Chapter 2516

Cui Wan finally understood. Their aptitude was not natural; it was created by their masters. In fact, all one hundred thousand junior brothers and sisters in the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect shared this same origin. The elders had shaped them.

As long as others remained unaware, the sect was safe. But now that the ten of them had appeared, and the blue-robed Daoist had been so stunned, it meant they were walking a tightrope between infinite promise and danger. One wrong step could mean destruction.

Currently, the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect had no fame or achievements. No one knew their true situation. This ignorance bought them time and space. If they used this time to grow strong, it would not matter if their secrets were eventually revealed.

Cui Wan looked seriously at Zhu Yanyi. After a moment, she said, "Master, I understand. Please rest assured. I will work hard to grow strong. In the future, I will protect my junior brothers and sisters, protect the sect, and protect our home."

"We will too," the other nine said in unison. "We will work hard to grow strong as soon as possible."

Having suffered much in their youth, they knew how precious this opportunity for growth truly was.

Seeing this, Zhu Yanyi’s eyes filled with relief. "Good. I wait for you to grow strong. Until then, do not worry. I will protect you and give you ample time to grow." Since the children were willing to strive, Zhu Yanyi, as their guardian and sect leader, would naturally fulfill her responsibilities.

She looked earnestly at the children and reminded them again, "But you must also work hard."

"Yes, we will work hard," the children nodded seriously. Their eyes showed a firm belief that was easy to feel.

Zhu Yanyi smiled slightly. This was good. Although the appearance of the blue-robed Daoist had surprised her, this surprise had given the ten children a stronger sense of responsibility. That was even better.

These children had always felt a sense of responsibility and belonging to the sect, but never as strongly as today. This was good. At least it showed that with responsibility, they would be happier. They had found their goal. Their shared goal was to grow strong through hard work, so they could protect the sect and help their junior brothers and sisters grow up safely.

The appearance of the blue-robed Daoist was just an accident. Everyone did not pay too much attention to him or his Sword Palace.

However, after the blue-robed Daoist returned, she paid more attention to them. Perhaps Zhu Yanyi’s aura was too mysterious, or perhaps she could not bear to forget those ten children. So, she asked someone to keep an eye on the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect.

"Lan Yi, why are you paying attention to such a small, new sect?" asked Ping Chuan, an elder of the Sword Palace and Lan Yi’s friend.

"Because I am curious. When I met the sect leader, and she knew I was from the Sword Palace, she did not show much fear. Instead, she argued her case reasonably. I want to see how far they can go," Lan Yi said. she did not tell Ping Chuan about the ten children.

She did not know why, but she subconsciously withheld that information. She knew that if she told them, they would become curious. The Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect was small, but with such disciples, given time, they would surely grow strong. By not setting any obstacles now, she was repaying the kindness of those bowls of snake soup.

Ping Chuan did not think too much. He nodded indifferently and said, "Lan Yi, a small sect that you value so much must have its special features."

"The special feature is that their snake soup is really delicious. I ate three bowls when I passed by," Lan Yi said seriously.

Ping Chuan knew Lan Yi well. Besides his sword, Lan Yi loved good food. So, Ping Chuan thought he understood: "So, you ate their food for free?"

"What do you mean 'for free'? I exchanged things for it," Lan Yi said. He could not say he had been robbed. It was not that he was afraid, but he did not want to lose face.

Ping Chuan chuckled. "Given that you never carry immortal jade when you go out, even if you brought something, it was not much. So, eating for free is still possible." Ping Chuan knew his old friend too well.

Lan Yi felt a bit embarrassed by Ping Chuan’s words. "Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this. Just have the disciples keep an eye on them."

"Fine," Ping Chuan agreed. He did not mind. To him, it was just a small sect. If anything happened, they would see clearly. If the sect got into trouble, he might help occasionally for Lan Yi’s sake.

Zhu Yanyi did not know that Lan Yi had asked people to watch them. Even if she knew, she would not mind. Whether they watched or not did not matter to her.

"Before the competition, check if you have brought everything you need," Zhu Yanyi reminded them.

Hong Lian said, "I have already helped check. There are no problems." Since it was their first time participating in such a large competition, Hong Lian naturally wanted to watch closely.

Zhu Yanyi nodded. "It is our first time in this competition. I have asked about the rules, but I only found out the rules from previous years.

The previous rules were like this. It usually starts with a free-for-all. Representatives from each participating group enter a secret realm to find specified items to accumulate points.

This process lasts ten days. After ten days, points are determined by the items found. The top one thousand advance to the next stage.

In this first stage, finding items gives points. Robbing other sects also gives points. The final ranking is based on team and individual scores. Individual rankings account for thirty percent, and team scores account for seventy percent. These are combined to determine the final ranking. This was the rule before.

I do not know if it is the same this year, but it is possible. So, we must keep this in mind."

After speaking, Zhu Yanyi took out several boxes. "We should not harm others, but we must guard against others," she said, pointing to the boxes. "These are…"