Chapter 307: Provoking Long Qi to Defeat

Liu Xia truly did not understand. In terms of closeness, he considered his relationship with Lingxiang to be more intimate than Chengkai's. In terms of understanding, he believed Lingxiang understood him more deeply as well. Moreover, they had even shared life-and-death struggles together. Why would she set him aside and choose Chengkai instead?

Admittedly, it could not be denied that Chengkai was indeed far superior to Liu Xia in Martial Dao and Body Movement. Ordering him to take the field would certainly increase the odds of winning, but the fact that Liu Xia was not among the other two spots made him feel somewhat unconvinced.

It was not that Liu Xia was resentful; in truth, he simply had a strong competitive spirit and did not want the sect to lose to the Taishang Sect.

As for Xin Yi, Liu Xia naturally had nothing to say. Whether in Martial Dao or witchcraft, Xin Yi was far more formidable than him. Furthermore, Lingxiang's analysis of Xin Yi was extremely accurate; placing him in the final spot was the most prudent choice. But as for Long Qi…

Admittedly, when he first saw Long Qi, he had not thought much of him, nor had he imagined they would one day be fellow disciples. At the beginning, the two were evenly matched, so there was no talk of who was better than whom. But he had not expected that upon meeting him again, the disparity between them would be so vast.

It was not that jealousy had sprouted in Liu Xia's heart; on the contrary, he truly regarded Long Qi as a friend and was very happy to see him progress so rapidly. It was just that Liu Xia had been competitive since childhood and did not believe he was inferior to anyone. Therefore, when he was in the Outer Sect, he had been much more rigorous with his own cultivation than Long Qi.

Chengxin Zhenren often told Liu Xia that planting melons might not yield melons, and planting beans might not yield beans. Sometimes, one might intentionally plant a willow and it might not provide shade, while planting a tree unintentionally might result in lush foliage. Rather than being competitive, it was better to let things take their natural course; perhaps there would be unexpected gains.

Although the logic was sound, and it had been proven during the battle at Ding'anju, Liu Xia simply could not let himself off the hook.

Regarding cultivation, he had never been slack, nor had he ever been complacent, which was why he later surpassed Long Qi in Body Movement.

The family-transmitted sword technique Long Qi practiced focused on the combination of strength and spirit. The secret techniques and moves within it were meant to align form and intent. According to his Spirit Root aptitude, it was not truly very suitable, but it had the advantage of being a secret transmission, and Long Qi possessed raw strength, so he could manage it with ease.

However, for Liu Xia, in terms of sword intent, he had discarded the Willow School Sword Technique he had practiced since childhood and focused instead on the Qinglan Sword Art taught by Chengxin Zhenren, which was more suitable for him. He had also adopted Chengkai's suggestions and combined them with what he had previously learned to compensate for his weaknesses, and as a result, his Body Movement was actually superior to Long Qi's.

Therefore, Liu Xia naturally felt it was inappropriate for Lingxiang to choose Long Qi to handle the Martial Dao round. But Lingxiang had said that his use would naturally come later; if he were to take the field now, it would disrupt her subsequent plans.

Liu Xia was even more confused after hearing this. The techniques he practiced were nearly identical to Long Qi's, only Long Qi favored strength while he favored Body Movement. The next two rounds were one for witchcraft and one for Talisman Array; neither of these were his strengths, so how could he be of any use?

Regarding Liu Xia's questions, Lingxiang only smiled without answering. However, Liu Xia always felt that Lingxiang seemed to be hiding something; even the way she looked at him was very different from usual, which was very strange.

The Taishang Sect side had already chosen their participating disciple. The first to go was an Inner Sect Disciple named Baiqing. That disciple did not look very old, with a petite figure and delicate features. He had a feminine appearance and looked pitiful, appearing weak and unable to withstand a gust of wind at first glance.

On the Yuanqing Sect side, Lingxiang pointed to Long Qi to participate in the first round.

Long Qi was extremely satisfied with leading the charge; after all, the first round played a crucial role in the entire tournament.

Military Strategy says: "With the first drum, the spirit is aroused; with the second, it wanes; with the third, it is exhausted." He had to perform well and strive to secure the first victory. If possible, defeating all three members of the Taishang Sect in one go would be even better.

The two flew onto the stage. After exchanging a Daoist salute amidst Huiyan's announcement, the duel began.

The reason Huiyan was the one to announce the start was not because Lingxiang intended to humiliate him. On the stage, Lingxiang had indeed set up a seat to invite him, but previously in the Youyuan Hall, her sharp and logical words had left the Taishang Sect members speechless. If Huiyan were to sit as an equal at this time, it would be a breach of etiquette, which was why he had declined Lingxiang's invitation to sit.

However, this action did not change Lingxiang's opinion of him; instead, she felt even more that Huiyan was slick and worldly.

Furthermore, on the stage, Long Qi saw the listless look on Baiqing's face and felt that this person was not here of his own volition, but rather as if he had been forced. Coupled with his frail figure, Long Qi thought of ending the fight quickly to resolve the other's distress while also boosting his own prestige—truly a method that served two purposes at once.

But Long Qi miscalculated.

The Martial Dao trial allowed any weapon and did not distinguish between fists and kicks, but there were three rules: no witchcraft, no Talisman Array, and no treasures.

Acting on the idea of striking first to gain the advantage, Long Qi lifted his feet and charged toward Baiqing.

Baiqing on the stage had empty hands, no weapons at his waist, and his Daoist Robe was worn loosely, looking extremely lazy, as if he had just woken up.

Seeing him like this, Long Qi did not feel it was right to draw his sword, so he faced him bare-handed.

Who would have thought that just as a punch was about to land, Long Qi only saw a flash of a robe hem and heard a rustling of clothes in his ears. Baiqing had vanished without a trace. Looking left and right on the stage, he could not see the person anywhere.

"Void Cloud Sleeping Zen Technique!" Lingxiang was greatly astonished; even the pine nuts in her hand fell all over the ground.

Although Lingxiang had never practiced martial arts and had not gone through the body-tempering stage, she knew the books and ancient records of the Langhuan Pavilion by heart. Since the Taishang Sect and the Yuanqing Sect shared the same origin, she could naturally tell what technique the opponent was using.

The so-called Void Cloud Sleeping Zen Technique was, as the name suggested, a form of sleeping technique. The practitioner appeared to be asleep, but they were actually in Zen, maintaining vigilance at all times. The wonder of the technique lay in the fact that the sleep was neither a true sleep nor a false one; one could not sleep deeply and lose vigilance, for if vigilance were lost, demons would enter the body, nor could one sleep too lightly and lose the meditative rest, for if meditative rest were lost, the fire would rage and damage the spirit.

Therefore, those who practiced this technique often looked listless, but in reality, they were nourishing their essence and meditating.

Lingxiang exclaimed that she had been careless. When she first saw Baiqing take the stage, she hadn't paid much attention for a moment. Now that the match had started and they were using their moves, she remembered, but it was already too late; it wouldn't do to call out a warning now.

While Lingxiang was feeling annoyed off-stage, Long Qi on the stage was full of astonishment; after all, looking around, he could only see himself on the stage.

"Isn't it said that Martial Dao duels cannot use witchcraft? How did this person vanish? Doesn't this count as a foul?"

Hearing Long Qi say this, Lingxiang couldn't help but cover her forehead.

Long Qi on the stage couldn't see it, but those watching from below could see clearly: Baiqing hadn't used any escape technique; he was clearly right behind Long Qi.

This was the wonder of the Void Cloud Sleeping Zen Technique. It looked like witchcraft, but it was a genuine soft technique.

If fighting against a group, this Void Cloud Sleeping Zen Technique might have some flaws, but in a one-on-one fight, it could be utilized to its extreme.

The reason it was called Void Cloud Sleeping Zen was that, in addition to the sleeping technique, the practitioner could use it to hide behind the opponent. It looked lazy, but it was actually soft. No matter what move the opponent made, they could imitate it from behind, like a floating cloud—illusory and ethereal, seemingly touching yet not, making it difficult for the opponent to notice.

As for how to break this technique, it was not a difficult task. If one had reached the Foundation Establishment cultivation level and had keen five senses, one could easily perceive it.

Unfortunately, although Long Qi was already at Foundation Establishment, he had been careless and underestimated his opponent from the start, he had never heard of this technique, and he had lost his composure when his opponent suddenly disappeared, causing his five senses to dull; that was why he could not perceive it.

Seeing Long Qi looking around on the stage, Lingxiang couldn't help but sigh—Long Qi was bound to lose this round.

If he couldn't even detect an opponent right beside him, how could he survive a life-and-death struggle? If he didn't lose, who would?

Sigh! Forget it, forget it; it's better to let him leave that place of trouble quickly...

Lingxiang gave Lianqiao a look, and the latter understood immediately, hurriedly cupping her hands and shouting toward the stage:

"Are you actually capable or not? If you aren't, come down early!"

Hearing this, Long Qi's blood rushed to his head in an instant. He raised his hand to draw the Longyuan from his back, but at that very moment, a force struck him from behind. Long Qi could not react in time, and his entire body flew off the Yanwu Stage.

Even after landing on the ground, Long Qi still had a blank expression.

He...

He had actually been kicked off...