Chapter 33 First in the Grand Competition

```html

"What?! This is... sword intent??"

As soon as that sharp sword intent appeared, Elder Dugu Fang and the other elders widened their eyes, staring intently at Lu Yi on the platform.

They saw the sword cloud rolling forth, surging toward the palm imprint, enhancing the White Cloud Sword Qi with an incredibly keen sword intent that greatly amplified its power.

The sword cloud and the palm imprint collided.

Boom!!

An immensely intense roar sounded, blue and white lights intertwined, force and sword light shot in all directions, enveloping the platform.

The aftermath turned into a violent wind spreading in all directions, and those below the platform, like Bai Yulong, felt the terrifying shockwaves and looked on in astonishment.

"Get back!!"

They all retreated quickly, not daring to get too close.

The outer sect disciples watching from afar also felt a heaviness in their chests, their faces slightly pale from the overwhelming aura.

Everyone exclaimed repeatedly, eyes wide open, looking toward the platform.

"What terrifying power!"

"Can the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer really be this strong??"

"No, what's going on with Brother Lu Yi?! How did he get stronger again? Isn't it said he's already close to his limit?"

"Hehe... naive, you believe what Junior Brother Lu Yi says? That guy is full of nonsense! What limit, it's all fake!"

In the sky, Lu Gaoyang, Wang Siqi, and others were dumbfounded, gazing at the swirling palm winds and sword clouds on the platform.

"This is... sword intent?!"

"My heavens! Nephew Lu Yi actually mastered sword intent???"

"He is only at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer and has already grasped conception?!"

"Brother Lu, did you know how amazing Nephew Lu Yi is?!"

Lu Gaoyang was equally bewildered, slowly shaking his head.

*What did he know? To be honest, if it weren't for the competition, he wouldn't even dare to think that Lu Yi could make it to the top ten, alright?*

*Sword intent? He didn't even dare to dream about it.*

Beside him, Wang Siqi had the same confused expression, mirroring Lu Gaoyang's look.

Elder Dugu Fang and the other elders were unable to maintain their composure, their expressions shocked.

"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable! This young one's talent is simply remarkable."

"Indeed!! Sensing conception at the Qi Cultivation Realm, the future is limitless!"

"The Cave Void Realm isn't out of the realm of possibility, and he might even have a decent chance at the Divinity Transformation Realm... At the Divinity Transformation stage, he could become one of the pillars of the White Cloud Sect."

The elders continuously marveled.

This was conception! A skill generally mastered only by elites in the Cave Void Realm!

Those who mastered conception before reaching the Cave Void Realm were exceptionally brilliant talents, let alone Lu Yi, who was merely in the Qi Cultivation Realm! He could truly be called a prodigy.

"After today, the high-ups in the Inner Sect probably won't sit still," Dugu Fang chuckled.

The other elders also nodded. With such talent, those Nascent Soul Elders would be scrambling to recruit him, and even the Peak Masters and Supreme Elders of the Divinity Transformation Realm would be eager to act.

While they conversed, the clash on the platform slowly dissipated, revealing the scene on the Central Platform.

At this moment, not a single stone slab on the enormous platform was intact.

Lu Yi and Jiang Fan stood at opposite ends of the platform, facing each other in silence, the atmosphere tense.

Lu Yi's expression was calm, his aura stable, and he was in good condition.

In contrast, Jiang Fan was not in such good shape; his face was pale, his aura weak, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

Jiang Fan looked at Lu Yi, his expression shocked, a bit incredulous.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Fan gave a helpless smile and said, "Junior Brother Lu Yi, you've mastered sword intent... it's truly..."

Jiang Fan shook his head, "I admit defeat, Brother."

The Surging Wave Palm was, after all, a Foundation Establishment Skill. Using it now, Jiang Fan's spiritual energy consumption was exceedingly high. After one strike, his spiritual energy reserves were almost depleted. If he used it a second time, it would be a desperate move.

Seeing Lu Yi still having considerable strength, Jiang Fan felt that using it a second time wouldn't change the outcome.

When Lu Yi saw Jiang Fan conceding, he smiled slightly and said, "Brother Jiang Fan, I must admit, I was just lucky. During my fight with Brother Bai Yulong earlier, I had some insights that allowed me to comprehend sword intent."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan was taken aback. He looked at Lu Yi with a strange expression, then glanced at Bai Yulong, who stood a bit further from the platform, disdain in his eyes. *Junior Brother Lu Yi could comprehend sword intent, what did Bai Yulong comprehend?*

Bai Yulong, having heard this, was utterly confused.

*What... even though we all had a match, why could Lu Yi comprehend sword intent?!*

*Something must be wrong here! It's too unreasonable!*

Bai Yulong tried to recall his match with Lu Yi, hoping to figure out how Lu Yi comprehended sword intent. After thinking for a long time, Bai Yulong couldn't understand, feeling completely dumbfounded.

Turning around, Bai Yulong saw Lin Wan'er and the others looking at him with complex expressions, twitching his mouth in frustration, "What are you looking at?! Is this my fault?! It's not like I wanted Lu Yi to comprehend it!!"

Lin Wan'er softly replied, "...Then what did you comprehend?"

Tie Man scratched his head, "Is there really such a big gap between people?"

Li Yun sneered, not saying a word, just glancing sidelong at Bai Yulong.

Bai Yulong: "..."

He felt a bit depressed.

At this moment, Gudu Fang descended onto the platform. He looked at Lu Yi, his expression full of satisfaction, smiling and nodding, "Not bad, not bad at all. To understand sword intent at such a young age, your future is promising."

Lu Yi smiled and said, "Grand Elder, you overpraise me."

Dugu Fang chuckled and looked at Jiang Fan, also nodding, "Jiang Fan is also very good. Being able to understand the Foundation Establishment Skill, your comprehension is equally extraordinary, with a bright future ahead."

Jiang Fan smiled, "Thank you for the praise, Grand Elder."

Dugu Fang laughed heartily, "This year's outer sect competition produced two geniuses, very good... Now that the top two have been decided, you may step down."

Lu Yi and Jiang Fan nodded and stepped off the platform.

The competition had reached the point where the top three had been decided, leaving only the ranking matches for the remaining positions.

The fourth and fifth places, naturally, were determined between Bai Yulong and Li Yun. During the match, perhaps due to the frustration of being overshadowed by Lu Yi, Bai Yulong's small universe exploded, defeating Li Yun into another bout of depression, securing the fourth place.

The ranks below the top five were also determined during the matches, with Tie Man in sixth, Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Sister Liu Tian in seventh, followed by three Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer brothers and sisters.

The top ten competitions continued until the sun set, with Lu Yi finishing early, leaving him to enjoy watching the matches with amusement.

These Qi Cultivation Ninth and Tenth Layer brothers and sisters had impressive skills, making for quite an entertaining spectacle, at least much better than the preliminary rounds.

When all the matches concluded, Dugu Fang once again came to the platform. He looked around and calmly said, "The Outer Sect competition is over. The top ten disciples should come to the Outer Sect Hall in a week to find me, and I will take you to the Inner Sect. Also, the Outer Sect competition rewards will be distributed by the Affairs Hall. The first place receives a Low Grade Magic Artifact and a High Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. The second and third places receive a High Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. The fourth and fifth places receive a Mid Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. The sixth to tenth places receive a Low Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Disciples who passed the preliminaries can receive a bottle of High Grade Qi Condensation Elixir, and those who passed the qualifiers can receive a bottle of Mid Grade Qi Condensation Elixir."

```