Chapter 9

Lu Ping did not give Li Sheng any more chances, and his suppression only increased. Li Sheng had no opportunity to use the magical artifacts in his hand, nor even the chance to use high-quality talismans. He only managed to throw out a few mid-to-lower quality talismans, which failed to break through the layer of golden light surrounding Lu Ping.

In the end, Li Sheng also recognized that Lu Ping's high-quality talisman was a blood talisman. This person was willing to spend spirit stones to buy such talismans, indicating that he had some spirit stones on him.

Li Sheng was pierced in the shoulder by Lu Ping's sword. The immortal overseeing the competition had already cast a spell to protect Li Sheng, blocking Lu Ping's magical weapon. Lu Ping sheathed his sword, and the immortal announced Lu Ping as the winner, advancing to the next round.

In the second round of the afternoon, the opponent was another disciple at the seventh level of cultivation. However, this disciple did not have the same resources as Li Sheng and only used a high-quality magical weapon to fight against Lu Ping. Lu Ping took this opportunity to familiarize himself with his newly grasped "Art" realm, easily advancing to the top sixty-four.

In the evening, under the guidance of Immortal Liu, everyone returned to the residence. The first day of the competition saw the Seventh Squad perform well. All twelve disciples at the seventh level of Blood Cultivation, plus a bit of good luck, managed to advance to the second round, much to the surprise of the other immortals, which Immortal Liu enjoyed greatly.

Unfortunately, in the second round, several disciples drew unfavorable lots and faced tough opponents. Among the twelve disciples, the seventh, eighth, ninth, and eleventh disciples at the seventh level of Blood Cultivation were eliminated one after another. Even Senior Brother Guo Lin, who had just entered the eighth level, unfortunately faced a ninth-level disciple from the First Squad. In the end, both used all their magical artifacts and high-quality talismans, and Guo Lin was defeated with regret.

Despite this, the Seventh Squad, with seven disciples advancing to the top sixty-four, ranked fourth among the twenty squads. The First Squad, with nine disciples entering the top sixty-four, ranked first, while the Fifth Squad and the Eighteenth Squad, both with eight disciples, tied for second.

What surprised Lu Ping was that the twelfth disciple, Zhang Zicheng, also advanced to the top sixty-four, suggesting that even the eleventh disciple, Li Cheng, might not be his match.

In high spirits, Immortal Liu provided detailed critiques of each disciple's performance in battle, which everyone found very beneficial. Even the five eliminated disciples felt much better.

It was then that Lu Ping learned that Senior Brother, Senior Brother Two, and Senior Sister Four had already reached the "Art" realm. It seemed that there were many talented individuals, and he was not exceptional.

Lu Ping's achievement in reaching this realm also surprised the other disciples, especially Li Cheng, who gritted his teeth in anger and his face changed dramatically.

After returning to the residence, Lu Ping received congratulations from several disciples he got along well with. After the pleasantries, Lu Ping carefully reviewed Immortal Liu's critiques and compared them with his own two battles, feeling that he had gained a lot. He then swallowed a Blood Purification Pill and began to cultivate with a spirit stone in hand.

The next morning, Lu Ping woke up early, feeling the increased spiritual energy in his blood, bringing him one step closer to the eighth level, which greatly improved his mood.

The courtyard square was already crowded with people, and the spectators cheered for their squad's competitors. If they encountered a well-known second-level disciple, such as Senior Sister Shi Lingling, who was among the "Five Beauties," the crowd would become even more enthusiastic, much like fans cheering for their idols in Lu Ping's previous life.

In the third round, Lu Ping faced a disciple at the eighth level of Blood Cultivation, Yuan Zhan from the Seventeenth Squad, which made the Seventh Squad disciples who had been paying attention to Lu Ping quite disheartened.

Lu Ping's heart was pounding, but he calmed down when he thought of the two magical artifacts in his possession.

Yuan Zhan, at twenty-one years old, held a top-tier magical weapon. The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy in front of him was initially very nervous but suddenly became calm. Did he know he was bound to lose?

Yuan Zhan smiled, and they exchanged bows. At the command of the immortal, Yuan Zhan used the move "Soul Departure," aiming directly for Lu Ping's throat, taking the initiative from the start with a lethal move, without any hesitation or probing.

Lu Ping dared not confront him head-on. Yuan Zhan's attacks came one after another, each faster and more powerful than the last, like a continuous stream. At the same time, he continuously cast various spells with his left hand, chanting incantations and launching spell after spell at Lu Ping.

For a moment, Lu Ping was in a panic, being hit by several spells. His clothes were burned in several places, his hair was frozen, his left sleeve was cut by a wind blade, and his right ankle was entangled by a broken withered vine. Fortunately, Lu Ping's foundation was solid, and the spells that hit him were weakened by his own spells, allowing him to hold on.

On the central arena, Immortal Fang of the Twelfth Squad, seeing that Lu Ping could only defend, said with a smile, "Senior Brother Liu, it seems your squad's good luck has run out today!"

The Twelfth Squad, led by Immortal Fang, originally had similar performance to the Seventh Squad. However, this year, the Seventh Squad unexpectedly produced twelve late-stage Blood Cultivation disciples, with over thirty entering the third-level disciple assessment, far surpassing his squad. Thinking about how both were at the sixth level of Blood Cultivation, Immortal Liu was about to obtain a large amount of cultivation resources and advance to the seventh level, which made him somewhat envious. Moreover, his squad's capable Li Sheng was eliminated by Lu Ping yesterday, so he couldn't help but speak sarcastically.

Immortal Liu smiled and said, "His cultivation is indeed inferior, so it's only natural that he loses." His face showed indifference, but his eyes were fixed on Lu Ping's battle.

Late-stage Blood Cultivation was a significant hurdle. Even though Lu Ping's sword technique had reached the "Art" realm, his spiritual power was far too weak, and his spells had not reached the "Art" realm, leaving him to suffer passively.

Lu Ping gritted his teeth. For the generous rewards from the sect, he had no choice but to take action. He took out two high-quality blood talismans from his pocket, one a protective talisman he slapped on himself, and the other a golden sword talisman he threw at Yuan Zhan.

Yuan Zhan sneered and said, "I've been waiting for you. It's not just you who has blood talismans."

He then threw a blood talisman, from which several water swords flew out, deflecting the golden sword in all directions, none hitting their target. At the same time, he used the top-tier magical weapon to perform the move "Seven Stars Shine," aiming at Lu Ping. Lu Ping tried his best to defend, blocking five of the seven swords, but the remaining two hit his protective silver light, causing it to waver and nearly collapse.

Yuan Zhan then cast the spell "Giant Tree," and Lu Ping countered with the "Diamond Shield" spell. However, due to insufficient spiritual power, a giant tree broke through his protective silver light, shattering it.

Lu Ping used the move "Three Yang Open," launching three consecutive sword energies. The sword techniques were natural and fluid, and he took the opportunity to cast an "Ice Shield" talisman on himself.

Yuan Zhan grunted inwardly. So this is what it means to have sword techniques at the "Art" realm. The moves are indeed sharp and swift, but without sufficient spiritual power, it's all for naught.

Yuan Zhan struck twice, cutting off two of the sword energies. A yellow light appeared in front of him, a common high-quality "Earth Wall" talisman. The third sword energy only made it waver.

Lu Ping was now quite frustrated. If it was a contest of talismans, then let's have a proper contest. He raised his left hand and cast "Falling Rock," "Fire Crow Strike," and "Water Bind," three high-quality blood talismans, all aimed at Yuan Zhan.