Chapter 635 - 256: In Terms of Magic Alone, Our Chongzhen Temple Is the Best in the World

Chapter 635: Chapter 256: In Terms of Magic Alone, Our Chongzhen Temple Is the Best in the World

As luck would have it, the one who drew a bye was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Furthermore, in the subsequent drawing of lots.

Of the six remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators, four were matched against Early Stage Golden Core Cultivators, and two were matched against Middle Stage Golden Core Cultivators who had put on an average performance earlier.

Even more coincidentally,

The six Late-stage Golden Core Cultivators who had previously performed well were almost all matched against opponents who had also done well in the last round.

When this result came out, the few of them cursed internally.

If ranked by strength alone, they were easily in the top one hundred, yet now they had to fight just to qualify.

However, Chongzhen Temple was clever about it. They had only arranged a total of six of these special matchups.

The rest were all truly random draws.

So, to an outsider, it was impossible to find fault with the process.

"Next up, number one hundred and one!"

Hearing the referee’s call, Xiao Chen slowly stepped onto the stage.

The opponent he drew this time was a burly young man, a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator.

In the previous round of selections, he had made a strong impression by directly defeating another Late-stage Golden Core opponent.

Over the past few days, the spectating Loose Cultivators had been debating amongst themselves and had come up with three different versions of a "Top Ten Experts" list.

This burly young man was universally acknowledged by all the Loose Cultivators as having the Combat Power to rank in the top ten, and he featured prominently in all three versions of the list.

In contrast, whether Xiao Chen should be ranked in the top ten was a topic of fierce debate.

Some argued that with his impressive background, his strength couldn’t be lacking.

But others countered that many young masters from powerful backgrounds were pampered from birth. They might possess a high Realm, but they lacked the corresponding Combat Power—they were nothing but useless pretty boys.

Some retorted that the major powers possessed countless secret Cultivation Techniques.

Especially those legendary Celestial Level Techniques—mastering even one would be enough to crush an ordinary Loose Cultivator.

Others remained unconvinced, arguing that based on his youthful appearance, Xiao Chen couldn’t be very old.

To have cultivated to the Late-stage Golden Core Realm at such a young age, he couldn’t have had time to also delve into Magic.

...

In short, opinions were divided, and no one could convince anyone else.

After several days, there was still no consensus; in fact, the arguments had only grown more heated.

.

’Phew, this should finally do the trick!’

Once the drawing of lots concluded, the steward descended from the stage, placing the rigged lottery box into his Storage Ring.

Ever since Xiao Chen had been recognized, he had become a primary target for observation.

However, since his previous opponents always forfeited, Chongzhen Temple remained completely in the dark about his actual strength.

To that end, the steward had deliberately arranged this matchup, carefully selecting a particularly energetic youth for the task.

Generally speaking, young people are proud and care about their reputation.

A Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator this young, in particular, would never surrender outright and disgrace himself.

Therefore, the steward was confident he would finally get a measure of Xiao Chen’s power today.

Hearing "one hundred and one" called, he immediately activated his Spiritual Eye Technique in secret and gazed at the stage.

The burly young man was, as expected, different from the others.

Instead of recoiling when Xiao Chen took the stage, his eyes were brimming with a will to fight.

’We’re both Late-stage Golden Core, who’s to say I’m any weaker than him?’

He even took the initiative to greet him. "I am Chen Qingsong, the Wanderer of Tingtao Sea. Your fame has been resounding these past few days, fellow cultivator."

"Today, allow me to witness your brilliant techniques."

’Excellent!’

The steward, watching from the side, was inwardly delighted. This was exactly the scene he had hoped to see.

The other Loose Cultivators all perked up as well.

Eyes wide, they all stared intently at stage number six, eager to watch this unique showdown.

They were all very curious.

Could Xiao Chen, who had advanced this far solely because his opponents forfeited, actually defeat the burly youth who had won every match with ease?

"I am Xiao Chen. I do not have a Dharma Name at present."

Hearing his opponent’s introduction, Xiao Chen returned the courtesy with a clasped-fist salute. "Greetings, Chen. It is a pleasure."

After the two exchanged pleasantries, the referee on the stage—prompted by a look from the steward—waved his hand and activated the Defensive Array.

At the same time, he tossed the red cloth ball in his hand into the air and promptly jumped off the stage.

Seeing this, the three main rules of this Magical Combat immediately flashed through Xiao Chen’s mind.

First, the match begins when the red cloth ball lands.

Second, a loss is declared if a contestant surrenders, is knocked off the stage, or is knocked down and unable to get back up, even if they are still on the stage.

Third, during the bout, the use of external items exceeding the capabilities of a Golden Core Cultivator, such as Tier Four Talismans or Tier Four Exotic Poisons, is forbidden.

Violation of this rule also results in an immediate loss.

Thus, while keeping his eyes on the falling red cloth ball, Xiao Chen secretly circulated his Qi Blood and prepared to charge.

On a fixed stage like this, the abilities of a Body Cultivator were the most practical and convenient, all else being equal.

Of course, the most critical reason to fight as a Body Cultivator was that it made it easier to control his strength and avoid unnecessary harm.

THUMP!

The moment the red cloth ball landed on the stage, Xiao Chen kicked off the ground and shot forward.

Chen Qingsong happened to have the same idea.

His burly physique was the result of accumulating the effects of Body Forging over many years.

In the next instant, the two crashed into each other.

UGH!

Immediately following a muffled grunt, a figure was sent flying backward at an even greater speed, tumbling off the stage and onto the ground below.

The crowd quickly focused their vision.

The person sent flying was none other than Chen Qingsong!

"What! Elder Chen lost just like that?"

"See? Just look! What did I tell you all yesterday? How could an heir of a great power entering the world be a good-for-nothing!"

"Good heavens, Elder Xiao is that strong!"

"From now on, I say Elder Xiao is the number one expert of the top ten!"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivators were utterly shocked, but some of the Golden Core Cultivators just looked at each other, baffled.