"Golden Core stage!?"
"A Golden Core under eighteen? What kind of cultivation talent is that!"
"Calling him a monster wouldn't even be an exaggeration!"
"That has to be rare throughout history, right?"
"More than just rare! According to historical records, you might not see a Golden Core under eighteen once in several centuries!"
The crowd had no idea how old Lan Ting and the others were.
In truth, among the three of them, Bai Ming was the oldest at eighteen years and a few months, while Lan Ting and Yan Tianzhi were still several months shy of eighteen.
The pressure mounted sharply on the competing cultivators, especially the seeded contestants. They had arrived full of confidence, having striven to establish their foundations, believing they would surely defeat all rivals and claim the championship.
Never had they imagined that someone at the Golden Core stage would be competing in this grand festival.
What kind of rotten luck was this?
Foundation Establishment against Golden Core—how on earth were they supposed to fight that?
Among all the contestants, only one person wore an excited smile, murmuring under his breath, "A Golden Core? Interesting."
He wore a black cloak that concealed his face.
He had been roaming the continent and happened to pass through Qingzhou. Seeing the grand festival hosted here, he had entered on a whim.
The cultivation base he displayed to the public was early Foundation Establishment, but his true cultivation was nothing of the sort.
His name was Zhou Fangge, and his actual cultivation was late Foundation Establishment.
"I haven't clashed with an immortal sect disciple yet. Even though this Lu Yang cultivated faster than me, cultivation realm isn't everything in battle.
"Even if he cultivated quickly, it wouldn't be by too much. He must have just formed his core."
Zhou Fangge had once defeated an early Golden Core cultivator. The fight had been somewhat arduous, but he had emerged victorious in the end.
"It's not as if I don't stand a chance.
"Heh, Lu Yang, I hope you prove to be a worthy whetstone!"
***
"Get ready. It'll be your turn soon." Lu Yang bumped fists with Meng Jingzhou. Taking part in this kind of large-scale exchange for the first time was rather fun.
"They're all our peers around our age. Who knows, there might be formidable opponents hidden among them."
Meng Jingzhou chuckled. "Listen to you. When have I ever not gone all out in a fight?"
They had always fought cautiously, never once growing careless.
Up on the judging panel, Lan Ting watched Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou bump fists, her eyelids twitching violently. She sent a voice transmission to Bai Ming: "When it's Meng Jingzhou's turn, you give the commentary."
Meeting Lan Ting's murderous glare, Bai Ming nodded solemnly, forced to accept the task.
***
The matches went on, brilliant displays of spellcraft unfolding one after another. Facing their peers, neither side dared lower their guard—schemes, multilayered ploys, hidden spells cast from the shadows...
Both sides poured everything they had into the fray, leaving the spectators below cheering in sheer thrill.
Most of the audience consisted of Qi Refinement cultivators. They had never imagined that duels even between Qi Refinement cultivators could be so spectacular.
Even the sect scouts tasked with recruiting talent nodded in approval, feeling that the caliber of this festival was remarkably high.
"The tournament is already halfway through, isn't it? Counting the one from the opening match, there have already been five Foundation Establishment cultivators. In previous years, there were never this many."
"You can say that again! Especially that fifth one—middle Foundation Establishment. In previous years, that would have been a guaranteed first place!"
Bai Ming glanced at the roster and announced, "The cultivator competing in this match is Shang Deshui from the Canghai Sect, a widely watched seeded contestant at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Shang Deshui is proficient in water-attribute arts, and his mastery of the Water Control Art in particular is widely acclaimed."
At the mention of the Water Control Art, Bai Ming's eye twitched involuntarily as he recalled the Water Avoidance Art Lu Yang had used to knock him out in a single move.
Shang Deshui wore a confident smile. Early Foundation Establishment was enough to sweep through the preliminary rounds.
"Shang Deshui's opponent is another cultivator who signed up on a whim—Meng Jingzhou of the Dao Seeking Sect."
Meng Jingzhou strode forward, a broad grin on his face, and waved at Bai Ming.
"Why is there another one from the Dao Seeking Sect?" The smile froze on Shang Deshui's face. Wasn't one enough? Now there were two?
Was the Grand Qingzhou Festival really such a massive event that it needed two Dao Seeking Sect disciples to take part?
*Calm down, calm down. Being from the Dao Seeking Sect doesn't mean he's in the Golden Core stage. Someone reaching that level before eighteen isn't something you run into once in centuries. At most, he's at late Foundation Establishment. If I maneuver cleverly, I might still have a chance to win.*
Shang Deshui bolstered his spirits and drew a small vial from his sleeve. It contained water from the deep East Sea, purchased at great expense. It was exceptionally pure and ideal for casting water-attribute arts.
"Water Control Art—Serpent Mimicry!"
Moisture surged and waves billowed as the deep East Sea water streamed from the vial like fine threads. As the water gathered, its form shifted, morphing into a ferocious python.
"Go!"
The python opened its gaping maw and charged at Meng Jingzhou with lightning speed, roaring forward like a surging tsunami. The terrifying aura radiating from the serpent moved everyone present.
"Heaven-Shaking Six Forms!"
Meng Jingzhou dropped into an opening stance and shattered the python with a single punch. The beast exploded into a downpour of rain. With its momentum undiminished, the fist halted right before Shang Deshui's face. Unable to withstand the gale from the strike, Shang Deshui staggered back several paces and tumbled off the arena stage.
Bai Ming: "..."
*You're in the Golden Core stage, and you open right away with the Heaven-Shaking Six Forms?! Anyone who didn't know better would think your opponent was Lu Yang!*
Bai Ming offered a solemn commentary: "The Mimicry chapter of the Water Control Art is divided into three stages: serpent mimicry, flood dragon mimicry, and true dragon mimicry. Generally speaking, one only attains initial mastery of the Water Control Art upon reaching late Foundation Establishment. For Shang Deshui to execute such exquisite water control at early Foundation Establishment to mimic a python is truly worthy of applause.
"It is evident that Shang Deshui trained diligently off the stage, and his profound comprehension of the Dao of Water is exceedingly rare for someone of his age. I have only seen this level of insight in a few of my junior brothers.
"On the path of immortal cultivation, victory and defeat are governed by fate. I hope Shang Deshui will not be shaken by this defeat, but will redouble his efforts and continue delving into the Dao of Water.
"Meng Jingzhou is in the Golden Core stage. That concludes my commentary."
Another huge uproar broke out below the stage, filling the crowd with yearning for the Dao Seeking Sect.
Golden Core stage—yet another Golden Core under eighteen!
Was the Dao Seeking Sect truly this formidable?
Peerless prodigies unseen in centuries, and two of them had appeared in a row!
When the first round of qualifiers concluded, aside from the glaringly conspicuous pair of Golden Cores, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the ten Foundation Establishment cultivators were the most prominent. As for the fifty contestants at Qi Refinement Great Perfection, hardly anyone paid them any attention anymore.
Lu Yang had a wonderful time in his subsequent matches. His opponents for the next round and the one after were both early Foundation Establishment.
The advice provided by the Invincible Core was: *Fight however you want.*
Lu Yang could not help sighing with emotion. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed a fight that required so little effort.
Thinking back to his grueling battles in the Dao Seeking Sect, Lu Yang felt that this kind of fight suited him much better.
Seeing this, the Immortal Fairy felt a deep sense of nostalgia, as though returning to the wonderful days of the ancient era when she fought above her realm. Clamoring to take control of the body, she begged to experience it for herself.
Left with no choice, Lu Yang could only hand over control of his body for the match after next, letting her have her fun as well.
Meng Jingzhou had a similar reaction to Lu Yang's. Looking back, ever since entering the Dao Seeking Sect, apart from the encounter with the Five Elements Sect, he had never had a proper duel against peers of his own age.
Turns out fighting peers was so satisfying.
His luck was even better: his next two opponents were both at Qi Refinement Great Perfection.
Watching Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou grinning from ear to ear, the trio of Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi wished they could pretend they didn't know them.
With four rounds of battles concluded, the top eight emerged.
Besides the indisputable Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, there was Zhou Fangge, who was hiding his cultivation, along with one middle Foundation Establishment and four early Foundation Establishments.
According to tournament rules, the top eight would participate in a free-for-all melee to test the cultivators' adaptability and capacity for teamwork.
Chapter 355