After a long separation, Wang Xiaoqiang saw Ye Qingcheng jump down from the second floor of the villa, thinking she would give him a friendly hug. He ran up with open arms, but to his surprise, she pushed him away, glaring and saying, "Get lost..."

After scolding him, however, she approached and took Wang Xiaoqiang's arm, pulling him into the villa,

"Hey? Did you really kill the three members of the Crown Prince Faction?" After pulling Wang Xiaoqiang into the villa, Ye Qingcheng locked the door and then lowered her voice to ask.

"Why, you don't believe me?" Wang Xiaoqiang retorted.

Ye Qingcheng's eyes shone as she stared at Wang Xiaoqiang. "It's not that I don't believe you, I just can't believe it. Jiangg Yulong was in the Mid Golden Core Stage and you are in the Early Golden Core Stage. How could you kill him? Besides, they were three people and you were alone, outnumbered. You, you..."

When Wang Xiaoqiang had entered the Taiyi Sect, he had released 100 Spirit Stones from his body, making his Cultivation Base appear as Early Golden Core Stage in everyone's Divine Sense. It was no wonder that Ye Qingcheng was skeptical. Cultivation was like rowing upstream—the higher one went, the more difficult it became, and the difference between each level became greater. For instance, advancing from Early to Mid Foundation Establishment might take five to ten years and moving from Early to Mid Golden Core Stage would need ten to twenty years. For someone at the Early Golden Core Stage to kill someone at the Mid Golden Core Stage was almost impossible unless the latter was gravely injured.

Wang Xiaoqiang didn't want to tell anyone about the Five Elements Spiritual Spring, so he casually said, "You think I couldn't kill Jiangg Yulong, right? Indeed, I couldn't kill him myself; it was thanks to someone else's help..."

"Who?" Ye Qingcheng asked eagerly, gazing intently at Wang Xiaoqiang.

"I don't know. He was a stranger and even had his face covered. He appeared during my desperate fight with the Crown Prince Faction, and then he cleanly and briskly killed all three members of the Crown Prince Faction. From what I could tell, he must have been a Nascent Soul Old Monster..."

"Ah, no wonder..." Ye Qingcheng believed him and said thoughtfully, "But are you really sure you don't know that person?"

"Of course," Wang Xiaojing spread his hands and said, "Since the person was masked, he obviously didn't want to be recognized. Why would he let me know who he was?"

"Hmm, that makes sense... But, you are really lucky. A Nascent Soul helping you at a critical moment; Jiangg Yulong's trio definitely deserved to die..." Ye Qingcheng said, then reminded him, "However, Xiaoqiang, you should still be careful in the future. Now in the Taiyi Sect, everyone thinks you killed the three members of the Crown Prince Faction, especially Jiangg Yulong. His uncle in the Penglai Immortal Sect is a Vice Sect Leader and a Nascent Soul Old Monster. You killed his nephew, so I don't think he will let it go. Also, the Jiangg Family in the mortal world is a Hidden Cultivation Family, so be wary of them targeting your family..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoqiang's heart sank, realizing the deep background of Jiangg Yulong and that he needed to be more cautious in the future. At that moment, the Jade Slip on Wang Xiaoqiang vibrated.

Wang Xiaoqiang took out the Jade Slip and saw an icon of his master, Taiyi Immortal, which made his heart skip a beat. He exchanged glances with Ye Qingcheng, who gestured for him to answer the Jade Slip. Wang Xiaoqiang nodded and tapped the Jade Slip with his index finger.

The voice of the Taiyi Immortal came from the Jade Slip, "Wang Xiaoqiang, come to my hall..."

Having said this, he then disconnected the Communication Jade Slip.

Wang Xiaoqiang put the Jade Slip back inside his clothes, turned to Ye Qingcheng, who said, "It seems the master wants to ask about the matter of the three members of the Crown Prince Faction... Just insist that it wasn't you who killed them. After all, there's no proof of death, and since it wasn't done inside the Taiyi Sect, even if they find out it was you, it won't be a big deal..."

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded, walked out of the villa, and headed straight to the South Gate Main Hall.

The Taiyi Immortal was sitting in the grand chair at the front of the main hall, alone in the vast space.

When Wang Xiaoqiang entered the hall, before he could even salute, the Taiyi Immortal already waved him over to talk.

Wang Xiaoqiang walked over.

The Taiyi Immortal checked Wang Xiaoqiang's Culturation Base with his Divine Sense for the second time, still finding him in the Early Golden Core Stage, which surprised him greatly. No one knew the affairs of the Taiyi Sect better than its Sect Leaders and Elders. The Sect normally prohibited factions like the Crown Prince Faction, Genius Group, Grassroots Gang, etc., but because these factions involved many elite disciples, suppression was not viable, and they were allowed to flourish. However, the recent killing of the three members from the Crown Prince Faction on the edge of the Taiyi Sect's territory had immediately caught the attention of the five Sect Leaders and six Elders. Those three were among the elite of the younger generation in the sect, especially Jiangg Yulong, who had immense potential. At just twenty-six, he had reached the Mid Golden Core Stage with unlimited prospects. He was a key cultivation target of the Taiyi Sect. Moreover, Jiangg Yulong had significant family background and his uncle was the Deputy Leader of the Penglai Immortal Sect. His death was regrettable for the Taiyi Sect and a great loss for his family. Most importantly, the Deputy Leader of the Penglai Immortal Sect, Jiangg Aotian, who was also Jiangg Yulong's uncle, had already sent word demanding that the Taiyi Sect clarify the cause of Jiangg Yulong's death.

"Wang Xiaoqiang, come a bit closer." Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang approaching and about to bow, the Taiyi Immortal waved his hand and spoke.

Wang Xiaoqiang moved closer, his heart thumping wildly. What does this old man want? Getting closer and closer, we'll be face to face soon.

"Alright." The Taiyi Immortal, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang had come up close, lowered his voice and got straight to the point, "I ask you, the three from the Crown Prince Faction, namely Jiangg Yulong, Ji Ning, and Yinn Xuege, were they killed by you?"

"No!" Wang Xiaoqiang declared resolutely.

"Really not?" The Taiyi Immortal stared intently at Wang Xiaoqiang and asked again.

"Really not." Wang Xiaoqiang's response was even more swift than before. Though the 100 Spirit Springs in front of him were vibrating intensely around his body after sensing the profound cultivation base of the Taiyi Immortal, he knew clearly that the Taiyi Immortal could neither see nor sense the existence of those hundred Spirit Springs.

"Uh..." The Taiyi Immortal let out a slight sigh of relief. Changing to a relaxed tone, "This time I have called you here mainly to discuss the sect's grand competition. In three days, the internal grand competition will begin..."

The Taiyi Immortal then patiently explained the specific process of the internal grand competition to Wang Xiaoqiang. Traditionally, the Taiyi Sect held a competition for young disciples annually on the fixed date of September 15, selecting contenders through various rounds and finally ranking the top ten. From there, they would determine the top four, and then the top three. These top ten disciples would receive substantial rewards like Spirit Stones, Pills, Magic Artifacts, and Spirit Grass, and gain significant attention from the Sect Leader and the Elders for future mentorship...

Moreover, the grand competition wasn't exclusive to the Taiyi Sect but also held by the Penglai Immortal Sect and the Mount Hua Sword Sect. The competition rules were the same, selecting the top ten who would then participate in an inter-sect competition on Penglai Immortal Island, again selecting the top ten from among the three Great Immortal Sects. The top four of these inter-sect competitions were quite amazing, as they had the privilege to travel through a transmission formation to the Immortal Realm for cultivation experience. It was widely known that the Spiritual Energy, Spirit Grass, Spirit Beasts, and Magic Artifacts in the Immortal Realm were qualitatively superior to those on Earth. For example, a day's cultivation in the Immortal Realm was equivalent to twice that on Earth.

The difference was clearly tremendous.

After explaining the rules, the Taiyi Immortal sighed deeply, "Ah, whenever it's time for the competition, I feel utterly disheartened. For over a decade, our South Sect has been in decline, much like the underworld darkness spoken of in the secular world—extremely weakened and beaten down. In ten years, not a single talented individual has emerged. For example, among your fellow disciples before you came, the strongest was Ling Qiyan, who's at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage. This cultivation level is merely average compared to the other three sects. Like North Sect's Jiangg Yulong, uh, let's not talk about him since there's no hope there. Like Lin Jinghong from East Sect in the Early Golden Core Stage, and Xiao Jianyu in the Mid Golden Core Stage, and from West Sect, Qii Jingtian who reached Mid Golden Core Stage last year and has been in closed-door cultivation from the end of last year to now. I estimate he will break through in the next few days, and he will surely reach the Late Golden Core Stage. This year's champion is undoubtedly him…"

As the Taiyi Immortal spoke, his gaze shifted to Wang Xiaoqiang, his eyes brightening. "Little Qiang, your master has been holding back for ten years. I didn't expect the heavens to grant me a gift like you. This time, I hope you can stand up for your master..."

"Master, I..."

Before Wang Xiaoqiang could say that as a disciple he would definitely try his best, the Taiyi Immortal had already stopped him, saying, "Little Qiang... I don't expect you to be very strong, but if you can make it into the top ten, your master will be completely satisfied. After all, among the younger generation of disciples, there are no less than five at the Golden Core Stage. Of course, if you could make it into the top four, that would truly honor your master..."

"Disciple will definitely try his best." Wang Xiaoqiang said.

"Hmm!" The Taiyi Immortal nodded appreciatively and then with a meaningful tone added, "Actually, Little Qiang, the Deputy Leader of the North Sect just went to our founding master persuading him to thoroughly investigate the deaths of the three members of the Crown Prince Faction. However, I did not agree. You know, Little Qiang, this kind of matter isn't normally within our rules. As one of the four vice sect leaders, as long as one disagrees, our founding master will not conduct the investigation..."

Wang Xiaoqiang, being well-versed in worldly affairs, knew very well that the sect leaders had long suspected him, Wang Xiaoqiang, as the murderer. It was only because his own master had objected that an investigation hadn't been fully pursued.

Wang Xiaoqiang said nothing, merely clasping his fists towards the Taiyi Immortal, his face showing gratitude.

"Little Qiang, as the saying goes, sharpening your axe will not delay your job of chopping wood. I hope you use these three days to cultivate more, to gather energy and nurture your spirit," The Taiyi Immortal spoke, and with a flick of his robe sleeve, his hand reached out and a Brocade Box appeared, immediately diffusing a rich fragrance. "This is a little token from your master,"

As he spoke, the True Person of Taiyi opened the box. Inside, four Pills were fiery red, bright in color, akin to four leaping flames.

"These are Middle Grade Pills, Fire Spirit Pills, which can enhance the Fire Attribute Spiritual Energy inside your body and are extremely compatible with your spell 'Fire Qilin Art,' capable of exhibiting extraordinary power..." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote and give monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.