entered earlier had higher cultivation and exuded slightly more formidable auras.
The newly joined disciples, though their levels couldn’t compare to their senior brothers, all held their heads high and chests out!
Having defeated a colossus like the Holy Spring Sect gave the Iron Bones Sect disciples much greater confidence, so their spirit and vigor were also very strong.
Jiang Xie, who had rushed over through the night, saw the disciples gathered on the training ground and his eyes immediately froze.
This was a sect?
No!
It was more like a great sect!
Why did Jiang Xie have this feeling?
Because each and every Iron Bones Sect disciple had imposing momentum, each was brimming with confidence, each was full of youthful vigor!
Looking at the resolute gleam in their eyes, Jiang Xie seemed to see himself—the one who had obtained fortuitous opportunities and constantly worked hard in cultivation to find his relatives.
“Sect Master.”
Li Qingyang said, “Junior Brother has returned.”
Jun Changxiao, standing in the great hall, said, “From today onward, you must change how you address him to Elder.”
He hadn’t directly appointed Jiang Xie when recruiting him, because the other party definitely hadn’t truly considered himself a member of the sect.
Now that he had returned again, it meant he had already accepted it.
“With warm applause, let us welcome our Iron Bones Clanging Sect’s elder home!” Jun Changxiao called out loudly.
“Clap clap clap!”
The disciples all turned in unison, giving warm applause.
“Home…”
These two words touched Jiang Xie deeply.
After a moment, he strode forward, arriving before the great hall, and cupped his fists saying, “Disciple Jiang Xie pays respects to the Sect Master!”
This wasn’t from the recruitment force’s power but came from his heart.
Because Jiang Xie wanted to know whether the Iron Bones Sect could become his second home.
……
Jun Changxiao didn’t immediately start the first Sect Grand Competition but publicly announced that starting today, Jiang Xie would be appointed to the position of elder.
Having an elder in a sect was very normal.
For instance, the Haoqi Sect had over twenty elders.
However, the Iron Bones Sect was rather extraordinary!
The sect’s first elder was actually a Martial King!
One must know that even fifth-rate sects like the Holy Spring Sect and Cangshan Sect didn’t have elders at this level!
Having a Martial King level expert serve as elder of a seventh-rate sect was extremely rare across the entire Falling Star Continent. If word got out, it would definitely cause quite a stir.
“Again?”
That’s right.
During the time since Jun Changxiao returned, the matter of challenging the Holy Spring Sect and winning seventy-four matches had long since spread throughout the prefectures, long since setting off a storm of shock!
The Iron Bones Clanging Sect?
Using a seventh-rate to challenge a fifth-rate?
And won?
And didn’t lose a single match?
If the news hadn’t been so sensational, if various factions hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes, many martial artists would even suspect it was a rumor or malicious hype!
Defeating the sixth-rate Haoqi Sect only made the Iron Bones Sect somewhat famous in Qingyang Prefecture.
Defeating the fifth-rate Holy Spring Sect meant becoming renowned throughout the prefectures.
After all, having a lower-grade sect defeat a great sect had never occurred on the Falling Star Continent. It was completely worthy of being recorded in the annals of history!
When the news reached Qingyang Prefecture, it likewise triggered a major earthquake!
“Incredible, incredible!”
“I thought that Iron Bones Sect was going to their death, but unexpectedly they actually defeated the Holy Spring Sect!”
“An originally unremarkable sect—how did it become so formidable in such a short time!”
Qingyang Prefecture martial artists were hotly discussing it as well.
Moreover, many parents and factions were quite tempted, considering whether or not to send their children to the Iron Bones Sect!
At first when Jun Changxiao recruited disciples, many people heard about it, but very few actually dared to send their offspring there because they truly feared the Haoqi Sect.
What about now?
Even the Holy Spring Sect had been defeated by the Iron Bones Sect. What was there to fear from the Haoqi Sect or the Hundred Sects Alliance!
Without question, as long as Jun Changxiao opened the mountain gate, recruiting disciples would be very easy.
Of course, he had no such plans for now. Instead, he formally announced the opening of the Iron Bones Clanging Sect’s first Sect Grand Competition.
This competition had full coverage—any disciple could participate. But based on cultivation and strength, it was divided into four groups: Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D.
Group D had the weakest strength.
Group A had the strongest.
Long Ziyang, Yang Yuhua, Song Xuanzhou, and other disciples who had gone to challenge the Holy Spring Sect all registered for Group A.
Other disciples were in the other three groups based on their strength.
Without question, Group A with the strongest participants was a major highlight of the Iron Bones Sect’s Grand Competition and was also key to determining whether disciples could become inner disciples.
The other three groups—if disciples performed well, they would also receive corresponding rewards.
The rules had been temporarily modified by Jun Changxiao. Once established, they would continue to be used every year for the Sect Grand Competition.
Having no experience, developing the sect meant crossing the river by feeling the stones, so many things definitely wouldn’t be professionally set from the start. Frequent modifications during the process were normal.
……
Boom!
Boom!
On the training ground, two second or third-grade Martial Apprentices were fiercely exchanging blows. The Explosive Fist, Mountain-Opening Palm, and even “I Slash” were used alternately, making for quite a lively fight.
These were Group D contestants proceeding first.
Their cultivation was generally at second or third-grade Martial Apprentice. Though the fight was heated, it wasn’t spectacular.
However, Elder Jiang—Jiang Xie watching the battle—was deeply shocked!
After several consecutive matches, the disciples taking the stage appeared to have mediocre aptitude, but their explosive output was sufficient to match mid to high-tier Martial Apprentices!
Only martial artists with mid to high-grade spirit roots had mid to high-tier explosive power.
Most of the competing disciples had common-grade spirit roots. How could they have such terrifying combat power?
About an hour or so later, Group D ended and Group C began.
The contestants appearing also had mid to high-tier explosive power!
“This…”
Jiang Xie was a bit dumbfounded.
He tried hard to find ordinary contestants in the matches but couldn’t find a single one!
In other words, the thousand disciples who had stood on the training ground earlier not only displayed imposing momentum but each and every one had real ability!
“Elder Jiang.”
Jun Changxiao said, “These disciples are quite good, right?”
Jiang Xie said with a grave expression, “Though their cultivation is a bit low, their strength is all at mid to high-tier. They have limitless prospects!”
These weren’t flattering words but stating facts as they were.
No wonder the more professional Southwest Yang Province certification headquarters gave them a Grade Three evaluation!
……
An hour later, the Group C battles ended. The contestants who placed in the top ranks naturally received corresponding resource rewards.
After that, the Group B battles were held.
Because the level had increased, the competing disciples’ cultivation was also getting stronger, making the fights more exciting and interesting to watch.
“All high-tier!”
Jiang Xie’s mouth began twitching.
Could it be that all the disciples competing in Group B had high-grade spirit roots?
In fact, they didn’t.
The reason they had high-tier levels was that under cultivation in the Molding House and Training Tower, they had forcibly raised themselves up to this level!
This was just normal operations.
As low-realm disciples continued to grow, the Iron Bones Sect would definitely be entirely high-tier martial cultivators!
However, the shock the Sect Grand Competition brought to Jiang Xie was still continuing!
Because after the Group A competition began, Long Ziyang and Yang Yuhua appeared one after another. The combat power they displayed left him unable to stay calm as he said, “This is almost comparable to supreme-tier!”
Dusk arrived.
All four group competitions concluded.
The final Group A champion was Long Ziyang, with second and third place obtained by Yang Yuhua and Song Xuanzhou.
Jiang Xie was shocked speechless.
This Sect Grand Competition had completely stunned our Elder Jiang.