The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 33: The Heaven-Bestowed Stele

When Jiang Tang reappeared on the plain, he could simply state his name, but the further he went, the more he realized that what he was encountering wasn’t just what he’d read in books—especially regarding cultivation techniques, including environmental conditions, seasons, pest control, and how to apply the Five Elements arts to nurture plants. Without firsthand experience, it was impossible to answer such questions!” As Hua Mo Leng spoke, he’d already scrutinized Jiang Tang from head to toe several times, yet no matter how closely he looked, he couldn’t discern anything unique about this junior disciple. “There’s nowhere to grow spiritual plants in the Xisha Sea. Where did you learn that?” Ji Yukui couldn’t help but ask. “We’re not that close!” Jiang Tang said, only to be met with a fierce glare from Ji Yukui immediately afterward. “Never mind. But Junior Brother, you’ve certainly brought honor to Black Reef Island this time. I hear the first-place prize is quite generous—worth a full thousand crystals. You’d better be careful!” Hua Mo Leng warned. “Got it,” Jiang Tang nodded. While they were chatting, the nine disciples on the stage had already stepped down, but soon, an elderly man in a white robe came onto the stage and announced, “Next up is the combat competition for the Ding List disciples: Yan Feng of Jin Ting Island versus Qian Zhong of Bai Cang Island.” As soon as the elder finished speaking, he floated gracefully off the stage. The next moment, the two disciples stood up not far from Jiang Tang. After exchanging a glance, they both snorted coldly—one sprinted onto the stage, while the other used a flight technique to glide onto it. After exchanging formal bows, they immediately turned on each other as if they were mortal enemies, launching lethal attacks from the very first move! “Huh? What’s going on?” Jiang Tang was momentarily taken aback. Hua Mo Leng, in a rare display of humor, said, “Hehe, Jin Ting Island and Bai Cang Island are extremely close to each other—they’re practically neighbors—but for some reason, they’re mortal enemies.” Watching the two clashing with their spells on the stage, Hua Mo Leng sighed wistfully and added, “It’s a pity—I’m already over thirty, so I can only participate in the internal competitions for senior disciples. Though the rewards are more generous, they’re also much less exciting!” “Internal competitions?” Jiang Tang was instantly intrigued. Hua Mo Leng didn’t hold anything back; he immediately explained the details of the internal competitions to Jiang Tang, which finally made Jiang Tang realize just how intense they were! The Grand Competition is limited to disciples under thirty; its main purpose is to give the young and impetuous disciples a chance to compete, so it’s organized with a bit more fanfare. But in the end, it’s nothing more than a child’s game—like playing house. The truly fierce competition takes place in the Inner Contests! The Inner Competition has no time limit; as long as there’s an opponent, a match can take place at any time. However, the sect only provides rewards during these few days; on other days, disciples must wager materials of equal value, and the winner takes all. Furthermore, since many disciples do not wish to reveal their true strength or techniques, the Inner Trials are held not only without spectators but also without referees. Everything takes place in a secret chamber; whoever emerges first is declared the winner. Because profound cultivation can be life-threatening, killing an opponent does not result in capital punishment—though a ten-year period of meditation against the wall is unavoidable. “Does it have to be a disciple who’s thirty years old?” Jiang Tang was very interested in the internal trials! Hua Mo Leng shook his head coldly and said, “No, age doesn’t matter. The prerequisite is that you can’t produce materials of sufficient value; otherwise, they won’t waste their time on you. But unless it’s absolutely necessary, Junior Brother, you shouldn’t enter the internal trials—because out of ten battles, three end in death!” “Oh! That explains it. There are always so many new disciples, yet so few veteran ones—heh heh!” Jiang Tang chuckled, his gaze instinctively drifting toward the Immortal Herb Pavilion! “Little Jiang Zi is trying to be a jerk! He wants to stir up public outrage so he doesn’t have to spend any money and can get others to use their materials to compete against him!” As soon as Qiong Sang caught on to Jiang Tang’s scheme, he immediately sent a secret mental message to Dongfang. “Good plan. The Grand Competition only happens once in a lifetime, but the Internal Competition lasts much longer. Now that Jiang Tang has risen to first place in Plant Appraisal, he’s bound to stir up a lot of resentment. Jealousy drives people to act impulsively, and impulsiveness is the devil!” To his surprise, Dongfang also used spiritual sense transmission—proof that he wasn’t entirely immersed in his research after all; he clearly valued his own cultivation as well. On the stage, the first two disciples to face off quickly settled the outcome. Although the victor was from Jin Ting Island, it was a narrow victory—he would likely need a month or two to recover, effectively ruling him out of the remaining matches. However, Xian Zong had deliberately arranged for the matches to be drawn out to give the disciples time to recover. With healing pills, it would only take a day or two—though whether Golden Thunder Island was willing to part with them was another matter entirely. The disciples on the Ding List were all at the early Foundation Establishment stage; their repertoire of spells was limited, so their battles were far from spectacular. They ended even faster—the longest lasting less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and the quickest in the blink of an eye! Even so, given the sheer number of disciples