Just based on you, do you even qualify to fight against Senior Brother Jiang?

"After the outer disciples' competition came to an end, in the eyes of most people, life returned to normal. However, at an unknown time, a rumor began circulating among the outer disciples of the nine peaks. It even showed a trend of becoming more and more exaggerated.

'Jiang Heng from the Eighth Peak is the first person in history to reach the Body Refining Realm.'

'In the Dalu Sect's nine peaks, in the entire Fenghe Region, the whole Qingzhou, and even the entire Tianyuan Empire, no one can compare to him. In fact, no one is qualified to stand alongside him!'

'Don't even talk about outer disciples; even any inner disciple is just a nobody in front of Jiang Heng.'

'Strong individuals above the True Qi Realm Sixth Stage were all defeated by Jiang Heng in direct combat. Once he breaks through to the True Qi Realm, he will be invincible among the inner disciples of the nine peaks!'

Similar words continued to spread among the nine peaks. The outer disciples of the Eighth Peak, who had witnessed Jiang Heng's terrifying strength with their own eyes, felt nothing but blind admiration. However, in the eyes of disciples from other peaks, especially the inner disciples, such words were seen as provocation.

'Some outer disciple, a junior who is only sixteen years old, dares to claim to be unbeatable among the inner disciples?'

'How arrogant and ignorant!'

Of course, they also understood that the outer disciples were younger, and speaking condescendingly to them might lead to punishment from the sect. Therefore, the inner disciples merely showed disdain and did not pay much attention, treating it as the idle talk of children.

Apart from this, it was not only Jiang Heng's strength and talent that people discussed. The reward for the champion of the outer disciples' competition from the Eighth Peak was also a topic of debate.

Considering that there were too many outer disciples, the competition in the nine peaks was conducted separately with separate rankings. Each peak had its own champion. However, now, the champion's reward from the Eighth Peak had increased tenfold, while the rewards in the other peaks remained the same.

This was seen as a significant injustice by disciples from the other peaks. As time passed, these rumors not only failed to die down but also escalated further.

Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore. One day, Cao Bin, the champion of the First Peak's outer disciples, arrived at the Eighth Peak's outer disciples' sparring grounds with several followers. They were clearly there to provoke, and their arrogance was palpable.

One of Cao Bin's followers directly declared in the sparring grounds, 'Where are the experts from the Eighth Peak's outer disciples? Cao Bin, the number one outer disciple of the First Peak, is here. Come and pay your respects!'

This statement immediately infuriated most of the Eighth Peak's disciples. Some rushed forward, surrounding Cao Bin and his companions. Others noticed one individual among the newcomers.

This person carried a long knife, stood tall and imposing, and had an indifferent demeanor that exuded an intangible pressure.

'That's Cao Bin! The number one outer disciple of the First Peak!'

Most people, however, didn't pay much attention to it."

"'The number one outer disciple of the First Peak? So what? In front of Jiang Heng, they're all no match!'"

At this point, Cao Bin coldly shouted, "Enough with the nonsense. If there are any experts here, come to the arena and prove yourselves!"

"All this boasting about Jiang Heng from the Eighth Peak being so amazing every day better not lead to disappointment!"

With that, Cao Bin leaped directly onto a nearby arena with a resounding thud.

"Come on! Today, I'm going to sweep through the outer disciples of the Eighth Peak!"

Below the arena, the disciples of the Eighth Peak were well aware that Cao Bin was the number one outer disciple of the First Peak. Ordinary disciples definitely wouldn't be his match; at the very least, only the top-ranked outer disciples would have a chance of defeating him.

For most people, challenging him would only bring humiliation.

However, the crowd looked around. Including Jiang Heng, several higher-ranked disciples were not present in the sparring grounds.

Someone immediately volunteered to go and invite the higher-ranked senior disciples. Among them, one person arrived outside Jiang Heng's courtyard.

Hearing the sound of wind whistling like ghosts in the courtyard and seeing the wooden sign on the gate with the word 'Closed' written on it, he hesitated for a moment, swallowed nervously, and asked in a low voice, "Senior Jiang! The number one outer disciple of the First Peak has come to challenge you by name."

After a long time, a thunderous voice echoed from the courtyard, "Not interested."

The visitor had a conflicted expression but didn't dare to disturb Jiang Heng any further. He turned and left.

Fortunately, not only was someone sent to inform Jiang Heng, but similar notifications were also sent to Qi Peng and a few others.

Regarding the number one outer disciple of the First Peak, they naturally had an interest in seeing what he was capable of.

As a result, Qi Peng, Gu Zhaokun, and Lan Gaozhuo all came to the sparring grounds.

Lan Gaozhuo was the first to arrive and stepped onto the stage.

"You're not Jiang Heng! Whoever Jiang Heng is, let him come up!"

After sizing up Lan Gaozhuo, Cao Bin furrowed his brow.

Lan Gaozhuo sneered, showing disdain. "If you want to challenge Senior Jiang, you'll have to get past me first!"

He unsheathed his sword, gripping the hilt with both hands and focusing his energy.

"Very well! Since that's the case, I'll defeat you first!"

Cao Bin shot out like an arrow, drawing his long knife simultaneously and slashing diagonally downward.

The blade sliced through the air, emitting a sharp and mournful whine.

Lan Gaozhuo refused to back down. He was a practitioner of swordsmanship and had mastered the perfect-level Falling Moon Sword Technique.

With a single swing, it was like a crescent moon falling from the ninth heaven, incredibly fast and fiercely powerful!

"Clang!"

The blades clashed violently, creating an ear-piercing sound that reverberated in all directions.

Both of them turned into phantoms, constantly intertwining and separating.

The clash of the blades produced a continuous and expanding shockwave.

The opponent was indeed the First Peak's outer disciple champion, but Lan Gaozhuo was also someone with the capability to vie for the championship. Who was stronger and who was weaker could only be determined through a fight.

Not long after, Lan Gaozhuo's expression suddenly changed during the battle.

His sword let out a mournful sound!

Sure enough, in the next moment:

"Clang!"

His blade was cut in half, and the opponent's long knife continued its assault. It left a 20-centimeter-long scar on Lan Gaozhuo's lower abdomen, which he couldn't dodge in time.

"It's a treasure weapon!"

Lan Gaozhuo covered his wound with one hand, his face darkening.

"That's right!"

Cao Bin sheathed his knife and stood there, saying coldly.

He understood that while the praise for Jiang Heng from the Eighth Peak seemed exaggerated, his actual strength must be terrifying. Therefore, before coming to the Eighth Peak, he specially prepared this treasure-grade long knife to increase his chances of winning.

However, now that he had won, he felt somewhat uneasy deep down.

The person in front of him, in terms of strength alone, wasn't much weaker than him.

In that case, Jiang Heng, who was recognized by all the outer disciples of the Eighth Peak as the strongest, was likely even stronger than the person in front of him.

With this in mind, he was probably not a match for Jiang Heng.

"No! If it goes on like this, I'll really lose face in the Eighth Peak!"

Thinking this, Cao Bin suddenly had the urge to retreat.

At this moment, Lan Gaozhuo, holding his wound, descended from the stage.

Qi Peng leaped onto the stage.

After experiencing the humiliation of the Grand Competition, Qi Peng seemed to have completely transformed. His temperament became more composed. He was indeed a top-notch genius, and the setbacks he experienced in the competition had led to a change in his character. This transformation allowed him to make a breakthrough in his martial arts. His Falling Star Sword Technique had reached perfection.

"Just with you, you dare to challenge Senior Jiang?"

Qi Peng looked at Cao Bin coldly.