Chapter 347: Cross-Level Battle, Reverse Assault on Foundation Establishment

“Golden Core stage!?”

“A Golden Core cultivator under eighteen? What kind of cultivation talent is this!”

“Calling them a prodigy wouldn't be an exaggeration!”

“This must be rare in history, right?”

“More than just rare; according to historical records, a Golden Core cultivator under eighteen might not appear even once in several centuries.”

People didn't know the ages of Lan Ting and the others. In reality, among the three, Bai Ming was the oldest at eighteen years and a few months, while Lan Ting and Yan Tianzhi were still a few months shy of eighteen.

The pressure on the participating cultivators doubled, especially for the seeded contestants. They had been full of confidence, diligently cultivating to the Foundation Establishment stage, believing they could surely defeat numerous opponents and claim the championship. They never imagined that Golden Core stage cultivators would be participating in this grand event. What kind of luck was this? Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting Golden Core cultivators—how could they possibly win?

Among the contestants, only one showed an excited smile, muttering to himself, “Golden Core stage? Interesting.” He wore a black cloak, his face obscured. He had been traveling the continent and happened to pass through Qingzhou. Seeing the grand event being held there, he decided on a whim to participate. He publicly displayed his cultivation as early Foundation Establishment, but his true cultivation was not so. His name was Zhou Fangge, and his true cultivation was late Foundation Establishment.

“I haven't fought against a sect disciple yet,” he mused. “Although this Lu Yang cultivates faster than me, cultivation isn't everything in a battle. Even if he cultivates quickly, it can't be by too much. He should have just formed his Golden Core.” Zhou Fangge had once defeated an early Golden Core cultivator. The fight was somewhat difficult, but he ultimately won. “It's not impossible to fight him.”

“Heh heh, Lu Yang, I hope you're a suitable whetstone!”

“Get ready, it'll be your turn soon.” Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou fist-bumped. Participating in such a large-scale exchange event for the first time was quite interesting.

“They're all peers; perhaps there's a formidable opponent hidden among them.”

Meng Jingzhou laughed, “What are you talking about? Haven't I always gone all out in my battles?” They had always been cautious in their battles, never once letting their guard down.

On the judges' panel, Lan Ting watched Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou fist-bump, her eyelids twitching. She transmitted a message to Bai Ming: “When Meng Jingzhou is up, you give the commentary.” Meeting Lan Ting's murderous gaze, Bai Ming nodded heavily, forced to accept the task.

The battles continued, thrilling duels one after another. Facing their peers, neither side dared to relax their guard, engaging in schemes, intricate calculations, and hidden spells. Both sides fought with everything they had, thrilling the cultivators in the audience. Most of the cultivators in the audience were at the Qi Refinement stage. They couldn't have imagined that even at their level, there could be such spectacular duels. Even the sect cultivators responsible for recruiting talent nodded frequently, finding the quality of this year's grand event truly high.

“The competition must be past halfway now, right? Including the first contestant, there have already been five Foundation Establishment cultivators. In previous years, there weren't so many.”

“Exactly! Especially the fifth one, at mid-Foundation Establishment, he would have been a guaranteed first place in previous editions!”

Bai Ming glanced at the contestant list and introduced, “The contestant for this match is Shang Deshui from the Canghai Sect. He's also a highly-anticipated seeded cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Shang Deshui is proficient in water-element spells, particularly his Water Control Art, which is truly remarkable.” At the mention of the Water Control Art, Bai Ming's eyelid instinctively twitched, recalling the Water Repulsion Art Lu Yang used to instantly defeat an opponent.

Shang Deshui showed a confident smile. Early Foundation Establishment could sweep through the preliminary rounds.

“Shang Deshui's opponent is also a cultivator who registered at the last minute: Meng Jingzhou of the Wen Dao Sect.”

Meng Jingzhou's face was beaming with a smile as he greeted Bai Ming.

“How can there be someone from the Wen Dao Sect again?” Shang Deshui's smile froze. One wasn't enough, now there are two? Is the Qingzhou Grand Event such a major occasion that it requires two Wen Dao Sect disciples to participate?

“Calm down, calm down,” he told himself. “A Wen Dao Sect disciple doesn't necessarily mean Golden Core stage. A Foundation Establishment cultivator under eighteen is rarely seen even in centuries. At most, he's at late Foundation Establishment. With clever maneuvering, there's still a chance to win.”

Shang Deshui encouraged himself and pulled out a small bottle from his sleeve. The bottle contained water from the depths of the East Sea, purchased at great expense. It was the purest and most suitable for performing water-element spells.

“Water Control Art—Serpent Form!”

Water vapor surged, waves overflowed. The deep East Sea water transformed into a fine thread, emerging from the bottle. As more deep East Sea water accumulated, its form changed, becoming a ferocious python.

“Go!”

The python opened its gaping maw and rushed towards Meng Jingzhou with lightning speed, like a raging tsunami. Its terrifying aura moved everyone present.

“Six Forms of Earth-Shaking Fist!”

Meng Jingzhou struck with his initial stance, shattering the python with a single punch. The python exploded, turning into a shower of rain. The punch, its force undiminished, stopped right in front of Shang Deshui. Unable to withstand the force of the punch, Shang Deshui stumbled back several steps and fell off the stage.

Bai Ming: “…”

*You're a Golden Core cultivator, and you use the Six Forms of Earth-Shaking Fist right from the start? Anyone who didn't know would think your opponent was Lu Yang!*

Bai Ming commented seriously, “The Mimicry Chapter of the Water Control Art is divided into three stages: Serpent, Flood Dragon, and Dragon. Generally, one only truly masters the Water Control Art at late Foundation Establishment. For Shang Deshui to be able to perform such an exquisite Water Control Art, mimicking a python at the early Foundation Establishment stage, is truly astonishing. It's evident that Shang Deshui has diligently practiced off-stage and possesses a profound understanding of the Dao of Water. This level of comprehension is extremely rare at his age; I've only seen it in a few of my junior brothers. In the path of cultivation, victory and defeat are often determined by fate. I hope Shang Deshui won't be disheartened by this failure. May he continue to persevere and delve deeper into the Dao of Water.”

He concluded, “Meng Jingzhou, Golden Core stage. Commentary concluded.”

Another uproar rose from the audience, filled with longing for the Wen Dao Sect. Golden Core stage, another Golden Core cultivator under eighteen. Is the Wen Dao Sect really that powerful? Peerless prodigies, rarely seen in centuries, appearing two in a row!

The first round of elimination matches concluded. Apart from the exceptionally conspicuous Golden Core cultivators Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, ten Foundation Establishment cultivators stood out. As for the fifty Qi Refinement Grand Completion cultivators, hardly anyone paid attention to them anymore.

Lu Yang was particularly happy during his subsequent battles. His next two opponents were both early Foundation Establishment. The Invincible Pill's advice was to fight casually. Lu Yang couldn't help but sigh, realizing it had been a long time since he'd encountered such effortless battles. Recalling the arduous battles at the Wen Dao Sect, Lu Yang felt that these types of battles were more suited to him.

The Immortal Fairy felt a sense of familiarity seeing this scene, as if she had returned to the good old days of fighting above her level in ancient times. She pestered Lu Yang, demanding control of his body to experience it herself. Left with no choice, Lu Yang ceded control of his body for the match after next to the Immortal Fairy, letting her have her fill.

Meng Jingzhou had a similar reaction to Lu Yang. He mused that ever since he joined the Wen Dao Sect, he hadn't had a proper duel against peers, except for the one time at the Five Elements Sect. It turns out fighting against peers is this enjoyable. He was even luckier; his next two opponents were both Qi Refinement Grand Completion.

Lan Ting and the other two looked at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, who were grinning from ear to ear, and wished they could pretend not to know them.

Four rounds of competition concluded, and the top eight emerged. Apart from the undisputed Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the top eight also included Zhou Fangge, who had concealed his cultivation, one mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, and four early Foundation Establishment cultivators. According to the competition rules, the top eight would participate in a grand free-for-all, testing the cultivators' adaptability and teamwork skills.