Mo Qi was in his room refining pills when Jin Yan informed him about the ranking competition.
He considered it for a moment and asked, "If Zheng He Sect recommends someone to go to the Stairway, can they recommend me?"
Jin Yan stammered, "This... should... the Sect Leader didn't mention this when he sent me to deliver the command. I don't think it's possible, after all, you're not a disciple of Zheng He Sect."
Mo Qi rolled his eyes. "Then why should I help you fight in the competition? I'm very busy. I make a fortune every day, who will compensate me for my losses?"
Jin Yan was exasperated. If he were to calculate his losses, no one could afford to compensate him.
"But aren't you here for training? This is also a rare opportunity. Firstly, it can increase your practical experience, and secondly, it can accumulate contribution points, which will be beneficial for your future development."
Mo Qi waved his hand. "Thank you, but I don't need such opportunities."
Knowing he couldn't persuade him, Jin Yan stood before Mo Qi with a distressed and wronged expression, refusing to leave.
"If you don't go, how can I report back?" After a long while, seeing Mo Qi still unmoved, Jin Yan complained.
Mo Qi sighed and said, "This way, go back and tell Sect Leader Xue that if he wants me to participate in the competition, he must agree to one condition: if I don't achieve a ranking, that's fine. But if I do achieve a ranking, I hope to have an opportunity to be recommended within the next ten years."
Seeing his stiff tone and resolute attitude, with no room for compromise, Jin Yan had no choice but to return and report Mo Qi's words to Xue Renkui.
Xue Renkui agreed.
Thus, Mo Qi moved into Zheng He Sect. As Xue Renkui had expected, Xue Ying also returned with him.
Concurrently, participants and accompanying personnel from other sects also began to arrive at Zheng He Sect. Zheng He Sect had arranged special accommodation for them, and Mo Qi stayed there as well.
Gradually, he began to hear rumors about the strength of the participants.
The frontrunners were Feng Shen and Zhong Hua from Tai He Sect, Ke Shutong, Qiu Baichuan, and Shu Fu from Zhong He Sect, Fang Yuanqing, Jing Xin, and Lu Di from Bao He Sect, and Shui Ling, Lei Bo, and Bian Tang from Zheng He Sect. These were all the cream of the crop of the younger generation in the Northern Territory, and their fame had long preceded them.
It was said that some of them were already cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage.
Additionally, Mo Qi learned that Shi Siyao and Lu Xiaoyue were also coming to participate in the competition.
He hadn't expected that in such a short time, they would be discovered for their astonishing strength by Tai He Sect and then used as pawns.
At this point, it didn't matter if they were inner disciples, outer disciples, or training disciples. As long as they could secure a spot for Tai He Sect, they could be utilized.
However, the one Mo Qi feared the most was Shi Siyao from Tai He Sect, as he always felt she possessed an unfathomable and terrifying power, a power that seemed to transcend any height a cultivator could aspire to.
What Mo Qi couldn't understand was why Zheng He Sect would allow him to participate in such a ranking competition.
Mo Qi refined some emergency pills and prepared some herbs for refining his golden body, feeling bored in his room.
He thought of the Snow Girl and took out the half jade pendant, gazing at it intently.
If the Snow Girl had also come to the Northern Territory, at this very moment, he would surely be wandering around the Zheng He Sect's gates with her, basking in the admiration of thousands.
But, life is often unsatisfactory...
At that moment, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
He put away the half jade pendant and opened the door.
It was Xue Ying!
She stood at the doorway, radiant and graceful, a breathtaking sight.
She was also carrying a basket, which contained a bowl covered with a lid.
Mo Qi moved aside, and Xue Ying smiled slightly, her smile as bright as a spring breeze. She entered with the spring breeze, making Mo Qi feel warm.
"I made you bird's nest soup. Drink it while it's hot."
Then, she placed the basket on the table, took out the bowl, removed the lid, placed the spoon in the bowl, and sat down nearby to read a book.
Mo Qi walked to the table and began to drink the soup spoonful by spoonful, his eyes fixed on Xue Ying.
Since she had recovered from her illness, her complexion had improved day by day, her spirit had grown stronger each day, and her beauty had become even more captivating.
It was as if she were truly fulfilling her promise to show him her most beautiful side, hence her daily transformation and appearance before him.
Her eyebrows were like painted ink, her mouth a cherry blossom, her thin lips as delicate and alluring as rose petals. Her fair skin and snow-like complexion softly radiated a pure white halo, her curves as graceful as a lotus emerging from water.
She sat there quietly reading a book, and Mo Qi sat there quietly watching her.
Unintentionally, some soup spilled down his cheek onto the floor.
"Are you... thanking me for saving your life?" Mo Qi asked after a moment.
"What?" Xue Ying closed her book and looked up.
"Nothing, nothing," Mo Qi shook his head. "I mean, this soup is too delicious."
He thought, what does it matter? Even if it's an illusion, there's at least a moment of stunning beauty.
He only feared that the moment she spoke, the illusion would vanish.
After finishing the last sip, he placed the bowl and spoon back into the basket.
"Alright, I can make it for you every day," Xue Ying said with a faint smile.
Then she stood up, picked up the basket, and left.
Mo Qi's heart felt empty as she departed.
A moment later, a commotion erupted outside the door.
Mo Qi heard an aggressive voice: "Who is Mo Qi? Who is it? Come out if you have the guts."
Mo Qi's mind raced. He was certain he hadn't offended anyone in Zheng He Sect.
This was clearly a provocation. Mo Qi never shied away from a challenge; avoidance wasn't a solution.
The only way was to defeat him, or kill him.
Mo Qi walked out of his room and saw a large group of Zheng He Sect disciples gathered outside, all with angry expressions and menacing auras.
The person at the front had a refined face, a slender build, and was rather short, but the killing intent in his eyes soared to the heavens.
"Who is looking for me? Is it you?" Mo Qi asked, staring at the man.
"My name is Ding Guowen," the man said. "Among the selected participants for the Zheng He Sect in this ranking competition, the top nineteen from the previous internal competition all participated. I was the twentieth, but I didn't get the chance. And you, I don't know where you came from, but you seem to have taken my place. Can you explain what's going on?"
Mo Qi glanced around at the surrounding people. Every single one of them glared at him with righteous indignation.
It was as if he had committed some heinous crime.
At this point, people from other sects, hearing the commotion, also emerged from their rooms to watch the spectacle.
Mo Qi snorted, "Don't say I don't know the reason. Even if I did, I wouldn't need to explain it to you. You should look for the answer within yourself. Are you too short, too thin, or too stupid, or perhaps your ranking was too low? I think if you had been ranked first at the time, no one would have been able to replace you."
His words were so eloquent and reasonable that the people from other sects couldn't help but nod. "He speaks with such logic!"
The Zheng He Sect disciples who had come to support Ding Guowen, originally so self-righteous, suddenly felt a sense of shame, as if they had been slapped in the face. Why was I being so foolish? Why am I supporting someone ranked twentieth? What's so glorious about that? How much justice is there to uphold?
Some of them quietly slipped away.
Ding Guowen was furious. "You're glib-tongued and eloquent, but what's the use? You can't win opponents by just wagging your tongue."
"I'll try first. If it doesn't work, I'll use my fists," Mo Qi replied.
"In that case, you first compete with me. If you can defeat me, then you can participate in the competition. Otherwise, don't go and embarrass yourself," Ding Guowen said.
"If you're looking for a beating, I'll oblige you. But whether I participate in the competition or not doesn't require your permission," Mo Qi said indifferently.
"How dare you! You're too arrogant. Let me teach you a lesson and see if you still have the face to participate in the competition," Ding Guowen roared.
As he spoke, Ding Guowen formed a hand seal, and a surge of black energy erupted. Within the black energy, phantoms flickered, and ghosts wailed. Sharp barbs appeared and disappeared intermittently, like demons constantly brandishing their claws, unleashing endless gloom and bloodlust as they surged towards Mo Qi.
Mo Qi activated his golden armor and simultaneously invoked the Divine Mind Vajra Art, his entire body enveloped in a thick layer of golden yellow.
As he formed the hand seal, his Fiery Divine Power intensely gathered in his right fist. His right fist blazed like fire, as red as the setting sun. He violently lunged forward with his body, striking the swirling mass of black energy. The black energy instantly shattered. The barbs in the center let out piercing screams, and then the black energy gradually dissipated. The fragments of spiritual energy struck Mo Qi's golden battle attire like raindrops, sliding off without causing him the slightest harm.
That fiery fist, still carrying the power to incinerate everything, shot towards Ding Guowen. Ding Guowen was greatly alarmed and dodged rapidly. However, Mo Qi was like his shadow. He reduced some of his spiritual power and struck Ding Guowen.
Ding Guowen grunted, his body flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He couldn't get up for a long time.
Everyone around was stunned. "This... this is an instant kill!"
Qiu Baichuan was also in the crowd and curled his lips. "Nothing special."
Mo Qi strode forward, stopping in front of Ding Guowen, and looked down at him imposingly. "Am I qualified to participate in the competition?"
Ding Guowen tried to support himself with his hand but couldn't. He fell back down, his face filled with dejection. "Qualified!"
The next day, the competition officially began.
Xue Ying consistently paid attention to Mo Qi. Wherever Mo Qi went to compete, she followed.
Envious gazes were cast from all around. "Who is this person? He's truly fortunate to have such luck!"
"Who is this young woman? She's so beautiful. Is there such a peerless beauty in the world? Why didn't we see her when we came to Zheng He Sect last time?"
"A flower stuck in dung!"
The leaders of the four major sects were sitting together. Long Zhenhai, the leader of Tai He Sect, asked Xue Renkui with some doubt, "Sect Leader Xue, is that woman your niece, Xue Ying?"
Xue Renkui replied, "She is indeed my daughter."
Long Zhenhai exclaimed in surprise, "She... wasn't she already critically ill not long ago?"
Xue Renkui smiled. "She happened to have a fortuitous encounter not long ago and suddenly recovered."
Long Zhenhai regretted it immensely. His son, Long Dong, was betrothed to Xue Ying by arrangement before birth. But just recently, upon hearing that Xue Ying was dying, he had come to break off the engagement.
"Well, you see, my son is still unmarried..." Long Zhenhai said.
Xue Renkui chuckled inwardly. How could you say such a thing? I'm embarrassed for you.
Xue Renkui immediately waved his hand. "This matter is no longer up to me to decide. My daughter has grown up and doesn't listen to me!"
Long Zhenhai: "But at the time..."
"Didn't you break off the engagement back then?" Xue Renkui said with a cold snort. "Now that Ying'er has fully recovered, you want to re-establish the engagement. What if Ying'er's condition worsens again one day?"
Long Zhenhai knew he was in the wrong and had no reply.
The opponents were drawn randomly, and each win earned one point.
After the first three days of matches, it was surprisingly easy. Mo Qi maintained a streak of fifteen wins.
At this point, there were twelve people who had also achieved fifteen wins.
Shui Ling, however, did not gain much advantage in her matches. After winning two matches, others had specifically researched her peculiar techniques and devised countermeasures. Some used soul-capturing techniques to subdue her.
Some were defeated by her, but once she stood up, they also stood up, waiting for an opportunity to counter-kill.
Others struck first, unleashing various divine abilities to suppress her, eventually defeating her.
By the third day, she had already lost five matches, accumulating only ten points. If nothing unexpected happened, she had lost the chance to compete for the top ten.
Not only her, but Zheng He Sect's Lei Bo and Bian Tang also failed to achieve complete victory. Lei Bo lost one match, and Bian Tang lost two.
Almost all eyes in Zheng He Sect were focused on these two. No one noticed Mo Qi's fifteen consecutive wins, except for Xue Ying, Shui Ling, and Jin Yan.
Jin Yan quietly reported to Xue Renkui. Xue Renkui couldn't believe it and personally went to the scoreboard to confirm.