Fighting Meng Qing

With the conclusion of the focal battle between Shen Yi and Li Yue, the fifth round of the Ninghai Immortal Academy's Sect Grand Competition finally came to an end. The crowd grew even more eager to see how the subsequent matches would unfold and who would manage to stand out.

After finishing his meditation, Shen Yi indeed saw Wang Teng's name among those who had advanced with a victory. He felt a growing wariness toward this mysterious, rising fellow disciple.

A flash of radiance, and golden light descended from the heavens once more.

"Here it comes—the sixth-round match list!"

The crowd tensed and looked up.

"Shen Yi is up against Li Muzi. I've heard he's quite accomplished in beast taming, already possessing three Second-Order War Beasts."

Chen Chong's face darkened as he saw the match-up. A bad feeling crept into his heart, and suddenly realizing something, he blurted out, "Damn it!"

"You're this old and still so rash," Feng Yang said, shaking his head in disappointment at his junior brother's behavior.

On the arena platform, Li Muzi sneered at Shen Yi. "Shen Yi, you may be strong, but running into me, Li Muzi, is your bad luck. Today, I'll reclaim the Beast Taming Court's honor!"

Shen Yi looked utterly baffled, confused by Li Muzi's words. "I haven't done anything heinous to the Beast Taming Court. Did Chen Chong put him up to this?"

Thinking it over, Shen Yi let it go, silently grumbling about Chen Chong's pettiness. After all, he had returned ten war beasts as an apology, yet the man still wanted his disciple to teach him a lesson.

"Come forth, my war beasts!"

Li Muzi called out, and three war beasts appeared behind him, each one fierce and savage, brimming with wildness.

"What do you think? All three are Second-Order War Beasts. If you know what's good for you, I'd advise you to concede."

"Oh! Big Black, Xiao Ming, Little Red!"

Shen Yi exclaimed in surprise. The war beasts before him were none other than the three demonic beasts he had captured that day: the Azure Stone Boar, the Gold Devouring Beast, and the Crimson Shadow Sparrow.

Hearing Shen Yi's familiar voice, the three war beasts excitedly charged toward him.

"That's right, go! Charge!"

Li Muzi, not understanding the situation, only saw the three war beasts rushing at Shen Yi. Thinking they bore some old grudge, he shouted excitedly.

But what happened next stunned him. The three war beasts stopped right in front of Shen Yi and began chirping and grunting at him incessantly. What made Li Muzi's jaw drop the most was the Azure Stone Boar, which actually rubbed its massive head against Shen Yi's pant leg, looking as fawning as could be.

"I forgot to mention—I caught all three of them."

Li Muzi froze, his face flushing red. After a long pause, he weakly uttered the word "concede."

"Is... is he telling the truth?"

Feng Yang, now far from his earlier composure, asked Chen Chong in astonishment.

Chen Chong nodded helplessly. It was exactly what he had feared—this Shen Yi was truly the Beast Taming Court's bane.

"Senior Shen is truly a divine man!"

At some point, Shen Yi's reputation among the crowd had taken a sharp turn for the better, with people even addressing him as "Senior."

Elsewhere, several other matches had already concluded. Jiang Miaoyi and Yuwen Yue had yet to encounter any real resistance, coasting to victory. Wu Liujian and Meng Qing, relying on pure strength, had fought their way through and advanced together. As for Wang Teng, he had burst into everyone's view as a dark horse. These five were considered the strongest contenders for the Grotto-Heaven Qualification.

After a brief rest, the seventh round of elimination matches began.

Except for Meng Qing, who had a bye, the others all won with ease. Shen Yi once again defeated a Qi Refining stage opponent with one hand, becoming the talk of the crowd.

"Among these final ten, aside from Senior Shen Yi, the lowest cultivation is at the Qi Refining third level. It's a pity—Senior Shen will have to stop here."

The crowd sighed, feeling sorry for Shen Yi. If he were also at the Qi Refining stage, he might have been able to contend.

The eighth round of matches began.

Jiang Miaoyi versus Liu Wushuang, Yuwen Yue versus Zhang Sheng, Wu Liujian versus Chu Tian, Wang Teng versus Lei Heng, and Shen Yi versus Meng Qing.

"You've had good luck, but this is where it ends!"

Meng Qing crossed his arms, brimming with confidence in his own strength.

"Sorry, but I can't stop here."

Shen Yi replied as he leaped forward, launching the first attack against Meng Qing.

"Arrogant!"

Meng Qing bellowed, stomping hard. A scorching aura spread outward. Shen Yi dared not be careless, jumping to dodge, but Meng Qing anticipated his move. A single punch sent a serpent of fire sealing off Shen Yi's path.

"A cheap trick!"

Shen Yi gathered his strength and threw a punch. The force of his fist instantly scattered the fire serpent, charging straight at Meng Qing.

"Hmph!"

Meng Qing snorted lightly. Such punching power was nothing in his eyes. He sidestepped and quickly formed a hand seal:

"Sword of Blazing Sun!"

Before Meng Qing, a blaze slowly materialized, then in an instant condensed into a longsword. Flames flickered along its edge, radiating a fearsome aura.

Shen Yi's expression turned grave. The flaming sword in Meng Qing's hand made him hesitate to act recklessly. Without a moment's pause, he roared, and a long halberd appeared in his own hand.

"A Low-grade Magic Tool. Interesting."

Meng Qing showed no surprise. For Shen Yi to have made it this far at the Body Forging Peak, he must have had some tricks up his sleeve. "But one Low-grade Magic Tool isn't enough to let you contend with me!"

"Blazing Sword Rain!"

Meng Qing chanted a spell, raising the flaming sword in his hand. Sparks of fire appeared in midair, growing larger one by one until they became a sky full of raging flames that plummeted down at terrifying speed.

Shen Yi's gaze was sharp. He swung his long halberd swiftly, as if a thousand horses were thundering forth, about to trample the very heavens. Under the sweep of his halberd, the sea of flames was gradually dissolved.

"Impossible—he hasn't infused any spiritual power into his weapon. How can he do this?"

Meng Qing's heart shuddered with shock. Shen Yi's method of breaking the attack left him utterly astounded. A cultivator at the Body Forging Peak, unable to project spiritual power outward, had actually shattered his Blazing Sword Rain. Truly terrifying.

"Then try this move—Big Dipper Burning Heaven!"

Meng Qing's sword split into seven, each blade radiating scorching flames. They flew in unison into the sky, arranging themselves in the pattern of the Big Dipper. The fire blazed fiercely, carrying the momentum to incinerate the heavens, and enveloped Shen Yi within.

"If you can't bear the torment of the flames, you may concede and spare yourself further suffering."

Meng Qing's hand seals shifted continuously, and the flames on the seven swords grew even more intense.

Trapped within the inferno, Shen Yi felt a wave of searing heat crash over him. Even with his Undying Skin fully mastered, he could not completely ward off this bone-piercing, marrow-deep burn.

"There's only one move left!"

Still lucid, facing the ever-tightening cage of fire, Shen Yi resolved to hold nothing back and unleash his strongest technique.

"Sun Piercer!"

Shen Yi gathered all his strength, channeling it into the long halberd in his hands. The halberd thrust upward from below, piercing through the fire cage's restraints, then shot straight into the sky, shattering the seven swords.

Under the immense impact, the very air above the entire arena rippled in waves. The sword formation broken, Meng Qing spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression instantly wilting.

Shen Yi leaped high, seized the halberd, and pressed its tip against Meng Qing's throat.

"You lose."