The moment Lei Dong emerged from seclusion, Chen Ge was already at his door with exhaustive intelligence. Over the past two years, Lei Dong’s cultivation had advanced with incredible speed. Yet, the other direct disciples seemed to have kept pace. It was confirmed that among the thirty-nine participants in the Grand Competition, the most terrifyingly powerful was Dongfang Fu, at the peak of the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage.

Next in line was Ding Wanyan, also at the peak of the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage. Although Ding Wanyan’s natural aptitude was slightly inferior to Dongfang Fu’s, the Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts had favored her greatly, giving her every last one of the four hundred thousand spirit stones he had extorted. Aided by such massive resources, the already supremely gifted Ding Wanyan had, for the first time, caught up to Dongfang Fu in terms of cultivation progress. The two were now virtually equal, neck and neck in strength.

Once this news spread, busybodies merged their reputations, dubbing them the Yin Sha Dual Stars. Once these two truly matured, they were highly likely to become the leading pillars of the Yin Sha Sect for a very long time to come. Such renown was already universal within the sect, and the names of these two rising talents had even begun to circulate among neighboring factions. Though currently only at the peak of the twelfth level of Qi Refining, they were both women with boundless futures.

Ranking third was Baili Yun, currently at the eleventh level of the Qi Refining stage. That previous injury had required him a full six months of meticulous recuperation before he was entirely recovered. Consequently, even though the Old Ancestor of Withered Bones poured resources into him regardless of cost, he could no longer catch up to Dongfang Fu and Ding Wanyan. Despite this setback, Baili Yun remained a top contender, one of the favorites for the top three spots.

Furthermore, there were eight other disciples who had advanced to the eleventh level of Qi Refining. These were basically the ones ranked in the top ten upon initial entry into the sect. The sole exception among them was likely Ding Wanyan. These eleven individuals were all seed disciples upon whom their respective Caves and Mansions placed immense hope.

The second echelon consisted of about twenty disciples like Zuo Chao, whose cultivation rested between the ninth and tenth levels of the Qi Refining stage. For this group, as long as they didn't suffer severe misfortune, advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage was not an insurmountable hurdle. While their chances of cracking the top ten of the Grand Competition were slim, the Yin Sha Sect’s major contests often saw dark horses emerge from this very group—prodigies capable of shocking everyone. For instance, it was rumored that the Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts himself had done so back in the day.

The remaining eight disciples were the tail-enders, all hovering at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Lei Dong was alarmingly listed among them...

However, given Lei Dong’s utterly mediocre aptitude, merely managing to qualify for the sect’s decennial Grand Competition—which required placing in the top three of each Cave Mansion—was already a remarkable feat. Others, with similar potential, wouldn't even dream of scraping by to fill the bottom slots. After all, these thirty-nine represented the cream of the crop among the younger generation.

In cultivation, the further one progressed, the wider the gulf between individuals became. Take Chen Ge and Wei Hua, for example; their aptitudes were not significantly different from Lei Dong’s. Yet, despite their diligent efforts, they had only reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. Lei Dong’s rise only truly began after he gained a brief, sharp advantage using the Soul Devouring Tower, followed by gaining an edge in personal combat, and then enduring—and surviving—several cycles of robbery and counter-robbery. Setting aside the powerful magical artifacts and ghost soldiers he now commanded, his cultivation level was achieved purely by stacking massive amounts of elixirs, forcibly squeezing himself into the ranks of the most outstanding disciples of his generation. Even then, his cultivation level was firmly at the bottom.

Yet, judging by Lei Dong's true combat strength, securing a top-ten position would have been no issue at all. The problem was the mission set by the Old Ancestor: he had to place within the top three. That rare, top-grade magical artifact was not given freely. The Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts had likely been willing to bestow upon him an artifact nearly divine among Qi Refining disciples precisely because he wanted to see his own prestige shine through in this Grand Competition, finally washing away the shame of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave placing near the bottom for seven consecutive sessions.

Giving Lei Dong the top-grade artifact served two purposes: first, to increase his fighting power. Second, knowing Lei Dong’s notoriously cunning nature and reluctance to exert full effort, it was a way to spur him on. Should he fail to achieve a top-three finish, not only would the supreme artifact be reclaimed, but Lei Dong himself would be exiled to some desolate, bitter land to fend for himself until death.

Of course, Lei Dong knew that the only reason he possessed the top-grade artifact now was ultimately due to Ding Wanyan. If he hadn't successfully extorted a similar artifact on her behalf, the one in his hands now would never have found its way to him.

Thinking this, Lei Dong felt a slight, familiar frustration. Ding Wanyan’s standing in the Old Ancestor’s eyes far surpassed his own.

The Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, feeling quite inspired, navigated the Ghost King Boat toward the Yin Sha Sect headquarters. Accompanying him were his ghost slaves, and three disciples: Ding Wanyan, Zuo Chao, and Lei Dong. The Old Ancestor had participated in the previous Grand Competitions seven times. Yet, never had his spirits felt so buoyant as they did today. It was as if he could already visualize the moment of impending triumph, the coming reversal of past humiliations.

It was no wonder the Old Ancestor was so exhilarated. Ding Wanyan was now the equal of Dongfang Fu; securing second place or even fighting for first was entirely feasible. As for Zuo Chao, while not a prodigy, he had cultivated diligently, and though he wouldn't rank at the very top, there was a strong hope for him to clinch a respectable, above-average spot.

As for Lei Dong, he was a disciple the Old Ancestor himself couldn't fully gauge. The boy usually acted with extreme discretion, never showing his full hand in minor contests. If the Ancestor hadn't known that Lei Dong managed to force back Baili Yun during the scramble for the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger, even the Old Ancestor himself would never have dared to bet on the boy achieving a good rank. This was why the Ancestor had risked it all, wagering a rare, supreme-grade artifact, partly bribing and partly coercing Lei Dong into becoming a dark horse.

This wasn't just a matter of pride. If Lei Dong could make the top five, coupled with the results from Ding Wanyan and Zuo Chao, their total accumulated score would absolutely secure second place or challenge for first. If Lei Dong could somehow break into the top three, perhaps his Ten Thousand Ghost faction could even claim the overall First Place in the Grand Competition? Achieving first place would grant access to the highest quality new disciples—and with the Old Ancestor’s methods, those talented recruits would certainly not be led astray.

This would initiate a virtuous cycle. The Ten Thousand Ghost Cave could gradually supplant the current Heavenly Demon Palace to become the sect’s leading faction. And the Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts, in turn, would receive vastly improved treatment, gaining access to substantial resources that would greatly pave the way for his advancement to the Nascent Soul stage.

Spanning tens of thousands of li, the Ghost King Boat's escape velocity meant the journey took only a little over half a day before they hovered above the Yin Sha Sect headquarters.

Lei Dong stood at the ship's railing, looking down. He saw that the headquarters truly possessed a magnificent scale. The unending sprawl of various buildings nearly covered an area spanning several hundred li, a realm incomparable to the humble grounds of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave. Ten years prior, Lei Dong had flown from this very spot to join the Cave. Returning now for the Grand Competition filled him with a complex wave of emotion.

The horrific scene he had witnessed at the previous Grand Competition, so bloody and stark, remained vividly etched in his memory. This had been the fundamental impetus driving him over the last decade to find every possible means to enhance his own ability to survive. In terms of practical effect, the Yin Sha Sect’s tradition was remarkably effective. That gruesome spectacle served as the most vivid lesson for newly initiated disciples, showcasing the brutal reality of the weak being preyed upon by the strong.

“Ten Thousand Ghosts, arriving rather early this time?” Just as the Old Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts was about to retract the Ghost King Boat, a spectral vessel, eerily white and constructed from all manner of grotesque bones, shot through the sky, docking right beside the Ghost King Boat. The sight of the Old Demon of Withered Bones, whom he hadn't seen in two years, revealed himself, hands clasped behind his back at the prow of his ship. His corpse-like face held a sinister, uncanny grin. “Could it be you managed to extort another supreme-grade artifact from the sect?”

His eerie green eyes swept over the three disciples, lingering for several breaths on Lei Dong. Lei Dong could clearly sense the naked fury and murderous intent radiating from his gaze.

His three personal disciples stood solemnly behind him. The one centered among them was none other than Baili Yun, who harbored a bone-deep hatred for Lei Dong. His cold eyes were fixed immovably on Lei Dong, as if intending to devour him whole.

(Ha, my foundation seems a bit shallow. Those great seniors kept pushing hard for votes and managed to bump me down for a moment. But that’s fine; surviving one day at the current level is already a miracle. I still ask everyone to keep voting. If we can just maintain the current vote flow, we might climb back up again. Let’s keep striving together.)