Those Without a Last-Minute Breakthrough Were All Key Subjects for Observation

Those who reach the finals in the Qi Refining stage are only a thought away from the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Many of them could have broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm a month ago, but they just wouldn't, holding back until now, and finally broke through on the spot.

The two players in the first match were Chen Chenxi and Su Youdao.

Chen Chenxi broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and thought victory was assured, but he didn't expect that the other side thought the same way.

"The two younger ones have some ideas, but it's unclear who will win."

The elders of the sect watched and whispered among themselves, unsure of who would have predicted the outcome.

These two have the same cultivation level and the same foundation, so either of them could turn the tide in the end.

"It's definitely going to be a victory for my Lock Heart Sect disciples." Chen Chenxi's sect is the Lock Heart Sect, and the Sect Master the Lock Heart Sect stood up to support her.

"Is that so? Does this mean you look down on my Po Xu Sect?" The Po Xu Sect Master narrowed his eyes, his tone meaningful. Su Youdao was a member of the Po Xu Sect.

The Sect Master the Lock Heart Sect smiled warmly, "I was just telling the truth, how could you say I look down on you?"

"How about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?"

"Who will win the bet on the Great Yu cultivator?"

"Alright, let's bet then, who's afraid of who!" The two are of similar strength, and their sects are also of similar strength. They have always disliked each other. If they don't dare to agree, they will probably be ridiculed by the other party in the future.

The battles in the Qi Refining group were much more intense than expected. According to incomplete statistics, 96% of the Qi Refining Grand Perfection prodigies chose to break through their limits in battle, raising the average combat strength of the Qi Refining group.

The one who ultimately emerged victorious was a core disciple of the Yuqi Sect.

"Make a note of all those in the Qi Refining Group who didn't achieve a breakthrough in battle; they are key targets for observation," Jiang Qun instructed his subordinates, suspecting that these people were ancient cultivators who had dispersed their cultivation and were now rebuilding.

"Yes." Jiang Qun received the telepathic message, but could not see the person; it was the Luoshui Guard hidden in the shadows.

The Luoshui Guards are professionally trained, proficient in concealment Law Technique, and skilled in farming, making them extremely difficult to spot.

Yesterday, when Jiang Qun brought the Luoshui Guards to the Ask Dao Sect, they were captured by River Spirit.

Jiang Qun nodded in satisfaction, surprised that he had made progress so quickly.

"Speaking of which, I wanted to visit you seniors yesterday, but I couldn't find you. It's a real pity. I wonder where you seniors were yesterday?" Jiang Qun had arrived at the Ask Dao Sect before the celebration began.

After the ceremony, he wanted to visit the sect leader, but after looking around, he only found Luo Hongxia. Luo Hongxia was chatting with the Sixth Elder, and the two were communicating with each other using their Divine Sense. Jiang Qun thought that the two were exchanging glances, so he didn't dare to disturb them.

The Immortal Fairy naturally placed herself in the category of "senior" and said, "I received intelligence that cultivators from the Great Yu Dynasty were planning to sneak into my Ask Dao Sect and disrupt the celebration."

Qiu Jin'an naturally followed up on the Immortal Fairy's words, saying, "After receiving the message from Sect Master Lu, we devised a plan, hiding it in a treasure box, waiting for the cultivators of the Great Yu to walk into our trap."

Jiang Qun was puzzled. Why hadn't the Luoshui Guards received this intelligence, and why was it hidden in a treasure box?

Yang Ding continued, "Nephew, you may not know this, but this treasure box is a supreme treasure of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace. It has the power to bewitch people's hearts, and high-level cultivators can easily be bewitched and enter the box."

"So miraculous?" Jiang Qun exclaimed in surprise. He had never heard of a treasure with such functions. The Five Great Immortal Sects were indeed unfathomable.

"Then how come I wasn't bewitched?"

"Your cultivation level is too low."

Jiang Qun: "..."

Where is that cultivator from the Great Yu Kingdom?

"It's in the treasure box." Luo Hongxia patted the treasure box, looking resentful. As the value of the treasure box increased, her status rose accordingly. On the way here, everyone advised her to protect the box and not to bump or knock it. They also told her to shout for help if she encountered any danger, and that they would come to her in the first instance.

The man relied on the box's power.

"Have they all been caught?"

Jiang Qun felt ashamed. He had been gloating over finding a few cultivators who appeared to be ancient cultivators who had scattered their cultivation and were rebuilding their lives, but he never expected that the Ask Dao Sect was about to wipe out the entire Great Yu.

The Immortal Fairy nodded calmly. "More or less, we're still missing the Imperial Advisor. According to the confession, he's a half-immortal level expert. We don't know where he's hiding now, but Yun said she'll handle this matter."

Jiang Qun was initially nervous upon hearing that the Grand Preceptor of the Great Yu Kingdom was a demigod, but his anxiety subsided when he learned that Yun Zhi would handle the matter.

Wait a minute, what did Sect Master Lu call Yun Zhi just now?

Jiang Qunxin trembled slightly. No wonder her father had told her to get along well with Sect Master Lu. Sect Master Lu and Yun Zhi's relationship was much closer than she had imagined.

The Master of Abstinence from Killing paused, his hand holding the Buddhist prayer beads pausing. He looked at the Immortal Fairy and the others, thankful that he was practicing silent meditation.

Excellent, excellent! A monk does not lie.

In the early and Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Early Stage groups, there were quite a few prodigies who chose to break through on the spot, but this was much less common than in the Qi Refining group.

Not all prodigies cultivate to the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage or the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

The two who emerged victorious belonged to sects unfamiliar to Lu Yang, while the Immortal Fairy had never even heard of the sect's name.

One is a second-grade sect, and the other is a third-grade sect.

None of the Five Great Immortal Sects sent anyone to participate in the first three groups of the competition. Currently, the lowest cultivation level among the disciples of the immortal sects is the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. If the immortal sects are forced to select people to participate in the first three groups of the competition, then they can only send ingredients.

"Did you write down those people from earlier?" Jiang Qun transmitted his voice to Luo Shuiwei behind him, but he still couldn't see Luo Shuiwei's figure.

"I've written them all down."

"Go back and investigate their background."

Qiu Jin'an stepped aside and kindly said to the Luoshui Guard behind Jiang Qun, "Why don't you show yourself, fellow Daoist? You can hide here, it's not like no one can see you."

"There's also Divine Sense communication, which everyone can hear. Why don't you two just talk directly?"

Qiu Jinan and the others could hear and see the entire conversation between Jiang Qun and Luo Shuiwei. What are you two doing, acting all mysterious and cryptic?

Luo Shuiwei had no choice but to reveal himself.

The screening of suspicious cultivators mainly relies on their combat experience. Those with rich combat experience are most likely ancient cultivators who have resumed their cultivation, less likely they are powerful beings pretending to be weak while actually being strong, and the least likely they are those who have possessed another's body.

The rewards are so generous that it's possible they might attract powerful individuals who are willing to feign weakness to exploit their strength.

Both the first and third scenarios fall under the category of key observation targets.

The Great Xia Dynasty is not hostile to ancient cultivators. Ancient cultivators can disperse their cultivation and start anew without breaking the law. At most, they are considered unregistered residents, and a fine or registration will suffice.

The reason why the Great Xia Dynasty had to punish these lawless old fogies was that the vast majority of ancient cultivators did not obey the rules of the Great Xia Dynasty and copied the ancient practices of murder and arson to the Great Xia Dynasty.

If the ancient cultivators behave themselves after awakening, the Great Xia Dynasty will not interfere with them.

In fact, Lu Yang is also quite suspicious. He has rich combat experience, so it is not normal for him to be able to beat a veteran Tribulation Transcendence Master like the Abstinence Master.

However, considering that he was Yun Zhi's junior brother, and that Yun Zhi had done something similar, no one suspected that Lu Yang had a problem.