Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

Immoral Taoist and Jide Taoist exchanged a glance. Seeing Da Ji Zhenren so formal, they reined themselves in as well. They descended from the Wine Immortal Gourd and shouted, "Da Ji, if you've got something to say… just spit it out."

"Alright!" said Da Ji Zhenren. "We Zhenren don't speak in riddles. Frankly, I'm not very satisfied with the competition method our Ancestral Master left behind. I wish to make some changes."

Before Immoral Taoist could say a word, Jide Taoist's brow furrowed. "Da Ji," he snapped, "Isn't it a little late to be saying something like this?"

"Now, now!" Da Ji Zhenren said. "Brother Daoist, don't misunderstand. Inviting cultivation geniuses to fight in our stead is a rule handed down by the Ancestral Master. How could we not abide by it? What's more, the helpers we've each invited are already here."

Immoral Taoist couldn't contain himself and asked, "Then what change are you planning to make?"

Da Ji Zhenren smiled mysteriously. With an all-knowing air, he said, "Our ability to invite these young friends of peerless talent is thanks in part to our skills in divination, but their reputations also played no small part."

Immoral Taoist sneered. "What a load of bullshit. I've had my eye on Zhong the Kid and Xu the Kid for one, even two hundred years."

Da Ji Zhenren paid him no mind and continued, "Competing in such a disorderly fashion doesn't really demonstrate any level of skill in divination, after all. So, I have devised a special rule."

"Oh?" said Jide Taoist. "Let's hear it, then."

Da Ji Zhenren smiled. "The rule is quite simple! Our two sides will each select one person to take the stage and compete…"

Immoral Taoist rolled his eyes. Unfazed, Da Ji Zhenren continued, "But here's the twist: we will be choosing our opponent's combatant."

"What?" Immoral Taoist was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He clapped his hands together and shouted, "Excellent! Da Ji, so you do have a bit of intelligence after all. This method is brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

Since both sides would be choosing the other's combatant, each matchup would be completely unpredictable. Of course, the selection wouldn't be based on sheer luck, but rather on each side's own divination calculations and psychological tactics to determine the best choice.

Immoral Taoist was instantly intrigued. He goaded Jide Taoist, "Brother, I think competing according to Da Ji's idea is a fine plan."

Jide Taoist's brow furrowed slightly. After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "Da Ji, what happens after a round is decided?"

Da Ji grinned and laughed loudly, "The Ancestral Master's method shouldn't be changed recklessly, after all. After the six winners are determined, we'll have them follow the old rules and ascend the Spirit Root together to pick the Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruit."

"I see." Jide Taoist had a sudden realization. "Da Ji, you think that by competing this way, your side will have more winners than ours?"

Da Ji Zhenren didn't deny it, responding grandly, "Perhaps when the time comes, all six winners who ascend the Spirit Root will be the helpers from my Divination Dao lineage? HAHAHAHA!" He laughed arrogantly. "Enough nonsense! Immoral, Jide, do you dare to accept or not!"

"Why wouldn't we dare!" Immoral Taoist sneered, "Da Ji, you little brat, if you lose all six rounds, don't you go sniveling and crying like you did when you were a student of the Dao!"

Immoral Taoist's verbal sparring always hit a sore spot. A vein pulsed on Da Ji Zhenren's forehead. He suppressed his anger and pretended to be calm and unconcerned. "You stinking beggar, even if I lose all six rounds, this Daoist Master will still graciously bestow upon you the three unripe fruits that are yours, lest someone throw a tantrum and act like a hooligan!"

Seeing that Immoral Taoist and Da Ji Zhenren had set the rules in just a few sentences, Great Evil Zhenren, who had expected this, naturally supported it. Jide Taoist hesitated for a moment before agreeing as well.

"Good!" Seeing them both agree, Da Ji Zhenren let out a sly chuckle. Standing on the mountaintop, he pointed downward and declared, "Then the arena for this competition shall be set within this star. Aside from this peak, which is for observation, the rest of this world is fair game! Do you two have any objections?"

Immoral Taoist and Jide Taoist conferred briefly. Figuring he wouldn't pull any tricks with the venue, they replied, "As you wish!"

Da Ji Zhenren nodded and added, "However, with this last-minute rule change, we'll have to trouble our young friends to fight an extra match."

At this, he chuckled slyly again and said, "How about the loser of each round provides a stake as a reward?"

Immoral Taoist cursed inwardly, 'Damn thief, you really think you can make this Daoist Master lose both the match and his money? Just you wait.' Outwardly, not wanting to lose face, he immediately shot back, "Why not? You'd better have your family fortune ready!"

Da Ji Zhenren snorted lightly and didn't engage in another verbal spat. He declared, "In that case, there's no time to waste. Let's each choose our combatants."

Immoral Taoist didn't even bother to reply. With a great wave of his sleeve, he cast a Spell. A thin mist rose from the auspicious cloud beneath the Wine Immortal Gourd, blocking the other party's prying eyes. Only then did he say to his group, "You kids heard that, right? We'll have to rely on you all for this."

After speaking, he actually cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and added, "Rest assured, even if you are defeated, this Daoist Master won't say a word, and there will be another reward for you."

Cen Fenghong replied, "You are too courteous, Zhenren. No matter who we face, we will certainly give it our all."

Immoral Taoist nodded, wasted no more words, and said to Jide Taoist, "Brother, who do you think we should choose for the first round?"

Jide Taoist remained silent and sullen. He raised his hand, performed a few calculations with his fingers, and then answered, "In my opinion, we should choose their strongest candidate to fight."

Mi Yuan Dao asked thoughtfully, "Choose their strongest person? Zhenren, what is your reasoning?"

"The strongest candidate?" Cen Fenghong said. "Jin Yuanzai, or Li Chengzhen?"

Sima Zongfa frowned. "What's Li Chengzhen's background? Can he really be compared to Jin Yuanzai?"

Cen Fenghong glanced at him and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Sima, you seem to hold Jin Yuanzai in very high regard?"

Sima Zongfa was silent for a moment before replying, "To be honest, I am also a disciple of the Taiyi Palace, but I can't compare to Jin Yuanzai."

"The Taiyi Palace cultivates both the Profound and Demonic paths, with over ten true-law traditions, each divided into factions. Among the True Disciples, those like us who can form a Nascent Soul within three hundred years are not exactly rare." Chang Su'Er, seeing the situation, no longer hid her knowledge and said coolly, "But Jin Yuanzai is a top-three genius among the younger generation of the Taiyi Palace. His reputation became even greater after he reached the third level, and for a time, he was unrivaled."

Cen Fenghong's brow wrinkled slightly. He mused, "What you two fellow Daoists say is not without reason. In any case, Jin Yuanzai has already reached the third level, so he might be slightly stronger than Li Chengzhen… Brother Zhong, what do you think?"

Zhong Shenxiu remained noncommittal. He turned to Jide Taoist and asked, "May I ask the Zhenren, what is the basis for choosing their strongest person?"

Jide Taoist coughed lightly and said, "The secrets of heaven must not be revealed…"

Just then, Immoral Taoist said, "Wrong, wrong! We can't choose their strong fighter!"

Jide Taoist was immediately displeased. "What do you know? By choosing their strongest, our side's fortune will rise!"

Immoral Taoist shook his head vigorously and shouted, "Your Dao of Fortune is too volatile! We can't rely on it."

Jide Taoist immediately shot back, "Oh? Fortune can't be relied on, so we should rely on that broken mouth of yours?"

Just as the two were about to start arguing, Da Ji Zhenren's voice, condensed into a thin line, suddenly pierced through the mist. "Immoral, Jide, have you chosen? My side has been waiting for quite some time!"

Jide Taoist immediately said, "Well? Since you rejected my choice, why don't you share your brilliant insight?"

Immoral Taoist's brow furrowed deeply. Although he had rejected Jide Taoist's calculation, he had been disturbed by Da Ji Zhenren's interruption and didn't dare to make a definitive choice, a conflicted look appearing on his face.

Seeing this, Jide Taoist made a decisive call. "Then we'll choose Jin Yuanzai!"

"No!" Immoral Taoist roared. Seeing that Jide Taoist was about to get angry, he quickly added, "Listen to me this round, and I'll listen to you next round!"

Jide Taoist pondered for a moment, then agreed, "Fine. But next time, you absolutely cannot interfere with my choice!"

Immoral Taoist immediately agreed. He waved his sleeve to disperse the mist. Da Ji Zhenren, who had been waiting a long time, immediately asked, "Well? Have you made a decision?"

"The kid from Dinghu Mountain, the kid from Taiyi Palace, the kid from the Spirit Treasure Sect, the girl from the Profound Ice Pavilion…" Immoral Taoist's gaze swept discreetly over the people behind Da Ji Zhenren, his expression unchanging as he said, "We've chosen. How do we announce it?"

Da Ji Zhenren immediately replied, "We will each write the name of the combatant on a Dao Talisman, then exchange and announce them!"

Immoral Taoist replied calmly, "As you wish!" He took a Dao Talisman from his sleeve, crumpled it into a ball, and casually flicked it out.

Seeing this, Da Ji Zhenren smiled faintly. With a casual point of his finger, he sent out the Dao Talisman he had already prepared, only then leisurely moving to catch the crumpled paper.

Immoral Taoist immediately reached out, beckoning Da Ji Zhenren's Dao Talisman into his hand. He unfolded it, took one look, and his heart sank.

'Son of a bitch! I really should have chosen Jin Yuanzai!'