Soon, the day of the Sect grand competition arrived. When Jin Bao'er stepped outside, she was met with a neat row of handsome men standing at the entrance, instantly stunning her with surprise.
"Seven Senior Brothers? Master, why are you all here?"
"Naturally, to welcome our little junior sister. Hmm... not bad, not bad, Qi Condensation Level 4!"
Second Senior Brother was as effortlessly enchanting as ever, casually appraising her cultivation, though the shock in his eyes did not escape Jin Bao'er's notice.
The others were much the same. Third Senior Brother Luo Nanshan walked over carrying a porcelain pot, looking at her with a mix of heartache and pride.
"Our little junior sister has been in seclusion for half a month and looks like she's lost weight! I always said hunger-warding pills lack nutrition! How pitiful! All the meat on her face is practically gone! Come, come, Senior Brother made you some braised tunsui pork, you must eat more!"
That look of heartbroken concern was utterly exaggerated, making Jin Bao'er feel quite embarrassed. She had no choice but to take the bowl and chopsticks. The tender, richly fragrant golden chunks of meat in the pot were deeply enticing. Tunsui beasts were an extremely difficult monster beast to catch—low in cultivation but blindingly fast! Their meat was tender and rich in spiritual energy, making them a favorite among cultivators.
"Thank you, Third Senior Brother, it's delicious!"
Receiving her affirmation, Luo Nanshan smiled even more brightly, deciding that waiting a day and a night at the back peak to catch that tunsui was well worth it!
Upon seeing this, Second Senior Brother frowned, his alluring face full of disdain.
"Little Junior Sister, you really should eat less fatty meat. If you grow up as fat as your Third Senior Brother, no one will want you! A young woman should be soft and slender to look good!"
The mocked Third Senior Brother paused, looked down at his own figure, and blushed. Flustered, he turned to Jin Bao'er and stammered, "I... I didn't know. Well... eating just one meal shouldn't make you fat, right?"
That cautious, regretful look made Jin Bao'er feel a twinge of guilt.
"Don't listen to Second Senior Brother's nonsense. I'm not afraid of getting fat! Besides, I practice every day, and eating a meal like this occasionally won't hurt!"
Soon, the Sect grand competition officially began. Low-tier cultivators in the Qi Condensation Stage were assigned to the outermost ring.
When Jin Bao'er and her seven senior brothers stepped into the arena, they quickly attracted a great deal of attention.
"Is that the legendary Bai Yilong? He truly lives up to his reputation as a genius body cultivator—his aura is so intense!"
Two infatuated female disciples couldn't help whispering to each other, their gazes glued to Bai Yilong, completely unable to look away.
The people of Huaming Peak were clearly long accustomed to this effect, completely ignoring the gazes of others. Jin Bao'er was even less interested, as she had drawn the first spot to defend the ring!
The Sect grand competition adopted a gauntlet format, which placed a heavy emphasis on the contestants' sustained spiritual power. There were twenty-six disciples participating in the Foundation Establishment Stage matches, and with such a lineup, whoever went up first was definitely at the greatest disadvantage!
Faced with the concerned looks sent by her senior brothers, Jin Bao'er gave a slight nod and walked calmly onto the arena stage... After all, she couldn't fly through the air just yet!
Most of the spectators in the audience were fellow disciples of the contestants, and even the referee presiding over the match was merely a Golden Core Stage elder, showing just how little importance anyone attached to this match among low-tier disciples... Thinking of this, she tightened her fists slightly. One day, she would become the strongest cultivator in this world.
"The match begins! The first round will be defended by Huaming Peak disciple Jin Bao'er!"
As the words fell, the contestants offstage grew eager to try, with no one looking favorably upon the young girl who was not even eleven years old.
"How pitiful for such a young junior sister. If she gets beaten so hard it leaves psychological trauma, her path ahead will be rough indeed! So what if she was first in the entrance test?"
"She's simply overestimating herself!"
...
The voices drifted into Jin Bao'er's ears, but she merely sharpened her gaze, focusing entirely on receiving the challenger's attack.
Her tiny figure met the blade of a saber-wielding disciple barehanded and held firm. At a glance, the massive saber was actually larger than the girl's entire body, causing everyone's breath to catch in their throats!
Catching the heavy blade, Jin Bao'er was herself quite startled by her own resilience. She glanced sideways at Bai Yilong, feeling an immense wave of gratitude. Thanks to First Senior Brother's physical conditioning over the past two months, the results were clearly spot on!
Following that, she pushed hard and kicked the disciple straight off the stage. First opponent down! Ring defense successful!
From start to finish, it had taken a mere five seconds, leaving the saber-wielding young man utterly dumbfounded.
At that moment, another young man leaped into the arena, his delicate face filled with arrogance and disgust as he looked at Jin Bao'er.
"Xiao Shi of Linlang Peak is here to offer instruction!"
Faced with the youth's inexplicable malice, Jin Bao'er frowned slightly. Xiao Shi? Su Xianzhi's most loyal bootlicker in her past life! He had always been quite dissatisfied with her presence, and when she was expelled from the Sect, this person had been the happiest of all! And now, he had actually reached the Great Circle of Qi Condensation?
Looking at the silent girl before him, Xiao Shi felt a growing sense of disgust. Not even speaking a word—how truly rude!
The next second, he directly manipulated spiritual energy and charged at Jin Bao'er, seemingly intent on defeating her in a single blow, his eyes filled with utter contempt.
Jin Bao'er pressed her lips together as scenes of past humiliations flashed through her mind. Then, she sidestepped, smoothly dodging the oncoming spiritual energy attack! Icy frost erupted in her hand, rapidly forming an ice sword that she swung straight toward the youth's collar.
A bone-chilling cold washed over him. Before the young man could even react, his neck felt icy cold, as if one more movement on his part would send his head rolling to the ground...
At this, everyone gasped in shock! No mere rookie in the Qi Condensation Stage could possibly possess such speed, let alone form spiritual energy into a physical shape! That was something only those in the Golden Core Stage could accomplish!
With an icy, solemn gaze, Jin Bao'er swept her eyes across Xiao Shi's face, her tone completely devoid of emotion.
"You lost!"
Xiao Shi's body instantly stiffened. Faintly, he could sense that Jin Bao'er was nothing like the infatuated woman of the rumors...
Recovering from his shock with a violent start, the referee hurriedly announced Jin Bao'er's victory. To defeat a cultivator two tiers higher than herself with a single move! Such terrifying cultivation talent would probably even make the Immortal Venerable...
Suppressing the startled doubt in his eyes, the referee looked toward the four people sitting quietly in the Huaming Peak section. Seeing not a hint of surprise on their faces, his bewilderment only deepened!
Following that, the third opponent, the fourth... all fell to Jin Bao'er. The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, until even the spectators from the neighboring Foundation Establishment matches began turning their gaze toward this side...
Who could have expected such an anomaly to appear in the Qi Condensation grand competition? Facing a gauntlet of seven consecutive opponents, she remained entirely unruffled, her breathing barely even disrupted...
"Allow me to offer some instruction!"
Right at that moment, a girl clad in a white dharma robe descended from the sky. Her delicate voice was exceptionally sweet, and her soft, exquisite face instantly stirred feelings of protective affection in everyone who saw her.
"It's Immortal Venerable Louyun's disciple! Rumor has it she broke through to Qi Condensation Level 3 in just half a month!"
"Is her name... Su Xianzhi? An Immortal Venerable's disciple, so that kind of speed is to be expected, I suppose."
The crowd below instantly burst into discussion. Su Xianzhi, the top genius and disciple of the Miaomiao Sect, versus Jin Bao'er, the dark-horse newcomer who took first place in the entrance tests—which of the two was truly superior?