In an instant, everyones gaze fell on this unremarkable disciple of Da Zhu Feng. Tian Bu Yi and Su Rou exchanged a glance, Su Rou smiled slightly and nodded.

  Everyone at Dazhu Peak was smiling and gathered around, Lv Dasheng patted Zhang Xiaofans shoulder heavily and laughed: "You little brat, I didnt think youd be so lucky!"

  Zhang Xiaofan scratched his head, stuck out his tongue, and his heart had already changed from initial surprise to excitement. Du Bishu, who was standing beside him, suddenly regretted slapping his forehead and said, "I should have bet on who would draw this number earlier! Haha, its definitely a dark horse, a sweep!"

  "Go away," Tian Linger scolded him, then turned to Zhang Xiaofan and said: "Xiaofan, since youre not going to make it past the second round anyway, why dont you just give me that token?"

  Zhang Xiaofan didnt expect his senior sister to say that, and he was stunned for a moment. "Oh," he said, and handed over the note with the word "one" written on it.

  Song Darens expression changed slightly, he looked around and said in a low voice: "Little sister, dont be reckless."

  Tian Linger let out a "heh" and smiled, her face as lovely as a peach blossom, with a hint of red on both cheeks. She stretched out her slender fingers and gently tapped Zhang Xiaofans forehead, saying: "Silly boy, I was just joking with you."

  Zhang Xiaofan blinked his eyes and also smiled.

  At this time, the elder on that side, Cang Song Dao Ren furrowed his brow for a moment, then said in a loud voice: "Alright, since the drawing of lots is complete, all disciples come to me according to your lot number and report your name. Later, I will post the red list, and you will know who your opponent is. Now please let the Master speak."

  The disciples, who had been making a commotion, quieted down when they heard that the Sect Master Daoxuan was going to speak. Daoxuan stood up from his seat and walked slowly to the front of the crowd, scanning the disciples with his eyes before saying: "Everyone, you are all the young elites of our Qingyun Sect, with exceptional talent and abilities. In the future, its highly likely that one of you will take on the positions of sect leader, elder, or even my own position as Sect Master."

  The numerous disciples of Qingyun were all stirred up, and many peoples faces revealed a look of yearning excitement.

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren revealed a gentle smile and said, "Of course, if you want to reach this step and sit in the position of these elder brothers behind me, you still need to work harder."

  Everyone said in unison: "Yes."

  The Daoist immortal covered his long beard with his hand, nodded and said seriously: "My Qingyun Sect has been a renowned sect since the founding of our sect by our ancestor Qingyunzi. Now we are the leader of the righteous path in the world of cultivation. Today, the righteous path is flourishing, evil demons have retreated, and people are enjoying peace. However, the remnants of the demonic path are cunning and ruthless, their hearts not yet dead. In recent years, they seem to be making a comeback. At this time, we must hold on to our righteous path and eliminate the evil. Therefore, all of you must focus on cultivating your mind and strengthen your will. As long as we stand firm, the evil demons will have no chance to take advantage of us."

  "All disciples loudly said: Obeying the teachings of our Master!"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren smiled and said, "Good, good. Theres another thing Id like to announce: In order to encourage the disciples of Qing Yun Men to work hard on their Taoist cultivation, weve decided that from this Seven Veins Gathering onwards, after each big test, well give a small reward to the ultimate winner."

  "Ah!!" The disciples of Qingyun were in an uproar.

  Daoxuan Zhenren looked at these young disciples and smiled: "This times prize is **Mirror**."

  "What thing?" Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment, having never heard of this thing before. He couldnt help but look around, only to see Tian Linger, Du Bishu and others also looking bewildered. The young disciples from other sects nearby seemed unclear as well, but those who had been in the sect for a longer time, such as Qi Huan, Song Daren, Wen Min, changed their expressions, revealing rare excitement and longing on their faces.

  Dalinger and others also noticed that Dashi and others seemed to know something, so they leaned in and whispered: "Dashi, what is **mirror?"

  Song Daren said in a low voice: "The mirror is the tenth generation ancestor of our sect, Wu Fangzi Zhenrens treasure, I have never seen its specific appearance before, but I heard my master say that it is one of the treasures of our sect, with great power and a wonderful place. As long as the users spiritual power is strong enough, the mirror can reflect all attacks and stand undefeated."

  Everyones eyes widened in shock, Du exclaimed: "That... that means hes invincible under heaven!"

  Song Daren shrugged and said, "Anyway, Im not quite sure what it looks like in particular, but Master said it wont be wrong. This time," he glanced at Dao Xuan Zhenren and lowered his voice, saying, "It seems that this time the master and Master have spent a lot of money!"

  Everyones face looked somewhat strange, and most people seemed to be secretly swallowing their saliva. It seems that the rare treasure in front of them was enough to stir up worldly desires, even among cultivators who were supposed to be above such things.

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren paused for a moment, smiling as he watched the young disciples discuss among themselves. After a while, he said: "Alright, its roughly like that. You all go back and rest for now. The Seven Veins Martial Arts Competition will begin early tomorrow morning."

  The disciples of Qingyun all bowed together and said in unison: "Yes, Master."

  Daoxuan Zhenren nodded and said, "You can go."

  The disciples gradually retreated, and the great hall was left with only the seven veins of Qingyunmen and a dozen or so elders. Daoxuan True Person turned his head and smiled at the elders: "Fellow masters, you should also go back and rest early. Starting tomorrow, there will be many competitions, and we need your care."

  Those elders, some with a head full of white hair and wrinkles all over their faces, while others looked young and ageless, as if they had mastered the art of preserving their youth. At this moment, after hearing Dao Xuans words, they didnt say much more, but one by one walked out, until finally, only the Seven Veins of Qingyun Gate remained in the Jade Clear Hall.

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren slowly withdrew the benevolent smile that had been hanging on his face, his gaze sweeping over the other six people sitting in chairs, and said faintly: "Alright, now there are only seven of us."

  The merchant sitting on the right, "Chaoyang Peak", furrowed his brow and said: "Elder Master, do you have something to say to us?"

  Daoxuan Zhenren nodded slightly, his face expressionless, and said slowly: "I just went to see the Spirit Venerable."

  As soon as these words came out, everyones face changed color.

  ※※※

  As they walked down the steps, the disciples still trembled with fear as they passed by the Bi Shui Tan, but this time the water qilin was sleeping soundly and quietly, without any movement.

  After crossing the Rainbow Bridge, Lin Xingyu and Zhang Xiaofan returned to the vast square that seemed like a fairyland. They exchanged a few words before Lin Xingyu left with the disciples of the Dragon Peak sect. Zhang Xiaofan watched him disappear into the distance before returning to the group at Dazhu Peak. As he listened to Song Dahens instructions on precautions and accommodation arrangements, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "Oh no, its terrible!"

  Everyone was shocked and Tian Linger stood beside him, asking: "Xiao Fan, whats wrong?"

  Zhang Xiaofan looked around four times and said urgently: "I just focused on talking to Jing Yu, I forgot about Xiao Hui, now I dont know where it ran off to?"

  It wasnt until then that everyone remembered, indeed, no one had noticed the whereabouts of that gray-haired monkey. At this time, they all looked around in all directions, but only saw the distant white clouds, and the various disciples gradually dispersed, but there was no shadow of Little Gray anywhere.

  Zhang Xiaofan was in a great hurry, since two years ago when he brought Xiao Hui back from that secluded valley, these two years one man and one monkey (later also added Da Huang the big dog) lived together under the same roof, with extremely deep feelings. Looking at Tongtian Peak towering into the clouds, the space up and down was vast beyond imagination, what if Xiao Hui ran to some place to find wild fruits to eat, how would he be able to find it?

  Just as they were in a hurry, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly heard Tian Linger exclaim "hmm" from the other side. He turned his head to look and saw Tian Linger revealing a smile, pointing forward with her hand, saying: "Look."

  Everyone looked on, unable to help but laugh in surprise. They saw Little Gray sitting steadily on the back of Tian Nais big yellow dog, chirping "squeak squeak" and waving its paws at Zhang Xiaofan. The big yellow dog, which had rushed over with great force, had its mouth tightly closed, and was actually biting onto a meat bone that it had gotten from who-knows-where.

  Not long after, Da Huang carried Xiao Hui to the front. Xiao Hui jumped onto Zhang Xiaofans shoulder with a few quick jumps. Zhang Xiaofan hurriedly patted its monkey head and pretended to be angry: "Where did you run off to?"

  Xiao Hui wasnt afraid either, and with a smile, he pointed at Da Huang, who was lying on the ground gnawing on a meat bone. With "squeaking" sounds, he gestured with his hands and feet, not stopping. Zhang Xiaofan looked at him for a while, then suddenly asked: "Where did this meat bone come from?"

  Xiao Hui heard this and made another gesture, pointing to a direction at the far end of the square. Zhang Xiaofan looked over at Song Daren, who glanced around awkwardly and smiled wryly, lowering his voice to say, "Thats where the Changmen disciples dining hall is."

  Everyone was stunned, and then they all burst out laughing, shaking their heads. Song Daren led the way to the other side, saying: "Lets go rest in our lodgings too. By the way, little junior sister, youre a girl, so Ive arranged for you to stay with Junior Sister Zhang and the others. You dont have any objections, do you?"

  Tian Linger shook her head and smiled: "I originally wanted to chat with Wen Minsi more, and also help Big Brother say a few good words."

  Everyone burst out laughing, Song Darens face turned red, pretending not to hear, and walked out in big strides. The crowd behind him laughed and talked endlessly. Zhang Xiaofan, who was walking at the end, didnt join in but instead stared at the grey gibbon on his shoulder: "You dead gibbon, next time you go thieving again, see how Ill deal with you."

  Xiao Hui "squeaked" twice, grinned and laughed, it was unclear whether she didnt understand or just didnt care about Zhang Xiaofans words.

  Zhang Xiaofan scolded it a few more times, walking forward, took a few steps, and then remembered something, turned his head and shouted loudly: "Hurry up, dead dog, all you know is eating!"

  The big yellow dog, which was gnawing on a bone on the ground, finally raised its eyes to see that everyone had walked far away, and then stood up, picked up the half-gnawed bone in its mouth, and lazily followed them.

  ※※※

  In the Jade Clear Palace, the Seven Veins of the Qingyun Gate gathered together. At this moment, their attention was all drawn to Daoxuan Zhenren.

  "Cloud Peak" Tiān Yún Dào Rén stood up first and said, "Headmaster Shī Xiōng, can you see what happened to the Spirit just now?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren sighed and said slowly: "I have carefully examined it, and the Spirit Venerable is not unusual."

  "What?" Everyones face showed a look of surprise.

  Daoxuan Zhenren looked at his fellow disciples and said, "Indeed, Ive reviewed it several times, the spiritual master is as usual, but I really cant understand why he suddenly had such great anger, and then disappeared so quickly!"

  Tian hesitated for a moment and said, "I think the Spirits attack seems to be targeting those young disciples. Could it be that someone has provoked it?"

  "Xiao Zhu Feng" said with a hint of doubt, "Impossible. If it were really my disciple who angered the Spirit Lord, why would the Spirit Lord give up after just one strike?"

  Shuǐ Yuès appearance was quite beautiful, but as soon as she spoke, her tone was icy cold, as if carrying a hint of chilliness. Tian didnt dare to look at her again and stopped speaking.

  Daoxuan Zhenren shook his head and said, "Lingzun is an ancient spiritual beast, its nature has already become spiritual, in a thousand years there has never been such a sudden abnormal situation, there must be a reason for this."

  Sitting on the left side of "Fenghui Peak" seat, with white hair on both temples, among the seven people in the seat, Zeng Shu Chang, who looked the oldest, spoke up: "Isnt it that the Master has already made a decision in his heart?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren let out a light sigh and said, "I wont deceive you all, Im also at a loss. But the Ling Zun is the guardian spirit beast of my Qing Yun Sect, not to be underestimated. I had originally thought to use our sects secretly transmitted Tong Ling Shu to investigate, but unexpectedly..."

  At this point, Daoxuan Zhenren suddenly stopped, and the people beside him listened to half of it, suddenly hearing that he didnt say anything. Tian Nanyi asked first: "Master Shixiong, whats wrong?"

  The Daoist priests face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he said: "This technique for communicating with spirits is just a minor skill, but it can be used to communicate with the honored spirit. However, I was just about to use it when the honored spirit suddenly fell asleep, and now theres nothing I can do."

  Everyone was stunned into silence.

  Daoxuan Zhenren coughed twice and said seriously, "Theres no need to worry about this matter. Lets wait for the Spirit Lord to wake up and discuss it further later. For now, theres another thing Id like to consult with all of you fellow masters."

  Everyone saw Dao Xuan Zhenrens serious face and realized it wasnt a trivial matter, so they put away their smiles and sat down with solemn expressions.

  Daoxuan Zhenren sat back in his own seat, sank into thought for a moment, before saying: "Everyone, do you know that three thousand li to the east there is a Kong Sang Mountain?"

  Everyone was stunned, and Cang Song Dao Ren was the first to come back to his senses. He said, "Could it be that Master is referring to the empty mulberry mountain with the Wan Bat Ancient Cave on top?"

  Daoxuan Zhenren nodded and said, "Thats right."

  Zeng Shu furrowed his brow and said, "Ive heard that the Wan Bat Ancient Cave is a natural giant cave that goes straight into the ground, with an unknown depth. Its cold and damp inside, and there are countless bats living within it, with some saying that there are hundreds of millions of them. Whats so special about this barren place that Master would bring it up?"

  "Everyone is unaware that this Wan Bat Cave, although it looks uninhabited, was an important stronghold of the Demon Sect 800 years ago. The caves cold and damp environment was perfect for those evil demons to cultivate their dark magic. Later, under our righteous sects siege, the demon sects remnants retreated in defeat, leaving this place abandoned."

  Shuǐ Yuè Dà Shī coldly opened his mouth and said: "That Palm Gate Master brother has once again brought it up, what does he mean?"

  Shuǐ Yuè spoke to Dao Xuán in this manner, with an attitude that could be said to be quite unfriendly. However, everyone present knew that Master Shuǐ Yuè had always spoken to people in such a way, and Dao Xuán didnt take it to heart. He merely sighed and said: "Master Shuǐ Yuè is unaware of this, but half a year ago, I received a letter from Huǒ Xiāng Gǔ, saying that recently, there have been signs of demonic cult remnants near the Wàn Fú ancient cave. They sought my opinion on the matter. After careful consideration, I ordered my two disciples, Yì Cái and others, to hurry to Kōng Sāng Mountain to investigate."

  Chao Yangfeng Shang Zhengliang smiled and said, "Isnt this great? Xiao Yicai is a talented young man with exceptional abilities, his cultivation is profound, and hes indeed one of the best in Qingyunmen. In the previous Seven Veins Great Martial Test, he even won first prize. With him on our side, what cant we accomplish?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren smiled slightly and said, "Shang Shixiong is overpraising me. However, after Yi Cai left for Kong Sang Mountain, several months later, there were indeed rumors that people from the Demon Sect were active near Wan Fu Gu Cave, and their purpose was even more astonishing."

  Everyone was shocked, and Zeng Shu Chang asked: "Whats going on?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Rens face was calm and serene, unable to discern any joy or anger. He said: "According to Yi Cais letter, he captured a demonic cult member and forced him to reveal that 800 years ago, the Wan Batu ancient cave was once the headquarters of a branch of the demonic cult called Lian Xue Tang. At that time, Lian Xue Tang was one of the five major forces of the demonic cult, but after being defeated by my righteous predecessors, it declined and never recovered. The Wan Batu ancient cave also fell into disrepair. However, in recent years, the long-declined Lian Xue Tang seems to have shown signs of resurgence. According to legend within Lian Xue Tang, during the battle at Wan Batu ancient cave, although the main members were beheaded by my righteous sects swords, there was a hidden treasure trove deep within the cave that contained many rare and precious items, including demonic books and evil scrolls, which had never been discovered."

  Everyone has already understood at this point. The Daoist Qing Song coldly laughed and said, "Evil demons and heretics, foolish and absurd fantasies!"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren shook his head and said, "Lets not discuss whether this rumor is true or not. But as far as I know, after that war 800 years ago, the Orthodox cultivators did not find any secret treasure vault in the Wan Bat Cave. Others may be fine, but if there really is a treasure trove, Im afraid there will be something ominous inside, which we must guard against."

  Everyone looked at Dao Xuan, and Tian Yun Dao Ren said: "Brother, what you are referring to is a great ominous thing, why so urgent?"

  Dao Xuan Zhenren looked around at everyone and said in a low voice: "Xue Xue Pearl!"

  Everyone was shocked and changed their expression. The old man with the dark heart exclaimed, "Didnt this evil creature disappear along with the death of the black-hearted old man?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren shook his head and said, "Its not that simple. Although the old man with a black heart is dead, it doesnt mean that the Blood Devouring Bead will necessarily disappear from the world. Such a great evil thing, ordinary people cant control it, and if the demonic cultivators are not skilled enough to collect it, its unknown whether they will keep it or not. Moreover, the old man with a black heart was originally from the Blood Refining Hall of the Demon Cult, so I speculate that the Blood Devouring Bead is likely to be in this secret cave."

  Everyone listened to Dao Xuan Zhen Rens words, and for a moment they were all silent. After a while, it was the cold and icy Shui Yue Dashi who spoke up: "What does the Master want to do?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren said: "After receiving the letter from Yi Cai, I immediately informed Huo Xiang Gu and Tian Yin Temple. Soon after, these two major sects also responded, saying that they would also send their outstanding disciples to Kong Sang Mountain to stop the evil demons of the demonic teachings, holding the Dao shovel."

  Tian did not wrinkle his brow and said: "What does Shifu Zhang mean by that?"

  The Daoxuan Zhenrens face revealed a smile, and he said: "Speaking of which, this time is also a rare opportunity for great practice. Although there are many young and talented people in my Qingyun Gate, most of them have not gone out to cultivate, and these years the world has been peaceful, and they have never confronted the demonic sects. Taking advantage of this Seven Veins Gathering Wus opportunity, I plan to send the first four young disciples together to Kong Sang Mountain, on the one hand to prevent the demonic sects from doing evil, and on the other hand to practice and broaden their horizons. Moreover," he put away his smile, and his face turned serious, saying: "Moreover, I have heard that in recent years, Tianyin Temple and Fengxiang Valley have produced several outstanding disciples, with exceptional talent, if we continue to ignore them, I fear that the position of leader of the righteous path will be difficult to maintain. If so, I, Daoxuan, will have no face to see our ancestors!"

  Everyone nodded together, and Cang Song Dao Ren said first: "The Masters vision is far-reaching, what he said is extremely right."

  Dào Xuán looked around at everyone and said: "Since thats the case, none of you have any opinions now."

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  "Alright, its settled then. In the Jade Clear Palace, Ive arranged for your accommodations, please go and rest. As he spoke, he clapped his hands three times, and immediately several Dao children appeared outside the door. "Lead them to their rooms to rest."

  The Taoist boys responded in unison and stood up from their seats. They bowed to the Taoist priest and followed him.

  Note in the fourth volume "Dongshan Jing": Dong Cis second classic, said Kong Sang Mountain, north facing Shi water, east looking at Ju Wu, south looking at Sha Ling, west looking at Meng Ze.