Chapter 81

With a bow to the purple-clad giant who stood dumbfounded on the spot, and a nod to the senior uncle who was overseeing the competition, Qin Fengming turned and flew out of the arena. -www..com-

It was only after a moment that the purple-clad giant, with a bewildered look, withdrew from the arena. Even at this moment, he still could not believe that, despite possessing the famous top-tier magical artifact 'Fire Cloud Gourd,' he had not been able to display its slightest power and had been defeated by the lowest-level spell, 'Ice Bullet,' leaving him both ashamed and furious.

This match left the spectators outside the arena equally puzzled. The man holding the top-tier magical artifact 'Fire Cloud Gourd' had ultimately lost, and lost so decisively.

Qin Fengming's victory almost shocked all the disciples who watched the match.

Although all cultivators were aware that launching dozens of low-level talismans at once would certainly be incredibly powerful, no one could possibly waste so many talismans like Qin Fengming did.

Each low-level talisman was worth at least two to three low-level spirit stones, and talismans were consumables that could not be reused once launched. A casual wave of the hand could cost over a hundred spirit stones, and no cultivator at the Qi Gathering stage could afford such a fortune.

Qin Fengming's grand gesture made many of the lower-level disciples of the Luoxia Sect envious, and their gazes toward him varied. They all believed that Qin Fengming had earned a lot of spirit stones from refining artifacts, which was why he could be so generous.

This victory further enhanced Qin Fengming's reputation.

For the next two days, Qin Fengming did not go to the arena again. He knew that with so many cultivators competing, the first round would take at least four to five days to complete.

Sure enough, it took six days for all the matches in the first round to be completed. Master Wang announced on the spot that there would be a one-day rest before the second round of matches would continue.

Although Qin Fengming did not take such a level of competition seriously, there were still many exciting matches in the first round. These exciting matches became the topic of conversation among the disciples during their leisure time.

For example, a disciple at the ninth level defeated a peak Qi Gathering disciple with just one top-tier magical artifact; and two peak Qi Gathering disciples, without using any magical artifacts, defeated two eighth-level Qi Gathering disciples solely with spells. The trend of learning spells quietly became popular among the disciples.

Of course, Qin Fengming's feat of defeating a top-tier magical artifact with over forty low-level talismans was also widely discussed and praised among the lower-level disciples.

Qin Fengming was not disturbed by these discussions and continued to practice diligently every day. During these three days of practice, he clearly felt that the barrier at the ninth level of the Qi Gathering stage was gradually weakening, and he could break through at any time.

For the second round of matches, the participants had to draw numbers again.

After the first round of eliminations, only 367 people remained to enter the second round. Qin Fengming drew a number from the basket held by the old man and, upon flipping it over, was overjoyed to see that it was number 184.

Since the number of participants in the second round was odd, one person would be exempt from this round and automatically advance to the third round, and that person was number 184.

Unexpectedly, Qin Fengming was lucky this time, and he drew number 184.

Sure enough, after all the disciples who advanced to the second round had drawn their numbers, a middle-aged man announced loudly:

"This round of matches will follow the same rules as the previous round, but the disciple who draws number 184 will not need to participate in this round and will directly advance to the next round."

Since only the individual knew the number they had drawn, no one knew who had drawn number 184. As the disciples were still discussing who had drawn the lucky number, the third round of matches began, and everyone was drawn to the competition.

Qin Fengming, not needing to participate in the match, could return to practice. However, he needed to return the number to the senior uncle overseeing the competition, so he thought for a moment and flew toward the middle-aged man.

Approaching the middle-aged man, Qin Fengming bowed and said respectfully, "Senior Uncle, I, Qin Fengming, have drawn number 184." As he spoke, he flicked his hand, and the number floated into the middle-aged man's hand.

The middle-aged man glanced at the number and nodded at Qin Fengming:

"Good, very good. You are Qin Fengming, indeed. In this round, you do not need to participate. After the matches are over, I will inform Senior Brother Fei, who will pass the message to you. You can continue to watch the matches or return to practice on your own."

After bidding farewell to the middle-aged man, Qin Fengming did not hesitate, turned, and left the arena, returning to his residence.

The second round of matches would take longer than the first round. After the first round of eliminations, the remaining participants each had some skills, so the matches would be more intense and time-consuming. It would take at least three to four days to complete.

With his true strength, he did not need to watch others' matches or learn their skills. As long as he launched a large number of talismans, he would be invincible among peers. Unless the opponent could drive a spirit artifact to attack him.

However, spirit artifacts were not something Qi Gathering cultivators could possess or control for long periods. Therefore, with a top-tier defensive magical artifact, Qin Fengming was already invincible among Qi Gathering cultivators.

If a Qi Gathering cultivator wanted to control a spirit artifact to attack, they might be defeated by the opponent's magical artifact while activating it. Driving a spirit artifact required the injection of spiritual energy, which took time. Since low-level cultivators could not instantly activate a spirit artifact, experienced disciples would seize the opportunity to strike and severely injure their opponents.

The second round of matches ended on the fourth day. When Senior Brother Fei received the message talisman and was informed that Qin Fengming had passed the second round, he was greatly surprised.

However, after understanding the situation, he learned that Qin Fengming had passed the first round by using dozens of low-level talismans and had not participated in the second round, advancing directly to the third round due to a bye. Knowing this, his doubts were dispelled. But he was still very pleased that Qin Fengming had advanced to the third round.

Only 184 people remained to enter the third round. From other disciples in the refining hall, he learned that, apart from Qin Fengming, no other eighth-level Qi Gathering disciple had advanced to the third round. Upon hearing this, Qin Fengming just chuckled.

For the third round of matches, Qin Fengming drew number 16, indicating that he would be the 16th to compete, which was quite early. Indeed, it was his turn to compete in the morning.