Two days flew by.
Tomorrow was the day the Biyou Sect's Golden Autumn Festival for outer disciples would begin. The outer disciples had all remained hunkered down in their respective courtyards, and even those who normally moved around had gone to sleep to sharpen their skills.
At night, Yue Qinglong finally emerged from the Tianguan Tower.
After leaving the Tower, Yue Qinglong didn't go back to rest, but immediately rushed to Ming Qi's residence.
Although he looked exhausted, he couldn't hide his excitement. He had finally made a breakthrough!
The training in the Tianguan Tower had allowed Yue Qinglong, who had originally had limited talent, to progress rapidly, directly reaching the ninth level of the Acquired Realm. This achievement astounded even him.
He even wondered if he was dreaming, but of course he wouldn't get too excited. Acquired Realm cultivators were like ants wherever they were.
"I've also reached the ninth level of the Acquired Realm."
Having originally intended to boast about it, Yue Qinglong simply said this upon pushing open Ming Qi's door.
Because he suddenly realized that his own achievements weren't worth boasting about at all.
The person before him had only reached the fifth level of the Acquired Realm upon entering the Biyou Sect, yet he had already surpassed him in the ninth level, becoming someone with one foot in the Innate Realm.
"Very impressive! How many floors of the Heavenly Official Tower did you reach?"
Ming Qi smiled faintly and immediately changed the subject.
"Thirteenth floor."
Yue Qinglong's tone had become more casual, as he realized that his own progress was nothing compared to Ming Qi's.
The other person had reached the eighteenth floor on his first attempt at the Heavenly Official Tower, while he was only at the thirteenth. While he knew that the thirteenth level was a point of pride for the other disciples of Tianqi Academy, the gap was still enormous when facing Ming Qi, a man whose talent and prowess were unclear.
"A little weak," Ming Qi said with a half-smile, then added, "Go back and rest early. Tomorrow we're going to compete in the ring. We can't lose face. We have to fight for our reputation."
"Yes, fight for our reputation!"
Yue Qinglong said with assurance.
After seeing Yue Qinglong off, Ming Qi planned to rest well for the night. The backlash from the blood pill had been leaving his energy and blood unsettled. This was his last night, and he needed to be in good shape.
In his mind, participating in the Golden Autumn Festival wasn't just about bringing honor to Tianqi Academy. He wanted more: spiritual weapons, Tianyuan Pills, everything. Even that strange place awarded as the first place prize.
In short, he wanted so much, just like in his previous life: at the pinnacle of assassindom, yet constantly pushing the boundaries, reaching the darkest extremes, yet repeatedly touching the edge of even greater darkness.
Because he knew there was no end to everything, and what he had seen and what he had gained was far from enough. Because he possessed a heart that was never satisfied, a heart that no one else could match.
Coming to this world, stepping into the vast realm of immortal cultivation, whether it was high-tech firearms or magical weapons imbued with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the desire to control everything at the snap of a finger never waned.
This was an obsession and faith that had become almost instinctive in Ming Qi. He didn't even need to dwell on why he acted; in his mind, it was simply the right thing to do.
And in this bizarre world, obsession and faith boiled down to one single point: power!
Power, immense power, could control everything, dictate life and death, and defy the laws of nature. And Ming Qi's goal was to control everything!
With a heart brimming with desire for power, Ming Qi slept soundly, a sleep never before experienced, the night before the Golden Autumn Festival.
In his dream, he saw that shadow again. Unlike before, this time, the shadow seemed even clearer.
Early in the morning, as the first rays of morning light filtered through the window lattice and shone onto Ming Qi's window, he naturally awoke.
Today marked the beginning of the Golden Autumn Festival. According to sect rules, the heads of each academy were to lead the participating disciples to gather at the Azure Sky City Square. The academy heads would then draw lots to determine their opponents.
Ming Qi had seen the Blue Wandering Sect's square before; it was large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. The outer sect of the Blue Wandering Sect consisted of twenty-seven academies, totaling less than three thousand outer disciples. Even with ten massive arenas built in the center, the square was spacious enough to accommodate them all.
As for the outer disciples who had come to watch the imitations, their number was even smaller.
Ming Qi woke up in no hurry. He ate breakfast with the others and then leisurely made his way towards the main gate.
In contrast to the quiet scene of the previous few days, today's Tianqi Academy Outer Gate was filled with disciples wearing the insignia of various academies, some hurried along, others jubilant. But their common goal was the Biyou Sect's Grand Plaza, where ten large arenas were erected.
The crowd continued to surge toward the plaza, and the seven or eight Tianqi Academy members caught in the middle were instantly drowned.
For the other academies, not seeing Tianqi Academy at the Golden Autumn Festival was commonplace. In their memories, it was as if Tianqi Academy had never existed.
The Golden Autumn Festival stage was simply not one Tianqi Academy was qualified to step onto!
Over the past five years, this thought had become deeply ingrained in the minds of the other outer disciples. Among the crowds pouring into the plaza, the few outer disciples who occasionally noticed the Tianqi Academy insignia would stare with surprise.
The Biyou Sect's annual Golden Autumn Festival was a tremendous opportunity for outer disciples, so even those who rarely participated enthusiastically rushed to the arena in the main square.
Around the ten arenas arranged in the main square were designated seats for each of the Biyou Sect's twenty-seven outer academies, with seats specifically reserved for the academy heads. Each academy head would personally attend the Golden Autumn Festival, both to boost morale and to serve as a deterrent.
The disciples from each academy who arrived in the square carefully searched for their seats, but soon discovered something different from previous years.
In one direction, there was an extra seat for the Tianqi Academy!
Yes, Tianqi Academy, after five years of silence, had finally returned to the Golden Autumn Festival arena!
With considerable surprise, the disciples from each academy quickly found their seats, crowding around the spacious seats symbolizing the academy heads.
In the minds of the disciples of each academy, as long as the academy master was there, they could brave any storm without hesitation. To them, the academy master was their anchor.
Since Tianqi Academy only had a handful of members, everyone arrived quickly.
At this moment, Meng Junyi, who was at the front, was clearly feeling uneasy. He would periodically turn back to ask Yue Qinglong if the master would actually take charge of Tianqi Academy.
And every time Meng Junyi asked, Yue Qinglong would quickly answer in the affirmative.
But for Meng Junyi, the more swift Yue Qinglong's answers became, the more uneasy he became.
In the distance, he could already see Zhao Fenghua, sitting behind Ji Ruyue in Xuanwu Academy, glaring in their direction, his eyes clearly filled with disdain.
When he saw Meng Junyi looking back, he smiled arrogantly, raised a finger, and hooked it at Meng Junyi.
"Hmph!"
Meng Jun was instantly furious and immediately turned his head to the side. As luck would have it, he turned around and was met with the face of an extremely charming young woman.
Nearby to Tianqi Court was Qionghua Court!
Ming Qi and the others hadn't noticed this at first, but now, looking over, they saw that the seats a few dozen meters away were occupied by disciples from Qionghua Court.
Compared to Qionghua Court, Tianqi Court looked incredibly shabby. Although there were more seats, the number of people could be counted on one's fingers. It was a genuine lack of confidence.
"Wow, I didn't expect Tianqi Court to actually show up."
The speaker was Xiao Lingyun, the senior sister of Qionghua Court. Admittedly, she was truly beautiful, but Ming Qi couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight of her.
A few days ago, during his free time, he had asked Meng Ling about the lingering effects of the prank they'd pulled that day in the bamboo forest. Meng Ling had bluntly replied that as long as she refused to remove the curse, they would remain that way forever!
Holy crap!
Upon hearing that reply, Ming Qi felt as if he were in the midst of a thousand galloping alpaca horses. Could there really be such a vicious curse, so self-defeating and harmful?
"Hmph."
Meng Junyi wasn't one for verbal sparring. Hearing Xiao Lingyun's sarcastic remark, he simply snorted coldly, turning his head away and focusing directly on the arena before him.
While Meng Junyi wouldn't take advantage of her verbal advantage, Xiao Lingyun wasn't so forgiving.
Lately, she seemed like she was under some kind of soul-destroying curse, causing the male disciples of Qionghua Academy a real wrath. Not only had she become a target of venting anger, but she also seemed to be looking for trouble.
For a while now, everyone in Qionghua Court had a clear explanation for Xiao Lingyun's unusual behavior: a relative had settled down in her home!
Although it was just a joke, every time Xiao Lingyun recalled such insulting words, she would surge with rage. As a result, all the male disciples in Qionghua Court had been plagued by misfortunes and tragedies.
"What? Are you not convinced?"
As she spoke, Xiao Lingyun stood up and walked towards Meng Junyi.
The distance between the two courtyards was only a few dozen meters, and Xiao Lingyun's pace was slow, but everyone in Qionghua Court knew that before the Golden Autumn Festival had even begun, Xiao Lingyun was already eager to cause trouble for Tianqi Court.