Chapter 66: Tired of Living
At Wind Cloud Gorge, a sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see. The area around the Life and Death Platform was completely packed with Cloud Sea Sect disciples, dense and crowded.
Moreover, above the massive area of the Life and Death Platform, along the edge of the gorge, many people were gathered, their gazes fixed on the gorge below. These individuals all had sharp eyes and carried an unfathomable aura.
They were the high-ranking members of the Cloud Sea Sect, including the Sect Leader, Nan Gong Ling, who had personally arrived and was seated in the center of the crowd at the gorge's edge.
The Cloud Sea Sect's annual Grand Tournament was one of the sect's most important events, held twice a year. In the first round of the tournament, many outer disciples might step into the inner sect, becoming inner disciples, while some powerful inner disciples could become core disciples, a position of great pride.
Of course, since some rose, others were eliminated.
The rule was simple: challenge and eliminate.
For an outer disciple to enter the inner sect, they had to challenge any current inner disciple. Victory meant entry into the inner sect, while the challenged inner disciple was eliminated, losing all face.
Similarly, for an inner disciple to enter the core of the sect, they too had to challenge—challenge a powerful core disciple. Victory meant becoming a core disciple, standing high above the rest.
The rules were simple, naked, and brutally cruel. Some laughed proudly in the tournament, while others were humiliated and eliminated.
This was the first round of the tournament, determining the lists of all outer disciples, inner disciples, and core disciples for the year.
After that came the second round: the ranking battles—outer disciple rankings, inner disciple rankings, and core disciple rankings.
Whether outer, inner, or core, entering the top ten was a glorious honor. These individuals were the sect's hope, receiving the sect's attention and focused cultivation resources.
Moreover, anyone who entered the top ten among the three categories of disciples would receive generous rewards. These rewards could be Origin Stones, weapons, pills, or high-grade martial techniques and cultivation methods.
Of course, those inner and core disciples who were eliminated had no qualification to participate in the ranking battles. Whoever was eliminated was destined to endure endless humiliation. Therefore, in the first round of the tournament, being chosen to accept a challenge was a great insult, and they would go all out to attack the challenger.
Without truly formidable strength, no one dared to challenge recklessly!
When Lin Feng and the other two arrived at the Life and Death Platform area, the tournament had already begun. It happened to be the outer disciples challenging the inner disciples.
At that moment, two figures were locked in battle on the Life and Death Platform, the fight extremely intense.
"That's Liu Fei. I heard she's already entered the Spirit Martial Realm. It's true. That woman is not only beautiful but also strong. If I could win her as a wife, that would be great."
Han Man, watching the red-clad girl in the battle, said with a simple, honest smile. Liu Fei's beauty was famous throughout the Cloud Sea Sect; she was the dream lover of many. But she was a bit cold, keeping people at a distance. Countless suitors had stumbled over her, including some core disciples who combined talent with strength.
Rumor had it that besides her beauty and talent, Liu Fei's background was also astonishing.
"Win her as a wife? Could you handle her?" Lin Feng glanced at Han Man with a half-smile. This guy really dared to think, wanting such a fiery woman.
"Hehe, I'm no pushover either, but I feel I'm not worthy of her." Han Man scratched his head with a simple grin, then looked at Lin Feng and said, "By the way, Lin Feng, I think you and Liu Fei are a good match. Liu Fei is beautiful, you're handsome, and both of you have great talent—a perfect pair."
"Me?" Lin Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He shrugged. He was afraid he wouldn't dare sleep at night.
Raising his head, Lin Feng's gaze swept toward the crowd above the gorge. After a moment, his eyes landed on one person, and a cold gleam flashed briefly.
"Mo Xie, in this sect's Grand Tournament, I'll start collecting some interest." A cold sneer formed in his heart. The reason he had rushed to participate in the tournament was for Mo Xie.
Mo Xie, standing above the gorge, seemed to sense something. His gaze left the Life and Death Platform and scanned the crowd, but he found nothing, causing him to frown slightly.
At that moment, after a prolonged battle, Liu Fei released her martial soul and secured victory, drawing a round of cheers. Lin Feng sighed inwardly—beautiful women really did get different treatment.
Entering the inner sect was nothing to be proud of for Liu Fei. She swept her gaze over the crowd and sighed inwardly. She had stepped into the Spirit Martial Realm, awakened her martial soul, and possessed the same Divine Arrow Martial Soul as her father once had, yet she was still no match for that person.
But unfortunately, that person had died at the hands of a demonic beast, and it was the sect elder Mo Xie who had caused it.
"If he were here, with his formidable strength, he would surely shine brilliantly."
For some reason, the image of Lin Feng suddenly came to Liu Fei's mind—that unrestrained young genius. But that guy was indeed a bit annoying.
If she had a choice, Liu Fei would rather defeat Lin Feng than her current opponent to enter the inner sect.
Meanwhile, in another spot above the gorge, at the window of a small hut, Old Man Bei gazed at the Life and Death Platform, witnessing Liu Fei's victory.
"Fei Fei's talent is good, but she's still far behind her father, Liu Canglan. In the future, she definitely won't be able to inherit Canglan's legacy. Living in the Imperial City, that place of trouble, is hard to feel at ease about."
Many thoughts ran through Old Man Bei's mind. The Imperial City—those two sacred words—but Old Man Bei knew it was filled with schemes, power struggles, and countless experts. As long as Canglan was there, he could protect Liu Fei. But if one day Liu Canglan was gone, Liu Fei would surely be swallowed up.
"I originally wanted to send Lin Feng to the Imperial City. That way, not only would Lin Feng grow quickly, interacting with more experts and geniuses, but he might also have the chance to help Canglan in the future. And if fate allowed..."
Thinking of all this, a fierce killing intent flashed in Old Man Bei's eyes. Mo Xie—if this parasite was not removed, his heart would never be at ease.
Lin Feng had no idea so many people were thinking about him. At that moment, he saw another familiar face.
"Lin Feng, you're here too. What a coincidence." Jing Yun walked over, her gaze still as pure and clean as ever.
"Yeah, quite a coincidence." Lin Feng smiled at Jing Yun. In the Cloud Sea Sect, he got along best with Han Man and Jing Yun.
"It's not a coincidence; it's called fate." Han Man laughed heartily. "Jing Yun, I'm standing here with such a big frame, and you didn't see me? You only saw Lin Feng."
"Uh..." Lin Feng shot Han Man a glare. This guy wasn't being honest.
"Who knows you?" Jing Yun rolled her eyes at Han Man and said softly.
"Fine, you don't know me, right? I wonder who was dragging me to find Lin Feng every day a while ago." Han Man snickered, leaving Lin Feng speechless. When had this honest guy become so... perverted?
"How would I know who that was?" Jing Yun's pretty face flushed with a rosy glow, delicate and moving, making Han Man burst into laughter.
Beside them, Po Jun's eyes flickered. He glanced at the wryly smiling Lin Feng. This guy seemed to win people over easily.
"Hey, you lot, why don't you shut your stinking mouths?"
At that moment, a slightly cold voice rang out, shattering the harmonious atmosphere around Lin Feng and the others.
Lin Feng and the others froze. Turning their gazes, they saw an inner disciple carrying an ancient sword on his back, looking at them with contempt.
"We're talking. What business is it of yours?" Han Man glared at the other party. This guy was so rude—were they not even allowed to speak?
"Believe it or not, I'll kill you." The sword-carrying man said coldly, exuding a sharp aura.
"It's you." At that moment, Lin Feng spat out two words. What a small world. He actually recognized this man. It was Yu Hao, the inner disciple who had been in the tree the day Liu Fei was chasing him and had directly struck him with a sword. That sword strike had nearly cost Lin Feng his life. He also remembered Yu Hao threatening that if Liu Fei nodded, he would kill Lin Feng—arrogant to the extreme.
Yu Hao was startled by Lin Feng's words. He took a closer look at Lin Feng and then remembered, laughing, "So it's you, the waste. Last time I spared your life was your luck. Are you tired of living again this time?"
"Tired of living?" Lin Feng sneered. He had silently sworn back then that the day he stepped into the Spirit Martial Realm would be the day he used Yu Hao to consecrate his sword.
PS: Going on the shelves on the 7th, brothers, remember to save some flowers for Wu Hen...