The Immortal Dao Is Eternal, but Not Yours

The Martial Arts Tournament continued. Soon, it was Qi Yuan's turn. "Contestant Number 06, Qi Yuan... to the stage." At the call, Qi Yuan stepped onto the ring. Up in the private box, Canary immediately waved her little fists, brandishing a glowstick in one hand as she cheered with delight. "Qi Yuan, go!" In that moment, she was his personal cheerleading squad. Having just stepped off the ring, Xu Tiehua tensed up, watching Qi Yuan with intense focus. Truth be told, he had previously seen Qi Yuan merely as a fellow student from the same martial school, never thinking of comparing himself to him. But now that Qi Yuan had entered the national tournament through the special qualification channel, Xu Tiehua naturally took him far more seriously, eager to see what made him so special. The strong had no interest in comparing themselves to the weak, but when it came to those on their own level, competitive pride burned hot. "Xing Yu, who do you think will win this round?" Xu Tiehua asked. Xing Yu looked carefully at the ring. "Qi Yuan's opponent is 'Charging Hand' Xie Heng. He once made it into the top hundred of the national tournament and isn't far from reaching the martial arts limit. His odds of winning are very high." She offered a rational assessment. Wang Shiqiao shook her head. "Qi Yuan wins." As long as a head was involved, Qi Yuan won. There was no need to even think about it. "Haha, it's rare to see you two disagree. No matter, let's just sit back. It'll probably only take a few minutes for the result to—" Xu Tiehua's words cut off abruptly. The orange in his hand slipped to the floor, shock widening his eyes. The entire arena erupted into cheers. At that exact instant, the electronic announcer chimed in: "Contestant Number 06... Qi Yuan is victorious!" "An instant kill?!" Xu Tiehua was utterly dumbfounded. Wang Shiqiao's posture stiffened slightly, a fanatical gleam surfacing on her face. *As expected... it had to be him.* A wave of defeat involuntarily washed over Xu Tiehua. "To have that kind of strength, he must be at the martial arts limit! How young is he? He's only been practicing martial arts for... a few months, and he's already at the martial arts limit? How can the gap between people... be this vast?" Qi Yuan's victory was certainly something to celebrate, but seeing him this ridiculously strong felt far more disheartening than getting eliminated in the first round himself. He had trained for so long just to barely touch the national stage, only for Qi Yuan to leave him in the dust in under three months. Seeing his reaction, Xing Yu looked slightly moved, but she still smiled and said, "Senior Brother Xu, even if things don't go smoothly in martial arts, you can always go back and inherit your vast fortune and noble title. That's something... even the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament can't compare to." A hint of envy showed in Xing Yu's eyes. In her view, the tournament champion was nothing more than an oversized internet celebrity. It would probably take ages to monetize that glory into hundreds of millions in wealth. Yet she and Xu Tiehua already possessed fortunes like that. What was more, Xu Tiehua held a noble title that almost every citizen of Great Qin went mad over. Hearing Xing Yu's reassurance, Xu Tiehua let out a breath and felt considerably better, though he still said, "Without my family background, I fall far short of Qi Yuan." "Isn't family background just another form of strength?" Xing Yu remarked from beside him. The starting line of some people was a finish line others could never reach in a lifetime of striving. The matches that followed proved thoroughly dull. With the pre-match trash talk eliminated, everyone behaved with utmost restraint. Even when beaten down in the ring, fighters dared not spout harsh threats, managing at most a toothless "I'll be back!" All in all, this year's tournament was the most civil in history. Even so, the intensity of combat remained fierce, featuring numerous instant knockouts. Zhang Yang, in particular, effortlessly dispatched every opponent in a single move. Qi Yuan did the same, claiming effortless one-hit victories. Before long, the second day of tournament bouts arrived. This time, however... an unusual total of twenty-one fighters had advanced to the finals. With one-on-one matchups, that meant one contestant had to receive a bye. Everyone's attention was fixed on the drawing. Qi Yuan waited with an expectant look. "My luck has always been great. Hurry up and give me the bye, won't you?" The numbers on the massive screen continued to roll. Canary chuckled softly. "Isn't your robot, Zero-One, top-notch at hacking? Have it tamper with the draw behind the scenes, and you're all set." "Cheating is bad and unethical. Although... you did just remind me of something." Qi Yuan grew pensive. Back in the Liufeng Realm, he used to threaten the Heavenly Dao whenever he had free time, and in the end, the threats worked. Now he wanted a bye, so... should he just threaten the Heavenly Dao again? "Hey, you up there in the sky, aren't you going to say thank you? After all, I've made plenty of contributions to your world's civility and harmony. How about giving me a little backdoor privilege?" Qi Yuan murmured toward the ceiling. Canary smiled. "Isn't asking the Heavenly Dao for a backdoor just another form of cheating?" "No, it's different." Qi Yuan turned his head. This wasn't cheating on his part; it was merely the Heavenly Dao expressing gratitude and repaying his kindness. Even Lady White Snake had married Xu Xian to repay a debt of gratitude. What was wrong with the Heavenly Dao granting him a little shortcut? Right then, the numbers on the screen froze. A flash of pleasant surprise lit up Qi Yuan's eyes. "I knew it, threatening the Heavenly Dao really works. I... got the bye. Ah, looks like I'll have to threaten it whenever I'm free from now on." Qi Yuan was thrilled. Getting a bye was far better than going up to fight. If he threatened it a few more times, maybe he could coast right into the grand finals. Kicking back to watch others fight while lazily clearing game quests—who wouldn't enjoy that? With a bye in the first round, a bye in the second round followed. There was no bye for the third round, however, because only six fighters remained. Perhaps Qi Yuan's threats to the Heavenly Dao truly had worked. Having sat out the first two rounds, he was drawn against "North Crane" Han Xianyun for the third round. Han Xianyun surrendered on the spot. This scene drew a wave of complaints from the audience. "Rigged!" "It has to be rigged!" "That kid's luck is absurd!" "Not only did he get byes, but his opponent just threw the match!" "That was North Crane Han Xianyun, for crying out loud!" "He must be some second-generation heir here to experience life!" "He's so handsome, though. I want to have his babies!" "Hey brother, mind your image. Don't go discharging semen on the floor in broad daylight!" Meanwhile, Zhang Yang had just concluded his match. His sharp gaze locked onto Qi Yuan's private box, surging with fighting intent. He returned to his box to rest, as the final showdown would take place in an hour. The rules of the final showdown were simple: a three-way brawl, where the last person standing in the ring was crowned champion. The moment Zhang Yang stepped inside, staff members promptly attended to him with recovery treatments. "Brother Zhang, congratulations in advance! The championship is guaranteed to be yours!" a short man said with a flattering grin. He was not from the martial arts circle, but a courtyard-compound scion and Zhang Yang's lackey. "It won't be easy. Qi Yuan's strength... is unfathomable. I even have a feeling that if he's given another six months, he could break through the martial arts limit!" a burly martial artist stated in a solemn voice. He had seen Qi Yuan in action. Even against opponents at the martial arts limit, Qi Yuan achieved effortless one-hit knockouts. Performing at that level was difficult even for Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes, saying nothing. The short man scoffed, "Hmph, so what if that kid gets lucky and wins the championship? What good does it do? Heh, a while ago, when he passed the test, he drew the attention of quite a few big figures in the Martial Arts Alliance. Those big shots treated him like the next Luo Bufan, the hope of breaking through the martial arts limit. And now? Heh, haven't they cast him aside and spent all their time flocking to Brother Zhang?" The short man spoke with smug satisfaction, and he was telling the truth. Qi Yuan's display of immense prowess and talent had sent shockwaves through the Martial Arts Alliance, but the uproar had not lasted long. As rumors began to circulate, the highest echelons of the alliance had caught wind of immortal cultivation. If people could cultivate immortality, why bother practicing martial arts? Even if one broke through the martial arts limit, could they beat a gene warrior? What was the damn point? Because of that, those higher-ups had spent the past few days circling Zhang Yang. After all, Zhang Yang's family possessed an immortal opportunity. Hearing the short man's words, a fleeting melancholy crossed the burly martial artist's eyes, though he soon nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Even if Qi Yuan wins the tournament championship, the future belongs to Brother Zhang. The Immortal Dao... is the true Grand Dao." "Hmph, the future belongs to me, and the present will belong to me as well! The championship of this Martial Arts Tournament is mine!" Zhang Yang's eyes flashed with fierce sharpness, a trace of murderous intent surfacing as he looked toward Qi Yuan in the distance. *Let this Martial Arts Tournament end in slaughter, and end with the championship, as a final tribute to declining martial arts. In the future, there will be no Martial Arts Chief Zhang Yang, only Immortal Dao Chief Zhang Yang! I, Zhang Yang, shall stand not only at the pinnacle of martial arts, but atop the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao as well.* *** Inside the box, Qi Yuan looked completely calm. "The pinnacle of martial arts is far too cold and boring. Better to embrace the craze of martial arts. Ever since I got my psychiatric diagnosis certificate, I've been doing whatever I please. So being a bit unhinged really is better." "Agreed. It's no good if you're too serious." Canary nodded vigorously as a thought crossed her mind. She didn't want to see a Blood Pearl who spent every day staring blankly at a door. She liked the Blood Pearl of today, whose eyes were filled with her. Besides, she had binge-watched plenty of dramas recently. In those shows, male leads abandoned their wives, children, and families all for the sake of pursuing their Grand Dao. Some attained immortality and could easily have brought their loved ones along, yet insisted on watching their family grow old and die just to sigh about how 'unfettered freedom with regret is true freedom.' Canary disliked male leads like that. She didn't want to be the one abandoned; she wanted to be the one by his side. "I've always been very serious. Sigh... I'm a little anxious now. Have I developed championship anxiety?" Qi Yuan grew melancholic as he spoke. "Huh?" Canary looked confused. "If I win the championship, won't I become a celebrity? Honestly, I've never been a celebrity before." Of course, the Blood-Robed Sword God didn't count. The Blood-Robed Sword God was famous, but he had never shown his face. For someone with social anxiety like Qi Yuan, wearing an avatar persona was fine, but showing his real face as a public figure and influencer was a first. He was genuinely nervous. "When I walk down the street in the future, will people ask for my autograph? Will they ask for photos and secretly snap pictures of me? That would be such a social death. I don't want a life with zero privacy. Sigh, Canary, how much do you think I should charge for an autograph?" Today's Qi Yuan was a hardworking Qi Yuan. Canary was speechless. "What if people bash me online?" Qi Yuan asked worriedly. Canary smiled serenely. "Ning Tao will step in. Anyone who speaks ill of Blood Pearl will be wiped out!" "It feels so good having someone watch my back." Qi Yuan glanced at Canary, his voice suddenly taking on a tragic, heroic tone. "The finals have begun, and I am about to embark on my campaign. The wind rustles bleak, and freezing cold flows the River Yi; once Qi Yuan departs, he shall return with the trophy!" "Go get them, Blood Pearl. I'll be waiting for your safe return!" Canary was uncharacteristically gentle. The final curtain had at last risen on the grand finals of the National Martial Arts Tournament. A hundred breaths later, three figures stood at three corners of the ring. Qi Yuan stood in the north, his posture straight and expression calm. Zhang Yang stood in the south, sharp light flaring in his eyes with a faint trace of murderous intent. The third finalist looked deathly pale, a helpless grimace plastered across his face. He turned to the referee and said, "For this match... I forfeit." He surrendered outright. The previous round had drained too much of his energy, and his injuries had not even healed. He had assumed Qi Yuan and Zhang Yang were in the same boat, figuring his friends' descriptions of the two had been exaggerated. Who would have thought neither of them was injured in the slightest? Zhang Yang looked at Qi Yuan, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit. "You're quite something. You qualify to be my rival in martial arts!" *Martial arts only, of course,* Zhang Yang mentally added. "I am quite something, but you're rather mediocre." Qi Yuan looked at Zhang Yang with no battle spirit whatsoever. "Still... I do enjoy games at this difficulty. Easy to clear." If he had faced opponents like this along the path of the Human Dao Martial Master and the Spirit Dao Martial Master, Qi Yuan would have been overjoyed. Zhang Yang looked down his nose at him with haughty disdain. "Your martial arts talent is formidable, yes, but in my eyes... it amounts to nothing. You have no idea how terrifying your opponent truly is. Today, I will crush your pride and make you understand what a true powerhouse is!" Zhang Yang let out a roar like a crack of thunder. With his shout, his clothes tore apart into ragged strips. This visually striking display instantly drew an eruption of cheers from the audience. "That's... he's only half a step from breaking through the martial arts limit!" "Zhang Yang is actually this powerful!" "Incredible!" Every knowledgeable martial artist cried out in astonishment. Even those at the martial arts limit felt they would not last a single exchange against Zhang Yang. "Qi Yuan... is in danger!" Xu Tiehua grew anxious inside. While he couldn't stand seeing his buddy driving a luxury car, he certainly wouldn't wish misfortune upon him. Wang Shiqiao remarked calmly, "Still not enough." She looked at the spectators cheering for Zhang Yang, mockery flickering in her eyes—the aloof pride of one who remained sober while the world was drunk. How could Zhang Yang's strength compare to Qi Yuan's? Could Zhang Yang obliterate a military camp with a single sword? Sure enough, Qi Yuan's contemptuous voice rang out from the ring. "Is that all you've got?" Qi Yuan took a single step forward, and a crushing pressure swept out. The aura radiating from Zhang Yang plummeted abruptly. A flicker of terror appeared in his eyes. "This is... blood-soul?" A truly formidable martial artist could suppress others through sheer spirit and vital energy. Clearly, Qi Yuan had walked far further down the martial path than he had. In that moment, a heavy sense of defeat welled up in Zhang Yang's chest. Never before had he suffered such a crushing setback. Yet an instant later, that defeat warped into madness. "So what if your martial talent is greater? Times have changed! Go become a burial sacrifice for martial arts!" Driven by jealousy, Zhang Yang spiraled into frenzy, wanting nothing more than to obliterate the person before him. Suddenly, a ball of flame erupted violently from the center of his palm. The entire arena gasped, erupting into a frenzy of deep bewilderment. "The Immortal Dao... is eternal!" In that instant, Zhang Yang finally unleashed the power belonging to the Immortal Dao—his ultimate trump card. "The Immortal Dao is eternal, but not yours." A resolute gleam flashed in Qi Yuan's eyes. "Why need the Immortal Dao when I am invincible?" He threw a punch. Surging blood-martial qi boiled over. "You really ought to see... what martial arts truly is!" With a single punch, all things sprouted, and the four wildernesses fell to silence! Zhang Yang's smile froze. His body ruptured in an instant, disintegrating into a mist of blood. The entire arena was stunned into dead silence. In the ring, Qi Yuan took a deep breath. "Now that was a hearty, thrilling grand finale!" The performance had been spectacular; it would probably win him tons of fans.