Daoist Duo Bao stood with his hands behind his back, his brocade Taoist robe fluttering in the wind.
His unruffled bearing did indeed have some of the air of the Mystic Gate's eldest disciple.
On the cloud platform, Sect Master Tongtian gazed at his disciple, grinning so broadly that the creases on his face spread. His expression beaming with pride, he showed him off to those around him.
"Look! Just look!"
"This is my direct disciple, Duo Bao!"
"He has an extraordinary talent for the sword and has truly inherited my teachings!"
"And as the Interception Sect's Senior Disciple Brother, he's also very good at teaching his junior brothers and sisters. He has quite the bearing of an elder!"
Laozi, Yuanshi, Jie Yin, and Zhun Ti all turned to look at him, their expressions strange.
Yuanshi Tianzun, in particular, silently mocked him.
"You?"
"You're like a child yourself, playing all day long. You're ridiculously playful."
"And you think your disciples could be talented at teaching others?"
You'd be lucky if you hadn't raised a bunch of little hell-raisers.
Just then, a figure clad in the Eight Trigrams Purple Ribbon Immortal Robe rose into the air from the Chan Sect's ranks and landed steadily on the arena.
It was none other than Guang Chengzi, the foremost of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect!
Guang Chengzi held the Male-Female Twin Swords in his hands, the Soul-Quelling Bell hanging at his waist. With a solemn expression, he shouted,
"Guang Chengzi of the Chan Sect requests a match!"
"Although Junior Brother Huang Long just... well, although his methods were unusual, he did win."
"Today, I'll make sure to establish the true reputation of the Chan Sect!"
"Let all beings learn of the wonders of Jade Void's great arts!"
Seeing this, Yuanshi Tianzun applauded in admiration, his eyes full of satisfaction.
"Good! Truly worthy of being the Chan Sect's Senior Disciple Brother!"
"Steady and composed, with soaring courage. This is how a disciple of a Sage should be!"
On the arena, Duo Bao and Guang Chengzi were the senior disciples of their respective sects, so they still had to observe the formalities.
They bowed to each other and exchanged a few polite words—"I'll go easy on you," "You're too kind," and other such pleasantries. Then, the atmosphere instantly turned murderous.
"Junior Brother, draw your sword!" Guang Chengzi pointed his sword at Duo Bao.
Duo Bao only smiled faintly. Instead of summoning the treasured sword he usually used, he turned his hand over.
Crack!
A simple-looking whip, wreathed in strange arcs of lightning, appeared in his grasp.
It was the Lightning Five Consecutive Whips, forged by Zhao Gongming!
"Hm?"
Sect Master Tongtian froze on the cloud platform, completely dumbfounded.
"When did this kid get a whip-type magic treasure?"
"He's given up the sword and switched to the whip?"
For some reason, the sight of that whip suddenly filled Tongtian with a deeply ominous feeling.
On the arena, Guang Chengzi furrowed his brows and stared at the whip in Duo Bao's hand, puzzled.
"Junior Brother Duo Bao, you're a master of the sword. Why aren't you using one?"
Duo Bao kept one hand behind his back, striking the pose of an inscrutable grandmaster. He said calmly,
"Why would I need a sword to deal with you?"
"This treasure is more than enough!"
"How arrogant!"
Guang Chengzi was furious. They were both Taiyi Golden Immortals. What was with all that swagger?
"Since you're underestimating me, don't blame your senior brother for showing no mercy!"
"Soul-Quelling Bell, shake!"
"Twin Swords, strike!"
Guang Chengzi unleashed his full power. The Soul-Quelling Bell rang with a soul-stirring wave of sound.
The twin swords transformed into two Flood Dragons and lunged at Duo Bao, carrying a fierce killing intent.
Facing this ferocious assault, Duo Bao neither dodged nor blocked. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The next moment, he abruptly opened his eyes. His immortal, otherworldly bearing vanished in an instant.
In its place was a greasy, fake-grandmaster air, like that of a con artist from the martial world.
Speaking in an authentic, thick regional accent, he swung the whip and muttered,
"Hey, friends! Good to see you!"
"A friend just asked me, 'Teacher Duo Bao, what happened?'"
"I said, 'What do you mean?'"
"Crack!"
Duo Bao's whip lashed out, producing a loud sonic boom.
Something strange happened.
Under that single crack of the whip, Guang Chengzi's fierce attack abruptly ground to a halt.
Duo Bao stepped through the Big Dipper's pattern. His body jerked as if he'd been electrocuted, and he shouted,
"I was careless! I didn't dodge!"
"Crack! A left front kick!"
"Crack! A right whip kick!"
"Crack! Lightning Five Consecutive Whips!"
As Duo Bao chanted those spellbinding catchphrases, the whip in his hand turned into five afterimages.
It didn't strike Guang Chengzi. It merely waved in front of him.
But the Conceptual Grade effect activated!
As he cast his spell, Guang Chengzi suddenly felt an irresistible electric current surge through his entire body.
"Ugh! Aah!!"
Guang Chengzi stiffened in place. The sword fell from his hand, and the Soul-Quelling Bell fell silent.
His body began to convulse wildly against his will!
As if he'd been electrocuted, he shook all over, rolled his eyes back, stuck out his tongue, and danced the breakdance with his arms and legs.
[At the request of our readers, VIP members can now enjoy an ad-free experience]
[Click to view]
"Let's keep it friendly!"
"Know your limits!"
"Young people have no sense of martial ethics!"
"Come on, trick me! Come on, ambush me, an old-timer of sixty-nine!"
Duo Bao only got more and more excited, completely lost in his own artistic world.
With every line he delivered, Guang Chengzi's convulsions grew faster.
"Ugh... ugh... ugh, ugh, ugh..."
Guang Chengzi was shocked until every strand of his hair stood on end, turning him into a human firework.
He made bizarre, garbled sounds and couldn't get out a single complete sentence.
The entire arena fell silent. Everyone stared, mouths agape, at the sight of Duo Bao muttering away while Guang Chengzi convulsed in a bizarre dance.
On the cloud platform, Sect Master Tongtian was utterly dumbfounded. The wine cup in his hand clattered to the ground.
"Th-this is swordsmanship?"
"What kind of whip technique is this?"
"Left front kick? Right whip kick? Know your limits?"
Yuanshi Tianzun's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
He whipped around. His eyes fixed on Tongtian as if he wanted to devour him, and he asked through gritted teeth,
"Tongtian!"
"Is this the kind of accent you use when teaching your disciples?!"
"What do you mean, 'know your limits'? What do you mean, 'no sense of martial ethics'? Does your Interception Sect have no dignity at all?!"
Sect Master Tongtian jumped and hurriedly waved his hands in denial, looking deeply wronged.
"No, Second Brother, believe me!"
"How was I supposed to know the kid would go crazy today?!"
"I teach the Azure Pine Sword!"
On the arena, Guang Chengzi had already been shocked until he was foaming at the mouth. He felt as though his soul was about to leave his body.
He couldn't take any more of this humiliation and torment, his body completely beyond his control.
Finally, just as Duo Bao was about to deliver a sixth whip,
Guang Chengzi summoned every last bit of strength and forced three words through clenched teeth.
"I... ugh... sur... ugh... render!!"
Duo Bao immediately lowered his whip and stood with his hands behind his back, once more radiating a grandmaster's bearing. He said calmly,
"You were too kind."
"It seems you're still too young, Junior Brother. You don't understand the essence of traditional martial arts."
Laozi, his face a study in exasperation, stepped forward and announced,
"This match... goes to Duo Bao."
With his hair still sticking up in every direction and his body twitching now and then, Guang Chengzi walked off the arena in a daze.
He stood in a corner of the crowd, watching Duo Bao bask in his triumph. His heart filled with desolation and resentment.
"I actually lost..."
"And so completely... I couldn't even get a move off..."
"Damn it!"
Just then, a warm shaft of sunlight suddenly fell upon him.
Guang Chengzi looked up and saw Zhao Gongming standing beside him, though he hadn't noticed when he'd arrived.
Zhao Gongming reached out, his smile as warm and healing as an angel's—and every bit as persuasive.
"Oh, my confused senior brother..."
"Do you want to defeat Senior Brother Duo Bao?"
"Do you want to know how to counter the Lightning Five Consecutive Whips?"
"If you do..."
Zhao Gongming lowered his voice, revealing his true intentions.
"Once the Kunlun Ceremony is over, come find me and I'll forge a magic treasure for you!"
"Fair prices, and I'll teach you until you've mastered it!"
Guang Chengzi stared at Zhao Gongming in shock, then suddenly understood.
"So... you forged that magic treasure too, Junior Brother?!"
"I knew it! That's why Duo Bao suddenly got so... so bizarre!"
Hope flared anew in Guang Chengzi's eyes. He gripped Zhao Gongming's hand tightly.
"Good! It's a deal!"
"Once the ceremony's over, I'll have one forged too. I'll make him know his limits!"
Having secured a sale, Zhao Gongming was thoroughly pleased.
Meanwhile, on the arena, Daoist Duo Bao had just won a match, and his confidence had soared.
He held up his whip, looked around, and shouted arrogantly,
"Who's next?!"
"Who dares come up and face my Primordial Form-Intention Taiji School... I mean, the great arts of the Interception Sect?!"
As soon as his words fell,
"Hmph! Don't get carried away!"
A cool voice, tinged with a hint of femininity, rang out.
Daoist Ci Hang held the Jade Pure Bottle in his hand, with the Magic Fairy Stick hidden in his sleeve. His face frosty, he flew straight onto the arena.
Looking at the arrogant Duo Bao, he thought,
"Senior Brother Guang Chengzi lost so badly that the Chan Sect has been disgraced."
"Today, I must win back some face for the Chan Sect!"
"Even if... even if I have to transform into a magical girl again, I won't hesitate!"
Ci Hang took a deep breath.
"Ci Hang of the Chan Sect requests your instruction!"
[Ci Hang, the Chan Sect's Little Nanliang, requests your votes!]
[If you can't find a book by searching its title, try searching for the author. Maybe it's just been renamed!]
Before you continue