"Junior Brother!" Er Yun, who had been waiting outside the cave, hurried forward as soon as she saw Chong Zhao step out.
She paused, her face bright with joy. "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on successfully advancing from the early stage of Immortal Lord to the mid-stage."
Since the formation of the Three Realms, strict ranks have existed within both the immortal and demon clans. A half-immortal does not count as a true immortal—simply someone who lives longer than mortals. Only upon reaching the rank of Immortal Lord can one truly be considered an immortal. The Immortal Lord rank is divided into three stages: early, mid, and peak. Beyond the Immortal Lord is the rank of Superior Lord, which also has three levels. Crossing the peak of Superior Lord brings one to the status of a demi-god. Only after crossing the threshold into godhood can one glimpse the Way of the Gods.
The demon clan follows a similar structure. Fu Ling, who trained in the Heavenly Palace from a young age and received extensive guidance from the True Sun of Gold, may have been stripped of her immortal bones, but she inherited her mother’s Fire Cloud Bow and received instruction from Tian Yu. Now she is a mid-stage Superior Demon, a whole rank above Chong Zhao. Miao Miao had been in decline for years; even the sect leader, Song Yun, after hundreds of years of intense cultivation, had only reached the early stage of Superior Lord.
For Chong Zhao to have reached mid-stage Immortal Lord in only three years since becoming an immortal was an extraordinary feat.
Chong Zhao maintained his composed demeanor, nodding to Er Yun. "Thank you, Senior Sister, for watching over me."
Er Yun blushed slightly. Although she had waited outside these past days, she couldn’t enter the cave and had only been anxiously keeping watch. Today was the day of the sect disciples’ competition, so she quickly told him about Zhe Sang’s return to the island, his ascension to Immortal Lord, and his challenge to Chong Zhao.
"Since Senior Brother has also reached the rank of Immortal Lord, it is only fair for you both to compete," Chong Zhao said calmly, taking a step toward the main hall. Er Yun suddenly spoke up.
"Junior Brother..." Er Yun hesitated before finally saying, "Bai Shuo stole the Mountain-Guarding Jade Slip and has been locked in the Mysterious Ice Cave by my uncle. But don’t worry; he said that if she can survive in the Mysterious Ice Cave for three days, he’ll let her go. Today is the third day."
She thought Chong Zhao would immediately rush to the Mysterious Ice Cave upon hearing this, but to her surprise, his expression didn’t change. He merely said, "Thank you, Senior Sister, for informing me."
Seeing that Chong Zhao had no intention of going to the cave, Er Yun breathed a sigh of relief, though she couldn’t hide her surprise. "You… you’re not going to save her?"
Rumors had spread around the island that Bai Shuo’s theft of the Mountain-Guarding Jade Slip served no purpose; she’d likely done it for Chong Zhao.
"The sect leader’s orders are fair. Senior Sister, let’s go." Without further comment, Chong Zhao transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the main hall.
At that moment, outside Miao Miao’s main hall, Song Yun stood atop the stone steps, with Zhe Sang by his side.
On a cloud platform below the steps, flashes of sword light cut through the air as the inner disciples sparred.
One disciple disarmed another’s immortal sword, then stood in victory while the crowd cheered.
The defeated disciple didn’t seem upset, sheathed his sword, and the two of them looked up at Song Yun.
"Well done. Both of you have improved. This match goes to Yi Xiu," Song Yun said with satisfaction.
"Yes, Sect Leader." The two bowed to Song Yun and descended from the cloud platform together.
It was near noon, and the inner disciples had all finished their matches, but there was still no sign of movement from the rear mountain. The disciples glanced at Zhe Sang, who stood on the stone steps, and murmured among themselves.
Tomorrow, the sect leader would take Miao Miao’s disciples to the island of Wu Tong. If Junior Brother Chong Zhao had not exited seclusion by then, the responsibility of representing Miao Miao would fall to Senior Brother Zhe Sang instead.
Zhe Sang was patient as he turned to Song Yun and said, "Master, Senior Sister has been waiting on the rear mountain. She has not yet returned, so Junior Brother must still be in seclusion. As for today’s match…"
At that moment, a streak of light shot forth from the rear mountain.
"Junior Brother Chong Zhao has come out of seclusion!" someone among the disciples called excitedly. The prospect of a duel between Miao Miao’s two top disciples made everyone eager.
Zhe Sang paused, then smiled slightly. "It seems this duel with my junior brother is unavoidable."
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