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The competition seemed fair, but it wasn't impossible to cheat. After all, registration was voluntary, surrender was allowed, and even the sect didn't prohibit fixed matches.

Instead, another matter mentioned by Shu Buliao piqued Zhou Yi's interest.

"The Ziyun Association has strong financial resources?"

Loose Cultivators in the Marketplace had their small gatherings, and the sect was no different.

Zhou Yi initially planned to leave after ten years but now changed his mind, planning to claim an inheritance before departing.

Abandoning his cultivation and coming back to start over, freeload a technique and exchange for another, in a hundred or one hundred eighty years, Zhou Yi would have obtained all the secret techniques he valued.

This approach wouldn't draw the attention of fellow disciples to avoid having the same identity exchanging for various secret techniques as wealth moved hearts, and it was uncertain if any covetous thoughts might arise among them.

If orthodox cultivators were truly kind and harmless, there would be no need for the sect to have so many rules, nor would it be necessary for a Nascent Soul ancestor to preside over the Law Enforcement Hall.

The plan required finding a gathering with a good reputation and significant influence to have enough Foundation Establishment Pill buyers, who could also afford a good price.

Shu Buliao looked slightly startled as if surprised, and then said with a smile.

"Junior Brother Zhu must have not been here long, not even having heard of the Ziyun Association. Let me put it this way for you, even if you won millions of Spirit Stones, we could pay out immediately!"

"Millions of Spirit Stones!"

Zhou Yi's expression revealed surprise, even those of Golden Core lineage wouldn't dare speak so boldly.

"Junior Brother, the founder of the Ziyun Association, Brother Fang Chengfeng, is the offspring of the ancestor Jian Chen," Shu Buliao emphasized.

He deliberately stressed, "It's not a lineage that has been diluted over hundreds of years. After five generations, what inheritance could there be? Brother Fang is the ancestor's only offspring, his identity within the entire sect is truly unique!"

The higher a cultivator's realm, the more difficult it is to have offspring.

Perhaps cultivators are no longer like humans, having developed reproductive isolation, or maybe it's a rule set by the heavens, similar to those ancient and powerful monster races, who also struggle to produce offspring.

Except for dragonkind!

Dragons, by nature lascivious, could create offspring with any hole on the ground.

Zhou Yi carefully considered whether to participate in the Ziyun Association. With Brother Fang's status, being among the top second-generation members of the sect, he was most likely to find high-quality inheritances.

However, it was also this very status that gave Zhou Yi reservations because the reputation of the second-generation was notoriously poor!

Guessing Zhou Yi's thoughts, Shu Buliao took out a purple jade token with cloud patterns and said, "Junior Brother Zhu, feel free to visit the Ziyun Association. At the gathering of over a hundred disciples, there are always plenty of good items."

"Besides, Brother Fang's reputation is solid, you can inquire about it. There hasn't been a mishap in decades!"

Zhou Yi accepted the jade token and asked, "When is the gathering usually held? Which cave? Are there any rules I should be aware of?"

"At the end of each month at the peak of Ziyun Peak. Just don't make noise when you get there, and there's free Spiritual Wine and fine food to taste," explained Shu Buliao.

"That place was originally the Golden Core palace of ancestor Jian Chen. Brother Fang felt the high walls and large courtyards, the palaces and pavilions, were too ostentatious and had them flattened. Now, only an open-air pavilion remains."

Zhou Yi nodded in agreement, "Good, I'll go and take a look when the time comes."

Shu Buliao's face lit up with joy for recruiting a new True Person for the Ziyun Association, which would earn him a significant reward of Spirit Stones.

To ensure Zhou Yi wouldn't stand him up, he talked up the benefits of the Ziyun Association, mentioning that each gathering saw the sale of numerous high-quality Cultivation techniques and secret arts, pills, and Magic Artifacts.

Not until Zhou Yi repeatedly assured him did Shu Buliao finally take his leave, then went to nearby disciples to peddle the betting jade slips.

"Allowing Foundation Establishment True Persons to be preoccupied with mundane tasks shows the strength of the Ziyun Association," Zhou Yi thought.

Zhou Yi didn't look down on Shu Buliao. Given enough Spirit Stones or Spiritual Objects, even a Golden Elixir True Monarch would do sales on the side, with the effects exaggerated like a blooming lotus out of nowhere.

Gathering his thoughts, Zhou Yi's gaze shifted back to the competition stage.

At this moment, each stage had two Foundation Establishment True Persons responsible for ensuring the disciples' safety.

The disciples participating in the minor competition were drawing lots, and around noon, the first round of magical combat commenced, with eighteen disciples pairing off to duel.

Zhou Yi paid close attention to all nine combat stages, quickly noting down the names announced by the referee onto his jade slip. He then recorded the entire process of the duel between the two combatants in detail, including every move, facial expression changes, and the use of magic artifacts and secret techniques.

If there were any secret techniques he did not recognize, he planned to consult with his senior brother Jiang later.

"As expected of the Golden Core Sect, the average strength of the Qi Refinement Realm disciples far surpasses that of Loose Cultivators in the outside world. However, the minor competition is a fair fight, and if they were to mingle in the outside world, they may not necessarily be a match for Loose Cultivators."

Zhou Yi's gaze swept past eight combat stages, with most of his attention landing on the one at the northeast corner, where two disciples at the Great Perfection stage of Qi Refinement displayed strength far beyond their peers.

"Listening to the referee announce the names, it seems they are the popular candidates noted in Brother Shu's jade slip, and they have met in the first round."

According to the rules of the minor competition, the first round is an elimination round, and those who fail would have to wait until next year. Among the more than two thousand people drawing lots, just a small but formidable few happened to meet. One could say it was a matter of timing and fate, beyond human control.

The intense duel between these two also attracted the attention of most spectators.

Some who had placed bets even stood up and yelled, their continuous raucous voices gradually stirring the audience into excitement.

Cultivators are often cool and aloof, not by nature, but because of spending months or years in seclusion, seldom speaking with others. Over time, they become reticent and taciturn.

The sect's minor competition, which gathers thousands of fellow disciples and features intense and thrilling combat, generates an atmosphere that livens up the typically aloof cultivators.

Zhou Yi, from his commanding viewpoint, surveyed the whole scene and gleaned some understanding.

"The sect's minor competition is not just about promoting competition and rewarding disciples; it's also a large gathering that can effectively enhance cohesion and loyalty."

A quarter of an hour later.

A disciple named Li Qing used an Escape Technique to dodge a blazing fire spell and unleashed several thunder strikes to break through his opponent's protective golden light, knocking him off the combat stage and securing victory.

"The strengths were nearly equal, but the disciple skilled in Fire Technique exhausted his mana first. It seemed that Li Qing won easily and effortlessly, probably still having some secret techniques he hadn't used yet!"

Zhou Yi made a special note of Li Qing, intending to observe him more closely later on.

The minor competition went on for half a day, finally pausing as the sun set. Apart from Li Qing, many other disciples also made remarkable performances.

For instance, a disciple surnamed Gu, who was usually inconspicuous, surprisingly defeated a ranked opponent. He was proficient in a body-forging secret technique that allowed him to grow two yards tall after activation, with his strength and defense greatly increased, rendering him immune to low-level spells.

His weapon, a Mystic Iron Staff, swung with an impressive momentum, ultimately knocking his opponent off the combat stage.

"This Divine Skill looks somewhat familiar!"

Having mastered the Divine Bull Transformation to a great degree, Zhou Yi was certainly aware of its variations. At the minor completion stage, only the size of the body would increase, without the growth of bull horns.

The dueling ended.

Zhou Yi used an Escape Technique to return to the Cliff of Reflection, where he saw that Jiang Kang had woken up and was drinking while reading a storybook.

"There are mountains beyond mountains; it seems I've been too narrow-minded."

Jiang Kang offered words of comfort: "Don't belittle yourself, Junior Brother. Having achieved Foundation Establishment among Loose Cultivators, perhaps while your Spirit Root aptitude may not be up to par, you certainly have other exceptional qualities."

Zhou Yi handed over the jade slip with the combat records to Jiang Kang to review, saying,

"Today, I saw a disciple skilled in Lightning Method and Escape Technique effortlessly defeating an opponent of the same realm, and it seemed he still had strength to spare."

"Hmm? That sounds even more formidable than I was back in the day."

Jiang Kang talked about the outstanding disciples he had seen over the years, and after making comparisons, he found that the recent competitions seemed to be growing stronger year by year, leading him to marvel that the present might not be inferior to the past.

Zhou Yi listened attentively on the side, very much aware of his own limitations when it comes to magical combat.

The only two times he had dueled with cultivators, he had easily overpowered them using talismans and thunder pearls; it could hardly be called a fair fight!

Zhou Yi remembered something and asked, "Senior Brother, do you know about the Ziyun Association? What's the general opinion of it?"

"The gathering organized by the son of Patriarch Jian Chen? I've heard of it but never attended. It's mostly attended by Direct Disciples, not really my crowd."

After reflecting briefly, Jiang Kang added another comment,

"I've met Fang Chengfeng a few times; he's quite an interesting fellow. You might want to check it out when you have time, Junior Brother."