Contest Two

Under countless gazes, the firelight on the stage gradually dispersed.

Ye Tian appeared on the stage completely unharmed, while a shimmering white barrier visibly faded away.

Clearly, Ye Tian had used the barrier to block Ye Shuang's ultimate move.

Seeing Ye Shuang slightly distracted, Ye Tian's eyes lit up.

He swiftly attacked with his sword, knocking him to the ground in an instant.

"Brother Ye, thank you for going easy on me!!!" Ye Tian said with a faint smile as he looked at the recovered Ye Shuang.

Ye Shuang said nothing. He silently leaped down from the arena and returned to Third Elder's side.

Seeing Ye Shuang's low spirits, as his master,

Third Elder softly consoled him, "Victory and defeat are common matters. You can win it back in the future!"

"This disciple understands!!" Ye Shuang nodded and looked back at Ye Tian on the stage.

He turned and left the Platform. Seeing this, the Red-Haired Old Man laughed heartily. "Our sect has already won two matches!"

Qingchuan snorted coldly and turned to look at the beautiful Su Wan.

"Wan'er..." Before he could finish, Su Wan softly said, "Wan'er certainly will not make Master lose face!!"

With that, she lightly flew toward the arena. Once she stood before Ye Tian, she gently said, "Qinglian's Su Wan greets Senior Brother Ye!!!"

"Greetings, Junior Sister Su!" Looking at the beauty before him, Ye Tian replied in a warm tone.

From the moment Su Wan had appeared, he had noticed her.

He had only lacked an opportunity to approach her. Now, he could finally meet her at close range.

Seeing Su Wan step onto the stage, the Red-Haired Old Man on the viewing platform raised a brow.

"Qi Condensation Perfection?? Your Qinglian is quite fortunate!"

After his surprise, he added, "It seems that apart from this girl, your Qinglian cannot produce anyone else.

How about we decide victory and defeat in a single match? It would save us from wasting time!"

"Agreed!!" Qingchuan pondered briefly, then added, "However, only newly admitted disciples may compete!!"

He was also afraid that Su Wan would suffer a disadvantage. Though her talent was high, she had only just entered the cultivation world.

Her practical combat experience was surely lacking. If she encountered an old hand, she would likely suffer.

The Red-Haired Old Man nodded at Qingchuan's proposal and did not refuse.

"Agreed!!" He then transmitted his voice to Ye Tian on the stage. "Come down!

That little girl has already reached Qi Condensation Perfection. Your Qi Condensation Eighth Layer cultivation is not worth looking at!"

Ye Tian's body stiffened on the stage as he looked at the beauty before him.

Though reluctant in his heart, he still cupped his hands and said, "I did not expect Senior Sister Su to have already reached Qi Condensation Perfection."

"I concede this match!!!"

He then leaped down from the arena and returned to the Crimson Lotus Sword Sect's camp.

Seeing this, the Red-Haired Old Man looked at the youth beside him. "Yuan'er, go up!"

The youth nodded and flew straight toward the arena.

Facing Su Wan, he still wore an expression that kept strangers at arm's length. "Crimson Lotus's Hong Yuanju!"

Su Wan was startled by the youth's sour face, then smiled gracefully. "Qinglian's Su Wan!!"

As the presiding Elder raised the Protective Formation, Hong Yuanju immediately summoned a crimson Flying Sword.

His entire body became an afterimage as he rushed toward Su Wan. The sudden attack left Su Wan, who had little practical combat experience,

somewhat flustered for a moment. Fortunately, she still managed to block Hong Yuanju's assault.

"Senior Brother! What cultivation do you think the two onstage have??"

Lu Nan stared wide-eyed at the two exchanging blows on the stage.

He quietly asked Fang Rongxuan beside him.

"I reckon they should be at Qi Condensation Perfection??

The pressure they're giving off now is about the same as a Senior Brother I once saw!

That Senior Brother was at Qi Condensation Perfection!!" Fang Rongxuan pondered.

Hearing that, Lu Nan looked at Su Wan on the stage in disbelief. "She... she reached Qi Condensation Perfection in just over three months?"

"You'll get used to it!! Who told her to be a genius?"

Lu Nan took a deep breath and nodded. He had thought that, with the Mysterious Space's help,

his improvement had already been great. He had not expected that he still fell short before true geniuses!

However, he was not discouraged. Lu Nan believed that with the Mysterious Space's help,

he would certainly catch up to those so-called geniuses, perhaps even surpass them.

"Senior Brother, is there any way to quickly accumulate cultivation resources?"

Fang Rongxuan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "There are quite a few methods, but you can't do them!!"

"What methods? Could Senior Brother tell me?" Lu Nan's eyes lit up.

Looking at the curious Lu Nan, Fang Rongxuan shook his head. "So be it!

I'll tell you, then. If we're talking about the fastest ways to accumulate resources, it would undoubtedly be Alchemists, Talisman Masters, and Artificers."

"Among them, Alchemists refine pills, Talisman Masters draw Spirit Talismans, and Artificers practice Artifact Crafting.

You have not encountered Spirit Talismans yet, but you should have seen pills and Flying Swords, right?"

As Fang Rongxuan spoke, he summoned his Flying Sword and placed it before himself. "This is the Feather Sword, a top-grade Mortal artifact.

It was produced by the sect's Artifact Peak. Do you know how many Spirit Stones I spent on it back then?"

Lu Nan shook his head. "One hundred and twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones, my resources for an entire year."

After explaining, Fang Rongxuan continued, "Once you advance to the Qi Condensation stage, the sect will distribute Spirit Stones to you!

Spirit Stones are also important cultivation resources. They are divided into low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and top-grade."

As soon as he finished speaking, cries of surprise came from beside them.

The two hurriedly looked up and saw that Su Wan and the other had already finished their match.

Su Wan stood in the center of the arena like a goddess, while the youth from the Crimson Lotus Sword Sect looked somewhat disheveled.

Clearly, Su Wan had won this match!

Seeing this, Lu Nan turned back and looked awkwardly at Fang Rongxuan beside him. "Senior Brother, this... sorry for delaying you from watching the match!!"

Fang Rongxuan merely waved his hand. "It's fine! I couldn't understand it anyway. I was only here for the excitement!"

"If Junior Brother is interested in those things, you can look them up at the Book Collection Pavilion.

I believe you'll gain something from it!" he continued.

Lu Nan nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for clearing up my confusion!!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back first!!" Fang Rongxuan shook his head.

"Senior Brother, are you returning to the Book Collection Pavilion??"

"No! My term ends today!!"

Fang Rongxuan paused after speaking. "If Junior Brother likes reading, the Book Collection Pavilion's guard duty is quite suitable for you.

It's just that the mission reward is a little low—only twenty-four Contribution Points a year.

But it is leisurely!"

Lu Nan's eyes also lit up at this. Right!

He could go to the Book Collection Pavilion. First, it would make it convenient for him to look up information.

Second, there were not many people at the Book Collection Pavilion. Often, he would not see a single person for ten days or half a month.

The Book Collection Pavilion was not an important place either, so there presumably would not be powerful cultivators guarding it.

Wouldn't that suit him perfectly? He could also complete the sect's monthly mission along the way!

Thinking this, Lu Nan immediately said, "Senior Brother, I also think the Book Collection Pavilion guard duty is a good mission!"

Fang Rongxuan froze. He had merely mentioned it in passing.

He had not expected Lu Nan to truly take it to heart.

"Senior Brother, let's go now!!"

Lu Nan had just turned around when a hand grabbed him.

Fang Rongxuan looked at him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "At least wait until the Elders have left!!!"

"Ah!! Sorry! Sorry!!" Lu Nan quickly understood what he meant and apologized.

Afterward, the two quietly waited for the Elders to announce the results and distribute the rewards.

Once the people of the Crimson Lotus Sword Sect and all the Elders had left,

they hurried toward the Mission Hall.