Chapter 344: Heard That Lu Yang Can Fight Across Three Major Realms

The Governor took two deep breaths, forcefully suppressing the urge to kick his subordinate.

"You had them stay in prison? Did you think the arrivals were from the Wen Dao Sect?" He glared fiercely at his subordinate. "Go, invite the immortal sect disciples. There are still a few empty guest rooms in the mansion. Go clean them up, arrange the Spirit Gathering Arrays where needed, and place the Soul Nurturing Stones where appropriate."

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, three disciples from the immortal sects entered the government office. Two men and one woman, they were radiant and their eyes gleamed with confidence.

The Governor observed the three immortal sect disciples and secretly nodded. As expected of immortal sect disciples, they were clearly exceptional individuals, truly dragons among men.

Achieving the Golden Core stage at such a young age—what terrifying talent!

The Governor discerned their cultivation stages; they had just formed their Golden Cores. According to the information sent by the immortal sects, none of them were yet eighteen.

Eighteen-year-old Golden Core cultivators, and all of them with first-grade cores—such cultivation speed was rarely seen in history.

He feared that in the coming struggle of the great era, such prodigies would truly be its protagonists.

"Greetings, Governor. I am Lan Ting of the Lunar Laurel Immortal Palace," said Lan Ting. Slender and graceful, she wore a white robe that seemed to float, her eyes were bright and sparkling like stars, and her skirt fluttered as she walked.

"I am Bai Ming of the Five Elements Sect." Bai Ming's expression was as cold as ever.

"Yan Tianzhi, of the Prison Suppressing Sect." Yan Tianzhi was a man of few words.

"For the commentary of tomorrow's grand celebration's competition, I'll be relying on the three of you, my young friends." The Governor's face was beaming with smiles. Although tomorrow's competitors would be their peers, these three, as immortal sect disciples, possessed extraordinary insight, making them more than qualified to critique the grand competition.

"We will certainly do our best."

"By the way, have the three of you met anyone from the Wen Dao Sect?"

The three shook their heads. They had traveled from their respective sects and converged in Qingzhou, but had not encountered anyone from the Wen Dao Sect.

"That's strange then. The Wen Dao Sect replied to me saying they would send two people this time: Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, two of their most outstanding contemporary prodigies. Considering the time, they should have arrived by now." The Governor was perplexed, unable to understand why.

Upon hearing the familiar names, Lan Ting recalled her days running a barbecue stand in Yanjiang Commandery. She had received a sect mission to infiltrate the Immortal Cult, but due to a timing error, she missed their recruitment period. She then encountered Lu Yang and two others, learning that the three of them had successfully joined the Immortal Cult.

Later, in Yanjiang Commandery, she, Lu Yang, and his two companions worked together to eliminate the leader of the Yanjiang branch.

Lu Yang and his two companions even gained the appreciation of the Immortal Cult's high-ranking members and were promoted, while she herself returned to her sect to report on the mission's progress.

She had even considered contacting Lu Yang to ask if he needed any help, hoping to perhaps dismantle another branch.

To her surprise, less than two months later, news of the Immortal Cult's demise arrived.

She was stunned for a long time when she first heard the news, initially thinking it was false.

It had only been two months!

Although it was publicly stated that the Wen Dao Sect and the imperial court had jointly dismantled the Immortal Cult's main stronghold, Lan Ting was certain that Lu Yang had played a crucial role in it!

Later, when she attended a meeting at the Wen Dao Sect, their Senior Disciple Sister even proposed that she marry Lu Yang, scaring her master so much that he dragged her away, fearing she'd be left behind.

She still wondered why her master was so afraid of the Wen Dao Sect's Senior Disciple Sister.

"I see..." The Governor frowned in concern, then relaxed. Since the Wen Dao Sect's reply stated that both would come, they certainly would. Perhaps they were enjoying today's celebration and would simply take their places on the judging panel before the grand competition began tomorrow.

That made sense.

"Oh, by the way, the Hanging Temple asked me to relay a message to you, Governor. They had originally intended to send Senior Disciple Brother Shi Chan, but he encountered some unforeseen circumstances while spreading Buddhist teachings, making it difficult for him to come. And since the Hanging Temple is already short-staffed, it's hard for them to send anyone else."

Shi Chan was the contemporary true successor of the Hanging Temple.

"Did he encounter danger? Do I need to send someone to assist him?"

"Not exactly danger. It's just that he has always struggled to comprehend the phrase, 'Lay down the butcher's knife and immediately become a Buddha.' So, he joined a slaughterhouse to see if he could become a Buddha by putting down the knife."

The Governor was speechless for a long time, utterly at a loss for words. He finally managed to say, "It's getting late. The three of you should rest at the mansion."

After the Governor left, Lan Ting suddenly asked, "Senior Disciple Brother Bai Ming, when the Governor mentioned Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, your expression changed. Do you know them?"

Bai Ming sighed, "More than just knowing them, I've fought against him."

"Senior Disciple Sister Lan Ting, you might not know this, but four months ago, our Five Elements Sect visited the Wen Dao Sect for an exchange. In the Foundation Establishment stage competition, Lu Yang successively demonstrated Five Elements spells such as the Samadhi True Fire and Earth Evasion Art. I pride myself on excelling in Five Elements spells among my peers, but Lu Yang suppressed me in every aspect."

"As I was about to be defeated, I had an epiphany, breaking through a bottleneck and achieving a breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment stage in the midst of battle. What I didn't expect was that Lu Yang hadn't been serious the entire time. When he saw my breakthrough, he seemed to transform; his eyes and movements changed. Before I could even make a move, he defeated me with a single strike. If my master hadn't intervened in time, I would have been either dead or severely injured."

The Five Great Immortal Sects maintained harmonious relations, and disciples of the same generation addressed each other as senior or junior siblings.

"That strong!" Lan Ting exclaimed in surprise. She knew Lu Yang's talent for spells was astonishing, but she never imagined he could defeat Bai Ming with a single move.

Yan Tianzhi's eyes also widened, revealing an extremely astonished expression.

He had sparred with Bai Ming before; the latter was proficient in spear techniques and Five Elements spells, formidable in both ranged and close combat. Could he really be defeated in a single move?

"According to my master, Lu Yang used an ancient great divine ability that has long been lost: the Water Evasion Art. Without a specific countermeasure, this technique is unstoppable; it can drain all moisture from an opponent's body, turning them into a dried husk." Bai Ming recalled the scene of Lu Yang effortlessly deploying the Water Evasion Art and felt a chill of fear.

Given how easily he seemed to wield such an ancient great divine ability, Bai Ming feared that even if he could withstand the Water Evasion Art, other powerful divine abilities would be waiting for him.

"Not only that, the Wen Dao Sect's Grand Elder personally admitted that Lu Yang, while in the Foundation Establishment stage, fought beyond his cultivation level."

Yan Tianzhi merely smiled, unimpressed. All three of them could fight beyond their cultivation level; it was nothing to boast about.

Bai Ming said gravely, "He crossed three major cultivation realms! While still in the Foundation Establishment stage, he defeated Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and even Spirit Transformation cultivators!"

Lan Ting and Yan Tianzhi were too shocked to speak. Leaping three major realms was simply unheard of.

Lan Ting recalled the battle where she and Lu Yang had killed the leader of the Yanjiang branch. Lu Yang had always seemed at ease, always holding back.

"I suspect that when he fought beyond his level, he relied on favorable timing, terrain, formations, elixirs, and other conditions," Bai Ming analyzed. "Otherwise, I couldn't imagine how a Foundation Establishment cultivator could defeat a Spirit Transformation one."

Even so, being able to fight across three major cultivation realms was an incredibly terrifying feat.

At the very least, none of the three of them could accomplish that.

"What a pity. Who knows where those two have gone."

"Perhaps we'll see them during tomorrow's grand competition."