I apologize for the previous oversight. Here's the corrected translation with the changes you've requested:
In a certain corner,
A young man carrying a long knife, who had closed his eyes to meditate, suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards Jiang Heng.
"How is this possible? He could kill an intruder at the True Qi Realm?"
The young man's eyes were filled with awe, but his face was filled with complexity.
"I've been working hard for so many years, finally reaching the Tenth Level of the Body Refining Realm, and my knife skills have also reached perfection. I thought I could make a breakthrough, but unexpectedly, another terrifying genius has emerged!"
"Genius, genius!"
"Why is the world so unfair? No matter how hard ordinary people work, they can't compare to the endless stream of young geniuses."
The young man's face was full of unwillingness, followed by a deep sigh.
"Enough! Enough!"
"It seems that I, Lan Gaozhuo, am destined to have no chance at the championship. I'll just go with the flow!"
On the other side,
A young girl holding a long sword was equally shocked.
Being considered a top contender for the championship meant having strength far beyond ordinary outer disciples. However, including Qipeng, no one was absolutely sure of winning. Because no one knew if others would have new breakthroughs or unknown trump cards. Everything depended on their final performance in the arena.
So, the several of them had a good chance of winning the championship.
But now, the sudden emergence of Jiang Heng not only pushed him from obscurity into the championship favorites but also completely eliminated everyone else's chances of winning.
"It seems like the championship is out of reach again!"
Sword-bearing girl Gu Zhaojun sighed deeply.
Before long, everyone began to return.
Su Qinghe stood in the midst of the crowd, calmly announcing the results of the first round.
"First place, Jiang Heng, 103 points!"
"Second place, Lan Gaozhuo, 86 points."
"Third place, Gu Zhaojun, 82 points."
...
"Fiftieth place, Xing Guo, 38 points."
His voice echoed leisurely in everyone's ears.
After he finished announcing all the rankings, he led everyone back to the sect.
By the time everyone returned to the sect, it was already evening.
"Tomorrow morning, the top fifty disciples will go to the outer sect plaza for a draw to determine the matchups for the knockout stage."
"Now, disperse!"
Everyone scattered in different directions.
Jiang Heng also returned to his small courtyard.
After taking a comfortable bath, Jiang Heng opened his personal panel.
Host: Jiang Heng.
Cultivation: Tenth Level of the Body Refining Realm (23/100,000).
Primary Cultivation Art: Primordial Genesis Art (Heaven Grade) (Entry Level).
Martial Arts Techniques: Mountain-Breaking Fist (Profound Grade) (Perfection), Swift Wind Steps (Profound Grade) (Perfection).
Secret Technique: Golden Statue Art (Earth Grade) (Triple Layer).
Potential Points: 560,000.
His potential points had reached an unprecedented 560,000!
However, allocating these points left him somewhat conflicted.
If he increases his cultivation and advances to the True Qi Realm, he'll lose a significant source of potential points from defeating higher-level opponents in the short term. After all, he doesn't have the confidence to defeat someone at the Innate Realm in the short run.
As for the Golden Statue Art, it doesn't seem necessary to upgrade it at the moment. Even if he spends 300,000 potential points to upgrade it, it won't have much effect on him since his defensive capabilities already far exceed the norm.
So, his choices are either to continue accumulating potential points and upgrade the Primordial Genesis Art, or upgrade two martial arts techniques. Based on the upgrading rules for other techniques, upgrading to a Heaven-Grade technique would likely cost 1 million potential points. Given his ability to accumulate potential points rapidly by defeating higher-level opponents, this wouldn't take much time.
However, he suspects that upgrading the Primordial Genesis Art might only improve his food absorption efficiency or cultivation speed. For example, right now, it takes him an hour to digest a drop of Qi and Blood Pill and gain 10,000 potential points. Upgrading might reduce this time.
If he had abundant resources at his disposal, it would be an excellent choice. However, he currently only has three Qi and Blood Pills. Even if he reduces the digestion time to one second, the overall improvement won't be substantial since he'll still be practicing normally during the rest of the time.
Considering the upcoming sect competition champion rewards, although the sect hasn't officially announced them, based on past records, they typically include a hundred Qi and Blood Pills, 1,000 contribution points, and an additional 10 contribution points per day until promotion to the Inner Sect within the next year. Such resources are indeed abundant for Jiang Heng's current situation, but they are only enough for about half a month of cultivation.
After thinking it over, Jiang Heng decided to temporarily forgo the upgrade. As for the other two Profound-Grade martial arts techniques that have already reached perfection, even if his potential points run out, he can only upgrade them to the Triple Layer of Earth-Grade, which is just a bonus to his current strength.
Jiang Heng shook his head in contemplation and then went back to his room to rest.
...
Four days ago,
In a luxurious and spacious palace,
Elder Sun sat cross-legged on a central high platform.
"You're saying that Su Li, at the True Qi Realm Eighth Level, couldn't even harm Jiang Heng and was defeated by him in a direct confrontation?"
Elder Sun's gentle voice echoed in the spacious palace.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes!" Lei Song stood respectfully below the high platform and spoke confidently.
"This Jiang Heng is truly a peerless genius! He's only 16 years old now, right? Yet he's already showing such terrifying potential! He's indeed a blessing to the sect!"
"If nothing unexpected happens, he will surely become a formidable expert in the Spirit Sea Realm or even the Myriad Manifestations Realm in the future!"
Elder Sun couldn't help but sigh. Then he said in a nonchalant tone:
"Well, let's create some unexpected events for him!"
"Find a way to lure him out of the sect and make sure he dies outside the sect without leaving any traces."
"Within half a year, I must receive news of his death!"
Elder Sun's gaze fell on Lei Song, asking indifferently, "Can you do it?"
As the words fell, Lei Song couldn't help but shiver all over. A vast and heavy pressure enveloped him, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He knew that when Elder Sun asked in this manner, it meant that he had to accomplish it, or else...
Thinking of this, Lei Song immediately bowed his body even lower and said in a fearful and sincere tone, "I can!"
...
Three days ago,
News of a True Qi Realm intruder appearing during the trial of Outer Sect disciples and being killed by Jiang Heng, who was in the Body Refining Realm, had reached the sect and was immediately reported to the sect leader.
At the Fifth Peak of Dalu Sect, in a spacious palace,
The Sect Leader of Dalu Sect, Bai Haocang, sat cross-legged. He appeared like a peerless divine sword, emitting a fierce and intimidating aura.
Invisible sword qi occasionally appeared within a hundred meters around him.
"Swish!"
A tiny sword qi appeared out of thin air at a certain spot on the floor, instantly cutting it and leaving a small but clear sword mark.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that, apart from the cushion Bai Haocang was sitting on, the floor within a hundred meters was covered with dense and distinct sword marks.