Chapter 9: The Sect Ranking Tournament Begins!
Chapter 9: The Sect Ranking Tournament Begins!
The Azure Sky Sect's Grand Arena was packed with thousands of disciples, their voices creating a roaring storm of excitement. The Sect Ranking Tournament was the most anticipated event of the year—a chance for disciples to prove themselves, rise in ranks, and gain recognition from the sect elders.
For the first time in history, however, all attention was focused on a single outer disciple.
Leon Xian.
Rumors of his meteoric rise had spread across the sect. Some believed he was a fraud, others thought he had simply been hiding his strength, while a few even speculated that he had obtained some forbidden power.
Regardless, everyone was eager to see the truth.
Sitting high in the VIP pavilion, the sect elders and core disciples overlooked the tournament grounds. Among them sat Elder Mo, his gaze locked onto Leon. Next to him was Grand Elder Huang, a sage-like figure with a long white beard.
"So this is the boy causing all the commotion?" Grand Elder Huang mused, stroking his beard.
Elder Mo nodded. "Yes. His sudden rise in power is… abnormal."
A low chuckle sounded from the side.
"That's an understatement," said Jiang Tian, the Rank #1 disciple, leaning back lazily. "The guy went from trash to monster overnight. Either he's the greatest hidden genius ever, or he's using something that shouldn't exist."
Beside him, Qin Yue, the Rank #2 disciple, remained silent. Her cold, piercing gaze never left Leon.
She had seen many powerful men in the sect. None had ever interested her.
But this one?
He intrigued her.
---
The Tournament Begins
BOOM!
A massive gong echoed through the arena, signaling the start of the tournament.
An elder stood in the center of the stage, his voice infused with Qi, carrying across the entire arena.
"Disciples of Azure Sky Sect, welcome to the Sect Ranking Tournament!"
A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd.
"The rules are simple," the elder continued. "To rise in rank, you must defeat the disciple ranked above you. The stronger you are, the higher you will climb. If you are defeated, you are eliminated."
The elder then turned to the Ranked Disciples Pavilion, where the top 100 disciples were seated.
"Since Leon Xian has publicly declared his challenge for the top ranks, we shall begin with him!"
A collective gasp ran through the audience.
"What?! They're making Leon fight first?!"
"They really want to test him immediately!"
"This is going to be interesting!"
Leon smirked. Perfect.
He stepped forward onto the battle platform, standing tall under the scrutiny of thousands of eyes.
Across from him, a disciple leaped onto the stage, his Qi surging.
It was Gao Ren, Rank #57—a muscular young man wielding a giant battle axe, his arms rippling with strength.
He sneered at Leon. "I don't know how you got this far, but I'll make sure you don't go any further."
Leon yawned. "You done talking?"
Gao Ren's veins popped. "Arrogant bastard! You'll regret this!"
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
BOOM!
Gao Ren charged forward, his battle axe glowing with golden Qi as he swung it down with terrifying force.
"Mountain Splitting Strike!"
The ground cracked apart, and a shockwave of raw power rushed toward Leon.
The crowd gasped.
"That move can split boulders!"
"Leon's dead if he takes it head-on!"
Leon didn't move.
He simply raised a single finger.
CLANG!
Silence.
The entire arena froze as Gao Ren's massive battle axe came to an abrupt stop, held in place by Leon's single finger.
Gao Ren's face went pale. "W-What?!"
Leon smirked. "That's it?"
Then—
BOOM!
Leon flicked his finger, and an explosive force sent Gao Ren flying backward, crashing outside the platform and into a wall.
One move. One instant defeat.
The arena was dead silent.
Then—
"WOOOOAHHHH!"
The audience exploded into a frenzy.
"He crushed a Rank #57 disciple like it was nothing!"
"This isn't normal! What kind of power is this?!"
"Leon Xian… is a freak!"
Elder Mo's expression hardened. "That wasn't just strength. That was absolute control."
Qin Yue's eyes gleamed. Interesting. Very interesting.
Leon cracked his knuckles. "Next."
---
A True Challenge Appears
After witnessing Leon's one-move victory, no disciple ranked below the top 50 dared to challenge him.
But just as things were calming down—
BOOM!
A disciple landed on the platform, his aura fierce and terrifying.
Leon turned to see a young man dressed in crimson robes, his long black hair tied back, and a massive spear in his hands.
The crowd gasped.
"It's Xu Tian!"
"The Rank #3 Sword Spear Genius is stepping in?!"
"This is a real fight now!"
Xu Tian's sharp eyes locked onto Leon. "I've seen enough. I want to know—are you truly worthy of climbing to the top?"
Leon grinned. "You'll find out soon enough."
The referee raised his hand again. "Match begin!"
BOOM!
Xu Tian exploded forward, his spear moving like a streak of lightning, aiming straight for Leon's heart!
Leon's grin widened.
Finally, a worthy opponent.