Strike!

At this point, the fifth match of the Nascent Soul group was nearing its end. Fighting in it was Ma Tianyang, another senior brother who had once been challenged across cultivation realms by the Immortal Fairy. Vice Cult Master Liu offered his commentary: "This fellow named Ma Tianyang is at the late Nascent Soul stage, whereas his opponent from the Five Elements Sect is at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Both are disciples of immortal sects and have access to roughly the same resources. At this level, unorthodox tricks no longer work—it comes down purely to cultivation base. A difference of half a hair in cultivation means the difference between victory and defeat. This Ma Tianyang isn't far from losing." Just as Vice Cult Master Liu said, Ma Tianyang gradually fell into a disadvantage during the fight. His opponent grew bolder with every exchange, determined to press the advantage in one fell swoop and defeat him. Ma Tianyang was a talisman cultivator. The talismans he drew were the finest of the finest in the outside world; if a minor clan managed to buy one, they could treat it as an ancestral heirloom capable of delivering a lethal blow in a crisis to save their clan. Unfortunately, his opponent was a cultivator who commanded lightning. Thunder roared with terrifying might, and the lightning's speed was pushed to the absolute extreme. Every falling bolt accurately disrupted Ma Tianyang's rhythm in drawing talismans, leaving him unable to play to his strengths. Just when his opponent thought the match was decided and pressed in to finish him off, Ma Tianyang suddenly pressed down with both palms. Countless talismans flared to life, assembling into a towering mountain that crashed down to suppress his foe! Crushed beneath the mountain, his opponent couldn't mobilize even a shred of spiritual energy. Having lost without even understanding how, he cried out, "The Thousand-Jun Mountain Talisman! That talisman can't be stored on paper—it has to be drawn on the spot! Even for you, drawing it on the spot takes five minutes! Where did you find the time?!" Ma Tianyang sneered. "I've been drawing it the entire time. You just didn't see it." "Impossible! Where did you draw it?!" Ma Tianyang pointed at his own body. "In my blood vessels." "While fighting you, I was constantly adjusting the layout of my blood vessels." "I @#$%..." The formations around Martial Arts Square were exceedingly comprehensive and considerate, complete with an array that automatically bleeped out profanity. To anyone listening from the outside, it was just a string of bleeps. His opponent had thought that after observing the Dao Seeking Sect for so long, he was close to grasping how their minds worked. He never expected he was still far, far off. Vice Cult Master Liu's eyelid twitched. He hadn't expected Ma Tianyang to have such a trick up his sleeve. Careless—he hadn't seen it coming. Blood contained spiritual energy, so rearranging one's blood vessels into the shape of a talisman was technically workable. One could even argue it was more ingenious than drawing talismans externally, as there was no dissipation of spiritual energy. The problem was, what normal person would ever think of drawing talismans with their blood vessels?! Vice Cult Master Liu spoke in an offhand tone, taking the opportunity to educate Lu Yang: "Don't imitate that style of fighting. Tying your blood vessels in knots can easily cause blood clots." Lu Yang felt Vice Cult Master Liu was worrying for nothing. He had heard that even if Senior Brother Ma tied his blood vessels into a dead knot, he could still untie them. After the Nascent Soul group concluded, only the final division remained: the Soul Formation group. This was the most prestigious group in the exchange event; witnessing a battle between Soul Formation stage cultivators was bound to yield tremendous insights! Representing the Dao Seeking Sect was a senior brother from Pill Cauldron Peak named Lu Wang, whom Lu Yang had never met before. The spectators whispered among themselves. "It's actually Senior Brother Lu! I haven't seen him in ages." "I heard that when Senior Brother Lu formed his core, he formed and destroyed it three times because he was extremely unsatisfied with his first-grade Golden Core." "Why was that?" "He firmly insisted that a Golden Core is also a type of pill. If a core doesn't have pill patterns or pill fragrance, it's a defective pill! So he repeatedly formed his core, determined to create one with a pill fragrance." "Did he succeed?" "He did. Senior Brother Lu really formed a Golden Core with pill fragrance." "What miraculous effect does that kind of Golden Core have?" "It smells extraordinary." "..." Lu Yang asked his subordinate, "Little Liu, who do you think will win?" "Huh?" Vice Cult Master Liu thought he had misheard. What did this brat just call him? Lu Yang calmly explained, "Your public persona is a temp worker I hired, and I'm your boss. If you're going to put on a show, you have to commit all the way. If I'm too deferential to you, it will look fake. Our plan is about to be carried out; we can't blow our cover right now!" Vice Cult Master Liu nodded, agreeing with Lu Yang's logic. "Lu Wang is renowned among Soul Formation cultivators, and few are willing to be his opponent. He cultivates both pills and poisons, and his poison is even stronger than his pills. However, Lu Wang is out of luck—he's encountered an opponent who counters him directly. "I've heard of his opponent. Raised from childhood in the Five Poisons Pit, he has long since forged a body immune to all poisons. Against him, Lu Wang won't be able to bring his skills to bear." Down on Martial Arts Square, Lu Wang engaged the Five Elements Sect disciple. Lu Wang began by tentatively releasing Bone-Corroding Poison Mist. Just as Vice Cult Master Liu said, the opponent was utterly fearless; the poison mist had no effect on him whatsoever. "Tough opponent," Lu Wang muttered, finding it a bit troublesome. His opponent sneered, "Lu Wang, just surrender! You might win against anyone else, but against me, you're bound to lose!" Combat between Soul Formation cultivators was no longer confined to the ground. The two alternately took to the skies and burrowed into the earth, trading blows back and forth. His opponent possessed greater physical strength than Lu Wang, leaving Lu Wang at a disadvantage. Lu Wang reached into his robes and pulled out a strength-boosting pill—something permitted in the competition. Just as Lu Wang was about to take it, his opponent snatched it away and swallowed it in a single gulp. The opponent sneered, "Want to take a pill? You have to get the chance first!" The moment the pill hit his stomach, the opponent felt his strength plummeting at terrifying speed. "What's going on?!" the opponent exclaimed in shock. This shouldn't be happening! Lu Wang punched his opponent flying. "The Ten-Elephant Strength Pill grants whoever consumes it the strength of ten elephants. "Except it's meant for the Foundation Establishment stage. In other words, you can now only muster the strength of ten Foundation Establishment elephants." "You &%*#..." "Be grateful. It was generous enough of me not to give you the rutting version of the Ten-Elephant Strength Pill," Lu Wang said as he tossed his opponent off the arena stage. Over the remaining four matches of the Soul Formation group, Vice Cult Master Liu did not get a single prediction right. It wasn't that Vice Cult Master Liu lacked discernment; it was simply that the Dao Seeking Sect's Soul Formation cultivators had far too many bizarre ideas. There was no way anyone could anticipate them. Vice Cult Master Liu took two deep breaths to steady his mood. They were about to strike; he couldn't let petty annoyances cloud his focus. He noticed that everyone was already in their proper positions, forming the Yellow Millet Array to maximize the power of the Yellow Millet Pillow. According to the Immortal Fairy's description, this was a sleep array she frequently used when she went to bed, and it worked wonderfully. Vice Cult Master Liu heard the Dao Seeking Sect announcer begin the closing remarks: "The friendly exchange event between the Dao Seeking Sect and the Five Elements Sect concludes here today. It has been a pleasure spending this wonderful time with all of you..." Everyone's attention was focused on the viewing platform. This was the perfect moment to strike! Vice Cult Master Liu raised his hand and bellowed, "Strike!" The Dao Seeking Sect disciples lurking in the surroundings heard the word "Strike!" and appeared in unison, pouncing upon the senior figures of the Immortal Cult. They remembered Lu Yang telling them that someone would call out "Strike!" at the right moment, and they were to take action as soon as they heard the signal. Earlier, they had been guessing who would give the command. Some guessed Lu Yang, some guessed Meng Jingzhou, and others guessed Man Gu. Now, the mystery was finally solved. The Dao Seeking Sect disciples nodded in respectful salute to the thoroughly bewildered Vice Cult Master Liu. What a hero! It turned out Vice Cult Master Liu was one of their undercover agents all along—and had even managed to climb all the way to the position of Vice Cult Master!