In front of the now more than two thousand disciples stood Zheng Tao, the outer elder of the Punishment Pavilion and the one responsible for the inner disciple promotion competitions.
Closer to him than the rest of the disciples were the 118 who had competed in hopes of becoming inner disciples.
Zheng Tao calmly examined the disciples, who were anxiously waiting for the announcement of the results—especially those with 2 points, who still didn't know what would happen to them.
And, of course, among the 118 there were also many sad and disappointed faces, fully aware that there was no room for them among the 25 available spots.
As he attentively scanned the crowd, his gaze landed on his main body, standing in the corner with Rihai, being watched cautiously and respectfully by the disciples around them.
If not for the fact that the disciples feared Aotian's avatar—Zheng Tao the elder—more than Aotian himself, he was sure they would've gathered around him instead of lining up in front of the elder.
In the cultivation world, strength was synonymous with respect, and strength was leadership. Everything revolved around it, and if a cultivator wasn't strong, they were nothing.
Aotian had placed them in an uncomfortable position by standing off to the side with Rihai instead of in front, so they had to leave him there and line up before the elder out of respect for him and his superior strength.
Seeing that silence had settled over the thousands of disciples in the meadow, Aotian knew it was time.
"Yesterday, the final round of battles in this competition took place, and we now have the final results."
Zheng Tao spoke, breaking the silence, receiving serious and focused gazes from everyone as he turned to the panel where the names of the disciples and their respective scores were displayed.
"The light panel has been available the entire time showing everyone's points, so all of you noticed that the score of 2 points extended from 19th to 29th place. And since there are only 25 spots in this competition, tiebreaker criteria were applied to determine which of those 11 disciples would remain."
With his serious and heavy tone, the hope of some disciples with 2 points was extinguished.
They still held onto a small hope that the sect might make an exception and accept all those with that score. Aotian had even considered the idea, but he knew it could set a precedent for future competitions, encouraging disciples to aim for specific scores and try to exploit that loophole again. That's why he decided it was better to strictly follow the previously established rules and avoid future headaches.
Because of this, the disciples with 2 points doubled their attention, waiting anxiously for the elder's next words.
"For the tiebreaker, the following criteria were defined. First, who you faced and the final placements of those opponents influenced your own position. Second, the elders' evaluation of your battles. With that, the following results were determined."
He declared and stretched out his arm, pointing at the light board without even needing to look at it.
The disciples followed the direction of his finger with their eyes and saw the results on the light board shift, the names from 19th to 29th place being reordered.
Among the disciples with 2 points, those who passed wore wide smiles, happy and satisfied.
As for those below 25th place, they couldn't fully hide the feeling of unfairness. Though they tried to maintain composure, it was impossible to completely conceal their displeasure and disappointment.
They didn't believe themselves to be weaker than the others with the same score.
Zheng Tao calmly observed their faces and said in a tranquil voice:
"I see that some of you are dissatisfied."
Despite the serene tone, the 4 disciples who hadn't passed and felt unhappy froze upon hearing those words. A chill ran down their spines, and fear arose in their hearts.
Quickly, they lowered their trembling heads.
"We wouldn't dare!"
The shout echoed in unison. They feared having offended the elder—and perhaps all the elders who had judged the results—by showing displeasure or disagreement.
"There's no need to be afraid, I'm not blaming you. It's normal to feel unsatisfied in this situation. And we never said there wouldn't be a chance to change that reality."
The elder's calm voice made the disciples lift their heads with hope.
Their hearts were a little more at ease seeing that, apparently, the elder wasn't upset with them—though inwardly, they were still a bit afraid they had offended him and he just wasn't showing it.
"You four, from 26th to 29th place, may each choose someone between 19th and 25th place to challenge. If you win, the spot is yours, simple as that. Since everyone has the same score, the strength between you is not that different, so you'll only have one chance."
As soon as he finished speaking, tremors shook the ground and the combat platforms were hurled onto the ground a bit farther away.
This time, only four platforms were raised, as there were only four unqualified disciples with 2 points.
Understanding the elder's words and seeing hope in the new opportunity, they ran to choose their opponents without hesitation—naturally selecting those at the bottom of the list.
Aotian, beside Rihai, commented in a playful tone:
"For those who didn't believe in the elders' evaluation, they were quite willing to trust it when picking their opponents." He smiled, amused.
"Well, it's not that they don't believe, they just don't want to believe when it's about themselves being weaker than others." Rihai also smiled at his observation.
"I know, humans are very stubborn when they want to be. But it makes sense—everyone knows their own battles and efforts, and they can't help but feel it's unfair when someone else surpasses them without even trying to understand what that person went through as well." Aotian nodded and shrugged.
"That's true…" she agreed, with a thoughtful look.
The battles that followed weren't quick; those disciples had very similar levels of strength, so things dragged out a bit. In the end, the ones Aotian had chosen still managed to win, making him nod inwardly, satisfied.
It wasn't just because he chose them as the strongest that they would necessarily win the fights. After all, the power levels between them were quite close, and there was always a chance of an upset. But in the end, the outcome was good, and everyone was convinced — even the challengers, though they still felt downcast and frustrated.
Limping, disheveled by the wind, and wearing sorrowful expressions, the four defeated disciples returned to the crowd, their faces showing a certain shame.
Meanwhile, the winners who had maintained their positions returned with relief and pride.
Zheng Tao, upon seeing them return, coughed discreetly into his fist to regain everyone's attention as the combat platforms were retracted.
With eyes once again focused on him, he continued:
"Now, from 1st to 25th place, step forward."
He commanded, and everyone promptly obeyed.
Putting a smile on his face, he nodded to them.
"Congratulations. You are now officially inner disciples. Later, you may go directly to Elder Bao Hui, who will handle the formalities and explain the rules. Lastly, but not least, the announcement of the rewards."
He spoke, and the eyes of the newly promoted inner disciples lit up. In the last competition, there were additional prizes, but since none had been announced this time, they thought there might not be any.
"The first prize is that the 25 disciples who passed can attempt a Refiner-Tier Soul Challenge once for free. The five inner disciples who were recruited earlier can also attempt the challenge once for free. The second prize is the same as in the first competition: a Refiner-Tier spell of choice for everyone who won this competition. And finally, for first place, two Founder-Tier spells; for second place, one. For the others, since there were tied scores, there will be no additional prizes."
He explained, to the disappointment of Hui Lang and the others — who, nonetheless, understood. Long Aotian and Liu Rihai's performance had been incomparably superior to theirs, and the two deserved special treatment from the sect.
But the truth was that Aotian was simply creating advantages for himself and Rihai so they could demonstrate spells publicly without worrying about justifying how they had obtained them.
Even if he didn't care much about revealing his high position within the sect, Rihai did — and she was right to be cautious.
"Very well. That said, you may later clear your doubts with Elder Bao."
He concluded and turned his gaze away from the twenty-five disciples, who began talking discreetly and cheerfully among themselves, while some had questions and could hardly wait to learn what the Soul Challenge Elder Zheng had mentioned was.
Zheng Tao's eyes then fell upon the disciples who were disheartened by not having passed.
"You mustn't be discouraged. Remember: there will still be a second round of the competition, where twenty-five more of you will be selected. Keep preparing yourselves. The second round will be announced after the recruitment in the next city."
His words had barely finished when the once-disheartened eyes of the 93 disciples who didn't make it immediately lit up with determination, fixing intensely on the elder.
Among them, the four disciples who failed to qualify with 2 points showed the greatest resolve and firmness in their eyes.
Seeing that, Zheng Tao nodded in satisfaction and opened his arms to announce:
"Thus, I hereby declare that the first round of the inner disciple promotion competition... is officially concluded."
…
Back aboard the sect's floating ship, Aotian, Rihai, and the 23 new inner disciples were led under Zheng Tao's leadership to a meeting room on the ship.
"You may enter and wait a moment. Elder Bao Hui will arrive shortly," he said, and the disciples bowed in thanks.
Nodding to them, he turned and left.
"Let's go in." Aotian, holding Rihai's hand, took the lead, wanting a place to sit.
Rihai let him pull her as the crowd parted, making way for the two to pass.
Pushing the door open, Aotian entered naturally.
With the two of them entering, the rest of the disciples followed, stepping into the large empty room.
Aotian found a spot and sat down, with Rihai joining him without much thought.
While they spoke quietly among themselves, the disciples waited.
A few minutes passed, and that was when a loud sound suddenly echoed in the room:
Bang!
Everyone quickly turned their heads, startled, toward the door where the sound had come from.
And there stood Bao Hui — imposing, with a serious face, sharp gaze, hands behind his back, and a suffocating aura radiating from his body.
At his side was, surprisingly, Xiao Ling — the sect's perfect root — with her beautiful blue hair and a helpless expression.
Bao Hui advanced with a terrifying calm on his stern face, making the disciples hastily rise and lower their heads, their hearts filled with concern.
Some had seen him before, on rare occasions, and remembered that he didn't usually look this frightening. They assumed the elder was in a bad mood — and no one wanted to contribute to making it worse right now.