Chapter 525: 8 People
Chapter 525: Chapter 462: 8 People
The rules were simple. Everyone understood and stepped forward one by one to draw a wooden token.
Du Zhen went up first. He drew a red token, his face lighting up with joy.
When it was Zhao Lin’s turn, he reached into the box. He pulled out a token and saw that it, too, was red.
Xu Jingyu had the cultivators with red and green tokens form two lines. Stroking his beard, he said, “In truth, it doesn’t make much difference which color you drew. Ultimately, it all comes down to strength.”
He pointed at the line of cultivators holding green tokens and said, “Go ahead and challenge them, one by one, in order.”
“Yes.”
The cultivator at the front of the line stepped forward and scanned the red-token line.
His gaze didn’t linger on Zhao Lin or Lu Liancheng. After all, Martial Cultivators and Body Cultivators were notoriously tough opponents. It finally settled on a cultivator at the very end of the line.
“I am Zhang Yunfeng, and I request a duel with this fellow Daoist.”
“I am Wu Tian. Let’s begin!”
The two walked into the Array and each revealed their magic weapons.
Coincidentally, both of their magic weapons were short spears, each over four feet long.
“You are protected by the Array, so feel free to go all out. The duel ends when one of you surrenders or is ejected from the field by the Array. Understood?”
Seeing that the two were ready, Xu Jingyu offered a reminder.
“Understood.”
“Good. Begin!”
Zhang Yunfeng and Wu Tian simultaneously threw their short spears and began to clash from afar.
Both were at the Peak of Qi Refining, and their skill with the spear had reached a level of mastery. Their strengths were incredibly close. They went back and forth for a quarter of an hour, yet no winner emerged.
Xu Jingyu gently shook his head and said in a low voice, “The Spiritual Qi in the Bajiang Realm is thin. A Qi Refining Realm cultivator’s Magic can only be sustained for a few minutes at most.”
“If you encounter He Shanfeng and can’t take him down within a few minutes, you must retreat immediately. Otherwise, your lives will be in danger.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Zhao Lin and Lu Liancheng. They were the only two who could fight without being completely reliant on external Spiritual Qi.
Some time later, the two in the arena finally determined a winner: Zhang Yunfeng defeated Wu Tian.
Xu Jingyu said to Wu Tian, “Rest for now. You’ll have another chance in the second round. Next…”
The duels proceeded one after another, with the green-token cultivators taking turns to issue challenges.
After one round, three of the red-token cultivators had been defeated.
Du Zhen defeated one challenger, securing his token. No one challenged Zhao Lin.
However, in the second round, a cultivator who looked to be in his fifties challenged Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin stretched his limbs and walked into the center of the field.
As soon as the duel began, the cultivator in his fifties released a Long Sword, which flew through the air to strike at Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin calmly drew his Moon-Cutting Saber. With a single block, he sent the Long Sword flying, then hurled his saber forward.
The older cultivator felt an immense force as he lost control of his Long Sword. He hastily drew a concealed shortsword and sent it flying to intercept the attack.
After a series of sharp CLANGS, the shortsword fell to the ground.
Suddenly, the older cultivator felt a powerful pulling force. The scenery before him blurred, and he found himself ejected from the field.
Zhao Lin had defeated his opponent in the space of a few breaths. Everyone, with the exception of Du Zhen and Lu Liancheng, was stunned.
After that, no one challenged Zhao Lin again.
Two hours later, both rounds of the selection were complete.
“Congratulations, my eight fellow Daoists. You are the ones who have been chosen to enter the Bajiang Realm. As for those who were not selected, don’t be discouraged. A loss can be a blessing in disguise; perhaps other opportunities await you.”
As expected of a deacon from the Ritual Hall, Xu Jingyu’s speech was impeccable. Even the cultivators who hadn’t been selected felt their spirits lift.
After the unselected cultivators departed, Xu Jingyu led the eight chosen ones back to the council hall. He had an attendant disciple bring in a map and hang it on the wall.
The map clearly depicted various types of terrain, including mountains, basins, and rivers.
“Historically, the Bajiang Realm was our sect’s territory, which is why we have a map of this minor world.”
Xu Jingyu beckoned for everyone to come closer and began his explanation, pointing to the map.
The Bajiang Realm is a very small minor world, only a few hundred miles from east to west and north to south. It’s nearly circular in shape and not much larger than a county of the Chenghua Sect.
No humans are native to this minor world. It is inhabited only by wild animals and some very low-level Demon Beasts. Only cultivators of the Qi Refining Realm can enter it.
The Bajiang Realm is strategically located at the borderlands of the Six Sects: the Chenghua Sect, the Nanzhu Sect, the Mengma Sect, the White Mountain Sect, the Nibo Sect, and the Mu’er Sect.
Because the Spiritual Qi is so thin, cultivators can’t use much Magic there. This makes it relatively safe and thus an ideal place for trade.
The Bajiang Realm has high mountains to the west, north, and south, a river to the east, and a large trading market in the center.
Xu Jingyu spoke for an hour before looking around at the group. “Does anyone have any other questions?”
Zhao Lin raised his hand. “Elder Xu, He Shanfeng entered the Bajiang Realm six or seven years ago. How can the sect be so certain he’s still alive, and specifically, that he’s still in the Bajiang Realm?”
“What if he’s dead or has secretly fled elsewhere?”
The other cultivators realized the same problem. “Exactly! What if he’s not in there? Will we have come all this way for nothing?”
Xu Jingyu laughed. “Someone asks this question almost every time. I can tell you all with certainty: not only is He Shanfeng alive, he is definitely in the Bajiang Realm.”
“The reason is simple. Before he fled, He Shanfeng served as the head of the Artifact Refining Hall in Qingtong Province.”
“It’s a very important position that involves many of the sect’s secrets. So, as per regulations, the provincial administration had He Shanfeng provide a drop of his blood essence to light a Soul Lamp.”
“He Shanfeng’s Soul Lamp has not gone out, which means he’s still alive. Furthermore, by using a Tracking Technique, we’ve confirmed his location is within the Bajiang Realm.”
“I see.”
Zhao Lin cupped his hands in thanks. After a moment of thought, he added, “Elder Xu, the Spiritual Qi in the Bajiang Realm is thin. For He Shanfeng to have stayed there for so long, he can’t have survived on Spirit Stones and Spirit Rice alone. He must have a very well-hidden place to live.”
Xu Jingyu nodded. “You’re right. The matter is highly suspicious. We suspect the Nanzhu Sect is involved, but unfortunately, we have no proof.”
He sighed. “If someone had cultivated their Qi Observation Skill to the level of perfection, they might be able to find that scoundrel’s hideout. But alas, everyone here is a master of combat; none of you would have wasted much effort on a skill like that.”
Hearing this, Zhao Lin’s eyelid twitched.
At the proficiency level, the Qi Observation Skill allows one to perceive unnatural energies like Corpse Qi, Yin Qi, and Evil Qi.
If cultivated to the levels of mastery or perfection, it could even be used to survey earth veins and detect subtle changes in Spiritual Qi.
‘He Shanfeng definitely wouldn’t just hide in some random cave,’ Zhao Lin thought. ‘Otherwise, his cultivation would inevitably regress over time.’
‘In other words, if I could cultivate the Qi Observation Skill to perfection and observe the subtle fluctuations of Spiritual Qi in this minor world, I might just be able to find He Shanfeng’s hideout.’
“Elder Xu, may I ask, has anyone in Wulin County cultivated the Qi Observation Skill to perfection?”
Hearing Zhao Lin’s question, Xu Jingyu nodded. “In a place as vast as Wulin County, of course there are people who have perfected the Qi Observation Skill.”
“Unfortunately, their cultivation is at the Foundation Establishment Realm or higher, so they can’t enter the Bajiang Realm. Otherwise, would we really have let that scoundrel run free for so long?”