Chapter 7

The old man was dressed in a blue Daoist robe, none other than the Dean of the True Spirit Academy, Xuan Yong, a Forging Pill stage cultivator.

This Daoist Xuan Yong had a kind and approachable demeanor, earning him great respect from the academy’s disciples and the immortal professors. He stood on the stage, with two middle-aged Daoist cultivators standing beside him.

Daoist Xuan Yong smiled and said, "The disciples have trained diligently, and the professors leading the teams have made significant contributions!"

The professors hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Daoist Xuan Yong pointed to the two people beside him and said, "I believe you all know these two, but the younger disciples may not recognize them, so I will introduce them." He then pointed to the tall and thin cultivator on his left and said, "This is True Person Xuan Su." Next, he pointed to the red-faced cultivator on his right and said, "This is True Person Xuan Ce."

The disciples were all taken aback; it was actually two True Persons!

These disciples rarely saw the only Forging Pill stage True Person in the academy, Dean Xuan Yong, and most of them had only seen him once during the five-year major competition. This time, with three True Persons present, how could the disciples not be excited? If they performed well in the competition and caught the eye of any True Person, they could immediately become inner disciples, with the prospect of reaching the Blood Condensation stage.

Lu Ping looked at the three True Persons on the stage, though he admired them greatly, he still maintained a clear mind. The presence of three True Persons at a Blood Refinement stage competition indicated that this competition was indeed extraordinary!

What Lu Ping couldn't understand was what could make Forging Pill stage True Persons pay attention to the competition of these small Blood Refinement stage cultivators?

After more than two hundred disciples drew lots, they paired up for the competition, which took place on eight small stages. The first round would determine the top 128, with two rounds per day, and the top 64 would be decided on the first day.

Small protective barriers rose around the eight small stages. Lu Ping knew this was the application of an array formation, which could prevent attacks below the Blood Condensation stage from accidentally injuring people outside the stage.

Each stage was presided over by a Blood Condensation stage immortal professor.

True Person Xuan Yong didn't waste words and directly announced the start of the competition. The disciples went to the central stage to draw lots from a jar containing red and blue bamboo sticks.

Lu Ping didn't expect to draw a bye, nor did he draw a senior disciple at the eighth or ninth level of Blood Refinement. After all, more than half of the over two hundred disciples were at the seventh level of Blood Refinement.

Lu Ping's first-round opponent was a mid-seventh-level Blood Refinement disciple from the 12th squad. This disciple looked younger than Lu Ping, about 15 years old, with a tall and thin build, and a face that exuded a mix of innocence and arrogance.

Li Sheng indeed had the capital to be proud. At just 15 years old, he had already reached the mid-seventh level of Blood Refinement. In cultivation, he not only had talent but also worked as hard as any other disciple. Not only his family, but even the squad immortal professor praised him, saying he would have no problem entering the Blood Condensation stage.

Among the second-level disciples, there were five geniuses: Lin Sheng from the 1st squad, Zhao Lang from the 5th squad, Shi Lingling from the 7th squad, Leng Qian from the 14th squad, and Qian Fei from the 18th squad. These five were known as the "Five Elite," all at the eighth or ninth level of Blood Refinement, as they had all reached the seventh level of Blood Refinement by the age of 14.

Li Sheng always considered himself the "Sixth Elite," second only to these five. Hearing about the generous rewards from the sect for this major competition, and with his family preparing a high-quality low-rank magical weapon and numerous talismans for him, he felt well-prepared. He was ambitious, believing that even if he faced an eighth-level Blood Refinement senior, he could still win, and even a regular ninth-level Blood Refinement disciple was not beyond his reach.

So when this ordinary 16-17-year-old seventh-level Blood Refinement disciple stood before Lu Ping, Li Sheng naturally saw him as a stepping stone to advance to the next round.

Lu Ping looked at this young boy and smiled, drawing his high-rank magical weapon and assuming the starting stance of the "Blood Condensation Bone Refinement Sword," saying, "Junior, please!"

Li Sheng saw that Lu Ping was using this basic sword technique, clearly indicating he was an ordinary disciple without a family background. His disdain grew, and with a "clang," he proudly drew a top-rank magical weapon, assuming the starting stance of a family-transmitted technique. He thought to himself, "Father said that the '24 Sword Technique of Fierce Wind' is quite powerful at the Blood Refinement stage. This ordinary disciple, without any background, probably hasn't even heard of this sword technique."

Lu Ping had indeed never seen this sword technique before, but he found it quite amusing to see this young cultivator, who seemed to be showing off his toys. However, he could sense the danger hidden in the unfamiliar sword technique.

Li Sheng swiftly moved his top-rank magical weapon, a white light like a ribbon flashed, and Lu Ping immediately felt a surge of magical power hidden in the white light, swiftly heading towards his face. Before the move was fully executed, his face was already stinging from the cut.

Lu Ping calmly fought back, turning to avoid the white light and sending a sword qi back towards Li Sheng's wrist.

Li Sheng was not concerned, relying on the sharpness of his magical weapon to block Lu Ping's weapon to the side. With his left hand, he formed a hand seal and chanted a spell, summoning a flame. He waited for Lu Ping's weapon to be deflected, creating an opening, and then he would catch him off guard.

Unexpectedly, when the two magical weapons met, Li Sheng felt a powerful surge of magical power transmitted to his weapon. Lacking the strength to counter, he not only failed to block Lu Ping's weapon but was also pushed back two steps.

The flame spell in his hand was deflected by this surge of magical power, and Lu Ping easily dodged it. The scattered flames were blown away by a simple Wind Spell from Lu Ping.

Li Sheng's disdain quickly turned to caution. This person's magical power was so substantial, not inferior to his own. It seemed there would be a real fight. However, thinking of the wealth in his storage bag, Li Sheng felt more confident.

Lu Ping looked at the small dent on the blade of his high-quality magical weapon, a bitter smile on his face. He had only held this weapon for three months and had only fought twice, yet it had already suffered such damage.

Li Sheng's magical weapon swung again, and he launched another attack. The "24 Sword Technique of Fierce Wind" became faster and more intense with each strike, and his spells grew stronger, occasionally interspersed with talismans, raining down on Lu Ping.

For a moment, Lu Ping felt a bit overwhelmed. The sword technique was like a fierce wind, leaving no place to hide, and it was mixed with spells like the Flame Spell, Ice Seal Spell, Wind Blade Spell, Golden Sword Spell, and Giant Tree Spell. Just as he managed to gain a moment's respite with his solid foundation, before he could counter, another talisman would come his way.

Seeing the low- and mid-rank Blood Refinement talismans being used against him as if they were free, Lu Ping felt as if pieces of spirit stones were skipping across the water in front of him, and he cursed the extravagance in his heart.

"Fortunately, Li Sheng still has some sense and hasn't treated high-rank talismans like they're free." Just as Lu Ping was thinking this, an Ice Blade Talisman exploded in front of him, the massive spiritual energy波动 startling him. He wished he could slap himself; it was clearly a high-rank talisman.

The cold, icy chill made Lu Ping's body hair stand on end even before the three crystal-clear ice blades hit him.

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