Chapter Ninety-Four: Junior Brother, It's Your Turn
Several people found a spot and stood firm, while many eyes in the square still occasionally turned their way.
“That must be the female disciple of Qingyang Sect with the special spiritual root. She’s truly beautiful, makes me want her so badly...”
“Dream on. She’s only been cultivating for just over a year, and yet she’s already reached the Minor Spirit Realm cultivation level, even able to defeat fellow senior brothers at the Earth Spirit Realm. Someone like you wouldn’t even have a chance to get close to her...”
“That other girl isn’t bad either. Although her cultivation isn’t as high as Xu Xin’er’s, she also has a special spiritual root. It’s a pity our talent is too dull. If we could have one of them, even if it meant dying now, I’d be willing...”
Whispers and murmurs echoed across the arena.
In a corner of the martial arts stage, Dongfang Hao stared intently at Xu Xin’er’s figure, his gaze slowly moving from head to toe, a flicker of wicked fire almost bursting from his eyes.
A path cleared through the crowd in the west, and three men and women strode forward confidently. Two of them were none other than Wang Zhen of Xisha Sect and the yellow-robed woman, Liyuan.
Standing in the center was a man clad in black battle armor, towering nearly eight feet tall, imposing and solemn. His tiger-like eyes seemed to be brewing a battle fire, and every step he took exuded fierce momentum.
“Yu Zhantian.”
“That’s Yu Zhantian, the biggest dark horse of this tri-sect competition...”
“He really carries the aura of a dominant figure. To think he was willing to remain unknown until now...”
“Judging by his posture, even their top disciple Wang Zhen seems to pale in comparison.”
...
The three paid no heed to the whispers, leading their disciples to find a place to stand.
Yu Zhantian glanced briefly at Liu Feng and Dongfang Yu before slowly closing his eyes.
Above, two beams of rainbow light flickered as Divine Master Shen and Daoist Zhenyang appeared one after another, nodding at the six seated guests with pleasure before settling down.
At the same time, on the south side of the square, Dong Wuwang led the way, stepping forward.
The crowd automatically parted to make way, their eyes filled with reverence as they looked upon him.
Behind Dong Wuwang followed three others: Li Zhentian, Ba Xing, and Xi Shan.
The auras of these three were overt and imposing, all emanating the powerful pressure of the Spirit King Realm. Along the way, many low-level disciples of Ziyang Sect struggled to catch their breath.
“Heh, Spirit King Realm!”
“Damn bastards!”
“Just wait until I train for another year or so; I’ll definitely topple them all...”
Lin Fatty and his companions looked with displeasure at their arrogant postures.
“A bunch of no-name riffraff!” Lin Cheng couldn’t help but mutter.
---
Listening to the banter of these lively fellows, the wine enthusiast took a long sip of fine brew and laughed heartily: “Junior Brother Lin, haven’t seen you in half a year, your strength is even more unpredictable now!”
The wine enthusiast clearly did not doubt Lin Cheng’s words nor think he was exaggerating, then said again, “How about you take my place in the finals? I’m not confident I can last two rounds anyway, so why not let you get some experience...”
Lin Cheng hurriedly waved him off: “No, no, no, Senior Brother Wine Drunk, I was only joking...”
Nearby, Liu Feng withdrew his gaze from Dong Wuwang and turned to Lin Cheng, speaking sideways: “Junior Brother Lin, no need to be modest. Since Wine Drunk spoke up, it means you do have the ability to compete, especially since you’ve now broken through to the Celestial Spirit Realm...”
“Even I can’t fully gauge your depth at this point.”
“Celestial Spirit Realm?”
Hearing this, several people stared at Lin Cheng with surprise.
“Well, well, you’re already at the Celestial Spirit Realm and didn’t even tell us. You’re hiding it deep enough!” Wine Drunk kept patting Lin Cheng, looking at him as if he were a monster.
“You have to go up then. Celestial Spirit Realm plus that madman’s insane sword skill—maybe you can even win the championship?” Lin Fatty grinned.
Dongfang Yu smirked disdainfully beside them: “Win? You really think just because you lucked into the Celestial Spirit Realm, you can look down on everyone else?”
Hearing that, Lin Fatty immediately felt displeased: “Some people probably eat crap yet can’t even produce gold nuggets...”
Pfft!
At Lin Fatty’s words, several girls burst into laughter, their bodies trembling with mirth.
Niu Shisan and the others laughed uproariously without restraint.
Even Liu Feng and Wine Drunk barely suppressed smiles on their faces.
“You... looking for death?” Ridiculed by Lin Fatty, Dongfang Yu could not tolerate it and was about to make a move.
Lin Cheng stepped forward, standing firmly in front of Lin Hu: “If you want to touch him, you’ll have to go through me first!” His voice was calm but full of invincible confidence.
A murderous gleam flashed in Dongfang Yu’s eyes as he clenched his fist tightly.
At that moment, a sharp sword qi descended from above, and the figure of Divine Master Zang Feng appeared before the jade throne.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Zang Feng.” Seeing him arrive, Divine Master Qingyang rose to greet him.
Zang Feng cast a glance at Dongfang Yu below.
Feeling that gaze, Dongfang Yu’s cold sweat drenched his back. Hastily, he withdrew all his aura, snorted coldly, and walked aside alone.
“Senior Master Zang Feng, I hope all is well...”
Nodding to everyone, before he could take his seat, Divine Master Ziyang stepped down gracefully and approached Zang Feng.
The two exchanged a look but said nothing, then simultaneously sat down in the last two jade thrones in the center.
---
With all the important figures present, the elder of Ziyang Sect, whose hair and beard were as white as snow and who was presiding over the finals of this competition, appeared on the largest central martial arts platform.
His voice, deep and resonant like a great bell, slowly rang out: “Today marks the final day of the once-in-a-decade tri-sect competition. We thank all guests present for their attendance. Now, let us welcome the disciples who have qualified for the top ten finals to take the stage...”
As the elder finished speaking, several figures floated gracefully onto the central platform.
“Go! I believe in you, Senior Brother!” Wine Drunk patted Lin Cheng’s shoulder encouragingly.
Without hesitation, Lin Cheng flashed forward and stood on the stage.
It was said that competition eligibility could be transferred among peers within the same sect!
“Oh? Is Qingyang Sect making a last-minute substitution?”
“Yes, Wine Drunk isn’t participating; instead, they’ve sent a fresh face...”
“Why haven’t I seen him in the preliminary rounds?”
“I have a feeling this person looks somewhat familiar.”
...
Clearly, everyone present was familiar with the top ten finalists, so seeing a new face naturally sparked whispered discussions.
The presiding elder’s gaze lingered on Lin Cheng for a moment before moving on to scan the crowd. Then his voice boomed: “I will reiterate the rules of the competition. During the matches, the use of spirit enhancement pills or talismans that artificially boost cultivation is strictly prohibited; the competition serves as a platform for martial exchange and skill refinement between the three sects and must not result in fatal injuries...”
“The top three in this final will each be awarded a Gold Yuan Pill and 100,000 spirit stones.”
“The champion will receive an additional 1,000 spirit stones of attribute choice. Their sect will gain the rights to the Tianyu Mine, jointly managed by the three sects, with 50% of the profits for ten years; the second-place sect will receive 30% of the profits for ten years; the third-place sect will receive 20% of the profits for ten years.”
A murmur of excitement swept through the crowd.
Gold Yuan Pills were top-grade alchemical medicines; even sect elders without great contributions rarely obtained one!
The Tianyu Mine was famously the richest spirit stone mine in Zhao Country, producing millions of spirit stones annually. It was the primary source of income for the three sects and the cornerstone of their enduring prosperity.
Though everyone knew the true aim of this tri-sect competition was the mining rights to Tianyu Mine, sect glory was also personal glory. The ten contestants on the stage rubbed their hands in anticipation, fully prepared to give their all!