Seeing Senior Brother Lu victorious, Tao Yaoye's eyes sparkled, and she led the applause.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
"A truly magnificent battle!"
Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu considered it for a moment, wiped the grease from their mouths and hands, and joined in leading the applause.
"Winning this wasn't easy." Li Haoran was by no means an easy opponent to deal with. Lu Yang felt thoroughly exhausted after the fight, his entire body aching.
It was only because Li Haoran lacked extensive combat experience and worldly depth that he had been forced by Lu Yang's combination of Five Elements spells into using Shift Form and Swap Shadow, exhausting his spiritual energy and ending up in a state of oxygen toxicity.
"Junior Brother Li, you'll need to keep your wits about you in future fights. If you were up against Old Meng, I wouldn't dare use that trick to blindside him. That bastard is devious to the bone; he'd never fall for such a simple scheme."
Li Haoran: "..."
*I inherited half of Qin Haoran's memories. How does that translate into being inexperienced in combat and lacking worldly depth in Senior Brother Lu's eyes?*
*Qin Haoran was a grand cultivator of the Body Integration stage. Having gained half his inheritance, surely that makes me at least a half-step Body Integration cultivator, doesn't it?*
*All right, compared to Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Meng, Qin Haoran's inherited memories really aren't that useful after all.*
Standing before the scorched clone, Li Haoran stared blankly in a daze, letting out a soft sigh.
"Senior Brother Lu is truly formidable."
Lu Yang could understand how Li Haoran felt. That clone had been a trump card Li Haoran had prepared for a long time, only to be forced out by Shift Form and Swap Shadow in the end. If Li Haoran's true body had remained inside the Six-Zhang Golden Body during the explosion, what would the outcome have been?
Lu Yang stepped forward, patted Li Haoran on the shoulder, and consoled him, "Junior Brother Li, don't lose heart. The spells you've mastered are more than sufficient. Your thinking is just a bit off—too straightforward, too honest. Against someone devious and cunning, you're bound to suffer."
"...I haven't lost heart. I'm just trying to figure out how to dispose of my corpse."
"Senior Brother Lu, your corpse was a wood clone. Once the spell is dispelled, it naturally merges back into the earth. But my clone is flesh carved directly from my own body."
The same problem applied to the two extra arms Li Haoran had grown.
Upon reflection, Lu Yang realized that was indeed the case. Junior Brother Li's clone was truly troublesome to deal with.
"Ah, well. Even if it pains me, I have no choice."
Li Haoran produced a small bottle of medicine from his identity jade pendant and pulled out the stopper. A pungent odor immediately drifted out. With an impassive expression, Li Haoran tipped the bottle, pouring the dark green liquid onto the clone. Dense white smoke billowed as the clone dissolved at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Man Gu sucked in a breath of cold air. "Junior Brother Li, what is that?"
"Bone-Dissolving Water. Something from Qin Haoran's memories. I concocted a few bottles."
The ingredients for Bone-Dissolving Water were complex; it had cost him a considerable sum of contribution points to gather all the medicinal herbs.
The last time he had controlled a clone to participate in the finals and suffered defeat, he had disposed of the clone in the exact same manner.
There was no other way. It wasn't as if a young man like him could dig a grave and bury his own clone in it.
Even if he didn't believe in superstition, he still found that rather ominous.
"Hey! What are you five youngsters doing?!"
"Not good, it's the Merit Transmission Elder."
The commotion from their clash had been tremendous. Detecting the disturbance, the Merit Transmission Elder had set out to investigate. By the time he arrived, the battle had concluded, and he caught Li Haoran right in the middle of pouring liquid, white smoke billowing up.
Worried the Merit Transmission Elder might misunderstand, Man Gu hurriedly stepped forward to explain.
"Elder, please don't misunderstand! Junior Brother Li is only destroying a corpse to eliminate evidence, nothing else!"
The Merit Transmission Elder nearly struck then and there to execute this reincarnation of a former demonic cult master in the name of the heavens.
In the end, it was Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou—the two silver-tongued speakers—who managed to clarify the situation.
Li Haoran gave Man Gu a sullen, resentful glare.
"So Lu Yang mastered a combination of Five Elements spells and was conducting a practical combat test here."
The Merit Transmission Elder gave a slight nod, feeling deeply gratified.
Who would have guessed that after teaching the lesson by day, Lu Yang would figure out how to combine them by night?
What astonishing speed.
Lu Yang also thought the Invincible Core had delivered the solution remarkably fast.
The Merit Transmission Elder did not inquire in detail about how Lu Yang had combined them. Since Lu Yang had succeeded without seeking his guidance, it indicated there were things Lu Yang was reluctant to reveal, which was entirely understandable.
"Wait, that's not right. Where did you get the formula for Bone-Dissolving Water?"
The Merit Transmission Elder suddenly picked up on another issue. How did these upstanding disciples of a righteous sect know the formula for Bone-Dissolving Water?
Li Haoran's eyelid twitched. He had no idea how to explain it; he certainly couldn't announce that he was the reincarnation of Qin Haoran.
The Dao Seeking Sect could accept that he was Qin Haoran's reincarnation and trust that his past and present lives were separate, but the Five Elements Sect might not take it the same way.
As the team leader, Meng Jingzhou explained earnestly, "Our Dao Seeking Sect wiped out the Immortal Cult alongside the imperial court. We confiscated various supplies, pill formulas, and the like from the Immortal Cult, among which was the recipe for Bone-Dissolving Water.
"As disciples of the righteous path, our foremost duty is the eradication of demonic cults. Demonic cults are insidious, cunning, full of deceit, and armed with diverse methods. Only by mastering the methods of demonic cults can we better exterminate them!"
"So that's how it is. I thought you had learned it from that Old Scoundrel Buyu.
"Very well, so long as you are all unhurt. With such a massive commotion, I thought some accident had occurred. Rest well tonight. You still have class tomorrow."
"Yes, Elder."
***
"What we will be studying today is the Five Elements Battle Method.
"The so-called Five Elements Battle Method aligns with your individual traits, corresponding one-to-one with the five elements. It allows the five of you to unleash far greater power when joining forces in battle."
At these words, the five disciples' eyes lit up. This lesson sounded far more interesting than yesterday's.
"Based on the information provided by the Dao Seeking Sect, as well as my own understanding of you, I can confirm that the five of you correspond to five distinct attributes, making you an ideal fit for this combat system.
"Metal governs offense. Lu Yang, with your Sword Spiritual Root mutated from a Metal Spiritual Root, you can be regarded as possessing a Metal Spiritual Root—and the most offensive one at that. You correspond to the Metal Position.
"Wood governs transformation, existing between illusion and reality. Tao Yaoye, whether it is the illusions you excel at or your Feathering Immortal Physique, both are intimately connected to transformation. You correspond to the Wood Position.
"Water governs recovery. Meng Jingzhou, I originally considered placing you in the auxiliary Fire attribute. But since you have mastered the Nirvana True Fire that can heal injuries, destiny dictates that you are better suited for the Water attribute. You correspond to the Water Position."
"Hold on, Elder. With how abundant my yang energy is, can I really stand in the Water Position?"
In Meng Jingzhou's mind, water represented yin, which directly clashed with his constitution.
The Merit Transmission Elder looked perplexed by Meng Jingzhou's doubt. "But aren't you a Bachelor Spiritual Root? Your kidney water is extraordinarily abundant."
As Meng Jingzhou mastered the yang-boosting Nirvana True Fire, his kidney water grew increasingly abundant. Furthermore, thanks to his Bachelor Spiritual Root, he would never leak a single drop of it.
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
*Don't think that just because I can't beat you, I... can't beat you!*
"Fire governs support. Li Haoran, possessing a Fire Spiritual Root, being apprenticed under Zhou Xin, and doubling as an artifact refiner, the Fire Position suits you best.
"Earth governs defense. Man Gu, as a member of the Ancient Barbarian race, is a born body cultivator. The Ancient Barbarians have always been renowned for their defensive might. You correspond to the Earth Position."
Chapter 543