Chapter 631 - 631: Battle Ring No. 17

Faced with Zhou Yongyang's attack, Chu Qingyun's expression turned cold, and he prepared to retaliate.

However, just at that moment.

Zhou Jianxiong, who was nearby, flashed between the two of them. He grabbed Zhou Yongyang's arm and suppressed his Primordial Power.

"Junior Brother Chu, long time no see."

Zhou Jianxiong said with a smile as he looked at Chu Qingyun, but there was something unsettling about it.

"Zhou."

Chu Qingyun gave a perfunctory cupped-fist salute and said, "We have other matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving."

"Why the hurry? Won't you stay and chat for a bit, Junior Brother Chu?" Zhou Jianxiong said.

"There's no need. I have to prepare for the grand competition." Chu Qingyun, of course, couldn't be bothered to chat with them.

"Heh, the grand competition? Chu Qingyun, do you really think you have a chance of winning one of the twelve spots?"

Zhou Jianxiong chuckled, a look of mockery finally showing in his eyes.

"We haven't competed yet. Who knows what will happen?" Chu Qingyun said.

"Hmph. Some things are known without needing to be tested! Do you think my Celestial Water Dynasty would let you become a Core Disciple?"

Zhou Jianxiong's expression turned cold.

At this point, he couldn't be bothered to keep up the act in front of Chu Qingyun.

"Not let me become a Core Disciple? In that case, I'll wait and see..."

As Chu Qingyun spoke, he glanced at Zhou Yongyang, then continued walking inside with Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai.

After Chu Qingyun's group of three left, the other Inner Sect Disciples also found seats.

Meanwhile, Zhou Jianxiong led Zhou Yongyang to a more secluded area.

"Senior Brother, why didn't you let me teach that kid a lesson!" Zhou Yongyang said, unwilling to let it go.

"Idiot!"

Zhou Jianxiong scolded him, then said, "You're the strongest in the Outer Sect, guaranteed to become an Inner Sect Core Disciple. How can that Chu Qingyun possibly compare to you?"

"Even the Sect Leader pays attention to the Inner Sect qualification competition. If you get into a conflict with him and you both get disqualified, wouldn't you be the one at a disadvantage?"

Realization dawned on Zhou Yongyang, and a look of gratitude appeared on his face.

"You're right to scold me, Senior Brother. I was being reckless."

"Even if I had managed to teach Chu Qingyun a lesson, it probably would have affected my performance in the Inner Sect qualification competition. The cost truly would've outweighed the benefit."

"So that was Chu Qingyun's plan all along. No wonder he charged forward to bump into me. He's so treacherous..."

Zhou Yongyang said with some lingering fear.

However, he had no idea that Chu Qingyun hadn't given him a second thought, let alone bothered to plot against him.

As for when Zhou Yongyang was about to attack, Chu Qingyun had indeed intended to fight back and simply knock him out of the competition early. Since Zhou Yongyang would have made the first move, it would have had nothing to do with Chu Qingyun anyway.

"Good, as long as you understand. However, it seems Chu Qingyun is indeed a genius. In just one month, he went from a Level Seven Martial Spirit to a Level Nine Martial Spirit."

"I also heard he defeated an Outer Sect Seed Disciple in a single move and that his performance at the Celestial Sword Sect's Land of Trial was quite impressive..."

Zhou Jianxiong said, his eyes turning sinister.

"Senior Brother, what are you suggesting?" Zhou Yongyang asked.

"Yong Yang, during the Inner Sect qualification competition later, find an opportunity to eliminate him!"

"He has over ninety thousand Saint Extreme Points, so he's not short on cultivation resources. If we let him become a Core Disciple on top of that, wouldn't it be like giving a tiger wings? In the future, he'll definitely become a grave threat to us!"

Zhou Jianxiong said with a vicious look on his face.

"Senior Brother, do you really think he has a chance of becoming a Core Disciple?" Zhou Yongyang asked, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.

Clearly, he didn't take Chu Qingyun seriously.

'He's just a newly entered disciple. So what if he's a Level Nine Martial Spirit?'

'As for the rumors from the Celestial Sword Sect's Withered Wood Forest, they're just that—rumors. It wouldn't be strange for them to be exaggerated several or even a dozen times over.'

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Of course, I'm just telling you this as a precaution. I'll assign this task to a few others as well. If they can't do it, then it'll be up to you."

As he spoke, Zhou Jianxiong smiled and patted Zhou Yongyang's shoulder.

Zhou Yongyang immediately puffed out his chest and declared, "Don't worry, Senior Brother. As long as I'm here, there is no way Chu Qingyun will become an Inner Sect Core Disciple!"

"Good. Go on, get in the arena."

The two of them walked out together. Zhou Jianxiong watched as Zhou Yongyang descended from the Observation Platform and walked onto the field below.

Then, he found the few other participants from the Celestial Water Dynasty among the hundreds of contestants and gave them instructions as well.

Once all the arrangements were in place, Zhou Jianxiong returned to where the other Core Disciples were gathered.

"Hm? Jianxiong, are your arrangements all set? Planning to obstruct that Chu Qingyun and stop him from becoming a Core Disciple?" one of the Core Disciples asked.

"Heh heh, just don't fail. That would be embarrassing," another one chuckled.

Obstructing and suppressing talented Outer Sect disciples who were disobedient or had offended them was a common occurrence, something these Core Disciples with powerful backgrounds were all used to seeing.

That was why they had all instantly guessed Zhou Jianxiong's objective.

Zhou Jianxiong, however, just smiled confidently. "He offended my Celestial Water Dynasty and still thinks he can become a Core Disciple? He's dreaming!"

He had absolute confidence in Zhou Yongyang's strength.

Meanwhile, Chu Qingyun watched Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai find their seats. Once they were settled, he also descended from the Observation Platform and entered the field below.

After entering the field, someone led him toward Battle Ring Number 17.

That was where Chu Qingyun would be fighting his first match.

This time, over four hundred disciples from the Saint Extreme Sect's Outer Sect had passed the first part of the Inner Sect qualification competition.

These four hundred-plus people were evenly distributed among forty-eight battle rings to determine the strongest forty-eight combatants.

Furthermore, this initial allocation wasn't random. The Outer and Inner Sect Elders, who had led the teams in the first part, made the assignments based on each participant's performance in the various sects' Lands of Trial.

The goal was to prevent two overly strong contenders from being matched against each other right at the start.

Such a matchup would not only be unfair but would also be detrimental to the Inner Sect's goal of selecting true geniuses.

Within the Saint Extreme Sect's Inner Sect, Core Disciples received exceptionally generous treatment, with a vast amount of resources directed toward them.

Therefore, every single Core Disciple spot was extremely important.

Even the Sect Leader and several Supreme Elders would pay close attention to the annual Inner Sect qualification competition.

Under these circumstances, absolutely no one would dare to pull any tricks, whether in the allocation of personnel to the battle rings or in the drawings for the semifinals later on.

Not even an Inner Sect Elder would dare!

An incident like the one with Elder Huang could never happen in this second part of the Inner Sect qualification competition.