All the outer disciples gathered in the open space beside the Puppet Tower.
The Grand Elder stood at the front, pressing his hands down in a calming gesture. Once the crowd quieted a bit, he said:
"The first round of the grand competition is the Puppet Tower elimination round. The rules are the same as in previous years: disciples at the Acupoint Opening Realm must clear the first floor. Qi Gathering Realm disciples must clear at least three floors. Only then will you be considered qualified. If you fail to meet the standard, don't blame the sect for cutting your monthly cultivation resources. Additionally, the top twenty in clearing results will be the grand competition's top twenty and can participate in the subsequent duels. Begin!"
With that, he walked over with Xu Anlan to sit on stone benches and observe.
"Those participating in the grand competition, line up! Non-participating disciples, move to the outer area!" Several stewards stepped forward and announced loudly.
Then, under the stewards' arrangements, the disciples began to line up. Although the Puppet Tower occupied several hundred meters in radius, its internal space wasn't very large. It couldn't accommodate nearly two thousand disciples at once. So, they had to be divided into small teams and enter in batches.
Senior disciples all had to participate, or else their cultivation resources would be cut. New disciples could choose freely. In the end, only Lin Xuan, Zhang Tao, and other promising disciples, along with some new disciples who thought themselves capable, joined. The senior disciples weren't surprised by this. They didn't pay much attention, either. It had always been like this in previous years—new disciples just went through the motions, achieving nothing, let alone making the top twenty. Because every spot in the top twenty was held by a peak Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, and among them, the elite. There was no way new disciples could reach that level. Even with Lin Xuan, an exceptionally talented genius with the potential to become a true disciple, it was no exception.
Soon, the teams were arranged. Two hundred people per team, roughly ten teams. Each team happened to have one top-ten outer disciple. Lin Xuan was in the seventh team.
"First team, enter. Remember, you have at most a quarter of an hour. The same goes for the other teams!" The stewards, after arranging the teams, stood at the front and commanded.
As the words fell, the first team of two hundred disciples rushed toward the Puppet Tower's entrance. All the disciples' eyes were fixed on Sun He, the top-ten outer disciple in the first team, anticipating his results.
As the first team charged into the tower, crackling sounds came from within. Before long, a quarter of an hour passed. The first team disciples were expelled, and in the end, only two cleared all six floors of the tower. Unsurprisingly, both were at the peak Qi Gathering Realm—one was Sun He, and the other was a well-known outer disciple, second only to the top ten.
In the crowd, Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the Puppet Tower challenge to be so difficult. Only those in the top ten or close to that level could clear it.
"Second team, enter!" the steward instructed.
The second team disciples then rushed into the tower. Soon, their results came out. Again, only two cleared it.
"Third team, enter!" The steward's cold voice rang out again, but this time with a slight ripple.
The disciples on the field began to murmur and discuss. The top-ten outer disciple in the third team was none other than Zhou Lei, ranked second in the outer sect.
"Finally, it's time for the top three outer disciples to step up."
"I wonder what Senior Brother Zhou will achieve?"
"Last time, I think it was ten minutes. I wonder how much he'll improve this time!"
"..."
The disciples looked on with anticipation. Under everyone's gaze, the third team disciples surged into the tower. They weren't disappointed—this time, Zhou Lei walked out in just half a quarter of an hour, having already cleared it. Meanwhile, the other disciple who cleared it in the third team barely managed it in a full quarter of an hour. The contrast was stark. Zhou Lei's result instantly became the highest on the field, far surpassing everyone else, sparking an even bigger uproar. Disciples and stewards alike were shaken. No wonder Zhou Lei was the second-ranked outer disciple—he was truly strong!
The competition continued. The fourth team entered. The disciples perked up again, their attention focused. This time, Guan Yuanshuang, ranked third in the outer sect, was participating. As one of only two female disciples in the top ten and the outer sect's number one beauty, her popularity rivaled even that of Chen Yuze, the top-ranked outer disciple. Naturally, she drew everyone's attention. Moreover, unlike Zhou Lei, Guan Yuanshuang was a woman who favored agility. In terms of speed, she surpassed Zhou Lei. And clearing the Puppet Tower required navigating through a swarm of puppets to reach the top floor. One could either use brute force to bulldoze through or use movement techniques to dodge and pass more easily. The latter was faster. In other words, Guan Yuanshuang's result in this round might surpass Zhou Lei's. The disciples were naturally captivated.
Before long, the fourth team's results came out. Sure enough, Guan Yuanshuang cleared it in just five minutes, much faster than Zhou Lei. She temporarily took first place, triggering loud cheers and commotion.
The challenge continued. But most people were still focused on Guan Yuanshuang. The fifth team's challenge went largely unnoticed and was quickly completed. When the sixth team came up, the disciples perked up again. This time, Chen Yuze, the top-ranked outer disciple, was among them. Guan Yuanshuang, ranked third, had taken only five minutes. How high would Chen Yuze's result be? The disciples were eager to find out.
They watched as the sixth team disciples entered the tower. Chen Yuze didn't disappoint—he cleared it in just three minutes. That result nearly broke a record set years ago. Gasps of awe rippled through the crowd. Almost everyone on the field was stunned, unable to snap out of it for a long time. Few paid any attention to the upcoming seventh team challenge.
And Lin Xuan was in the seventh team.
With the steward's command, Lin Xuan and the other seventh team disciples rushed into the tower. Once inside, they were greeted by a spacious area. Dense rows of black, human-sized puppets stood everywhere, charging at them from all directions.
"Are these the puppets?" Lin Xuan's eyes flickered, his expression still calm. He could sense that these puppets were only at the Acupoint Opening Realm, posing little threat to him. His priority was to use the treasures he had copied earlier from the Grand Elder and the true disciple Xu Anlan to enhance his talent and strength.
With a thought, Lin Xuan felt waves of warmth surge through his body, flowing and quickly being absorbed. At the same time, a cool, clear prompt echoed in his ears.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to the Spiritual Grade cultivation talent!"
"Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to twenty percent Sword Intent!"
"Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to the Supreme Grade strength talent!"
"..."