Chapter 120: Truly an Evenly Matched Battle

Ao Yi, as a disciple of Jie Jiao, standing among the Du Xian Men disciples below, felt somewhat out of place.

Fortunately, this prince's younger brother was well aware that Li Changshou was acting as a merit proxy for a certain expert of Ren Jiao, so he had to maintain secrecy.

Li Changshou sent a voice transmission to advise him a couple of times, and Ao Yi chuckled, "After your sect's grand competition, I'll catch up with you for some casual chats, Brother Changshou."

With that, Ao Yi rode his cloud back to the jade platform, returning to the side of Han Zhi and his fellow senior brothers...

Before long, Sect Leader Ji Wuyou flew out from the jade platform on his cloud, and the disciples below, along with the various sect members, all held their breath in silence, making the entire mountain gate utterly quiet.

Li Changshou carefully sensed the situation and noticed that the sect leader... might still be injured, as his aura was somewhat unstable.

After a moment, Ji Wuyou began to speak, his voice echoing throughout the mountain gate:

"Cough...

On this auspicious day, the young disciples recruited by Du Xian Men over the past two centuries have gathered here... Cough, cough...

This sect's grand competition isn't meant to rank you all strictly by superiority.

Assigning ranks is just to encourage your cultivation; even if you're behind for now, you might still surpass others later.

The demon attack on our mountain feels as recent as yesterday.

I witnessed your determination to stand with the sect back then, and it filled me with deep satisfaction.

Now, with the San Jiao Yuan Liu Grand Meeting approaching, our Du Xian Men, founded by Qing De Fu Xian and revered master Du E Zhenren of Ren Jiao, has also received an invitation to attend.

For this sect competition, those ranked among the Tian Gang or recommended by elders will accompany me to Zhong Shen Continent..."

As the sect leader spoke eloquently, Li Changshou furrowed his brow slightly.

The top thirty-six have to go to the San Jiao Yuan Liu Grand Meeting?

Given the precedent of the last Dragon Palace Demon-Exorcism Assembly, Li Changshou naturally wanted no part in such "grand events" and preferred to stay safely in the mountains to cultivate.

Especially as his cultivation improved, You Qin Xuanya was becoming increasingly prominent. What if some fool blinded by lust challenged him, this "ordinary friend of You Qin Junior Sister," to a duel...

That would be a real headache.

At such gatherings, experts would flock together, and even figures like the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao might show up.

His minor disguises might not hold up;

If he drew attention, it could easily lead to uncontrollable situations...

'Maybe I should aim to rank between thirty-seven and forty in the competition.'

Just as Li Changshou was about to make that decision, he suddenly noticed several gazes fixed on him.

He quietly traced the sources of these gazes:

They came from Elder Wan Linjun on the jade platform, a few familiar peripheral elders from Bai Fan Hall, and several radiant, "ambitious" elders in the Tian Xian realm.

Li Changshou: ...

It seemed more reliable to keep improving the "Gui Xi Ping Qi Jue."

From the looks of it, he and this San Jiao Grand Meeting were destined to meet, like old friends by the shores of Da Ming Lake, so he had no choice but to prepare in advance and handle it carefully.

The sect competition proceeded according to the established procedures.

After the sect leader spoke, the deputy leader followed, and then the supreme elders had their say...

In the end, it was Elder Ge from Bai Fan Hall who stepped forward to announce the official start of the event.

The two supreme elders flew out from the jade platform, their white hair dancing in the wind and their slender figures exuding an otherworldly air;

Their long sleeves billowed, scattering a vast array of starlight, creating quite a spectacular scene.

These starlights transformed into jade slips that slowly descended, with each disciple receiving one.

Each jade slip bore a number, starting with the ten heavenly stems—Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui—followed by three counters.

Li Changshou's counter was Ding Ling Er Liu, and Ling E's was Xin Yi Er Yi;

It coincidentally matched the way Li Changshou labeled the "small" treasure pouches he refined.

If the jade slip lit up later, it meant it was time to enter the arena for a duel.

Besides the numbers, each jade slip had twelve blank squares; winning a match would light up one square.

These jade slips were a complete set of treasures, not easy to craft, so the back was inscribed with small text:

Do not damage; return after the event. Any loss or damage will result in a six-month supply cutoff.

At that moment, dozens of true immortal realm attendants from the sect entered the arena first, taking up positions around the perimeter;

The two disciples for the first duel, holding their glowing jade slips, had already entered and were waiting.

Disciples nearby began sitting down where they were;

Those with some refinement brought out meditation cushions or soft pads, while the more casual ones sat directly on the ground, connecting intimately with nature.

"Senior Brother..."

Ling E whispered beside him, pulling out two meditation cushions and a bamboo basket from her storage bracelet, deliberately placing the cushions half a zhang apart.

Li Changshou transmitted, "Good job, fifty fewer recitations of the 'Stabilizing Sutra.'"

Lan Ling E puffed her cheeks and muttered, "You're awful, Senior Brother; I didn't do it just to skip writing the sutra."

"Then I won't reduce it."

"Hey, don't, don't..."

Li Changshou smiled slyly, lifted the front of his robe, and sat down with his junior sister.

As soon as they sat, before Ling E could take out the snacks and chilled tea she had prepared in the basket, two small white hands reached from behind and stealthily grabbed the basket...

"Hehe, let this senior uncle see what goodies our Ling E has made!"

Jiu Jiu had sneaked over and plopped down right between them, uncovering the cloth on the basket.

Instantly, gazes shot their way, and many disciples who had never seen Jiu Jiu before were filled with shock...

Li Changshou had anticipated this and remained unfazed, closing his eyes to meditate;

Ling E obediently called her "Senior Uncle," but with so many people around, she didn't dare play around with Jiu Jiu and just watched helplessly as her hard-made treats filled the senior uncle's... sinful belly.

In the eyes of the disciples, Jiu Jiu and Ling E huddling together was a delightful sight, a beautiful encounter.

But when Jiu Jiu scooted over to Li Changshou and asked how he planned to fight, the disciples' expressions shifted subtly.

"As for how to fight, I'll just adapt on the spot," Li Changshou said with a light laugh.

Jiu Jiu didn't press further, encouraged him a bit, then scooted back to carefully guide Ling E.

Duel after duel unfolded, and Li Changshou secretly observed with his immortal sense.

Though these fights among his peers no longer held any reference value for him;

Some moves that once seemed like divine guidance now looked like monkeys scratching their heads...

Still, watching more would help him act more naturally later.

In the first round, the seventy-ninth match, Ling E stepped up, wielding a few immortal treasures and displaying her ninth-tier Hua Shen realm cultivation, easily suppressing a Fan Xu realm fellow disciple.

Li Changshou was basically satisfied with Ling E's performance and took the initiative to send a voice transmission praising her a couple of times.

Though Ling E kept a straight face, she was beaming inside.

Li Changshou continued waiting, and his first-round duel didn't come until the afternoon.

In the three hundred and sixty-second match, Li Changshou's jade slip vibrated gently and glowed faintly, and the sect attendants called out the number on his slip.

Li Changshou stood up and flew on his cloud toward the duel area;

At the same time, from under the "Lin" banner, another disciple flew out and gave Li Changshou a slight smile.

Li Changshou furrowed his brow slightly...

Having monitored Xian Lin Peak for years, he naturally recognized this person.

This was a promising disciple from Xian Lin Peak, ranked nineteenth in the sect, at the second tier of Gui Dao realm, just ahead of Li Changshou.

What a coincidence?

This probably wasn't a coincidence; earlier, disciples with similar rankings had faced off, seemingly arranged by the elders to have "evenly matched" bouts every half hour.

The two landed simultaneously on the array-reinforced ground.

Two sect attendants stepped forward to check their jade slips and reminded them of the "stop at contact" rule.

—There had been cases before where disciples got too intense and accidentally injured fellow sect members.

Once the attendants confirmed everything and stepped back, Li Changshou and the Xian Lin Peak disciple bowed to each other in salute.

Right then, Li Changshou heard a voice transmission:

"Senior Brother Li, how about we go all out today and not stop at contact?"

Li Changshou smiled in response, nodding lightly, and from his sleeve flew out streams of talismans.

First, defend, then counterattack!

Against a Xian Lin Peak disciple, he wouldn't just concede, but he also wouldn't win too easily, since their "cultivations were similar."

This Xian Lin Peak disciple had clearly done his homework, studying how top-ranked disciples fought in the sect;

Plus, Li Changshou's spar with Ao Yi back then had been seen by most.

So, the disciple summoned three treasures: a wooden sword for summoning lightning in his hand, a red plum blossom overhead, and a pearl floating around him, creating an impressive defense with no weak points.

Then, he flew straight into the air, pointing the wooden sword remotely at Li Changshou;

Dozens of thin lightning bolts burst forth, forming a thunderbird with a wingspan over a zhang, swooping toward Li Changshou.

Li Changshou lightly tapped his foot, drifting backward, his hands quickly forming seals as seventy-two yellow paper talismans condensed into a earth fire array above his head.

The array spewed pillars of fire, barely dispersing the thunderbird.

By then, Li Changshou's feet had touched the ground again, and his figure swiftly sank into the earth.

The Xian Lin Peak disciple sneered, his hands rapidly channeling spells to cast an ice-sealing curse, turning the ground into a sheet of frost that spread rapidly.

He was clearly prepared.

Yet, the earth fire array kept erupting without hindrance, sending fiery serpents chasing after the Xian Lin Peak disciple;

The pearl shone brightly, and the red plum above dropped a protective glow, shielding him firmly...

For a time, flames scattered everywhere, and lightning flashed.

But Li Changshou had already vanished silently, slipping out of the opponent's spiritual sight...

From the start, most disciples were thoroughly engrossed; it was indeed a clash between Gui Dao realm cultivators.

Li Changshou hid underground, unhurried, controlling the array to harass his enemy.

He decided to play it safe, dragging out the fight with this Gui Dao realm disciple before snatching victory from the brink...

After some intense exchanges, Li Changshou had quietly replaced two sets of talismans in his array;

The treasures around the Xian Lin Peak disciple began to dim, struggling to hold up.

Treasures were powerful, but they required his own magical power to sustain;

With three treasures active at once and unable to locate Li Changshou, he was stuck in a war of attrition...

Anyone could see that Li Changshou, though using earth escape tactics that weren't entirely honorable, had the upper hand.

Gradually, the Xian Lin Peak disciple showed signs of panic and suddenly called out:

"How about it, Senior Brother Li? Is hiding in the earth all you can do?

It's quite in line with Xiao Qiong Peak's usual style!"

Many sect members and disciples frowned slightly, finding the Xian Lin Peak disciple rather rude;

But Li Changshou, underground, showed no change in expression.

What good was a sharp tongue?

Li Changshou wasn't about to bicker with a Gui Dao realm fellow disciple over this...

Still, he had to consider how to perform in a way that made sense, given the open rivalry between the two peaks.

So...

The talismans in the air increased unnoticed;

From seventy-two, they grew to one hundred and eight, then continued to three hundred and sixty, completing a full cycle.

On the jade platform, Ao Yi raised an eyebrow; the power of this array...

He had experienced it before—it was quite impressive.

With three hundred and sixty talismans activating together, flames rolled across the sky, and fire pillars crashed down relentlessly.

The Xian Lin Peak disciple blocked left and right, his three treasures fading, barely able to withstand it.

Just as he thought to make a desperate move and sacrifice the pearl, he sensed a roar of fire from behind;

Looking up, he saw the heavenly flames condensing into a massive foot, stomping down directly!

The disciple's face changed, and he mustered all his strength to block, using his magical power to protect himself, but he was fiercely stomped down, plummeting rapidly!

As he was about to hit the ground, with the sect attendant ready to declare the winner;

In a flash, something emerged from the earth.

It was thick at the top and tapered below, covered in sharp spikes, easily piercing the ice layer and extending half a chi, aimed straight at the falling figure...

A wolf-tooth club!

The disciples recognized it—it was that familiar magical weapon, the wolf-tooth club!

This Xian Lin Peak disciple had almost no magical power left and couldn't activate his treasures!

Whether by intent or accident, the wolf-tooth club was perfectly aimed at a spot that wouldn't cause serious injury... his rear.

Blood sprayed three chi into the air!

The fellow disciples held their breath, and a group of female disciples covered their eyes, unable to watch;

On the jade platform, Ao Yi broke into a cold sweat involuntarily...

The wolf-tooth club retracted after drawing blood, just as a light punishment.

But the disciple groaned, lay on the ground with blood flowing, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

Li Changshou's figure slowly emerged from the side;

His breath was weak, clearly from overexertion of magical power, and his hands were empty, with no sign of the fearsome weapon.

Li Changshou looked at his opponent on the ground and frowned, saying:

"It was just a surface wound; why did Junior Brother faint?

Please, Senior Uncles and Elders, check on him quickly!"

The two attendants who had flown over had darkened expressions.

Why did he faint... You tell us why!

Soon, the attendants announced that the Xian Lin Peak disciple was only overcome by qi and had no major issues, and Li Changshou finally relaxed.

"Ah, this was truly an evenly matched battle."

With that, and after getting the attendants' permission, Li Changshou turned and flew back to his seat;

There, Jiu Jiu was holding Ling E, the former laughing so hard she was doubled over, while the latter struggled to hold back her giggles.