Chapter 2394: Fame Begins to Emerge

The other cultivators' matches had not yet concluded. Wang Yuanjiang's gaze fell upon a tall young man in a red shirt, who had handsome features and a distinguished bearing.

The red-shirted young man did not employ a magical artifact. Waving his hands, he conjured spheres of crimson flame that shot towards his opponent with remarkable speed.

His opponent was a tall, slender girl in a blue skirt. She held a shimmering blue short ruler, and a pale blue water curtain enveloped her.

As the crimson fireballs struck, the blue-skirted girl found herself overwhelmed. She attempted to use her magical artifact to attack the red-shirted young man, but he blocked her assault with a spell.

The red-shirted young man drew a large circle in the air with his hands. A massive crimson fireball materialized from thin air, radiating an astonishing heatwave as it hurtled towards the blue-skirted girl.

The blue-skirted girl swiftly manipulated two blue flying daggers, sending them to intercept the crimson fireball.

With a resounding explosion, the crimson fireball burst, and rolling flames engulfed the blue-skirted girl.

The red-shirted young man was about to continue his spell-casting when the blue-skirted girl's urgent voice came from within the flames: "I surrender, Fellow Daoist Zhao, please stop."

"You have my concession." The red-shirted young man cupped his fist, spoke, and then descended from the arena.

"Cousin Jingyan is truly formidable; he defeated his opponent without even using a magical artifact."

"There's nothing strange about that. Cousin Jingyan is an elite disciple of our Zhao family."

"The Wang family disciples are not weak either; it remains to be seen who will prevail."

The lower-ranked cultivators chattered amongst themselves. They were well aware that the true focus of this sparring session wasn't the smaller factions, but the rivalry between the Wang and Zhao families.

Wang Yuanjiang's gaze shifted to the other arenas, where a silver-skirted girl with delicate features caught his attention. Her skin was as white as snow, and her attire bore the pattern of a golden butterfly.

As the silver-skirted girl waved her hands, thick bolts of silver lightning shot from each, striking towards her opponent.

It wasn't long before her opponent conceded.

"A lightning spirit root cultivator." Wang Yuanjiang was secretly astonished. Judging by the butterfly pattern on her attire, she must be a disciple of the Qin family from Soaring Butterfly Valley. The Qin family is an inland cultivation family whose ancestors hailed from Zhenhai Palace but were affiliated with the local faction.

While factional disputes existed within Zhenhai Palace, its various branches maintained interactions. They were both competitive and cooperative. The same applied to their affiliated cultivation families, who often formed alliances through marriage or friendly ties.

Wang Yuanhong, controlling two second-tier puppet beasts, likewise defeated his opponent.

Zhao Shiyu looked at a graceful young woman in a golden skirt and asked with a smile, "Madam Qin, your Qin family has indeed nurtured a promising talent!"

"Among my descendants, Xiulin possesses the finest aptitude. Speaking of which, the younger generations of Fellow Daoist Zhao and Fellow Daoist Wang are also quite capable." Though the young woman in the golden skirt spoke humbly, a look of unmistakable pride appeared on her face.

Soon after, the second round of matches began. Wang Yuanjiang's opponent was a burly man in a red shirt.

After Wang Yuanjiang cast two layers of defense upon himself, he commanded two second-tier puppet beasts against his opponent. The red-shirted man failed to breach Wang Yuanjiang's defenses and was powerless against the two second-tier puppet beasts, quickly succumbing.

At this point, Zhao Jingyan and Qin Xiulin also defeated their opponents.

In the subsequent rounds, Wang Yuanjiang and Wang Yuanhong advanced smoothly, defeating their opponents solely with the aid of their puppet beasts.

Less than half an hour later, only Wang Yuanhong, Wang Yuanjiang, Zhao Jingyan, and Qin Xiulin remained.

Wang Yuanhong was paired against Qin Xiulin, and Zhao Jingyan against Wang Yuanjiang.

"Madam Qin, Fellow Daoist Wang, since we have some time, why don't we make a wager? Let's see whose junior will secure first place. I propose a bottle of Crimson Ganoderma Pills as the stake, what do you say?" Zhao Shiyu suggested, producing a red porcelain vial.

"I have no objection. I'll use a Seven-Star Spirit Transformation Talisman as my stake." The young woman in the golden skirt produced a shimmering silver talisman. The Zhao family's elixirs were somewhat renowned, while several fourth-tier talismans sold by the Qin family were highly favored by Nascent Soul cultivators.

"I shall wager this Profound Cloud Ruler!" Wang Yiyan produced a shimmering jade ruler, stating with a smile.

As soon as the match began, Zhao Jingyan's arms trembled, and over a dozen crimson fireballs shot forth, hurtling towards Wang Yuanjiang.

Wang Yuanjiang simultaneously cast two layers of defense upon himself and commanded his puppet beasts to attack Zhao Jingyan.

Wang Yuanjiang's defenses blocked the dozen crimson fireballs, but Zhao Jingyan also charged towards the puppet beasts.

The ape puppet beast swung its fist at Zhao Jingyan. Zhao Jingyan showed no fear; his right fist glowed with a dazzling red light as he met the attack head-on.

With a loud bang, the ape puppet beast was sent flying backward. The giant tiger puppet beast then lunged forward, opening its gaping maw to reveal a row of sharp fangs.

Zhao Jingyan's figure flickered, and he abruptly appeared before Wang Yuanjiang. His boots shimmered, clearly indicating they were a flying magical artifact.

He had been concealing his true abilities. He was, in fact, a dual cultivator of both magic and body.

It was well-known that the Wang family's puppet beasts were formidable. Zhao Jingyan dared not delay and intended to fully leverage his strengths to defeat Wang Yuanjiang.

Crimson flames surged from his right fist, and cracking sounds emanated from his body. His physique expanded, and his right fist, radiating a wave of heat, slammed towards Wang Yuanjiang.

After two dull thuds, Wang Yuanjiang's defenses shattered completely.

Wang Yuanjiang showed no fear. A surge of blue light enveloped his right fist, his body expanded, and he charged forward to meet the blow.

With a muffled thud, their fists collided. Wang Yuanjiang stood firm, while Zhao Jingyan stumbled back two steps.

"You are also a body cultivator!" Zhao Jingyan exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Yuanjiang offered no reply. He moved his arms and pressed forward. Neither of them resorted to magical artifacts, relying solely on the power of their physical bodies to contend.

Waves of powerful qi surged forth. Wang Yuanjiang clearly had the upper hand, and Zhao Jingyan was at a disadvantage. It wasn't long before Zhao Jingyan was defeated.

"You have my concession, Fellow Daoist Zhao." Wang Yuanjiang said courteously. It was his first encounter with a Body Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Meanwhile, Qin Xiulin also defeated Wang Yuanhong.

Wang Yuanjiang and Qin Xiulin were set to duel. As the match began, Wang Yuanjiang brandished a shimmering blue iron staff, swinging it to strike at Qin Xiulin.

Xiulin dared not be careless. She brought forth a shimmering silver orb, which emitted a silver light that enveloped her.

Wang Yuanjiang then produced a shimmering blue umbrella, from which a blue aura emanated to shield him. He also affixed several defensive talismans to his body before swinging his blue iron staff at Qin Xiulin.

Qin Xiulin's attacks were formidable, yet she couldn't breach Wang Yuanjiang's defenses in a single blow. She found it somewhat difficult to defend against Wang Yuanjiang's attacks. The heavy staff blows impacted the silver light, causing it to flicker ceaselessly and its spiritual radiance to dim.

Wang Yuanjiang's expression grew serious. He furiously channeled spiritual power into the blue iron staff. The blue iron staff blazed with dazzling blue light, hurtling towards Qin Xiulin with a whistling rush of air.

Amidst a resounding crash, Qin Xiulin's defenses, like paper, shattered under the impact of the massive blue staff. Just as the formidable blue staff was about to strike Qin Xiulin's head, a colossal golden hand materialized from thin air, intercepting it.

"We concede!" the young woman in the golden skirt declared, accepting the outcome of the wager. Compared to the wager, Qin Xiulin's life was far more precious.

"You have my concession, Immortal Qin." Wang Yuanjiang put away his magical artifact. To be honest, had Qin Xiulin persevered for just a little longer, she could have defeated him.

Wang Yiyan cheerfully collected the wager and offered a few words of praise to Wang Yuanjiang.

The cultivators continued to drink and converse. After today's battles, the reputations of Qin Xiulin, Wang Yuanjiang, and Zhao Jingyan spread, gaining them some renown among the younger generation.