Three days later.

It was still at the Five Elders Pond on the main peak.

However, this time, Xu Taiping, like the Senior Sister and the Second Senior Brother, stood beside the command flag on the sword platform of the Seventh Peak.

“The rules for this competition are as follows: after drawing lots, each side will send out four disciples to inscribe on the iron weights. After each round, the disciple whose sword bears the heaviest weight and who completes the inscription of the Qingxuan Sect’s Seven Laws wins.”

“Whichever side has the most winners at the end will be the victor of this competition.”

As usual, the Black Dragon Elder briefly announced the rules of the competition.

“Senior Sister, Junior Brother!”

“Brother Taiping!”

At this moment, Xu Taiping faintly heard someone calling his name from the Cloud Pavilion stands.

Turning his head to look in the direction of the voice, he saw that it was his Eighth Senior Brother and the others.

Aside from a few Senior Brothers, Xu Taiping also saw Senior Sister Zi Yan from the Sixth Peak and Lin Buyu.

Senior Sister Zi Yan was even smiling and waving at them.

Xu Taiping also waved back politely.

“Are you Xu Taiping?”

Before he could lower his hand, a somewhat familiar voice came from his left.

Turning his head, he saw a male disciple from the neighboring Sixth Peak.

The disciple had a round face, was not very tall, and looked rather sturdy.

Xu Taiping found him familiar and after thinking carefully, a name appeared in his mind—”Lin Buyu’s Seventh Senior Brother.”

During the previous days at the Cloud Pavilion, he had often seen this round-faced disciple enthusiastically greeting Xu Ziyan and Lin Buyu.

“Are you… Buyu’s Seventh Senior Brother?”

Xu Taiping blurted out the question.

“Is Buyu’s name something you can call?”

The round-faced man glared at Xu Taiping.

The hostility from this Seventh Disciple of the Sixth Peak left Xu Taiping feeling somewhat baffled.

“Xu Taiping, are you just here to make up the numbers for the Seventh Peak?”

Then, the round-faced man asked with a smirk, clearly looking to provoke.

After seeing his intention to pick a fight, Xu Taiping didn’t want to engage with him and acted as if he hadn’t heard.

“You dare to ignore your Senior Brother when he’s talking to you?”

The round-faced man suddenly kicked Xu Taiping.

“Zhou Ao? What are you doing?”

Before Xu Taiping could react, Zhao Linglong, who had just turned her head to speak to him, saw this and immediately asked the round-faced man with a cold face.

Zhao Linglong’s voice was not loud, but because they were so close, Jiang Zhi and Qingxiao also heard it.

“What’s going on?”

“What happened?”

Dugu Qingxiao and Senior Sister Jiang Zhi turned around together to look at the two.

“This Zhou Ao, for no reason, kicked Taiping.”

Zhao Linglong pointed at Zhou Ao, clearly angry.

“Senior Sister Linglong, you misunderstood. I was just greeting Brother Taiping.”

The round-faced man, Zhou Ao, laughed as he placed his hand on Xu Taiping’s shoulder.

Xu Taiping’s shoulder shook, and with a “bang,” he directly shook Zhou Ao’s hand off.

A martial artist’s body is as hard as iron.

So when Xu Taiping shook his shoulder, it was like hitting Zhou Ao with a hammer, causing him immediate pain.

“Senior Brother, when greeting someone, it’s best not to be handsy. If outsiders see it, they might think the disciples of Qingxuan Sect lack manners.”

Xu Taiping calmly met Zhou Ao’s gaze.

He didn’t like to provoke trouble, but he wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself when bullied.

“Xu Taiping, you’re a new disciple and you speak to your Senior Brother with this tone?”

Zhou Ao glared fiercely at Xu Taiping.

“Zhou Ao, I haven’t seen you in a few days, and you’ve become quite bold.”

At this moment, Dugu Qingxiao crossed his arms and stood next to Xu Taiping.

“If you dare to greet me like that, I guarantee you won’t be able to get out of bed for a month.”

He coldly glared at Zhou Ao.

Dugu Qingxiao had long heard from Senior Sister Zi Yan about this Seventh Disciple from the Sixth Peak, who was known for being a bully and often inappropriate. He usually couldn’t be bothered, but now that his Junior Brother was being bullied, he couldn’t just stand by.

“What’s going on here, Senior Brother Qingxiao?”

At this time, the Senior Sister from the Sixth Peak, a woman who looked somewhat mature, came over.

Qingxiao didn’t speak but looked down at Xu Taiping, seeking his opinion.

“Second Senior Brother, maybe I misunderstood this Senior Brother Zhou. Perhaps in his hometown, it’s customary to greet people with a kick.”

Xu Taiping said to Dugu Qingxiao very seriously.

Upon hearing this, the Senior Sister from the Sixth Peak immediately understood.

“You, go stand over there.”

She glared at Zhou Ao.

Zhou Ao was somewhat defiant and glared back at Xu Taiping:

“For such a trivial matter, you need others to protect you. Just wait and embarrass yourself in the competition!”

Hearing this, Dugu Qingxiao’s expression grew even colder.

All the disciples of Qingxuan Sect knew that Dugu Qingxiao of the Seventh Peak was famously protective. You might get away with insulting him, but if you insult or harm his Junior Brothers or Sisters, expect retaliation.

“Senior Brother Qingxiao, this kid is just too talkative, he means no harm. Please don’t stoop to their level.”

The Senior Sister from the Sixth Peak quickly apologized to Dugu Qingxiao.

Qingxiao didn’t speak but once again looked at Xu Taiping.

“Senior Brother, I’m fine.”

Xu Taiping smiled faintly.

Indeed, Zhou Ao had annoyed him, but it wasn’t worth causing a conflict with the Sixth Peak over him, especially during the competition.

“Please have the disciples from each peak come up to draw lots.”

Just then, the voice of the Black Dragon Elder boomed over the sword platform again.

The attention of both sides immediately focused on the center of the sword platform.

…

A moment later.

Senior Sister Jiang Zhi returned with a lot.

“The first opponent is the Sixth Peak.”

Senior Sister Jiang Zhi smiled faintly at everyone.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Among the seven peaks, the strength of the Sixth and Seventh Peaks was quite similar, so this was undoubtedly the best lot for them.

Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping glanced at the Sixth Peak and noticed that their disciples were also beaming with joy, clearly feeling they had drawn a good lot.

“It’s just like the last and second to last.”

He couldn’t help but mock in his heart.

“However, their lot number is above ours, so when the competition starts, they will be the first to assign a disciple to the stage.”

Senior Sister Jiang Zhi suddenly looked at Xu Taiping with some concern.

Hearing this, Zhao Linglong and Qingxiao, like Senior Sister Jiang Zhi, turned their gazes to Xu Taiping.

“Senior Sister, is there a problem?”

Xu Taiping was puzzled.

“This means, Taiping, you won’t be able to choose the weight of the iron yourself. You either concede or choose a heavier weight than the first disciple from the Sixth Peak.”

Qingxiao explained to Xu Taiping with some concern.