Daoist Competition
Chapter 52 - 25: Stealing the Cauldron for Treasure, the Du Family’s Initiation 2

Chapter 52: Chapter 25: Stealing the Cauldron for Treasure, the Du Family’s Initiation 2

The woman froze, her face immediately flushing with embarrassment. She hastily released her grip and leapt aside, biting her lower lip as she stomped her foot furiously and said angrily, "Damn it, I forgot you, little thief, can discern Qi Mechanisms." Then, dissatisfied, she added, "Hey, who’s sharing a room with you, this little thief, day after day? Don’t go tarnishing my reputation for no reason!"

Zhang Yan shook his head and cupped his hands, saying, "Luo Daoist, misfortune turns to blessing; congratulations are in order."

Though his words were congratulatory, his voice was flat and emotionless, making it sound entirely insincere. Luo Xiao couldn’t help but glare at him angrily and retorted, "It’s just that I’ve temporarily achieved Transformation. My cultivation still needs time to recover."

Zhang Yan strode inside, his expression revealing surprise as he entered. He found the cave mansion had undergone a complete transformation. The cave walls were polished like mirrors; the floor was spotless, free of even a speck of dust; even the previously scattered firewood and charcoal had been removed, and every item was neatly arranged, an absolute contrast to the previous chaos.

Luo Xiao said smugly, "See, you don’t even know how to tidy up your cave mansion."

Zhang Yan wasn’t someone who disliked cleanliness. It was just that the cave mansion was vast, and he barely had time for cultivation, let alone cleaning. Moreover, during the apocalypse, he faced constant danger and threats to his life, never knowing what the future held. Having a safe place to stay in itself was a luxury, and he genuinely paid little attention to his surroundings, only keeping the small area he lived in somewhat tidy.

Still, he shook his head and said, "I think it’s still not clean enough."

"Where is it not clean enough?" Luo Xiao raised her eyebrows in defiance.

Zhang Yan pointed at the treasure tripod and said in a deep voice, "Who is inside the tripod?"

...

While Lin Tong was scheming to steal the tripod, he did not anticipate the unexpected changes occurring on Cangwu Mountain.

What shocked everyone was that the Upper Court unexpectedly assigned someone else to take Zheng Xun’s position. Lin Yuan’s excitement turned out to be all for nothing, as he finally understood that Zheng Xun had been sent to the Upper Court not merely to inherit his family’s legacy but specifically to vacate his spot for someone else to firmly claim the role of Senior Disciple of the Lower Court.

Even so, the crowd refrained from reacting rashly. Only when the new person was ushered into the main hall with a grand entourage did they realize that the new Senior Disciple of the Lower Court was merely a boy of fourteen or fifteen!

The boy’s eyes sparkled brightly, his face was clean-cut and handsome, and though he tried to adopt an air of maturity, his age betrayed him, leaving the disciples feeling a strange awkwardness.

"Where did this child come from?" someone whispered below.

"I heard he’s from the Du Family," someone quietly replied. "They say this boy is only fifteen this year. He reached Yuan Cheng Ruzhen at the age of nine but waited six years to condense top-top-grade meridians. It’s rumored his father is an elder of the Upper Court, and his mother is the celebrated beauty Du Luo of the Hengnan Du Family!"

The mention of this sent chills through the crowd’s hearts. Putting aside the prestigious status of an elder in the Upper Court, the sheer influence of the Du Family alone, which spanned across the Three Great Sects, was colossal. No wonder the three Lower Court Masters stayed silent on this matter, tacitly approving it. Those originally prepared to cause some trouble promptly dropped the idea.

The boy surveyed the disciples present, his hands clasped behind him, his chest puffed out as he declared with an air of arrogance, "My name is Du You. From today forth, I shall be your Senior Brother!"

The disciples all lowered their heads without saying a word.

Du You’s young face showed slight dissatisfaction, and a manager-like figure standing beside him quickly stepped forward and announced, "Why haven’t the disciples yet greeted the Lower Court Senior Brother?"

Lin Yuan let out a heavy snort, and the others responded with cold indifference. While they conceded the Du Family’s immense power, they found it insulting that a mere servant dared to boss them around as if they were insignificant.

Du You understood it was unwise to push too hard and quickly signaled the manager to step back with his eyes. He cleared his throat and asked, "Have all the disciples gathered here today?"

Once his question had been asked, someone stepped forward and said, "Senior Brother, one disciple is absent today."

Everyone looked to see that it was Zhen Lun, one of the five disciples who had achieved Yuan Cheng Ruzhen. While they knew the Zhen Family was closely tied to the Du Family, the brazen ease with which he addressed Du You as "Senior Brother" still felt far too straightforward.

"Oh? Isn’t the Lower Court home to twenty-eight disciples? With Brother Zheng gone, doesn’t that make the count complete?" Du You feigned ignorance and swept his gaze across the room.

Zhen Lun replied, "The Lower Court Master Shi Shoujing has recently taken in a new disciple named Zhang Yan, bringing the current count to twenty-nine."

"Surname Zhang? Do we know which branch of the Zhang Family he hails from?"

"He is not of noble family lineage."

Du You’s face darkened as he raised his brows and exclaimed angrily, "Not of noble family descent, and yet he’s allowed into our Lower Court?"

Zhen Lun responded, "On the day of the Dharma Assembly, he single-handedly repelled the Guangyuan Sect, which is why the Master made an exception to take him as an entry-level disciple."

Lin Yuan coldly observed the exchange between the two, a faint look of derision appearing at the corner of his mouth. Did they truly believe no one could see through this theatrical charade?

Du You, aware that his young age made it difficult to command respect, knew he needed to assert his authority to gain acceptance in the Lower Court. Initially, he intended to target Lin Yuan, but considering Lin Yuan’s formidable background, he realized it wouldn’t be easy. The other disciples, though all noble-born, either didn’t carry sufficient weight or presented no clear opportunity for confrontation, leaving him unable to achieve the intimidation effect he wanted.

Fortunately, he had gathered enough information beforehand and discovered that among the entry-level disciples, there was one who neither came from noble lineage nor had any solid foundation in the sect—a perfect candidate for setting an example!

Feigning surprise, Du You asked, "Why hasn’t Zhang Yan come to pay his respects today?"

Zhen Lun replied, "Zhang Yan has always been rebellious. Even when Brother Zheng was here, he refused to follow orders, and Senior Brother Lin couldn’t handle him either. I doubt he’d take Senior Brother seriously either."

Lin Yuan’s eyes flickered with a trace of displeasure upon hearing this.

Du You cast a glance at Lin Yuan and declared loudly, "Brother Zheng couldn’t manage him, Senior Brother Lin couldn’t manage him, but I can. Bring me the ruler!"

At that moment, a figure resembling a powerful warrior stepped forward, respectfully presenting a jade ruler glowing with a crystalline radiance to Du You.

It was a Dharma Treasure gifted to Du You by his mother, Du Luo, called the "Confinement Ruler." Once it was wielded, anyone below the Ming Qi Stage—no matter their cultivation level—would instantly collapse, unable to circulate Qi or exert their spiritual powers, rendering them essentially defenseless. Three consecutive strikes would result in instant death.

Du You accepted the ruler and promptly handed it to the manager beside him, issuing a cold order: "Chief Hao, go and detain Zhang Yan. If he refuses, beat him to death without hesitation!"