Translator: 549690339
The grand tournament of the Divine Wood Sect had finally reached the last round that Chen Mobai eagerly anticipated.
The three True Disciples had taken their positions in the arena.
Apart from Chen Mobai, there was also last yearâs champion, Feng Hongxue, from the Sword Training Branch.
The last competitor was Li Yixian, last yearâs tenth place but had surged into the top three this year as a True Disciple of the Puppet Branch.
After the trio had stood there for a while, Meng Hong, the Sect Leader of Divine Wood Sect, descended from the sky with two Foundation Establishment elders.
âVery good, you all did well,â Meng Hong commented after a glance at the three, then chuckled and took his seat. On his left, Cang Qi announced the start of the final round.
âEach of you will face off against each other. If the results are all one win and one loss, then the three of us old fellows will decide the ranking of the True Disciples.â
The importance of the ranking of the twenty-four True Disciples lay in the top three positions. As long as one ranked among the True Disciples, they would be guaranteed a Foundation Building Pill, one Rank-2 quality Spiritual Vein Cave Dwelling, and an extra benefit of 200 spirit stones each year.
âBoth of my seniors are people I greatly admire. Itâs a blessing that Iâve made it this far. Iâll take the third position,â said Li Yixian.
Li Yixian was a tall, chubby young man with a gentle demeanor.
His jump from last yearâs tenth to the final round this year was due his mastery of a peak Rank-1 Red Sun Puppet, in addition to a Rank-2 Magic Artifact.
However, in the top six round, he faced a True Disciple from the Spirit Beasts Branch. Despite a hard-won victory, his Puppet sustained significant damage from the opponentâs counter-attacks, greatly reducing its power.
Still, he knew very well that even if his puppet was intact, he would have a twenty to thirty percent chance of victory against Feng Hongxue.
Yet, after witnessing Chen Mobaiâs astonishing swordplay that defeated Mu Yuan in the previous round, Li Yixian knew heâd only stand a chance if he upgraded the Red Sun Puppet to a Rank-2 Blue Sun Puppet.
Otherwise, even ten Red Sun Puppets wouldnât stand a chance against Chen Mobaiâs Sword Qi Long Rainbowâthey would only end up as junk metal and broken wood.
Since he had no way of winning against Chen Mobai and felt no need to fight Feng Hongxue, he chose to concede directly.
Li Yixianâs sense of timing earned an approving glance from Meng Hong, who had just settled down.
âThis youngster knows when to advance and retreat. If he can reach Foundation Establishment in the future, we should prioritize cultivating him,â said Meng Hong.
Cang Qi nodded in agreement, taking note of this True Disciple from the Puppet Branch.
âYou two may begin.â
After Li Yixian exited the arena, Chen Mobai and Feng Hongxue took their positions upon hearing Cang Qiâs words, each nodding in acknowledgement.
[Win as quickly as possible.]
After defeating Ding Ying and Mu Yuan, Chen Mobai, who no longer held any regrets, strategized for a quick and decisive victory. He opened his storage bag and pulled out the Divine Wood Sword, holding it carefully by his fingertips.
[So this is the demeanor of a Sword Cultivator â straightforward and decisive. Are you planning to defeat me with a single move? Thatâs just what I want.] Witnessing the pure green Flying Sword leap and harness the sprinkling pure Elemental Energy, transforming into a beautiful sword rainbow that blanketed the sky, Feng Hongxueâs countenance remained unchanged, but his heart stirred with joy.
If Chen Mobai relied on his superior Sword Dao Realm to break down each of his moves, giving him the same comprehensive defeat as he did to Mu Yuan, Feng Hongxue might really be unable to withstand it.
However, seeing that Chen Mobaiâs first move was the Ultimate Killing Sword Technique, Feng Hongxue was confident that the Spirit Leaf Talisman given by Zhou Wangshen could perform flawlessly.
Even though he had to admit defeat in the end, Feng Hongxue hoped to leave a lasting impression in the eyes of this unparalleled Sword Dao genius.
Who knew whether a casual bit of guidance from Chen Mobai in the future could help him break through the longstanding bottleneck in his Sword Training?
The dazzling Sword Rainbow shot at him, like a sunrise falling. Yet, just when everyone thought Feng Hongxue was about to be defeated, he pulled out a golden leaf.
After the injection of spiritual power, the veins on the leaf began to emit a powerful spiritual light. They transformed into a translucent shield in the shape of a leaf, blocking the Sword Qi Long Rainbow unleashed by Chen Mobai. A Qi Refining Realm simply could not withstand such a powerful attack.
âSpirit Leaf Talisman!â
Seeing this, Meng Hongâs aged eyes flickered. Recalling Feng Hongxueâs personal dossier, he quickly understood.
âUsing such a talisman for the battle of true disciples is somewhat wasteful.â
The head of the power-transfer department on the right, Lu Yi, grumbled thus. Regardless of whether it is a magic artifact or a talisman, the price of defensive ones always exceeds that of offensive ones. This Spirit Leaf Talisman, if sold outside in the Fang Market, could fetch thousands of spirit stones.
Some impoverished true disciples may not even earn this much in a year.
âHowever, in doing this, Feng Hongxue may have a chance to win.â
With an unchanged complexion, Cang Qi began to analyze the situation on the field.
He and Zhou Wangshen thought the same; even if Chen Mobai was extraordinarily talented, he was still only at the Qi Refining Realm. It was estimated that this Sword Qi Long Rainbow could only be used once, pushing him to his limit.
If this strike did not defeat his opponent, he was likely to lose due to massive energy loss.
In this case, the ownership of the batch of Foundation Building Pills made by their junior brother might be in jeopardy.
âDonât worry, if my guess is correct, Feng Hongxue will eventually concede.â
Meng Hongâs statement took Cang Qi and Lu Yi by surprise, but they soon frowned, especially Lu Yi, who seemed not to agree with this course of action.
âItâs too deliberate. Although Zhou Wangshen is a descendant of Elder Zhou, his tactics are somewhat crude. Trying to win over someone like a sword cultivators like this might backfire.â
âIf it were anyone else, that might be the case. However, he is, after all, a descendant of Elder Zhou. Even if Chen Mobai knows, he would still want to save some face.â
As Cang Qi and Lu Yi disagreed, on the ring, Chen Mobai calmly sheathed his Divine Wood Sword after seeing Feng Hongxue use the Spirit Leaf Talisman to block the Sword Qi Long Rainbow.
âJunior Brother Chen, although it may seem a little underhanded, I still would like you to critique my swordsmanship.â
Facing Feng Hongxueâs respectful request, Chen Mobai was slightly anxious inside.
This guy shouldnât have a second Spirit Leaf Talisman, right!
[Forget it, I donât care. I can still strike one more time. If he can handle it, Iâll admit defeat. Hopefully, by then, Senior Uncle Zeng will have two successful Foundation Building Pills.]
Chen Mobai felt at ease.
However, the others didnât know his internal thoughts and assumed he was just putting on a straight face.
âJunior Brother Chen, this sword technique of mine is called âFlying Swans in SnowââŠâ
Just as Feng Hongxue was about to perform his proudest technique, he saw the serious-looking youthful opponent on the opposite side flicking his Divine Wood Sword. Then, again, an extraordinarily pure elemental energy was drawn in, transforming into a brilliant Sword Rainbow, rushing towards him.
âPuff!â
Without the Spirit Leaf Talisman, Feng Hongxue couldnât resist at all. His sword broke, he vomited blood, and he was knocked unconscious.
Chen Mobai had decided that this sword would determine victory or defeat. He injected all his remaining spiritual power, except for the last drop of liquid spiritual power, into the Divine Wood Sword.
The power was stronger than the first time!
He hadnât controlled it well.
If it wasnât for Cang Qi who, always vigilant, guided the residual power of this sword strike towards the sky, Feng Hongxue might have been severely injured, if not killed.
Indeed, those of sword cultivators are known for their fiery tempers..