Chapter 299: A Friendly Spar, Winning a Prize (54k, seeking subscriptions)

When Du En spoke, when Tang Wenren was dumbfounded, as those words landed, the air seemed to solidify instantly.

Because even the Great Cultivators peeking from the shadows were astonished by Du En's response.

Consequently, the attention that had not been clearly revealed was now brought directly to the surface, no longer concealed, immediately making Yang Xin tremble with fear, his body drenched in cold sweat that he could not stop, yet no one cared.

How could he refuse?

Could it be that there was another complication on the side of the Counselor?

The Great Cultivators' focus was all on this.

This was the derivative reaction to Du En's refusal, because his current attitude and actions were all viewed as a window displaying Meng Changqing.

As for their previous little setback?

Since Du En was still a wandering traveler until now, it meant there was actually no setback; there was no need to suspect or inquire further, lest it invite displeasure and worsen the situation.

"The main thing is, why should I agree?"

"Hmm?"

Facing the words Du En continued to speak, those in the open and in the shadows quickly caught the drift, the atmosphere immediately relaxed, and many even revealed intriguing gazes.

He did not care about the undisguised attitudes of these Great Cultivators, just continued matter-of-factly: "After all, I have been traveling all this way, truly weary from the journey, and I have only just arrived at your esteemed location, yet you jump out and say you want to spar with me, without even giving me time to rest; is that appropriate?"

"Uh... indeed, it is not appropriate..."

Although you have been hiding in Changle City the whole time without moving, and coming to the Southern Hub City did not require any exertion on your part at all, but rather using a teleportation array to arrive directly here.

The more Tang Wenren thought about it, the stranger it felt, but looking at the calm Du En, he hesitated to speak, finally stammering: "In that case, for me to act this way is indeed somewhat problematic, so, putting up a wager is only right and proper?"

By the time he finished speaking, he could not help but hesitate again.

So, how did it end up circling around to this?

How could the person trusted and relied upon by that Counselor Chang Meng appear so calculating, even carrying a hint of being profit-driven?

This shouldn't be, right?

Tang Wenren felt somewhat disoriented.

But Du En just struck while the iron was hot, tentatively adding a prerequisite: "Regardless of win or loss?"

What a master of getting something for nothing!

No wonder they had a point of divergence!

The Great Cultivators thought this one after another, already generally knowing the subsequent developments, yet they were not angry or dissatisfied because of it; rather, such a situation was actually better for them.

If Meng Changqing could tolerate such a Du En and still grant him trust and reliance, then in the future, he could naturally tolerate them if they became similar!

Therefore.

"Give it to him."

An aged voice sounded in Tang Wenren's ear.

Something quietly appeared in his hand, making his eyelid twitch, his expression appearing stiff, yet he did not state this destined conclusion directly, and also calculatingly took precautions: "You shouldn't be planning to voluntarily concede right from the start, right?"

"No."

"You should be bringing out your full strength, right?"

"No."

"Hmm?"

"It's just a spar, not a life-or-death struggle, why would I need to bring out my full strength?"

If someone were truly fought to the death, both sides would definitely find it a headache and feel it was difficult to handle, and even with so many Great Cultivators and even True Immortals watching, it was impossible for anyone to truly die, but if they fought until real fire broke out, that would actually be bad, with quite a negative impact.

Not to mention Du En did not want it to turn out that way, the others were also unwilling to see it.

Tang Wenren felt this atmosphere and for a moment felt that his own seriousness seemed somewhat out of place.

Young as he was, he finally experienced the feeling of being unable to act according to his own will.

However, he was still somewhat stubborn, so he emphasized: "Then Your Excellency shouldn't be just going through the motions, right?"

"No."

Du En's answer was as consistent as ever, without the slightest wavering.

Tang Wenren was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "It seems like before it has even begun, I have already lost."

Saying this with a sigh, he revealed the wager in his hand.

A jade slip.

Three characters carved upon it.

Ten Thousand Control Art!

The Southern Hub City side was quite good at preparing, bringing out this top-grade spell as a wager for the spar.

Du En looked at it at this moment, and although his expression remained just as calm, the feeling he gave others was as if he had become much more serious.

Tang Wenren's eyelid twitched slightly, wanting to complain about something, but when he really wanted to speak, he couldn't organize his thoughts.

It was just strange; after talking with Du En, this sense of strangeness kept popping up, with a very strong sense of presence.

"Where shall we fight?"

"Right here!"

Tang Wenren put away the wager, steadied his mind, and his expression and tone became stern.

Hmm?!

Yang Xin, who was also still on the scene at this moment, was even more terrified.

I'm still here...

The teleportation plaza suddenly glowed, a vast space was directly woven on the spot by a True Immortal, and as a reception deacon, he was insignificant, so it only encompassed those two geniuses of the same rank.

The sky of this space was gray and hazy, with light but no sun, the ground was boundless, thick and silent, yet devoid of life, a desolate wasteland.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

Just as he stepped into it, standing in the sky, Tang Wenren had not yet fully seen the scene around him when he heard the whistling sound of strange wind and sand in his ears.

Du En had already struck fiercely; or rather, before stepping into this dueling arena, his spell was already brewing, without the slightest perfunctoriness, and at this moment, he went straight for victory and glory the moment he attacked!

Because he believed this was the fastest way!

Woo-woo-woo!

The wind and sand were fierce, covering dozens of zhang of land; it was the result of his cultivation level increasing, and its power naturally rose with the tide. Even though it was still only at the minor success stage, it was no longer its former self, possessing a bit of the momentum of a flourishing state.

If he chose to enter that state at this moment, the power would naturally rise with the tide as well.

Of course, there was absolutely no need to do that now.

Facing this whistling wind and sand rushing toward his head, although Tang Wenren had lost the initiative, he also displayed one point where he was superior to the combat-proficient Du En: his foundation was relatively deep, having received the earnest teachings of a True Person master.

His movements were flustered, relying on a magical artifact for protection; his divine sense was blocked by the wind and sand, and he was forced to strike back passively, then.

Whistling Gold Sword!

A whistling white-gold sword, condensed and formed out of thin air, a full thirty zhang long, slashed directly through the wind and sand, its remaining edge not stopping, leaving a long gully on the ground.

Top-grade spell, mastered with ease!

Boom!

Before Tang Wenren's divine sense could clear to capture Du En's current state, the wind and sand, which had been slashed open by the white-gold sword and further torn apart by the sharp metal-element radiance, suddenly ignited without wind. The raging golden flames scorched the golden radiance, rapidly melting it, which truly fit the principle of fire overcoming metal!

Of course, this principle of the five elements generating and overcoming each other only appears direct and clear when both sides are evenly matched, or when the overcoming side has greater power.

In other words, the power of Du En's Golden Flame Art at this moment was definitely not just ordinary minor success.

The reason was also very simple.

"Such a strong Golden Core flame!"

Tang Wenren immediately felt inferior, because if he were to cast the Golden Flame Art at the same stage and expend the same amount of magic power, the power would definitely not be this great.

Everything was because there was a clear gap between their Golden Cores!

He had thought that as a genius, he had already refined his Golden Core to be impeccable; now it seemed he was truly looking at the sky from the bottom of a well, arrogant and conceited!

Before he could even lament much, he was submerged by the raging golden flames!

Then.

Fire Tree and Flourishing Flowers!

Bright red trees suddenly grew, rapidly connecting into a large patch, exceptionally magnificent and eye-catching. In an instant, they devoured the golden flames, turning them into nutrients, and bloomed into even more delicate, red-and-gold, scorching and luxurious flowers.

Another top-grade spell, and it was also mastered with ease, and it even relied on the advantage of a superior position to turn Du En's Golden Flame Art to its own use!

The flourishing flowers were just about to fly out, drifting petals, killing with explosions amidst their beauty.

But the next second, or rather, the previous moment, Du En's moves happened to follow one after another, so they collided directly now.

Crack!

Snap!

Green trees, winding vines, and clusters of flowers also broke through the ground, wanting to displace the ecological niche of the Fire Tree and Flourishing Flowers, standing proudly on the earth themselves, spreading and covering it.

"It's useless, the Raw Wood Art is after all just the Raw Wood Art, it's still too... hmm?"

Standing amidst the surrounding fire trees, scorched by the golden flames until he was somewhat disheveled, his protective robe having several large holes, Tang Wenren, who was considered half-crippled, was about to state this fact, but suddenly discovered in astonishment that the development of the situation was a bit wrong.

Admittedly, those wood-element plants would be rapidly burned clean as soon as they grew out, making it difficult to replace the trees carved by fire, but they seemed endless; as soon as they were burned, they continued to grow, simply impossible to burn out!

After all, he was a closed-door disciple trained by a Void Refinement True Person, so he quickly noticed the clue.

Those insignificant, secretly ice-wrapped small thorns on the wood-element plants.

Law-Devouring Wood Thorns.

With the two combined, plus the continuously supplied magic power from Du En that was beginning to gain scale, it was as if they had truly obtained this wood-element intent, and they would simply never cease!

Forced, Tang Wenren could only choose to turn his aim, letting those flourishing flowers explode themselves, wanting to destroy the green wood roots that were still being suppressed by the fire trees.

Boom, boom, boom...

The sound of explosions began to ring out.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

Was there a strange sound mixed inside?

Hmm?

Tang Wenren turned his head in astonishment, only to see a mud-stone statue wading through the fire, standing ten zhang tall, carrying the weight of a thousand jun, crushing the land, ignoring the bright fire. More importantly, in his divine sense and perception, there hadn't been a single shadow of this big guy just now!

Plus those sneaky wood thorns from just now...

"It's ice breath..."

Boom!

The mud-stone statue directly punched down violently, turning the spot into a giant pit, and also interrupted Tang Wenren's train of thought.

In his desperation, he struck a tripod-carrying pose, hard-carrying this punch.

Although he had cultivated a middle-grade technique to completion and had now switched to a high-grade technique, which could be considered gaining an acquired spiritual body, it was ultimately just the standard, icing on the cake, and needed no extra words.

Therefore, as he received the statue's punch, he felt his blood and Qi surging, almost spitting out a mouthful of old blood directly. His hands were trembling, and the spiritual light emitted by his magic robe flickered frequently.

With a 'pop' sound, like a bubble bursting, this protective outer robe shattered completely.

Boom!

The statue took the opportunity to apply pressure, crushing him into dregs.

It was just a Water Spirit Mirror Image.

Another top-grade spell.

Illusory Flower Without Trace.

Also a top-grade one, and it was a breath-concealing technique.

However, Tang Wenren, who had just avoided the mud-stone statue and calmed his surging blood and Qi, was thinking about how to break the statue and target Du En who might be hiding inside, when he discovered that a large shadow had suddenly covered the top of his head.

There was no need to look up at all, because within his divine sense, that undisguised, gargantuan object had already rudely intruded.

The terrifying giant cannon, eighteen zhang in diameter, was not far from the situation Du En had previously manifested under the glory of the casting, and it was a power simply and crudely piled together; naturally, its appearance was equally plain and unadorned.

It crashed down fiercely!

"Didn't we agree this wasn't a life-or-death struggle?!"

The main body of the giant cannon had not yet arrived, but the terrifying air pressure had already arrived a step early; Tang Wenren was almost pressed flat on the spot, and he could not help but roar in his heart.

If you are heartless, don't blame me for being unrighteous!

Sword, out!

With a clanging ring, the golden brilliance defies ten thousand armies!

A long, eight-sided sword with bone-edged golden luster, a Geng-white main body, and extraordinary weight—weighing more than ten thousand jun—flew out from his dantian at this moment, grew in the wind, broke through the air pressure, and charged straight at the giant cannon.

Ding!

The tip of the sword touched the giant cannon, emitting a light chime.

It trembled and fell back, while the giant cannon stopped its descent, cracked, and disintegrated.

Tang Wenren raised his hand to catch the sword, his eyes glowing with gold; clearly, he had reached the point of exhausting all his strength, his Golden Core vibrating continuously to urge out his magic power, and with extraordinary momentum, he was about to twist his body and backhand the sword toward the casting.

A pair of hands suddenly lunged out from where he was standing and grabbed both of his ankles.

?!

Before he could react, an irresistible, vast force had already erupted.

By the time Tang Wenren came to his senses, only his head remained above the ground.

One after another, third-grade high-tier magical artifacts were hidden underground, pressing against his body from every angle without a blind spot, restless and waiting only for the final command to self-destruct on the spot.

Feeling the prickling sensation brought about by the brewing of those special artifact restrictions, Tang Wenren felt as if he were under a guillotine, and subconsciously, he wanted to activate his natal magical treasure...

"That should be enough."

Du En's calm voice rang out.

Then Tang Wenren only felt the ground beneath his feet suddenly go empty, and after a glance around with his divine sense, he had already returned to the teleportation plaza.

Huh?

I, I lost?

He looked to the opposite side; the casting had dissipated, there was no one there, and the magical artifacts were flying toward his back like swallows returning to their nest.

A sudden feeling of horror made him fly forward, and when he looked back, he only saw Du En calmly putting away the last magical artifact, looking over with waveless eyes, seemingly surprised at why he had been so nervous just now.

Tang Wenren's old face flushed red; only then did he react, sheepishly putting away his natal magical treasure and landing on the ground.

"I lost."

"Hmm, your experience in combat seems to be lacking?"

Du En spoke very directly.

In the sparring just now, he had actually maintained the initiative the whole time because he had seized the upper hand from the start, and with one step taken, three steps followed; the whole operation was smooth and flowing. If it hadn't been a spar, Tang Wenren would have been dead or severely crippled under that round of magical artifact self-destructions.

If it had continued, it would have entered the close-quarters combat stage he was familiar with, trying as much as possible to avoid the advantage of the opponent's powerful natal magical treasure, attempting to trade injury for life, or at the very least, beating the opponent into a serious injury.

And then, whether relying on the Inexhaustible Azure Spirit Body to drag the opponent to death or using divine abilities and other operations, he could have ensured the defeat of Tang Wenren.

Tang Wenren also admitted it frankly: "Although my master has arranged some opponents for me in the past, they were basically top-tier elites, at most just touching the threshold of a genius. As for the geniuses of the same rank in our sect, although we have had some exchanges, they were all stopped at the appropriate point; rather than calling it sparring, it was more like a performance."

It's nothing like you; you said it wasn't a life-or-death struggle, but now that I think about it, every move was aimed at taking my life!

"You said it yourself, you didn't want me to just go through the motions."

"..."

Right, I brought this on myself, happy now?

Tang Wenren was depressed.

Because this spar, initiated by him, a disciple of a True Person, was highly anticipated.

One side was a genius subordinate valued by Meng Changqing, and the other was the personal disciple of the local True Person; they could be said to represent two tangible and intangible, current and future factional forces in the south of Luoyu, conducting a formal, preliminary competitive contact.

Although they wouldn't make it impossible to end or make each other look bad, they would still use the result of the spar to try to measure and judge future developments.

And looking at it now, although both were geniuses, Du En was clearly much stronger.

Even though Tang Wenren hadn't been able to unleash his full strength because he had been passive the whole way, the conclusion remained the same, because Du En hadn't used his full strength either!

The great cultivators of Shu City and the True Person of the Shu City Lord had all gotten what they wanted, so no one went to blame Tang Wenren, and they simply withdrew their gazes silently.

On the teleportation plaza, the three people who could clearly feel these undisguised movements reacted differently: Yang Xin's legs went soft and he almost collapsed, Du En remained calm without changing his expression, and Tang Wenren just breathed a sigh of relief, took out the wager for the spar, and walked over to hand it over.

"Your reputation for being brave is truly not an exaggeration; I am convinced and admit defeat. This one-time jade slip wager shall be presented to you."

"You are too polite."

Du En accepted it as a matter of course, without any precautions, and read it right in front of him.

Crack.

Having obtained the technique, the jade slip shattered.

Tang Wenren could not help but reveal a look of expectation.

He was expecting Du En to show off by learning it on the spot, but in reality, that did not happen.

What should he switch to cultivating now?

Not to mention that he didn't have that many magical artifacts, let alone having to wait until the Hundred Imperial Art was mastered to find loopholes and shortcuts to save those ten thousand points of proficiency.

After all, this series of spells was not like the Giant Cannon Art, which could trigger the reduction of earth-elemental requirements, so he couldn't just bury his head and grind; he had to be adaptable to the circumstances.

"Not being able to witness your natal magical treasure this time truly makes me feel ashamed!"

The plaza was calm and waveless; Tang Wenren blinked, feeling a bit awkward, so he hurriedly spoke up.

"I haven't refined it yet."

"Huh?"

At this, not only Tang Wenren, but even Yang Xin, who had been standing to the side with little presence and had only just recovered and wiped away his cold sweat, appeared extremely stunned.

If he is already this strong without a natal magical treasure, then once he has one, wouldn't he soar by an even greater margin?

Naturally, they would not think that he had no refining method, or that he was cultivating too quickly; they would only think that the refining method given by Meng Changqing was too unique, and that it was likely intended for him to fend for himself, gathering the materials on his own as a form of tempering.

"What is still missing?"

Tang Wenren, having figured it out for himself, tentatively asked.

"Still missing one 'Ding' grade merit."

Du En answered straightforwardly.

As expected of that Counselor's style!

Unlike his own master, who had already prepared all the various materials when he broke through to the Golden Core stage.

Tang Wenren could not help but sigh with emotion: "If I were in your position, I fear it would have been impossible for me to reach this Golden Core perfection so safely!"

"There is no need to belittle yourself; your talent as a genius is not fake."

"Haha, I was being hypocritical."

Tang Wenren felt a bit awkward, and whenever he felt awkward, his form of address would change.

Once he came to his senses, he would start using 'Your Excellency' and 'this humble one' again, appearing quite stubborn.

To be honest, Du En had not found a more suitable way to address the other party either; calling him 'Brother Ren' might be inappropriate as he himself was likely older, and calling him 'Fellow Daoist' did not fit as they were not on the same path, so he did not pay much mind to it and simply went along with the 'Your Excellency' form of address.

"Then, Your Excellency, shall we part ways for now, or will you lead the way for me again?"

"That is certainly fine, it would be my honor!"

And so, Yang Xin, the reception deacon, could only tactfully and politely withdraw, leaving Tang Wenren to lead the way for Du En and introduce the various features of Pivot City.

(End of chapter)