It was a new day in the Infinite Dao Sect, and a new competition was about to begin.

The great majority of disciples had already gathered in the stadium, waiting for the start, and on the field, more than a thousand of them were already prepared to compete.

Since the first competitions focused on auxiliary arts, the intermediate ones on administrative pavilions, and finally, the finals would be combat-based, the number of participants would only increase as the stages progressed.

After all, battles were something all disciples could perform, but auxiliary arts required focus and talent to master.

When the audience was already considerably gathered, two situations caught everyone's attention and caused a stir.

The first was when Lan Jun, the third-place winner in the alchemy competition, arrived at the stadium flying without using a sword, with a calm expression and his hands clasped behind his back. That was the mark of a Golden Core cultivator.

Many exclamations and murmurs arose among the disciples, who looked at him full of admiration and anticipation.

The second was when Huo Qing did the same, provoking another wave of exclamations and envious stares.

As for Cang Song… well, he had already arrived some time ago, walking calmly and sitting discreetly in a corner of the crowd, without drawing attention.

Although the Golden Core realm wasn't particularly noteworthy within the powerful Infinite Dao Sect, that applied only to the elders. Among the disciples, it was something entirely different.

It represented possibility. It was the future — a very near future — that all of them would soon reach. So seeing that future right before their eyes only made them more excited.

But the real surprise came when the day's competition, organized by the Talisman Pavilion, was about to begin.

Once again, the dignified leader of the Infinite Dao Sect, Tian Zhu, appeared before everyone, standing in midair, his hands behind his back and posture straight.

"Everyone, before the competition begins, the sect has an announcement to make."

He spoke in a calm yet commanding tone. His composed voice immediately silenced all disciples.

"A new group of elders has just arrived from a very distant place, and I wish to introduce them."

As soon as he finished speaking, while the crowd was still trying to process the news, he turned to the side. From there, hundreds of shadows exuding powerful presences appeared, flying toward the stadium.

Leading the group were the inner elders of the pavilions. The ancestors, however, were not among them.

It was normal that the disciples didn't know the faces of the ancestors. In any sect, they were considered strategic weapons — highly honored and mysterious — rarely revealed except in moments of extreme necessity.

This was also part of the strategy of many powers and sects. After all, many ancestors didn't die in battle but rather from the natural end of their lifespan, passing away in seclusion.

However, since they rarely appeared in public, even after their deaths, enemy forces had no way of knowing. This allowed the sect to remain protected before its rivals, relying solely on the reputation of the ancestor — even if, in reality, he was already dead.

Thus, the perception arose that an ancestor was not something easily seen by members of a power.

For that reason, ironically, presenting them would be stranger than keeping them hidden.

All the newly arrived elders, perfectly synchronized in the air, clasped their fists and bowed deeply before Tian Zhu.

"We greet the Sect Leader!" they shouted respectfully, releasing an immense pressure that left the disciples speechless.

No one could have imagined that, all of a sudden, more than five hundred new elders would appear in the sect that day.

Before, the sect had only about seventy elders. Now, that number had increased more than sevenfold.

Soon, some disciples — especially the women — noticed that among the new elders, there wasn't a single woman, which caused a bit of unease.

Now, among more than six hundred elders, only one was female.

"Rise," Tian Zhu ordered. "You may go and meet the others to get acquainted with the current situation. A competition is about to begin, and it should not be delayed by conversations here," he spoke calmly, but the order to disperse was clear.

"Yes, Sect Leader!" the elders responded in unison before heading toward the elders' section in the stands, where they began conversing with the others through sound transmissions as they took their seats.

Tian Zhu then turned to the disciples — especially the women — and remained silent for a moment, as if pondering something. His face, however, stayed calm and unreadable.

At last, he spoke:

"I know you all have questions about where so many elders came from and why there are so few women among the sect's leadership."

His words directly addressed the main concerns of the disciples, drawing even more attention to what the leader would say next.

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"There are many things that are not appropriate to reveal for now. Just know that, in the future, more elders will arrive — and among them, there will also be women. Even I cannot say the exact time, for certain reasons, but I ask that you not worry about it..."

His gaze swept across the female disciples in the crowd.

"... Especially you, female disciples. Know that the feminine presence in the sect's leadership is equally strong and by no means inferior to that of men. Just be patient and wait for their arrival."

He gave them a slight nod, receiving in return countless looks of relief.

The female disciples stood, clasped their fists, and bowed deeply in gratitude to the sect leader.

As a dignified leader, he had no obligation to reassure them — after all, the sect already did much for them, and the debt they owed was far too great to measure. But the fact that the leader still took time to comfort them filled their hearts with gratitude and admiration.

And not only the women — even the men began to view their sect leader in a new light.

Tian Zhu had always appeared strong and indifferent, but at that moment, he showed concern and care for everyone's feelings — even for the weak disciples who barely deserved a second glance from someone so powerful.

Under the collective admiration, everyone stood up, cupped their fists, and bowed deeply before the leader, who remained suspended in the air, imposing, with his hands behind his back.

No words were spoken, but the collective gesture overflowed with respect and reverence.

Tian Zhu observed them for a moment, and then, a small, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Good. Everyone, rise. With this matter settled, let the day's events continue as planned."

As soon as he spoke, the faint smile vanished as if it had never existed — and, unfortunately, none of the disciples, who still had their heads lowered, saw it.

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

With the powerful, unified response of the crowd, the competition proceeded.

This time, there were no great surprises — the contest went on smoothly and normally.

The challenge was similar to that of the first competition, where certain materials were provided, and a specific type of talisman was requested. The competitor had to create the best possible talisman within a short time to advance to the next round.

The number of rounds in this competition was greater, but the time between each was much shorter, making its total duration similar to that of the alchemy competition.

In the end, unsurprisingly, the winner was the sect's former oldest disciple, Hui Lang, currently one hundred years old — and formerly toothless.

As a core disciple of the Talisman Pavilion, it was no surprise that he took first place.

Why was he no longer the oldest? Simple: the girl, Mu Luyin, had turned over one hundred that year, making her the oldest current disciple.

When she found out, her face turned red and green with embarrassment. She truly wanted to hit someone after hearing that.

Fortunately for her, old Hui Lang was now very different from when he had first joined the sect. He no longer looked like someone at death's door — otherwise, Mu Luyin would probably have fainted upon being called older than him.

Now, despite his white hair, his face no longer bore wrinkles, and his teeth had grown back.

He looked like a strong, middle-aged man with graying hair. This was thanks to his decision to start refining his body, which not only restored him to his prime but made him surpass it many times over. Even his teeth regrew, which made him extremely happy and motivated.

With his new victory, everyone looked at him with admiration, rekindling the vanity that had lain dormant for years due to old age — and now, it could shine once again.

Days continued to pass, and on the third day, the Refinement Pavilion competition began.

The challenges were similar to those of the earlier competitions, but focused on crafting artifacts. Since the forging process took longer, the challenge was to create the best weapon possible from the provided materials.

There was only one round, followed by a joint evaluation by the elders, who graded each created artifact for the final ranking.

First place once again went to the core disciple of that pavilion — the adorable little girl Lin Xiaoxue, who was still that lively child very close to Elder Zhao and her sister, Xiao Ling.

On the fourth day came the Formation Pavilion's turn. This competition finally brought a fresh twist compared to the previous ones.

A road filled with various formations was set up by the elders, and the disciples had to decipher and traverse it without getting hurt, using only their knowledge of formations.

In the end, the one who made it the farthest down the road was Bai Jingjing, the little girl who had previously been poisoned and who possessed a Spiritual Physique.

That physique was later discovered to have a Suppression trait — an innate ability that allowed her to suppress things.

It was thanks to this physique that she survived the poison that afflicted her while still in her mother's womb, managing to live for many years until she found a cure in the sect.

Later, it was discovered that because of her physique, she had great talent in formations and ended up becoming a core disciple of the Formation Pavilion.

The fifth day brought the Missions Pavilion competition.

This time, the event was particularly interesting for both the participating disciples and the audience, who became deeply engaged in trying to figure out the answers.

The elders would first present a mission. Then, they would provide certain materials and information, as if a disciple had completed the mission and brought back proof along with a report.

Information about the area where the mission had taken place and what the sect knew about it was also given, helping to contextualize the fictional scenario.

The participants had to identify the materials, analyze the mission details and background, and ultimately determine whether the mission had truly been completed.

Each could ask questions to the elders acting as the disciple who had supposedly completed the mission. During these exchanges, the elders prevented their voices from spreading to the other competitors, ensuring fairness — though the audience could still hear everything.

Finally, each participant had to write a full report containing all their findings and possible connections within the case.

The winner was a talented disciple who greatly caught Aotian's attention, leaving him quite satisfied to discover another hidden talent in the sect — just like many others he had uncovered in recent days.

After the competition ended, Aotian planned to control an inner elder of the Missions Pavilion to invite that disciple to become his direct disciple, making him the first core disciple of that pavilion, which had none until then.

As for the answer to the competition, it was that the fictional disciple had not completed the mission — but he didn't know it.

In the scenario, he had chased a demonic cultivator who, upon realizing he couldn't win, pretended to be destroyed and swallowed by the disciple's spell, leaving behind only a few remnants, like an ear.

Unaware that the enemy had escaped, the disciple happily returned to the sect and submitted the mission as completed.

Many participants discovered the answer in the end, but the final score considered how many details they identified, how long they took, and how many questions they asked the elder playing the disciple.

When the answer was revealed, several disciples in the audience wore triumphant, excited smiles, while others showed irritation or frustration for getting it wrong.

The little girl Lin Xiaoxue, for instance, stood with crossed arms, puffed cheeks, and a very annoyed expression for completely missing the answer.

Earlier, she had boasted to her friend Bai Jingjing and her sister Xiao Ling that the question was way too easy, and that the elders hadn't even put in any effort when they made it.

In the end, her little face turned so red from embarrassment that she covered it with her hands and ran off, while Xiao Ling and Bai Jingjing burst into laughter, unable to contain themselves at her reaction.

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