The behind-the-scenes power struggles among the prominent figures on the stage remained unknown, but the rivalry between Xiao Jinhua and Jiang Yun was glaringly evident.
Jiang Yun tossed someone out of the crowd, and Xiao Jinhua used his telekinetic power to send another person off the stage. The two of them seemed to be fiercely competing, turning the second group's selection competition into a stage for the contest between Xiao Jinhua and Jiang Yun.
The outer sect disciples in the audience were relieved they weren't in the same group as these two extraordinary individuals. Otherwise, they might have been eliminated by one of them without even realizing it.
"Senior Xiao's telekinetic power is truly formidable. It seems that this selection competition has become a one-man show for him and Jiang Yun. Everyone else is just a supporting character," remarked a disciple from the Yanyue Sect to his fellow sect members.
Xiao Jinhua was indeed worthy of being the chief disciple of the Yanyue Sect, as his admirers were numerous. However, the world had a peculiar way of functioning—when you tried to elevate one person, you often unintentionally belittled another. In this case, while praising Xiao Jinhua, many of the Yanyue Sect's disciples were subtly belittling Jiang Yun.
"In my opinion, this selection competition is just a solo performance for Senior Xiao. He hasn't even exerted himself, and Jiang Yun is only relying on his higher cultivation level compared to the others. There's no real skill involved. He can't be compared to Senior Xiao at all."
There were always people who felt the need to elevate themselves by belittling others. It seemed to be a common human tendency.
As the disciples of the Yanyue Sect extolled Xiao Jinhua's prowess, some of the disciples from the Heavenly Sword Sect couldn't help but feel upset. They thought, "Fine, praise him all you want. But why drag Jiang Yun into this? Did he do something to provoke you?"
"Hmph, so-called powerful individuals rely on their mouths to boast. If that's the case, then there's no need for this selection competition. Whoever talks the loudest becomes the champion, right? Why complicate things so much?"
A disciple from the Heavenly Sword Sect finally reached his limit, speaking out loudly and catching everyone's attention, including the two Yanyue Sect disciples who had previously praised Xiao Jinhua.
"The eyes of the masses are sharp. From the current situation, although Senior Xiao hasn't faced Jiang Yun, he does seem to be performing more effortlessly," responded one of the Yanyue Sect disciples in retaliation. The argument escalated, with disciples from both sects getting involved.
The longstanding animosity between the Yanyue Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect ignited, and this minor incident fueled the anger of both sects' disciples. The argument continued to escalate as they each tried to prove their point.
However, on the stage, Jiang Yun and Xiao Jinhua didn't display the same level of anger. From the moment the bell rang, their eyes never met, and they silently cooperated to eliminate the disciples from other sects by their sides.
From the beginning of the second group's selection competition, the question of who would advance seemed to be entirely in the hands of Jiang Yun and Xiao Jinhua. The unfortunate one in this scenario was the disciple from the Divine Path Sect.
Amidst the heated dispute among the disciples in the audience, Jiang Yun and Xiao Jinhua were unperturbed. They both understood that, despite the noise, the selection competition's outcome largely depended on their actions. As they began to compete, they focused on removing the disciples from the other sects, seemingly ignoring their own sect's disciples as they were, after all, fellow sect members.
So, ten minutes later, there were no disciples from the Divine Path Sect left on the stage. The total count came down to ten people: five from the Heavenly Sword Sect and five from the Yanyue Sect.
While it seemed that Jiang Yun and Xiao Jinhua were evenly matched in their clashes, in reality, Jiang Yun had a slight advantage. This was due to the fact that the Heavenly Sword Sect only had six disciples participating in the second group's selection competition. In essence, they had only eliminated one disciple.
On the other hand, the Yanyue Sect had more than ten participants in the second group's selection competition. However, combined with Xiao Jinhua, they ended up with only five remaining. Looking at the number of participants left on the stage, Jiang Yun held a slight upper hand.
"Dong!"
As the bell rang, it signaled the conclusion of the second group's selection competition. Assessment personnel stepped forward to register the remaining participants on the stage. Xiao Jinhua also walked over in Jiang Yun's direction.
"Chen Si was the one you injured, right?" Xiao Jinhua strolled over to Jiang Yun with an air of elegance, smiling.
"Do you want to avenge him?"
It had to be said that Xiao Jinhua had a remarkably attractive appearance. Coupled with his charismatic demeanor, it was difficult to feel any hostility toward him—even Jiang Yun found it hard to dislike him.
"No, I just wanted to thank you. I've mentioned to him many times within the sect. He's all talk and no substance. Last time, you taught him that there's always someone better, always another level to reach. For him, that's actually a good lesson."
Xiao Jinhua laughed freely, revealing a set of white teeth. He indeed embodied the image of a charming young man.
"No need to thank me, just call me Lei Feng."
"Lei Feng? Weren't you called Jiang Yun?"
Naturally, Xiao Jinhua had no idea who Lei Feng was, and he found this whole situation quite perplexing, which caused a slight frown to appear on his face.
Seeing Xiao Jinhua's puzzled expression, Jiang Yun suppressed a smile. He had no intention of explaining who Lei Feng was to him. Moreover, even if he did explain, Xiao Jinhua wouldn't understand.
"Haha."
Jiang Yun's laughter further puzzled Xiao Jinhua, who, due to a mild case of compulsiveness, couldn't stand people speaking in riddles. He finally mustered the courage to ask, "Hey, don't leave. You haven't told me whether your real name is Jiang Yun or Lei Feng."
The more Xiao Jinhua wanted to know, the less Jiang Yun was inclined to tell him. Once the assessment personnel had registered the names, Jiang Yun quickly left, leaving Xiao Jinhua muttering to himself, "Which one is his real name? Lei Feng? Jiang Yun?"
Following the second group's selection competition, both Jiang Yun and Xiao Jinhua's abilities quickly caught the attention of everyone who had advanced to the elimination rounds. Those with relatively decent strength who aimed to achieve good rankings in the elimination rounds began to pay special attention to Xiao Jinhua and Jiang Yun. However, after observing their performance in this group selection, most felt a chill down their spines. It was clear that these two had far surpassed their league.
If the second group's selection competition was a duel between Jiang Yun and Xiao Jinhua, then the fifth group's selection competition was undoubtedly a solo performance by Long Jiang'an. After the fifth group's selection competition, Long Jiang'an quickly became a contender on the same level as Jiang Yun and Xiao Jinhua. His performance during the selection competition was simply too outstanding.