The Spot Is Finally Mine

Thirty breaths passed in the blink of an eye.

The one who stepped up was a middle-aged man with a face full of curly whiskers. He carried a mountain-splitting axe and, after entering the arena, did not utter a single word before ferociously chopping at Lu He.

He had learned from the lesson of the woman before him.

Though this man appeared rough and his movements broad and forceful, every time his mountain-splitting axe came down, he retained thirty percent of his strength. The transitions between his moves were exceptionally refined, giving off the bizarre impression of a woman embroidering flowers.

For a time, axe light flew everywhere as the hard ground was hacked with dozens of trenches. The commotion was truly terrifying.

Yet—

Amid the raging storm, the lean figure opposite him remained standing firm.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The pitch-black hammer, as large as a water barrel, seemed to turn into the most precise shield in the world. With every turn, it struck the weakest point of the axe blade's force, blocking every slash that contained immense power.

Lu He's gaze was as calm as still water.

Meanwhile, the bearded man found the fight increasingly strenuous, vaguely feeling as though he had been wrapped in a spiderweb.

Knowing that if this continued, he would likely be worn to death.

He gritted his teeth and suddenly stomped the ground, power surging forth in an instant.

A direct Mountain-Cleaving Chop!

Crack, crack—

Cracks spread out beneath Lu He's feet, rapidly extending in every direction.

In only a few breaths, they covered the entire arena, over thirty meters long and wide.

Seeing this scene—

A man around twenty-five or twenty-six beside Zheng Jingren smiled and said thoughtfully, "Over a thousand jin of force... Brother Zheng, your friend wasn't being entirely honest just now. He looks humble, but he's actually rather proud."

"Still, at his age, having such ability does give him reason to be proud. This year, he might well catch a steward's eye and enter the medicinal garden's seed roster."

"I just wonder which rank it would be. Fourth rank, or third rank?"

He guessed.

The many stewards in the medicinal garden had limited resources. Naturally, the degree of resources they devoted to the talents they selected varied.

Altogether, they were divided into four ranks.

The first rank was the highest, reserved for the stewards' blood descendants. No one else had any chance of receiving it.

The fourth rank was the lowest. It meant one's talent was acceptable and that one had some chance of becoming a steward in the future, essentially forming a good relationship in advance.

As for resource support, one could not expect much.

Yet compared to ordinary cultivating tenant farmers, it was still a qualitative leap.

"Could he possibly be second rank?" Zheng Jingren suddenly asked from the side.

"Second rank? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

The man repeatedly shook his head in denial.

Other than true monsters, no one could catch the stewards' attention and receive second-rank resource support during their first time competing for a spot...

One had to understand that second-rank resource support was no different from cutting flesh off the stewards themselves.

And what kind of people were the stewards? He knew that better than anyone!

Nearly ninety-nine percent of the seeds on the second-rank roster had grown for three or four years and still displayed extraordinary potential after entering the Intent Metamorphosis Realm. Only then would the stewards increase their investment and raise them to second rank!

In other words, adding flowers to brocade was possible, but offering charcoal in snowy weather was not.

Among their batch, the only person capable of entering the second-rank roster on the first try was the one ahead—

The man unconsciously looked at the figure quietly seated in front of them, and a trace of reverence naturally rose in his eyes.

Rumor had it that this person had long met the requirements to enter the inner garden. He remained in the Intent Metamorphosis Realm only to condense the seventh Red Qiu True Talisman and forge a flawless foundation.

Just as the man's thoughts wandered—

In the arena.

That should be enough.

A gleam flashed through Lu He's eyes.

The woman from before had been extremely powerful, and thirty breaths had not been enough for him to recover. The curly-bearded man who came up now was just average, so naturally, Lu He was unwilling to miss such a good chance to recover.

Feeling his strength fully restored, Lu He stopped defending. With a backhand swing of his hammer, he actually knocked the man's mountain-splitting axe away in a direct clash.

The sudden burst of power stunned the bearded man for an instant.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu He kicked him directly in the chest.

"Lu He wins. Step down and rest for a while. I will restore the arena."

Steward Lu Zhao swept his gaze over the cracked, uneven arena and could not help smiling as he spoke to Lu He. There was a faint additional warmth in his voice.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Lu He cupped his hands, then walked straight out of the arena.

The next moment, a bright yellow spiritual glow surged from Steward Lu Zhao's hand. As it flowed, it condensed into a small earthen-yellow flag.

The moment it appeared, it emitted threads of dangerous and powerful fluctuations.

He gently waved the small flag.

A streak of yellow light shot out and directly sank into the nearly ruined arena.

In an instant, the ground seemed to come alive. The cracks healed at rapid speed, while the pits and depressions vanished in the blink of an eye.

When the yellow light faded, the arena had returned to its original state.

It was even flatter than before, so smooth it could reflect people's figures.

Lu He's eyes narrowed.

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but in his senses, Steward Lu's aura had originally been inferior to Steward Liu's, and the gap had even been obvious.

But at the instant that small flag appeared—

Everything changed.

The aura surrounding Steward Lu surged explosively, instead suppressing Steward Liu's.

A legendary magical artifact—and it seems quite precious?

Lu He was somewhat astonished.

He had clearly noticed that when the small flag appeared in Steward Lu's hand, nearly all the stewards on the stone platform had flashed an almost imperceptible look of envy.

That included Steward Liu!

Not long after.

Lu He entered the arena again and subconsciously stomped the ground a few times. He felt that the ground was now at least three or four times sturdier than before.

Is that also the work of a magical artifact?

He thought to himself.

Coming back to his senses—

He turned toward the area below the platform and saw a white-robed figure slowly walk out from among the dozen or so people waiting there.

This person was one of the friends Zheng Jingren had introduced to Lu He earlier.

He recalled that the man seemed to be called Bai Hao.

"Brother Lu, I truly apologize. By convention, I should have been the first to step forward, but I was a moment too slow and let you take the arena first."

"You fought while I waited at ease. That is truly unfair to you."

Bai Hao smiled apologetically at Lu He, then turned directly toward Steward Lu at the side and bowed as he requested, "Steward, could you allow Brother Lu to rest a little longer? If those brothers at the end do not have time to compete, I will compensate them."

Steward Lu looked at the two figures standing in the arena.

He knew full well that the spot he had this time would fall to one of these two.

"Granted."

"Many thanks!"

Lu He nodded at Bai Hao, then took a jar from the bundle at his side, pulled out some braised meat, and began eating in large mouthfuls.

For a moment, the fragrance of braised meat faintly drifted around the arena.

Gurgle—

Quite a few stomachs rumbled violently, and their owners immediately stared at Lu He as if they wanted to kill him.

At the same time.

While eating the braised meat, Lu He's attention was suddenly drawn by the intense commotion nearby.

He turned to look.

His eyes happened to meet those of a woman in black in the neighboring Number Eleven arena.

She glared fiercely at Lu He, then raised her long saber again. Swift as lightning, she chased a bald man around the arena, hacking wildly at him.

The bald man was frighteningly strong. Every punch he threw could unleash more than two thousand jin of force.

Yet he could only flee miserably beneath the woman's blade, clutching his ass and shrieking again and again.

"Red Qiu True Talisman. This woman has definitely condensed a Red Qiu True Talisman—and more than half of one..."

A faint streak of red light flashed in the depths of Lu He's eyes.

Lu He recognized this woman in black. She had been seated beside Su Lingchan earlier, and she should also be one of the so-called "seeds."

Though the Red Qiu True Talisman she had condensed was incomplete and far inferior to his—

Lu He knew his own circumstances best. He knew perfectly well how his own Red Qiu True Talisman had been condensed—

He had earned it through his own effort and talent, cultivating painstakingly bit by bit!

About the time it took to drink half a cup of tea later.

Full and satisfied, Lu He wiped his mouth, returned the jar to his bundle, and walked directly before Bai Hao.

Bang!

His iron hammer landed on the ground.

"Steward, I have rested enough."

"In that case, begin."

Steward Lu smiled warmly and stepped back, yielding the arena.

In an instant, countless gazes flooded over them, some landing on Lu He and others on Bai Hao.

Even the many stewards on the stone platform seemed to have had their interest piqued as they all looked toward Number Twelve arena.

Another "seed" had stepped up!

"Haha, Brother Lu, be careful! If you cannot hold on, concede early. Otherwise, I will have no way to answer to Brother Zheng."

With a light laugh, Bai Hao drew the longsword from his back.

With a flick of his wrist, spiritual light swirled around the blade as it let out bursts of trembling hums.

"That is—"

Lu He's pupils contracted as his gaze fixed tightly on the longsword in Bai Hao's hand. His spiritual senses frantically warned him.

Just looking at the sword's edge brought a chilling stabbing pain to the center of his brow, as though he would be cleaved in two the next instant.

The feeling involuntarily reminded him of the small flag Steward Lu had held earlier.

Of course, it was only similar in feeling. In reality, the difference between them was greater than that between heaven and earth.

"A sword forged from some kind of spiritual iron... Could this also be one form of resource support from the stewards..."

"That's cheating. Damn it, this is downright cheating!"

Lu He cursed inwardly. Then, without holding anything back, he fully activated the White Ape Dao Diagram. The Red Qiu True Talisman within his body trembled madly, driving the blood throughout his body into circulation.

Gurgle—Gurgle—

Everything around him instantly slowed.

Lu He slowed his breathing and waited in full readiness.

"Come, Brother Bai!"

The instant his words fell—

Bai Hao vanished from where he stood, sword in hand.

Clang!

Lu He only had time to barely raise his iron hammer in front of himself before he felt a mountain-toppling force travel through the hammer and down its handle, brutally surging into his body.

He staggered back seven or eight steps before barely dispersing the force.

A long, narrow notch was clearly visible on the thick hammerhead, with a trace of an extremely faint sharp aura lingering upon it.

Before Lu He could catch his breath, the white afterimage pressed in again. With a wave of his hand, a flash of cold light passed by, stabbing his eyes with pain.

"Again?"

Even a clay figurine had three parts temper.

White light suddenly erupted from Lu He's eyes.

"Found you!"

His gaze sharpened. Instead of dodging, he strode straight toward his opponent, his iron hammer dragging a long trail of bright sparks across the ground.

Boom!

He held the hammer handle diagonally, blocking Bai Hao's longsword. Using his elbow as a fulcrum, he violently levered the hammer upward at an angle, aiming directly for Bai Hao's forehead.

The water-barrel-sized hammerhead became an afterimage, compressing the air until it boomed.

"Excellent awareness!"

A trace of admiration flashed through Bai Hao's eyes.

Their brief exchange had already been enough for him to see how troublesome this opponent was. Though Lu He could not match his speed or strength, his strange sense of control over his surroundings was especially troublesome.

"Unfortunately... I am determined to win this spot!"

Half an illusory Red Qiu True Talisman faintly rotated in Bai Hao's eyes. His already astonishing speed increased by another thirty to forty percent.

With a flicker, he retreated at high speed, the hammerhead grazing past him.

The violent force had nowhere to vent. Not only did it smash apart the arena Steward Lu had just reinforced, it also caused the hammer in Lu He's hand to rebound uncontrollably from the ground.

His body lurched.

In that instant, Bai Hao seized the opportunity. His body flickered again as he slashed several times, concentrating all his force upon a single point on the hammer handle Lu He had raised in defense.

Crack! The hammer handle forged from triple-forged iron let out a groan of unbearable strain before the longsword forcibly severed it.

"I won!"

A faint smile appeared on Bai Hao's face as he swung his sword in a horizontal slash.

"Is that so?"

Lu He narrowed his eyes. He saw the opportunity he had been waiting for. Without the slightest hesitation, he actually abandoned his iron hammer, turning into a blur. After ducking beneath the sword, he suddenly lunged straight at Bai Hao without warning.

Bai Hao clearly had not expected Lu He to abandon his hammer so decisively.

His expression abruptly froze.

By the time he reacted, the two were practically face-to-face.

The half-foot-long hammer handle clenched tightly in Lu He's hand was pressed firmly against Bai Hao's throat. "Brother Bai, I concede the victory to you."

"...Brother Lu, I was careless this time. We'll fight again next year!"

Bai Hao let out a breath of stale air, decisively sheathed his sword, and strode casually off the field.

"Lu He wins!"

Manager Lu announced softly from the side, his gaze toward Lu He growing ever brighter.

After taking a brief moment to regulate his breathing.

The fourth person eagerly rushed onto the field.

He was an old man with gray hair and beard, carrying an iron hammer over his shoulder. It was almost identical in style to Lu He's, only a size smaller. They had most likely been bought from the same weapon shop.

Seeing Lu He's paper-pale face, the old man's eyes were filled with barely concealed excitement and delight.

"I didn't expect us to really pick up a bargain. Heh heh, youngster, I truly feel bad for you, but you're still youn—"

Before he could finish.

A fist the size of a sandbag abruptly filled the old man's vision.

Bang! Lu He sent him flying with a single punch. He landed on the ground and did not move.

"This hammer is fairly handy too!"

Lu He stood where he was, idly turning over the brand-new iron hammer he had ripped from the old man's hand.

Time passed bit by bit, but the final two challengers still posed no threat whatsoever to Lu He.

Against Lu He in the second-stage Immaculate Heart Ape state, anyone weaker than him in either strength or speed basically had no chance of winning. They would struggle even to fight back.

At that thought.

His mind stirred.

In the corner of his vision, the golden tome hummed as lines of seal script rapidly appeared and vanished.

[Name: Lu He]

[Cultivation Realm: Foundation Establishment · Late Body Transformation Realm (1,030 pounds in one arm)]

[Techniques: Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Origin Visualization Diagram · Fourth Layer (53%)

Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Intent Rune (Complete)

Basic Hammer Technique · Beginner (33%)]

[Current Talent Dao Diagram: White Ape Child Cave-Evolution Diagram]

[Level: 2 (227/300)]

[Grade: White]

[Talent:

Immaculate Heart Ape (Second Stage) [Note: Enter a state of enlightenment, additionally increasing comprehension by 80%]]

"More useless knowledge."

Looking at the newly added "Basic Hammer Technique · Beginner (33%)," Lu He could not help shaking his head. He then shifted his attention to the Talent Dao Diagram.

"Why did the experience increase so much?"

Manager Lu's gaze swept over the young figure before him, a trace of approval flashing through his eyes. He immediately asked according to custom:

"Lu He, I am in charge of 1,137 mu of spirit fields this year. Spiritual creatures run rampant within them, and I now need a Spirit-Slaying Envoy. Are you willing?"

"I am!" Lu He answered without hesitation.

"Excellent."

Manager Lu patted Lu He's shoulder in satisfaction, then reminded him with a smile:

"Oh, right. You're not even twenty yet, are you? To have condensed a Red Qiu True Talisman at your age is truly impressive. Once the competition among the managers ends tomorrow, remember to visit the Miscellaneous Affairs Building. The other managers and I will be waiting for you there."

"I shall obey your instructions, sir."

Lu He cupped his hands and bowed again, a faint excitement showing in his eyes.

The Miscellaneous Affairs Building... seeds for the medicinal garden?