Chapter 73: Shen Mo Returns

Qingxuan Sect.

Steward Zhang Weihu was busy directing outer sect disciples to move spiritual wood to repair the buildings that had either decayed or been infested with insects.

These buildings were almost two hundred years old.

After such a long time, decay and infestation were inevitable.

However, the insects that infested spiritual wood were no ordinary pests.

Zhang Weihu also had to direct the disciples to catch these insects.

These plump, white insects were considered a delicacy.

The disciples called them "white wood meat."

They only needed to be cleaned and fried in oil without any seasoning.

Their meat was sweet and aromatic, with a hint of milk flavor, filling one's mouth with a rich, pleasant taste.

Some disciples, who initially claimed they would rather starve or jump off a mountain than eat white wood meat, ended up finding it so delicious that they searched for the insects every day.

"Good, send all of these to Elder Li," Zhang Weihu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes," the outer sect disciples nodded and prepared to leave.

Just then, someone suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted in surprise.

"Look! There's a dark shadow in the sky!"

"It's getting bigger. Could it be a fourth-rank beast attacking the sect?"

"Hurry, find the elders! Quick, quick!"

"Wait, it doesn't look like that… I see it clearly now. It's the Green-scaled Eagle, our sect master's mount. They're back!"

The disciples were overjoyed and all looked up at the sky.

Zhang Weihu, full of excitement, shouted, "Clear the training ground! Make space!"

"You few, help disperse the other disciples!"

"Yes!"

The disciples called out loudly, and soon the training ground was cleared.

The Green-scaled Eagle slowly descended.

A strong wind blew, causing the disciples to stumble and even making it hard to keep their eyes open.

They had to retreat repeatedly.

Finally, the Green-scaled Eagle landed completely and stopped flapping its wings, and the wind subsided.

On the back of the Green-scaled Eagle, Murong Yue, Shen Mo, and the other ten disciples gracefully landed.

Murong Yue patted the Green-scaled Eagle's head.

The large eagle let out a long cry, flapped its wings, and quickly disappeared into the clouds, evidently going to hunt in the Qingcang Mountains.

"Welcome back, Sect Master! Welcome back, Deputy Sect Master!"

The disciples cupped their hands in salute.

Several streaks of light appeared from various parts of the mountain gate and quickly arrived at the training ground.

These were the inner sect elders.

Leading them was an old woman, Elder Li, a staunch supporter of Murong Yue.

She couldn't wait to ask, "Sect Master, how did it go? Did we make it to the second round in the Hundred Sects Ceremony this time?"

The other elders also looked eagerly.

Even those who supported Liu Yuanfeng rather than Murong Yue were keen to see the sect prosper and gain fame in Xuanjiang Prefecture.

If the disciples performed well in the Hundred Sects Ceremony, it would naturally bring glory to the sect.

However, since the Qingxuan Sect was squeezed out of the Five Top Sects of Xuanjing by the Heavenly Water Sect and became a second-tier sect, its performance in the Hundred Sects Ceremony had been getting worse each time.

They hadn't made it past the first round for several consecutive years.

Elder Li's expectations weren't high.

Just making it to the second round would be considered progress.

Murong Yue heard Elder Li's question and, for once, her beautiful face showed a rare, peculiar smile.

Not only her, but Zhao Ting, Luo Shengnan, Zhao Rou, and others also had strange expressions.

Seeing their expressions, Elder Li assumed the results were disappointing.

She quickly comforted, "It's okay, winning and losing are common. Even if we didn't make it to the second round, it's not a big deal."

"After all, it's just the Hundred Sects Ceremony. It doesn't prove anything."

Despite her words, her face showed signs of sorrow.

The Qingxuan Sect she loved had fallen so far...

The other elders exchanged looks, each with their own thoughts.

Even the more distant disciples caught wind of the conversation.

If the sect performed well, they felt proud.

If the sect failed to achieve results in the Hundred Sects Ceremony, they also felt embarrassed.

Murong Yue finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, her smile bright and joyful.

"Elder Li, you guessed wrong!"

"This time, we not only made it to the second round but also advanced to the third round!"

Elder Li was stunned, "Really? The third round means the finals! Even if we ranked last, we'd still be in the top twenty-five! Who was it? Shen Mo or Liu Yunxuan?"

She quickly looked at the two in the group.

Liu Yunxuan avoided her gaze.

Murong Yue shook her head, "It's not Shen Mo, nor is it Liu Yunxuan."

"What?" Elder Li was confused.

Murong Yue smiled, "Shen Mo, he took first place!"

Elder Li instinctively began to console, "First place, it's okay, first place isn't... wait, did you say first place?!"

Murong Yue smiled, "That's right, Shen Mo took first place."

This time, she infused her voice with spiritual energy.

Her voice, like a great bell, echoed throughout the entire Qingxuan Sect.

The elders were in disbelief.

The disciples' eyes widened.

Elder Li was overwhelmed with excitement, "Tell me in detail, what exactly happened?"

Murong Yue's smile grew even brighter, and her voice even more resonant, "In the first round, the grand melee, Shen Mo led our Qingxuan Sect team to defeat the Heavenly Water Sect, knocking out all ten of their members, including Yin Xuege!"

"In the second round, Shen Mo encountered Wan Renjie of the Thunder Fire Sect early on, but despite Wan Renjie's mid-battle breakthrough, Shen Mo defeated him and knocked him out of the arena!"

"In the third round, Shen Mo was surrounded, yet he fought six opponents at once and defeated them all. He finally faced Zhou Qingcang of the Divine Sword Sect in the final match and secured first place!"

"Elder Li, did I make myself clear?"

With each statement, the disciples were shaken.

By the time she finished her last sentence, the disciples were in utter awe, looking at Shen Mo with eyes full of admiration!

Elder Li was teary-eyed, "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

She now looked at Shen Mo as if he were her own grandson.

"Not only Shen Mo, but the other disciples also performed well and made it to the second round."

"This is the best performance our Qingxuan Sect has had in nearly fifty years!"

Murong Yue couldn't help but feel proud of her disciple.

"Great! Great!"

"Brother Shen is amazing!"

"The Qingxuan Sect is amazing!"

A disciple couldn't hold back and suddenly shouted.

His voice was like a signal.

All the disciples began to shout and cheer excitedly.

It felt as if they were the ones who had won first place in the Hundred Sects Ceremony.

Shen Mo watched the bustling sect, a smile spreading across his face.

"Today, I will host a celebration banquet in the training ground, and every disciple is invited to attend!" Murong Yue announced loudly.

"In addition, each outer sect disciple will receive ten low-grade spirit stones, and each inner sect disciple will receive fifty low-grade spirit stones!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples were ecstatic.

Shen Mo winning first place in the Hundred Sects Ceremony brought immense honor to the Qingxuan Sect.

As disciples of the Qingxuan Sect, they now had a prestigious reputation.

But this was only a spiritual reward.

Murong Yue's announcement of spirit stone rewards was a tangible, material benefit.

Because of this, more people would admire Shen Mo.

If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have the chance to receive so many spirit stones for free.

Hearing Murong Yue's words, Shen Mo felt a warmth in his heart.

He knew that Murong Yue was planning for the future, building loyalty towards him in advance.

Murong Yue clearly saw him as the next sect leader.

As long as he reached the Core Formation stage, the position of the next sect leader of the Qingxuan Sect would undoubtedly be his.

"Elders, please come to the main hall. There are important matters to discuss."

"Shen Mo, you handle the celebration banquet arrangements," Murong Yue said with a smile.

"Yes," Shen Mo cupped his hands.

He knew that Murong Yue was going to discuss Ji Shilong's situation with the elders.

This was the matter that would determine the future structure of the entire Xuanjiang Prefecture and the fate of the Qingxuan Sect.

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