Face-Stomping, Taking Both Substance and Prestige! (33) Please Bookmark and Vote!

"Young Master Xia Mang, relying on a secret art to activate a magic treasure is useless against me."

Hearing the murmurs of "life" and "death" echoing through the corridor, Beishan Xuantang gave a mocking laugh.

I've already infused my magic treasure with the power of my Dharma Idol. Do you think that relying solely on a secret art, two Water and Fire Domains, and a mere Human Rank seal-type magic treasure will be enough to withstand me?

What you should be doing now is figuring out how to get close to me,

or abandoning your magic treasure to block my Five Qi Great Capture while taking the opportunity to rush toward the end of the corridor...

And you still dare to stroll along so leisurely?

You really don't take a Wanxiang Daoist seriously enough!

The smile on Beishan Xuantang's face had yet to fully bloom when the Qushan Seal, held aloft by countless phantom deities, collided head-on with the enormous white hand wreathed in endless starlight.

Bang!!!

The violent shockwave spread through the entire corridor and even the entire mountain peak.

Were it not for the Black-White Academy's formation restrictions,

the whole mountain would likely have been blasted apart.

"End this."

Xia Manggan spoke coldly.

Following his words, the Black-White Grinding Disc attached to the surface of the Qushan Seal began to turn slowly.

A vast, majestic force capable of twisting Heaven and Earth and reversing Life and Death erupted from the Qushan Seal.

The starlit white hand, which had previously been able to contend directly against the Qushan Seal, was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot before that mighty force.

It could not endure even for an instant before exploding with a crash.

"Not good."

Beishan Xuantang's expression changed drastically.

By all rights, that mountain-shaped seal magic treasure should have been crushed by him with irresistible force.

Yet judging from the outcome of their magic treasure clash, his Late Wanxiang Stage Origin Force had fallen completely into a disadvantage.

How was that possible?!

"Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—five domains empower it! Five Qi Great Capture!" Beishan Xuantang suddenly roared.

For a moment, the Heaven and Earth energy within the corridor surged madly. Five differently colored lights condensed in the air and joined with the previously shattered starlight and white threads, once again forming a colossal hand that struck toward the Qushan Seal.

But unfortunately,

it was still useless.

The instant that colossal hand approached the Qushan Seal, the Heaven and Earth energy summoned and controlled through his five Domains of Dao was transformed back into five kinds of Five Elements Dao energy before the slowly rotating Black-White Grinding Disc.

Then, like geese returning to their nest, the five kinds of Heaven and Earth energy flew into the Black-White Grinding Disc, becoming nourishment instead and gathering within the disc attached to the Qushan Seal.

The entire Black-White Grinding Disc immediately grew even larger.

Even the mountain formed by the Qushan Seal could no longer be seen.

All that remained visible was a gigantic Black-White Grinding Disc, like a massive wheel within the River of Time, slowly crushing down toward Beishan Xuantang through the air.

Its might was so immense that it was utterly irresistible and impossible to block!

"I refuse to believe it! This is impossible!" Beishan Xuantang waved both hands repeatedly, and five Earth Rank magic treasures belonging to the Five Elements appeared around him in an instant.

Four of the treasures formed a giant hand to block the vast Black-White Grinding Disc bearing down upon him.

The remaining treasure, a dark-gold long awl glinting with a sharp edge, became a streamer and shot toward Xia Manggan.

Driven to desperation, he had finally brought out his signature magic treasures.

With exceptionally vicious intentions, he activated the Gold-Breaking Awl—the one best suited for offense and specifically designed to pierce the Fiendgod Bodies of Body Refining cultivators—wanting to grievously injure or even kill Xia Manggan.

"Xuantang, don't!"

A voice suddenly rang out within the corridor.

It belonged to Beishan Xuantang's master, Iron Hand Daoist.

But Beishan Xuantang's eyes were filled with venomous resentment. How could he possibly heed his master's attempt to stop him?

Even if I can't kill him, I'll cripple his Divine Body. When the Academy investigates afterward, I can just say that I acted in the heat of the moment and failed to hold back.

With that thought, the dark-gold radiance of the Gold-Breaking Awl not only failed to diminish but grew brighter, while its speed increased by another thirty percent.

Beishan Xuantang believed that Xia Manggan, like the Body Refining Fiendgods he had slain before, would be utterly unable to evade it.

But—

Whoosh.

The Gold-Breaking Awl plunged deeply into the corridor wall.

Yet Xia Manggan, who had been walking forward at an unhurried pace, had vanished without a trace.

"How could this be?" Beishan Xuantang stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

Before he could understand what had happened, darkness fell over his vision.

Bang.

A foot that seemed to emerge from thin air stomped directly onto Beishan Xuantang's face.

Then, before he could react, the immense force transmitted through that foot drove him straight into the stone floor.

And the owner of that foot was none other than the Xia Manggan who had just disappeared.

"Th-that was Void Transference!?"

"Did I see that right?"

"He actually has the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth at the entry level too!!!"

The Primordial Spirit Daoists above the clouds erupted into an uproar.

What had they just seen?

They had actually seen a Purple Mansion youngster perform Void Transference, something that many Primordial Spirit Daoists outside the Academy might not even be capable of!

One had to know,

there was only one possibility for someone to perform Void Transference: the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, or rather, the Great Dao of Space, had reached the entry level.

Only by comprehending a trace of the true intent of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth could one perform Void Transference.

The reason nearly all Primordial Spirit Daoists of the Black-White Academy could perform Void Transference was because they had each mastered one complete Dao.

And once one mastered a complete Dao, one could control a region of Heaven and Earth.

With a thought, the Dao's power would descend, and a region of Heaven and Earth would fall entirely under one's control.

While controlling a region of Heaven and Earth, an Immortal cultivator would be able to sense the spatial mysteries within that region with exceptional clarity.

Over time, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth would naturally reach the entry level, allowing one to comprehend Void Transference.

In other words, among all Great Daos, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth was the easiest to enter and had the lowest threshold.

But that was only for the Black-White Academy's Primordial Spirit Daoists, or even the Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals outside.

For a youngster who had only just begun cultivating and was merely at the Purple Mansion stage, the difficulty was simply unimaginable.

After all, this was still the entry point to a Great Dao.

Most Purple Mansion cultivators and Wanxiang Daoists would specifically purchase a Lesser Teleportation Dao Talisman to carry with them.

But with more than twenty Primordial Spirit Daoists watching here, Xia Manggan clearly had not used a Lesser Teleportation Dao Talisman.

Furthermore, crushing and activating a Lesser Teleportation Dao Talisman took a certain amount of time, and the location where one emerged through Void Transference could not be very precise.

Thus, it could at most be used to flee for one's life, never for combat.

It was even less possible to use it as Xia Manggan had, appearing so exquisitely out of thin air before Beishan Xuantang and then stomping him into the ground.

"A monster. He really is a monster."

"Two Great Daos have both reached the entry level, and judging from what he displayed just now, his attainments in both aren't low either..."

The Primordial Spirit Daoists looked at one another, and the same thought surfaced in all their hearts.

Have I spent all these years cultivating for nothing but the dogs?

However, some Primordial Spirit Daoists were in no mood to marvel.

Whoosh.

Within the corridor, a middle-aged Daoist with huge palms faintly gleaming with metallic luster appeared out of thin air.

"Xia Manggan," the middle-aged Daoist shouted angrily, "a man should be spared once he has been defeated. Isn't it going too far for you to humiliate Xuantang by stomping on his face?"

"Yes, a man should be spared once he has been defeated." Xia Manggan said coldly, "You used a Late Wanxiang Stage disciple to guard the checkpoint and even allowed him to use Earth Rank magic treasures... If your Black-White Academy doesn't want to accept me, you could have simply said so. Do you really think Anchan Commandery has no sect besides your Black-White Academy?"

"..." The middle-aged Daoist choked on his words.

No matter how one looked at it, Beishan Xuantang had been the first to violate the headmaster's instructions by using an Earth Rank magic treasure.

Moreover, Beishan Xuantang had not merely used Earth Rank magic treasures to protect himself; he had even launched an attack on Xia Manggan.

In a situation that had already nearly become an actual life-and-death battle, even if Xia Manggan had stomped Beishan Xuantang's head apart and killed him on the spot, the Black-White Academy would have had nothing to say and no grounds to fault him.

Not to mention accusing Xia Manggan of going too far by stepping on his face.

Whoosh.

Three more figures appeared out of thin air. They were precisely the Black-White Academy's two Immortals and its headmaster, Jade Sea Daoist.

Xia Manggan remained unmoved, still keeping his foot pressed firmly on Beishan Xuantang.

He also used the Spirit Refining Technique to scorch Beishan Xuantang's soul, leaving him in unbearable agony and unable to gather Origin Force to resist.

"My Daoist title is Hanshan. I am the oldest and highest-ranking Loose Immortal currently in the Black-White Academy. I was the one who ordered the changes to your entrance examination."

An aged voice emerged from the mouth of the childlike figure in the middle, who appeared no more than four or five years old. "This was also a small selfish wish of mine. I wanted to personally see your Dao Comprehension Realm. Do you understand the deeper meaning behind it...?"

"Immortal Hanshan wishes to take me as his disciple?" Xia Manggan had already understood.

The voice that had examined his Purple Mansion and Divine Body at the Academy entrance had belonged to this Immortal Hanshan.

"That's right." Immortal Hanshan smiled. "Throughout the entire Black-White Academy, and even since its founding, I am the only one who has comprehended the Great Dao of Life and Death to some extent. Naturally, I should be the one to take you as my disciple."

"What about him?" Xia Manggan ground his foot against Beishan Xuantang's face.

"He was the first to violate the restrictions and later maliciously attacked a fellow disciple."

Jade Sea Daoist hurriedly spoke from the side. "The Academy will give you an explanation, and Beishan Xuantang will receive sufficient punishment as well."

"Mm." Xia Manggan nodded slightly and removed his foot from Beishan Xuantang's face.

"You may go now. Once the initiation ceremony is held two days from now, I will formally take you as my disciple." Immortal Hanshan spoke with a smile.

The more he looked at Xia Manggan, the more satisfied he became.

He was proud, but he had every right to be.

After all, if anyone reached the entry level in two Great Daos at the Purple Mansion stage while also being born into the imperial clan, they would probably be even more arrogant.

Yet he had shown remarkable restraint in dealing with Beishan Xuantang. He had viciously humiliated him and vented his anger, but he had also forced the higher-ups to reveal themselves with his words and extracted a promise from them.

It could be said that he had claimed both substance and prestige, seized every benefit, retained the moral high ground, and left no flaw for anyone to criticize.

Immortal Hanshan watched Xia Manggan's departing back disappear at the end of the corridor and smiled faintly. "Quite the little fox."

But when he turned to look at Iron Hand Daoist and Beishan Xuantang, whose face had already become somewhat misshapen, the chill in his eyes was enough to freeze someone to death.

"Iron Hand, take your disciple back and have him reflect behind closed doors. Neither of you may leave the Academy for ten years."

Seeing this, Black Crown Immortal hurriedly added, "Also, suspend the hundred years' worth of Essence Liquid allocations for both master and disciple!"

"Yes, Martial Uncle." A pained expression flashed across Iron Hand Daoist's face.

As for Beishan Xuantang, his blood and qi surged into his heart, and he immediately fainted.

"With such a Dao Heart, if he does not improve, he will remain useless even if he stays in the Academy." Immortal Hanshan snorted at Black Crown Immortal, then teleported away.

The third update is here. That's all three for today; more tomorrow.

Brothers who have read this far, if you still have votes in hand, don't hold on to them. Especially recommendation votes. If you don't cast them that day, they'll expire.

While I'm at it, let me report the update schedule during the new-book period.

Originally, Suifeng wanted to keep three fixed release times, but I know how painful it is to follow a book. There are only so many chapters each day, and having to wait several hours for every chapter is even more painful.

So starting today, Suifeng is making an adjustment. The first update time remains unchanged: 11:45 in the morning. After that, a chapter will be released every ten minutes. That way, everyone can read that day's updates in one go without waiting.

Then there's the number of updates. The editor reminded me again that if the word count rises too quickly during the new-book period, the book won't get enough recommendations or stay on the rankings long enough, which won't help increase bookmarks. So Suifeng needs to restrain things a little.

When you see (1/2) or (1/3) in the chapter title, the number after the slash is the number of chapters that will be updated that day.

When it says (2/2) or (3/3), that means that day's updates are complete.

That's all. I hope you gentlemen can understand. Suifeng isn't a top-tier godlike author who starts a book with one or two hundred thousand bookmarks. So during the new-book period, I really need to hold back a bit and give myself more time to accumulate readers.

Also, Suifeng is only human, not a production-team mule. I have a life and a family, and there will inevitably be times when trivial matters keep me busy. So if the update schedule changes again someday, I hope you gentlemen will be understanding.

Of course, I will explain in advance if there are special circumstances, but I will do my best to maintain stable updates until the release goes premium. Please continue supporting me. Let's work hard together.