Shen Mo frowned, "Joining under their banner, does that mean... merging?"


    "It''s not merging, it''s assimtion," Murong Yue sighed. "Merging implies equality, while assimtion means inequality."


    "If our Qingxuan Sect is assimted into the Divine Sword Sect, you would only be ordinary disciples of the Divine Sword Sect and wouldn''t receive the same treatment as true Divine Sword Sect disciples."


    "Furthermore, as outsiders, we would surely be resented by the elders and disciples of the Divine Sword Sect."


    Shen Mo pondered over this.


    Murong Yue continued, "Out of the forty-four sect masters apart from the Five Top Sects of Xuanjing, twenty were against this."


    "The meeting ended on a sour note."


    Shen Mo nodded.


    He understood.


    Murong Yue, including his own life panel, showed that their ultimate fate hadn''t changed.


    The Qingxuan Sect would be leveled by the Divine Sword Sect.


    Many elders and disciples would die.


    Murong Yue would fall in the Qingcang Mountains.


    Shen Mo would be no exception.


    Murong Yue sighed, "I shouldn''t have told you this. It might disrupt your emotions and affect your performance in the Hundred Sects Ceremony."


    "I shouldn''t have said it. It was my mistake."


    Shen Mo shook his head.


    Disrupting his emotions wasn''t really possible.


    After all, he had long seen their ultimate fate through his life panel.


    "Master, you don''t need to me yourself. I share both honor and disgrace with the Qingxuan Sect. It''s better to know sooner," Shen Moforted her.


    He realized that his beautiful master, who appeared to be as unyielding as an iceberg, was actually as fragile as an ordinary girl inside.


    "Good," Murong Yue looked at him deeply, feeling very gratified.


    "Go back to your cultivation. The disciples'' martialpetition in the Hundred Sects Ceremony will be in two days. The Five Top Sects of Xuanjing will present many rewards, which will benefit you and our sect."


    "Understood, Master." Shen Mo cupped his hands and left.


    Murong Yue watched his departing figure, her previous unhappinesspletely dissipated.


    She had indeed epted a good disciple.


    ...


    Two dayster.


    The Hundred Sects Ceremony was held as scheduled.


    The location was the central martial arena of Divine Sword City.


    This arena was muchrger than that of the Qingxuan Sect, about four times the size.


    Around the arena, four grandstands were built.


    The grandstands rose from low to high, amodating up to forty thousand spectators!


    Dong, dong, dong!


    The sound of bells rang out as the forty-nine sects entered the arena.


    Each sect brought ten elite disciples.


    Those sects that couldn''t gather ten elite disciples didn''t even qualify to participate.


    The grandstands were bustling with excitement.


    "Look, that tall and handsome guy in the gold-trimmed robe from the Qingxuan Sect is Shen Mo!"


    "He does look very dashing, and his demeanor is indeed extraordinary."


    "Zhou Qingcang, look! He''s the top disciple of the Divine Sword Sect!"


    "Look over there at the Verdant Vine Sect, Mo Yuheng is here too. Look at that figure, that grace! I''d give twenty years of my life to have her as my wife!"


    "Hey, does anyone know the rules of thepetition?" A young nobleman anxiously asked, "Will I get to see the goddess Mopete?"


    "Don''t you know? Let me exin!" A young man holding a folding fan smiled smugly.


    "Master Liu, please tell us," the surrounding young nobles and nobledies urged him.


    They were just there for entertainment and didn''t know the detailed rules.


    Master Liu smiled confidently and waved his fan, "The Hundred Sects Ceremony consists of three rounds."


    "The first round is a grand melee involving all four hundred ny participants from forty-nine sects. They all fight until only one hundred remain!"


    The surrounding crowd immediately erupted in chatter. "Damn! The first round will eliminate nearly four-fifths of the participants!"


    "Of course, the winners of the Hundred Sects Ceremony must be the elite of the elite!"


    Master Liu, annoyed, interjected, "Are you listening or not? Don''t interrupt!"


    "Sorry, please continue, Master Liu," the interrupters said with embarrassed smiles.


    Master Liu cleared his throat and continued, "The second round, which will be tomorrow, involves one hundred participants fighting in pairs to determine the top fifty. These fifty will then fight in pairs again to decide the top twenty-five."


    "Thenes the third round, starting the day after tomorrow. These twenty-five will continue to fight in pairs, but there will be byes."


    "Only when the top ten have been decided will the Hundred Sects Ceremony be consideredplete, and the prizes will be awarded to the top ten and their respective sects."


    The surrounding people suddenly understood.


    "The Hundred Sects Ceremony happens every ten years, and those whoe here are all geniuses. They each have unique insights and skills in martial arts."


    "Watch closely and learn well. It will greatly benefit us!" Master Liu said with an air of authority.


    The atmosphere in the stands was incredibly lively.


    People couldn''t wait, their gazes frequently darting to the disciples of the various sects, wondering when the event would start.


    In the resting area for the sect disciples, the atmosphere was also heating up.@@novelbin@@


    They looked at each other with high fighting spirits and sharp gazes, silently evaluating whether they could defeat their opponents.


    In the Qingxuan Sect group, Liu Yunxuan spoke gravely, "This year, the teams from the various sects are very strong. Be prepared and don''t hold back."


    Luo Shengnan nced at him and said, "That''s not for you to say. If anyone should be giving orders, it should be our strongest, Shen Mo."


    Liu Yunxuan''s face darkened with anger.


    He had forgotten.


    He was no longer the strongest among the four true disciples.


    Shen Mo was.


    When he spoke just now, he had unintentionally ced himself in the position of the strongest.


    Shen Mo nodded slightly. "The first round''s grand melee is unpredictable. Liu Yunxuan is right; we must stay united and give it our all."


    "Especially be wary of the Heavenly Water Sect joining forces with other sects to target us."


    Zhao Ting nodded slightly and pointed to a few sects. "Those sects have close ties with the Heavenly Water Sect and could be considered their affiliates. We need to be cautious."


    Shen Mo''s gaze swept over the various sects.


    Suddenly, a stunning figure caught his eye.


    With a fiery figure, beautiful face, fair skin, and a revealing outfit, she was extremely eye-catching.


    More than half of the crowd''s attention was focused on her.


    However, they seemed somewhat wary and didn''t dare stare for too long, only ncing asionally.


    It was the Enchantress Mo Yuheng!


    She was ying with a white jade snake in her arms.


    Sensing Shen Mo''s gaze, Mo Yuheng looked in his direction.


    Her purple eyes were enchanting and seductive, as if gazing into them for too long would lead toplete infatuation.


    The disciples of the Verdant Vine Sect followed her gaze to look at Shen Mo.


    Liu Yuanfeng noticed this and immediately frowned, whispering, "Don''t stare! Provoking the Verdant Vine Sect now will give us another enemy in the melee."


    Liu Yunxuan also chimed in, "Shen Mo, look away!"


    Shen Mo withdrew his gaze. "Is she the Enchantress Mo Yuheng?"


    Zhao Ting nodded. "Yes, she''s also the daughter of the Verdant Vine Sect''s leader and is skilled in using poisons."


    "She reportedly has a Heaven-grade physique, allowing her tomunicate freely with beasts."


    Shen Mo nodded and continued to observe the other sects.


    Although he stopped looking, Mo Yuheng continued to watch him from afar.


    As a result, the disciples of the Verdant Vine Sect also kept their eyes on him, expressionless and cold.


    Their sudden attention drew the eyes of other sects and even the spectators in the stands towards the Qingxuan Sect.


    What''s going on?


    Did the Qingxuan Sect provoke the Verdant Vine Sect?


    =============================================================


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