After the first round of matches, the victors advanced while the defeated returned in disappointment.
Naturally, some complained bitterly about their bad luck, saying they had been matched against opponents with higher cultivation and lost miserably because of the disparity.
Strictly speaking, the black dragon command was merely a magical treasure. It paired Foundation Establishment cultivators more or less at random, and could not ensure perfect fairness. Situations like this were inevitable.
But the immortal path was so long. How could anyone expect to obtain everything they wanted so easily?
Those seeking immortality depended not only on aptitude and willpower but also on fortune.
When one’s fortune was abundant, misfortune could turn into blessing. When one’s fortune was poor, one suffered repeated setbacks.
Such things were perfectly ordinary.
There was also the saying that human effort could overcome heaven’s decree. A person with a steadfast Dao Heart might encounter difficulties early on but overcome them through exceptional perseverance, thereby increasing his fortune and reversing what had initially seemed an unfavorable destiny. Someone with an unstable Dao Heart, by contrast, would squander even repeated strokes of good luck. When fortune eventually ran out, the misfortunes previously held at bay would return in full force.
Thus, those defeated cultivators who did nothing but complain instead of examining their own shortcomings were merely wasting the fortune the Heavenly Dao had granted them.
Perfected Qiu He surveyed the young cultivators before him. As for his own two personal disciples, there was little to say. The younger had been taught exceptionally well by the elder. Apart from the fact that their remarkable aptitude left him with almost no sense of accomplishment as their master, there was nothing to criticize.
But Qiu He was generous of spirit and did not mind. He turned his gaze toward the friends his second disciple had recently made.
The first round had given Perfected Qiu He an opportunity to understand them better.
Yue Jun looked flirtatious and carefree, but his aura carried no trace of lustful desire. He was actually a principled man, with solid cultivation and a quick, observant mind. He was worth cultivating.
Qiu Ze was steady, warmhearted, honest yet adaptable, and generally unpretentious.
Long Xuan was rough in manner but perceptive beneath the surface, generous and loyal.
As for Luo Yao, he kept his thoughts deeply hidden, but his eyes carried a lonely pride. He would sooner remain straight than bend, and it was clear he had no intention of harming others. He also used talismans to compensate for his shortcomings, showing considerable ingenuity.
All four had qualities that set them apart and were capable of being nurtured.
But Wuling Immortal Sect had more than a million inner-sect disciples alone, and capable people were plentiful. Unless one was as outstanding as a heaven-favored genius like Yun Lie, an ordinary disciple could only rely on personal effort to catch the attention of higher-level cultivators and gain a chance to rise.
Even a person with a single spiritual root like Xu Ziqing was not guaranteed to attract an expert’s attention in a second-grade immortal sect of such enormous size, let alone four whose aptitude was inferior to his.
Luo Yao’s obsession with talismans had led him to seek out Xu Ziqing despite being prepared to suffer grievous injuries or even death. Fortunately, Xu Ziqing was gentle by nature and valued that sincerity, and the two became friends.
Through Luo Yao, Qiu Ze and the others had met Xu Ziqing; through Xu Ziqing, they had met Perfected Qiu He. The fact that Qiu He now gave them some of his attention was itself an opportunity.
Now that Perfected Qiu He had assessed their characters one by one, he regarded them with some interest.
Certain plans had already formed in his mind, but it was still too early to speak of them.
He would wait for several more rounds before deciding.
After the first round ended, the black dragon once again spat dark light, revealing the second-round opponents.
This time, Xu Ziqing was in the eighth group, quite near the front of the order.
Before long, his turn came again.
With a gentle smile, Xu Ziqing leaped onto the fighting stage.
His opponent was short and held a sickly green dagger, plainly coated in poison. He would not be easy to deal with.
Unfortunately for that man, his opponent was Xu Ziqing, a cultivator of a single wood attribute.
Wood-attributed cultivators were not necessarily immune to all poisons, but they were better at expelling toxins than cultivators of other attributes.
Xu Ziqing did not underestimate his opponent. Although he was unafraid of ordinary poisons, encountering a toxin he could not overcome would still be troublesome.
But as soon as the other man attacked, Xu Ziqing probed his abilities and sensed the difference between them.
The short cultivator’s technique was mediocre. Apart from good movement skills, he relied almost entirely on the poison coating his dagger. His methods were opportunistic.
Xu Ziqing’s expression did not change. He probably got through the first round only by taking his opponent by surprise.
He therefore held nothing back. His eyes cooled, and he extended his arm, broke through the short man’s defenses, and laid the Steelwood Sword across his neck.
But the short cultivator refused to give up. Suddenly, his arm twisted like a rope, and his dagger flashed like a venomous snake, reversing direction to stab at Xu Ziqing’s throat!
This was his true killing move!
The short cultivator was undeniably clever. His aptitude and cultivation method were both poor, but he understood how to exploit his strengths and the weaknesses of human nature.
An ordinary opponent would almost inevitably relax after successfully subduing someone. By taking advantage of that moment, the short man could reverse the situation.
Unfortunately, he had met his natural counter.
Xu Ziqing had trained for so long in the Five Elements astral winds of the Sword Cavern that he could respond to killing intent coming from any direction at maximum speed, counterattacking with the smallest possible movement.
Thus, the instant the short man’s killing intent appeared, Xu Ziqing, who was intimately familiar with such intent, gave an almost imperceptible twitch of his wrist. The Steelwood Sword suddenly shortened to the narrow size of a dagger, just long enough to protect his throat!
Cling!
A clear metallic sound rang out. The short cultivator’s attack had failed.
Xu Ziqing showed no further mercy. He extended a finger on his left hand, and the Wood Essence Finger shot through the air, piercing the short cultivator’s shoulder! The tremendous force of the strike sent the man tumbling off the fighting stage.
Whether the man had truly intended to take his life or not, since he had dared aim a poisoned dagger at Xu Ziqing’s throat, he could hardly blame Xu Ziqing for striking heavily in return!
Without question, Xu Ziqing won again.
Yue Jun, Qiu Ze, Long Xuan, and Luo Yao also fought their second-round opponents. Perhaps fortune favored them: apart from Long Xuan, who encountered a stronger opponent and needed rather longer, the other three won decisively, each finishing within the time it took an incense stick to burn.
Xu Ziqing turned toward Yun Lie and smiled faintly.
Yun Lie said, “The farther you advance, the more cautious you must be.”
Xu Ziqing replied with a smile, “Yes. I’ll remember your instruction, Senior Brother.”
In the third round, Xu Ziqing faced a muscular male cultivator whose hair burned red as fire.
The man stood on wheels of flame and could swoop down from midair to attack.
Emerald-green leaves appeared beneath Xu Ziqing’s feet, carrying him upward to face his opponent.
Fire overcame wood.
Xu Ziqing knew he had encountered his natural elemental counter. But the opponent’s cultivation was only early Foundation Establishment, and he might not be capable of defeating him.
The Spring Rain Sword Art was too fine and dense; Summer Thunder would create fire when it struck; Autumn Wind could fan the flames. These three sword arts would strengthen the opponent’s fire, so Xu Ziqing could not use them.
Only the move Winter Snowfall, which brought everything to desolation, could overcome this enemy.
Xu Ziqing raised his sword and fought the red-haired cultivator in midair.
The red-haired man also wielded a sword. Fire blazed along its length as he employed the Flowing Fire Sword Art.
After several exchanges, Xu Ziqing forced true essence into his sword edge. Its light transformed into innumerable snowflakes that brought an intense chill.
The red-haired cultivator’s flames were powerful, but he lacked experience. Before long, Xu Ziqing deliberately exposed an opening and tricked him into attacking. Xu Ziqing then fired repeated Wood Essence Finger strikes, knocking the fire wheels from beneath his feet.
Without his flying treasure, the red-haired man began to fall. He tried to cast a wind-riding spell, but Xu Ziqing pursued him and filled his vision with overlapping sword shadows. Before he could regain his composure, he landed outside the fighting stage.
Another victory for Xu Ziqing!
In the fourth round, he encountered an earth-attributed cultivator.
That man’s technique drew upon the power of the earth veins, splitting open the ground to trap his opponents.
Xu Ziqing stamped one foot, and countless green grasses sprang from the ground, binding the soil firmly together.
The earth cultivator brought out a flying sword and sent it to contend against Xu Ziqing’s weapon, only to have a vine burst from beneath his feet and wrap tightly around him.
It was an ordinary vine, incapable of restraining a Foundation Establishment cultivator for long. Yet it delayed the man for an instant. In that instant, Xu Ziqing’s sword arrived before him. His vision blurred as he tried to defend himself; then a powerful blow struck his lower back. The next moment he was knocked from the stage!
Xu Ziqing had won four matches!
In the fifth round, Xu Ziqing stabbed a wild-looking man who wielded a giant saber in the waist and abdomen, then forcibly kicked him from the stage.
Five victories for Xu Ziqing!
In the sixth round, Xu Ziqing met a cultivator who wielded a Soul-Suppressing Bell and tried to shake his soul. Xu Ziqing sealed away his spiritual sense and relied on the heightened perception he had cultivated in the Five Elements astral winds. With a strike that sheared off the man’s headpiece, he defeated him.
Six victories for Xu Ziqing!
In the seventh round, Xu Ziqing faced a burly man with a giant axe and seemingly inexhaustible true essence. They fought for one shichen, a full two hours. Supported by Origin-Wood Grass, Xu Ziqing barely managed to exhaust his opponent and, with the last of his strength, swept him off the stage.
Xu Ziqing now had seven victories.
As round followed round, the intervals between battles grew shorter, while individual fights took longer and longer. Many cultivators had to swallow repeated pills to replenish true essence just to keep going.
Xu Ziqing had won seven consecutive battles and consumed enormous amounts of energy. He was completely exhausted. After the seventh fight, he flew back to the viewing platform, but staggered as soon as he landed.
A white shadow flashed past. Yun Lie stood beside him, reaching out to steady him.
Luo Yao and the others had also been about to approach, but they were a step too late. Seeing that Xu Ziqing was safe, they withdrew their outstretched hands.
Xu Ziqing slowly straightened, his face somewhat pale but his spirits still good. “Thank you, Senior Brother.” Then he gave a rueful smile. “I was fortunate in that match. If he’d had just a little more strength, I would have lost.”
Yun Lie said, “His cultivation was comparable to yours. Either outcome would have been ordinary. You should gain something from this fight.”
Xu Ziqing nodded. “Yes. I’ll contemplate it carefully.”
Yun Lie released him. “Go regulate your breathing. Harder battles still lie ahead.”
Xu Ziqing answered, “Yes,” and obediently sat cross-legged nearby to circulate his cultivation method.
After so many rounds of elimination, anyone who remained was either someone extraordinarily fortunate who had never met a powerful opponent or someone genuinely skilled.
Xu Ziqing’s cultivation placed him among the strongest on his fighting stage. Only the opponent he had just defeated, Wang Fu, had been his equal. Their battle had effectively brought forward what might otherwise have been the contest for that stage’s championship.
Two rounds still remained, but the opponents in those rounds were no match for Xu Ziqing.
The difficult battles Yun Lie spoke of were actually the later matches against victors from other fighting stages.
Unlike Xu Ziqing, Qiu Ze’s group had also faced strenuous battles, but unfortunately not all of them reached the end.
Long Xuan’s cultivation method was the most domineering, and he advanced through several dangerous matches to become the final victor of his stage. Qiu Ze and Yue Jun, however, met exceptionally powerful opponents too soon and were eliminated. To everyone’s surprise, Luo Yao survived all the way to the end by relying on his seemingly endless assortment of spirit talismans and other methods.
Yet although Luo Yao had reached the final stage, his good fortune appeared to have run out.
In the first round of the next stage of the tournament, he encountered Du Zihui.