Daoist Competition-Chapter 1006 - 243: Five Disciples Leave Li Mountain

The feast at the Huan River, it seems the Pingdu Sect disciples want to use this opportunity to showcase their skills and test the strength of the Mingcang Sect’s top ten disciples of this generation. A competition is inevitable.

However, those who visited Zhang Yan at the Zhao You Heavenly Pond earlier did not have a cultivation higher than his, so none of them realized he was already a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Zhang Yan thought to himself that the sect probably still believed he was in the Hua Dan realm; otherwise, they might not have sent this invitation.

He pondered briefly and smiled before putting the invitation away.

This event is scheduled for three months later, so there is no need to think much about it now.

There are five years left until the date of the sword competition, Zhang Yan thought he could use this remaining time to further improve his Five Elements Escape Technique.

Since the battle with the Nascent Soul Third Realm cultivator, he has paid particular attention to this divine skill. Every time he practiced, he found many incredible transformations within it. If he could master this skill further before the Dharma Assembly, he could have one more method at his disposal.

Previously, with the help of Broken Jade, he had already learned a Water Element Escape Technique, which proved quite effective for escaping in times of crisis.

But this divine skill not only allows him to stealthily hide using the Five Elements, but it can also trap and hinder enemies. Therefore, he decided to focus on cultivating this path moving forward.

As he sat on the couch contemplating, Zhang Jing came in from outside and said, "Master, Jiang Zheng is seeking an audience outside."

Zhang Yan said, "Let him come into the hall to meet."

Shortly after, Jiang Zheng arrived in the hall without shifting his gaze, lifted his robe, knelt down, and bowed his head to the ground, saying, "Disciple Jiang Zheng, pays respects to the master."

This place was where Zhang Yan practiced daily, and since joining, Jiang Zheng had never stepped foot here, nor did the Wang Sisters, who had only come a few times.

Zhang Yan slightly nodded and said, "Stand up to speak."

After another bow, Jiang Zheng stood up steadily, clasped his fists, and said, "I came here to bid farewell to the master, and I’m about to set off to the Peng Yuan Sect."

Zhang Yan examined him for a few moments and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

He had hinted earlier that although he couldn’t look into the Peng Yuan Sect’s cultivation techniques, some key points of the Daoist skills were similar. Jiang Zheng could seek his guidance if he encountered difficulties while practicing, a rare opportunity indeed.

It should be known that Zhang Yan also needed to cultivate Daoist skills, and before the Sixteen Sects Sword Competition, he couldn’t attend to his disciples properly. Hence, he had established a rule that apart from Liu Yan Yi and Jiang Zheng, the other disciples should not visit without summoning within these five years.

In Zhang Yan’s view, guiding Jiang Zheng for a year or so until his cultivation improved, ideally achieving the Xuan Guang Third Realm before heading to the Peng Yuan Sect, would be most appropriate.

Yet unexpectedly, after just half a month, this disciple was eager to leave.

Jiang Zheng bowed and said, "Master, please allow me to explain. The disciple does not know why, but this cultivation technique progresses rapidly during practice, and I am about to touch the breakthrough threshold. However, I feel that I must sense something to cross this barrier, related to what you mentioned about the ’Jingchen Heavenly Palace,’ so I wish to seek opportunity at Peng Yuan."

He had heard that perfected this cultivation technique at Peng Yuan Sect was nearly unheard of, and he initially thought it extremely rare too, prepared for hardship. Yet unexpectedly, the technique seemed destined for him, perfectly matched to his nature, and despite practicing only for several days, his cultivation progressed rapidly, on the verge of entering the Xuan Guang Third Realm of the ’Jiazi No Loss’ realm.

At that moment, he felt as though something was missing, thus he stopped. After much thoughtful consideration, he decided to visit Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan pondered briefly, his eyes lit up, secretly thinking, "Could it be that reason? Then this is truly the disciple’s fortune, also his opportunity."

He smiled slightly and said, "Master approves this matter, you can go back and pack, depart the mountain tomorrow."

Upon receiving permission, Jiang Zheng showed no hint of joy, his demeanor remained calm, as he bowed and said, "Thank you, master."

Zhang Yan contemplated briefly and said, "Since you joined my sect, you have cultivated diligently, but I have not bestowed any Dharma treasure upon you. Those who joined before you all possess suitable Dharma treasures, which seems a bit unfair to you. As you’re leaving for Peng Yuan Sect, it wouldn’t be suitable to leave empty-handed; thus, I will grant you a Dharma treasure for protection."

He turned his head and instructed Zhang Jing, "Bring the ’Star Capturing Exquisite Bag.’"

Zhang Jing took the order and left, returning shortly with a seemingly ordinary gray cloth bag, which he handed to Jiang Zheng.

This item was a supreme treasure accompanying Master Sha from the Lie Xuan Sect; the bag could hold a thousand acres worth of sand and water, making it a mystical artifact.