Chapter 425 - 424: The Expectation of the Palace Master of Dui Palace

To take the same Cultivation Technique and cultivate it with a completely different flair, even improving and optimizing it based on his own understanding—with that kind of Talent, Pan Borong would die before he believed Tang Yi wouldn’t achieve greatness in the future!

With this kind of Talent, Tang Yi was destined to one day stand among the clouds, looking down upon all of creation, and become a peerless powerhouse!

"Yes, Tang Yi made a sudden return over ten days ago. He didn’t tell anyone, though. He just came back to give the repaired version of the Gathering Spirit Technique to a female disciple of our Dui Palace with the surname Mu, then left in a hurry. If that disciple hadn’t brought the Gathering Spirit Technique to me, I wouldn’t have even known he was back!"

"As for whether Tang Yi was the one who came up with that repaired version of the Gathering Spirit Technique, I don’t know. But given Tang Yi’s Talent, I think it must have been him."

Murong Liu said to Pan Borong.

"I also think Tang Yi must be the one behind it. Back when he first started, I hadn’t even begun guiding him, yet he could already cultivate on his own. He also grasped it far faster than others, and his Cultivation Speed was several times greater. For a peerless genius like him, creating this repaired version is hardly surprising," Pan Borong nodded and said.

"Regardless of whether Tang Yi was the one who created this repaired version, the fact that he contributed it is already a great service," Guo Yangyun said excitedly. "Thanks to this repaired Gathering Spirit Technique, the Cultivation Speed of all our Dui Palace disciples has increased severalfold. Even the stagnant Cultivation of us old-timers is showing faint signs of a breakthrough! If it weren’t for the upcoming Outer Mansion Grand Competition, I’d be itching to find a place for some closed-door cultivation."

"As for Tang Yi’s Talent... I need say no more," Murong Liu added. "Our Dui Palace is fortunate beyond measure to have a disciple like him. He is the lucky star sent by the heavens to help our Dui Palace rise again!"

"Exactly. A lucky star," Guo Yangyun nodded.

"It’s a blessing from the heavens upon our Dui Palace," Pan Borong chimed in.

"But think about it," Guo Yangyun said suddenly after a moment of thought. "Why did Tang Yi make that sudden return over ten days ago? He was in such a rush that he didn’t even come to say hello to us old-timers. If he wanted to give us the repaired Gathering Spirit Technique, he could have easily waited until his mission was over and handed it to us personally. Instead, he rushed back mid-journey, gave it to a female disciple to pass along, and then left immediately. Why the hurry? There must be a reason!"

"That might be why he still hasn’t returned," Murong Liu said with a nod. "Whatever the case, with his strength, I doubt he ran into any trouble in the Valley of Desolation."

"Right. So let’s not be too pessimistic," Pan Borong said. "Tang Yi must have just gotten held up by something. There’s still time, so we don’t need to panic. We can wait a bit longer. If he really can’t make it back, then at worst, he just misses the Grand Competition. As long as he’s safe, that’s what’s important."

Upon hearing this, Murong Liu shot Pan Borong a look and said wryly, "I have to say, Old Pan, you change your tune fast. A moment ago, you were the one who was worried sick about Tang Yi, and now you’re telling us not to worry and comforting us."

"Er... I just don’t want you all to worry too much," Pan Borong replied with an awkward laugh, quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, let’s set aside the matter of Tang Yi for now and trust that he will return safely. What we should be focusing on is the New Disciple Ranking Tournament, which is about to begin."

"Right. Tang Yi is in the Elite Ranking Tournament, and there’s still a while before that starts, so we can afford to wait for him. But the New Disciple Ranking Tournament is about to begin, so we should indeed turn our attention there," Guo Yangyun said with a nod.

"Now that you mention it, I’m actually getting quite excited," Murong Liu said expectantly. "Tang Yi gave us the repaired Gathering Spirit Technique, and we’ve passed it on to our disciples. Even though they’ve only been practicing it for a little over ten days, the Cultivation Speed is incredible. After just this short period, it’s like they’re completely new people. I’m really eager to see what level they’ve reached and if they can give us a huge surprise."

"I’m really looking forward to it too," said Guo Yangyun. "In all the past Grand Competitions, whether for new disciples or the elites, I’ve never been this excited. This is the year I’m most anticipating."

"In the past, I wouldn’t have held out much hope," Pan Borong exclaimed. "After all, cultivation in Dui Palace is arduous, and our progress is slow. But things are different now! With the repaired Gathering Spirit Technique from Tang Yi, I have high hopes for our palace in this Grand Competition, and I’m even more excited for our future! I feel like the future of Dui Palace is blindingly bright!"

"Alright, let’s go," Murong Liu said. "Let’s head to the high platform. It’s about to begin, and the Palace Masters from the other palaces are already there."

With that, the three Palace Masters of Dui Palace made their way toward the high platform.

The Five Elements Square of Qian Palace and the Shuangyong Square of Dui Palace were more or less the same. To the east was the high platform for the upper echelons of the West Mansion, to the west were the spectator seats for the disciples, and in the center was a wide plaza. The basic layout was the same, except that at this moment, there were three large arenas and eighteen small arenas in the plaza.

Only disciples participating in the Elite Ranking Tournament were allowed on the three large arenas, while the eighteen smaller arenas were designated for the New Disciple Ranking Tournament.

However, despite its name, the New Disciple Ranking Tournament wasn’t just for new disciples. Disciples who had been in the West Mansion for one or two years—or even several years—but hadn’t made much progress in their strength also participated in this event!

There were countless such disciples, and their numbers had accumulated year after year, reaching into the thousands.

In other words, to distinguish oneself in the New Disciple Ranking Tournament, a participant had to compete against and defeat thousands of other Outer Mansion Disciples!

Meanwhile, the Elite Ranking Tournament was only open to disciples ranked within the top one thousand!

This distinction was made because the top one thousand on the ranking list was a major dividing line. Those disciples were at least at the Battle Spirit Level, making them the elite of the elite.

The power gap between them and the disciples ranked below one thousand was enormous. If they were all to compete together, the latter group would be brutally crushed. Of course, there were always exceptions.

However, in most cases, the lower-ranked disciples were utterly dominated by those in the top one thousand. Dark horses were rare, as were miraculous upsets.

This was why the competition was split into two tiers: the Elite Ranking Tournament and the New Disciple Ranking Tournament.

This not only served as a true and effective test of the disciples’ improvement but also made the Grand Competition more intense and exciting to watch.