In the disciple square at the Spirit Talisman Sect's Inner Elder Hall, nearly thirty newly initiated disciples, including Chen An, gathered to begin the sect's disciple tournament after the drawing of lots.
Several arenas had already been set up across the square, and a stern-looking elder stood before them, presiding over the tournament.
Before this moment, Li Muchen had taken some time to introduce a few of the important figures to Chen An.
At the forefront was the stern elder.
This man was none other than Yun Henqiu, the Grand Elder of the sect, second only to the Sect Master. He also had another identity—he was Yun Xiao's grandfather!
Looking at their faces, it was clear Yun Xiao resembled Yun Henqiu somewhat. However, compared to Yun Henqiu's dignified appearance, Yun Xiao had an almost imperceptible sinister edge.
In short, neither of these two was to be trifled with—the former held immense authority in the Spirit Talisman Sect, and the latter was Chen An's greatest rival in the upcoming tournament. From the time Chen An entered the sect, he had been entangled with the Yun family. And who could say if this tournament would deepen their connection further?
Aside from Yun Henqiu, several other elders from the sect were also present. However, to Chen An's surprise, the Sect Master was absent.
According to what Li Muchen had mentioned earlier, the Sect Master rarely involved himself in the sect's affairs, focusing on his own cultivation in seclusion. As a result, the daily management of the sect had long been handled by Yun Henqiu.
This fact alone showed that Yun Henqiu's power was likely even greater than most imagined!
Chen An couldn't help but wonder—if he defeated Yun Xiao in the tournament, would this lead to a grudge with the Yun family?
This thought lingered only for a brief moment before Chen An quickly suppressed it.
At this point, he couldn't afford to worry about making enemies with the Yun family. If he couldn't defeat Yun Xiao, his return to the outer sect would be a dead end anyway. To die just to avoid offending someone? Chen An wasn't noble enough for that.
In this tournament, anyone who blocked his path was his enemy!
The lot drawing commenced!
Chen An, along with the other disciples, reached into a black wooden box and drew the name of their first opponent: Wu Zhanheng.
Interestingly, Chen An had heard of Wu Zhanheng before, thanks to Li Muchen.
To help Chen An know his potential rivals, Li Muchen had spent the past half month using his connections to gather information on the new disciples participating in the tournament. He even compiled a detailed list.
On that list were a few names of those most likely to contend for the top spot—Wu Zhanheng was one of them!
While Wu Zhanheng wasn't as astonishingly talented as Yun Xiao, he was undoubtedly among the best competitors in this tournament. Recently, he had just broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation, and his family was a renowned martial arts clan in the mortal world.
Since he had practiced martial arts from a young age, Wu Zhanheng had vast combat experience, making him even stronger than his cultivation level suggested.
For Chen An to face such an opponent in his first match—it was undoubtedly terrible luck.
Even Li Muchen's face turned pale when he heard Chen An's first opponent was Wu Zhanheng. He wanted to offer some words of comfort but, in the end, couldn't find anything to say.
Noticing Li Muchen's concern, Chen An smiled and mouthed the words, "Don't worry, I won't lose that easily."
These weren't just words of comfort. Chen An had made plenty of preparations for the tournament.
Even though he hadn't managed to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation, he still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
Chen An refused to believe that, after all his preparations, he would fail to pass even the first round of the tournament.
In any case, they would soon find out!
"I now declare the Spirit Talisman Sect's New Disciple Tournament officially open. Those who have drawn opponents step onto the arena. Anyone who fails to appear will be considered to have forfeited."
As Yun Henqiu's voice rang out, Chen An took a deep breath and was the first to leap onto the stage. Simultaneously, a tall, muscular youth with dark skin appeared opposite him.
This must be Wu Zhanheng.
On the stage, Chen An and Wu Zhanheng faced each other from a distance. Neither moved to attack right away.
Wu Zhanheng sized up Chen An, a smirk of disdain forming at the corner of his lips. "I've heard you're just an outer sect laborer. Since when did laborers dare to dream of rising?"
"The sect doesn't have any rules against laborers participating in the tournament. If you can compete, why can't I?" Chen An replied calmly, not at all phased by Wu Zhanheng's provocation.
Wu Zhanheng paid little attention to these details, crossing his arms behind his back and standing there arrogantly, looking down at Chen An.
"Don't say I'm bullying you with my inner sect status. I'll give you three seconds to step down and admit defeat. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Wu Zhanheng's arrogance did not affect Chen An. Without saying a word, Chen An suddenly advanced, and the fight began!
"Hmph, overestimating yourself!"
Seeing Chen An dare to attack first, Wu Zhanheng's face showed even greater disdain. With a flip of his hand, a large gleaming blade appeared, slicing toward Chen An's head.
To be fair, Wu Zhanheng indeed had some skill. His background as a mortal martial artist gave him an edge in combat. Now, as a cultivator, he was even more powerful. The blade, carried by a fierce wind, made it hard for Chen An to keep his eyes open.
It was clear that if this strike landed, Chen An would be dead on the spot!
"Chen An, please don't let anything happen to you!" Watching from below, Li Muchen clenched his fists in anxiety, his knuckles turning white from the tension.
But just as the blade was about to strike, Chen An's momentum suddenly stopped. He stood still, slapped his storage pouch, and retrieved four or five talismans.
Everything seemed slow in description, but in reality, it all happened in an instant. Wu Zhanheng suddenly felt a dampness in the air, and before he could react, the talismans in Chen An's hands transformed into a water prison that descended upon him!
"A mere Water Prison Talisman? You think this can trap me?"
Wu Zhanheng immediately recognized the technique Chen An had used. The Water Prison Talisman was a basic confinement spell that drained nearby water elemental energy to form a watery cage.
Breaking free wasn't difficult. Strength could overcome it easily, and Wu Zhanheng was confident that a few strikes would shatter it!
And that's exactly what Wu Zhanheng did. He swung his blade to slice through the water prison, expecting it to break apart and for himself to emerge victorious.
But instead, his blade met only air. He staggered forward, nearly losing his balance.
At Chen An, he was still standing there—surrounded by four or five layers of the water prison.
This unexpected maneuver left everyone dumbfounded. Who would use a Water Prison Talisman to trap themselves? Was Chen crazy or foolish to pull off such a bizarre move?