Then, Nan Batian explained the effects of the Void Spirit Pearl. When he finished, everyone stared excitedly at Tian Xingzi. The Void Spirit Pearl? A magical treasure?
One after another, they looked toward the Sect Master with intense desire in their eyes. Of course, it was only desire for the Void Spirit Pearl, and all of them were people with exceptional cultivation. Those whose cultivation speed was lacking could only sigh gloomily.
"Now, we need to find the three strongest among you. Those who have not reached the Innate Fourth Stage but feel that their strength is sufficient may also challenge them. If you win, you can likewise obtain a Void Spirit Pearl." Tian Xingzi spoke as he looked at everyone.
Just then, a white-robed man suddenly walked out of the ranks and came to stand beside the four people at the Innate Fourth Stage. With his hands clasped, he said to the Sect Master, the Peak Lords, and the others, "Although this disciple is only at the Innate Third Stage, I am willing to stake everything on a battle."
"Good." Sect Master Tian Xingzi called out.
Seeing that man take the lead, Zhong Shan also slowly stepped forward.
"This disciple, Zhong Shan, is willing to fight." Zhong Shan spoke respectfully.
"Good." Tian Xingzi said it again. At the same time, he looked at Zhong Shan, his eyes lighting up as though he had thought of something.
After that, no one dared to come forward. The cultivators all knew what each stage represented and considered themselves unable to defeat someone at the Innate Fourth Stage.
"You two at the Innate Third Stage, choose your opponents. The remaining two at the Innate Fourth Stage will fight each other. That way, the winners can be decided in one round." Tian Xingzi spoke.
"Yes." The six people answered in unison.
The white-robed person at the Innate Third Stage immediately chose one of the women, seemingly believing that even at the Innate Fourth Stage, a woman's strength would still be inferior to his. Zhong Shan looked at the three men who remained.
Zhong Shan did not know what cultivation arts they practiced and was unfamiliar with all three of them. Thus, he casually pointed at the one carrying an axe. In Zhong Shan's mind, an inch longer meant an inch stronger, and an axe was ultimately not as long as his own saber.
When he pointed him out, that man was delighted. It was as though he had struck a great bargain. He was actually going to fight someone at the Innate Third Stage? That was an absolutely certain victory.
"Good. Spread out. Begin now." Tian Xingzi spoke.
After he finished speaking, under the eyes of the crowd, they split up and went to three locations on the square. Zhong Shan and the man with the axe went to the west. The other two groups went to the center and the east.
Tian Ling'er and Nan Batian also walked to a spot not far from Zhong Shan, seemingly to cheer him on.
"Please." Zhong Shan held his saber across his body as he spoke.
"You go first." The man with the axe smiled, clearly looking down on someone at the Innate Third Stage.
"Then forgive me." Zhong Shan spoke.
As soon as Zhong Shan finished speaking, he leaped into the air and swung his great saber viciously at the man.
Heaven Splitting Strike!
With this move, Zhong Shan poured out all his strength. Whenever he fought, he gave it everything he had—and this opponent was an expert at the Innate Fourth Stage.
When the man saw Zhong Shan's saber come crashing down, his heart tightened. He knew he had been careless and raised his giant axe to meet the blade.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The great saber, wreathed in thick Baleful Qi, slammed into the giant axe. The man's body sank.
"Crack~~~"
The stone slabs beneath his feet split into spiderweb-like cracks.
Seeing that his first strike had failed, Zhong Shan once again revealed his ferocious side and swept his saber across.
Exterminate All in a Single Slash!
His second strike descended swiftly.
Although the man wielded an axe, his body was extremely agile. He quickly blocked another of Zhong Shan's strikes, then exerted his strength and knocked Zhong Shan's great saber aside. After all, at the Innate Fourth Stage, he possessed far more true qi than Zhong Shan.
"Hmph."
Zhong Shan gave a cold snort. His great saber danced without pause, each strike ferocious and every move threatening death. His saber swept like a violent storm, each slash faster than the last, as though he had gone mad. To the spectators outside, it looked as though Zhong Shan had lost his mind. He was far too savage. If any other person at the Innate Third Stage faced him, they could only admit defeat.
But his opponent was at the Innate Fourth Stage. His strength surpassed Zhong Shan's, and his speed was greater as well. His only weakness was that he lacked Zhong Shan's ferocity. Zhong Shan seemed completely immersed in the slaughter, fighting with absolute, unyielding determination.
But could ferocity alone be enough? That man gradually shifted from defense to offense. It was no longer Zhong Shan attacking alone.
The stone slabs beneath their feet had already shattered across most of the area, yet the battle grew more and more spectacular. Their weapons moved wildly as they perfectly displayed their respective techniques.
Zhong Shan felt that he could not keep this up. His insight into saber techniques, combined with his imposing momentum, allowed him to fight his opponent evenly, but his true qi was inferior. The longer the fight continued, the more disadvantageous it became for him.
Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique!
"Heaven Splitting Strike!" Zhong Shan shouted. The muscles throughout his body swelled explosively, and the Baleful Qi on his great saber suddenly surged. With bloodshot eyes, he brought the saber crashing down at the man.
The man also saw the danger and summoned all his strength to raise his axe toward the heavens.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~"
With a thunderous explosion, the man was sent flying backward. The giant axe in his hands was also knocked loose by Zhong Shan's strike and flew away. Zhong Shan landed and stared ferociously at the wrist of the man who had been sent flying. Two streams of blood were already spraying from the web between his thumb and forefinger.
He had lost. The man had lost. With injuries like these, he would need at least half a month to recover.
"Whoosh~~~~~~~~"
Zhong Shan let out a long breath, calming the energy in his heart before slowly turning around.
Only after turning around did Zhong Shan discover that the new disciples were all staring at him in disbelief. Innate Third Stage? Overpowering someone at the Innate Fourth Stage?
The other two battlefields had already decided their winners and losers. The other person at the Innate Third Stage had lost, and one of the men at the Innate Fourth Stage had also been defeated.
Seeing this scene, Tian Ling'er immediately whispered to Zhong Shan, "Well done."
Nan Batian merely smiled and said nothing. Clearly, although he was surprised inside, the strength of the Innate Third and Fourth Stages was not enough to catch his eye.
Elsewhere, the second-generation disciples of the Kaiyang Sect were also frowning as they looked toward Zhong Shan, a trace of suspicion flashing through their eyes.
The Sect Master and the two Peak Lords exchanged glances, strange expressions flickering in their eyes. In the end, Sect Master Tian Xingzi revealed a peculiar smile. As he looked toward Zhong Shan, his eyes lit up as well.
The three defeated people naturally withdrew into the group of new disciples.
Zhong Shan and the other two people at the Innate Fourth Stage walked before the Sect Master.
"Good. You are the top three among this batch of new disciples. Here are three Void Spirit Pearls." Tian Xingzi spoke.
After he finished speaking, three transparent, fist-sized beads appeared before Tian Xingzi. Zhong Shan gently picked one up and discovered that the bead was actually soft. The Void Spirit Pearl?
Without examining it closely, Zhong Shan first slipped it into his robe, planning to inspect it in detail after returning.
"Good. The Void Spirit Pearls have also been distributed. In fifteen days, the three of you are to go to Kaiyang Hall. I have something to discuss with you." Tian Xingzi spoke.
"Yes." Zhong Shan and the other two answered at the same time, puzzled.
"Return to your quarters, or choose another cultivation art." Tian Xingzi said.
"Yes, Sect Master." All the disciples immediately answered.
Then, the disciples found the second-generation disciples standing behind the Sect Master and told them about their cultivation progress. The Golden Core Stage experts also gave them some guidance.
"Zhong Shan, you're something else!" Nan Batian looked at Zhong Shan and laughed. Tian Ling'er also smiled as she walked over to him.
"Mm. I'm going to look at the cultivation arts again. Tonight, come to my Listening Water Pavilion, and we'll discuss things further." Zhong Shan spoke to the two of them.
"Good." The two nodded immediately.
Zhong Shan promptly headed toward the Scripture Pavilion.
Watching Zhong Shan's departing back, Sect Master Tian Xingzi slightly furrowed his brows, a glint flashing through his eyes. Then, he flew away with the other two Peak Lords.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Zhong Shan once again found an Innate cultivation art.
"Dark Assault Art."
Zhong Shan had noticed this manual the last time. From its name alone, it was clear that it was an art for launching surprise attacks. Zhong Shan had sought out this manual not to practice it himself, but to give it to someone else.
Three hours later, in the Great Kun Kingdom, Hidden Body copied the book down, while Zhong Shan's main body returned to the Listening Water Pavilion. The reason he had not copied it last time was that Zhong Shan wanted to experience memorizing it for the first time. Zhong Shan knew that the insight gained from reciting a passage on the first reading was completely different from the understanding gained through later contemplation. If he copied it down before memorizing it, compared with memorizing it word by word first and then comprehending it, the difference might not be great—but that subtle difference could allow him to gain much more insight.
After returning to the Listening Water Pavilion, he gently took out the Void Spirit Pearl.
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