Chapter 489: Town

Qiu Jin'an was furious. "Yang Ding, you used to be an honest man. How did you start scheming in secret now?"

He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this! Their Five Elements Sect also wanted to promote themselves. What a perfect opportunity the Heavenly Court Sect's emergence was to praise their sect, and they had just missed it!

Daoist Buyu wrote "Legends of the Dao Seeking Sect" daily. Now, you could go to any teahouse and hear storytellers recount tales of the Dao Seeking Sect, whose popularity was multiplying exponentially. Qiu Jin'an wanted to do the same, but unfortunately, the Five Elements Sect lacked a talent like Daoist Buyu.

Luo Hongxia, on the other hand, was doing well. The Laurel Palace was a semi-reclusive sect, and all its members were female cultivators, so its reputation was already higher than the Five Elements Sect and the Prison Suppressing Sect without needing any promotion.

"Sect Master Lu, is it still possible to promote our Five Elements Sect now? The remuneration is negotiable," Qiu Jin'an asked the Immortal Fairy standing nearby. The common understanding in the cultivation world was that the ancient era was incredibly prosperous, and everyone wanted to associate themselves with it. With the Heavenly Court Sect present, couldn't they easily link their sect to the ancient era just by saying something?

Lu Yang handled the cooperation matters; the Immortal Fairy knew nothing about such things. She transmitted a message to Lu Yang, who was currently fighting on the arena stage. After a moment of thought, Lu Yang responded.

"Although I could take this opportunity to praise the Five Elements Sect, saying something like, 'As expected of the Five Elements Sect, which contains the power of the five elements of heaven and earth, founded by an ancestor of great talent,' the timing isn't right. It would feel very forced and isn't conducive to establishing our Heavenly Court Sect's reputation. Tell Sect Master Qiu that it's not possible this time, but we can cooperate with the Five Elements Sect next time."

"Oh."

On the arena stage, Lu Yang was locked in an intense battle with Yan Tianzhi. In the previous round, Yan Tianzhi had fought with all his might to defeat Bai Ming for promotional purposes. To be able to defeat Bai Ming, he naturally had his merits.

Taotie and Azure Dragon were transcendent, major races among the demon beasts. Normally, Golden Core cultivators could only tattoo one battle pattern. However, Yan Tianzhi's physique was exceptionally compatible with the battle pattern cultivation method. After returning from the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony, he secluded himself for contemplation, bathed in the Dragon Transformation Pond, and comprehended the Azure Dragon battle pattern. Compared to the Taotie battle pattern, the Azure Dragon battle pattern had appeared more recently, and he hadn't yet mastered it proficiently. But even so, it was enough to pressure Lu Yang.

"The power of battle patterns is truly difficult to deal with," Lu Yang gritted his teeth. He wasn't just spouting ad copy; he genuinely felt that way. Yan Tianzhi's fighting style was ferocious, involving close-quarters physical combat. Lu Yang wasn't a body cultivator, so clashing head-on with Yan Tianzhi would put him at a disadvantage. Based on cultivation methods, Lu Yang was a spell cultivator and a sword cultivator. He wished he could swap places with Meng Jingzhou; let Meng Jingzhou fight Yan Tianzhi, and he would fight Lan Ting, ensuring both of them would advance.

Several water orbs appeared behind Yan Tianzhi. The Azure Dragon controlled water; this was a capability of the Azure Dragon battle pattern. The ends of the water orbs sharpened, transforming into numerous water needles that pierced towards Lu Yang.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

"Startling Swan!" Lu Yang casually made up a name for his sword move, though he was actually executing the "Severing Technique." Sword moves at this realm were generally similar, with little significant difference; the only distinction was the name. Even though Ming Tai's sword skills were exceptional, slaughtering opponents in the early Golden Core stage with incredibly refined moves, they could all essentially be categorized under Lu Yang's basic sword techniques such as the "Severing Technique," "Breaking Technique," and "Piercing Technique." As long as one didn't use distinct moves like "A Single Sword Becomes Ten Thousand Swords," "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin," or "Sword Splits Heavenly Gates," sword cultivators' moves wouldn't differ much. It was the understanding of the Way of the Sword that determined the strength of basic sword moves.

The Severing Technique broke through the water needles. The moment the water needles touched the sword qi, they transformed into vapor, filling the arena.

"Sky-Cleaving!"

Lu Yang casually made up another sword move. The sword qi was grand and imposing, upright and balanced, possessing the might to defeat ten thousand men.

Yan Tianzhi, who had originally intended to use the mist to approach Lu Yang, felt his hairs stand on end, sensing a profound threat. He couldn't withstand this move with his body alone.

"Shield Ghost!"

A shield-bearing ghost king, baring its fangs and claws, blocked in front of Yan Tianzhi. The ghost king, formed from a battle pattern, collided with the sharp sword. The clash was silent but generated a thousand layers of airwaves, dispersing the vapor that filled the arena.

Shield Ghost was Yan Tianzhi's first battle pattern. It had no offensive capabilities, but in exchange, it offered an unbreakable defense against opponents of the same cultivation level. Yan Tianzhi's pupils contracted slightly. He saw cracks appearing on the Shield Ghost; it actually couldn't fully withstand this sword strike.

"As expected of an ancient genius, truly powerful," he thought. Yan Tianzhi still didn't know Lu Yang's true identity.

"Recall!"

Yan Tianzhi recalled the Shield Ghost. The Shield Ghost transformed back into a battle pattern and imprinted itself onto his arm. His arm bore a portion of the damage the battle pattern had sustained, immediately bleeding profusely. Fortunately, it only bore an equivalent amount of damage. If it had been damage transference, his arm would have been pierced by the sword qi by now.

Yan Tianzhi summoned the Taotie and Azure Dragon battle patterns again, preparing to launch another attack. Lu Yang scratched his cheek, sheathed his sword, and said, "This fight will never end like this. Fine, let's try a move I just learned."

"Suppress!"

A colossal, golden statue descended from the sky, enveloping Yan Tianzhi, who was about to charge!

Yan Tianzhi hadn't anticipated the sudden appearance of the statue and slammed his head into its inner wall, developing a large bump. The two battle patterns collided with the statue. The statue was as heavy as a mountain; the battle patterns' impact merely made it sway slightly. Instead, the reverberating shockwaves from the collision temporarily deafened Yan Tianzhi.

"What is that?!"

Even the most knowledgeable spectators failed to recognize this move.

"It feels like a Buddhist Sixteen-foot Golden Body."

"Don't be ridiculous, whose Sixteen-foot Golden Body appears so far from the caster? It must be a lost ancient technique."

"Didn't you hear him say 'Suppress' just now? Maybe this is 'Words Become Reality,' a technique lost since ancient times!"

"What!"

Yan Tianzhi tried to dig a hole and escape from beneath, but unfortunately, the arena was reinforced with great spiritual power; even cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage couldn't damage it, cutting off his last hope. Lu Yang, however, wasn't so powerless that he couldn't move his own Golden Body. While Yan Tianzhi was stunned and unable to think of another way, Lu Yang kicked his own Golden Body over. The Golden Body, along with Yan Tianzhi, tumbled off the arena.

Lu Yang won.

Junior Sect Master Lu had swept through all challenges and finally reached the finals, where he would face his lifelong rival—Meng Jingzhou. Lu Yang sat cross-legged to recover the spiritual energy he had just expended. The final round officially began. Meng Jingzhou, unable to wait any longer, eagerly leaped onto the arena. He let out a strange chuckle, rubbing his hands together. "Heh heh, it's finally my turn."

He had returned from his studies with Qiu Jin'an and finally had the chance to flex his muscles and properly deal with the unruly Lu Yang. "Being an acting sect master is great, but you'll still get beaten if you're due for it!"

"Dao Seeking Sect, Meng Jingzhou."

"Heavenly Court Sect, Junior Sect Master."

"Let's talk," Lu Yang kindly transmitted, trying to persuade him. "How about you cooperate with me for this match? Next time, I'll promote you just as much." As fellow disciples, it was better not to fight if they could avoid it, as it damaged unity.

"You say no fight, and there's no fight? I'm telling you, I'm set on beating you today!" Meng Jingzhou would never let go of an opportunity to fight Lu Yang.

Lu Yang sighed, forced to change his approach. "Then, as the acting Sect Master, I order you to concede."

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

"Shall we discuss it again?"

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.(End of chapter)