Fang Cairan was at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, just a step away from Foundation Establishment. How could such a gap be bridged by a single top-grade magical artifact? Qu Zhanxing naturally knew his own strength was flawed.
However, on the stage, there was also Zhao Chun, who was at the sixth layer of Qi Refining and equally conspicuous. Fang Cairan had sized up Zhao Chun as well, but in the end, she had chosen him, which made him feel a bit resentful.
What he did not know was that Fang Cairan actually held a sense of appreciation for Zhao Chun. Her resilient Dao Heart and outstanding strength had made even Fang Cairan take notice. As for Qu Zhanxing, she did indeed have a mind to right a perceived wrong.
Firstly, Fang Cairan herself had a fiery temper and could not stand to see someone whose virtue did not match their position occupy a spot. Secondly, Gan Yuan, who had just left the stage, was her fellow junior sister from the same sect.
Although they could not be said to have a sworn sisterhood, they shared some friendship in their daily interactions. With these two factors combined, it was inevitable that Fang Cairan would make a move against Qu Zhanxing.
The strength between the two was already disparate to begin with, not to mention that Fang Cairan was a Fire-attribute cultivator, which gave her an advantage over Qu Zhanxing in terms of attribute. The latter had not even had a chance to bring out his magical artifact before he was struck to the ground by her heavy blow!
The outcome of this battle was already decided. The people below the stage still cheered loudly. Qu Zhanxing's face flushed red, and unwilling to remain there any longer, he immediately got up, flicked his sleeves, and left, glaring resentfully at the stage a few times.
Fang Cairan was not afraid of him. With a cold snort, she stood in the spot Qu Zhanxing had just occupied. Although it was the last position, no one dared to look down on her.
Among the eliminated participants, there were several eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivators brimming with fighting spirit who went up to the stage one after another to issue challenges. However, the people on the stage were no easy opponents. They used all sorts of strange moves, and not a single challenger managed to succeed.
Because Zhao Chun had defeated Shen Youzhen, the eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivators did not dare to challenge her rashly. One body refining cultivator, after sizing her up several times, chose Shen Youzhen, who was ranked one below her.
He was swiftly defeated by a quick blade and retreated from the stage, feeling rather fortunate that he had not rashly chosen Zhao Chun. At this point, this session of the Dueling Assembly came to a successful conclusion with Du Fanzhi's closing words. Although the participating disciples had their regrets, the outcome decided after three rounds was convincing to most.
Among them, Zhuang Kun, Zheng Chenqing, Fang Cairan, and others could be considered the top-tier individuals among the Qi Refining Stage disciples. The various Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators also praised them repeatedly. However, the one who received the most attention was still Zhao Chun at the sixth layer of Qi Refining.
Her cultivation base was extremely unremarkable among them, yet she let others truly see what it meant to be an innate sword cultivator! After the grand competition ended, Du Fanzhi hosted a banquet for the twenty victors, drinking and conversing freely with the various Foundation Establishment disciples. During the banquet, Zhao Chun surprisingly became a prominent figure.
People she had never met before also came forward to befriend her. Fortunately, everyone present had a higher cultivation base than her and spoke with restraint, not being overly familiar, which prevented Zhao Chun from feeling awkward. Du Fanzhi, however, was quite friendly towards her.
The meaning behind his words was that Li Su was busy with many affairs, and it was inconvenient for disciples to disturb him. The fellow junior and senior brothers and sisters under him could interact more to deepen their relationships. Zhao Chun repeatedly agreed, but in her heart, she did not think much of it.
She had revealed her talent in the Way of the Sword, and that was why he valued her. As for the other disciples under Li Su, he did not care about those who were eliminated, and even for the few who also made it into the top twenty, Du Fanzhi only offered a few words of congratulations.
Perhaps influenced by Li Su, the disciples under him were rarely close. They did not seem like fellow sect members, but more like acquaintances pursuing profit. A woman with phoenix eyes sat beside Du Fanzhi.
Her demeanor was gentle, and she called Zhao Chun "Nineteenth Junior Sister," so she must be a senior sister. Later, hearing Du Fanzhi's introduction, she learned this was Second Senior Sister Liu Xuan, a genius of the sect's Alchemy Path with an extremely high status.
After Zhao Chun paid her respects, she saw Liu Xuan take out a palm-sized white jade vial and say with a smile, "I haven't seen you before, so I haven't given you a meeting gift. When I was watching the battle, I saw that the potential of your metal and fire qi was extremely strong.
I'm afraid it might hinder your future cultivation. When I was traveling in the Southern Region, I also saw people similar to you. This is a Lotus Heart Qi Harmonizing Pill.
It might have a mitigating effect, you should take it." When Zhao Chun fought, she rarely mobilized both qis at the same time. It was only during the battle with Shen Youzhen that she had an instantaneous burst of spiritual power from her body.
In that single moment, Liu Xuan had seen the hidden danger in her. Such keen eyesight was monstrous. However, this Lotus Heart Qi Harmonizing Pill was indeed extremely useful.
After thanking her, Zhao Chun accepted it frankly. She then heard Liu Xuan say that for anything related to pill refining, she could feel free to find her. In her heart, she was grateful for the goodwill, but she also held some reservations, truly not knowing why Liu Xuan was treating her this way.
With a senior sister giving a gift, Du Fanzhi, as a senior brother, naturally had to make a gesture as well.
He took out a jade green meditation mat and gave it to Zhao Chun, saying that this item's ability to focus the mind and calm the heart was greater than others, and it could double the results of daily cultivation with half the effort. Just in the course of conversation, Zhao Chun had received two gifts.
Fortunately, under the pretext of being fellow sect members, it seemed somewhat reasonable. In addition, Fang Cairan, who was also a victor of the duel, came forward to befriend her. She had a straightforward temper but was very sharp.
The two of them had a pleasant conversation and could be considered to have become friends. When Meng Han came over, Xu Feng was not by his side. He heard Meng Han sigh and say, "That son of his has caused trouble again.
The other party is backed by a family with several Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they are in the right. Brother Xu has to personally go to their door to resolve this matter."
It turned out that Xu Kuangrui was still not settling down and had finally kicked an iron plate, forcing Xu Feng to hurriedly leave the scene without even having time to deal with Du Fanzhi's side.
"As for you, when I saw the light emerging from your sword earlier, I was a little suspicious. Now you've directly entered the second realm."
The two exchanged pleasantries. Suddenly, Meng Han gestured for her to look at a youth in blue robes and whispered, "That person is called Jiang Yun. He's a martial arts fanatic.
He's in the same Sword Radiance Realm as you. I'm afraid he has his eyes on you."
"Anyone in the inner sect who has achieved some success in the Way of the Sword will be targeted by him. He will keep coming to your door for sparring until he is satisfied."
"He's indeed a martial arts fanatic, no doubt..."
Zhao Chun raised an eyebrow, but she felt a bit of interest. Cultivating the sword naturally emphasizes actual combat. To have someone of a similar realm to spar with was a great fortune for a sword cultivator!
As if to confirm what Meng Han had said, just as the banquet ended and Zhao Chun set foot on her return journey, she felt a slight stir of wind beside her. She turned to avoid it, and it was none other than the sword cultivator Jiang Yun, who had come to fight!
He did not use his cultivation base to suppress her, only testing her with swordsmanship. Zhao Chun could also see that he had no malicious intent and immediately brandished her sword to meet him! The two of them suddenly started fighting, which first startled the other cultivators.
After seeing that it was Jiang Yun and the newly emerged sword dao genius Zhao Chun, they were dumbstruck with laughter. Some waved their hands and left, while others stayed behind to watch the spar between these two. Jiang Yun had been in the second realm for some years, while Zhao Chun had only just entered it.
In terms of swordsmanship, Jiang Yun was naturally more experienced. However, knowing that Zhao Chun had only been in this realm for a short time, he also cherished her talent and did not defeat her immediately. Back and forth they went, and the fight became exhilarating!
Zhao Chun's gaze narrowed slightly. When Jiang Yun attacked, his body was covered in a golden-bronze radiance. How similar it was to the description of minor achievement in the Fire Refining Furnace Technique!
Moreover, the radiance on his body was mellow and smooth, carrying a sense of returning to simplicity. He was probably not far from major achievement. Such a senior, who was a perfect match in both the Way of the Sword and body refining, was an opportunity she must seize to strive forward on her path.
(End of this chapter)