Chapter 500: Bloodline-Type Profound Weapon: Snake Coil Seal

After the first round of eliminations ended, the Great Drill Ground seemed to have been drained of all its strength.

The sound of tens of thousands of people retreating was sluggish, mixed with the groans of the wounded and the sound of corpse-collection cart wheels grinding over the flagstones.

Someone stood on the viewing platform shouting out names, calling out the battle records and rankings of each team after the first round; the voice drifted in the wind, sounding somewhat unreal.

Cheng Feng did not listen.

He followed Wang Ji through the slippery passageway toward the exit, his boot soles stepping on sticky bloodstains, making faint squelching sounds.

Huo Luan walked by his side, his Steel Saber casually wrapped in a rag and slung over his shoulder.

His face was as smeared as a ghost's, yet he still grinned: "I've figured it out now; those big shots from the Immortal Sects are truly able to keep their cool. They haven't shown their faces even once since the fighting started.

Just based on the people rolling in blood down here, they can't even be bothered to lift their eyelids."

"It might not be a good thing if they did show their faces." Cheng Feng rolled up his torn cuffs layer by layer, revealing several white scars on his arms that had already closed.

"Whoever they take a fancy to will be targeted to death next. It's no different from walking down a dark road while holding gold."

Wang Ji walked at the very front; hearing this, she did not stop her pace, only replying indifferently: "That is why our ranking cannot drop, nor can we be too conspicuous.

For the second round of military formation trials, we must win, but we must win without being eye-catching."

It was already past noon when the group returned to Lan Yuan. The sky over Tianqi City had darkened by a layer, the clouds pressing low, carrying a stifling tension as if it were about to rain but couldn't quite fall.

Wang Ji had the steward prepare hot water, and the few of them took turns washing the blood and filth from their bodies.

Cheng Feng threw his blood-and-mud-stained clothes into the corner of the courtyard and poured several buckets of well water over his head; the cold made his teeth clench, and only then did he truly feel refreshed.

The team is doing fine, and the leader is also quite good.

It would be best to stay with the team until the very end.

At dinner, no one spoke much. Everyone buried their heads in their food, and even Huo Luan only shoveled down three large bowls of rice before setting down his chopsticks.

The nourishing Medicinal Meal was all eaten up, though.

That exhaustion from having stepped through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood seemed to have seeped into the marrow of their bones, not something that could be dispelled by a single night's sleep.

Even for veteran soldiers of a hundred battles, facing this kind of slaughter among peers requires a good period of recovery.

After the meal, Liu Yu explained the rules for the next round of matchups in detail.

The military formation trials are paired by drawing lots; each match involves two teams fighting within a designated Battle Platform, with one stick of incense as the time limit. If no winner is decided when time runs out, the referee will judge the superior side.

If the commander of a team falls off the platform or admits defeat first, the entire team is judged to have lost.

In each area, twenty teams will duel in pairs; the winners advance to the top ten, from which five will be decided to enter the final arena battles.

"Military formations are different from chaotic melees; the space is small, there are fewer people, and every step is calculated to the death."

Liu Yu used his chopsticks to dip into vegetable soup and draw several points on the table. "If the opponent's formation is strict, unless you can sweep the entire field, being a good fighter is useless. Coordination and formation changes are the key."

Wang Ji nodded: "That is why we cannot fight like we did today. In today's melee, both Cheng Feng and Huo Luan have already exposed their styles.

Hard-body training and military Blade Technique—anyone with a discerning eye can see the general details at a glance.

Gu Niangzi's Black Bee has also been revealed. In the next match, the opponents will definitely target these."

"That actually makes things easier," Liu Yu said. "If they guard against Cheng Feng's hard-body training, they will inevitably avoid close-quarters combat with him and prioritize cutting off Gu Niangzi and my positions.

We will use Cheng Feng as bait, Huo Luan as the backup, and Gu Niangzi shouldn't be in a hurry to release her Gu. Wait until the opponent thinks her trump cards are exhausted, then release the Life-Bound Gu."

Gu Niangzi was feeding honey water to her Red Armored Beetle and didn't even look up upon hearing this: "Once the Life-Bound Gu is out, I won't be able to recover for three days. Unless it's a life-or-death moment, I won't release it."

"You won't need to use your Life-Bound Gu," Wang Ji said. "Those Black Bees, Bewildering Moths, and Golden Shell Insects of yours will be enough. Just suppress the timing of your strikes so no one sees through it early."

Cheng Feng had remained silent until Liu Yu asked for his opinion, at which point he spoke: "I can act as bait. But I cannot just defend. My speed is not slow, and my stamina is sufficient. If it is a small Battle Platform, I am willing to press forward and create trouble for them."

Liu Yu looked at him and, after a moment of silence, said: "You may press forward, but you must ensure there is always someone within three steps behind you.

Once you are separated by the opponent's formation, you must not pursue, nor can you get bogged down in the fight."

"I know."

That night, Cheng Feng did not practice for too long. He circulated the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations for a few cycles to clear the congested meridians from the day's fierce battle, then ended his cultivation.

He lay on the narrow couch, listening to the intermittent chirping of insects outside the window, turning over the opponents he had encountered during the day in his mind one by one.

Those blade techniques, movement techniques, and military formations were all rehearsed again and again in his head.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, a thin layer of moisture still covered the flagstones in the courtyard. Wang Ji brought the others out to practice the military formation.

The space was not large, so Liu Yu simply used lime to draw a five-zhang square Battle Platform in the courtyard. The five of them moved repeatedly within it, refining every set of changes to the extreme.

Wang Ji stood at the heart of the formation, sometimes raising a flag, sometimes issuing orders; her voice was not loud, yet everyone could hear it clearly.

As the vanguard arrow pressing forward, Cheng Feng practiced the alternating positions with Huo Luan the most.

When he moved forward, Huo Luan had to move half a grid to the right simultaneously to fill the gap he left behind.

When he retreated, Huo Luan would move up, forming a wave-like offensive rhythm.

"Too slow," Liu Yu interrupted more than once. "When you press forward a step, Huo Luan must move at the same time. You are currently at the Organ Refining Late Stage, and Huo Luan is at the Organ Refining Peak; your speeds should be about the same. If you cannot synchronize, it becomes a flaw."

Cheng Feng wiped away his sweat and practiced again.

Huo Luan also put away his usual slacker attitude, putting strength into every strike, his footsteps following very closely. The two practiced from morning until noon, and from noon until the sun slanted to the west, before finally managing to make something of the three basic coordination sets.

"Not bad," Liu Yu said, offering a rare word of praise. "Much better than when we were at Zhou Fu."

Gu Niangzi was pounding her legs on the side and hummed: "Nonsense, having rolled through blood and fire these past few days, if we hadn't improved, we might as well just die."

Just then, a servant trotted in and handed over a plain white invitation. Wang Ji took it, opened it, and glanced at it, her expression somewhat intrigued.

"Who is it?" Huo Luan asked.

"The Hengyang Lu Clan." Wang Ji handed the invitation to Liu Yu. "Before the second round of drawing lots tomorrow, they want to meet us tonight at Tingfeng Tower in East City."

"The Lu Clan?" Liu Yu frowned. "Meeting at this juncture, I fear it isn't as simple as just building rapport."

Cheng Feng asked: "What is their background?"

"A great clan of the Central Plains. This generation of the clan produced a Cold Abyss Body; it hasn't fully awakened yet, but it has already caught the eye of the Immortal Sects, and they have likely already stepped into the True Qi Realm.

They only brought one Core Disciple to this Martial Dao tournament; the rest are experts from the collateral branches."

Wang Ji paused. "The Cold Abyss Body dislikes close-quarters combat, but the cold energy is biting. In a military formation, they will guard their core very tightly."

"They have come to see us, likely because they do not want to be drawn against us in the first round."

"If they don't want to clash, then let's see what kind of sincerity they can offer," Cheng Feng said.

Wang Ji smiled, folded the invitation, and tucked it into her sleeve: "Listening to what they have to say tonight won't hurt. Tianqi City has a curfew at night,

and for Tingfeng Tower to be able to host a banquet at this hour, the people behind it are not simple. You all will accompany me."

Night fell. Tingfeng Tower was built along the river, and several glass lanterns hung from the eaves, casting patches of light and shadow on the stone steps before the building.

Cheng Feng and the others changed into clean clothes and followed Wang Ji upstairs.

People were already seated in a private room on the second floor. The leader was a man in his forties with a short beard, looking gentle and kind. Seeing them enter, he smiled and stood up to welcome them.

"Zhennan Prince Wang Ji has arrived at the perfect time; the wine has just been warmed."

Wang Ji returned the greeting indifferently: "You are too polite, Lu Sanye."

The middle-aged man's gaze swept quickly over Cheng Feng and the others, his smile undiminished: "These must be the experts under Wang Ji's command, right?

I had heard that the people Wang Ji invited this time were capable, and seeing you today, you all truly have an extraordinary bearing."

Cheng Feng did not speak; he only paused his gaze on the young man sitting beside Lu Sanye, who had been keeping his eyes lowered while drinking tea.

The young man had a thin face and wore a moon-white robe. His fingers were so pale they were nearly transparent. The hot teacup in his palm did not even emit steam, and he never once looked up.

That must be the Cold Abyss Body. Cheng Feng only felt that this person's body temperature was strangely low; even from several steps away, he could feel a chill seeping out from him, like deep winter well water.

"Wang Ji, please rest assured. Lu has no other intentions in hosting this banquet today. I only heard that Wang Ji has also entered the second round, and I thought that if our two houses could avoid each other in tomorrow's draw, it would be good for both sides."

Lu Sanye poured a cup of wine and pushed it over, "If Wang Ji does not mind, I have some things here that might catch your eye."

As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him, and an attendant presented a sandalwood box, opening it on the table.

Inside the box was an ancient seal, ink-blue throughout. The knob of the seal was carved into a coiled snake, with two tiny crimson gemstones embedded in the snake's eyes, looking as if they were alive under the candlelight.

"This seal is named 'Snake Coil', a mid-grade Bloodline-type Profound Weapon.

This little brother beside Wang Ji—" Lu Sanye looked at Cheng Feng,

"If my old eyes do not deceive me, he follows the path of the dragon and snake. This seal and him are a perfect match."

Cheng Feng did not reach out to take it, but looked at Wang Ji instead.

Wang Ji sat upright and motionless, then smiled: "Lu Sanye is truly generous.

Are you truly so confident?

If we really are drawn together tomorrow, does this seal still count?"

Lu Sanye's smile remained unchanged: "Being drawn together is no matter. Once on the Battle Platform, we shall rely on our own abilities.

It is just that if Wang Ji is willing to give my Lu Clan a bit of face, the Lu Clan will naturally have its own rewards."

No one spoke in the room for a moment; there was only the sound of the river outside hitting the building's foundation, beat by beat.

To have backroom dealings spoken of so openly without fear of criticism—the Hengyang Lu Clan had truly gone to great pains.

This also served to show that this Hengyang Lu Clan truly possessed strength.

Cheng Feng's gaze fell upon the "Snake Coil" seal.

Examining it closely, it was ink-blue throughout and only the size of a fist. The coiled snake on the seal knob was carved with exquisite detail, scales layered upon layers, the snake body coiled three times with its head and tail joined. The two crimson gemstones embedded in the snake's eyes seemed as if they were about to drip blood in the candlelight.

Even across most of the table, Cheng Feng could feel the faint chill emanating from the ancient seal, subtly echoing the Blood Qi of the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations within his body, as if the seal were gently tugging at a string in his meridians.

A Bloodline-type Profound Weapon. This was his first time seeing such a thing at such close range.

"Since Wang Ji asks directly, Lu will not beat around the bush." Lu Sanye set down his wine cup, his smile gentle, as if discussing a very ordinary transaction,

"The Hengyang Lu Clan has some connections at court. Regarding the draw tubes for the second round of the Martial Dao tournament, as long as our people pass a word in advance,

it is absolutely impossible for Wang Ji's team and the Lu Clan's team to be placed in the same group.

This small matter is nothing to the Lu Clan."

He spoke lightly, but the words "nothing to the Lu Clan" fell upon Cheng Feng's ears, making him feel that the waters of Tianqi City were even deeper than he had anticipated.

So, the draw tubes could also be manipulated; in front of truly great clans, the so-called drawing of lots was merely a formality.

And the Immortal Sect is still watching!!!

Wang Ji was neither angry nor surprised. She simply picked up her wine cup and turned it unhurriedly between her fingers, her gaze sweeping past the rim of the cup and landing on Lu Sanye's face: "If the Lu Clan's hand can reach into the Martial Dao tournament's draw tubes, why not simply let your own people enter the top five directly? Why come to discuss this with my team of wild cards?"

"Wang Ji is joking." Lu Sanye laughed heartily and refilled half of Wang Ji's cup, "The combat power of the Zhennan Prince's Qingyuan Sword Body is known to all. Manipulating the draw tubes is a small matter.

But once we truly step onto the Battle Platform, victory or defeat cannot be faked.

The Lu Clan is, after all, a noble family; we still need to maintain some face. If we can avoid each other, that is naturally best; if we cannot, the Lu Clan also trusts its own people."

He spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. On the surface, he was flattering Wang Ji, but the underlying meaning was clear: the Lu Clan was not afraid of losing to her, they simply did not want to waste their energy in the second round.

Wang Ji did not take his bait and turned to look at Cheng Feng: "What do you think of this seal?"

Cheng Feng smiled and did not pretend to be noble: "It's a good item. I am indeed tempted."

"If you're tempted, then take it," Wang Ji replied lightly.

Cheng Feng raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Sanye: "Sanye, if I take this seal, I cannot agree to your request without our Wang Ji's nod.

But since the item has been delivered to my doorstep, pretending to be high-minded is not my nature."

A hint of amusement appeared in Lu Sanye's eyes, and he looked at Cheng Feng a few more times: "Little brother is straightforward. Rest assured, one thing is one thing.

This seal is a token of friendship from my Lu Clan, unrelated to tomorrow's draw.

Whether Wang Ji is willing to give this bit of face or not, the Lu Clan will still consider you a friend."

These words were airtight, but Cheng Feng knew clearly that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

If he tucked this seal into his pocket today, when the Lu Clan made a request in the future, as long as it wasn't a matter of life and death, he would find it hard to refuse.

But if he pushed it away for fear of owing a favor, that would be pushing away an advantage right in front of him. He, Cheng Feng, was not that pedantic.

To be honest, ever since he started interacting with Wang Ji, his horizons had broadened quite a bit.

His foundation was indeed, compared to those noble clan scions,

truly shallow to the extreme.

He could be considered a grassroots nobody.

"Then let me try it out for Wang Ji first." Cheng Feng reached out and took the Snake Coil Seal out of the sandalwood box.

The moment the seal entered his palm, his eyebrows twitched.

That ancient seal, not even the size of a palm, was unexpectedly much heavier than he had imagined, weighing perhaps forty or fifty catties; it didn't feel like much while in the sandalwood box, but once it reached his hand, his palm suddenly sank.

What shocked him even more was that the scales of the coiled snake on the seal's knob seemed to be gently fluttering, and an extremely fine, extremely cold strange force drilled in from the acupoints of his palm,

traveling all the way up along the meridians of his arm, and the moment it touched the Blood Qi of the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations, it suddenly became restless.

The bloodline within Cheng Feng's body seemed to have been awakened by this seal.

His lower dantian suddenly grew hot, the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations began to circulate on its own, Blood Qi surged through his meridians at several times its usual speed, and a layer of faint black scale patterns vaguely appeared on the surface of his skin.

The crimson snake eyes on the seal also lit up at that same instant; the two red lights were extremely fine and extremely short, almost imperceptible.

Cheng Feng suppressed the restlessness in his body and put the seal back into the box with a calm expression. When he raised his eyes again, his gaze was much clearer, but a stormy sea was churning in his heart.

This seal could not only trigger his bloodline, but even accelerate the circulation of the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations' Blood Qi.

Just a moment ago, upon the first touch, the proficiency of his Dragon Snake Nine Transformations on his Panmian had jumped by three points.

If he were to use this seal to assist his cultivation every day, the time to reach the second transformation would be shortened by at least thirty percent.

"It really is a good thing," Cheng Feng said sincerely.

Lu Sanye clapped his hands and smiled: "If it can make the little brother call it good, then this seal was given to the right person."

Wang Ji picked up her wine cup, took a light sip, and remained noncommittal.

Huo Luan had not spoken the whole time; she had little interest in these convoluted social scenes, but she did stare at that young man a few extra times.

That Cold Abyss Body never raised his head, and the tea in his cup had not a shred of heat.

Huo Luan only felt that this pretty boy was permeated with a strange air from head to toe.

"Lu Sanye has spent a lot tonight." Wang Ji finally put down her wine cup and stood up.

"I have noted your intentions. As for how the drawing lots will turn out, the Lu Clan can arrange it as they see fit.

I, Zhou Yanran, am a person who likes to put things out in the open.

If you and I really do meet on the Battle Platform, we shall see the truth in our skills."

Lu Sanye also stood up and cupped his hands: "With those words from Wang Ji, Lu can rest easy. Tomorrow's draw will surely be a good one."

After a few pleasantries, Wang Ji led Cheng Feng and the others downstairs. That Snake Coil Seal was finally wrapped in a piece of black cloth by Cheng Feng and stuffed into his bosom. The chill pressed against his chest through his clothes, as if he were carrying a real snake.

After exiting Tingfeng Tower, the night wind blew in, which finally blew away that trace of restlessness in Cheng Feng.

Huo Luan leaned over and bumped him with her shoulder: "Hey, is that thing really that magical? When I saw you get it, your eyes went straight."

"It's more than magical," Cheng Feng said in a low voice. "It can trigger my bloodline. If it is truly a mid-grade Bloodline-type Profound Weapon as Lu Sanye said, then my cultivation speed can be much faster."

Huo Luan let out a "ho" sound, then whispered: "The Lu Clan's favors are not easy to repay."

"That is why Wang Ji only said she noted it, and did not agree to anything." Liu Yu walked up from behind, her voice exceptionally calm in the night wind. "Cheng Feng, you can use the seal, but you must use it clearly and openly. If the Lu Clan really wants to ask for repayment from you, tell Wang Ji immediately."

Cheng Feng nodded: "I understand."

Wang Ji walked at the very front, her robes rustling in the river wind. She suddenly spoke, as if talking to herself: "Cold Abyss Body... if he awakens completely, Cheng Feng, are you confident?"

Cheng Feng's footsteps paused slightly, and he was silent for a moment: "I am not sure, but I can try."

"I don't really care either way." Wang Ji looked back at him, her eyes calm and waveless. "So, this meal with the Lu Clan was worth eating."

The group stopped talking and walked back toward Lan Yuan, stepping through the lights that filled the streets.

In the distance, the great bell of Tianqi City struck ten times, loud and lingering, pressing the clamor of the whole city into a silence.

And the Snake Coil Seal on Cheng Feng's chest grew slightly hot amidst the bell tolls, like a snake that had opened its eyes in the darkness.

Cheng Feng had also figured it out; Wang Ji possessed extraordinary strength and formidable combat power.

She was scouring for talent everywhere, surely because she wanted to have some manpower when entering the Immortal Sect.

Perhaps, among the pre-determined Immortal Seeds, there was a spot for her.