Chapter 457: First Battle, Painting the Semi-Sage (Two-in-One)

Lin Qingying did not wait for Li Hao and Lin Shanhai, heading to the Sacred Land first.

She went to assemble and compete in the capacity of a disciple.

Li Hao and Lin Shanhai, after tidying up, headed there at a leisurely pace.

Halfway through their flight, the two encountered Zhao Yingzhen, Shi Huajin, and others, who were dressed in opulent attire. They were also traveling together to watch the competition. Although they were alchemists, such a grand event was extremely lively and occurred only once every hundred years; no one wanted to miss it.

"Old Lin, the competition for the Sword God title is fierce this time. Does Qingying have the confidence to make it into the top five?"

After meeting, Zhao Yingzhen asked with a smile.

Lin Shanhai shook his head and said, "Who can say for sure? The other Holy Sons and Holy Daughters are no pushovers. Just the number of Holy Sons and Holy Daughters alone is over a dozen. Even just squeezing into the top ten will be a brutal struggle!"

The Sword Ancestor Sacred Land has a vast number of disciples; there are a million outer disciples alone, and over ten thousand inner disciples, all of whom are carefully selected prodigies.

The Canglan Realm is vast and boundless, with numerous dynasties and billions upon billions of people. Besides the three Sacred Lands, there are many other first-rate powers.

Those who can apprentice in the Sacred Land, even as outer disciples, have the hope of squeezing into the inner sect of those first-rate powers. As for the inner disciples, they are all prodigies of the same realm, starting with Ninth-Grade Battle Body qualifications.

Among them, the outstanding ones either have astonishing comprehension or even more exceptional talent, and a small number even possess special constitutions.

In their home dynasties, they are top-tier monsters famous far and wide, but once gathered in the Sacred Land, they are just ordinary members among the million outer disciples.

Just like in storybooks, where mortal experts struggle to ascend, in the end, they are nothing more than a small pawn among the hundred thousand heavenly soldiers.

"Indeed, and don't put too much pressure on Qingying. It's already good if she can make it into the top ten. There are already many prodigies, and now that Sages like to use incarnations to reincarnate and cultivate, the competition among these young children has become even more intense."

Shi Huajin said to Lin Shanhai.

"That goes without saying. I never ask about her cultivation matters. No matter what rank she is, she is number one in my heart. Even if she stops cultivating and becomes an ordinary person, I, Old Lin, can still afford to raise a granddaughter." Lin Shanhai said.

"You certainly have an open mind. However, that child Qingying doesn't need you to urge her; she works harder than anyone. I heard she condensed the Supreme Soft Dao Body. Is it possible she is the incarnation of that Sage from the Yin-Yang Family?"

Zhao Yingzhen asked curiously.

Lin Shanhai's face sank: "She is not anyone's incarnation; she is herself!"

Zhao Yingzhen was stunned and gave a sheepish laugh.

Shi Huajin rolled her eyes at him. Who didn't know that Old Lin doted on this granddaughter and that they relied on each other for survival? He really knew how to touch a sore spot.

The group traveled together, and after flying out of the area where the alchemists lived, they headed toward the Sacred Mountain of the Sword Ancestor Sacred Land.

The Sword Ancestor Sacred Land's area is distributed such that outer disciples can only live among the peaks outside the Sacred Mountain. Only inner disciples can cultivate on the Sacred Mountain and have the opportunity to listen to the Sage's Dao sounds and teachings. As for the Holy Daughters and Holy Sons, they have exclusive Sacred Peaks for cultivation, gathering the energy of heaven and earth, allowing them to cultivate a thousand miles a day.

Flying leisurely for several thousand miles, half an hour later, the group arrived before the Sacred Mountain.

This Sacred Mountain is towering and vast; one could vaguely see its standing mountain body from hundreds of miles away. At this moment, clouds and mist circled the waist of the mountain, making it impossible to glimpse the true appearance of the summit.

When approaching the Sacred Mountain, one could see tens of thousands of streams of light flying in from all directions; these were all outer disciples rushing here to watch the battle.

In this Sword God competition, outer disciples do not have the qualifications to participate; only inner disciples compete, ultimately being eliminated and competing alongside the strongest prodigies in the Sacred Land, such as the Holy Daughters and Holy Sons.

The preliminary selection arena is on the mountainside, where the area is vast, with ten arenas competing simultaneously.

Only after the top hundred are selected will they gather at the summit to chase the final top ten under the eyes of the Sages.

At this moment, one could see clouds and mist circling the mountainside. In an extremely open and vast place, there were ten huge arenas, all surrounded by law barriers.

Outside the arenas were the spectator seats for the outer disciples. For them, such a prodigy sword technique competition was also a rare learning opportunity.

After the Sword God battle ends, the outer disciples will start a new round of competition for inner disciple seats, and many will stand out then.

At this moment, the spectator seats outside the venue were divided into various large zones, covered by noise-canceling laws, so although some human voices were emitted, it didn't sound too noisy.

Otherwise, with a million people gathered, even if they were all whispering, it would be noisy and chaotic when gathered together.

In addition to these spectator seats for outer disciples, there were floating seats in mid-air with a better view, allowing one to see the situation on all ten arenas simultaneously.

These seats were prepared for alchemists like Lin Shanhai, as well as for the artifact refiners within the Sacred Land, other managing deacons, dynasty law enforcers, and other people with status and power within the Sacred Land.

At this moment, the outer disciple spectator seats below were already bustling and more than half full.

As for the thousands of floating seats, only nearly half the people had arrived.

Lin Shanhai brought Li Hao, Zhao Yingzhen, and others to the seats in the alchemist area.

Their arrival naturally attracted the attention of some disciples. Many outer disciples were constantly thinking about these master alchemists, wanting to curry favor but having no way in; only now did they have the opportunity to glimpse their true appearance.

"Look quickly, it's the high-level alchemists!"

"I've seen that one; it's Alchemist Lin. It was thanks to the Body Casting Pill he refined earlier that I was able to accumulate and break through to the Undecaying Realm."

"There is a junior alchemist in my family who is already a retainer in my house, and even my father has to watch the other party's face to act. A high-level alchemist, ah! If they are willing to help, they can easily cultivate a powerhouse in the Hearing Dao Realm!"

"It's not that exaggerated, right? After reaching the Four Standing Realms, the effect of pills on the body will decrease."

"That's because you have little experience. Have you heard of the Hearing Dao Fruit? Some high-level alchemists' pills can exert similar effects. Although they can't help you hear the Dao one hundred percent, they can increase your chances of promotion."

"That's right, and the most powerful thing about high-level alchemists is their network. If the friendship is enough and they are willing to speak for you, they can summon their friends to help you refine, and even a piece of trash can be supported into a powerhouse."

"See that? Those are all high-level alchemists."

"Is that young man in the middle one too? That's impossible, right?"

"That must be someone's personal disciple."

"Nonsense, that is Alchemist Qingfeng. I saw him once when I helped deliver medicinal herbs."

"Alchemist Qingfeng? He is Alchemist Qingfeng?!"

Many people were surprised when they heard the name Alchemist Qingfeng.

Although they hadn't seen Li Hao, the name Alchemist Qingfeng had been extremely loud recently. Everyone knew that there was an Alchemist Qingfeng in the alchemist circle who had an extremely wide network and mastered a unique technique for refining medicinal herbs. If you asked him to help refine pills, it would basically be a success! On the floating seats, Li Hao, Lin Shanhai, and others had already taken their seats.

"It seems your name is very loud; these little guys know it too."

Lin Shanhai couldn't help but smile at Li Hao when he heard the whispers and exclamations below.

Li Hao also noticed, but only felt a bit amused. He, a person who had never refined a pill, had now become the famous Alchemist Qingfeng; it was a bit bizarre.

"Who told Qingfeng that his purification technique is truly irreplaceable? These little guys can be considered well-informed."

Shi Huajin said with a smile.

"If Qingfeng wants to become an alchemist, I can teach you, and it won't count as taking an apprentice." Zhao Yingzhen said immediately.

Lin Shanhai said huffily: "Stop calculating. I told Qingfeng this a long time ago. If he were willing, he would already have the opportunity to challenge being a high-level alchemist."

Zhao Yingzhen was stunned and then gave a bitter smile.

Li Hao's gaze fell on the ten arenas. On the edge outside the arenas, numerous inner disciples were gathered. What surprised Li Hao was that the aura of these inner disciples was deep and restrained, and the lowest was in the Four Standing Realms!

Among them, some figures with outstanding posture, standing in the crowd like the scorching sun, had even reached the Hearing Dao Realm, their aura restrained and deep, both obscure and sharp.

Li Hao was slightly silent in his heart. Just the inner disciples had the strength of the Hearing Dao Realm; this was the foundation of the Sacred Land.

And in the Great Yu Divine Dynasty for so many years, besides the Buddha Lord, there was only one True Person Qin sitting in town.

As for whether there were other reclusive Hearing Dao Realm experts, it was unknown. Even if there were, at most one or two would be the limit.

The six Dao Law Realm experts killed in the Imperial Palace earlier should be the six inner disciple prodigies from the Void Sacred Land, and they were all in the Dao Law Realm, which could be considered outstanding among inner disciples.

But such outstanding figures, among the inner disciples of the Sword Ancestor Sacred Land, numbered at least a hundred.

This is the gap between the Sacred Land and the mortal dynasty; their respective powers are like a divine dragon and an ant.

"Qingying is over there."

Shi Huajin raised her finger and pointed. Opposite the ten arenas, three figures stood in one place. Many powerful figures from the Sacred Land gathered around, but in front of these three figures stood more than a dozen figures with high spirits and outstanding appearances, all like transcendent stars, making people afraid to look directly at them.

Those outstanding figures among the inner disciples who were as bright as the scorching sun were also somewhat eclipsed compared to these people.

"Those are the three Semi-Sages in the Sacred Land."

Lin Shanhai introduced to Li Hao.

Li Hao narrowed his eyes and looked. Three Semi-Sages, second only to the Sages. Although the gap between Semi-Sages and Sages is huge, compared to the Hearing Dao Realm, Semi-Sages also possess crushing and absolute dominance.

Those three, one man and one woman, were both middle-aged, and there was also an old man whose aura was flickering and restrained, but he was like a divine mountain that seemed far yet near. Standing there, it was as if he had taken root in heaven and earth, towering and motionless.

Just the aura casually emitted made Li Hao feel a powerful sense of oppression.

His mind was solemn, and he vaguely perceived that with his current strength, even if he could easily suppress and kill Dao Law Realm experts, if he were to fight these Semi-Sages, the outcome would be unpredictable, and it was highly likely he would be defeated.

Semi-Sages have long lifespans and most of them possess extreme realms. Being only half a step away from becoming a Sage, they are already considered one of the top prodigies of the same era. Wanting to defeat them in an adverse situation is basically as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"For this preliminary selection, you can just watch here. If you don't want to watch, you can go back."

In front of the ten arenas, the middle-aged man with a burly and towering figure, whose shoulders seemed capable of lifting the heavens and earth, looked calmly at the dozen or so Holy Sons and Holy Daughters in front of him.

Hearing his words, the expressions of the dozen or so people were relatively plain. Some stood quietly, their clothes fluttering, wanting to see to what extent these outstanding figures among the inner disciples had reached.

Others bowed slightly to the three Semi-Sages and turned to leave, too lazy to watch more here.

For many Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, they basically locked their competitive gaze on other Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, and had no interest in the inner disciples who were a line lower. Anyway, they would eventually become stepping stones under their feet.

"Holy Son Haoyue didn't come; he must be in seclusion."

"He might intend to wait for the top hundred battle to appear. He doesn't look down on this level of battle, and coming here is just a waste of time."

"Parting thirty years ago, I don't know what level he has reached now. This time is really something to look forward to."

Several familiar Holy Sons and Holy Daughters mentioned a certain Holy Son, their eyes filled with a trace of fighting spirit.

There are many Holy Sons, but some Holy Sons and Holy Daughters have extremely loud reputations, and that Holy Son Haoyue is one of them.

"There are also many up-and-coming stars this time. Don't just focus on Holy Son Haoyue and get caught up by other little guys."

A Holy Daughter with a graceful figure, her face covered by a hazy light veil, her eyes like autumn water, glanced at a figure fluttering in white clothes beside her.

Hearing her words, the gazes of the other Holy Sons and Holy Daughters also shifted over. Some narrowed their eyes slightly, while others had indifferent expressions.

"I heard the Bone Mirror test showed she is not even twenty-seven years old. Among us, she can be considered the youngest, right?"

A young man with a tall figure and star-like eyebrows said with interest.

"After all, she is the personal disciple of the Master Jian Sheng. Like Holy Son Haoyue, she probably has the ability of Holy Son Haoyue thirty years ago."

Another Holy Son said calmly.

They chatted casually without covering up, all revealing confidence and composure in themselves, not caring about offending or provoking others.

After all, in this Sword God battle, everyone is a potential competitor.

Moreover, although they are all Holy Sons, if they want to obtain the incense of the Sword Ancestor Sacred Land and become the new Master Jian Sheng, there is only one spot. Everyone is each other's enemy, unless someone is willing to withdraw from this competition.

Hearing the discussion of these people, Bian Ruxue, dressed in snow-white clothes, remained silent and ignored it, just quietly watching the ten arenas in front.

She didn't intend to leave, but wanted to see the strength of these outstanding figures among the inner disciples. Those top inner disciples were not much inferior to the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, and some of them had even broken through after the last Holy Son and Holy Daughter selection, and now possibly possessed Holy Son and Holy Daughter-level power.

Although this possibility was extremely low, it was not non-existent.

On the other side, Lin Qingying was also looking out indifferently, having no interest in the discussion beside her and not participating.

She knew that those beside her were all her opponents, and her only partner was the sword in her hand.

Soon, after the chatting finished, the dozen or so Holy Sons and Holy Daughters left one after another, and finally only five remained here to watch quietly.

These Holy Sons and Holy Daughters were extremely eye-catching. As they left, many disciples in the spectator seats noticed and began to discuss in low voices.

And in front of the arenas, those inner disciples waiting to prepare for battle also noticed, and immediately felt a sense of contempt, but they knew this was a helpless matter; the other party was a Holy Son or Holy Daughter, far stronger than them.

However, a small number of people among them had cold eyes.

Not long after, the spectator seats gradually became overcrowded, and the floating seats were also gradually filling up.

The preliminary selection of the Sword God battle also began at this moment.

There are two types of challenge rules for the preliminary selection: one is a duel between two, and the other is the arena master defense battle. If you defend the arena for ten matches, you can directly advance to the top hundred, skipping other battles later.

The arena defense battle is prepared for those who are confident in their strength, while the random duels between two allow other inner disciples to have a chance to spar.

The three Semi-Sages sat in town, and following the explanation of the Sword God battle rules, they began to select people.

They gathered the contestant disciples' waist tokens together and randomly distributed them in the void using laws.

And the disciples who chose the arena defense battle had already arrived at the arena in the middle first.

In past Sword God battle competitions, the arena defense battle was often more eye-catching, and inner sect prodigies would choose this labor-saving method.

"Ho, the first one to go on stage for the arena defense battle is Mu Feng."

"He is also one of the best among the inner sect prodigies, so it's normal for him to choose to defend the arena this time."

"A few days ago, he also asked me to refine the Condensing Dao Pill, Qingfeng, you also came to help, remember?"

Zhao Yingzhen said to Li Hao.

Li Hao nodded, having some impression.

"How about it, the old rules, bet something? I'll start, intermediate pill recipe Pure Fire Pill, which can purify the pill poison in the body, but, there will also be a little pill poison residue, but compared to it, it is very small."

An old man spoke, his face full of smiles.

Shi Huajin said with a smile: "Okay, I'll accompany one, intermediate pill recipe Purple Gold Pill, which can increase physical strength, about fifty thousand jin per pill, only three pills are effective."

"I'm not familiar with him, so I'll accompany a primary pill recipe." Lin Shanhai also joined in.

The others also successively chose the pill recipes they bet on, and then began to select the number of rounds and odds, etc.

Li Hao listened from the side and found that they had formulated extremely detailed betting rules, which were actually a bit like Texas Hold'em?

Tsk, who said the ancients wouldn't play? As long as there is enough time, don't play too fancy.

"Qingfeng, do you want to come and play?"

Zhao Yingzhen asked Li Hao.

Li Hao shook his head: "I don't understand these, so I won't accompany you all."

"Go, go, go, don't drag Qingfeng into the water." Lin Shanhai said huffily.

Getting involved in this kind of thing is not a good thing.

The others didn't persuade much, and Li Hao took out the brush and drawing board he had prepared from the heaven and earth space and began to grind ink.

If we talk about the biggest gain in this battle, no one should be able to compare with himself... Li Hao felt beautiful in his heart. After grinding the ink, he set up the drawing board and first traced the three Semi-Sages.

I don't know how much painting Dao experience the existence of the Semi-Sage realm can provide; Li Hao felt a bit surging in his heart.

"Qingfeng, what is this?"

Shi Huajin noticed Li Hao's strange behavior and was a bit stunned.

The other alchemists also looked over, surprised by Li Hao's strange behavior.

Li Hao smiled, "A rare grand scene, I'll paint it down to keep as a souvenir."

Lin Shanhai knew Li Hao liked the painting Dao and that his painting Dao was extremely deep, so he smiled and said: "You just paint, don't disturb him, Qingfeng's paintings are a masterpiece."

"Oh?"

The others showed surprised expressions, and then became interested, thinking about looking at it after Li Hao finished painting.

Li Hao began to paint seriously with all his heart.

The three Semi-Sages stood together, and Li Hao observed while painting. However, painting for strong people is not simple. The reason why the painting Dao experience is rich is mainly because Li Hao needs to concentrate on observing, but as he observed the three Semi-Sages, his own spiritual power was also being consumed, as if he were exploring a maze.

The aura of the Semi-Sages was restrained and deep, giving him a feeling that it was difficult to copy and depict.

"Hmm?"

In the distance, the three Semi-Sages noticed they were being watched, raised their eyes and swept over, their gazes immediately falling on the floating seats, seeing the young man who had set up the drawing board.

Soon, they noticed that Li Hao was surrounded by alchemists.

"Whose disciple is that person, daring to offend like this." The woman's eyebrows were mature, and her eyes were deep and cold.

"It may not necessarily be an offense. I looked with my divine sense; he is painting for us. It is estimated that he is respectful and admiring, wanting to keep our paintings, and it seems he paints quite well."

The burly middle-aged man's expression was calm, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"That is not anyone's disciple. Recently, an alchemist who mastered the ability to refine medicinal herbs appeared among the alchemists. It should be that young man. He sits with Lin Shanhai. I remember he seems to be called Alchemist Qingfeng."

The old man took a look, then withdrew his gaze and said calmly.

"Alchemist Qingfeng?"

The woman's eyes moved slightly. Obviously, she had also heard of this name. The coldness in the bottom of her eyes dissipated a lot. She swept with her divine sense and immediately discovered that her figure appeared on the other party's drawing board, and, the appearance was beautiful...

"Since it is unintentional, then forget it."

She smoothed her eyebrows and said indifferently.

The communication of the three Semi-Sages was not covered up. Lin Qingying and Bian Ruxue beside them both heard it. Lin Qingying looked up and saw that Li Hao had really set up the drawing board and was actually tracing the Semi-Sages. She couldn't help but be speechless and felt a bit amused secretly.

Li Hao had been here for almost a year. After nearly a year of getting along, she could be considered to have completely understood this person. Usually, besides painting and carving, he really didn't do any other serious business.

Except for refining medicinal herbs.

"Hmm?"

Bian Ruxue also looked up. Hearing the word "paint," her heart moved inexplicably, and she looked toward the floating seat.

The drawing board blocked it, and she couldn't see the person's face, but for some reason, the set-up drawing board gave her a familiar feeling in her bones, and the blood all over her body seemed to have accelerated a bit in an instant.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 458 =====