Chapter 780

He seemed to be doing it on purpose; after only a few exchanges with Xie Xi, he fell off the stage in an extremely clumsy posture, without even struggling.

The disciples might not notice, but the immortals on the high platform saw it clearly.

This is deliberately letting the opponent win.

In a match, that is a major taboo.

In the Profound Heaven Sect before, this sort of thing happened often—nothing more than disciples with better backgrounds bribing others with spirit stones.

That would simply be unfair, so a rule was made forbidding such letting the opponent win.

The female immortal on the far right looked at Luorongchang, her tone stern: "As Sect Leader and Dean of the Sword Cultivation Institute, is this how you teach your disciples?"

As the head of the Discipline Hall, which establishes the sect's rules, how could she stand by and let this happen?

"True Person Bixia, your words are mistaken; perhaps it was merely an accident."

Before Luorongchang could speak, the immortal beside him started arguing: "Why must you be so pushy?"

"What a pushy person—such a clumsy accident, is this your first day as an immortal?"

True Person Bixia regarded him with a cold stare.

But no matter what, the match has already begun; it cannot be stopped, so even if a violation occurs, the bout between the two on stage cannot be interrupted.

Xie Xi gripped his sword with one hand, glaring at Fei Mian with eyes full of mockery: "I never expected that after three months you're still this useless, stuck at only the third layer of Qi Refining."

"The day I first joined the sect was an accident; today I will definitely beat you until you're fleeing in disarray!"

So talkative.

Fei Mian pursed his lips; Master said that in battle, excess talk is fatal.

He didn't utter a word, and a pale green glow rose from his palm.

He still attacked first with wood‑spirit power.

Seeing his intent, Xie Xi quickly stepped back a few paces and formed a water shield with his hand.

You think water nurtures wood, right?

The moment the power struck, the water shield produced frost, instantly snapping the wooden roots and freezing the bamboo leaves.

Fei Mian reacted swiftly, leaping to dodge without the slightest panic, evading the ice shards and springing up from the tips of his toes.

Dark‑spirit power was released.

Instantly the arena filled with black mist, and Xie Xi watched helplessly as Fei Mian, who should have been opposite him, vanished without a trace.

He startled, barely steadying his mind, slowly probing the surroundings as water‑spirit mist tried to disperse the black fog.

Whoosh—

A shadow flashed past.

By the time Xie Xi reacted, Fei Mian had already closed in behind him, his palm turning wood‑spirit into a spear.

"Ah!"

Xie Xi let out a miserable cry, his whole body flailing in midair, nearly falling off the stage.

In the crisis, he braced himself with the sword planted in the ground, spun to dodge the third thrust, and slipped aside.

His face turned deathly pale; the wound caused relentless pain, and his anger grew ever stronger.

Yet the black mist had not cleared, and he still could not see where Fei Mian was—this was a grave disadvantage for him.

On stage.

Luorongchang watched the scene, anxiously clenching his fists, never expecting Fei Mian to possess such ability.

Although the mutant spirit root cultivates slowly, it is indeed peculiar.

Formerly Jin Chen was like that, and now Fei Mian is the same.

On stage, Xie Xi realized that if he did not soon find a way to suppress Fei Mian, he would shortly be knocked down.

In his panic he suddenly thought of a method.

He poured all his power into his palm, using hierarchical pressure to force Fei Mian to reveal himself.

He is at the fifth layer of Qi Refining—no matter what, Fei Mian cannot withstand it!

Sure enough, under the pressure of the pale blue water mist, the black fog showed signs of collapse, and Fei Mian's figure emerged faintly within the hazy vapor.

Seizing the moment, Xie Xi drew his sword and charged, the blade aimed straight at the heart!

But he did not know that Fei Mian had done it on purpose.

Turning to dodge the sword, he launched a forward strike that reached Xie Xi, clasped his hands in a seal, and released dark‑spirit energy.

In an instant, a doubled pressure mixed attack swept toward Xie Xi.

His body was immobilized; he couldn't dodge in time, could only stare as he bore the blow head‑on, and was flung off the stage to crash hard on the ground.

"What!"

Luo Yi Ping, watching from below, sprang to his feet, his eyes wide with shock.

That strike just now from Fei Mian had at least the strength of the eighth layer of Qi Refining!

How could that be! He's only at the third layer!

The immortals present were also astonished.

True Person Bixia finally understood why Elder Linghe said the senior had picked up a treasure.

"This is… an innate mysterious hidden body."

As the name suggests, it means the surface cultivation always appears weaker than the actual.

This child appears to be at the third layer of Qi Refining, but in fact his dantian likely holds the strength of the sixth layer, and with the burst technique of his variant dark‑spirit root, that is how he displays such extraordinary power.

12 years old, sixth layer of Qi Refining, still a Mysterious Hidden Body.

How could this be any trash? Clearly it's an outstanding talent!

Jin Chen's eyes flickered with a smile as he rose to his feet.

"The outcome was decided, the match ended."

"His voice was icy and low, reaching every disciple's ears through profound power."

"Instantly, thunderous applause erupted from the audience below."

"Especially the disciples who had bet on Fei Mian's victory just now—they were absolutely right!"

"This year's champion is finally not that bunch from the Sword Cultivation Institute whose noses are practically growing into the sky!"

"Fei Mian heard the voice, hurriedly jumped down from the platform, without even glancing at the prone Xie Xi, and sprinted toward the high platform."

"He won! He did not disappoint Master's expectations!"

"As Fei Mian ran, many gazes fell upon him."

"The young lad was full of vigor, his delicate brows and eyes shining with every glance, the silver patterns on his white robes glittering in the sunlight, brilliant as a galaxy."

"Master!"

"Fei Mian stopped at the steps, and though his heart raced, he remembered that disciples must not casually ascend the immortal terrace."

"I won!"

"He could not go over, but Jin Chen could come over."

"Tall and slender, he walked over with graceful steps, Jin Chen lowering his eyes in a soft smile, a gentleness reserved solely for Fei Mian."

"Very impressive."

"Fei Mian clung to Jin Chen's arm, his excitement fading, and only then noticed the teasing gazes of the immortal masters on the platform; blushing, he hid behind him, saying, 'Fei Mian greets all the immortal masters.'"

"True Person of Azure Clouds chuckled, saying, 'By rights we are of the same generation; there's no need for formal greetings—I should actually call you little junior brother.'"

"Thus Fei Mian, feeling fortunate, crisply said, 'Senior Sister, hello!'"

"That remark hit the mark—after all these centuries of teachers and uncles, those who call her senior sister are all old fogeys, yet somehow there's such an adorable little junior brother."

"Good! Good! Good!"

"She praised repeatedly."

"Luorongchang also forced a laugh twice, secretly sighing."

"If we had discovered Fei Mian's strength earlier, we would surely have taken him as an inner-disciple—how could we let Jin Chen snatch him away?"

"I won't accept!"

"Xie Xi finally, with Luo Yi Ping's support, managed to stand, hobbling to the platform, nearly crying from anger."

"Fei Mian isn't at Qi Refining second layer! He deliberately concealed his strength—he's been breaking the rules all along!"

"Exactly! Fei Mian broke the rules!"

"Behind him were the two brothers, Zhang Guang, who came to help."

"The disciples below fell silent; the Sword Cultivation Institute's people were practically dying of embarrassment."

"The immortal masters didn't mention any rule-breaking—what business does he have reporting it!"