Chapter 168: Lu Yang Takes the Field
“Up next, Li Haoran of the Dao-Seeking Sect versus Long Xiang of the Five-Elements Sect.”
“Li Haoran has a Fire Spirit Root?” Qiu Jin’an suddenly asked.
“Yes, what about it?”
“That’s interesting then. Our sect’s Long Xiang has a Water Spirit Root. This will be a round of fire against water.”
On the stage, Li Haoran and Long Xiang cupped their fists in salute.
“Please show me the way.”
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“You flatter me.”
The two then fell completely silent.
Once the match began, Long Xiang took the initiative, like a dragon leaping into the perilous seas. The two ice blades he wielded emitted waves of frosty air, causing the temperature of the entire Martial Plaza to plummet.
“Flying Dragon Strike!”
Long Xiang roared, but what greeted him was Li Haoran’s fist.
Lu Yang frowned. Li Haoran is not a physique cultivator. Why is he fighting with his bare fists? Even Man Gu knows to use weapons when fighting.
Since Long Xiang was unaware of Li Haoran’s capabilities, he didn’t notice anything amiss and slashed at him with his blades.
Rings of fire burst from Li Haoran. Pointing at Long Xiang, he commanded, “Go.” The fire rings immediately flew toward Long Xiang and encircled him.
“Water, rise, Raging Waves!” Long Xiang conjured the phantom of surging waves behind him, and the audience below the stage could vaguely hear the sound of crashing waves.
The phantom waves dispersed the fire rings.
Li Haoran strode forward, landing layers of red fist seals on Long Xiang.
Molten lava gushed under Li Haoran’s feet—this was the result of immersing himself in lava for a year.
The lava collided with the waves. Despite the waves being just a shadow image, they emitted vapor upon impact with the lava. As a dense mist shrouded the venue, it obscured the figures of the contestants, leaving only the sounds of their clashes audible.
Li Haoran’s fist technique was astonishing, a stark contrast to the impression he usually gave. Long Xiang was not adept at close combat. He was struggling to keep up and suffered several blows. Fortunately for him, Li Haoran’s offensive power was insufficient to inflict significant injuries on him.
Long Xiang raised his hand, gathering the surrounding mist into a column of water, which he hurled at Li Haoran.
Unable to dodge, Li Haoran was soaked from head to toe by the water pillar. He engaged Long Xiang again, but this time, the latter gained the upper hand. For some reason, Li Haoran’s movements had become sluggish.
Li Haoran knitted his brow, realizing the source of the problem.
Long Xiang laughed out loud. “Brother Li, you are very smart to notice my trap so quickly, but it’s too late. You have been drenched by the water column. I can manipulate the weight of water to make you fight with a heavy load, so of course, your movements won’t be as nimble as before. You’ve lost!”
To Long Xiang's surprise, Li Haoran revealed a faint smile. “Is that so? I beg to differ.”
Long Xiang wanted to raise his hand to attack, but he found that he couldn’t move at all. “What did you do?!” He widened his eyes, utterly clueless about what had happened.
Flames soared from Li Haoran, evaporating the vapor around him as he leisurely strolled up to Long Xiang. “Your shirt has been refined by me.”
Only then did realization dawn upon Long Xiang. The several fists Li Haoran had landed on him earlier weren’t meant to attack him but to refine his clothes into a metal prison. I, Long Xiang, am now the prey in this metal trap, with no chance of escape.
Are all the combat methods from the Dao-Seeking Sect this bizarre? Is this something a human can come up with?!
Li Haoran explained, “I heard from Senior Brother Lu Yang that you could use a storage ring to strip an enemy of their clothes, and that got me thinking. Since you can take away an opponent’s clothes, why can’t you refine them? From the looks of it now, my line of thinking was right.”
Qiu Jin’an was appalled as he stared at Lu Yang. How did you come up with such a shameless combat strategy?
“Oh, right, this is the Dao-Seeking Sect. That explains everything.”
With three wins out of three matches, the victory of the Foundation Establishment category was already in the bag. However, since this contest was supposed to be for the purpose of friendly exchange, the remaining two matches still had to proceed even if the outcome was already determined.
Tao Yaoye was up for the fourth round. Her Metamorphic Celestial Physique was rarer than a Single Spirit Root, demonstrating stunning power. In terms of one-on-one combat, she was also slightly stronger than Li Haoran.
To everyone’s surprise, Tao Yaoye ended up losing.
The one who defeated her was a young man in white robes. He was at the Intermediate Foundation Establishment Stage and a year older than Tao Yaoye.
On the other hand, Tao Yaoye was still at the Basic Foundation Establishment Stage, so her powers and combat experience paled in comparison to him.
“Next,” the young man in white robes said coldly. He didn’t leave the arena, instead opting to continue fighting.
Upon witnessing his overwhelming strength, the fifth disciple, whom Qiu Jin’an had chosen to take the stage next, voluntarily forfeited his spot, aware of the young man’s reputation.
Tao Yaoye was slightly indignant about the defeat. She had always been in first place since she was young. However, her opponent’s skills were so sublime that she lost before she could even exhibit the qualities of her Metamorphic Celestial Physique.
Someone from behind Tao Yaoye patted her on the shoulder.
She turned around, and tears welled in her eyes when she saw who it was. “Senior Brother, I lost.”
That person wiped her tears away and consoled her, “Your cultivation and experience still have room for improvement, and you are also a year younger than your opponent. Besides, Big Senior Sister told me that the strengths of the Metamorphic Celestial Physique aren’t apparent in its early stages.
“Since you call me senior brother, I have to defeat him, no matter what.”
~~~
Qiu Jin’an was pleased to see that they had finally clinched a victory, and he smilingly introduced, “This is my youngest disciple, Bai Ming, also my pride and joy. He has mastered three of the Five-Elements spells, and his fire-type spells are close to producing true fire. During our sect’s tournament, he wiped the floor with the Foundation Establishment category and attained first place.”
Cultivating Five-Elements spells was notoriously difficult. The spells often conflicted with one another, and one misstep could ruin one’s entire cultivation. It was extremely rare for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Bai Ming to be proficient in three elements.
Bai Ming’s presence bolstered Qiu Jin’an’s confidence. “I’m just saying, but it doesn’t matter who you send.” Despite losing the first three matches, Bai Ming’s crushing victory brought a wide grin to Qiu Jin’an’s face. “May I know who your sect will send for the next match?”
“Me.” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy volunteered on Lu Yang’s behalf.
On the stage of the Martial Plaza, a figure sauntered forward with steady steps, and it was none other than Lu Yang.
However, this Lu Yang was poles apart from the usual Lu Yang—he had a shiny bald head and his face radiated benevolence.
Bai Ming’s cold expression cracked into one of disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost. Of course, I know Lu Yang. He is the Dao-Seeking Sect’s acting sect leader who is supposed to be sitting at the spectator stand. Then who on earth is this person in front of me?!
“A clone!” Qiu Jin’an’s keen eye immediately discerned the origin of this “Lu Yang” on the stage. But that’s even more impossible. Lu Yang is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage. How could he have a clone?
To my knowledge, there is no cultivation technique or spell that can achieve something like that!
“To be precise, it’s a Bodhi tree clone,” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy added.
Lu Yang had used the Tree-Planting Mantra to plant himself, and the Bodhi tree fruited two people—one was his true self, and the other was his bald clone.
“A clone from the Seventy-Two Mighty Abilities?!” Qiu Jin’an’s was flabbergasted. Apart from Yun Zhi, how could anyone at the Foundation Establishment Stage master a spell like this?
“No, wait, it’s a wood-type clone!” Turbulent waves roiled in Qiu Jin’an’s heart. I’ve never seen a spell like this before... This is a newly invented spell!
Who was it?!
Was it Yun Zhi, or perhaps...
Qiu Jin’an’s gaze shifted to Lu Yang, his eyelids twitching. Earlier, he had heard of Lu Yang challenging those beyond his level from the people of the Dao-Seeking Sect, but he had simply assumed that it was due to some trick.
But if this technique was really invented by him, then perhaps the matter of him challenging beyond his level is not without substance!