The moment he opened his eyes, Xu Ziqing saw that the white-robed man was still sitting upright opposite him, his expression icy and his posture as immovable as a mountain, just as he had been before Xu Ziqing entered meditation the previous day. He could not help feeling slightly surprised. Brother Yun had not returned to the ring?
Before he could think further, someone touched the restriction outside.
Yun Lie swept his sleeve. The golden light on the restriction dispersed, and he vanished from the room as well.
Only then did Xu Ziqing remove the restriction. As expected, the only person who would come looking for him at this hour was Su Xin.
The red-robed youth stood on a crimson flying sword and poked his head inside with a bright smile, his handsome features looking almost painted. “Brother Ziqing, how did last night feel?”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “I was in meditation just now and didn’t hear you calling. My apologies.”
Su Xin laughed as well. “I knew you were cultivating hard. I was the one disturbing you.”
Xu Ziqing shook his head. “It wasn’t much of a disturbance. Brother Su, did you come to find me for something?”
Su Xin sighed. “The martial contests begin today. I thought we might go together and watch the excitement, broaden our horizons a little. What do you think?”
Xu Ziqing considered it and said, “All right. So many talented disciples have gathered here. It would be useful to observe them and learn from their methods.”
Su Xin nodded with a grin. “Exactly.”
The two of them were certain to remain, so gaining experience from watching the martial contests was naturally the better use of their time. Once they had decided, Xu Ziqing stood and walked outside, a means of flight forming naturally beneath his feet.
The spiritual energy outside was not as rich as inside the cave abode, so the moment he stepped out, he immediately felt less comfortable than before.
Su Xin sighed as well. “Sure enough, once you’ve tasted luxury, it’s hard to go back to simplicity.”
Xu Ziqing said, “Even if the spiritual energy is thinner here, it is still far denser than outside Tenglong Peak.”
Su Xin laughed in agreement. “That’s true.”
After exchanging those few words, Su Xin pulled Xu Ziqing onto his flying sword. “Use mine. It’s getting late. If we don’t hurry, we may arrive late and annoy Senior Tang.”
Xu Ziqing did not mind his roughness. He withdrew his own spell and stood behind Su Xin. Su Xin then activated a sword art, and the flying sword shot through the air. The moment the two set off, light burst from another cave abode. Elder Peng and Elder Wu flew out and followed close behind to protect them.
They soon circled around to the front of Tenglong Peak. The majestic hall lay below. The flying sword dove swiftly and landed in the open space before it.
Cultivators were already entering the hall one after another. So this was where the martial contests would be held.
Xu Ziqing and Su Xin entered side by side. The seating arrangement inside was the same as the day before, so neither stood on ceremony and both went directly to their seats. Elder Peng and Elder Wu sat behind them without saying much.
Xu Zitang had arrived even earlier. When she saw the two of them, she nodded in greeting, and Xu Ziqing naturally returned a gentle smile. Her elder brother Xu Zifeng, however, was not seated behind her this time. Instead, he sat beside his younger sister, though Xu Ziqing did not know why.
Before long, seventy or eighty people had gathered in the hall. In addition to those who had passed the civil contest the day before, some of those who had lost had also come, presumably intending to observe the battles. For the moment, they had chosen to give up time at the spiritual vein.
Some cultivators valued accumulating spiritual power above all else, while others believed techniques and combat methods were more important. There was nothing particularly strange about either choice.
Once everyone was seated, a mass of clouds and mist suddenly surged in from outside and shot directly toward the principal seat.
When the mist reached the head of the hall, it dispersed, revealing the handsome young man in white robes embroidered with brocade. It was Tang Wenfei.
Xu Ziqing remembered what Yun Lie had said about the cultivation method of the Skywater Immortal Sect. Seeing this display, he quietly studied it.
Sure enough, his movements are like flowing clouds, free and elegant, calm and unrestrained.
Tang Wenfei wore a faint smile, his bearing polished as jade. His gaze swept across the hall without the slightest trace of worldly coarseness. “Since everyone has come for the martial contests, stop when victory is decided. Do not recklessly take lives.”
All the cultivators were vigorous and ambitious. They answered in unison, “We will obey Senior Tang!”
Su Xin leaned closer to Xu Ziqing and whispered, “I once heard my master say that every Dragon Ascension Gate Gathering has quite a few injuries and deaths. I wonder how this one will be.”
Xu Ziqing was puzzled. “Senior Tang just told everyone to stop when victory is decided…”
Su Xin shook his head twice. “The first half is something you can listen to and forget. The second half is the important part.”
Xu Ziqing paused. “…Do not recklessly take lives?”
“Exactly,” Su Xin said. “During the martial contests, so long as you don’t deliberately kill your opponent, even injuring them severely doesn’t count as violating the rules.”
Xu Ziqing did not understand. “Then the injuries and deaths…”
Su Xin sighed. “Even knowing how to injure someone is a skill. And once a real fight starts, who can be certain they’ll stop in time? Every year the gatekeeper intervenes, of course, but one fewer competitor means a little more opportunity for yourself. So during these matches, cultivators are ruthless and strike directly at vital points, or use obscure, underhanded methods. At most, they’re expected not to kill someone here in the hall. Once the fight is over, who cares what happens afterward?”
There were many hidden methods besides. Some relied on magical artifacts to make an opponent appear only lightly injured while inflicting internal damage that was difficult to heal. After several more bouts, the victim would have no choice but to concede for the sake of staying alive. Others were injured so severely that nothing happened while they remained in the hall, only for them to return to their cave abode and die suddenly because treatment failed. In short, there were plenty of tricks.
Xu Ziqing’s brows drew together. “That is far too despicable.”
Su Xin looked at him with some helplessness. “It is, but who doesn’t want to remain? One day of cultivation here is worth ten outside. One year here is comparable to ten elsewhere. Every cultivator wants to break through bottlenecks and extend their lifespan, and this place is also the best path into the great world. With such an opportunity in front of them, naturally no one wants to let it go.”
Xu Ziqing sighed inwardly. A trace of displeasure rose in him, but soon turned into helplessness.
For him, only acting openly and with a clear conscience allowed his state of mind to remain steady.
In Xu Ziqing’s view, people who exhausted every underhanded method would surely breed inner demons and perhaps damage their Dao heart instead. Yet cultivation ultimately depended on one’s own conviction. He himself was only a novice who had not even established his foundation. How could he know which path was truly right or wrong? Better not to meddle.
There was no need for more idle talk. The martial contests were about to begin.
Tang Wenfei tapped his left palm with one finger, and a white-jade cylinder for drawing lots appeared in his hand. Dozens of jade slips stood neatly inside. With a gentle shake, they produced a clear, pleasant chime. “Each slip bears one person’s name. Whoever is drawn will be the one to fight.”
He smiled mildly. The moment he finished speaking, he tossed the cylinder into the air.
Clear chiming rang without pause as the cylinder emitted waves of faint light. It was clearly another magical artifact.
Suddenly, the cylinder stopped. Two jade slips shot out from within.
They flew backward at high speed, one toward each side of the hall, directly at the faces of two cultivators.
Anyone who had already bested so many others in the civil contest would not be someone easily flustered. Both cultivators remained calm. Each raised a hand and caught the jade slip cleanly.
The participants in the first match had been decided.
Tang Wenfei said, “Since you’ve drawn the first lot, please take the field.”
One person stepped out from each side and stood opposite one another in the center of the hall. Tang Wenfei raised a finger and lightly traced two lines through the air.
Two wisps of cloud qi appeared wherever his finger passed and instantly reached the two contestants. Then the clouds spread apart, turning into two extremely thin layers of white mist before silently disappearing in front of the low tables where the spectators sat.
Everyone’s vision blurred for an instant. The next moment, they sensed something unusual.
They understood at once that Tang Wenfei had erected a restriction to protect the spectators.
Looking back at the center of the hall, the two contestants now stood facing one another.
The man on the left was tall and straight, with the appearance of someone in his thirties. His expression was resolute, his skin bronze, and his muscles compact and firm. A long saber was strapped across his back.
He looked less like an immortal cultivator and more like an ordinary saber-wielding warrior from the mortal world. But anyone who truly mistook him for merely a mortal saber expert would be making a grave mistake.
Saber qi bristled around his entire body, and his presence was domineering. The long saber on his back was black tinged with red, clearly a weapon that had drunk the blood of countless people, perfectly matching the man’s aura.
He cupped his fists. “Zhang Tiantai of the Divine Saber Sect. Please.”
On the right stood a woman with an oval face and curved, delicate brows. She smiled before even speaking, already giving her an extremely charming appearance. Her figure was graceful, her skin snow-white, and she carried the fragile beauty of a willow bending in the breeze. A brocade ribbon wound around both arms and circled her slender waist several times, making her look even more delicate and moving.
She did not resemble an immortal cultivator either. Rather, she looked like a sheltered young lady from an inner chamber.
A woman with such an appearance could usually lower an opponent’s guard by three parts merely by meeting them face-to-face, giving her an immediate advantage.
The woman pursed her lips and smiled, speaking in a soft, melodious voice. “This little sister is Ji Banlian of the Pure Joy Palace. I have long admired Brother Zhang’s reputation… Please.”
Xu Ziqing recognized both of them. They were clearly among the six outstanding cultivators who had reached Qi Refinement layer 10 during the civil contest. He had not expected the very first match to pit two of them against one another. He wondered how it would end.
As he thought this, he suddenly felt someone settle beside him. Turning his head, he saw Su Xin.
Xu Ziqing was surprised. “Brother Su, what are you doing?”
Su Xin laughed. “If we’re going to watch a fight, we may as well sit closer together so we can talk. What fun is there in watching all by yourself?”
Xu Ziqing shook his head. “This isn’t supposed to be for fun…”
Su Xin laughed first. “Brother Ziqing is always so serious. That’s no good, no good.” Then, realizing his words were not quite appropriate, he hurriedly added, “I’m only saying that casually. The real reason is that when watching a battle, discussing it with someone helps you understand its deeper meaning. It isn’t purely for amusement.”
Seeing him explain himself so earnestly, Xu Ziqing could not help smiling. “Brother Su’s words make sense.”
Only then did Su Xin brighten. His eyes turned, and another idea occurred to him. “These two are both rather famous. Want to make a bet with me?”
Xu Ziqing stared, then laughed. “A bet?” They had just said this was not for amusement, and in the blink of an eye Su Xin was already finding another way to entertain himself. This fellow truly could not stay idle for half a moment. Xu Ziqing said, “They haven’t even attacked yet. What would we bet on?”
Su Xin said, “Let them exchange blows for a while first. Then each of us can choose one side. As for the stake…” He grinned. “We’ll be staying here for a year anyway. If you win, I’ll practice techniques with you for three days. If I win, you practice techniques with me for three days. How about it?”
Xu Ziqing thought briefly. “That seems reasonable.”
Su Xin was delighted. “Then it’s settled!”
Now that the two had made a bet and even set a stake, they watched the match with even greater interest.
In the center of the hall, the two who had already exchanged greetings were just about to make their move.