Only to see by the side of the emerald pool, that giant water qilin which had been sleeping soundly all along suddenly woke up, turned its head back fiercely, and its huge eyes emitted endless ferocity. The hair on its back stood upright, it opened a bloody big mouth, revealing two long sharp fangs, and actually took an attacking posture. And its target was none other than the disciples of Qingyunmen standing on the steps.

  The water qilin was a primordial spirit, an ancient strange beast. With this roar, the wind and clouds changed color in an instant, and the originally blue sky suddenly darkened. As it stepped onto the platform with its first step, the calm mountain wind turned into a fierce gale, sharp and howling, sweeping over the top of Tongtian Peak. In the bay of Bi Shui Pond closest to the water qilin, the surface of the water changed from being as still as a mirror to trembling, then suddenly violently churning. The entire pond spun rapidly around its center, forming a deep whirlpool in the process. At the bottom of the whirlpool, there seemed to be a rumbling sound coming from it. A moment later, everyone heard a loud crash, and a column of water shot up from the depths of the whirlpool, as thick as three people embracing each other. It condensed but did not disperse, spinning in mid-air before falling down, as if driven by some force, landing in front of the water qilin. The water column was like a swimming dragon, crystal clear and translucent, rotating and moving in the air.

  At this time, all the Qingyunmen people standing on the steps, including Qi Huan and others who had the deepest cultivation, couldnt keep calm anymore. They all changed color, some even turned pale and trembled slightly.

  The Water Qilins ability to become the powerful assistant of Qingye Zushi in exorcising and subduing evil spirits a thousand years ago, and being revered by the Qingyun Gate for a thousand years, was fully revealed at this moment. Among the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, the Water Qilin is the top-grade spiritual object of the water system. Just looking at its ability to manipulate water in mid-air without any external force, summoning a thick water pillar that condenses and does not disperse, even swirling in mid-air with no signs of exhaustion, its spiritual power and pure intent far surpass those of ordinary cultivators. Even among the high-ranking members of the Qingyun Gate, there are only a few who can achieve this level of mastery using their magical artifacts, let alone relying solely on their intent.

  At this moment, the sky and earth were equally dark, with wind and clouds surging. The disciples of Qingyun Gate saw that the Spirit Water Qilin had suddenly become enraged, something that had not happened in over a thousand years. They were all stunned, unsure of what to do. Before they could react, Water Qilins mouth was constantly roaring with anger, its eyes wide open, and the color of extreme hatred and anger in its eyes grew stronger and stronger. It seemed as if it had sensed something deeply hated or extremely detested, and wanted to fight it to the death. The large water pillar swirling around the giant beasts body also moved faster and faster. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard, "Boom!" The massive water pillar brought endless momentum, covering the sky and earth, and struck the Qingyun disciples on the platform.

  Just at this critical moment, a loud cry was heard in mid-air: "Spiritual Master, calm your anger!"

  A dark green figure, as if appearing out of thin air, suddenly appeared in mid-air between Shui Qilin and the Qingyun disciples. It was none other than Qingyun Gates leader, Dao Xuan Zhenren. Five years had passed without a change in his elegant demeanor, but at this moment, his brow was furrowed, clearly perplexed by Shui Qilins sudden difficulty. However, with dozens of Qingyun Gates most outstanding young disciples behind him and the surging water pillar ahead, which contained various ferocious beasts shadows, it was evident that these were the fierce creatures Shui Qilin had killed in the past, whose souls he had absorbed into his body, preventing them from reincarnating. Now, they were being manipulated by Shui Qilin within the water pillar, increasing its power and causing even Dao Xuan Zhenren to be shocked.

  As the water pillar approached in front of him, Dao Xuan had no choice but to take a deep breath and muttered: "Wú Liàng Tiān Zūn!" He raised his hands, embracing an imaginary ball in mid-air, with his left and right hands forming a sword-finger gesture. The movement seemed slow but was actually swift, as he drew a Taiji diagram in front of him. In an instant, the diagram shone brightly in the air, emitting white light and auspicious energy. Suddenly, Dao Xuan turned around, and his dark green Taoist robe fluttered without wind, flying off his body. The Taiji diagram in the air immediately seemed to be driven by an invisible force, rushing towards the robe and branding itself onto it. This dark green robe appeared to be a treasured object of the immortal family, and after being imbued with the Taiji diagram, it suddenly grew longer with a whooshing sound, increasing in length by more than ten times in an instant, stretching across the sky.

  "Boom", a loud crash, the water pillar of the Water Qilin Royal Envoy slammed into that enlarged dark green Taoist robe. Only to hear the roar of the water pillar, as if those demonic beasts souls were furiously howling in anger. Under the impact of the dark green Taoist robe, it immediately retreated several dozen feet away. The part of the Taoist robe hit by the water pillar was deeply bulged out, showing the enormous force it had received.

  The young disciples of Qingyun, who were standing on the steps, almost lost their footing as a strong gust of wind suddenly came, and they all stumbled. Except for a few who had deep cultivation and managed to hold on, most people fell to the left and right. Everyone couldnt help but lose color, if Daoxuan True Person hadnt blocked Water Qilins lightning strike with his hand, its unknown what the consequences would have been.

  Zhang Xiaofans face turned pale, and he stumbled, about to fall to one side. Lin Jingyu saw this out of the corner of his eye and was just about to reach out to support him when he himself swayed and fell in the opposite direction, unable to take care of himself.

  Zhang Xiaofan was shocked and pale, subconsciously releasing his hand that was holding the "fire poker" in his arms, desperately stretching out to find a place to support himself, completely unaware that as soon as his hand left the fire poker, the icy feeling disappeared without a trace.

  In the air, Dao Xuan Zhenrens face was solemn and stern, with a severe array waiting for him. Behind him, "brush, brush, brush" sounds were heard, and more than a dozen figures appeared, standing in mid-air behind his back. They were all there for Cang Song Zhenren, including the Liu Mai seat and the elders of each vein. Tian Bu Yi and Su Ru were among them, with serious expressions on their faces.

  The masters of the Qingyun Gate are all present, and anyone who encounters such an array would be frightened for seven parts. However, Shui Qilin, under the gaze of the elders and sect leaders of the Qingyun Gate, showed no fear at all. But as everyones eyes fell on him, his eyes, which were originally burning with anger, suddenly calmed down, revealing a strange expression, as if he was greatly perplexed. The massive water pillar in front of him also slowly shrank, eventually losing control and falling to the ground with a loud "splash", soaking the ground wet.

  At this time, the Water Qilins momentum was completely gone, but its massive body still stood upright on the ground, and it was still quite frightening. It didnt even glance at the group of elders in mid-air, its eyes fixed on the young disciples on the stairs, scanning back and forth. It also sniffed the air with its nose, seemingly unable to detect any scent. After a while, after repeating this strange movement many times, the Water Qilin seemed to have finally given up. It shook its massive head, turned around, and walked to another empty space, lay down, rested its head on its leg, closed its eyes, and before long, it started snoring again.

  Everyone in Qingyunmen was stunned, their faces pale and their eyes wide with shock.

  Cang Song Dao Ren quickly regained his composure, quietly moved to the side of Dao Xuan Zhen Ren and said in a low voice: "Headmaster Shixiong, its not suitable for the disciples to stay here for too long."

  Dao Xuan woke up, took a glance at Cang Song, nodded and said: "You take the disciples to go first, Ill go see whats going on with the Spirit Lord?" After finishing speaking, his body bent and he flew towards Shui Qilin.

  Cang Song turned around and said in a loud voice, "Just now was the Spirit Master playing a joke on everyone. Theres no need to be tense. Now, all disciples who participated in the Great Martial Test should proceed to the Jade Clear Hall one by one."

  The crowd of disciples responded in unison, restored order and moved forward. However, in their hearts, seeing the shocking blow from Shui Qilin earlier, its likely that not many people would believe that was just a joke.

  ※※※

  Following the crowd, Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu walked into the magnificent and spacious Jade Clear Hall. Standing inside this hall, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly felt that memories of the past five years flashed back one by one.

  "Surprise attack." Zhang Xiaofan suddenly said in a low voice.

  "What?" Lin Jingyu looked at Zhang Xiaofan.

  Zhang Xiaofan spoke in a low voice, "I suddenly thought of something, have you seen Wang Ershu these past few years?"

  Lin Jingyus face suddenly darkened, and he shook his head: "No, today is also my first time back to Tongtian Peak. Three years ago I asked Qi Huan Shixiong about Wang Ershus situation, and he said that he was still in a crazy state, running around on Tongtian Peak every day, but with the care of Changmens Shixiong, there should be no problem."

  Zhang Xiaofan fell silent for a moment before saying, "After this competition is over, I want to go take a look at him. Are you going?"

  Lin Jingyu nodded and said, "Good, I also want to see him."

  At this time, in the great hall, a green shadow suddenly flashed by, and Dao Xuan Zhenren had slipped in from outside. The eyes of all the elders of Qingyun Gate fell on him, and Cang Song Dao Ren walked forward to ask: "Master, the Spirit..."

  Dao Xuan raised his hand to stop him, gave him a look, and Cang Song Dao Ren immediately understood and stopped talking. Then Dao Xuan turned around nonchalantly and smiled at the dozens of young disciples of Qing Yun Men standing in the grand hall: "Everyone is here, good, good."

  All disciples bowed together and said: "We have seen the true person of our master."

  Daoxuan Zhenren smiled slightly and walked back to his seat, glancing at Cangsong Daoren. Cangsong Daoren immediately stepped forward and said in a loud voice: "Everyone, you are all the outstanding young generation of Qingyunmen. My Qingyun lineage has been the orthodox school of Daoism for over 2,000 years since its establishment. As the saying goes: Industry prospers through diligence, but perishes through idleness. Another saying goes: A boat going upstream will retreat if it does not advance. Our ancestors and masters have passed down the grand event of Qibai Huiwu to warn future generations and support young disciples. This is now the 20th session."

  "Ah", a burst of exclamations spread among the disciples of Qingyun Gate, twenty generations, with one hundred years per generation, had already passed for 1,200 years.

  Cang Song Dao Ren looked at the crowds reaction with satisfaction and said, "As of today, our Qing Yun Men is thriving under the leadership of Master Dao Xuan, far surpassing its past glory. Among the younger generation, there are countless outstanding talents. Therefore, after discussing with the various sects, Master has decided to increase the number of participants in the grand trial to sixty-four, so as not to miss any hidden gems."

  Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan couldnt help but glance over at Tian Buyi, who was sitting below Daoxuan Zhenren with an expressionless face, yet his eyes revealed a hint of impatience. After all, the matter of increasing the number of trial participants was supposedly discussed and agreed upon by the various sect leaders, but in reality, it was still Daoxuan Zhenren and Cangsong Zhenren who had the final say.

  "This time, the number of participants has doubled, so there are some changes in the draw. Everyone, please look," he said, pointing to a large red wooden box on the right side of the hall, which had a small hole just big enough for an arm to reach in.

  "In the red wooden box, there are sixty-three wax balls, each wrapped with a paper slip bearing numbers from one to sixty-three. The disciples suddenly burst into an uproar, but Master Qing Song ignored them and continued: "After drawing lots, we will proceed according to the numbers. Number one will compete against number sixty-four, two against sixty-three, three against sixty-two, and so on. In the second round, the winner of the match between number one and sixty-four will compete against the winner of the match between number two and sixty-three, and so on, until the final showdown. Do you all understand?"

  The disciples of Qingyunmen under the hall fell silent for a moment, and suddenly someone spoke out loud: "May I ask Master Cangsong, since there are clearly sixty-four people, why are there only sixty-three wax pellets?"

  Cang Song Dao Ren seemed to have been prepared for this question, clearing his throat, he said: "The rules of this competition were originally that each of the seven veins of Qing Yun Men would send out nine people, with the Long Gate sending one more. However, because one vein only sent eight disciples in total, so there was one less person, hence there are only sixty-three people."

  For a moment, everyones eyes fell on the face of Dà Zhú Fēng Zuò Tián Bù Yì. A wave of anger flashed across Tián Bù Yìs face, but he sat upright in his seat, not moving at all. Below, the Qingyunmen disciples burst into a hubbub, discussing and debating.

  When the crowds noise had slightly subsided, Zong Sheng, with a serious expression, said: "However, this is not a difficult task. Among those sixty-three wax balls, as long as any of you disciples draws number one, that would be extremely lucky, because there is no sixty-fourth opponent, so he will have an empty round."

  As soon as this was said, there was another commotion among the disciples of Qingyun Gate. However, Qingyun Gate was a renowned and prestigious sect after all, with strict family rules. Although this method seemed rather ridiculous, no one opposed it.

  Daoxuan Zhenren stood up, looked around, and as the leader of the sect, the surroundings immediately fell silent. Daoxuan Zhenren nodded and said, "In that case, lets go draw lots."

  On the grand hall, everyones gaze fell on the red wooden box. First, nine disciples from the Longmen sect walked out and stood beside the box, each taking out a wax pellet, followed by the disciples of the Dragon Peak sect.

  Lin Jingyu nodded to Zhang Xiaofan and walked out, Zhang Xiaofan looked at his back for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the seven seats and the elders. Among these people, from Dao Xuanzhen below, Cang Song Daoren, Tian Yun Daoren, Shang Zhengliang, Zeng Shu Chang and others had all met five years ago, only the female Taoist nun sitting in the last chair on the right side was unfamiliar, but judging by her appearance, she was probably the famous Shuiyue Dashi of Xiaozhu Peak.

  Zhang Xiaofan often heard his seniors mention this uncle, saying that Xiao Zhufeng was the only one in Qingyunmen who only accepted female disciples. Shuǐ Yuè Dàshīs own Taoist practice was also extremely deep and had a great reputation in Qingyunmen. The disciples of Xiao Zhufeng also performed well in the Seven Veins Martial Arts Grand Competition.

  Zhang Xiaofan looked at Shuǐ Yuè Dàshī a few more times, and saw that she was about thirty years old, with a similar appearance to Sū Rǔ. She had an oval face shape, thin eyebrows, a moist nose, and a pair of bright eyes. She wore a white Taoist robe, which made her look elegant and refined. Behind her, there were no elderly masters standing, but rather a female disciple standing in attendance. The disciple was dressed in white clothes as white as snow, with an extremely beautiful appearance. On her back, she carried a long sword with a scabbard and hilt that were a bright sky blue color, with a fresh and bright luster, and a subtle wave-like glow flowing from it, which made it clear at a glance that it was a treasure of the immortal world.

  He was staring blankly, and the young woman seemed to feel his gaze, suddenly turning her head around, her eyes flashing with coldness, staring at Zhang Xiaofan for a moment. Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat, as if he had been electrocuted, and his eyes felt like they were being pierced by needles. He was startled, his face slightly red, but saw that the womans expression was calm, yet her eyes seemed to hold a hint of disdain, and quickly lowered his head. At this awkward moment, someone suddenly reached out from beside him and pulled him over, and he heard Tian Lingers voice say: "Xiaofan, what are you spacing out for? Lets go draw lots."

  Zhang Xiaofan hastily said, "Yes, yes." He didnt dare to look at Shuiyue Dashi again and turned around to follow Tian Linger towards the red wooden box. At this time, only two veins, Da Zhu Feng and Xiao Zhu Feng, had not drawn their lots in the great hall. With Song Daren as the leader of Da Zhu Feng, everyone walked up to the box, drew out a wax ball, and then returned to the hall below. Afterwards, when everyone was checking what number they had drawn, eight female disciples from the Xiao Zhu Feng vein walked out, including Wen Mian. The white-clothed woman standing behind Shuiyue Dashi bowed her head and said something to him. Shuiyue Dashi nodded and said, "You can go too."

  The woman in white responded with a sound, walked to the midst of the young ladies by Xiaozhu Peak, exchanged smiles with Wen Mian and others, and together they walked to the side of the red wooden chest, pulled out the last nine wax pellets.

  At this moment, in the great hall, all the disciples were checking the wax balls, and the elders of various veins sitting on the seats also became tense, their eyes fixed on the disciples of their own vein, eagerly hoping that they would draw a good lot. If they drew the slip with the word "one" written on it, it would be perfect.

  As if responding to the emotions of the masters, the young disciples of Qingyunmen in the hall one by one spoke out:

  "Ah, Im twenty-six."

  "Im thirty-three, huh, how old are you?"

  "Oh, Im forty-seven, dont know what number my opponent is, let me calculate..."

  ……

  They just looked at each other and talked for half a day, but no one said they drew that precious number one slip.

  Cang Song Dao Ren furrowed his brow, coughed twice, and said in a loud voice: "Who drew the number one sign?"

  His voice was loud and clear, momentarily drowning out all other sounds. The grand hall fell silent for a long time before a small, hesitant voice emerged from the crowd, tinged with surprise and caution, as if the speaker himself couldnt believe what he was saying: "R-returning to Elder Syong... I-Im over here."

  Everyone looked together, and they were shocked to see that Zhang Xiaofan was standing in the crowd, holding a note in his hand, standing still on the spot, his eyes glancing at Tian Buyi, saying timidly.