Chapter 41

Gu Fei, the only remaining disciple of the Cui Ling Peak lineage, defeated Li Hao, the outstanding disciple of the Shaoyang Peak lineage. Almost everyone's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, especially the younger generation of disciples from the nine lineages of Tai Xuan, who simply could not believe their eyes.

Many people knew that just a year ago, this Gu Fei was still being bullied by Wang Yuanzhi, a disciple of the Tongtian Peak lineage, without any ability to fight back.

Now, Gu Fei seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, easily defeating Li Hao. This result was hard for the disciples of the Shaoyang Peak lineage to accept.

Of course, among the younger generation of disciples, there were still a few who knew about Gu Fei's strength. Zi Yu, for instance, was not at all surprised by Gu Fei's victory.

And Dongfang Chen had already listed Gu Fei as one of his formidable opponents. Even if he were to face Li Hao of the Shaoyang Peak, he probably wouldn't win so easily.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on your victory!" Zhao Zirou, who had been closely watching the battle between Gu Fei and Li Hao, was also incredibly surprised by Gu Fei's victory. After Gu Fei jumped down from the platform, she came up to him.

"Just luck!" Gu Fei said calmly, though his eyes betrayed a look of immense confidence. He thought to himself: A cultivator at the peak of the Sixth Heaven is no more than this?!

"Dongfang Senior Brother, look..." In a corner of the square, Wang Yuanzhi and Dongfang Chen stood together, watching Gu Fei and Zhao Zirou with cold eyes. Wang Yuanzhi said in a harsh voice.

Dongfang Chen snorted coldly, his gaze on Gu Fei icy. He was a bit surprised by Gu Fei's victory over Li Hao, but this made things more interesting. He intended to personally end Gu Fei's progress.

"Li Hao is really a waste, to lose to Gu Fei." Wang Yuanzhi was filled with hatred, wishing Li Hao could teach Gu Fei a lesson.

"Alright, your own cultivation is not as good as Li Hao's. If he is a waste, then what are you?" Dongfang Chen frowned, a bit impatient. If it weren't for the relationship between the Wang and Dongfang families, he wouldn't have stood up for Wang Yuanzhi, getting involved with someone like Gu Fei.

"This Gu Fei is definitely not simple. If he was just pretending to be weak all along, then this person is truly terrifying." Dongfang Chen said calmly.

"Pretending to be weak? That's absolutely impossible." Wang Yuanzhi was shocked. He knew Gu Fei well; a year ago, he could easily toy with Gu Fei.

"Hmm!" Dongfang Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "If not, then something must have happened to Gu Fei that we don't know about, something that significantly increased his cultivation."

Dongfang Chen's position as the second-in-command among the younger generation of the nine lineages of Tai Xuan, just below the Grandmaster Li Lingfeng of the main lineage, was not a coincidence. Based on the information provided by Wang Yuanzhi, he had a pretty accurate guess about Gu Fei's situation.

"Are you talking about a stroke of luck? Did Gu Fei get lucky?" If Wang Yuanzhi still didn't understand what Dongfang Chen meant, he would be the biggest fool.

"Send someone to investigate what Gu Fei has been doing and where he has been over the past year." Dongfang Chen, who had a vague idea, instructed Wang Yuanzhi.

"Yes, Senior Brother Dongfang!" Wang Yuanzhi quickly responded. Now, Wang Yuanzhi was willing to do anything that would harm Gu Fei.

As he spoke, Wang Yuanzhi turned and left to contact his so-called friends in Tai Xuan.

This was the advantage of being a disciple from a noble family: wide connections and many friends. Even a spoiled brat would have no shortage of cronies around him.

Behind the disciples of noble families was the power of their families. Some people valued not Wang Yuanzhi himself, but the Wang family behind him.

Like Dongfang Chen, he had always been indifferent to Wang Yuanzhi's actions and did not want to have much to do with him. However, the Wang and Dongfang families in the Qi State had intricate ties, so even if he disliked Wang Yuanzhi, he had to stand up for him.

At this moment, while talking to Zhao Zirou, Gu Fei suddenly sensed something and turned to look at Dongfang Chen. Their gazes met, and sparks flew.

Both saw a strong sense of hostility in each other's eyes.

"Hmph! Dongfang Chen, standing up for Wang Yuanzhi is the most foolish thing you can do." Gu Fei's pupils contracted, and a cold, sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"Gu Fei, don't get too cocky. I will crush you on the platform." Dongfang Chen's face showed a cold, cruel smile. He was unmoved by Gu Fei's sharp, blade-like gaze.

Despite the distance of at least forty to fifty meters, both could read each other's intentions from their eyes.

Suddenly, both Dongfang Chen and Gu Fei felt a mutual respect for each other, a sense of admiration for a worthy opponent.

"Senior Brother Gu!" Zhao Zirou, following Gu Fei's gaze, noticed Dongfang Chen and felt a sense of unease. It seemed that there was something wrong between Dongfang Chen and Senior Brother Gu!

"Clang!" At this moment, a bell sounded from the Tai Xuan Hall. Gu Fei and Dongfang Chen both turned their gazes away. The eighty-one young disciples participating in the nine-lineage trial had just finished their first matches.

The bell rang, and Daoist Xuanfa, who was seated on the steps, stood up and walked forward. All the young disciples turned their attention to Daoist Xuanfa on the steps.

"The first round of matches is now over. All disciples may disperse for a rest. The second round of matches will begin in the afternoon." Daoist Xuanfa announced loudly, looking around at the disciples in the square.

Then, Daoist Xuantian and the other six lineage leaders behind Daoist Xuanfa stood up and walked into the Tai Xuan Hall.

The first round of the nine-lineage trial was over. Among the eighty-one outstanding disciples from the nine lineages, some were happy, while others were sad. Those who won the first round were naturally happy, while those who lost were not.

In the first round, apart from Gu Fei's surprising victory over Li Hao of the Shaoyang Peak, there were no other upsets.

Without any suspense, Li Lingfeng, Zi Yu, and Dongfang Chen all easily defeated their opponents and advanced to the next round.

Those who lost still had a chance to advance to the next round. If they won in the second round in the afternoon, they would also advance.

Only those who lost in both rounds would be eliminated.

After parting ways with Zhao Zirou, Gu Fei returned to the group of disciples from the Zizhu Peak, while Gu Fei sat under a pine tree in a quiet corner of the square, closing his eyes to rest.

In the second round in the afternoon, his opponent was Dongfang Chen. Facing such a formidable opponent, Gu Fei did not dare to be careless, as he had felt significant pressure from Dongfang Chen before.

The Biyun Peak lineage definitely had a great treasure. If Dongfang Chen used a powerful magical artifact during the match, like Zhao Zirou's Xuanwu Seal, it would be difficult for Gu Fei to win.

This was the advantage of cultivators. Although their bodies were not as strong as martial artists, they had magical artifacts to assist them. Daoist techniques combined with magical artifacts allowed cultivators to exceed their limits.

Therefore, with a suitable magical artifact, a cultivator's offensive power would greatly increase. This was a common knowledge in the cultivation world.

Sitting under the pine tree, the blood, flesh, and bones in Gu Fei's body slowly surged. The Five Elements essence qi generated from his blood and flesh gathered in his dantian, forming a colorful light ball. Then, the light ball in the dantian dimmed and released waves of Five Elements essence qi, which were absorbed back into his flesh and bones.

This cycle continued endlessly, and his body gradually emitted rhythmic, faint explosions. Gu Fei's cultivation had reached the stage of bone marrow transformation and blood replacement. The new qi and blood generated in his bone marrow slowly replaced the old qi and blood. The new qi and blood, rich in essence, flowed throughout his body, expelling impurities and transforming his body.

The skin exposed outside Gu Fei's clothes shimmered with a faint, almost imperceptible luster, as if threads of light were flowing beneath his skin.

Reversing the natural order to cultivate his body, Gu Fei aimed to transform his body into a treasure body. Although he was still far from the true treasure body, it was undeniable that his body was moving in that direction.

From a distance, many disciples from the other eight lineages pointed at Gu Fei under the pine tree, discussing him and his match against Li Hao.

The sounds of their discussions, faint and intermittent, reached Gu Fei's ears. Most of the comments were negative, not praising Gu Fei. However, whether good or bad, Gu Fei treated them as mere wind, paying no attention.

Other people's words could not shake Gu Fei's mind or affect his state of mind. Maintaining his true self and not being disturbed by external things was essential for advancing in cultivation.

After Daoist Xuanfa announced a temporary break in the matches, temporary tents were quickly set up around the square for the disciples of each lineage to rest.

Disciples not participating in the matches were not allowed to disturb those resting in the tents.

In the first round, not everyone was like Gu Fei, Li Lingfeng, Dongfang Chen, and Zi Yu, who defeated their opponents with overwhelming strength. Most had to engage in intense battles to win or lose.

The magical power consumed during the matches could not be restored without a period of cultivation and breathing exercises.

During this time, no one disturbed Gu Fei. There were two reasons for this: one, Gu Fei was no longer the same as before, and his displayed strength made a few who were hostile to him wary; the second reason was simple: today was a major event for Tai Xuan every ten years, and no one dared to cause trouble on the square in front of the Tai Xuan Hall.

There were too many eyes watching everything on the square. Anyone who caused trouble would not escape the notice of those with a keen eye. Therefore, the area around the square was very peaceful, and the disciples of the nine lineages only dared to whisper, not even daring to speak loudly.

As the sun passed its zenith and gradually moved west, two hours later, a clear bell rang from the Tai Xuan Hall. Then, Daoist Xuantian, the leader of Tai Xuan, walked out of the hall, followed by the seven lineage leaders of Tai Xuan.

They sat at the top of the steps in front of the hall, while Daoist Xuanfa, who was in charge of the nine-lineage trial, walked forward.

"The time has come. I declare that the second round of matches is now beginning!" Daoist Xuanfa's voice, though not particularly loud, echoed throughout the square and even beyond the Tai Xuan Peak, reverberating in the mountains.

"Hmm?" Gu Fei, sitting under a pine tree on the side of the square, opened his eyes and stood up, his body instantly bursting with a series of popping sounds.

"Ninth platform, Dongfang Chen!" Gu Fei muttered, shook his limbs, and then strode toward the ninth platform in the square.