Building momentum.
Yes, it was building momentum. Ming Qi could sense that the Biyou Sect's leaders seemed to be plotting something significant, their core members operating in secret and intensely.
He realized that the Biyou Sect, at this moment, was like a drawn bow, constantly gathering strength, slowly drawing the string to its full length. And the person gathering strength was quietly hiding behind the scenes.
What could this be?
Could it be that the Biyou Sect truly intended to rise strongly in Xilan Province? To stand on the same level as the Seven Great Prefectures?
Ming Qi found this unbelievable. The Seven Great Prefectures were all helmed by supremely powerful masters of the Ninth and Tenth Levels of the Innate Realm. Could it be that the Biyou Sect had also produced masters of this caliber?
At this point, Ming Qi naturally gave up. After all, he had no chance of knowing the Biyou Sect's core secrets. Given the current situation, this was purely his speculation.
But then again, if the Biyou Sect truly had such a plan, then becoming their alchemist wouldn't be such a bad idea.
With only two days left until the Golden Autumn Festival, all preparations had been completed.
The disciples competing in the festival were now meticulously preparing, hoping to make a name for themselves on the stage.
They also pulled out last year's Talent List and studied the changes.
The Talent List serves as the final ranking list for each Golden Autumn Festival. There are ten spots on the list, and anyone who makes it will receive a generous reward and receive focused training from the sect.
When they pulled out last year's Talent List, they saw a number of changes.
"Yan Chaofan, a graduate of Jiulian Academy, ranked first on last year's Talent List. One month after the festival, he reached the Xiantian realm and is now an elite inner sect disciple."
Tang Qi also brought a copy of last year's Talent List to Ming Qi and introduced each of them one by one.
Reaching the Xiantian realm and entering the Inner Sect no longer qualifies for the Golden Autumn Festival, so a prominent symbol is placed before Yan Chaofan's name on the list.
"Du Long, from Shura Academy, ranked second on last year's Talent List. Shortly after the Golden Autumn Festival, he left the Biyou Sect and joined the Jinchuan Baifu."
Joining other factions is naturally out of the question.
"Ji Yantian, from Juque Academy, ranked third on last year's Talent List. Shortly after the Festival, he left the Biyou Sect and joined the Black Dragon City of Demonic Path."
Tang Qi introduced each one, seemingly knowing a great deal about the individuals on the list.
After introducing the ten individuals on the list, Ming Qi suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.
Five of the top ten on last year's Talent List were poached by other major factions, while two went out for training and their whereabouts remain unknown, having not returned to date. Of the remaining three, only Yan Chaofan reached the Xiantian realm and became an elite Inner Sect disciple. The other two, ranked ninth and tenth on the Talent List, did not break through to the Xiantian realm.
Jiulian Academy Si Kou Yu and Qianye Academy Hong Shuang.
"Si Kou Yu and Hong Shuang will definitely appear in the ring. Last year, they were already at the ninth level of the Acquired Realm. Although they haven't reached the Innate Realm this year, they're definitely formidable opponents."
"Yes."
Ming Qi naturally understood this. A year's accumulation may not mean much to an Innate Realm cultivator, but for an Acquired Realm cultivator, it's a significant accumulation of time.
Furthermore, they both have experience in the ring.
With both experience and strength, they are undoubtedly formidable opponents. Although the Tianqi Academy members don't have high hopes of competing for a spot on the leaderboard, since they've participated and are determined to fight, they must fight to the fullest.
While they won't overly pursue the honor of a spot on the leaderboard, they will strive for it. This is the consensus reached by the Tianqi Academy disciples.
After all, compared to other academies, Tianqi Academy has an insurmountable flaw. Although they've invited Yue Dongqing to lead the charge, Ming Qi still feels a bit uneasy about this seemingly unreliable girl.
"Compared to all that, I'm more worried about those who deliberately conceal their strength."
Ming Qi set the list aside. He was now completely certain that, unless facing a congenitally powerful expert, he could remain undefeated.
Tang Qi remained silent. Someone who concealed their strength wouldn't be easily detected. Furthermore, with Tianqi Academy's dwindling staff and without the support of the Dean, these secrets were completely out of their reach.
"Just today, the awards for the grand event have been announced."
Tang Qi was silent for a moment, then changed the subject. After all, dwelling on these issues would lead to no results.
"Oh?"
Ming Qi had always been curious about the awards for the Golden Autumn Festival. If, as Ge Chuncheng had said, Ling Yun had deliberately concealed her strength in order to win first place at the event, then the prizes would surely be extraordinary.
"Yes, but the design of the awards this time is a bit puzzling," Tang Qi said.
"Why?"
In Ming Qi's opinion, the prize for a competition wouldn't be so mysterious, and based on what Ge Chuncheng had revealed earlier, it seemed to be a powerful magical weapon.
"Because the first-place prize isn't an elixir, a magical weapon, or a cultivation technique, it's just a place." Tang Qi was naturally puzzled by this place.
"A place? What place?"
A flash of light flashed through Ming Qi's mind, as if something had crossed his mind, but he couldn't place it for a moment.
"Uh, it means direct access to the Biyou Fairy Palace to meet the Sect Master."
"It's really not a magical weapon, this..."
Ming Qi was also a little surprised. Could the top spot on the Elite List just mean a chance to meet the Sect Master? That clearly didn't make sense.
Is there some cultivation technique, magical weapon, or elixir that's inconvenient to be made public? That didn't seem necessary. It would be better to just announce the prize directly; that would better inspire the outer disciples.
Only through an all-out competition can the most talented individuals be selected.
All of this seems illogical, yet puzzling.
"The second-place prize is a top-grade spiritual weapon plus three Tianyuan Pills."
A top-grade spiritual weapon, needless to say, would be a sight to behold even for a congenital cultivator. As for the Tianyuan Pills, they are of extraordinary significance to post-natal cultivators. These elixirs, which increase the chances of reaching the congenital stage, are truly priceless.
This time, the second-place prize is three Tianyuan Pills—a truly generous sum.
So, what exactly is the first-place prize? This raises the question. No one doubts that this prize is far more valuable than three Tianyuan Pills plus a top-grade spiritual weapon; otherwise, it wouldn't be awarded as the championship prize.
Lingyun of Qionghua Court seemed to be deliberately concealing her strength for the sake of the first-place prize, even to the point of putting the honor of entering the Inner Gate on the back burner. This clearly shows she must know something.
Could it be that Xiao Lingyun truly knew what this quota was for?
Thinking of Xiao Lingyun, Ming Qi couldn't help but laugh. After being tormented by Meng Ling, she must be suffering from sleepless nights right now. Who knew if she could remain calm and successfully win the Golden Autumn Festival?
Of course, Ming Qi wouldn't dwell on this spoofy incident. He was genuinely curious about the implications of this quota.
Could it be connected to some premeditated plot by the Biyou Sect?
Ming Qi finally put his thoughts together, and the thought that had just flashed through his mind suddenly became much clearer.
The Biyou Sect was clearly plotting something, gathering strength. Ming Qi had already discerned this from the subtle movements of the sect's leaders. However, no one knew what they were up to, let alone Ming Qi.
"Well, I imagine there are quite a few people skeptical about this quota, so there's no need to worry. The Golden Autumn Festival is in two days, so let's get ready."
In the afternoon, Oona and a few other girls came to Ming Qi, saying they wanted to go to a nearby trading area to see if they could find some good equipment.
When he heard they were shopping, Ming Qi immediately wanted to politely decline.
It was nothing else; everyone on Earth knew that shopping with a woman was an absolute torture.
But then he thought, the customs here must be different. Besides, they were all cultivators who had entered the realm of immortal cultivation. They probably had little interest in miscellaneous gadgets, and shopping wasn't something he'd be avant-garde to.
"Okay."
Ming Qi agreed.
The so-called trading zone is essentially a free exchange venue jointly established by the cultivator sects within a radius of several thousand miles. Its location, taking into account the locations of most sects, means it's not far from the Blue Sky Mountains. A group of five people—Qiu Ling, Ouna, Sang Yue'er, Ming Qi, and Tang Qi—arrived within their sights over an hour.
They collected their sacred tree leaves and landed on the ground.
"Let's go."
Tang Qi walked ahead, appearing familiar with the area, clearly not her first time there.
Ming Qi, being a first-time visitor, observed the area carefully. The location was excellent. The surrounding terrain was flat, and the architecture was well-designed, with small attics scattered throughout the streets, giving it the feel of a typical commercial street.
However, the difference was that the entire trading zone was surrounded by a massive wall of long, emerald green stones. It was imposing and impressive, providing considerable protection.
The wall, rising several dozen meters, was practically impossible for a post-natal cultivator to climb.
"These walls were moved from the surrounding areas by masters from the major sects using their immense powers. This was done, in part, to demonstrate the scale of the trading zone, and in part to create a subtle deterrent."
Tang Qi led the way through the gate and into the street.
There were also cultivators guarding the gate, but upon noticing Ming Qi and the others were wearing the Biyou Sect's attire, they simply exchanged a few words and didn't ask any further questions.
From this, Ming Qi immediately understood that there was no such thing as security here.
Yes, this was a purely free trading zone, with no absolute safeguards. Despite the deterrent effect of masters from the major sects, frankly, as long as no one attempted to forcibly demolish the trading zone, those masters wouldn't intervene.