She had the Green-Wood Sword, the talismans Second Uncle prepared, seeds, spirit stones, medicinal pills for treating injuries, as well as several simple formations.

　　As she conducted a final examination of things she was going to bring, Xu Jingzhi came knocking on her door. “Junior Martial Brother Ye, aren’t you ready yet?”

　　Mo Tiange answered, “I’m coming!”

　　All the disciples were gathering in the outer courtyard. Apart from Senior Martial Brother Zhou, everyone more or less displayed some nervousness on their faces. All of them were disciples who entered the sect through the Immortals Assembly. Their cultivation levels weren’t weak, yet they had never been able to obtain Foundation-Building Pills before. It could be said that all of them were people who joined the sect just to obtain Foundation-Building Pills. Mo Tiange was no exception.

　　For individual cultivators, their biggest problem wasn’t a shortage of spirit veins or medicinal pills; their biggest problem was their inability to obtain Foundation-Building Pills. If they couldn’t stay in a place where the spirit veins were good, they could move somewhere else. If they were lacking medicinal pills, they could slowly save some money to buy them. With this kind of painstaking cultivation, as long as they were diligent enough and encountered enough fated chances, reaching the tenth layer of the Aura Refining realm wasn’t all that difficult. However, when it came to Foundation-Building Pills, individual cultivators basically had no way of obtaining them.

　　Usually, cultivation groups and clans who were able to concoct Foundation-Building Pills never put these pills on sale. It was only under a few rather special circumstances that these pills would appear on the market. Nevertheless, every time it happened, the price would be astronomical; each pill could be sold for several thousand spirit stones. The price simply wasn’t something ordinary cultivators could afford.

　　Thus, it was only through joining a cultivation group that they might have a chance at obtaining Foundation-Building Pills.

　　Senior Martial Brother Zhou swept his gaze over everyone before saying, “Presumably, all of you already know how important this day is without needing me to tell you. How your future will look depends on your hard work today. Let’s begin!”

　　The minor competition was eventually decided to be held in Zixia Sect. Nevertheless, since Zixia Sect deliberately flaunted their power, the outcome was bound to end up like that. No one was surprised about it.

　　Yunwu Sect, Zixia Sect, and Jindao School were the three influential cultivation groups in the corner of the easternmost area of Kunwu. They were interdependent, but they also pressured each other. They always maintained this subtle relationship. The situation where one of them was obviously stronger than the others indeed happened in the past, and when it happened, that one group became the leader of the three groups. In the present situation, Zixia Sect was obviously pursuing this leadership position.

　　However, this matter didn’t have anything to do with small Aura Refining disciples like them. No matter what happened to those people at the top, they wouldn’t be affected and just needed to cultivate diligently.

　　On the day of the minor competition, Sect Head Fang once again appeared before everyone. This time, the atmosphere felt more somber compared to how it was during the Miwu Valley competition.

　　Five Core Formation cultivators were also present. Yunwu Sect only had about seven or eight Core Formation cultivators in total, thus aside from those who were cultivating painstakingly in Closed Door Meditation, practically all of them gathered here.

　　Mo Tiange frowned in secret. Apparently, this trip was only a minor competition in name and was, in fact, a secret strength competition between the three sects. Normally, Core Formation cultivators wouldn’t appear in front of ordinary disciples. It was only at events like the new disciples’ entrance ceremony and the Miwu Valley competition that they could see the Sect Head and the others. However, what they faced now was only a minor competition; it should’ve been sufficient to hold it in the same way as the Miwu Valley competition, but unexpectedly, five Core Formation cultivators showed up to accompany them! It was clear how complicated this minor competition was.

　　Zixia Sect was slightly farther than Miwu Valley. Riding the Core Formation grandmasters’ flying magic weapons, it took approximately six hours to get to Zixia Sect from Yunwu Sect.

　　Arriving at Zixia Sect was an eye-opening experience for every disciple from Yunwu Sect. Zixia Sect sat above a mountain peak that reached about 10,000 feet high, towering into the clouds. Neatly arranged jade stairs stretched from the foot of the mountain to the imposing sect’s gate. Inside the gate were a vast square and a majestic main hall. Watching the scenery from high above, Mo Tiange had to admit that compared to the imposing style of Zixia Sect, Yunwu Sect indeed seemed rather puny.

　　The square of Zixia Sect was more than twice as large as that of Yunwu Sect. Although every Aura Refining disciple from the three groups participating in the competition had all gathered in the square, it didn’t feel crowded in the slightest. Several rings were also neatly arranged in the middle of the square.

　　Three groups of disciples occupied a corner each. Jindao School had the least number of disciples; the number seemed to have not changed compared to the competitors in Miwu Valley. As for Yunwu Sect, there was a slight increase in the number of disciples it had. Zixia Sect obviously had the largest number of disciples—its disciples were numerous, completely filling the right side of the rings.

　　Soon afterward, the disciples started to draw lots. Because the total number of disciples reached more than 1,000 people, drawing lots took a long time to finish.

　　When Mo Tiange looked up, she inadvertently found that none of the heads of the three groups or Core Formation cultivators were present. Her heart became even more certain that today, the three groups would indeed compete in strength; Zixia Sect evidently wanted to suppress the other two groups.

　　Thus, the preliminary stage of the minor competition began under the watch of the Foundation Building cultivators.

　　Mo Tiange got number 347 after drawing her lot. Her turn would be in the middle; it was neither bad nor good. Even though this time Mo Tiange and her housemates arrived together, after receiving their numbers, everyone went to their respective rings.

　　Mo Tiange’s first opponent was number 348, an eight layer Aura Refining disciple from Zixia Sect. Her opponent’s cultivation level wasn’t high and his magical powers were ordinary. Facing her Green-Wood Sword’s attack, it only took him a quarter hour to admit defeat.

　　Her mind was rather preoccupied when she jumped out of the ring. She didn’t know why, but ever since they arrived at Zixia Sect, she felt ill at ease.

　　One after another, the fights in the first stage of the competition ended. Right when the Foundation Building cultivators were about to discuss how to proceed to the second stage, Zixia Sect’s main hall, not too far from them, suddenly collapsed with a loud rumbling noise with seething flames emitted.

　　The Aura Refining disciples in the sect’s square went into an uproar; huge changes of expression appeared on the Foundation Building cultivators’ faces.

　　Right after that, everyone watched several silhouettes rushing out of the main hall’s ruins. The silhouettes took out their respective magic shields and began fighting. These people were clearly high-level cultivators. The spiritual aura pressure produced by their fight was enormous and practically beyond what the Aura Refining disciples were able to bear.

　　Upon watching this scene, the Yunwu Sect’s Foundation Building cultivators shouted, “All Yunwu Sect’s disciples, come here!”

　　Jindao School’s cultivators soon snapped into action and followed by shouting, “Jindao School! Come and gather here!”

　　The Aura Refining disciples were confused about the whole ordeal and therefore blindly complied with the instructions. In an instant, chaos erupted in the square. Cultivators from the three groups who originally mingled together in the square started to run about, occasionally trampling on other people’s bodies.

　　Amidst this chaos, Mo Tiange saw several familiar figures among the fighting cultivators; Yunwu Sect’s Sect Head, Fang Dingyue, as well as Sect Head Li of Zixia Sect. However, School Head Jin from Jindao School was nowhere to be seen.

　　It seemed that the three groups had a falling out. It was no wonder Mo Tiange felt restless back then. Those who studied formations were relatively more sensitive towards Yin and Yang and the five elements. Sometimes they could even sense bad luck or inauspicious periods of time.

　　The situation now was really bad for them. This was Zixia Sect, and she was only an Aura Refining disciple with meager strength. If Yunwu Sect and Jindao School really waged war against Zixia Sect, this lot of Aura Refining disciples would certainly land in danger.

　　Mo Tiange’s face gradually turned pale as she thought about their situation.

　　“LI MINGZHANG! YOU OLD BRUTE! YOU ACTUALLY DARED TO PLOT AGAINST ME!” Sect Head Fang was flying in the air, pointing and shouting at Sect Head Li.

　　Nevertheless, Sect Head Li smiled in a light-hearted manner. “Fang Dingyue, since things have reached this point, I think you’d better admit defeat.” After he said this, he cast a glance at the sect’s square. “If you do, I’ll leave someincense sticks ¹ for your Yunwu Sect today. If you don’t, these future pillars of Yunwu sect will definitely be annihilated!”

　　Although his tone was still flat, the threat in his words was obvious. Sect Head Fang instantly seethed with rage and sneered, “Don’t be too proud of yourself! If I blow up my Gold Core, you won’t even be able to preserve the incense sticks for your Zixia Sect!” When a Core Formation cultivator blew their Gold Core up, the power the explosion generated could even injure Nascent Soul cultivators. If he was heartless and really wanted to indiscriminately destroy everyone, perhaps none of these three groups’ Aura Refining disciples would survive.

　　Mo Tiange’s palms were suddenly covered in a cold sweat. My luck isn’t that bad, right? I haven’t even built my foundation; I don’t want to die in a civil war between these three groups! If that happens, I really will die without closing my eyes!

　　Sect Head Li was completely unperturbed. He contemptuously sneered, “Do you think we would attack you without making any defensive preparations beforehand? Why don’t you try using your spiritual aura…?”

　　Sect Head Fang’s face darkened in an instant. “You… you dare to exterminate my Yunwu Sect? You’re not afraid of Elder Yan retaliating when he comes back, huh!?” Elder Yan was Yunwu Sect’s supreme elder, the only Nascent Soul grandmaster Yunwu Sect had.

　　Sect Head Li “hmphed!” before saying, “Do you really think we had no idea your elder passed away ten years ago? You just never had the guts to announce it!”

　　Because of this remark, not only did Sect Head Fang turn pale, but Yunwu Sect’s disciples present in the square were also thoroughly astonished. Obviously, this was Yunwu Sect’s top secret. Not to mention ordinary disciples like them, but even the Foundation Building disciples were also in the dark about this matter. Evidently, Zixia Sect had long schemed to make this move against Yunwu Sect!

　　Mo Tiange hid herself in the crowd as she thought hard about the present situation. Being in Zixia Sect, it was absolutely impossible for her to escape alone. She could only wait and see what those people were going to do to Yunwu Sect’s disciples.  They’re not going to kill everyone, are they?  Her head was gradually covered with a cold sweat the more she thought about the situation. Her Second Uncle was still waiting for her to come back, bringing home a Foundation-Building Pill. Who would’ve thought this whole thing was simply a trap?