Seeing Gu Qingcheng begin to gain insight and break through beside Li Ping'an, quite a few gossip-loving Qi cultivators in the sect started whispering about it.
"See that? Sparring with Li Ping'an can bring enlightenment. That's his father's tremendous fortune at work."
"I remember two years ago, there was a sect Deacon stuck at the peak of the Heaven and Earth Bridge. After just a sentence or two of guidance from Li Ping'an, he stepped straight into the Origin Immortal Realm."
"No way, right? He hasn't even completed Foundation Establishment in the Light Condensation Realm. What could he possibly teach? If he were really that capable, why hadn't his own cultivation improved?"
"Now that Senior Brother mentions it, I suddenly remembered. This Fellow Daoist Li Ping'an seemed to have entered Flowing Cloud Temple in his twenties. He went three years without a master's instruction, receiving guidance only from his father, yet he had already reached the mid Light Condensation Realm!"
"Gasp—"
"Put that way, this kid really was remarkable."
"What's so remarkable? Ancestor Dazhi's great fortune carried him along, that's all. If I had a father like that, I could do it too."
"Ancestor Dazhi was sitting behind the Sect Leader now. Truly impressive."
"Ancestor Dazhi became immortal in three years, something rarely seen throughout history. If he can reach the True Immortal Realm within a hundred years, there will basically be no suspense over who becomes the next Sect Leader."
"Wasn't there a Vice Sect Master who also wanted to become Sect Leader?"
"Who knows? Why should Origin Immortals like us worry about such things? Besides, being Sect Leader is exhausting. Cultivating in the mountains is so comfortable. Who knows what those senior figures in the sect are thinking."
And so on and so forth.
Li Ping'an occasionally sensed others' gazes, but he did not care much.
From time to time, he glanced at his master meditating on the viewing platform, looked over at his old father standing behind the Sect Leader, searched for Junior Sister Mu laughing and playing with the female cultivators of Colorful Cloud Peak, then continued watching the battles of the Earth Ranking.
An hour later, Li Ping'an took the stage again and won with ease. He had now won three matches and lost one.
Gu Qingcheng, who was undergoing a sudden breakthrough beside him, had automatically forfeited a round.
Gu Qingcheng's aura was steadily rising. He had likely broken through the barrier from the eighth to the ninth stage of the Void Refinement Realm and should wake soon enough, so he would not be eliminated because of his sudden breakthrough.
The afterglow of sunset spilled across the peaks of Myriad Cloud Sect, while magical treasure lamps had already been lit throughout Colorful Cloud Peak.
A Heavenly Immortal cast a spell, making the stars in the night sky shine even brighter and illuminating every corner with sparkling light, adding a touch of immortal ambiance.
In the blink of an eye, the fifth round arrived, and Li Ping'an was drawn to take the stage first.
There seemed to be some commotion beside the arena. Wei Yanzi and two Origin Immortal Realm Deacons were gathered around the drawing wheel, frowning as they compared something.
Just as Li Ping'an was about to rise, a large hand suddenly reached over and blocked him.
Gu Qingcheng had awakened.
"Brother Li! Please accept my bow!"
Gu Qingcheng stood and immediately gave him a Daoist salute.
Li Ping'an turned sideways and accepted half the salute, smiling. "I'll go spar first. We can talk when I get back."
Gu Qingcheng glanced at the arena, frowned slightly, and could not help muttering, "Fellow Daoist, your luck is terrible. Among those on the Earth Ranking, my cultivation can rank in the top three. I know the guy up there too. His name is Wang Zaizhi. His cultivation was slightly higher than mine before, but now we are equal. He has many treasures, though his actual strength is merely average."
Li Ping'an looked toward the fellow disciple waiting on the arena and cupped his hands with a smile. "Thank you for the warning. If I truly cannot defeat him, I'll simply concede. There is another match afterward anyway."
"Don't force yourself. Just do your best, Fellow Daoist!"
Gu Qingcheng waved a broad hand, looking quite heroic.
"After the match, we must have a drink together. Let me find a way to repay the favor of your guidance!"
There it was—another lover of drink.
Qi cultivators had been fond of drinking since ancient times.
Li Ping'an cupped his hands in farewell to Gu Qingcheng, flipped onto the edge of the arena, and offered a distant Daoist salute to the disciple of Kaiyun Peak on the opposite side.
Two transmitted voices suddenly sounded beside his ear.
One came from the nearby Wei Yanzi. "There is a problem with the drawing."
The other was Elder Yan Sheng's voice. "Be careful. This disciple is Elder Bi's grand-disciple."
Elder Bi?
That Inner Sect Elder who had previously suggested before the Sect Leader that his father should participate in this grand competition as well?
Another member of Vice Sect Master Mo Yi's little clique...
Li Ping'an remained expressionless on the surface. He cupped his hands toward the young male cultivator ahead of him, turned, and prepared to jump down from the arena.
"Heh," the other party suddenly spoke, his voice especially grating. "Could it be that the famed Son of Dazhi only knows how to flee with his head in his hands?"
Li Ping'an paused and sighed inwardly.
The moment the other party called out his father's title, the nature of this match had changed.
If he fled without fighting again, or lost too miserably, then both father and son would be humiliated together. The sect's immortals would inevitably look down on them.
His father wanted to become Sect Leader.
Li Ping'an had also been planning and laying the groundwork for this matter.
Today was the first time most of Myriad Cloud Sect's disciples had seen his father. It could more or less be considered a first impression, and it was extremely important to his father.
Now, Li Ping'an could not yield even half a step.
Wang Zaizhi floated three feet above the ground. The hem of his Daoist robe and his long hair drifted lightly, while a sixteen-story treasure tower slowly revolved around him. Beneath his hawkish nose, his thin lips curved into a cold smile.
Li Ping'an stepped forward and said calmly, "Li Ping'an, disciple of Immortal Qing Su, requests Senior Brother's guidance."
"Guidance?"
Wang Zaizhi was still provoking him.
"I would not dare teach you anything.
"Your father is one of the Ancestor's disciples, while I am merely a minor cultivator of the sect. If I accidentally injure you, the elders and Deacons of the sect will surely reprimand me."
Though their cultivations were low, they were currently standing upon the arena.
Countless gazes watched them, layer upon layer of sect disciples observing.
Quite a few immortals who had been drowsing picked up on the scent of conflict and immediately perked up, carefully studying the two figures on the arena.
Li Ping'an smiled freely. "Does this Fellow Daoist not have a father? You keep bringing up mine. Could it be that you are envious?"
"You!" Wang Zaizhi glared at him furiously.
Li Ping'an said leisurely, "Everyone is born of parents, but cultivation is one's own affair. Why must you keep concerning yourself with what each other's fathers are called?"
"Good!"
Wei Yanzi shouted from below the stage, and many immortals nodded with smiles.
In this exchange of words alone, Li Ping'an had naturally won.
Wang Zaizhi sneered. "Sharp-tongued! Today, I will not let this matter rest! Do you dare promise not to concede or flee in this battle? If you think my cultivation suppresses yours, I can seal my cultivation!"
Li Ping'an said directly, "From the sound of it, Fellow Daoist wishes to fight me seriously today? Like a real duel?"
"I'm only afraid you lack the courage!"
"A real fight alone would be rather dull. I see that Fellow Daoist's treasure tower is quite good. I happen to have a tower-shaped treasure as well."
Li Ping'an took out a small treasure tower from his sleeve. It was merely an ordinary magical treasure used to ward off evil. He said calmly,
"Why don't we add a wager?"
"How would I dare refuse!"
Wang Zaizhi nearly laughed from anger. He closed his eyes, drew a breath, and pointed to his immortal treasure tower.
"If I lose to you today, I'll give you this tower. How about that?"
"Then let's begin."
Li Ping'an calmly took out three pills for restoring qi and placed them in his mouth. He wrapped them in Dharma power and swallowed them without activating them, so they could restore his Dharma power during the duel.
He made an inviting gesture toward Wang Zaizhi.
"Fellow Daoist need not seal your Dharma power. Let us fight this match as a true duel.
"If I concede or flee today, then whenever I see Fellow Daoist in the future, I will avoid you from afar and bow in salute."
"Good! So will I!"
Wang Zaizhi could no longer tell who was provoking whom. His fury had already reached its limit as his body slowly rose, black Talismans flying one after another from his sleeves.
"Today, I will make you understand what it means that there is always someone stronger, and a higher heaven beyond the heavens! Mere Light Condensation Realm!"
He clenched his right hand into a fist, and the Talismans turned into streams of fireballs that smashed ferociously toward Li Ping'an.
Li Ping'an had already moved. His body swayed left and right, leaving trails of afterimages beneath his feet as he swung the Cloud Soaring Spear, sending several streaks of azure light flying forth!
Both men used their full strength from the very first move!
Mu Ningning below the stage was incredibly nervous. She nearly crushed the sword sheath in her hand as she held her breath and stared at Li Ping'an's figure.
The True Immortals of Colorful Cloud Peak standing around the arena had all risen to their feet, frowning as they watched the battle.
The sect immortals did not stop the two disciples from fighting fiercely. Settling private grievances atop the arena was also an unwritten rule. If young disciples lacked even a little fire in their blood, the sect would collapse sooner or later.
As long as either side lost, the four True Immortals would immediately intervene to protect them.
Judging solely by the spectacle of the duel, Wang Zaizhi was naturally stronger.
Wang Zaizhi's cultivation held an absolute advantage, and he showed no mercy. He poured all his Dharma power into his Talismans and bombarded Li Ping'an relentlessly.
Li Ping'an displayed several exquisite sets of footwork. He walked the Five Elements, stepped through the Six Radiances, crossed the Seven Stars, evading every attack Wang Zaizhi unleashed while leaving paper Talismans behind wherever he passed.
Both were skilled in the art of Talismans, but they used them in entirely different ways. Li Ping'an primarily used Talismans to conserve his own Dharma power, while Wang Zaizhi used them to amplify the power of his spells.
Li Ping'an feigned a frontal assault.
Wang Zaizhi took the bait as expected, charging straight at Li Ping'an with an immortal treasure longsword shimmering with watery light in his hand.
Wang Zaizhi wanted a swift victory. He was at the ninth stage of the Void Refinement Realm, fighting someone at the fifth stage of the Light Condensation Realm. If he could not win quickly, how could he ever hold his head up before his fellow disciples?
Moreover, for today's battle, he had acquired numerous treasures over the past few days. Even the robe he wore was an immortal treasure!
The charging Li Ping'an suddenly veered aside and pressed his left hand down through the air. The many Yellow Paper Talismans he had left around the arena exploded simultaneously!
The entire arena was instantly shrouded in clouds and mist, and Wang Zaizhi plunged headlong into it!
Spear formation!
Wang Zaizhi had only an instant to escape the spear formation, yet his disdain caused him to miss that chance. By the time he tried to turn and counterattack, piercing spear cries rang out around him.
It was completely different from Li Ping'an's previous duels.
Dozens of spear shadows shot toward him at once!
Compared with his earlier battles, the power of Li Ping'an's spear formation had increased severalfold!
Though Wang Zaizhi possessed a sturdy Dao Body and wore an immortal robe, he was not a body cultivator like Yu Yingshu. He could only use his Dharma power to activate the treasure tower and scatter Immortal Light around himself for protection.
He could only endure the beating.
Yet although Wang Zaizhi blocked every spear shadow flying at him, he could not directly disperse their force. Suppressed by the spear formation, he had no chance to fight back.
Wang Zaizhi soon discovered that the surrounding clouds and mist had begun functioning as a maze formation. When he extended his spiritual sense into them, it was like a clay ox entering the sea.
He could not catch even a trace of Li Ping'an's shadow!
Wang Zaizhi was trapped within the clouds and mist, naturally unable to see the full arena.
However, the expressions of the Myriad Cloud Sect immortals watching from every direction were exceptionally varied.
There was no other reason: eighteen phantoms had appeared inside Li Ping'an's spear formation!
He was only in the Condensing Light Realm, yet he had clearly mastered the Cloud Soaring Illusionary Form, one of Myriad Cloud Sect's most difficult immortal arts!
And Li Ping'an had cultivated for...
Only three years.
When Li Dazhi saw someone provoking his son, he had nearly rushed down himself. The Sect Leader had stopped him in time and made him remain on the platform to watch obediently.
As a result, he barely took in the greetings from the Sect Leaders of the friendly sects beside him.
The Sect Leaders were saying,
"Is this Fellow Daoist Dazhi's son?"
"At such a young age, he can already practice Myriad Cloud Sect's secret arts to this level. Myriad Cloud Sect has gained another great talent!"
"Though his aptitude is lacking, comprehension can make up for it. Wonderful."
"You flatter him," the Sect Leader of Myriad Cloud Sect said with narrowed eyes and a smile. "Ping'an's aptitude is not good, but his comprehension is quite strong. He is also one of the immortal seedlings the sect is focused on nurturing. His cultivation is insufficient, so this kind of offensive cannot last long in the end."
The elite immortals of the East Continent seated nearby all memorized the name Ping'an.
Li Dazhi paid no attention to the situation around him and kept staring fixedly at the arena.
Damn it!
He truly had not expected these old immortals to be so shameless!
They could not deal with him, so they targeted his son!
If Ping'an so much as got a scrape, he would definitely... He could not beat those people yet, so he could only go cry to his master.
Not far away, Immortal Qing Su, who had been cultivating all this time, had opened her eyes. She quietly watched the duel below and continuously Calculated by Counting Fingers.
She was calculating how long Li Ping'an's Dharma power would last.
Li Ping'an was forcibly activating immortal arts like this, which consumed an enormous amount of his Dharma power.
Still, the battle was indeed pleasing to the eye.
Eighteen cloud-and-mist phantoms wielded long spears in a wild dance, leaving the disciple who had spoken so arrogantly without any ability to fight back. Though he had a treasure tower and immortal robe protecting him, he was still beaten until his blood and qi churned, his face flushed red, and he looked utterly miserable.
How would my disciple win? The gap in their realms is too great, as is the gap in their Dharma power. Once this momentum fades, he likely will not be able to continue.
Qing Su held her chin and pondered quietly.
Just then, Li Ping'an suddenly shouted from the arena.
"Master!"
The entire audience turned their eyes toward Qing Su.
Qing Su rose as though she had noticed nothing unusual and looked toward the arena. Her clear, cool voice carried everywhere. "What is it?"
Li Ping'an's voice came from different directions within the clouds and mist as he called out, "Though this disciple has not fallen into disadvantage yet, I am truly furious. May I use more than three spells to defeat the enemy?"
Qing Su nodded slightly. "You may."
"Thank you, Master! Then this disciple will not show this Senior Brother any mercy!"
Li Ping'an shouted loudly.
This was naturally a tactic to attack Wang Zaizhi's heart, meant to humiliate him.
Wang Zaizhi truly was consumed by rage. With a furious roar, his Dharma power trembled, his Dao Body swelled, and he charged straight upward beneath the protection of the treasure tower, all his Dharma power erupting violently.
At that moment, he was like an arrow that had once shot toward ten suns!
But Wang Zaizhi froze the instant he rushed out.
Talismans.
Fifteen zhang above the ground, some of the clouds and mist were instantly evaporated. Three hundred and sixty azure Talismans flickered faintly, carrying a peculiar liveliness beneath the backdrop of the star-filled sky.
Eighteen phantom figures in the clouds below simultaneously crushed their cloud spears, their movements perfectly synchronized as they formed hand seals to control the Talismans!
Over a thousand Talismans erupted with dazzling firelight at once, the flames transforming into fire hawks that swooped wildly at Wang Zaizhi!
The Talisman arts formed an array!
Wang Zaizhi was swallowed by the firelight and forcibly driven down again, roaring helplessly beneath the treasure pagoda.
The flock of fire hawks nearly instantly evaporated the clouds, sending sheets of vapor billowing upward.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
The eighteen phantom figures formed by immortal arts exploded simultaneously!
Yet Li Ping'an's true body was nowhere on the arena!
Suddenly, waves of chanting echoed through the air;
Li Ping'an stood on a sword sheath a hundred zhang above the ground, his hands behind his back as he looked down at Wang Zaizhi, who was being suppressed by the Talisman array below.
Behind Li Ping'an, six ring-shaped Storage Artifacts were lined up in a row, and specks of starlight began flying out from within them in streams.
Then countless stars rained down upon the arena!
They were flying swords, throwing knives, long needles, meteor hammers, nunchaku... all manner of hidden weapons and armaments, five hundred in total!
A full five hundred artifacts!
These artifacts shared several traits.
For instance, they were all ordinary artifacts, yet they had been crafted with exceptional precision and were of fairly high quality;
For another, each artifact had a spirit stone the size of a fingernail embedded in it. Simple restrictions seemed to have been carved within those spirit stones, and they were now highly unstable, densely hovering around Wang Zaizhi while trembling without cease.
Talisman array, artifact array;
These offensive methods, which did not consume much of his own magical power, were Li Ping'an's only path to victory today.
Li Ping'an's gaze flicked toward Elder Bi, whose face had darkened like the bottom of a pot, and he said calmly:
"Wang Zaizhi's elders need not worry. This disciple knows his limits."
With that, he pressed down with his left hand, aimed his five fingers at Wang Zaizhi from afar, and elegantly clenched his fist.
Myriad Artifact Spirit Explosion!
Before you continue