The martial arts tournament continued.
Two hours later.
Very few uncommitted participants remained off the stage.
A graceful figure drifted down like a floating blossom.
"It's the Junior Sister. She's here."
"She really broke through to the Nascent Soul stage!"
A Golden Core Late Stage cultivator stared dazedly at the Junior Sister on the stage, while several fellow disciples murmured among themselves.
"Such a young Nascent Soul practitioner! Truly a rare sight!"
"The key is that she's also so gorgeous..."
"How wonderful it would be if one could practice dual cultivation with her..."
Many defeated cultivators had not dispersed, choosing instead to watch the remaining matches. For itinerant cultivators, learning a thing or two from others' experience was never a bad deal.
The female Nascent Soul cultivator scanned the crowd, spotted Zhu Wu, and smiled with a nod.
"Huh? What?"
"Who is she smiling at?"
"Is it that guy? The one who threw the match?"
"So that really was a fixed match after all."
"Dammit, I need to find a chance to get on stage tomorrow and beat that brat up..."
"Such a fine flower stuck in cow dung."
The young masters of the aristocratic families acting as the tournament's organizers shared the same sentiment, casting intentional and unintentional glances at Zhu Wu.
"This... is getting even more troublesome..." Feeling the sword-like gazes converging on him from all directions, Zhu Wu hurriedly fled the martial arena.
"I wanted to see a Nascent Soul battle, but it seems I'd better leave first." Zhu Wu returned to the inn to rest.
Naturally, the crowd's attention shifted back to the female Nascent Soul cultivator.
Without any suspense, the Nascent Soul cultivator emerged victorious.
Zhu Wu figured the female cultivator would come looking for him tonight to retrieve her jade pendant, so he skipped his cultivation session and stayed entirely in his room, casually flipping through the dossiers of the other cultivators.
"Tian Cuicui, Golden Core Late Stage, direct disciple of Elder Wang of the Kaiyuan Sect, Nine-Yin physique, candidate for Holy Maiden..."
"Xie Wuhai, Golden Core Late Stage, chief disciple of Elder Wang of the Kaiyuan Sect, Fire Spiritual Root..."
"So his name is Xie Wuhai. What a fine name, pity he's matched with the wrong person. A Fire Spiritual Root? It somewhat restrains my Wood Spiritual Root... Looks like I really just got lucky today," Zhu Wu thought to himself.
"Tian Cuicui didn't come. Did she fail to borrow any spirit stones? That shouldn't be right. Given how popular she is, she'd only need to lift a finger and people would naturally offer spirit stones to her on a silver platter."
The next day, the tournament continued.
The crowd surrounding the martial arena showed no signs of shrinking. Regardless of the circumstances—even in situations posing a mortal threat—there was never a shortage of onlookers eager for a spectacle.
Zhu Wu stepped onto the stage once more.
Many people were itching to step up and challenge him, but Xie Wuhai—who had been keeping his eyes fixed on Zhu Wu the entire time—beat them to it.
"Are you willing to accept the challenge today?" Xie Wuhai asked, gritting his teeth.
"Eh, it's them again? Are they going to throw another fixed match?..."
"Those are disciples of the Kaiyuan Sect. Could they be trying to recruit people through this method?"
"I heard the Kaiyuan Sect has very strict recruitment standards, but this isn't the season for taking in disciples."
"Precisely because it's not recruitment season, they must be using this approach for special admissions, right?"
"..."
Down below, Tian Cuicui sat beside an elderly man.
"It looks like the sect elders have manufactured this extra opportunity. This is going to be troublesome."
"If I use the Annihilation Myriad Thunders, dealing with Xie Wuhai shouldn't be too much of a problem, but that might expose my identity, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to escape."
"No... for someone prone to anger, Illusion Techniques are the most effective. I have a winning chance!"
Zhu Wu thought to himself.
"Acceptance granted. What is there to fear from a defeated opponent?" Zhu Wu deliberately provoked him.
Veins bulged on Xie Wuhai's forehead as true qi surged violently.
"Blazing Prairie!"
The area surrounding the stage instantly turned into a sea of flames, cutting off Zhu Wu's escape routes.
"Illusionary Moon!"
Zhu Wu stood motionless.
"Heavenly Fire Meteor!"
Heavenly Fire Meteor was a higher-tier technique than Fire Meteor. While Fire Meteor consisted of countless small fireballs, Heavenly Fire Meteor hurled fireballs shaped like iron hammers. Just releasing them was enough to suffocate ordinary people, boasting terrifying might.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Rings of vines protected Zhu Wu; they were instantly smashed to pieces, yet they managed to block the initial wave of attacks.
"Heavenly Fire Meteor! Heavenly Fire Meteor! Heavenly Fire Meteor!"
"Let's see how long you can block!" Xie Wuhai had naturally checked the dossier: "Pili Jia, Wood Spiritual Root, itinerant cultivator, primary cultivation manual *The Secrets of Materia Medica*..."
The dossiers were not updated in real-time. But that didn't matter.
If a cultivator acquired a new technique or advanced a realm, it usually meant it had happened recently, all within a reasonable margin.
"Hellfire!"
This was a move capable of turning the ground itself into fire, leaving the opponent with nowhere to stand. It packed even greater power and consumed significantly more true qi.
"Yueying!"
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
A ring of vines formed a protective barrier, and two phantom grass arrows shot out. When they struck Xie Wuhai, they fluttered down harmlessly like blades of grass, failing to inflict the slightest bit of damage.
Yueying was not exclusive to any single sect. Although few people practiced it, Zhu Wu was not afraid of exposing himself through it.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to still be able to hold out!" Although still irritable, Xie Wuhai was more cautious than yesterday.
Attack and defense alternated.
The time of an incense stick passed, and both men were panting heavily, their true qi nearly exhausted.
"Blazing Prairie!"
The flames on the stage never ceased.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
A single grass arrow grazed Xie Wuhai's cheek, drawing a bead of blood.
Xie Wuhai reached up and touched it.
"You... you... Go to hell!" Xie Wuhai completely lost his mind.
A red glare flashed as Xie Wuhai's entire body was enveloped in a shroud of bloody aura.
A stream of bloody qi rushed straight at him.
"Hmm?" Zhu Wu hurriedly leaped aside.
"What kind of technique is that?"
"I can't sense any true qi; that's demonic cultivation!"
"Aren't those guys from the Kaiyuan Sect? How can he use demonic arts?"
"Could he be a spy from the Demonic Cult... I heard quite a few sects have them."
"The Demonic Cult... It's been decades since they last appeared..."
"Who knows if this is just a coincidence or if the Demonic Cult is about to emerge again."
"..."
"Master!" Tian Cuicui gazed at the seated elder.
"Wait..." Elder Wang muttered thoughtfully.
"When did he fall into the demonic path? Or was he sent by the Demonic Cult from the very beginning?" Elder Wang pondered, staring fixedly at Xie Wuhai.
The Demonic Cult had been beaten back decades ago. The old man had participated in small-scale resistance efforts back then, so he only retained a vague recollection.
Having his chief disciple turn out to be a demonic cultivator was a matter of monumental proportions; if handled poorly, it would not only ruin him but also implicate the entire Kaiyuan Sect.
"This surge of bloody qi... it's just like the one in the ancient tomb..." Zhu Wu recalled: "Looks like I can't spare him!"
The hardest part of a martial contest wasn't how to defeat an opponent, but how to restrain oneself from killing them.
After all, if an incident occurred, cleaning up the mess would consume time and effort for both the parties involved and the organizers.
Though Xie Wuhai's true qi was spent, his bloody qi was overflowing.
"Blazing Sun Incinerates the Heavens!"
Black flames intertwined with bloody qi surrounded Zhu Wu, scorching his entire body.
This move was vicious, aimed straight at taking his life.
Feeling that something was amiss, Zhu Wu decided to go for the kill.
"Yueying! Illusionary Moon! Illusionary Moon! Illusionary Moon!"
Illusion techniques had a pronounced effect on hot-tempered demonic cultivators.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers! All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Taking advantage of the split second Xie Wuhai remained dazed, the clone-projected vines entangled his ankles, and Zhu Wu immediately unleashed a barrage of grass arrows.
"This trick again!"
"Blazing Sun Incinerates the Heavens!"
As expected of someone one major realm higher, Xie Wuhai was not so easily subdued.
However, the grass arrows proved effective, piercing straight through Xie Wuhai and instantly causing beads of blood to ooze all over his body.
"You actually managed to hurt me! But this is perfect! Blazing Sun Incinerates the Heavens!"
Demonic arts were fueled by bloody qi; the stronger the bloody qi, the greater the power.
Originally, he would have had to force himself to bleed to convert it into bloody qi, but now, being wounded was a blessing—his entire body's blood instantly transformed into a towering sea of bloody qi, making Blazing Sun Incinerates the Heavens even more ferocious.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Zhu Wu hastily conjured vines to form a protective barrier, but his left arm was still scorched by the Blazing Sun Incinerates the Heavens.
Zhu Wu channeled his true qi, yet the flames refused to extinguish.
"It seems that dealing with bloody qi requires fusing true qi into the attack," Zhu Wu mused, dodging another attack.
"Master!" Tian Cuicui seemed somewhat anxious, calling out to Elder Wang once more.
"The manager hasn't called a halt, so it wouldn't be appropriate for us to step in. That kid doesn't show any intention of conceding either. Let's wait a bit longer," Elder Wang said.
The manager and the young masters in the seats were whispering among themselves.
Having never encountered such a situation before, they naturally didn't know whether to call a halt and were merely discussing how to handle it.
"Roaming Dragon Steps!"
"Should I just concede?" Zhu Wu wondered.
"Blazing Sun Incinerates the Heavens!"
Black flames flickered everywhere on the stage.
A pair of crimson eyes stared fixedly at him.
"Judging by this, you wouldn't let me off even if I conceded, would you?" Zhu Wu thought.
"Roaming Dragon Steps!"
Zhu Wu conserved his true qi, preparing to secure a fatal strike.
Zhu Wu pulled out some spirit hemp powder.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
The grass arrows carried the spirit hemp powder, piercing into Xie Wuhai's body.
"Explode!"
"I wonder if this is effective against bloody qi?" Zhu Wu observed Xie Wuhai while dodging.
There seemed to be a momentary pause.
"It looks like the effect isn't very obvious. Let's try increasing the dosage."
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Several thick vines laden with spirit hemp powder pierced through Xie Wuhai.
Xie Wuhai had no intention of defending. Demonic arts granted strong self-healing capabilities to the body, making it unnecessary to forgo offense for defense.
"Explode!"
Xie Wuhai's movements slowed noticeably.
"Fuse true qi! Illusionary Moon! All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Every single grass arrow targeted his heart.
The source of power for demonic arts was singular—the heart. Destroying the heart was the only way.
"Golden Bell Shield!"
Realizing the target of the grass arrows, Xie Wuhai condensed his bloody qi to defend.
"Fuse true qi! All Vegetation is Soldiers! All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Zhu Wu maintained his relentless assault.
"Boom!" The attack pierced the heart, and a mist of blood scattered into the air.
"Blood Escape!"
"I will be back!..."
A hoarse voice faded away as the flames on the stage extinguished completely. A streak of blood-red light tore across the firmament and vanished into the distant horizon.
"*The Secrets of Materia Medica*!"
Zhu Wu hurriedly crossed his legs to heal his injuries.
"Are you all right?" Tian Cuicui rushed onto the stage and asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern," Zhu Wu replied.
"I heard it was my jade pendant that brought you trouble. I'm sorry," Tian Cuicui said apologetically.
"It's nothing. I actually thought you'd come with the spirit stones last night," Zhu Wu replied.
"Uh... well... my master and the others were there, so it wasn't convenient..." Tian Cuicui said awkwardly.
"After tomorrow's matches finish, I'll definitely make it into the top ten. I'll have spirit stones then," Tian Cuicui said.
"Alright..."
The two of them walked off the stage.
Tian Cuicui returned to Elder Wang's side.
"What a tangled fate," Elder Wang sighed softly.
"You never leave your jade pendant behind; whatever made you think of pawning it? Wouldn't using something else have been better?" Elder Wang asked Tian Cuicui.
"Your disciple wasn't carrying any magical treasures on her at the time, and he didn't fancy any of the other spirit herbs..." Tian Cuicui explained.
"This matter cannot end amicably. I must return to the sect first to verify things. You must all be careful." Touching his storage ring, Elder Wang said awkwardly, "Being used to life in the sect, I didn't bring any spirit stones either. You'll have to figure something out on your own."
With that, Elder Wang flew away.
The tournament proceeded as usual, and everything went smoothly from then on.
The Wang Family's Main Hall.
More than a dozen people were seated.
"Everyone, regarding the appearance of the demonic cultivator today, what are your plans?" the Patriarch of the Wang Family asked.
"The appearance of a demonic cultivator indicates that the Demonic Cult may be plotting something. We must also step up our guard," said the Patriarch of the Li Family.
"The problem now is that we don't know how many demonic cultivators are out there—they might even be right in our midst..." Patriarch Zhang said.
"Demonic cultivators are hidden extremely deeply and haven't made any moves yet. As Patriarch Zhang said, just in case there are some among us, it's best not to discuss it for now," the Li Family Patriarch said.
"Then what are everyone's thoughts on that Pili Jia today? That brat didn't just use a Wood Spiritual Root to counteract a Fire Spiritual Root; the crucial point is that he bridged a major realm gap," the Patriarch of the Wang Family said.
"I heard he used an illusion technique... Such a young illusion genius—the only one I can recall who compares is that person from the Chen family," Patriarch Zhang said.
"The Chen family? Did anyone from the Chen family make any moves this time?" the Li Family Patriarch asked.
"No, just a few servants watching the matches from the sidelines," Patriarch Zhang said.
"If there are no objections, our Wang Family would like to take him in. I hope the other two patriarchs will yield to us." The Patriarch of the Wang Family said.
"No problem at all. Whatever Patriarch Wang says goes," the two patriarchs said in unison.
"The Wang Family truly has grand ambitions. If they recruit that kid, they'll also forge a connection with the Kaiyuan Sect."
"The Demonic Cult? I'll need to investigate this thoroughly when I get back," Patriarch Zhang thought to himself on his journey back.
"That kid gave me a somewhat strange feeling. Could he also be from the Demonic Cult?"
"From start to finish he only used one move, *All Vegetation is Soldiers*. He must be hiding something else..." the Li Family Patriarch thought to himself on his journey back.
Somewhere.
A pile of withered monster beast carcasses littered the ground.
A skeleton trembled: "Not enough, still not enough..."
"It seems the vital blood of monster beasts is indeed inferior to that of humans. Even with this many, it's not enough to keep me standing," said a figure in a Black Robe. "Any news on that Heiliu?"
"Your Highness, none yet."
"Where was Heiliu sent to practice before this?" the Black Robe asked.
"The ancient tomb in the Mobei Ruins."
"Go investigate," the Black Robe said.
"Your Highness, Heiliu is dead."
"Do we know who did it?" the Black Robe asked.
"I heard there's someone in Mobei City named Pili Jia who accepted the quest to explore the ancient tomb, and there's been no news of him since."
"Pili Jia... Pili Jia... Pili Jia!" The skeleton rattled excitedly.
"So you fell into the hands of that Pili Jia during this tournament?" the Black Robe said. "Very well, you go to the ancient tomb as well."
"Find a way to lure itinerant cultivators to the ancient tomb, but don't do it too frequently," the Black Robe instructed another Black Robe.
"As you command, your subordinate will handle it right away."
"Go. Don't overdo it; wait until you've recovered before doing anything else," the Black Robe said to the skeleton.
Zhu Wu returned to his inn room and resumed cross-legged meditation to heal his wounds.
Although they were superficial injuries, wounds caused by the burning bloody qi were slow to heal.
Dawn broke.
"Waiter, bring a plate of monster beast meat... and a flask of wine. Send it to my room."
His wounds healed, his body and mind felt exhausted.
"This wine packs a punch!"
After eating and drinking his fill, his spirits gradually revived.
Today was the final day of the tournament, with around thirty participants eligible to compete.
A scoring system was adopted for today. Seated at the front, alongside the various family patriarchs, were several elders invited from nearby sects to serve as judges.
The matches remained one-on-one, but every judge and patriarch participated in scoring. Thus, winning or losing wasn't quite as important; the final accumulated score was the key.
The crowd of onlookers around the martial arena had grown larger, with many people interested in seeing who would claim the top spots.
After a few rounds, Zhu Wu stepped onto the stage.
A Golden Core Middle Stage sword cultivator leaped onto the stage: "Kid, seeing that you possess a Wood Spiritual Root—and I've been chopping firewood since I was a kid—I wonder if you're willing to accept my challenge?"
"No problem." Zhu Wu looked at the burly figure before him, with two large sabers tucked at his waist.
"My surname is Yang, but everyone in the village calls me Ergouzi. I'm older than you, so I'll call you Little Li, if that's all right." Ergouzi seemed somewhat overly familiar.
"That's fine," Zhu Wu replied.
"Then let's begin. You go first," Ergouzi said.
"Quite polite..." Zhu Wu thought, not standing on ceremony.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Several vines shot straight toward Ergouzi.
"Hah!"
Without drawing his sabers, Ergouzi shattered the vines with a single punch.
"Take this seriously! I actually specialize in chopping trees!" Ergouzi said with a smile.
"Yueying! Illusionary Moon! Illusionary Moon!"
"All Vegetation is Soldiers! All Vegetation is Soldiers! All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Vines and grass arrows launched simultaneously.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
With just a spin of Ergouzi's body, both the grass arrows and the vines dissipated into nothingness.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers is only at the minor accomplishment stage; it can't inflict an effective attack..." Zhu Wu calculated inwardly.
"Yueying! Illusionary Moon! Illusionary Moon!"
"All Vegetation is Soldiers! All Vegetation is Soldiers! All Vegetation is Soldiers! Explode!"
The vines grew thinner and increased in number, darting along the ground from all directions toward Ergouzi's ankles, instantly climbing up his entire body and wrapping around him tightly.
"Hah!" Ergouzi let out a loud shout, and the vines shattered.
"Even with spirit hemp powder, I can't trap him... brute strength truly subdues ten techniques..." Zhu Wu lacked a suitable countermeasure.
"Annihilation Myriad Thunders should be effective, but if I use it, the Li Family might figure it out."
"Yueying!"
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
Zhu Wu changed his attacking methods, but regardless of the thickness or length of the vines, they proved completely ineffective against Ergouzi.
The time of an incense stick passed, and Zhu Wu's true qi hit rock bottom.
At this point, Ergouzi had still only used one saber.
"You should concede. Seeing that you only know this one trick, you're no match for me." Ergouzi drew his second saber, raised both blades, and brought them crashing down toward Zhu Wu.
"Out of respect for you, I'll use a little bit of my full strength."
"Yueying!"
Zhu Wu dodged, and the ground where he had just been standing was split apart into two deep trenches.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
Before Zhu Wu could steady his footing, a violent surge of true qi swept across the entire stage, and his phantoms instantly dissipated.
"All Vegetation is Soldiers!"
"Golden Bell Shield!"
The vines were pulverized in an instant, and Zhu Wu hurriedly cast the Golden Bell Shield.
Though protected by the Golden Bell Shield, the whirlwind still felt like blades slicing across him. Fortunately, its momentum had decreased significantly, only tearing his clothes and scratching his skin.
"Fine, I concede!" Zhu Wu weighed his options.
Without exposing his true strength, Zhu Wu had no way to defeat Ergouzi.
"Straightforward enough, you're a real man! I wonder if we could become sworn brothers? I like real men." Ergouzi laughed heartily.
"Uh..."
"I mean I don't like making friends with those scheming men who are full of hidden thoughts, don't get any weird ideas." Ergouzi laughed as he explained.
"That's not a problem at all," Zhu Wu replied.
"Great! Tonight we'll find a place and drink to our heart's content!" With that, Ergouzi threw his arm around Zhu Wu's shoulder and walked off the stage.
Zhu Wu's final score ranked ninth.
Ergouzi ranked seventh.
Tian Cuicui ranked second.
The three patriarchs each selected the cultivators they wanted, waiting for them to join their ranks.
Those who already belonged to sects naturally wouldn't join—Tian Cuicui, for instance—but both sides could still engage in friendly cooperation.
Itinerant cultivators could join directly.
Zhu Wu wanted to enter a sect, so he declined the invitation from the Patriarch of the Wang Family, accepting only a dozen medicinal pills as a reward.
Ergouzi had originally wanted to join, but seeing that Zhu Wu wasn't joining, he gave up the idea as well.
The two of them went to a small tavern on the outskirts of the city to eat and drink heartily. The main attraction here was that it was cheap.
Tian Cuicui had already returned to her sect. "Damn it, I forgot about the jade pendant!"