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Chapter 66: This Time Might Be Dangerous

Zhengdao Peak.

On the mountainside, there was a spacious square.

This was the place where disciples registered to become Core Disciples.

It was also where the Core Disciple competition took place.

Under normal circumstances, there wouldn't be many people here on the registration day. After all, the competition hadn't started yet, and there wasn't much to see. However, today was different.

Li Xun and Han Feng, the two people, walked from a distance and hadn't yet approached when they saw a group of inner disciples crowded at the registration desk.

"Make way, make way, Senior Brother Li Xun is here!"

From a distance, Han Feng shouted loudly.

"It really is Senior Brother Li Xun!"

"I knew it had to be Senior Brother Li Xun; he wouldn't miss this year's core disciple competition!"

"With Senior Brother Li Xun's strength, he's undoubtedly going to be the number one core disciple this year; there's no doubt about it. The rest of us just need to compete for second place."

"Have you noticed that Senior Brother Li Xun's strength seems to have increased again? Even from this far, I can feel immense pressure!"

"Hey, now that you mention it, it does seem that way."

Many people nearby gathered, whispering to each other, and in their gazes towards Li Xun, there was a mixture of awe and admiration, especially from some female disciples who seemed quite smitten.

Among these onlookers, some were inner disciples whom Li Xun had rescued in the past, while others had come purely because Li Xun had gained significant fame recently and they wanted to see him in person.

As Li Xun gradually approached, the inner disciples who had been huddled together made way for him.

Leading the way up front, Han Feng wore a proud expression. Looking at the entire inner sect, there were probably very few who could walk as close to Senior Brother Li Xun as he could. This was something he could boast about in the future!

"Junior brother, is it still possible to register? Senior Brother Li Xun will participate in the core disciple assessment tomorrow," Han Feng said as they arrived at a jade table.

Behind the jade table was another inner disciple. Upon seeing Li Xun approaching, he quickly stood up and greeted with a smile, "Senior Brother Li Xun, I've already registered your information for you."

"This is your badge. Tomorrow, you can use this badge to participate in the competition."

Saying so, the disciple handed over a palm-sized jade badge with a prominent character engraved on it.

Li Xun took the badge and, out of the corner of his eye, glanced at the roster spread on the table. To his surprise, his name was at the very top, with over a dozen names following behind.

So, even before he arrived, this disciple had already registered him?

"Thank you, Junior Brother," Li Xun said with a smile.

"Senior Brother, you're too kind. This is what Junior Brother should do. Moreover, over a month ago, if it weren't for Senior Brother, Junior Brother wouldn't have survived. And later, Senior Brother even gave me a healing pill. It's an enormous favor that Junior Brother will never forget. Being able to do something for Senior Brother is my honor," the inner disciple continued respectfully.

"Indeed," Li Xun glanced at the disciple and stored his appearance in his memory.

After experiencing the incident with the extraterritorial demon, even Li Xun himself didn't know how much influence he had gained within the Xunyang Sect.

Perhaps it didn't amount to much right now, but in a few decades or even centuries, when these inner disciples grew, the entire Xunyang Sect might become his domain.

"Senior Brother, your first opponent tomorrow is a Senior Brother in the late stage of the Spirit Connection Realm. How do you feel about that, Senior Brother? If you're not satisfied..."

The inner disciple had a pleasing smile on his face. At the same time, he picked up a brush. As long as Senior Brother Li Xun spoke, among the dozen or so people here, he could let Senior Brother Li Xun choose whomever he wanted to fight.

"I appreciate it."

Li Xun deeply looked at this junior brother, patted his shoulder, and then turned to leave.

Just as he turned around, a powerful pressure swept in from a distance. In the eyes of many, it seemed like a majestic mountain, surrounded by soaring sword intent, rising slowly from the horizon.

Step! Step! Step!

Clear footsteps resounded in the ears of the onlookers. At the end of the square, a burly figure, carrying a huge sword on his back, walked up confidently. His eyes were filled with wildness and coldness.

His majestic presence exuded a sense of profound Dan Realm strength with almost no restraint, instantly suppressing all the inner disciples on the square.

"That’s Zhao Heng!"

Some inner disciple spoke in a low voice. "Who's Zhao Heng?"

Many people hadn't heard of the name Zhao Heng, but those who did turned pale almost instantly, as if recalling something unfavorable.

"Zhao Heng is the backer of Bai Shaowei, and he has many subordinates just like Bai Shaowei. It can be said that all the Spirit Stones extorted from outer disciples by Bai Shaowei and others ultimately flow into Zhao Heng's hands."

A fellow inner disciple whispered. When this was said, many people's expressions changed. Everyone present was an inner disciple, and they had all worked their way up from being outer disciples. Perhaps they hadn't encountered Bai Shaowei, but they had encountered people like him, who were under the influence of Zhao Heng. This indirectly made them victims of Zhao Heng's oppression.

"I heard that Senior Brother Li Xun had some conflict with Bai Shaowei, and Bai Shaowei is under the protection of Zhao Heng. So, it seems..."

Many people took a sharp breath, looking at Zhao Heng with concern. Most likely, Zhao Heng's bold appearance today meant that he had come to seek revenge for Bai Shaowei. After all, Bai Shaowei had been crippled, and no one knew who had eventually killed him. If Zhao Heng didn't seek retribution, his subordinates would surely have grievances.

Ideally, the first person he should be looking for would be Lu Changhe. Unfortunately, Lu Changhe had been on the mountain since he joined the Disciplinary Hall, leaving Zhao Heng with no choice but to find Li Xun first.

"Zhao Heng has been an inner disciple for one hundred and ninety years. He completes over thirty sect tasks every year, and I heard he's exchanged for two earth-ranked  martial arts techniques!"

Another person voiced their concerns. Being an inner disciple for almost two centuries was an extreme rarity. With a life expectancy of only four hundred years in the Profound Core Realm, Zhao Heng had spent almost half of his life as an inner disciple.

Completing over thirty sect tasks every year exceeded the sect's stipulation by more than twice. The accumulation of resources and power over such a long period was a hair-raising prospect to contemplate.

Many core disciples only possessed one mid-level martial art technique, but Zhao Heng, as an inner disciple, had managed to obtain two through sect tasks.

In a way, his foundation surpassed that of many core disciples. This fact made him even more intimidating as he appeared.