章 41: The Path to Immortality: A Game of Deception and Power Part: 1

The competition was finally underway, and Madam Chi took her seat in the middle of the arena with her sisters by her side and Zhang Wei standing attentively behind her. Only a handful of elders, including the Grand Elder, were present to preside over the event. The main seats were still empty, waiting for the arrival of Madam Chi's parents who would award the top performers and offer the chance for discipleship under the immortal. Zhang Wei noticed that Prince Chang was absent and assumed he was with his grandparents, waiting for the immortals' arrival.

As the first pair stepped onto the arena, the servant in charge of gathering information about the competitors began introducing each one of them in hushed tones, so only the sisters and elders could hear. Zhang Wei, pretending to be blind, kept his head low and showed no interest in the competition. However, that all changed when the servant introduced the young master of the Qin family, Qin Tian.

Qin Tian was the only son of the Qin patriarch and was once thought to be an unparalleled genius in his youth. However, as he grew older, he was unable to cultivate and, despite being the son of the patriarch, he could not stay in the Qin family to preserve his father's reputation. To make matters worse, his arranged marriage with the young lady of the Li family was also canceled.

Zhang Wei couldn't help but think that this sounded similar to a typical "child of destiny" storyline from the novels of his past life. He needed more information to be sure, so he decided to intervene. "What about his mother? Is she dead?" he asked the servant.

The servant was taken aback by Zhang Wei's sudden interruption, but as Madam Chi signaled for him to answer, he obediently replied, "When the patriarch of the Qin family was young, he went on a travel for three years and returned with a child. Although he never spoke of his wife, it is assumed she is dead."

Zhang Wei asked again, "Does the patriarch take good care of his son?"

The servant nodded, "The patriarch does take good care of his son, but due to his inability to cultivate, he is unable to live in the family's main residence. He lives in a separate residence provided by his father."

Zhang Wei's interest was piqued by this information, and he couldn't help but think that there was more to the story than meets the eye. He made a mental note to keep an eye on Qin Tian. As the competition continued, Zhang Wei observed him closely.

The servant also said, "Although he cannot cultivate, he has been practicing martial arts for a long time. His body is much stronger than martial artists of the same level." After seeing his performance in the following battles, Zhang Wei was more sure that Qin Tian was very similar to a protagonist of a novel.

He thought, "What if he really is some kind of child of destiny and what if he could not cultivate because he has a special physique and what if his mother is not dead but a big shot in the immortal world?" As his mind filled with these possibilities, he thought of many ways to use this to his advantage. Should he make friends with him or help him with something or just keep a good relationship? But none of this was as good as having everything that Qin Tian had for himself. A sinister idea came to his mind.

Zhang Wei smiled to himself as he continued to watch the competition, contemplating his next move.

He listened to the information about the other candidates attentively, but none of their situations matched that of a child of destiny like Qin Tian's. At the final round, Qin Tian was defeated by a youth named Zo Shing. Zo Shing was very famous and known as the first person of the younger generations.

The competition was over, and 15 young people were selected from this competition. They would have the chance to meet the immortal and be selected as a disciple. Zo Shing, as the winner, would receive extra rewards.

Qin Tian was also among these 15 and was looking forward to meeting the immortal and seeing if he could change his fate. Zhang Wei, on the other hand, was eager to see the immortal and observe what the immortal would do with Qin Tian. If Qin Tian was selected by the immortal, Zhang Wei would put his plan into action. Otherwise, he would simply forget about him.

Suddenly, a void crack opened in the sky and a magical golden carriage emerged. Zhang Wei recognized the flag on the carriage, which indicated that it belonged to the Emperor of the Azura Cloud Dynasty. Everyone, including Madam Chi, her sisters, and elders, stood up to show their respect.