Shui Qianrou revealed a gentle, knowing smile.
Naturally, she understood exactly why Dantai Jinglian was doing this.
However, she had no intention of imitating her—she had her own advantages, and naturally, her own unique plans.
As for the Lu sisters, their eyes were shining brightly as they watched without blinking, just like diligent students earnestly studying a lesson.
Only Su Lingyuan was glowering fiercely at Dantai Jinglian, yet there was nothing she could do. She could only launch secret "attacks" with her eyes.
But the moment Dantai Jinglian turned her body slightly and cast a casual glance at her—
Su Lingyuan immediately switched to an innocent expression, smiling sheepishly as she scratched her head, looking utterly harmless.
Yet inside her heart, she was shouting nonstop:
"Master! Hurry and come back! That bad woman is about to steal Junior Brother's soul away!"
Naturally, Chu Ge knew nothing of the inner thoughts of the girls.
He only felt that the aftermath of Dantai Jinglian's earlier teasing was far too powerful—his emotions were still unsettled even now.
Thus, at this moment, he sat upright with rigid formality, not daring to turn his gaze in that direction again.
On the high platform—
Seeing that all the factions had taken their seats and that the time was about right, Xu Xiuzhu gave a light cough.
Majestic spiritual power was infused into his voice, which instantly echoed throughout the entire venue.
Only after the slightly noisy discussions in the arena quieted down did he nod in satisfaction and slowly speak:
"Now, I announce that the New Disciple Grand Competition officially begins!"
As his words fell—
The vast martial arena instantly stirred. It was divided into dozens of separate sections.
In the next moment, platforms rose one after another from beneath these divided regions!
The platforms looked small from the outside, but once one stepped inside, one would discover that there was a world within.
Each arena's internal space was vast enough for cultivators of the Middle Three Heavens to fully unleash their abilities without any restraint from the battlefield.
Those participating in the competition were not only the disciples who had entered Taihuang at the same time as Chu Ge, but also some who had joined earlier.
There were even a number of promising seedlings personally discovered outside by Taihuang's elders and brought back into the sect.
Thus, although the number of participants was not enormous, it was far from small—roughly estimated at four to five hundred people.
As one name after another was called out,
disciples who had long been itching for battle stepped onto the arenas.
Most were at the Second Heaven realm, with the occasional Third Heaven cultivator displaying overwhelming dominance, winning match after match on their respective platforms.
The rules of the competition were simple:
The winner of an arena became its arena master and would defend it, awaiting challenges from other disciples.
Once no one dared to step forward, the top twenty would be determined, after which the arena masters would battle among themselves to establish the final rankings.
There was no need to worry about exhaustion. After each victory, the grand formation of the martial arena would be activated, restoring the victor's physical and spiritual depletion.
After all, this was only the Lower Three Heavens. Even if the battles lasted an entire day and night, the total consumption wouldn't amount to even one percent of a true great power's reserves—and recovery was simple.
"Next contestant—Ye Chen."
As that name was announced, countless gazes turned toward the area where the participating disciples were gathered.
The name Ye Chen was already thunderous throughout the entire Inner Sect, and even within Taihuang as a whole.
Not only inside the Taihuang Sacred Land—many of the external forces who had come to spectate today had also heard of him.
"Which arena number will you challenge?"
The corners of Ye Chen's lips lifted into a wicked, charming smile as he spoke slowly:
"Number One."
As his words fell, Ye Chen strode forward with firm steps, heading straight ahead.
Within the Yunmiao Pavilion's seating area—
Upon hearing this name, Dantai Xuanyin's gaze slowly lowered, falling upon the young man below who was steadily moving forward toward Arena Number One.