As a sword spirit that had gained sentience and taken form, Mingtai possessed sword talent rivaling Lu Yang's. He swept through the early Golden Core division invincible and unchecked; only disciples of the immortal sects and prodigies suspected of dispersing their cultivation to cultivate anew managed to force him into bitter struggles.
Yet even these prodigies were overcome by his exquisite sword Dao. Though his cultivation was still low, his sword already carried the faint, formidable might of breaking ten thousand techniques with a single blade!
The victor of the early Golden Core division: Mingtai.
Mingtai stood on the stage, chest-high hands waving bashfully toward Elder Sikong.
Under the sunlight, Mingtai's figure shone brilliantly, as though cast in gold.
"Looking at Mingtai is just like seeing Lu Yang's shadow," Meng Jingzhou lamented emotionally, his eyes turning red as he reminisced over the turbulent years past with deep melancholy. It was evident just how deep his bond with Lu Yang was.
"What a pity... Such a fine person Lu Yang was, how did he just..."
Meng Jingzhou choked up, sobbing so hard he couldn't speak.
Bai Ming: "..."
He asked out of goodwill, "How about you keep crying for a bit, and I'll take your place on stage?"
The mid Golden Core division matches had already begun, and Meng Jingzhou was first up.
Meng Jingzhou wiped away his tears, an expression of resolve hardening on his face. "No need. Lu Yang cannot participate, so I must inherit his will and press forward fearlessly. Surely his spirit in heaven would want the same."
With that, Meng Jingzhou walked onto the stage, each step immensely heavy as if carrying a solemn mission.
In the stands, Lu Yang contemplated whether he could abuse his power to declare this bastard Meng Jingzhou the immediate loser.
"Dao Seeking Sect, Meng Jingzhou."
"Charm Sect, Ye Mengyin."
Meng Jingzhou's opponent was Ye Mengyin, a true disciple of one of the super-rank sects, the Charm Sect.
Ye Mengyin wore a clean, flowing gown. Her skin was translucent as snow, her demeanor ethereal and fairy-like—a celestial maiden worshipped by countless people in the outside world.
Her charm techniques were exceptional even among her peers. Every furrow of her brow and fleeting smile could stir a man's deepest desires, and even women with insufficient willpower could be enthralled.
Ye Mengyin's voice was coquettish and sweet, soft enough during her introduction to melt one's bones.
"Senior Brother, please be gentle with me. A delicate maiden like me can't bear rough handling."
Ye Mengyin gazed pitifully at Meng Jingzhou, secretly weaving her charm technique. During the city and provincial matches, just a few words like these had left her opponents so infatuated they surrendered voluntarily.
"Why don't you concede of your own accord? When I fight, I don't differentiate between men and women." Meng Jingzhou looked at Ye Mengyin with a cheerful smile. Whether fighting a man, a woman, or Lu Yang, he never showed mercy.
Meng Jingzhou's eyes were clear, without the slightest sign of being charmed.
Ye Mengyin was startled. Since making her name, she had never encountered a cultivator in the same cultivation realm who was completely immune to charm techniques.
Even prodigies had to divide their focus to resist charm arts, unlike Meng Jingzhou, who remained entirely unaffected.
As expected of someone from the Dao Seeking Sect—he truly had some skill.
Before the finals officially started, she had strolled through the commercial streets and enjoyed the festivities, and had heard Meng Jingzhou preaching that "cultivation requires staying single, and women are just pink skeletons."
She had scoffed at the idea, confident that Meng Jingzhou had simply never crossed paths with someone like her.
Charm Sect cultivators had a history of beguiling Buddhist monks into renouncing their vows and returning to secular life.
Ye Mengyin drew an ancient zither from her storage ring and lightly plucked the strings. The zither music flowed gently and smoothly like a caressing breeze, utterly tender, intoxicating even the cultivators beneath the stage.
She was a rare sound cultivator.
With the music complementing her charm arts, combined with the first-grade Golden Core she had formed—the Body-Consuming Desire Core—no one in the same realm was her match!
...Except for Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, Tao Yaoye, Man Gu, Lan Ting, Bai Ming, Yan Tianzhi...
"Heaven-Shaking Six Forms!" Meng Jingzhou roared, his voice drowning out the zither notes. Striding forward, his fists glowed golden, sparking flames as they rubbed against the air.
With two Bachelor Golden Cores revolving, no charm technique stood a chance.
The only thing posing any threat was the zither music, which slowed his steps and hindered his movements. But as a body cultivator with immense physical strength, not even Lu Yang dared clash with him head-on.
This level of restraint was mere drizzle to him, having negligible effect.
Ye Mengyin had never imagined that the technique she took such pride in would fail against Meng Jingzhou. Before she could react, a fist the size of a sandbag slammed straight into her face. With a heavy thud, she collapsed to the ground, the sound alone making listeners wince.
Meng Jingzhou won.
"You all right, miss?" Meng Jingzhou kindly helped Ye Mengyin to her feet. During the match they were opponents and he had to strike ruthlessly; once the match ended, they were fellow Daoists who helped each other up.
Ye Mengyin looked at Meng Jingzhou with tender affection. This was the first time she had encountered such a formidable male cultivator. The men she met before had all bowed and scraped in front of her, terrified she might see through their intentions.
Meng Jingzhou alone was completely unfazed by her.
"When I entered the Dao, I swore upon the sect's name that I would marry whoever defeated me."
"That wouldn't be proper..." Meng Jingzhou smiled self-consciously, astounded by how suddenly romance had found him.
Ye Mengyin shook her head gently. "There's nothing improper about it. Our sect also has a rule: sect disciples shall not marry disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, nor anyone from the Meng Family."
"Master said that marrying into either of those two families easily invites disaster upon the sect."
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
How did my Meng Family ever offend you? Go ask around the Imperial City—the Meng Family's reputation is universal! Granted, it isn't great, but how could it possibly sink to the level of the Dao Seeking Sect?!
Whatever, no point dwelling on it. Winning was all that mattered.
Having gotten off to a flying start, he walked down from the stage in high spirits and bragged to Bai Ming and the others.
"Did you see my fight just now? Knocked her flat with a single punch."
"Impressive, truly impressive. Whenever I fight female cultivators, I'm always timid and hesitant, terrified of hitting the wrong place and being mistaken for a scoundrel. It seems I have much to learn from Senior Brother Meng." Bai Ming applauded, having learned a great deal from Meng Jingzhou.
In the past, he had cared too much about saving face, which was truly unwarranted.
"Remarkable," Yan Tianzhi said, concise as always.
Round after round of matches proceeded. Bai Ming and Lan Ting passed through smoothly, their strength noticeably a cut above other cultivators in the same realm.
"Looks like the final victor of this division will be among the four of us," Meng Jingzhou said.
"We shouldn't jump to conclusions so easily." Bai Ming shook his head, pointing at the cultivator currently standing on the stage.
"You saw the matches in the earlier realms. There are cultivators capable of rivaling us from the immortal sects, and the mid Golden Core division is no different.
"See that cultivator on the stage? He's from our Yunzhou. He was exceptionally prominent during the Yunzhou tournament, demonstrating extraordinary combat talent, remarkable adaptability, and a rock-solid foundation without any weaknesses. Even his spiritual power, which is the hardest to cultivate, hasn't lagged behind. His Golden Core is likely the Devouring Golden Core among the first-grade Golden Cores, capable of devouring an opponent's spiritual power in battle."
While the group whispered among themselves, hearty laughter rang out from overhead.
Before the eyes of the entire crowd, a youth leapt down from the sky, landing squarely on the stage and interrupting the match.
"With such a lively scene, how could my Heavenly Court Cult be absent?"
Above the clouds stood several figures, every one of them radiating a terrifying aura.
Chapter 492