Daoist Competition

Zhang Yan was preparing for a period of seclusion, which might take a considerable amount of time, so he wanted to settle all worldly affairs properly.

He calculated the days silently; it would be five years until the next sect competition, but if everything went as he expected, there wouldn’t be much change in the sect’s structure, so whether he attended or not would make little difference.

Currently, among the younger generation in the sect, no one could compare with his generation of the Top Ten Disciples.

The noble families were declining, while the master-disciple lineage had many talented individuals emerging. People like Feng Ming and Mo Tianhua, although there were reports of them refining medicine and condensing pills, they fell short due to unstable cultivation.

Only Yue Chongyang was unfathomably deep, with no one knowing his exact background. Although he wasn’t a disciple of any Cave Heaven True Master, he was chosen by a Divine Object to be its master.

Decades ago, he was known alongside Huang Fuzhou as a twin talent, and he reached the pill refining stage even earlier than Zhang Yan.

However, this person acted low-key, only devoted to cultivation, spending years in seclusion, rarely showing himself, seemingly uninterested in contending for position.

As for Qin Nan, similar to Liu Yan Yi, even though she had reached the Burning Points stage, she had not yet refined medicine and condensed pills. This was because True Master Peng intentionally honed her foundation, thereby slowing her progress.

However, even if she achieved the Hua Dan Realm in these remaining years, she would not have many means to compete.

Zhang Yan had promised True Master Peng to help Qin Nan become one of the Top Ten Disciples someday. But there was no need to rush; if he waited until reaching the Nascent Soul Realm before acting on it, he would be much more assured.

He pondered for a while, then lifted his pen, wrote a Flying Book, and sent it to Shouming Palace.

Soon after, a Flying Book returned, a reply from True Master Peng. He opened it with a smile and put it aside.

Having settled all matters, just as he was about to return to the Little Pot Mirror for cultivation, he sensed some movement in the array. Paying attention, he detected a slight change in expression and then waved his sleeve to open the Forbidden Array, allowing a token talisman to enter.

Upon receiving it, he saw it was a personal letter from the Sect Leader. Surprised, he opened it, and after reading, shook his head and sighed, "So it’s about this matter, still no idle time."

The Sect Leader had previously mentioned that within thirty years, he must take in a disciple to inherit the Yao Yin lineage, and now the time had come. Sect Leader Qin deduced that the individual was in the Gongzhou area of Wei Country, so he just needed to bring them into the sect.

However, the content of the letter was peculiar, giving him only a month’s time and stating he must not seek them out actively; the individual must come voluntarily to seek apprenticeship. If they do not appear by then, the opportunity will be considered missed.

Though Zhang Yan didn’t fully understand the deeper meaning, since the Sect Leader had issued a Dharma Decree, he had to proceed.

He instructed the Mirror Spirit to guard the Cave Mansion, then flew out, heading southeast.

After traveling for over ten days, he reached Gongzhou in Wei Country. The area was mostly hilly, with beautiful scenery and numerous lakes scattered around.

He circled a few times above the clouds, calculated several times, and settled on a village crisscrossed with paths. To avoid causing a sensation, he descended from the mountains and entered the village through a forest path.

As soon as he entered the village, he heard dogs barking and saw a group of dirty children throwing mud at each other, playing and chasing with noise and laughter. The oldest seemed about fifteen or sixteen, the youngest around seven or eight.

Among them was a dark-skinned boy with thick eyebrows wrestling with several robust boys of similar age, while other older kids were inciting loudly from the sidelines.

The dark-skinned boy showed some bravery but couldn’t withstand the numbers. Soon, they overpowered him, pinning his arms and legs to the ground as he screamed and shouted.

At this time, a boy dressed in silk clothes, resembling a young master, came forward. He was only thirteen or fourteen, with fair skin and faint whiskers on his lip, accompanied by two long-term followers, likely from a wealthy rural family.

He said, "Song San, you splashed manure water on my new clothes the other day. Beating you today will teach you a lesson."

The dark-skinned boy’s face turned bright red, but he was pinned down tightly, unable to get up.

After throwing a few harsh words like an adult, the young master left with satisfaction.

Zhang Yan stood at a distance, watching carefully but couldn’t identify anyone with a Daoist root.

However, if it were so easy to find, the Sect Leader probably wouldn’t have set a one-month limit.

Yet this didn’t deter him; pondering for a while, he glanced at the dark-skinned boy sitting on the ground and came up with a plan.