Chu Yang"s aims for this conference was very simple. He simply wished to introduce to everyone and leave an impression, particularly for the Celestial Sect of Wonders. This would facilitate communication with the Celestial Sect in the future.

Since he wanted to leave an impression, he must leave a good one. He must distinguish himself to s.h.i.+ne but he couldn"t outs.h.i.+ne his host.

Chu Yang was a proud person. He was also rather head-strong. However, his special experiences left him slightly wary at times. He was rather calm and practical and he sought no temporary fame.

Reaching this stage in the spiritual conference, Chu Yang himself understood that it was about time for him to make a graceful withdrawal from the limelight.

With his results from the second round, he had achieved his objective.

The first and second round had many chance occurrences that may affect the results. The third round was a simple spar between the many contestants where might alone determine the results. Furthermore, he was going up against the only Aurous Core stage second-generation disciple of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, Dao Yuting.

Let"s not even talk about whether he could beat her. If he were to truly try, then he would have to use his true powers. He could not win with one or two talismans. His many secrets would definitely be exposed.

With so many eyes on him, Chu Yang would not be very eye-catching if he did nothing. However, if he were to truly use his skills, then his cover would be blown.

In reality, Chu Yang believed that despite the talismans, many people had already thought of killing him.

In such circ.u.mstances, he would be courting death should he continue down his current path.

Before Chu Yang took part in the spiritual conference, he had thought through everything. Hence, he was able to make his decision quickly.

This was Chu Yang"s original decision. Now, the prizes s.h.i.+ Tianhao announced proved to be another incentive for him.

"A chance at a spar..." Chu Yang took a deep breath and calmed himself.

s.h.i.+ Tianhao"s gaze swept over the eight contestants" faces. He then said, "In reverse order, may the fourth and fifth contestants please step out."

Everyone else went back to the quiet chamber to rest and watch the battle. Only Lin Tong and Zhou Yuncong were left in the arena. The little la.s.s looked at her hands curiously.

Those who understood Zhou Yuncong"s power looked at Lin Tong sympathetically. While the little girl"s powers were extraordinary, her luck was just too bad.

In the luxurious lounge where the Marquis of Jinghuan sat, Xiang Heng and w.a.n.g Le had returned. Their gazes were fixed on Zhou Yuncong.

Xiang Heng said in a low voice, "Look, it"s Zhou Yuncong. I couldn"t believe that he asked Yang Qing to be his disciple and not Xiao Yan."

w.a.n.g Le nodded his head and said, "We should have predicted this. If he had joined Xiao Yan, then there was a chance that he may over-cultivate and eventually be consumed by his mantras."

The Marquis of Jinghuan held a fan in his head as he gently tapped his left palm with it. His gaze darted about as he said, "A Yang Incinerating Ent.i.ty, indeed. Is that what the Great Master wanted? Someone who could successfully live despite his status as a Yang Incinerating Ent.i.ty?"

He turned his head to Xiang Heng and w.a.n.g Le and asked, "Why does the Great Master want a Yang Incinerating Ent.i.ty?"

Xiang Heng and w.a.n.g Le shook their heads and replied, "We don"t know, Marquis. We really don"t know. We are only carrying out the Great Master"s biddings."

"Acting all mysterious, eh? This interests me," The Marquis of Jingheng smiled slightly. However, this greatly alarmed Xiang Heng and w.a.n.g Le. They both knew that the Marquis of Jingheng was a lawless man who did things as he pleased.

The Marquis of Jingheng pointed his fan at them and said with a smile, "Relax, I"m just joking. I don"t have time for these trivial matters."

"Over at the Great Zhou, they are bugging me really tightly about the picture manual. All my energy were spent on that. It"s truly a cause for a headache."

While the Marquis of Jingheng said that, his face did not appear alarmed.

Xiang Heng and w.a.n.g Le both fell silent. After a long while, w.a.n.g Le said in a low voice, "The two of us are only responsible for carrying out errands. We probably aren"t qualified to speak on your behalf."

The Marquis of Jingheng laughed nonchalantly and said, "That I know, of course. I will talk to the Great Master about it personally. There"s no need for the two of you to say anything. Just do what I instructed you to. However, if you make a mess out of it, you will bear the responsibility for it."

Xiang Heng and w.a.n.g Le nodded their heads and said, "Naturally."

The two of them turned to look at Zhou Yuncong in the arena once again.

Xu Yunsheng returned to the Heavenly Temple where the quiet chamber for disciples was. Sun Xue"er, Yang Tie, and the other disciples offered their congratulations to him for obtaining first in the second round. Xu Yunsheng returned their congratulations and then asked about the situations of others.

As they were in the Starry Tower PaG.o.da and the small world, the contestants could not possibly know the whole picture. However, the disciples who had been watching them knew.

"Senior Ying Luozha just managed to obtain the eighth placing. Actually, he had collected the ten golden rings a long while ago. Barring any incident, he would have been in the top three. However, he wasted too much time for Senior Zhuge Wanqiu," Sun Xue"er said with a sigh. "Senior Zhuge Wanqiu is rather pitiful too. She was number nine. She barely missed it."

After Xu Yunsheng heard that, his expression did not change. He sat down for a while, stood up and left the room. He came to the quiet chamber for the Wasteland Valley disciples.

He did not open the door but instead, stood before it like a statue. After a long while, he turned around to leave. Just as he turned, he saw an amicable young girl walking towards him. It was Zhuge Wanqiu.

Zhuge Wanqiu looked at Xu Yunsheng and was stunned. Then, she said, "Senior Xu..."

Xu Yunsheng opened his mouth and then stopped immediately. he said softly, "It"s really a pity. you almost made it into the top 8."

"Yes, I just need to work harder," Zhuge Wanqiu said with a smile. She turned her head sideways to look at Xu Yunsheng.

Xu Yunsheng fell silent for a while and then said, "Everyone needs to work harder."

With that, he walked straight and as he pa.s.sed Zhuge Wanqiu by, he said, "The spar between Junior Zhou and Junior Lin will commence shortly. Look at it carefully, I believe you can learn much from it."

Zhuge Wanqiu stood there without moving as she looked at his disappearing figure silently. Finally, after Xu Yunsheng left her field of vision, she sighed and returned to the quiet chamber.

Xu Yunsheng too returned to the meeting point for disciples in the Heavenly Temple. The moment he entered the door, he saw Ying Luozha sitting there, focused entirely on Zhou Yuncong and Lin Tong in the light projection.

Xu Yunsheng looked at Ying Luozha and his gaze flashed. Then, he regained his calm.

"Junior Lin Tong chose such a battlefield. This will increase her abilities by 50%," Ying Luozha said without turning his head around. "Neither you nor I am her opponent in this terrain."

Xu Yunsheng lifted his head to look. He noticed that the battleground had turned into a sea of white flame. The blazing inferno singed the very sky.

The two combatants were Lin Tong, ranked fourth, and Zhou Yuncong, ranked fifth. Hence, Lin Tong got to choose to the type of battleground. The little girl showed no mercy as she turned the battleground into a sea of Pure Yang Primordial Fire.

Xu Yunsheng nodded his head and said, "In such a battleground, I am truly no match for Junior Lin."

"However, I feel that Junior Lin is going to lose..." Sun Xue"er said hesitantly. Xu Yunsheng and Ying Luozha looked at her curiously as Sun Xue"er recounted to them Zhou Yuncong"s performance earlier on, particularly how his Yang-Incinerating Vital Spirit destroyed Yang Likun"s Red Lotus Fire.

Xu Yunsheng and Ying Luozhe exchanged gazes. Then, they looked at Yang Tie and the rest, who nodded.

In the Grand Heavens Pavilion, Lin Feng could not help but laugh upon seeing the battleground Lin Tong had picked. "Little Tong, you are really too young too simple."

Xiao Yan, who was by Lin Feng"s side, smiled bitterly too. However, the two of them did not warn Lin Tong ahead of time. The little girl"s mindset was not yet mature. She was still innocent and trusting. If she were to go out like this, then she would surely be taken advantage of. This was a time for her to gain some real-life experiences.

s.h.i.+ Tianhao watched closely from the side. Even if Zhou Yuncong were to use his Yang-Incinerating Vital Spirit, nothing much would happen.

Things went as Lin Feng and his disciples had expected. Lin Tong was caught in a trap as Zhou Yuncong used his powerful Yang-Incinerating Clouds to battle against her Pure Yang Primordial Fire. In the battleground that Lin Tong chose, it was hard for him at first.

However, he only needed to let out a tiny bit of his Yang-Incinerating Vital Spirit to completely throw the little girl off-guard.

She lacked battling experiences but she had strong innate potential. She was extremely sensitive to the Yang-Incinerating Vital Spirit and she was terrified of it, like how a mouse is terrified of a cat. She could feel the pressure from her mortal enemy.

A black light flashed on Zhou Yuncong"s body. Immediately, the sea of Pure Yang Primordial Fire was destroyed.

Destroying such a huge amount of Pure Yang Primordial Fire greatly increased the power of his Yang-Incinerating Vital Spirit, to the point where he seemed to be losing control of it.

Lin Tong"s own Pure Yang Primordial Fire was not damaged. However, she knew she was helpless against this opponent and hence, she admitted defeat unwillingly.

Up to this point, the cultivators who had progressed from the second round was finally able to witness Zhou Yuncong"s terrifying powers. While he was innately able to subdue Lin Tong, his powerful showing still created a huge amount of pressure for everyone else.

Ying Luozha fixed his gaze on Zhou Yuncong and said nothing for a long while.

Xu Yunsheng"s gaze was not as aggressive as Ying Luozha"s. However, all his attention was fixed on Zhou Yuncong. He tried to imagine how would it play out if he were in Lin Tong" shoes.

"Ying Luozha, do you know what I am thinking right now?" Suddenly, Xu Yunsheng telepathically communicated to Ying Luozha. Ying Luozha"s body did not move as his gaze remained fixed on Zhou Yuncong. Xu Yunsheng did not mind as he continued, "I"m thinking what a joke both you and I are."

Ying Luozha fell silent for a long while. He understood what Ying Luozha wanted to say.

Ever since they both joined the sect, they were fighting to be the top second-generation disciple. In reality, they two were the most exceptional disciples of the second generation. It was hard to tell who was the better one.

Ying Luozha was extremely arrogant. He did not even view Li Xingfei, Liu Xiafeng, and the rest as his compet.i.tors. Amongst disciples of his generation, he only viewed Xu Yunsheng as his compet.i.tor.

Xu Yunsheng, however, was polite on a day-to-day basis. However, deep down inside, he was proud too. Let"s not talk about other aspects, in terms of cultivation he only viewed Ying Luozha as his compet.i.tor.

This situation persisted until Dao Yuting joined the sect. However, Dao Yuting joined as an Advanced Foundation Establishment stage cultivator and hence, her circ.u.mstances were exceptional. While Xu Yunsheng and Ying Luozha respected her, they believed that in the same stage they would be as powerful as Dao Yuting.

Lin Tong, after undergoing special training and cultivation by Lin Feng and Xiao Yan, could cultivate the mantras of man. However, she was ultimately born as a supernatural being. Hence, she was an exceptional case too.

Today, Zhou Yuncong"s appearance was a great shock to both Xu Yunsheng and Ying Luozha.

In the Grand Heavens Pavilion, Zhu Yi used his supernatural awareness to sweep through his disciples. He realized that they were all shocked.