Chapter 253

"Take this pill; you did well, you didn't disgrace our Wanxiang Sect."

Mo Pengchen smiled, waving his sleeve as a gentle force caught Yu Changsheng's body; the pill he flicked over was likewise a Huan Sheng Dan.

In this battle, Yu Changsheng's physical condition was no better than Yang Chengxu's; the pain of having his body forcibly suppressed completely erupted at this moment as the Huan Sheng Dan's medicinal effect began to take hold.

His exhausted cultivation base began to recover, his withered qi and blood surged anew, the stabbing pain atop his divine sense was alleviated, and after his taut mind relaxed with no more worries, Yu Changsheng's eyes rolled back and he fainted completely.

This battle, for him, had been sustained purely by a single breath until now.

"We won... we actually won?"

Below the platform, Wanxiang Sect disciples stared blankly, Linglong Sect disciples were dumbfounded; after a moment of silence, an uproar spread through the entire venue.

"You've worked hard; rest well."

Zhang Tianwen leapt up, received the unconscious Yu Changsheng from Mo Pengchen's hands, sighed lightly at his battered appearance, then smiled and called for Li Minghan to carry Yu Changsheng back.

Mo Pengchen smiled pleasantly, nodded at Zhang Tianwen, then turned to look at Mu Yongxian with his unsightly expression and laughed: "Does Peak Master Mu have any objections? If there are no opinions, then first place in this Two-Sect Tournament belongs to my Wanxiang Sect's Yu Changsheng."

Mu Yongxian's face was gloomy; he lowered his head to look at the still-unconscious Yang Chengxu, and after a long while sighed in a low voice: "Mo Peak Master's Yushou Peak truly hides dragons and crouching tigers; Yu Changsheng, is it? He is indeed an outstanding heaven's pride."

"Just a fluke. Still have to thank your beloved disciple for holding back."

Mo Pengchen smiled faintly, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes; truth be told, he hadn't held much confidence in Yu Changsheng, yet the final result gave him a few more degrees of understanding of Yu Changsheng's ruthlessness.

After all, on the surface, whether in beast taming, cultivation base, or divine abilities, Yu Changsheng held no advantage, yet the result was so unexpected.

Of course, the key to winning this battle still lay in Zhang Tianwen's earlier groundwork, which caused Yang Chengxu's Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon to fall into slumber for advancement, giving Yu Changsheng the chance to turn the tables.

Otherwise, the outcome of this battle would likely have been far more difficult.

"Now, I announce..."

Mo Pengchen smiled calmly, swept his gaze around, pressed his arm down slightly, and the aura of his Golden Core Peak cultivation base erupted — this momentum soared to the heavens, piercing the sky dome, causing clouds to roil, the light rain to dissipate, and revealing a clear, washed-blue sky dome once more.

Sunlight fell impartially, shining right on Yushou Peak, not intense, carrying a faint golden radiance.

Under Mo Pengchen's deliberate guidance, this beam of heavenly light fell upon the unconscious Yu Changsheng; in this instant, countless complex gazes settled on him, expressions varied, and Yu Changsheng's figure was exceptionally dazzling beneath this heavenly light.

The crowd fell silent; Mu Yongxian silently stepped back, his expression complex; Mo Pengchen stepped forward, his voice like a great bell, striking everyone's minds and stirring ripples.

"In this Wanxiang Sect and Linglong Sect Two-Sect Tournament, first place: Yu Changsheng!"

The crowd was silent; Sun Shihan's brows and eyes held a smile as she stared unblinkingly at Yu Changsheng; Li Minghan's expression was excited, and he took the lead in applauding vigorously; immediately the applause joined into a continuous wave, resounding through the venue.

At this moment, no matter what others thought, Yu Changsheng's first-place ranking was an unalterable fact.

"A pity; because of some matters, most of the sect's upper echelons are absent, only the Peak Masters remain; otherwise you would have been even more the center of attention."

Zhang Tianwen supported Yu Changsheng, looking at his unconscious state; streams of green light flowed into Yu Changsheng's body with a wave of his hand, regulating his qi while muttering softly.

"But you probably wouldn't care about these things anyway."

After a long while, Zhang Tianwen shook his head, smiled, his gaze clear, not a trace of displeasure at having his limelight overshadowed by Yu Changsheng's aura — only sincere blessings.

For him, having nearly died once before, he no longer cared much for such empty fame; his intervention this time was entirely for the sake of Wanxiang Sect's face.

As for ranking? The first-place reward was not something he urgently needed.

"I'll support him back to my Wan Beast Tower's exclusive recuperation room to rest."

Li Minghan and Sun Shihan stepped forward, pondered briefly, and said to Zhang Tianwen.

Zhang Tianwen pondered, glanced at Mo Pengchen on the high platform, quietly sensed Yu Changsheng's condition, nodded and said: "After taking the Huan Sheng Dan, he's basically fine; his injuries are recovering. It's just that this battle overdrew him, so he's unconscious for the time being; leave him there for now, but don't disturb him lightly."

He paused, thought a moment, and said: "Let's go; we'll go together."

After first place was decided, there were still some corresponding matches to determine the specific subsequent rankings, but none of that concerned Yu Changsheng anymore.

And what the two sects truly cared about most was the ownership of this first place.

Before long, the three carried Yu Changsheng to the Wan Beast Tower's recuperation room, which came with a vast courtyard, high mountains and flowing water, birdsong and floral fragrance, formations enveloping it, spirit mist encircling. One must say, its environment was indeed much better than Yushou Peak's.

"I wonder how many spirit stones it consumes each day to maintain this formation; truly worthy of the Wan Beast Tower."

After placing Yu Changsheng on the spirit jade bed, Zhang Tianwen observed and exclaimed in quiet surprise.

"Not many. Changsheng worked hard in this battle; it's deserved." Li Minghan smiled, appearing very magnanimous.

"Mm." Zhang Tianwen turned, looked deeply at Li Minghan, and nodded.

Then he smiled gently, looked at the slightly restrained Sun Sihan beside him, and said softly: "Then for these few days, Junior Brother Changsheng will trouble you two, Senior Sister Sun; Master (teacher)'s side still has some matters, I must go attend to them."

Speaking, Zhang Tianwen patted his forehead, turned again to Li Minghan and said: "Right, also Li Junior Brother's subsequent ranking matches — you'll be busy for a while."

"Okay." Sun Sihan nodded lightly, her expression gentle.

"Hm?" After giving his instructions, Zhang Tianwen's gaze fell on Yu Changsheng once more, and he suddenly looked astonished.

"This guy's cultivation technique is truly bizarre." He muttered a couple of sentences, shook his head, didn't think further, and took his leave first.

On the spirit jade bed, Yu Changsheng's complexion gradually grew ruddy; the Huan Sheng Dan's medicinal effect began to take effect, ruined flesh and blood regrew, wounds scabbed over.

Even more, the spirit mist of the entire courtyard surged along with it, bit by bit entering Yu Changsheng's body, continuously nourishing his physical body; the Wan Ling Jue operated automatically, and for a time, dense Dao rhyme filled all heaven and earth.

The Wan Ling Jue itself carries a recuperative effect; now in such a suitable environment, its effect was naturally immediate, to the extent that even while unconscious, Yu Changsheng didn't notice his cultivation base slowly beginning to rise. Three days passed in a flash.

For Yu Changsheng, these three days held no awareness, like a single sleep, very comfortable; when he woke again, the sky was brilliant, a morning sun pierced the night, dyeing the spirit-qi mist with a touch of golden radiance.

"Mm...!"

His eyes slowly opened, a trace of bewilderment flashing through their depths before swiftly returning to clarity; after stretching, Yu Changsheng swept his divine sense, gained an understanding of his surroundings, and slowly exhaled a breath.

"Injuries all fully recovered, cultivation base unknowingly reached Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer — not bad."

After slowly moving his limbs, Yu Changsheng revealed a faint smile, feeling the surging qi and blood and active cultivation base within; the Fourth Layer Spirit Platform was completely condensed solid, and the Fifth Layer Spirit Platform had also condensed about three-tenths.

"It seems it's often after such all-out battles that one can better break through bottlenecks."

Yu Changsheng was thoughtful, using divine sense to inspect his Inner Landscape; the three spirit beasts were still slumbering, but their injuries had also basically fully recovered.

The Wan Ling Jue connects them; while Yu Changsheng recuperated, the three spirit beasts likewise received nourishment; in three days they had already recovered almost completely.

"Awake? Do you still feel any discomfort?"

The door opened; a gentle, graceful figure entered his view — clad in a cyan long robe that caught a hint of rosy glow in the morning sun's light, a few strands of black hair drifting with a faint fragrance; as she walked, the breeze grew gentle, her voice like silver bells, curves absolutely beautiful — it was precisely Sun Shihan.

Yu Changsheng was slightly surprised, then revealed a few threads of a smile, cupped his fists toward Sun Shihan and said: "These past days, many thanks to Senior Sister Sun for taking care of me."

"Senior Brother Zhang and Li Minghan will be here shortly. I heard distinguished guests are visiting the Wanxiang Sect today, so the two went to receive them. You've recuperated for three days; your body should be quite a bit better by now, right?"

Sun Shihan lightly shook her head, speaking in a gentle and graceful manner.

"Good," Yu Zhangsheng nodded, a trace of gratitude flashing in his eyes as he looked at Sun Shihan. After pondering for a moment, he confirmed, "The competition between the two sects has ended, hasn't it?"

"It ended completely the day before yesterday," Sun Shihan looked up, an inexplicable glow flowing in her beautiful eyes, and smiled lightly. "Unexpectedly, you are First Place. Truly stunning. It's only been this long, and you've already left us in the dust."

"In the future, I'll still need you to take care of me more."

Yu Zhangsheng scratched his nose and chuckled.

"First Place, huh... everything seems to have gone a bit too smoothly," Yu Zhangsheng mused, an answer slowly forming in his heart. "Is it because I'm inside the Wanxiang Sect, benefiting from the sect's Qi Luck's favor...?"

This thing called Qi Luck is ethereal and elusive, yet truly exists. Especially in the Cultivation World, the theory of Qi Luck has proven its importance even more.

Yu Zhangsheng also had to admit that this competition contained many elements of luck, which ultimately allowed him to suppress all heroes and gain First Place.

"Forget it, luck is also part of strength." Shaking his head, not dwelling on these things further, Yu Zhangsheng was pondering when Sun Sihan thought for a moment, slowly took out a Storage Bag, placed it before Yu Zhangsheng, and said gently: "This is the reward for First Place in this competition. Everything is inside. If there's anything extra, it's Peak Master Mo giving more, saying it's what you deserve."

Yu Zhangsheng nodded, received the Storage Bag, swept it with his Divine Sense, and after a look, understood clearly in his heart.

"One hundred thousand Spirit Stones, one Ningtai Pill, six Shenghuo Beast Pills, one Huan Sheng Dan..."

Yu Zhangsheng pondered; though surprised in his heart, it was also within expectations.

"Peak Master Mo is indeed generous with his move, giving an extra three Shenghuo Beast Pills and one Huan Sheng Dan..."

"Besides that, this thing is the Linglong Blood, right?"

Sensing a clump of blood faintly flashing red light inside a small jade bottle, Yu Zhangsheng grew interested and carefully observed it with his Divine Sense.

This clump of blood was roughly half a fist in size, flashing with Blood Light. Drawing close to sense it, one could faintly hear the Dragon Roar sound reverberating throughout the mind.

The Blood Light was hazy; a shocking giant dragon's illusory shadow appeared faintly within the haze. A thin yet vast Dragon Might seemed to pass through antiquity, isolate spacetime, and suppress down heavily. The Void trembled in shock.

"Linglong Blood... is also a good thing. It enhances the Yushou Peak's Bloodline Potential and has a probability of making it contain a trace of Dragon Bloodline. If I had a Dragon-type Spirit Beast, that would be the Most Suitable."

Yu Zhangsheng pondered, and after reaching a decision in his heart, withdrew his Divine Sense, smiled lightly at Sun Shihan, and said: "Peak Master Mo is indeed an open-minded person. Just wonder who the distinguished guest Senior Sister Sun mentioned is?"

"It's people from the Zihong Gate." Before Sun Shihan could answer, the figures of Zhang Tianwen and Li Minghan appeared outside the door. The latter smiled faintly at Yu Zhangsheng, revealing a concerned expression, and said, "It's Qingzhu Zhenren of the Zihong Gate, bringing his disciple to visit."

"This Qingzhu Zhenren is powerful; his master is even a Supreme Elder in the Zihong Gate. Therefore the Sect dare not slight him and attaches great importance."

Zhang Tianwen explained, nodding slightly at Yu Zhangsheng with a smile: "Not bad, looks like you've recovered almost fully. Seems that kid Li Minghan's specially chosen recuperation room still had some use."

"Zihong Gate?" Yu Zhangsheng froze for a moment. Hearing this, he turned his head to look at Li Minghan, gratitude showing in his eyes. "Truly troubling you, Brother Li."

"Small matter, small matter, should be. As long as you recover early, that's good." Li Minghan waved his hand, indifferent, then chuckled. "Not to mention anything else, just for that battle where you beat Yang Chengxu, he's probably not lightly injured, and I feel satisfied inside."

"Their Linglong Sect, this time counts as losing the wife and losing the troops too. Face is thoroughly lost. Now let's see who still spreads rumors that my Wanxiang Sect Yushou Peak is inferior to their Linglong Sect Yushou Peak. Look at who is the true orthodox!"

Li Minghan chuckled, his tone carrying a sense of righteous indignation.

Yu Zhangsheng was speechless, shook his head, and didn't speak.

"However, speaking of it, this means Changsheng, you'll have to be more on guard against people from the Linglong Sect from now on."

Zhang Tianwen nodded with a smile at the side, thought for a moment, and said: "Whether it's Tang Chen's fall or Yang Chengxu's defeat, both came because of you. Now I'm afraid quite a few Linglong Sect disciples hate you to the bone. Being more careful is right, especially that Yang Chengxu. Losing to you just like that, with his pride, he naturally won't be willing to accept it."

"For the near future, if there's no necessity, it's still best not to leave the Sect lightly. Inside the Sect they dare not act recklessly; it's relatively safer."

Yu Zhangsheng nodded, listening to Zhang Tianwen's caring words, looking thoughtful.

Tang Chen died by my hand, Yang Chengxu also lost to me. These all fiercely slapped the Linglong Sect's face. This exchange competition of the Linglong Sect has thoroughly become a joke.

Therefore, to a certain extent, I am indeed not too safe, especially having offended Yang Chengxu to death.

(Chapter End)