Chapter 445: HuXiao Sect Makes a Move
“This is impossible. As everyone knows, spiritual sense increases with cultivation level. So it’s either the same as the cultivation level, or a little lower due to some damage. Like in my son’s case, how can it be higher than his cultivation level?” Elder Jin immediately raised his objection.
“Elder Jin may not know, but in the Cultivation World, there is a type of very rare Magic Treasure that can specifically strengthen spiritual sense. It’s possible that the HongHua Sect has it,” Steward Cai interjected to explain.
“There is such a Magic Treasure? I truly didn’t know,” Elder Jin’s face showed a look of surprise.
“Of course, there is. However, specifically strengthening spiritual sense is ultimately abandoning the fundamental for the superficial, so not many people would do that. This directly leads to such Magic Treasures being not well-known,” Steward Cai further explained.
“Actually, when I saw Cheng Hong Ling fighting with your son earlier, I found it very strange. Her attack speed was very slow, completely unlike a cultivator at the Huashen Realm Fifth Layer.” Elder Zuo showed a pensive expression.
“Slow? Perhaps it’s because your cultivation level is higher. From my perspective as a cultivator at the Huashen Realm late stage, her speed is already very fast, faster than ordinary cultivators at the Huashen Realm middle stage,” Elder Jin couldn’t help but retort.
“No, what you’re calling fast is her body technique. What I’m calling slow is her attack speed; they are not the same thing!” Elder Zuo shook his head and explained, “Her body technique is fast because the Wave Butterfly body technique is too strong. However, she cannot enjoy its enhancement during an attack, so her true speed and power are fully exposed. Now, combined with your son’s injuries, I really have to suspect that she is just strong on the outside and weak on the inside.”
“That makes sense,” Elder Jin nodded thoughtfully.
“If Cheng Hong Ling only has a stronger spiritual sense, then dealing with her will be much simpler,” Steward Cai’s eyes lit up.
“Yes, in the next round of matches, we just need to bestow a powerful spiritual sense shield upon each Immortal Seed of the Jinliu Sect, and her spiritual sense will be completely useless. How much of a splash can a cultivator at the Huashen Realm Layer 2 make?” Elder Zuo shook his head dismissively, as if he had already confirmed that Cheng Hong Ling was only at the Huashen Realm Layer 2.
“Right!” Elder Jin immediately stood up in excitement, but then sat back down with a sigh, saying, “But the problem is that my son and disciple’s souls were severely injured, and they are now suffering from splitting headaches. I don’t know if they will be able to participate.”
“It’s alright. I have two Yang Shen Pills here. After taking them, although they won’t immediately recover their previous spiritual sense, they will greatly consolidate their three souls and seven vital souls, and the headache symptoms will disappear quickly.” Elder Zuo comforted him, and with a wave of his right hand, two green pills appeared in his palm.
“Thank you, Elder Zuo. This old man truly doesn’t know how to repay you!” Elder Jin was overjoyed and kept cupping his fists in thanks.
“No need to thank me! As long as you can eliminate that Cheng Hong Ling then, that will be the best repayment to me!” Elder Zuo revealed his true intentions.
“Don’t worry, Elder Zuo! We can’t wait to eat that brat alive now. We will definitely go all out,” Elder Jin vowed through gritted teeth.
“Oh, and don’t forget that stinky girl’s killing intent is also very tricky. If your disciples are still planning to deal with it by exiling their Spirit Souls, then be sure to find someone reliable to protect their Storage Rings this time, and don’t let it happen like last time,” Elder Zuo reminded him with concern.
“Thank you for the reminder, Elder Zuo!” Elder Jin thanked him sincerely.
After a brief chat, Elder Zuo and his disciple left the inn.
“Master, I’m still a bit worried. Even if Cheng Hong Ling’s cultivation level is only Huashen Realm Layer 2, her talent is extraordinary, and her methods are numerous. Even without spiritual sense assistance, the Immortal Seeds of the Jinliu Sect might not be able to defeat her,” Steward Cai said after a long silence.
“So, we still need to find a powerful opponent for her,” Elder Zuo said expressionlessly.
“You mean…” Steward Cai inquired curiously.
“Of course, it’s the HuXiao Sect. Go and explain the situation to them,” Elder Zuo instructed.
“Master, Zhou Ming is naturally suspicious. What if he refuses to agree?” Steward Cai said with some difficulty.
“Hmph, then tell him the identity and purpose of Lü Er truthfully. Whether to deal with Cheng Hong Ling or not is his choice. I don’t want to be a stepping stone for others. You can’t have both wanting benefits and not wanting to put in effort. There’s no such thing in this world!” Elder Zuo snorted coldly.
Steward Cai had no choice but to accept the mission.
Not long after, Steward Cai arrived at the HuXiao Sect near the prefecture capital and met with the Sect Leader and Elder Zhou, explaining his master’s conjecture.
“Elder Zuo said her strength is only Huashen Realm Layer 2? Is there any solid evidence?” Zhou Ming was still as unyielding as ever.
“Yes, brother-in-law. What if his guess is wrong? If we rashly send disciples to compete with her, wouldn’t that be like moths flying into a flame?” The Sect Leader of HuXiao Sect, Guo Rong, also appeared very cautious, seemingly unwilling to take any risks.
“Brother-in-law, to tell you the truth, you probably have to participate whether you want to or not this time,” Steward Cai, having lost patience, spoke directly.
“Why? Is it an order from Elder Zhou? We are family, so please put in a good word for us,” Sect Leader Guo probed.
“It’s not that simple! The real problem is Lü Er!” Steward Cai shook his head helplessly.
“Lü Er? What does this have to do with Lü Er?” Elder Zhou next to him asked confusedly.
“Brother Zhou, after these days of the Evergreen Convention, you should have seen that Lü Er is interested in Cheng Hong Ling, right?” Steward Cai confirmed.
“Even a fool can see that. That guy is just short of writing Cheng Hong Ling’s name on his ancestor’s tombstone,” Zhou Ming teased.
“Heh, you guessed correctly. That guy indeed wants to write Cheng Hong Ling’s name on his ancestor’s monument, but not the tombstone, it’s the Immortal Tablet!” Steward Cai teased back.
“What? Immortal Tablet?” Hearing this, Guo Rong and Zhou Ming sat up in shock.
“Brother Zhou, didn’t you want to know Lü Er’s identity? He is the clone of that monstrous talent from the WeiYuan Dynasty,” Steward Cai dropped a bombshell.
“You’re talking about that monstrous talent from the Lü Family? This is impossible! The distance between our two countries is tens of thousands of miles. Why would he come to participate in the Evergreen Convention in Yongning Prefecture? The rewards alone are probably not that attractive,” Zhou Ming asked excitedly.
“Of course, it’s for Cheng Hong Ling. You should be very clear about how much attraction she has to men, so this Lü Er intends to take her as a concubine,” Steward Cai revealed everything without reservation.
“This is really unbelievable!” Guo Rong slapped the table, then said dejectedly, “If this monstrous talent is determined to take Cheng Hong Ling as his concubine, then wouldn’t our efforts be in vain?”
“This is why I’ve come to find you. That monstrous talent said whether he takes Cheng Hong Ling as a concubine depends on her performance. So, you must eliminate this brat as soon as possible, otherwise, there will be no chance to turn back,” Steward Cai advised earnestly.
“I understand! Then who is the other opponent for the HongHua Sect?” Guo Rong asked with gritted teeth after a moment of thought.
A relieved smile appeared on Steward Cai’s face, and he said, “It’s the QuanDa Sect from Cangzhou. With their strength, they have no chance of winning against the HongHua Sect, so they will surely be happy to swap the draw with others.”
“Elder Zhou, when the matches start, go and swap the draw with them. I want to ensure the HongHua Sect has nowhere to run,” Guo Rong ordered.
“Understood!” Zhou Ming accepted the order decisively.
“Very good. With you, plus the Jinliu Sect, let alone Cheng Hong Ling, even Cheng Kang or Lin Ran will be carried off the arena. This time, I must see her tears,” Steward Cai said with a confident smile.
…
Unaware that the Immortal Alliance was painstakingly plotting against them, the people of the HongHua Sect returned and held a celebration feast.
A day later, the second round of matches was held as scheduled. Since only sixteen sects remained, only three matches would be held each day. The HongHua Sect’s draw was number seven, and the obtained draw was number ten. This meant their opponents would be number eight and number nine, implying their match would be on the second day, with two consecutive matches.
However, the people of the HongHua Sect were not worried at all. After all, the Immortal Seeds from the Jinliu Sect were defeated by Cheng Hong Ling, and the other sect was very weak, so the outcome of this round was already determined.
The facts were indeed so. The next day, as soon as the HongHua Sect entered the Immortal Alliance’s branch hall, the cultivators present began to pity the QuanDa Sect.
The QuanDa Sect understood that they were like a mayfly trying to shake a tree. Their faces were ashen, and they hesitated. If they went up, they were afraid of their Dao heart being shattered by being beaten. If they forfeited, they were truly unwilling, as passing this round would earn them rewards.
Thus, the QuanDa Sect had not made a decision even when it was their turn to go on stage.
“Next is number seven against number eight. Please both sides come to the stage and prepare,” an Immortal Alliance disciple announced.
The people of the HongHua Sect were confident of victory. Led by Qi Huang and Cheng Hong Ling, several fellow disciples proudly strode onto the arena, ready to enjoy another round of bullying weaker opponents.
The QuanDa Sect was different. Whether to go up or not was a difficult choice for them, as it concerned the survival of their sect.
“Who is number eight? Hurry up and get on the stage,” the Immortal Alliance disciple urged impatiently.
The surrounding cultivators looked towards the QuanDa Sect with pity.
The members of the QuanDa Sect looked at each other. After a long time, they still could not make up their minds.
“I’ll ask again, who is number eight? If you don’t come on stage, you will be considered to have forfeited.” The Immortal Alliance disciple issued a final ultimatum.
“Are these guys trying to forfeit? This way, we won’t have a chance to show ourselves,” Ruan Lingyu said with some concern.
“Yes, this is already the third round. We definitely won’t encounter weaker sects in the future,” Shen Yuan also said worriedly.
“Fellow Daoists of QuanDa Sect, don’t be afraid, we are all very weak.”
“Yes, at most we won’t use our weapons, so even if you lose, you won’t suffer much loss. If that doesn’t work, we can even give you a handicap?”
“The Path of Cultivation is long and arduous. We should seize such opportunities to spar with each other so that we can improve together.”
…
The disciples of HongHua, afraid that their opponents would give up, cajoled and persuaded them.
“Oh? Since you want to spar so badly, how about we spar with you!” Just then, Elder Zhou of the HuXiao Sect’s voice rang out.
