Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 217: Another Challenge

Fang Hao had publicly floored Sun Tianqi on the arena, venting his pent-up frustration, but this had also pushed him squarely into the limelight.

The moment he stepped off the stage, he was immediately submerged in a sea of gazes.

There were looks of admiration, curiosity, and resentment; naturally, there were also the dagger-like glares from the Sun Family side.

He couldn’t be bothered to pay them any mind, flopping back into his seat, swallowing a Medicinal Pill, and focusing his attention inward to seize the time to regulate his breathing and recover.

While that fight looked like a clean win, he knew better; he had exhausted seventy or eighty percent of his spiritual energy, and his Divine Soul was slightly overdrawn.

His left shoulder had been grazed by the aftermath of a lightning Spell, and it was still tingling, so he needed to treat it immediately.

Mu Fenghua sat beside him, her mood clearly excellent; she couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips and would occasionally whisper a few words to him.

Fang Hao would only offer an occasional "Hmm," keeping most of his focus on healing.

The matches on the arena continued.

After Sun Tianqi was carried away, the morale of the Sun Family plummeted, and no one else came forward for the time being.

Disciples from other Families, along with those Loose Cultivators of considerable strength, began to take the stage one after another, making the fights even more lively.

While regulating his breathing, Fang Hao used his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to observe the battles on the stage.

These young Prodigies of the Heavenly Capital were truly skilled.

Li Xuanfeng from the Li Family took the stage, wielding a long sword like autumn water; his swordsmanship was elegant and agile, yet hidden with murderous intent.

He defeated three people in a row, winning a round of applause.

He had clearly noticed Fang Hao as well; while on stage, he specifically glanced toward Fang Hao’s direction, his eyes carrying a hint of a challenge, eager to test his skills.

"This Li Xuanfeng’s swordsmanship is good; he seems to follow a path of agility and trickery, which is different from my Starfall Sword Art."

Fang Hao assessed internally, "If we really fight, I must watch out for his movement techniques and those feints."

Another person who caught Fang Hao’s attention was that consistently low-key member of the Wang Family, Wang Zhong.

After taking the stage, his fighting style was unpretentious; it was just a seemingly ordinary set of boxing techniques, but they were powerful and heavy, as steady as a rock.

His defense was even more astonishing; the opponents’ Spells hitting him felt like nothing more than a tickle.

He also won two consecutive matches, appearing to have plenty of energy to spare.

"This Wang Zhong’s Body Refining skills are not weak, and his Foundation is terrifyingly solid."

Fang Hao nodded inwardly; this type of opponent was the most troublesome—thick-skinned and resilient, with not-so-weak attack power. One couldn’t fight him head-on.

Aside from these disciples of great Families, several formidable characters also emerged among the Loose Cultivators.

There was a man wielding dual blades whose blade techniques were ruthless, with every move aiming for the kill.

Risking injury, he managed to hack a Middle Golden Core Stage Cultivator from the Zhao Family right off the stage.

There was also a female Cultivator skilled in sonic waves and illusions, making her impossible to guard against; she also won two matches.

"It seems the competition for the ’tianjing true dragon ranking’ is truly intense."

Fang Hao had a clear understanding now.

He was able to defeat Sun Tianqi partly due to clever tactics and a sudden burst of power.

If he were to really face opponents like Li Xuanfeng and Wang Zhong, who were equally skilled and in perfect condition, the outcome would be uncertain.

After all, he was only at the Middle Golden Core Stage, and he had just gone through a fierce battle.

Just as he was watching, a gentle voice came from the side: "Fellow Daoist Ning, are you feeling any better?"

Fang Hao turned his head to look and saw that the Crown Prince, Mu Yuankang, had walked over at some point and was looking at him with a smile.

Mu Fenghua also stood up.

Fang Hao quickly stood up to salute: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness; I am fine."

"No need for such formalities."

Mu Yuankang gestured for him to rise, his gaze lingering on Fang Hao for a moment before he praised, "Fellow Daoist Ning, your battle just now was truly spectacular."

"To defeat Sun Tianqi while at the Middle Golden Core Stage is a display of strength and courage that is truly admirable."

"May I ask where you studied, Fellow Daoist Ning? It seems I haven’t seen you in the Heavenly Capital before?"

Here it comes; he was indeed starting to probe for his background.

Fang Hao understood perfectly, yet he wore a look of shame on his face: "Your Highness is too kind."

"This Junior is merely a Loose Cultivator without a fixed master; I just had some lucky Opportunities in my early years and learned some crude skills."

"I have been traveling outside and only recently arrived at the Heavenly Capital with the Ninth Princess. My knowledge is limited, and I hope you will forgive my ignorance."

"For a Loose Cultivator to achieve such feats is even more rare."

Mu Yuankang nodded, appearing unsurprised, and asked again, "Fellow Daoist Ning, what do you think of the young talents of our Heavenly Capital compared to those from the outside world?"

"Hidden dragons and crouching tigers; outstanding talents emerge in succession. They are far beyond comparison to the outside world."

Fang Hao’s words were not entirely flattery.

Mu Yuankang smiled: "Fellow Daoist Ning is too modest. With your abilities, you will certainly make a name for yourself in the Heavenly Capital. What are your plans for the future?"

Is this... an invitation?

Fang Hao’s thoughts raced, and he replied respectfully: "This Junior is new here and only wishes to find a quiet place to cultivate in seclusion for a while to consolidate my cultivation."

"As for the future... I will take it one step at a time. If I can find an Opportunity for the Dao, that would be a blessing."

He didn’t close the door on the offer, nor did he explicitly refuse.

Although the Crown Prince and the Grand Princess were both members of the Imperial Family, their positions were not necessarily aligned.

Since he now held the Grand Princess’s jade pendant and owed her a favor, he did not want to get too deeply involved in Imperial Family entanglements for the time being.

Mu Yuankang seemed to hear the subtext and did not force the issue, simply saying meaningfully: "The path of the Dao is difficult, and Opportunities are hard to come by."

"The Mingling Empire widely recruits talented individuals, and the Imperial Family has many Secret Realms and ancient texts available for study. If Fellow Daoist Ning has any needs, you may come to the Eastern Palace to find me at any time."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness!"

Fang Hao quickly expressed his gratitude.

Regardless of anything else, the Crown Prince showing goodwill was always a good thing.

After chatting for a few more moments, Mu Yuankang turned and left to greet other guests.

Once he was far away, Mu Fenghua leaned in and whispered: "My older brother seems to think quite highly of you. But be careful; he is a man... with very deep thoughts."

Fang Hao nodded: "Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness; I understand."

As the two were speaking, another match on the stage concluded.

After winning four consecutive matches, Li Xuanfeng of the Li Family voluntarily stepped down from the arena, seemingly wanting to avoid excessive exhaustion.

Wang Zhong of the Wang Family also defeated his third opponent and chose to rest.

Just then, a harsh voice rang out: "Hmph, all this fighting, it’s just a bunch of cats and dogs; what’s the point? True experts would likely disdain to bully some weaklings on an occasion like this, right?"

The voice came from the other side of the high platform, from a young man wearing luxurious brocade robes with an arrogant expression.

Fang Hao remembered that this person seemed to be the heir of a powerful Marquis’s estate, surnamed Zhou, and was also at the Late Golden Core Stage.

He hadn’t entered the arena before, sitting there coldly observing and appearing quite disdainful of the matches on stage.

His voice was quite loud, and the Cultivators who had just finished fighting on stage and hadn’t yet left, as well as many people off-stage, all looked displeased.

He had insulted everyone present.

"Zhou Shitong, what do you mean by that? If you’re so capable, go up and fight! What kind of skill is just flapping your lips?"

Someone immediately retorted, unconvinced.

"Fight?"

Zhou Shitong sneered, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally landing on the recovering Fang Hao, carrying a hint of provocation: "If I, this heir, am to fight, it will be against an opponent truly worthy of my efforts."

"For instance... this Fellow Daoist Ning who just luckily defeated Sun Tianqi? I just wonder, does Fellow Daoist Ning still have the strength to take a few moves from me?"

The spearhead was pointed at Fang Hao once again!

It seemed that defeating Sun Tianqi, while establishing his prestige, had also made him a target for more people who wanted to step on him to climb higher!

This Zhou Shitong clearly saw that Fang Hao had just gone through a fierce battle and was in poor condition, wanting to take advantage of the situation to pick up an easy win.

He wanted to dampen Fang Hao’s spirit while simultaneously making a name for himself!

Mu Fenghua frowned and was about to speak.

Fang Hao, however, slowly opened his eyes, looking calmly at the arrogant Zhou Shitong.

He had been regulating his breathing for a while; although he was still far from his peak state, he was not without the power to fight back.

This Zhou Shitong was at the Late Golden Core Stage, and his aura was a notch stronger than Sun Tianqi’s, but the impression he gave was not as solid as Sun Tianqi’s.

He seemed a bit like a paper tiger, likely propped up by Medicinal Pills.

"If Fellow Daoist Zhou wishes to offer some pointers, I will naturally oblige."

Fang Hao stood up, his tone remaining calm, "However, I have expended quite a bit of energy just now. If Fellow Daoist Zhou truly wishes to spar, could you wait a moment and allow me to recover slightly?"

His words were neither servile nor overbearing; he didn’t show weakness, but he also pointed out that he was in poor condition.

If the other party insisted on fighting immediately, it would inevitably cast suspicion on him for taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability.

Zhou Shitong’s expression stiffened; he had intended to force Fang Hao onto the stage immediately and hadn’t expected Fang Hao to be so slippery.

He snorted: "Fine, this heir will wait for you for half an hour! Lest anyone say I won unfairly!"

After saying this, he stopped looking at Fang Hao and sat back down on his own, but the provocative look in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

Fang Hao sat back down, not bothering to argue with him, and continued to regulate his breathing.

Internally, he sneered, "Half an hour? That’s enough."

This Zhou Shitong seemed determined to use him as a stepping stone.

Very well, it would be the perfect chance to test how much of his strength he had recovered, and to see exactly how much weight these so-called heirs of Marquis estates really carried.

The atmosphere at the Azure Dragon Society became subtle and tense again due to Zhou Shitong’s sudden provocation.

Everyone knew that after half an hour, there would likely be another good show to watch.

Having just finished a tough fight, could this Fang Hao hold up against the challenge of another Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator?