Chapter 113: Great Ambitions

On the day of the draw, Chen Mobai and the other eight participants arrived early at the final mountaintop arena.

After waiting for a while, a red cloud appeared on the horizon, as if a second red sun had risen.

A powerful, overwhelming aura, unlike anything Chen Mobai had ever felt, surged forth as over a dozen figures appeared in the sky. The middle-aged man leading them, with fiery red hair and a crimson robe, laughed heartily.

He descended from the sky, leading a group of people.

"Let's begin."

After landing and taking their seats, the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master simply waved his large sleeve, swiftly signaling the presiding teacher to start.

This was Chen Mobai's first time seeing a Golden Core Daoist Master in person. His cultivation level was too low to discern the true power of the Danzhu Academy's principal. However, the several individuals accompanying the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master each possessed their own unique demeanor. The emblems of the major Daoist Academies and Martial Palaces on their clothes immediately drew the attention of everyone present upon their appearance.

Chen Mobai recognized two of them.

They were Lan Haitien from Kunpeng Daoist Academy and Bian Yiqing from Wuqi Daoist Academy.

The other ordinary-looking woman must be Shang Qing from Jumang Daoist Academy, whom Qing Nü had mentioned to him.

So, the last remaining person, the man in the white suit, was the representative from Butian Daoist Academy.

After these four, came the representatives of the Ten Great Martial Palaces. Although they kept a low profile, they still attracted the attention of many students.

After all, those who had been eliminated no longer had hope of entering the Four Great Daoist Academies and now had to consider how to get the attention of these ten representatives.

At this moment, the teacher responsible for the draw took out a square box and walked up to the nine participants.

"Inside are nine balls, each bearing one of your names," the teacher explained. "The principal will later draw these nine balls one by one, with their order representing numbers one to nine. The person whose number, nine, remains until the very end will be the luckiest, receiving a bye and advancing directly to the next round. The remaining participants will face each other in pairs."

After finishing the explanation, the teacher placed the box on a table in the center of the arena.

Chen Mobai and the others had never expected that they wouldn't be drawing their own lots in the end. However, no one claimed it was unfair, because luck, by nature, was the greatest blessing on the path of cultivation.

"I'll draw the lots," the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master said with a smile, addressing the nine participants as he approached the box. "You don't have any objections, do you?"

Who would dare to object? They all shook their heads.

The credibility of a Golden Core Daoist Master was even more convincing than that of all the cultivators in Danxia City combined.

"Then I shall draw."

The Crimson-Robed Daoist Master, feeling at ease, reached his right hand into the box and pulled out the first black ball. He crushed the ball, revealing a card inside with a name written on it.

"Ji Jing!"

She was the first.

Chen Mobai and the others all turned their gaze to the woman who stood tall and calm in the arena.

She was a genius who had suddenly emerged during this series of duels. It was said that she was originally only at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, but during the duels, she had displayed the strength of a peak eighth-level Qi Refinement cultivator, winning every battle along the way.

Her strength was impressive.

Chen Mobai had a deep impression of her, because she was the only one, besides him, who cultivated the Five Elements cultivation method.

"Second, Yang Jing."

"Third, Xue Luan."

"Fourth, Gong Xiangyu."

Soon, the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master had drawn the names of the first four individuals. The presiding teacher used a Telekinesis spell to make a large board float in the air, and then, with swift strokes, wrote the four names in the leftmost column.

"Next, we will draw the opponents for these four," the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master announced.

The Crimson-Robed Daoist Master smiled, and without a moment's pause, he reached out and pulled out the fifth black ball, crushing it in his hand.

A name was revealed for all to see.

"Kong Feichen."

The referee teacher immediately wrote this name to the right, next to Ji Jing's name, forming the first match-up.

Chen Mobai observed Ji Jing's expression. She remained calm, seemingly undisturbed by her opponent's strength and reputation.

"Hong Gang."

"Shi Yuanqing."

The Crimson-Robed Daoist Master drew two more names in quick succession. As everyone watched intently, two more match-ups appeared on the large floating board.

Only two names remained:

Chen Mobai and Yan Feng.

Of these, the eighth one drawn would face Gong Xiangyu, while the final lucky one would advance directly, able to rest and wait for an opponent who had already revealed their trump cards in a prior fierce battle.

Finally, the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master's hand paused, and he looked at Chen Mobai and Yan Feng with a playful gaze.

However, in the end, he smiled and drew the eighth name.

"Chen Mobai!"

At some point, perhaps when he heard his own name, Chen Mobai felt his heart rate surge to an unprecedented high. Though he should have maintained a calm demeanor, and despite his confidence in challenging any opponent, his emotions still fluctuated uncontrollably at this moment.

He had, after all, been swayed by the Golden Core Daoist Master.

But all of this subsided into calm the moment his name appeared on the match board:

Ji Jing vs. Kong Feichen.Yang Jing vs. Hong Gang.Xue Luan vs. Shi Yuanqing.Gong Xiangyu vs. Chen Mobai.

"What a pity."

A voice of regret reached his ears. Chen Mobai turned his head and saw Yan Feng, who seemed to be sighing because he wouldn't face a strong opponent in this round.

"Alright, all four matches must be completed today," the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master said. "We old fellows have been waiting for this round, so don't disappoint us."

As the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master spoke, he took out the last ball. After crushing it, Yan Feng's name was indeed inside, proving there was no foul play.

However, the credibility of a Golden Core Daoist Master was such that even without this demonstration, everyone would have believed him. For such a powerful figure, if he truly wished to guarantee Yan Feng's advancement, there would have been far better methods.

Chen Mobai was about to step down from the stage, intending to carefully observe the first three exciting matches, when the Crimson-Robed Daoist Master called out to him.

"The order of the matches is actually the opposite of the draw order," the Daoist Master said. "Yours is the first match."

Gong Xiangyu was also surprised, but then his eyes gleamed with determination, and he immediately walked to the center of the arena with a cold smile.

"Before you fight, I have a question for you."

The Crimson-Robed Daoist Master had not yet left the stage. Chen Mobai walked over as well, and together with Gong Xiangyu, they turned and bowed to the powerful figure.

"Please ask, Daoist Master."

"If you win the duels and are able to choose one of the Four Great Daoist Academies to attend, which one would you choose?"

Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment at this question. He actually didn't hold much hope of joining one of the Four Great Daoist Academies, as his scores weren't high enough.

"Kunpeng Daoist Academy!"

On the other hand, Gong Xiangyu, facing him, showed no hesitation after hearing the question. He called out the name of the most renowned among the Four Great Daoist Academies.

"Oh, may I ask why?"

Gong Xiangyu nodded, then looked at Lan Haitien with firm eyes, and stated his grand aspiration.

"To ride the uprightness of heaven and earth, to command the transformations of the six breaths, to wander boundlessly and live in carefree freedom. My lifelong dream is to cultivate the 'Six Controls Scripture' and achieve the Dao of Divine Transformation."