The subsequent matches proceeded as scheduled.
The excitement of the nascent soul stage matches far exceeded those of the golden core stage; sometimes, a single match would last an entire day.
Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing missed almost none of them, witnessing the duels of many powerhouses from the spectator seats. The elders of various sects also discovered that the young nascent soul cultivators of this generation were exceptionally brilliant.
Mu Wenyan arrived every day treading on the morning dew, the Bichen sword hanging from his waist.
His matches were always clean and efficient, never wasting a single move.
Whenever an opponent sacrificed a magic tool, he would break it with a single strike; when they performed secret techniques, he still responded with just one sword move.
The effects of that spiritual tea seemed increasingly significant, allowing him to perfectly hide the aura of his dark spiritual root. Even the most sensitive Ling Xiao could not see any flaws.
"Five Elements Dao Sect's Mu Wenyan wins!"
As the referee's voice fell today, warm applause erupted from the stands.
Mu Wenyan's opponent was an early-stage nascent soul cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect. Although he had three spirit beasts assisting him, he could not last a thousand moves under Mu's sword.
"Senior brother's sword is getting faster and faster." Duan Xianxing excitedly recorded the match details. "Today it only took nine hundred and sixty-eight moves!"
Li Nanzhu spread her hands helplessly. Although her divine sense was strong enough, she still could not clearly see the details of their strikes in these nascent soul duels.
Aside from the second senior brother, Zhu Yinxi, the other senior brothers and sisters simply cultivated directly at the station.
Only Duan Xianxing, relying on his Natural Sword Physique and his familiarity with his senior brother's swordplay, could accurately capture the attack trajectories every time.
However, Li Nanzhu noticed that after every victory, Mu Wenyan's gaze would unconsciously sweep toward the Sword Heart Sect's seats—there, Qi Yunze was also watching him.
Across the entire arena, their gazes met, and sparks seemed to fly.
"That's the third match," Li Nanzhu said, looking through the bracket. "Senior brother hasn't lost yet."
Zhu Yinxi suddenly spoke, "Tomorrow's match is against the Yuanshui Sect."
The two of them looked solemn upon hearing this. That cultivator from the Yuanshui Sect was also a middle-stage nascent soul and had been famous for a long time; it would likely be another bitter struggle.
"No matter," Mu Wenyan smiled indifferently. "It's a good chance to test my newly enlightened sword moves."
On the other side, Qi Yunze's matches were equally eye-catching.
His light spiritual root unleashed startling power on the stage, every sword strike carrying a pure light that purified all things. Today, his opponent was a female nascent soul cultivator from the Heavenly Sound Sect who used both illusions and sonic attacks, yet she was exposed under his sword.
"Sword Heart Sect's Qi Yunze wins!"
As the referee announced the result, the Heavenly Sound Sect female cultivator left the stage dejectedly.
Qi Yunze sheathed his sword, his white clothes still untainted by a speck of dust.
He seemed to sense something and turned to look at the Five Elements Dao Sect's seats, his gaze meeting Mu Wenyan's in mid-air.
Li Nanzhu caught this moment, and her heart stirred slightly.
In the original book, these two should have been as incompatible as fire and water, but now they shared a strange sense of mutual understanding.
"Speaking of which..." Duan Xianxing flipped through the records. "Among the new generation of direct disciples, those who have reached the nascent soul stage are only senior brother, Qi Yunze, as well as Zhao Wuji from the Beast Taming Sect and Yun Wuya from the Tianyan Sect, right?"
Feng Qingping nodded. "Those who can form a nascent soul before two hundred are true geniuses."
Li Nanzhu fell into thought.
It was indeed mentioned in the original book, but in this generation of young cultivators, because of Cang Dongqing, they had all broken through to the nascent soul stage before the age of one hundred.
As for those middle-stage nascent soul opponents, most were supported by their sects' full resources and had barely broken through using various secret methods just before the age limit of two hundred.
"Don't look down on those middle-stage nascent soul cultivators just because they're older," Feng Qingping said in a low voice. "Most of them have exhausted their potential and have no hope of reaching soul transformation in this lifetime."
As they spoke, a commotion broke out on the stage.
Wu Yuexin of the Water Moon Sect was competing, controlling his magic tool as he fought neck and neck with his opponent.
"Wu Yuexin is going to lose," Mu Wenyan suddenly said.
Sure enough, a moment later, his magic tool was struck by a golden light, its radiance collapsing as it fell to the ground. Although he was unwilling, he could only admit defeat.
"Who is his opponent?" Duan Xianxing asked curiously.
"A one-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year-old middle-stage nascent soul from the Xuan Tian Sect," Feng Qingping said, checking the register. "It's said he just broke through recently, likely using some secret method."
Li Nanzhu nodded inwardly.
This was the difference between a great sect and a first-rate sect—the former had dispersed resources but produced many geniuses, while the latter could concentrate the entire sect's power to cultivate a few individuals.
However, Wu Yuexin was only one hundred and sixty years old now; reaching such achievements was enough to be proud of.
As he walked off the stage, although his face was somewhat pale, there was no trace of dejection in his eyes. He bowed to his opponent with a composure that did not seem like a cultivator who had just suffered a defeat.
"That fellow daoist from the Water Moon Sect has an extraordinary temperament," Feng Qingping praised softly. "To remain so calm after losing a match."
Mu Wenyan's gaze shifted slightly. "His cultivation of the Water Moon Sect's techniques has probably reached the sixth level already. Reaching soul transformation is only a matter of time."
Li Nanzhu's heart jolted at those words.
In the original book, Wu Yuexin did indeed shine in the later stages. Although he hadn't mingled with the main cast due to his older age, he had relied on himself to become the Water Moon Sect's youngest soul transformation cultivator. She hadn't expected her senior brother to see through his depth at a glance.
Duan Xianxing scratched his head. "Then how did he lose to someone who broke through using secret methods..."
"Their foundations are different," Mu Wenyan explained with rare patience. "That man burned his longevity to force a breakthrough; his combat power surged in the short term. But Wu Yuexin..." He paused. "He is polishing his Dao foundation."
This sentence left Li Nanzhu in thought.
She looked at Wu Yuexin's departing figure and noticed that every step he took was extremely steady. The spiritual energy around him was perfectly harmonized, indeed quite different from those cultivators who relied on external forces to break through.
"Senior brother is right," Feng Qingping added. "The path of cultivation is long; a temporary victory or defeat means nothing."
On the way back to the station, Li Nanzhu kept thinking about what she had seen today.
Wu Yuexin's composure, Qi Yunze's sharpness, Mu Wenyan's inscrutable depth... the young geniuses of this generation seemed even more outstanding than described in the original book.
"Little Junior Sister!" Duan Xianxing suddenly tugged her sleeve. "Look over there!"
Li Nanzhu looked in the direction he pointed and saw Wu Yuexin standing alone by the lake, holding a mirror as clear as the moon over water, reviewing today's match.
Under the moonlight, his expression was focused and peaceful, without any of the restlessness that follows a defeat.
"He's... self-reflecting?" Li Nanzhu was somewhat surprised.
Mu Wenyan also stopped and glanced from a distance. "This youth has a firm Dao heart; his future achievements will be limitless."
These words made Li Nanzhu's heart stir.
In the original book, Wu Yuexin did indeed become an important aide to Qi Yunze in the later stages, but her senior brother's evaluation of him now seemed even higher than what was recorded in the book.
Soon, the competition reached the twentieth day, and the top eight list finally emerged.
Aside from Mu Wenyan and Qi Yunze, Qin Lie of the Beast Taming Sect and Yun Wuya of the Tianyan Sect also successfully advanced.
Surprisingly, a nascent soul cultivator from a small sect called "Qingming Pavilion" also fought his way into the top eight.
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