Marry the Demon Sect Girl with No Bride Price

Chapter 361 - 20: Outer Sect Tournament Preliminary Test

"Did you go last night?"

Chen Danfeng glanced back at him. Qin Gengyun nodded, and Chen Danfeng’s face displayed disdain as she snorted coldly:

"You’ve really misjudged someone, Senior Brother."

Qin Gengyun knew she misunderstood and explained, "Senior Sister Chen, I wasn’t aware of the custom of selecting a husband in the hot spring. When I saw female disciples from other peaks, I didn’t go into the water."

Chen Danfeng was taken aback, realizing she had misunderstood. She opened her mouth as if wanting to apologize but couldn’t bring herself to do it, so she was left somewhat awkward.

Qin Gengyun didn’t mind, smiling, he asked, "Senior Sister Chen, could you tell me which peaks’ female disciples attended the Rock Conference yesterday?"

Last night, he had discovered a strand of hair in the Hot Spring Valley that carried a very familiar scent.

This was also because, after reaching the Foundation Establishment Peak, his senses had become more acute.

But Qin Gengyun found it hard to trust his judgment.

Because the scent was too familiar.

It was his wife’s fragrance!

Qin Gengyun had heard before that every woman has her own unique body fragrance.

Only those closest can detect it.

Gengyun believed this because Qiu Zhihe’s unique body fragrance.

It was the faint fragrance of flowers, with a slight hint of milk.

It resembled his wife’s appearance and temperament, delicate, aloof, and baby-faced with a mature allure.

However, his wife had clearly sealed herself within the Cyan Lotus Sect’s relic; how could she possibly be at Zhenyang Sect?

This was truly illogical.

So Qin Gengyun couldn’t be certain.

What if there were other women with a similar body fragrance to his wife?

He asked Chen Danfeng this question to clarify who attended the Rock Conference yesterday, to narrow down possibilities, and secretly investigate further.

Perhaps feeling guilty for wrongly accusing him earlier, Chen Danfeng answered in detail this time:

"All peaks’ female disciples except for Sword Tomb Peak were there. The most came from Xiyue Peak and Danxia Peak. Elder Sang Yue of Xiyue Peak fell, and Ye Xiyue succeeded as Peak Master, but she hasn’t seemed to discipline them much, whereas Elder Tantai from Danxia Peak is overly lenient, leaving her disciples the least disciplined."

As she spoke, Chen Danfeng showed disdain, apparently dissatisfied with both Ye Xiyue and Tantai Mingyue.

Qin Gengyun thought for a moment and then asked, "What happened to the female disciples who went to the hot spring to peep last night?"

Chen Danfeng said, "What else could be done? Let them go."

"Were there anyone among them whom Senior Sister had never seen before?"

"Most of them were newly inducted Outer Sect disciples. Many I hadn’t seen before."

Qin Gengyun fell silent for a moment.

There were no clues.

How should he investigate?

Chen Danfeng looked at him and asked, "Was there someone Junior Brother He fancies among the female disciples who came last night?"

Qin Gengyun shook his head, murmuring, "I don’t know either. Maybe she came, but she didn’t want to see me."

...

Danxia Peak.

Cloud and Mist Hall.

The morning class for Outer Sect disciples had ended.

Lin Qingchou entered Cloud and Mist Hall, and the disciples rose to greet her:

"Greetings, Senior Sister Lin."

Lin Qingchou was responsible for managing this batch of Outer Sect disciples, so naturally, they were respectful to her. Satisfied, Lin Qingchou nodded and said:

"The Outer Sect competition is coming at the beginning of next month. If you want to enter the Inner Sect, you usually need to practice diligently for several years, but the Outer Sect competition is an opportunity. Winning means you can directly enter the Inner Sect."

After Lin Qingchou spoke, a buzz of discussions erupted in Cloud and Mist Hall.

In a large sect like Zhenyang Sect, the hierarchy is particularly strict; the gap between Inner and Outer Sect disciples is vast.

Many Outer Sect disciples can never enter the Inner Sect in their lifetime, only learning the most basic cultivation techniques of Zhenyang Sect.

However, the annual Outer Sect competition is a significant chance for Outer Sect disciples to leap forward.

Everyone wanted to take this shortcut.

But there are thousands of Outer Sect disciples from the Six Peaks, not everyone is qualified to participate.

Each peak will have an internal selection round; the winners can represent their peak in the Outer Sect competition.

As for how each peak conducts its selection and decides the final list of participants, the power lies with the steward disciples who manage the Outer Sect.

Of course, the steward disciples only decide an initial list, which is then screened by the commanding disciple, and the final decision is made by the Peak Master.

But this first selection already eliminates ninety percent of them.

Thus, a steward disciple like Lin Qingchou can determine the future of most Outer Sect disciples, which is why the Outer Sect disciples show her such respect.

Upon hearing Lin Qingchou’s words, everyone’s face showed hope and excitement.

Having finally entered Zhenyang Sect, who wouldn’t want to rise swiftly?

Only Xia Qinglian remained expressionless, uninterested.

She couldn’t be too conspicuous, or her identity might be revealed, so she naturally couldn’t participate in events like the Outer Sect competition that easily attracted attention.

Zhou Man and Xu Chengfang exchanged glances, smiles appearing on both faces.

Last night, Lin Qingchou had already agreed with them; as long as they dealt with Ruo Mei, their names would definitely be on the initial selection list.

Lin Qingchou would even speak with Senior Sister Su Xin, who was responsible for the second round of screening, to let them pass another round.

Peak Master Tantai Mingyue had always been lenient, so once they got through Senior Sister, the list handed to her likely wouldn’t see any cuts.

This way, the two of them could participate in the Outer Sect competition.

As for how to eliminate Ruo Mei, Lin Qingchou had already set the stage for them.

With an ambiguous glance at Zhou Man and Xu Chengfang, Lin Qingchou continued:

"Listen up, everyone. The rules for the first round of selection are simple. Our Danxia Peak is renowned for Alchemy Dao, and the foundation of Alchemy Dao is seeking Spirit Grass. This round is about finding Spirit Grass."

With a wave of her hand, countless small wooden tokens flew into the disciples’ hands, each with the name of a Spirit Grass written on it.

"Follow the name on your token to find Spirit Grass, and then report back to me. The first fifty to find them will pass the first round."

Outer Sect disciples quickly looked down to check the Spirit Grass name on their token.

Xia Qinglian also glanced, Moyou Grass.

This was a Second Grade Spirit Grass that mostly grew on steep cliffs and looked identical to ordinary grass, making it extremely hard to recognize.

However, for Xia Qinglian, this posed no difficulty. She already had seven or eight Moyou Grass in her storage bag.

"Here it comes."

Xia Qinglian smirked internally.

Sure enough, Zhou Man and Xu Chengfang approached:

"Ruo Mei, what do you have? Is it also Moyou Grass? What a coincidence! Should we team up?"

Zhou Man and Xu Chengfang held up their tokens, which indeed had Moyou Grass written on them.

With a pure and innocent smile, Xia Qinglian said happily, "Sure, let’s go together! I know a place with Moyou Grass; I saw it before."

Zhou Man and Xu Chengfang exchanged a glance and asked, "Where?"

A flash of cold light fleetingly appeared in Xia Qinglian’s eyes: "Zhenlian Cliff."