The next morning, Yun Wuya of the Tianyan Sect was the first to take the stage.
His opponent was a body cultivator from the Vajra Gate. Like his junior brother, Yun Wuya predicted his opponent's moves with absolute precision during the fight, leading the man around in circles.
After four hours of intense combat, Yun Wuya seized the moment his opponent paused for breath. His compass suddenly erupted with a blinding starlight.
"Stars Shifting, Constellations Turning!" he shouted. The opponent’s own punch was reflected back, sending the man stumbling backward and leaving him with no strength left to counterattack.
"The winner is Yun Wuya of the Tianyan Sect!"
As the referee announced the result, the body cultivator managed to steady himself. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his bronze-colored skin. He cupped his fists in a salute, his eyes filled with respect. "Fellow Daoist Yun’s mastery of divination is truly impressive. I admit defeat."
Yun Wuya nodded slightly. "You were a worthy opponent."
As he turned to leave the stage, his gaze inadvertently swept over the seats of the Qingming Pavilion, lingering for a moment on the gray-robed cultivator.
Following Yun Wuya’s victory, the final match of the quarter-finals was about to begin—Qin Lie of the Beast Taming Sect versus Mo Lin of the Qingming Pavilion!
The murmurs from the spectator stands grew louder.
"How long do you think that guy from the Qingming Pavilion can last against Senior Brother Qin?" A female cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect, her hair tied in a high ponytail, rattled her spirit stone bag. "I bet at most an hour and a half!"
"Senior Sister, you're overestimating him!" A round-faced disciple beside her immediately pulled out a bag of spirit stones and slammed it onto the table. "I'll put down twenty mid-grade spirit stones that it won't last more than an hour!"
"Don't start without me!" Another tall, thin disciple squeezed in. "I heard Mo Lin only won his previous matches because his opponents were careless. This time, he's up against Senior Brother Qin's Three-Spirit Combined Strike. I'll bet ten high-grade spirit stones—less than half an hour!"
As several disciples argued until they were red in the face, an older senior brother suddenly sneered. "You're all looking down on Senior Brother Qin too much. What is that Mo Lin anyway? Is he even worthy of the Three-Spirit Combined Strike? I think the scarlet flame tiger alone is enough to burn him to ash!"
"Exactly!" someone immediately agreed. "Senior Brother Qin is the most brilliant direct disciple our Beast Taming Sect has seen in a hundred years. Even the sect leader said he has a chance to reach the Soul Transformation stage within two centuries!"
"You little brats!" An elder of the Beast Taming Sect walked over with a grim expression, knocking each of them on the head. "The match is about to start, and you're still thinking about gambling? Shut up and watch!"
The disciples covered their heads and grinned sheepishly, but the excitement in their eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest. The round-faced disciple winked secretly at his companions. "The elder is just being too cautious. This is a sure thing..."
"Right!" The ponytail girl whispered. "The direct disciples from the other three great sects have all won. How could Senior Brother Qin lose to someone from a small sect?"
"I heard..."
"Quiet!" The elder gave them another sharp rap on the head. "The match is starting!"
Only then did the disciples fall silent, though their anticipation was practically overflowing.
In their eyes, the outcome of this match had long been decided.
"Qin Lie of the Beast Taming Sect. Please advise."
"Mo Lin of the Qingming Pavilion. Please."
Qin Lie wore a yellow combat suit with a gilded beast-taming ring hanging from his waist. His three contracted beasts followed behind him. As he looked at Mo Lin, a trace of contempt curled the corner of his mouth.
"Begin!"
The moment the referee's voice fell, Qin Lie immediately ordered the scarlet flame tiger to attack.
Even if he looked down on his opponent, Qin Lie knew that since Mo Lin had reached the Nascent Soul stage, he certainly wouldn't be a simple character.
However, perhaps because Mo Lin hid himself too deeply, there was almost no information available about him. For now, Qin Lie could only use the scarlet flame tiger to test him.
The scarlet flame tiger roared and pounced. Boundless flames instantly transformed half the arena into a sea of fire. The disciples of the Beast Taming Sect in the stands were already preparing to cheer—
Boom!
A muffled sound echoed, and the flames suddenly twisted in a bizarre fashion.
Mo Lin simply raised his right hand. The scorching flames were entirely absorbed into his palm. The scarlet flame tiger let out a mournful cry and stumbled back, its once-vibrant fur dimming at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"What!" Qin Lie's pupils shrank. He hurriedly formed a seal to call it back. When his divine sense probed the beast's body, his face turned extremely ugly—thirty percent of the scarlet flame tiger's spiritual energy had been forcibly drained!
A commotion broke out in the spectator stands.
"Is this a demonic art?"
"Has the demon race snuck in?!"
On the high platform, several sect leaders at the Soul Transformation stage simultaneously released their divine sense to investigate.
"Quiet!" Even Ling Xiao spoke up coldly. "This is a special cultivation technique. If anyone else disrupts the order..."
His voice, carried by spiritual energy, echoed throughout the entire venue, finally calming everyone's restless hearts.
The sect leader of the Tianyan Sect stroked his beard and frowned, transmitting his voice to the others. "It is not a demonic art, nor is there any demon qi. Yet it can directly extract the spiritual energy of spirit beasts..."
Zhao Wufeng shook his head helplessly. "For now, we can only consider it a unique technique."
On the arena, Qin Lie no longer dared to be arrogant. With a solemn expression, he formed a seal. The remaining two contracted beasts pounced together, creating a storm of cold currents and gale-force winds.
Mo Lin's gray robes fluttered even without wind. His hands formed a strange seal, and eerie cyan patterns suddenly appeared on the floor of the arena. Those patterns actually channeled the spiritual energy storm directly into the ground!
"What kind of wicked technique is this?!" Cold sweat broke out on Qin Lie's forehead as he finally realized the gravity of the situation. He bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the beast-taming ring. "Three Spirits as One!"
The three spirit beasts roared amidst golden light, rapidly merging into a single, terrifying beast with wings on its back.
The aura of this fused beast approached the late Nascent Soul stage. Each step it took made the arena tremble. It opened its mouth and spat out a storm of mixed ice and fire, slightly distorting the space wherever it passed.
An unusual glint flashed in Mo Lin's eyes. He didn't dodge or retreat. Instead, he charged straight into the storm and appeared behind the giant beast in an instant.
His right hand formed a claw, slamming it down onto the giant beast's spine—
"Roar!!"
Amidst a piercing scream, the giant beast withered at a visible rate.
Its fur lost its luster, its muscles atrophied, and it finally collapsed onto the ground. What was even stranger was that cyan patterns, similar to those on the arena floor, appeared on its body.
Pfft! Qin Lie spat out a mouthful of blood. His life-bound magic treasure cracked with a snapping sound. Backlash struck him, and blood seeped from his seven orifices. He stumbled and fell to his knees.
Mo Lin stepped forward slowly, his eyes glowing with an unnatural cyan light. He raised his hand, preparing to deliver the final blow.
"I surrender!" Qin Lie screamed at the top of his lungs. "Referee! I surrender!"
The referee hurriedly formed a seal, and the protection array activated instantly. Mo Lin's fingertips stopped just before touching the light screen. The cyan glow in his eyes faded, and he returned to his previous appearance.
"The winner is Mo Lin of the Qingming Pavilion!"
The entire venue was deathly silent.
The Soul Transformation sect leaders on the high platform looked at each other. Although they had confirmed this wasn't a demonic art, such a wicked technique was truly unsettling.
"This boy's technique is bizarre," Ling Xiao said deeply. "Though it contains no demon qi, it harms the harmony of heaven."
Liu Changhe sighed. "But the assembly rules do not prohibit such techniques..."
On the stage, an elder from the Beast Taming Sect flew down and supported the dying Qin Lie. He glared angrily at Mo Lin. "Do you know that damaging the origin of a contracted beast is a great taboo in the cultivation world?"
Mo Lin looked back calmly. "The assembly rules did not prohibit it."
The elder wanted to say more, but he suddenly saw Qin Lie begin to twitch—faint cyan patterns had also begun to emerge at his dantian!
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