Chapter 33: 【Humiliating Oneself, Golden Palace Divine Wind】 (Seeking recommendation votes)

The two cultivators were of similar cultivation levels, so what they were competing on was Sword Intent.

And the struggle of spirit and intent all happens within a single thought.

As a result, the moment Chen Sanqing released his Sword Intent at the very beginning, the outcome was already destined.

Because at that moment, Zhao Shanyue felt that she could not defeat her opponent.

The subsequent sparring and exchanges were merely verifying her own thoughts step by step; the thought of winning had already been extinguished.

Her Sword Intent was still lacking a little bit.

Being off by a little bit, the ending was already determined.

Zhao Shanyue pressed forward relentlessly, and the result was that she was met with Chen Sanqing's violent backlash; her own Sword Intent was scattered, and her body was also damaged by Chen Sanqing's Sword Intent—her meridians, Qi and blood, spirit Qi, and so on, were all injured.

Fortunately, Chen Sanqing did not deliver a lethal blow; otherwise, Zhao Shanyue's Spirit Root would have been damaged, and Foundation Establishment would have become a pipe dream.

A single battle resulting in immediate severe injury—this outcome made the expressions of several Elders of the Golden Wind Immortal Sect look quite poor, and one of them even scolded:

"Why haven't you carried her down yet! To be inferior in skill and still come out here to humiliate yourself!"

This person was Zhao Shanyue's master, Ma Hong.

The already unconscious Zhao Shanyue was carried away by several disciples in a flurry of activity, but Lu Chengtong did not follow.

Although now was the most suitable time to strike at Zhao Shanyue, he could not easily approach her, so he still had to wait until mealtime.

This kind of injury could not be recovered from in a day or two.

Chen Sanqing won one point and also caused the Golden Wind Immortal Sect to lose face; immediately, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Golden Wind Immortal Sect stepped onto the arena.

"Let me come and learn from your Sword Intent, fellow Daoist."

The person speaking looked to be only in his twenties, but in reality, he was already forty-two years old. His name was Chai Liyuan, and he had a cultivation level of the first layer of Foundation Establishment perfection.

He reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining perfection at twenty-seven, succeeded in Foundation Establishment at thirty-two, possessed superior Gold-Wood dual Spirit Roots, and was a pure Dharma cultivator.

"Dharma cultivator" is a general term; most cultivators can be classified as Dharma cultivators—that is, cultivators who do not practice side-door arts but only orthodox spells—but most people do not dare to claim the title of "Dharma cultivator" for themselves.

A so-called "Dharma cultivator" must have an extremely profound mastery of a certain spell.

The founder of the Golden Wind Immortal Sect was a Dharma cultivator, and the "Golden Palace Divine Wind" he practiced was an incredible wondrous technique; however, this spell was not something an ordinary person could practice.

What was required was for both Gold and Wood Spirit Root aptitudes to be superior.

Only with such a foundation could one enter the door and master this technique.

Wind belongs to Wood, implying the meaning of free growth; a Wood Spirit Root is mandatory. If one does not have a Wood Spirit Root, one must have the mutated "Wind" Spirit Root, which is even harder to find.

Therefore, within the Golden Wind Immortal Sect, only a sparse few people truly inherited the sect's secret techniques.

Among the younger generation, only this Chai Liyuan was one.

Chen Sanqing had a top-grade Gold Spirit Root, his Sword Intent was sharp, and he also possessed the Qiushui Sword Intent, inheriting the meaning of being soft, cotton-like, and formless.

But if it came to being formless, Water was still a notch weaker than Wind.

The Golden Palace Divine Wind is a very vicious spell; those attacked by this wind are like suffering a thousand cuts—after a gust of wind passes, the whole person is left in pieces, and even their divine soul is shattered beyond recognition.

Although its attack power against the divine soul is not particularly strong, this kind of energy-based spell impact will inevitably cause permanent damage to the divine soul, and at the same time, it will destroy one's foundation.

Facing this kind of unique skill, basically no one dared to resist it head-on.

Yet as a Sword Cultivator, one must meet the needle point with a wheat awn, never retreating; otherwise, one loses sharpness and loses one's edge.

Chen Sanqing's Sword Intent had already reached a level that could not be opposed by anyone below the Foundation Establishment realm, but in front of the Golden Palace Divine Wind, it was still firmly suppressed. Chai Liyuan just stood there, and when the wind rose, Chen Sanqing's Sword Intent was continuously forced back.

"I wish to learn!"

Chen Sanqing bore the pressure, gritted his teeth, and spat out these three words, then flew out holding his sword. The tip of his sword tapped a raindrop, turning it into a continuous thread of rain, stabbing toward the center of Chai Liyuan's brow.

A fan appeared in Chai Liyuan's hand; it looked like a cattail fan made of lotus leaves, with a brown fan surface, and no patterns could be seen.

But he saw him fan fiercely toward Chen Sanqing, and the rain thread was instantly blown away by the gale wrapped in golden sand.

Chen Sanqing's entire body was also blown into a sudden stagnation, followed by flying backward.

He continuously waved his sword, seemingly without any pattern, just forming sword flowers; in reality, he formed a layer of sword Qi shield, blocking the impact of those golden sands.

But the power of the gale was too strong; his Sword Intent could not resist it, and he actually broke his technique after landing. In the blink of an eye, dozens of tiny wounds appeared on his body, and his face, neck, and Dharma robe were all riddled with holes.

"Puff!"

His Qi and blood surged, and the spirit Qi he was circulating was also blown apart by the golden wind, unable to circulate according to the Great Heavenly Cycle, causing him to suffer severe injuries.

The sword had already left his hand and was stuck in the ground.

He had lost.

Chen Sanqing defeated Zhao Shanyue using only one move, and Chai Liyuan defeated Chen Sanqing using only one move as well.

They both used their strongest methods of attack.

A true battle, when both sides know each other's situation, is like this: one must go all out from the start, because the enemy might not give you the chance to use a second move.

A flashy, chaotic fight is not a true life-and-death battle; it is purely for others to watch.

Seeing such methods, Lu Chengtong also felt a sense of awe in his heart.

The spells of immortal cultivators truly each have their own characteristics; for this kind of spell, without specific defensive means, one needs to have a cultivation level far exceeding the opponent to suppress it; otherwise, if one is not careful, one will be killed by someone of a higher rank.

Cultivation level is never the only standard for measuring an immortal cultivator's strength; it is just a reference, and it is also deceptive.

Only with absolute certainty should one act; never act lightly.

Especially for himself, his identity must be kept secret. Who knows what kind of methods that Golden Core Master has? If he were discovered, he would surely be doomed.

After two battles, the struggle between the immortal sects officially entered a white-hot stage.

Lu Chengtong only used the Treasure Mirror to record the footage and took no other actions.

In fact, he had some concerns at the beginning.

Although he now knew that the Golden Core Master could not discover the existence of the Treasure Mirror, he did not know if the Nascent Soul Ancestors of the two great immortal sects would notice this sparring match; if they were to scan with their divine sense, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn't discover it.

But then he thought, if he could really be discovered, then he would be found out sooner or later; there was no escaping it.

Two Dao Seeds had already been planted, and the seeds of hatred had also been sown; even if he were discovered and died, the Treasure Mirror would escape, and the Lu family's hatred could still continue to be avenged.

Therefore, he still came.

For the sake of his plan, he needed to take this risk.

Fortunately, for now, everything was going smoothly.

On the first day, among the Qi Refining realm disciples of the Golden Wind Immortal Sect, only Zhao Shanyue participated in the competition.

Lu Chengtong thought for a moment and decided to act only against her first.

A weakened target reduces a lot of risk; the others would be weakened sooner or later, and it would happen within these two days, so there was no need to rush.

Some risks must be taken, but some unnecessary ones, even if they are tiny, should be avoided if possible.

After settling the food-delivery disciple, Lu Chengtong carried the food to the door.

"Knock, knock."

"I am here to deliver spirit food; may I come in?"

Not long after, Zhao Shanyue's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====