Immediately, Chen Yuze and Guan Yuanshuang's expressions turned into ones of extreme envy.
Chen Yuze had broken through to the Qi Transformation Realm and still participated in the grand competition, not only to bask in the limelight one last time as an outer disciple but also for the generous rewards of first place. Three thousand contribution points were equivalent to at least three hundred low-grade spirit stones, enough to last a long time even after entering the inner sect. Yet now, with just a word from the Grand Elder, Lin Xuan had been given five thousand contribution points—nearly double that amount. This truly made the two of them deeply envious.
Of course, they also understood that the Grand Elder had casually found a reason to increase Lin Xuan's reward by nearly half because of his talent, intending to nurture him and pour resources his way. They lacked Lin Xuan's talent—no, their talent was utterly insignificant and incomparable to his, not even on the same level. The Grand Elder naturally wouldn't show them any special favor. So, they could only feel envy and had no other thoughts.
"Mm, work hard from now on, and don't let down the sect's expectations and cultivation," the Grand Elder said with a light laugh, nodding.
"Disciple understands!" Lin Xuan replied with a bow.
After that, the Grand Elder encouraged Lin Xuan a few more times before having him step back and stand aside.
Next came the distribution of rewards for second and third place to Chen Yuze and Guan Yuanshuang. But after witnessing the scale of Lin Xuan's reward, both found it utterly dull and lost their original excitement. Although the rewards for this competition were more than double those of previous ones, compared to Lin Xuan's prize, Chen Yuze's second-place reward of a thousand contribution points was only a fifth of Lin Xuan's, while Guan Yuanshuang's was merely a tenth. It felt quite pitiful, and they couldn't muster any real feeling about it.
Soon, their rewards were also handed out. Though they were among the top three outer disciples and considered elite, they were merely average, far inferior to Lin Xuan, and not worth the Grand Elder's special treatment. So, they only received their original rewards.
"Grand Elder, should I be able to enter the inner sect now?" Chen Yuze suddenly spoke up.
Originally, having broken through to the Qi Transformation Realm and comprehended the essence of artistic conception, he should have been the most dazzling at this competition. But what happened? An anomaly like Lin Xuan appeared—a new disciple who, in just one month, not only reached the mid-stage of Qi Gathering but also grasped a fully formed artistic conception, forcefully defeated him, and claimed first place. Despite his own breakthrough and increased strength, Chen Yuze fell back a rank to second. All the spotlight belonged to Lin Xuan, and few paid attention to him anymore. Moreover, Lin Xuan's handsome face even surpassed his, causing many of his former admirers to abandon him for Lin Xuan. With so many disappointments, he felt the outer sect had become a place of sorrow, unwilling to stay any longer, and wanted to leave for the inner sect as soon as possible.
"You may. You've already broken through to the Qi Transformation Realm, so you're qualified to enter the inner sect. Just report to the Outer Sect Hall and handle the relevant procedures," the Grand Elder said, nodding. A trace of helplessness flickered in his eyes. He could roughly discern Chen Yuze's thoughts. Breaking through to Qi Transformation at this age and comprehending the rudiments of artistic conception was quite impressive and top-tier among outer disciples in recent years, deserving of widespread attention and interest from many outer elders. But unfortunately, during this competition, an anomaly like Lin Xuan emerged—a new disciple who, after only a month, reached the fourth layer of Qi Gathering, displayed sword intent, and dominated the top spot. Compared to Lin Xuan, Chen Yuze seemed utterly ordinary. No, compared to Lin Xuan, even within the entire Flowing Cloud Sect, only a very few could be called geniuses; the rest were just ordinary martial artists. So, it was perfectly normal for Chen Yuze to want to leave the outer sect quickly for the inner sect. The Grand Elder wouldn't dissuade him or say anything unnecessary.
Afterward, the Grand Elder added 200 contribution points to the identity tokens of the top ten. After praising Lin Xuan, Chen Yuze, and Guan Yuanshuang, he had them, along with Steward Zhang, descend from the platform. Once the three returned to the crowd and the arena quieted for a moment, the Grand Elder continued in a clear voice: "The competition rewards have been distributed. This competition was quite exciting, full of twists and turns. But overall, many disciples have made considerable progress, which is commendable. I hope you can maintain your momentum, break through to the Qi Transformation Realm soon, enter the inner sect, and bring honor to the sect. That's all I have to say. With this, the outer sect grand competition concludes! Everyone, disperse."
As his words fell, a wave of enthusiastic applause rang out across the arena. Then, the disciples formed groups and turned to leave. Lin Xuan also left the square and headed straight for his small building. He needed to return first and use the treasures he had copied today from the two Kai Ling Realm experts—the Grand Elder and the true disciple Xu Anlan—to enhance his talent and strength as much as possible.
Given Lin Xuan's strikingly handsome face and exceptional talent and strength, many outer disciples should have come to flatter and curry favor with him. However, because Lin Xuan had been too ruthless during the competition, showing no mercy—even injuring Guan Yuanshuang, the outer sect's top beauty—and because he maintained a cold demeanor, giving off an air of "keep away," no one dared to approach. Lin Xuan was fine with that. In this martial world, strength reigned supreme, and power was everything. So-called networks were useless because with absolute power, one could control everything and stand above all. Wealth, beauty, authority—all would naturally gravitate toward you. Networks were utterly fragile before true strength. Thus, improving strength was the top priority; everything else could be ignored.
Before long, all the disciples, stewards, and managers had left, leaving only the Grand Elder and Xu Anlan standing on the platform.
"How is it?" the Grand Elder asked, looking at Xu Anlan.
"After a month in the sect, he's already comprehended half-formed sword intent! Liu Qianyu wasn't this good when he was an outer disciple," Xu Anlan said after a long silence.
"Yes, perhaps our Flowing Cloud Sect can produce a prodigy after all?" the Grand Elder remarked with emotion, a hint of excitement stirring in his expression.
"Mm," Xu Anlan nodded. Though he was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Lin Xuan's talent far surpassed his own, and even Liu Qianyu's. Perhaps he truly had the potential to become a prodigy.
"Grand Elder, this disciple will return to cultivate now," Xu Anlan suddenly added. With that, he stepped forward, lightly landing below the platform, and walked away without looking back, looking deeply discouraged. The Grand Elder watched, let out a bitter laugh, and shook his head. He had brought Xu Anlan to watch the outer sect competition, hoping to boost his confidence by comparing him to ordinary outer disciples, to improve his chances in the upcoming battle two months later. Instead, it had backfired. He had no idea what changes might come of it.