After defeating Qiao Pingshan, Liu Xuan had another battle with Bao Baichuan, who was ranked fourteenth. This person was a disciple of the Windsea Tower, skilled in illusion-type magical arts. This time, Liu Xuan threw out a snow-white pill, which transformed in mid-air into several small beasts with long noses and short whiskers.
They frolicked up and down, scattering in all directions, and actually devoured all the illusions Bao Baichuan had set up, leaving nothing behind! This left her opponent with no recourse, and he departed the stage with regret. However, although Liu Xuan was not challenged again, she herself did not speak up to challenge anyone of a higher rank.
The True Spirit Sect side, though puzzled, was mostly understanding. Her methods for defeating enemies mostly came from novel and strange pills, and she seldom relied on her own magical arts. Furthermore, with her status as an alchemist, the three Core Formation cultivators of the True Spirit Sect hoped she would act with more caution.
Zhao Chun observed from her seat and saw Liu Xuan's calm and composed expression. She surmised that Liu Xuan was not fond of combat, and her previous anger was likely due to being looked down upon.
Winning two consecutive battles had already proven the point to others that alchemists could indeed fight, so Liu Xuan had no desire to battle further. Liang Qi of the Yang Water Sect, who was ranked ninth, revealed a look of regret.
He had thought that this genius alchemist from the True Spirit Sect, due to the old grievances between their two sects, would overestimate her own abilities and challenge him. It would have been a perfect opportunity to heavily injure her and dampen the True Spirit Sect's sharp morale.
Unfortunately, the rules of the Fate Seizing Battle only allowed challenges from lower ranks to higher ranks, not the other way around, which made Liang Qi feel that Liu Xuan had escaped a calamity. The final round of the Fate Seizing Battle, the contest among the top ten, was where everyone truly showed their divine abilities.
The Yang Water Sect's secret techniques were terrifying. Liang Qi, relying on the Life Gu of a jade twin-headed snake, defeated two people in a row to seize fifth place, but was ultimately stopped by a genius disciple from Glorious Clarity Mountain.
The top three on the list, Xie Yanshu of the Perceptive Moon Sect, Ning Fu of Glorious Clarity Mountain, and Sheng Xueting of Windsea Tower, were all of comparable strength. They were, aside from Song Yikun and Xue Yun, the most dazzling geniuses among the disciples of this generation. Therefore, the battles between these three drew everyone's attention.
Xie Yanshu lived up to his name. The magic tools he commanded were a brush and a book. The book was for defense, while the ink brush brandished characters of light for attack.
His entire body's magical power was immensely vigorous, even more so than Ning Fu's and Sheng Xueting's, allowing him to take the top spot in this Fate Seizing Battle!
In the battle between Ning Fu and Sheng Xueting, magical arts were unleashed one after another, causing even the high platform to tremble slightly and startling the refereeing disciple into a cold sweat. Later, Fang Dunián had to intervene to stabilize the suspended platform.
These two genius spell cultivators also determined a victor, and in the end, it was Sheng Xueting of Windsea Tower who narrowly defeated Ning Fu by half a move to take second place. Glorious Clarity Mountain considered itself second only to the Perceptive Moon Sect, yet now they had only placed third in the Fate Seizing Battle.
The sect's elders wore gloomy expressions, looking quite displeased. The elder from Windsea Tower, however, was beaming, continuously accepting the congratulations of others. In this Fate Seizing Battle, Xie Yanshu was first, Sheng Xueting second, and Ning Fu third.
The fourth place was also a disciple from Glorious Clarity Mountain. The three great sects had occupied fifteen of the top twenty spots, a testament to their formidable power. In the previous session, the True Spirit Sect had only secured a single thirtieth place.
This time, they had twelfth, thirteenth, forty-second, and ninety-second places. Moreover, with three people in the top fifty and two in the top twenty, Li Su was in an excellent mood. He clapped his hands and said with a smile: "You all have won much fortune for our True Spirit Sect.
After returning to the sect, this one will personally report to the Sect Master and reward you all greatly. The battles were arduous, please take your seats!" After the four of them expressed their thanks, they returned to the disciples' seating area, where they were again congratulated by the Foundation Establishment cultivators and other disciples.
For a time, everyone from the True Spirit Sect was jubilant, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lighthearted. Liu Xuan still sat down next to Zhao Chun and said, "After all that hard work, let's go stroll through the market district later and relax a bit."
"Aren't there still the Core Formation battles and the final Sect Battle?"
Zhao Chun asked, puzzled.
"The Core Formation battles will last for more than ten days before the Sect Battle. There's plenty of time for us in between."
She tilted her head to look at Zhao Chun and suddenly covered her mouth to stifle a light laugh.
"Could it be that Junior Sister is still waiting to watch the Core Formation elders fight?"
Zhao Chun nodded hesitantly. Just from the Foundation Establishment Fate Seizing Battle alone, the variety of magical arts displayed had already benefited her greatly. She had only caught a distant glimpse of a Core Formation battle when Qiu Jianying fought Chi Song, and already felt their divine power was unshakable.
That being the case, it was hard not to feel a sense of yearning for the most powerful Core Formation battles in the Southern Region. Liu Xuan was not unaware of what her junior sister was thinking. She explained, "The might from a battle between several hundred Core Formation cultivators could level the entire Tunqi Pond Dao Arena.
They must ascend high above the clouds to ensure the safety of the surroundings. At that time, several Profound Division experts from the Perceptive Moon Sect will likely provide protection, and the three great sects will also have their Grand Elders appear to await the outcome.
This is the pinnacle of the Hundred Sects Assembly, but it is not something we can observe from the sidelines."
"Furthermore, the cultivation realm of Core Formation cultivators far surpasses ours. They have already grasped the true meaning of their various magical arts. Even if we were to see it, our minds might not be able to comprehend it. The assembly has arranged it this way in the hope that low-rank cultivators will not aim too high, but will instead proceed from near to far, practicing diligently and without slacking."
"So that's how it is."
Listening to her detailed explanation, Zhao Chun also understood. It seemed the gap between the Foundation Establishment stage and the Core Formation stage was even greater than that between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment. As the victor, the Perceptive Moon Sect had the responsibility of distributing the fortune.
Fang Dunián was seen soaring into the air. With a great press of his hand, he pushed the entire high platform down to the bottom of the pond. In the sky above the Tunqi Pond Dao Arena, four more pressures appeared, as surging as rivers and as heavy as mountains!
Two of them, like Fang Dunián, wore the same style of white robes, making it easy to tell they were cultivators from the Perceptive Moon Sect. Of the other two, one had a misty green mountain on his robes, while the other's sleeves billowed with layers of waves. They should be people from Glorious Clarity Mountain and Windsea Tower.
A total of five Profound Division cultivators, a rare sight in the Drifting Clouds World, had appeared in the arena at once! The heavenly canopy covering the entire Tunqi Pond Dao Arena fell, and only then did everyone realize it was the middle of the night.
A crescent moon accompanied the vast expanse of stars, and the dark clouds, as thick as ink, made the moonlight seem even fainter. The five Profound Division cultivators stood in five directions, jointly forming hand seals and casting a spell.
From within the waters of Tunqi Pond, a giant beast, a hybrid of a turtle and a snake, slowly floated up. Zhao Chun immediately recognized it as the Divine Beast, the Black Tortoise. However, this giant beast showed no signs of life; it was merely a statue cast from some unknown material.
Suddenly, the dark night above split open, and a beam of clear light descended, seeping into the body of the Black Tortoise statue like rain nourishing the earth. The giant beast abruptly came to life, its great mouth opening and closing, its entire body growing brighter and brighter!
"Look, that is the fortune."
Liu Xuan pointed with a delicate finger. Zhao Chun followed her gaze and saw a stream of clear qi slowly overflowing from the Black Tortoise's mouth. It was a color that was neither white nor gold, and under the clear light, it shimmered with five colorful hues.
That wisp of clear qi continuously spiraled upwards, eventually leaving the area where the clear light descended and swiftly flying into the distance.
"Where... where did it go?"
Zhao Chun asked. Liu Xuan replied in a gentle voice, "Junior Sister, if you observe the expressions of the various sects in the arena, you will know where the fortune has gone."
(End of Chapter)