Chapter 80

This time it was Zhuang Wudao's turn, and he looked surprised: "Have you already broken through to the Qi Cultivation realm?"

"A month ago, I succeeded by a stroke of luck!"

Beitang Wan'er smiled lightly, with a hint of pride: "This turmoil in Yu Cheng has its losses and gains. My master also came to Yu Cheng this time. He helped me recover from my injuries, so I don't need to wait another six months."

"Indeed, this can be considered a blessing in disguise."

Zhuang Wudao felt a twinge of pain in his head. It wasn't just that Beitang Wan'er had entered the Qi Cultivation realm; from the true essence aura she displayed, she had at least reached the Second Stage. It seemed that over these two months, not only had his cultivation advanced rapidly, but Beitang Wan'er's strength had also greatly increased.

This woman's talent for cultivation far surpassed his, at least reaching the Second Rank. Once she was free from her injuries and entered the Qi Cultivation realm, she would surely outpace others on the path of cultivation.

What was truly daunting was that she cultivated both internally and externally. Besides the "Piercing Armor Sharp Finger" technique, she had at least two other cultivation methods that she kept secret, making her strength unpredictable.

Of course, these were not enough to make Zhuang Wudao fear. The real trouble was that her movement techniques far exceeded his. After reaching the Qi Cultivation realm, her ability to dodge and evade would surely be even greater.

Though he was not afraid, if they were to fight, he could only rely on the Dragon Seizing Hand and the newly learned Air-Splitting Palm technique to win. At that time, not only would this small spirit room be destroyed, but even his courtyard might not be left standing.

The last few times he sparred with Beitang Wan'er, they almost completely demolished this hard-earned spirit room.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Wudao sighed lightly: "Can we not fight? Or perhaps another day? Or we could do it at your place."

If it were at the Beitang family's residence, the situation would be different. The Beitang family was wealthy and had spacious training grounds. Zhuang Wudao wouldn't feel bad about fighting there.

"Hmph!"

Beitang Wan'er gave a cold snort, and her high-spirited fighting spirit slightly subsided. Just as she was about to rebuke him, she changed her mind and said, "Fine! As you wish, ten days after the grand competition ends, you must fight me. At that time, my master might also watch."

A Golden Core cultivator watching? This was to pave the way for his future in Lichen Sect? Beitang Wan'er really placed a high value on him.

Zhuang Wudao felt grateful but did not show it on his face. He nodded slightly: "Certainly! Ten days from now, Wudao will not back down."

To gain the attention of a Golden Core cultivator, he naturally needed to show some capital. However, as long as he could condense the fire seed of the Stone Ming Essence Flame that evening, it wouldn't be a problem for him.

After saying this, Zhuang Wudao eagerly looked at the book in his hand. One of them was the "Tianxuan Zhaoshi True Scripture."

The entire book was made of unknown materials, woven with golden threads, and contained a powerful true essence. Just holding it, the Tianxuan Zhaoshi Great Method he cultivated resonated faintly.

At this moment, he could only read up to the tenth page, which contained cultivation methods before the Foundation Establishment stage. The pages after that could not be opened.

This was because his cultivation was not sufficient to break the seal. However, from the sixty or so pages that could not be opened, it was clear that this scripture would allow him to cultivate the "Tianxuan Zhaoshi True Scripture" all the way to the Golden Core stage. He wouldn't have to worry about subsequent cultivation methods before then.

The other scripture was also made of golden threads, but it was thinner, with only about twenty pages.

However, when Zhuang Wudao casually flipped it open, he raised an eyebrow: "This is the Breath Concealment Technique?"

After a quick glance, the book contained a method to conceal one's aura and hide one's cultivation level.

"Exactly! My Uncle Cangjue heard that you were going to condense the fire seed of the Stone Ming Essence Flame, so he commissioned the Xuan Yuan Pavilion to find it for you with a large sum of money."

Beitang Wan'er's lips curved, and her eyes sparkled with a mysterious smile: "The Gu Yue family has a deep foundation and considerable influence in Dongwu. If you reveal your current cultivation level, it will only alert them prematurely. Given Gu Yue Ming's nature, it's hard to say what other means he might prepare."

Zhuang Wudao nodded thoughtfully. Concealing his cultivation level? He liked the idea, but he had doubts. Although the Breath Concealment Technique was good, it wasn't something that could be mastered in a short time. Today was the day of the grand competition registration, and he could only practice for a short while. How much effect could it have?

Just as he was about to ask, Beitang Wan'er handed him a bottle of pills, and Zhuang Wudao immediately understood.

The Tranquilizing Breath Pill was one of the pills recorded in the scripture. After taking it, one only needed to circulate the Breath Concealment Technique to achieve the effect of concealing one's aura.

If the Breath Concealment Technique was cultivated to a certain level, the effect after taking the pill would be several times stronger!

Zhuang Wudao didn't hesitate, took a pill, and dissolved it with his internal qi. Then he performed the Breath Concealment Technique.

Sure enough, after a short while, it had an effect. His pores closed, and the aura he emitted sharply decreased.

Zhuang Wudao estimated that in the eyes of others, he was now at most at the Second Stage of the Qi Cultivation realm, which suited his purpose.

※※※※

The Lichen Grand Competition was approaching, but the Lichen Academy remained as quiet as usual. In Zhuang Wudao's view, calling it a grand competition was actually more fitting for the "small competition" within the academy.

The Lichen Academy originally had three hundred disciples. In the past two months, due to the inspection envoy Li Chongzhen from Lichen Sect taking over as the acting head of the academy, and the rumor that Lichen Sect would soon take control of Yu Cheng, the academy finally showed signs of revival. In just two months, the number of disciples surged to eight hundred.

However, those eligible to participate in the grand competition numbered less than seventy. The rule that only those at or above the Bone Marrow Refinement stage could participate excluded most of the academy's disciples.

Of these sixty or so, more than half were temporarily inserted by the major forces in the city after receiving news two months ago, through Li Xiangnan.

Registration was simple. Zhuang Wudao only needed to register with the acting head Li Chongzhen, who would then submit the list to the Wu Jing Dao Hall for verification to confirm eligibility for the grand competition.

The truly anticipated part was the draw, which determined the opponents and the order of the matches. The sixty or so disciples sat in the hall, and in the center was a sealed draw box. Unless one reached the Spirit Core stage, no matter how strong one's cultivation, it was impossible to peek inside.

The numbers were placed in the box under everyone's watchful eyes. If anyone had doubts, they could inspect the numbers.

What Zhuang Wudao was most curious about was how the Beitang family managed to arrange for him to face Gu Yue Ming under Li Chongzhen's watch.

This envoy from Lichen Sect didn't seem like someone who would cheat. With cultivation close to the Foundation Establishment stage and the potential to represent Lichen Sect in Yu Cheng, his background was undoubtedly deep, and he couldn't be easily manipulated.

The current situation made cheating difficult. Unless Beitang Wan'er had the ability to swap the sky and the earth.

However, the reality was even more mysterious than he imagined. The number Zhuang Wudao drew was thirty-four.

His first opponent was Fei Xiushen. If he won this match, he would face Gu Yue Ming in the quarterfinals. If he won again, he would face the Xia and Kong families in the semifinals and the final, exactly as Beitang Wan'er had predicted.

Zhuang Wudao subconsciously looked at Li Chongzhen, who remained expressionless throughout.

Zhuang Wudao felt as if he had a sudden enlightenment. The draw results were likely not manipulated by Li Chongzhen but were part of Lichen Sect's balancing strategy.

The Gu Yue family was the second most powerful family in Yu Cheng, with a thousand-year history and nearly ten thousand private troops. Lichen Sect was only tentatively extending its influence into Dongwu and wouldn't easily exclude the Gu Yue family.

His battle with Gu Yue Ming was a reward for the Beitang family's support. Fei Xiushen's battle with him before that was a way to appease and give the Gu Yue family a chance.

Understanding the connection, Zhuang Wudao couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Indeed, there was no true fairness in this world, even in the top ten sects like Lichen Sect. Power was the truth, and strength was the basis for "fairness."

After the draw, the positions and match orders were set, and everyone dispersed. However, whether by coincidence or on purpose, when Zhuang Wudao left the academy, Xia Miao happened to be walking beside him.

"I've always heard that the Bull Demon Yuanba Body is the best external cultivation method in the world, impervious to blades and spears, and immune to all techniques. Since Fei Xiushen came to Yu Cheng, I've been looking forward to seeing how your Bull Demon Body compares to his Red Sun Yang Technique. Can your Magnetic Yuan Qi block my Red Sun Palm? But seeing you today, I'm a bit disappointed! In two months, Brother Zhuang doesn't seem to have made much progress."

With a hint of disappointment, Xia Miao continued, regardless of whether Zhuang Wudao responded: "At the Second Stage of the Qi Cultivation realm, Brother Zhuang's strength is commendable for your age, but if you only have this level, you will surely lose to Fei Xiushen tomorrow. It will just be a joke. I heard that your Sword Robe Hall has had a lot of trouble recently. It seems the Beitang family hasn't invested much in you. They might have given up on you completely. Otherwise, why would it be like this?"

Zhuang Wudao remained silent. The situation at the Sword Robe Hall was not just troublesome; it was dire.

The street that the Thunder Dragon Gang had given up was nominally occupied by the Sword Robe Hall, but they couldn't collect any fees. The situation on Jade Bear Street was slightly better, but there were still many small and large gangs causing trouble.

The situation at the Sword Robe Hall itself was also not good. The two Qi Cultivation realm cultivators from the Beitang family who had been stationed there had been withdrawn, leaving only Gu Yu. Seeing the reduced support from the Beitang family, the situation after offending the Gu Yue family was precarious. Two Qi Cultivation realm cultivators who were almost agreed to join as retainers had changed their minds, and only Zhang Jie, who practiced the "Nine Forms of the Immortal Crane," remained at the Sword Robe Hall.