Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

Zhang Chi, however, had anticipated this victory, so he remained perfectly calm. He gave the elderly referee a slight nod before flying off the fighting stage.

"Senior, thank you for your efforts!"

"Senior, you’re so strong! With this, we’ve gone straight into the top hundred!"

"Yes, thank you so much, Senior! The Shang Family’s decision to cooperate with you was truly the wisest choice we could have made!"

The members of the Shang Family immediately crowded around him, showering him with all sorts of compliments.

A total of one hundred and twenty-eight families were participating in the Black Origin Immortal City competition. A single win meant advancing directly into the top sixty-four.

In other words, even if Zhang Chi’s luck ran out and he encountered a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage or higher and lost the match, the Shang Family would still be safely in the top hundred.

Of course, the final top hundred would have to face one more challenge, but given Zhang Chi’s Combat Power, that was clearly not going to be a major issue.

"Hmph, it was just one win. What’s so great about that!"

"Exactly. That bald Cultivator from before must have been careless, that’s the only reason this kid’s sneak attack succeeded!"

"Just hope you don’t run into our Feng Family next. Otherwise, this win will be useless, because an expert from our Feng Family will cripple your Shang Family’s Honored Guest Elder!"

The Feng Family members had already calmed down. Seeing the situation from afar, they were all extremely disdainful.

Meanwhile, the competition continued. In less than two hours, all sixty-four matches of the first round were concluded.

Zhang Chi noticed that nearly all the contestants at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and above had advanced.

This was because while the matchups were said to be random, the three Divine Palace Envoys had actually arranged them to prevent the stronger contenders from facing each other too early.

After all, guarding the Spiritual Lands and Oases required a certain level of strength. If people relied on luck to achieve a high ranking, one or two might be acceptable, but any more would be detrimental to defending against the Beast Tide.

"Number Thirty-Seven, Number One Hundred and Twenty-Eight."

The second round proceeded even faster, as only thirty-two matches needed to be fought. As for those who were eliminated, they would compete for the remaining rankings later.

Thus, Zhang Chi was soon called again and flew onto the fighting stage once more.

This time, his opponent was a middle-aged Female Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Although this Female Cultivator was beautiful, her gaze was incredibly cold. This was because she was from none other than the Feng Family.

"Haha, the heavens are truly helping my Feng Family! To think I’d face you myself. Die, you brat!"

The Feng Family Female Cultivator was overjoyed. Fearing Zhang Chi might forfeit on the spot, she spoke while raising her hand to form a Technique. In an instant, a massive, cyan Wind Blade dozens of feet long appeared in the air before her and shot toward Zhang Chi with incredible speed.

And that was only the beginning.

The moment the first Wind Blade was unleashed, the Female Cultivator continued to form techniques, firing off seven more Wind Blades in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, she herself retreated rapidly while casting a Magic, summoning a gentle breeze to swirl around her, increasing her speed by a large margin.

Clearly, she was afraid of Zhang Chi getting into close quarters.

"Oh no!"

"What terrible luck!"

"Senior, quickly, let’s just forfeit! Don’t get entangled with her."

The members of the Shang Family were utterly horrified, and they all cried out in alarm.

They had known things were bad the moment they heard the numbers called.

Unfortunately, Zhang Chi had moved too quickly. By the time they wanted to stop him, he was already on the stage.

"I thought the Shang Family had gotten lucky by finding a decent Honored Guest Elder, but it seems we were overthinking it!"

"Exactly. It’s useless even if this Shang Family Honored Guest Elder has some strength, because he’s clearly not very bright!"

"He must have fried his brain with all that Body Refining!"

The Kou Family Cultivators were also present, and they all shook their heads slightly at the sight.

When the Shang Family had successfully advanced earlier, the thought of the matter between the Kou Family’s Sixth Miss and Shang Deyi had made them somewhat worried.

But now, they all immediately relaxed.

The Kou Family’s Sixth Miss, in particular, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good! Cripple that brat!"

"Excellent. We can’t kill him, but there’s no punishment for crippling him! This is the price he pays for not listening to my warning!"

Seeing this, the Feng Family members cheered smugly, their faces full of anticipation.

The Feng Family’s Young Master, in particular, was ecstatic.

Meanwhile, on the fighting stage, Zhang Chi showed no signs of panic in the face of these Wind Blades. He didn’t even move, standing rooted to the spot.

"Is he scared stiff? Just as I thought, he’s only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Even if his Combat Power is decent, he immediately shows his true colors when facing a High Tier Cultivator!"

The audience, not knowing Zhang Chi’s true capabilities, couldn’t help but feel rather disappointed by the sight.

"Heh heh!"

The Feng Family Female Cultivator gave a smug sneer, even starting to suspect that she was making a mountain out of a molehill by unleashing so many Wind Blades while constantly repositioning.

After all, she was a Cultivator with a Mutated Spirit Root.

Furthermore, her attainments in Wind Techniques were extremely high, and the killing power of these overlapping Wind Blades was immense.

Even if her opponent had achieved some success in Body Refining and had a relatively high defense, it would be impossible for him to block them.

As for a Magical Artifact, she had one, but she hadn’t used it.

For one, using the Wind Blade Technique was faster for her.

For another, she felt it was unnecessary; using it would be beneath her status as a High Tier Cultivator.

"This is bad!"

Below the stage, the Shang Family grew even more anxious.

Even the referee frowned slightly, preparing to intervene to prevent Zhang Chi from being killed outright.

BANG!

But in the next instant, just as the Wind Blades were about to strike Zhang Chi, he suddenly moved.

Zhang Chi stomped his right foot on the ground. The stage immediately shook violently, and then he vanished from his spot.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of the Feng Family Female Cultivator, throwing a casual punch.

PUFF!

The Feng Family Female Cultivator was struck instantly, spitting blood as she was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, falling directly off the stage.

By the time she was in mid-air, she was already severely injured and unconscious, no different from the bald man before her.

As for the Wind Blades, they had all missed their target because of Zhang Chi’s incredible speed, merely leaving a few slash marks on the stage.

"Damn it, how could this be?"

The smiles on the faces of the Feng Family members froze instantly, replaced by utter shock and fury.

This Female Cultivator was the strongest expert in their entire family, yet she had been severely wounded by a single punch. It was simply unbelievable.

Only Zhang Chi knew that this was nothing worth mentioning.

No matter how fast she was, she could never have been faster than him.

Moreover, her defenses weren’t fully deployed, and she had no Body Refining Cultivation to speak of. Relying solely on that protective breeze, her Magical Power, and her Magic Robe, her defense was indeed stronger than the bald man’s, but not by much.

Once she lost her speed advantage, she was utterly defenseless.

Of course, Zhang Chi had still only used a tiny fraction of his Body Refining strength.

After all, this was an enemy of the Shang Family. Even if she was to be killed, it should be Shang Deyi and the others who did it themselves.

However, she had been insolent toward him, so he had taught her a lesson.

Even if she received immediate medical treatment, it would take at least eight to ten years for her to recover from that punch.

"Yes!"

"Heavens, did we win again?"

The Shang Family members were all stunned. It took them a long moment before they began to shout with excitement, each of them feeling as if they were in a dream.

After all, in the hearts of the Shang Family, the Feng Family’s Female Cultivator was an insurmountable mountain, even a great shadow looming over their lives.

Now, she had been knocked unconscious and severely injured by a single, casual punch from Zhang Chi.

They had thought that the Shang Family already understood and valued Zhang Chi enough, but only now did they realize they had still severely underestimated him.