Chapter 281: Blue Haitian's Strength

“He actually won.”

In the Heaven Mending Group, Zhong Li-yi stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Chen Mobai, who stood perfectly intact in the center of the screen.

“It seems Lu Qiulong is also someone whose reputation precedes him, but not in a good way,” Zhong Li-yi said, shaking her head. As one of the deputy leaders of the Heaven Mending Group, besides preparing medicines and handling medical logistics, she also helped organize various information and intelligence in the mailroom. She had once seen a high-level document that mentioned Lu Qiulong. It stated that the Heaven Mending Group was focusing on developing him, planning to recruit him to hold the fort after Lan Haitian retired, to serve as another Foundation Establishment enforcer. Now, it seemed he was nothing special.

“Is there a possibility that the chief disciple of the Wuqi Daoist Academy is simply too strong?” Qing Nü said calmly. Zhong Li-yi paused, taken aback.

“If that’s the case, then he’s excessively strong,” Zhong Li-yi murmured, looking at the handsome young man in the long red and black robes with wide sleeves in the middle of the screen.

At the Student Union headquarters in Chicheng Mountain, Ming Yihua and the others were already cheering excitedly, while Hua Zijing stood blankly in front of the screen, her face filled with disbelief. She knew Chen Mobai was strong, but she never imagined he could be this strong. That was Lu Qiulong! Known as the “Ferocious Tiger of the Immortal Sect,” a Foundation Establishment expert renowned for his immense combat power across the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.

After seeing the outcome of the battle, Meng Huanger couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She put away her phone, ended her break, and returned to the rehearsal hall to continue practicing with the Jade Phoenix Opera Troupe.

“What took you so long?” Jiang Yuyuan, who was already sweating from practice, asked curiously, noticing Meng Huanger seemed a little happy.

“I watched a good show.”

“A good show? What kind of opera?”

Meng Huanger rolled her eyes at Jiang Yuyuan’s question. That guy only had eyes for such things; he was a born opera fanatic. However, precisely because of this, he was able to get ahead of her, completing his Foundation Establishment early and being regarded as the Dao Seed most likely to master the Spirit-Startling Melody. As for herself, she hadn’t been able to achieve Foundation Establishment for the past two years, and it looked like she was about to lower the average standard of the Wuqi Daoist Academy. The people who used to flatter her now looked at her differently.

“If only I could be as outstanding as him.” As she thought this, Meng Huanger recalled Chen Mobai’s heroic poise as he casually defeated Lu Qiulong moments ago, and she found herself lost in thought.

Elsewhere in Chicheng Grotto-Heaven’s plaza, Lan Haitian looked at the large screen, seeing Chen Mobai slice Lu Qiulong into several pieces, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

“This guy seems even stronger than before.” By Lan Haitian’s side was Lin Yin, naturally. She leaned against the wall in the shadows, having witnessed the entire battle between Chen Mobai and Lu Qiulong. As someone who had personally seen the strength of both, she had initially believed Lu Qiulong had a greater chance of winning. This was because she had once encountered Lu Qiulong while on a mission with Lan Haitian. The two had fought once. Lan Haitian had not easily won against Lu Qiulong, who was merged with his peak second-tier companion beast spirit. It was precisely for this reason that she thought Chen Mobai should be slightly inferior. Who knew, he actually won.

“If he had prepared in advance, he would have only been able to absorb at most twenty percent of that ferocious tiger’s malevolent energy. It’s quite normal for him to lose,” Lan Haitian, however, immediately understood the reason.

“Oh, so even before the fight, you thought Lu Qiulong would lose?” Lin Yin found this a bit strange.

“No, my view was the same as yours,” Lan Haitian hesitated for a moment before telling the truth. Chen Mobai’s victory exceeded everyone’s expectations. This, of course, included the Chunyang Academy, which had personally arranged the battle.

“Even Lu Qiulong lost. Among those below the late Foundation Establishment stage, who else can defeat him?” Xiahou Weihuan frowned, looking at Wenren Zijue, the current chief disciple of Chunyang Academy, who was standing beside him. With the academy sparing no resources, Wenren Zijue had already advanced to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment. Even against a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, relying on the Chunyang Scroll and the Primordial Yang Sword Art, he was not without a fighting chance. However, if he were to fight Lu Qiulong, he would certainly face certain death.

“Senior, although I am no match for him, this concerns the ancestor’s record. Even if it means dying once, I must go and fight,” Wenren Zijue said with a determined expression, preparing to project himself into the Little Chitian without hesitation.

“If it really comes to that, let’s use the method we discussed earlier,” Sima Xingyu said, stopping him at that moment and opening his eyes.

“Your sacrifice would be too great. Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t agree,” Xiahou Weihuan shook his head, rejecting Sima Xingyu’s proposal.

“Let’s wait until he wins his one hundred nineteenth battle.” But seeing Chen Mobai on the screen, like a sword god, defeat three more powerful opponents, Xiahou Weihuan wavered. With a sigh, he nodded in agreement.

“Then I will go first and pave the way for the final battle. It will also help Senior discover some of Chen Mobai’s abilities,” Wenren Zijue said, and the other two nodded.

“Sigh, I feel so vexed. I’ll go into Little Chitian to vent,” Xiahou Weihuan said. Seeing Wenren Zijue’s expression of readiness to die, the gloom that had accumulated for two or three days due to Chen Mobai’s winning streak could no longer be suppressed. He also projected himself into Little Chitian, intending to match with two opponents and unleash some wanton slaughter. Sima Xingyu did not stop him. Cultivators of the Chunyang Scroll, in order to better break through realms and maintain the purity and potency of their spells, generally followed the example of Patriarch Yuanyang: remaining unmarried for life and preserving their virginity. This meant an excess of Yang energy within their bodies, and if their mental cultivation was not high, they would frequently experience intense emotional fluctuations. Xiahou Weihuan being able to suppress it for two or three days already indicated a sufficiently high level of spiritual consciousness.

However, these two most outstanding chief disciples of Chunyang Academy in a century did not know that a shark, hidden in the depths of the ocean, had been waiting for his entry all along.

“Xiahou Weihuan has appeared!” In the plaza, Lin Yin saw the image in the upper right corner of the large screen and couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

“Good luck, won’t have to wait long.” Lan Haitian saw the image of Xiahou Weihuan beheading his opponent with a single sword strike on the screen, and a relaxed, contented smile appeared on his lips. Then, he split his spiritual consciousness and also projected himself into Little Chitian.

“All trash.” Xiahou Weihuan was matched with a sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. It seemed like a good match, given their apparent win rate, but in a real fight, the opponent still couldn’t withstand a single sword strike from him. “If only I could be matched with that junior from Wuqi Daoist Academy!” Xiahou Weihuan, even more vexed, clicked the match button again after slaying his opponent. Today, he decided to kill thirty.

Then, his third opponent of the day appeared before his eyes. First to materialize was a long blue and white robe, embroidered with a strange design: a dragon’s head, a fish’s body, and wings.

“A flying fish resembling a python, with two horns. It’s the Kunpeng flying fish robe. Could it be Taishi Shu again?” As the opponent’s projected avatar gradually solidified, a smile appeared on Xiahou Weihuan’s face. Compared to weaker opponents, he preferred to directly slay strong ones. Although Taishi Shu was only at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, as the chief disciple of the Kunpeng Daoist Academy, her strength was such that among the Foundation Establishment true cultivators who graduated from Chunyang Academy, perhaps only he and Xingyu could claim a definite victory against her. Perfect, if he lost one more time, this irritation in his heart should mostly dissipate.

Thinking this, Xiahou Weihuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting with an arrogant posture for Taishi Shu to fully appear. But immediately, he felt something was off. Usually, only those projecting into Little Chitian for the first time would materialize so slowly. Could it be someone else from Kunpeng Daoist Academy, not Taishi Shu? "Are they afraid to lose and called for backup?" A frown briefly creased Xiahou Weihuan’s brow after this thought flashed through his mind, but he was exceptionally confident in himself. Even against other chief disciples who had graduated from Kunpeng Daoist Academy, he feared none, except for Lan Haitian.

However, what he feared most came true. When the opponent’s projection fully materialized, Xiahou Weihuan, and even all the spectators across the Immortal Sect who were watching him, all widened their eyes in shock. “What’s going on?!” “How did this guy get here?!” “Is Kunpeng Daoist Academy such a sore loser?”

“I’ve heard of your great name too. They say you’re the most likely genius to become invincible at the Foundation Establishment stage after me,” Lan Haitian said with a gentle smile to Xiahou Weihuan.

“You’ve been invincible for sixty years and are about to form your Core. If you were to lose to me, your Dao Heart might suffer a flaw. Is it worth it?” After all, Xiahou Weihuan was also the most outstanding graduate of Chunyang Academy in the past century. Although he was only fifty years old, he was still trying to find a way to weaken his opponent’s fighting spirit when facing Lan Haitian, an invincible legend almost regarded as a myth in the Foundation Establishment realm.

“As long as I don’t lose, it’ll be fine,” Lan Haitian said dismissively, then raised his right hand.

In another arena, the purple flame sword light flashed past, and after it canceled out his opponent’s Primordial Yang Sword Qi, Chen Mobai’s eyes flickered. He activated “Divine Sever,” and the exhausted Wenren Zijue could no longer endure; his head exploded, and he collapsed to the ground, disappearing from the arena.

One hundred nineteen victories!

Chen Mobai checked his record; he was only one battle away from surpassing Patriarch Yuanyang and holding the longest winning streak in Little Chitian. The feeling of personally breaking a record was indescribably wonderful. Just as Chen Mobai decided to push forward and match again, he suddenly paused. His true body outside the system saw a push notification on his phone:

*Peak Showdown: Invincible Foundation Establishment Legend VS Chunyang Academy’s Top Foundation Establishment**Shocking: The True Relationship Between Lan Haitian and Taishi Shu**An Act of Rage for a Beauty: Why Lan Haitian Defies Convention to Stand Up for Taishi Shu? Click the link below...**Xiahou Weihuan is only one battle away from ascending to the Foundation Establishment Throne, becoming the second Patriarch Yuanyang.*

If he hadn’t known the full context of why Lan Haitian was in Chicheng Grotto-Heaven, Chen Mobai might have almost believed these sensational headlines. However, this particular battle was undoubtedly very important. So, he decided to wait. He would wait for Lan Haitian to defeat Xiahou Weihuan, then capitalize on the momentum to break Patriarch Yuanyang’s winning streak, delivering a double blow to Chunyang Academy. Therefore, he exited Little Chitian to focus on watching the live broadcast.

Meanwhile, Sima Xingyu, who had deliberately crippled his eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation, dropping his realm to the sixth level, had been patiently waiting for Chen Mobai to match again. Now, his face was flushed with frustration, waiting endlessly. “What’s going on? Could someone else have been matched in?” Sima Xingyu asked anxiously. The Chunyang Academy technical lead immediately contacted the operators of Little Chitian, confirming that the backend lines were fine and that as long as Chen Mobai clicked ‘match’, he would be the next opponent. “He seems to have… logged out!” Soon, a message came from Little Chitian’s operators. Upon seeing it, Sima Xingyu could no longer suppress his internal injuries and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. “This isn’t good, Senior!” Just then, another piece of bad news arrived. “What is it?” Sima Xingyu circulated the Chunyang Scroll to calm his spiritual energy, then asked patiently. “Senior Xiahou has been matched with Lan Haitian!”

Bang!

Sima Xingyu abruptly stood up, knocking over the table in front of him. He immediately switched channels to Xiahou Weihuan’s broadcast. Just as he tuned in, he saw his revered senior being beaten.

In Little Chitian, Lan Haitian’s hands separated and then came together, suppressing and tearing apart the myriad sword lights unleashed by Xiahou Weihuan. Then, he moved with a blur, instantly appearing in front of Xiahou Weihuan. He threw a heavy punch. Although Xiahou Weihuan managed to block it with his sword fingers, he heard the sound of the bones in his right hand fracturing. It felt like tons of steel crashing down; even if his sword light could cleave a mountain, in this situation, his sword would only break. “There’s still a chance!”

But Xiahou Weihuan was also a peak Foundation Establishment expert. The top-tier combination of the Chunyang Scroll and Primordial Yang Sword Art allowed him to break free from Lan Haitian’s magnetic force confinement in an instant. His eyes began to burn with blood, like two scarlet suns, and his entire body blazed with vital energy. His already immensely powerful aura instantly broke through the Foundation Establishment limits, reaching a terrifying realm. “Blood-Burning Yang-Opening Sword!”

This was Xiahou Weihuan’s desperate move. This technique required burning half of his essence blood. If it weren’t for Little Chitian exempting the cost, he would rather admit defeat than use this move. But at this moment, it became his only chance to break the stalemate. Feeling a boundless spiritual energy at least three times stronger than his peak, Xiahou Weihuan stretched out his hands, which were burning with flesh, revealing white bone. He loosely grasped a blood-red light sword and heavily slashed down at the pursuing Lan Haitian. With this sword strike, the void trembled, and space warped. Even a Core Formation true person’s attack would be no more powerful. “I might actually win!”

Just as this thought flashed through Xiahou Weihuan’s mind, he saw Lan Haitian extend his fair, slender right hand and gently grasp the blood-red sword light he had unleashed. Then, Lan Haitian tightened his grip with five fingers. Crack! The blood-red sword light shattered into pieces. “Is this all you’ve got?” Lan Haitian’s sighing words entered Xiahou Weihuan’s ears, and then he swept past. Half of Xiahou Weihuan’s body, under the swing of Lan Haitian’s right hand, was pulverized into bloody foam and bone fragments.

Chen Mobai’s eyes widened as he watched Lan Haitian cleanly defeat Xiahou Weihuan. He had never seen someone invincible at the Foundation Establishment stage in the Sky River Realm, but he imagined that even those who grew up in intense battles might not be as strong as Lan Haitian.