Chapter 44 - Newcomer Competition

“Leng Yan, how dare you use such force! Do you not know that harming fellow disciples will result in punishment according to the sect rules?” Yelü Qi only wanted to force out Leng Yan’s true strength, but he hadn’t expected Leng Yan to not only be incredibly powerful but also ruthless. The people he brought along had all had their legs severed, and blood was seeping through the wooden planks, flowing down into the abyss.

“Sect rules? Punishment? Ha! Get it straight, you were the ones who attacked first, I was merely defending myself! Besides, this doesn’t even count as harming fellow disciples, it’s just broken legs, no one died. If you want to report to the Elder, go ahead! But before that, you’ll have to leave your legs behind!” Leng Yan had already considered it before severing their legs. Given that they were within the sect, killing could be witnessed by others, and these were inner disciples, making it forbidden by sect rules to kill them. Such a minor issue as severed legs could easily be suppressed by Shui Yunyao, not to mention Xuan Yi’s support.

“Leng Yan, don’t be so arrogant! I’m going to find the Punishment Elder right now, you just wait for your punishment!” Yelü Qi summoned his flying sword, ready to escape using sword control.

“I said, if you want to leave, leave your legs behind! Walls of Lust! Go!” Seeing Yelü Qi attempting to escape, Leng Yan’s spirit of desire stepped forward, pointing with one hand, sending a green mist flying towards Yelü Qi, entering his body.

As the mist entered Yelü Qi’s body, he halted mid-air almost instantly, his face flushed, lips slightly smiling, and his eyes filled with lust.

This was the effect of the Walls of Lust. Before Yelü Qi’s eyes appeared a group of beautiful girls, wearing sheer veils, performing enchanting dances. This scene aroused the lust within Yelü Qi, trapping him deeper.

His spiritual mind confused, his body lost control, stuck in place. Leng Yan wouldn’t miss this opportunity, he brandished his sword, leaping high and making a horizontal slash, severing both legs, causing Yelü Qi to fall to the ground, his flying sword dropping as well.

With his legs severed, the intense pain jerked Yelü Qi’s spiritual mind back into focus, eliciting screams of agony.

Looking at his severed limbs nearby, Yelü Qi’s face twisted with rage, unsure if it was from the pain or fury.

“The confusion of the spiritual mind? This is a cultivation technique from the Demon Sect! You’re one of them!” Yelü Qi trembled as he spoke, enduring the pain.

“Who told you that knowing a technique from the Demon Sect makes one a member of the Demon Sect? Alright! Now you can wait here for someone to come rescue you! And don’t forget to inform Prince Bao that it was I who injured you!” Leng Yan glanced at the severed limbs scattered around, smiled slightly, and spoke.

…

By the time Leng Yan returned to the master’s pavilion, it was already evening. Shui Yunyao had reached the peak of the golden core realm and was preparing for a breakthrough, thus she was in closed-door cultivation. Leng Yan returned to his room and also began cultivation, accumulating as much magical power as possible in preparation for advancing to the magical power realm.

…

Spirit beasts roamed, and flying creatures streaked across the sky. The Water Sect was bustling with activity. In the plaza, an arena, spanning over a li in circumference, was slowly rising. Xuan Yi stood atop the arena, raised one hand, and a massive water curtain barrier enveloped the arena.

With this in place, competitors on the arena could let loose without restraint, as even the most powerful magical techniques would not affect bystanders.

The inner disciples were divided by gender on either side, while Shui Yunyao, Xuan Yi, Huang Zhong, and Huang Chong sat on a high platform. In front of the arena were tens of thousands of outer disciples.

“Today’s competition groups are as follows: the magical power realm to the primordial qi realm for the first group, and the Heavenly Realm to the unification realm for the second group.”

The competition took place in the form of arena matches; the champion would remain defending the arena, while successful challengers would become the new defenders until no one dared to challenge anymore.

The first group’s champion would receive a reward of one hundred thousand primordial spirit elixirs and a low-grade treasure tool. The second group’s champion would be awarded three hundred thousand primordial spirit elixirs and a high-grade treasure tool.

The first group’s arena matches are now starting! Huang Chong stood up and loudly announced the rules to the crowd at the front.

As Huang Chong finished speaking, a man in a green robe leaped onto the arena, made a gesture of respect with one hand, and smiled, saying, “I am Lu Renjia, willing to be the first defender of the arena. Which fellow disciple would like to come up and spar?”

“Impressive courage, Senior Brother Lu, to be the first defender. Allow me, Guo Keyi, to be your first challenger!” Another green-robed man leaped onto the arena.

The two exchanged polite words, then took their stances, circling each other a few times. Suddenly, Lu Renjia made his move, launching dozens of water snakes.

Seeing the magical technique coming towards him, Guo Keyi quickly stepped back while trying to remain composed, shouting, “Well done!” A water wall then appeared in front of him, blocking the water snakes. As he retaliated, ice spears formed in his hands and launched towards Lu Renjia.

Thus began their exchange of magical power! Three minutes later, both had exhausted their magical power. It then became a contest between their magical treasures. Two minutes into it, their mental power was drained, and unable to sustain their treasures any longer, they resorted to a bare-knuckle battle.

Once someone took the lead, others followed. Each contestant, all from the magical power realm, stepped onto the arena for magical power clashes, treasure confrontations, and finally hand-to-hand combat. For observers like Leng Yan and his peers, these battles were unremarkable, and even Shui Yunyao and others were nodding off. Only the outer disciples watched with enthusiasm and high spirits.

A disciple from the primordial qi realm couldn’t resist and jumped onto the arena. Guo Keyi, opposite him, was momentarily stunned, his recent victory exhilaration vanishing, as he stammered, “Senior Brother Lu Mao, why are you up here?”

Lu Mao, somewhat irritated, flicked his sleeve and said, “If you don’t have real skills, don’t come up here and make a fool of yourself like performing monkeys. Get off the stage!”

Infuriated by such public ridicule in front of all the Water Sect disciples, Guo Keyi turned red with anger and shouted, “Then let me learn from your superior techniques!”

With that, Guo Keyi summoned a high-grade spiritual weapon, transforming it into a large net aimed at Lu Mao.

“Hmph! Admirable courage, but you overestimate yourself and act recklessly!” Lu Mao hadn’t expected this junior brother from the magical power realm to strike at him, feeling it was a blow to his dignity. Enraged, he waved his hand, and a giant water palm shot out, sending Guo Keyi flying off the arena.

“Impressive, Senior Brother Lu! I wish to challenge you too, if you’d grant me the honor!” A woman emerged from the crowd and stepped onto the arena. Leng Yan recognized her; it took a moment of reflection to remember it was none other than Hong Luan.

“Senior Sister Hong Luan, you must be joking. You’re exceptionally talented and have received personal instruction from Elder Xuan Yi, making your capabilities extraordinary. I fear I might suffer at your hands!” Lu Mao’s expression became serious as Hong Luan stepped onto the arena.

Among the disciples in the magical power realm, Hong Luan was the only one who made these primordial qi realm disciples feel any pressure. Of course, they were unaware that there was someone even more formidable than her-Leng Yan.

“Well then, please teach me, Senior Brother!” Hong Luan unsheathed a jade-green flying sword, which upon closer inspection, was a middle-grade treasure tool.

Lu Mao dared not be careless when facing Hong Luan, and he summoned his own magical treasure for protection. Lu Mao’s magical treasure was a talisman, a low-grade treasure tool. In terms of the quality of their magical treasures, Lu Mao was at a disadvantage compared to Hong Luan, but his cultivation level was far superior.

Leng Yan was somewhat surprised to see Hong Luan step up. Although he knew that she was also cultivating the blackwater emperor technique, he was aware of its drawback-it demanded a substantial amount of magical power to sustain its consumption.

If Hong Luan was merely relying on the blackwater emperor technique and her middle-grade treasure tool, her chances of victory were slim. However, Leng Yan had always considered Hong Luan a very shrewd person, unlikely to take risks without confidence. Perhaps she had other fortuitous encounters!

“Shifting Shadows, Talisman Empowerment!” Lu Mao shook his talisman, and a yellow light enveloped him. His figure began moving rapidly, creating dozens of Lu Maos across the arena, making it difficult to discern the real one. Leng Yan knew how to counter this technique but was curious about how Hong Luan would handle it.

The sudden change caused Hong Luan to pause momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure. A slight smile appeared on her pretty face as she swung her long sword.

With a single stroke, several illusions turned to dust, but Lu Mao’s true self was not among them. At that moment, a figure rapidly approached, with a green sword aimed at Hong Luan’s back.

As if anticipating this, Hong Luan twisted her waist and blocked with her long sword, stopping Lu Mao’s attack. She wasn’t pleased, as she sensed this wasn’t his real body either. Another sword stroke cut down the figure, which also turned to dust.

“Hong Luan! I know you’re skilled, but I don’t wish to harm you. You should just leave,” Lu Mao’s voice echoed from all directions.

Seeing the false Lu Maos, Hong Luan remained calm and smiled faintly, “Senior Brother Lu, do you really think such a trivial trick can stump me? I was just toying with you earlier. Since you wish to end this quickly, let me grant your wish!”