Chapter 636 - 256: In Terms of Magic, Our Chongzhen Temple Is the Best in the World

Chapter 636: Chapter 256: In Terms of Magic, Our Chongzhen Temple Is the Best in the World

"Wait a minute... that can’t be right. Chen is a Body Cultivator. How could he be overpowered in strength?"

"I find it strange too. They’re both at the late-stage Golden Core, yet he couldn’t even take a single blow?"

"Do you guys think there’s something fishy going on?"

"I don’t know... even if it were me up there, I don’t think I’d lose that quickly."

They had imagined the two fighting for dozens of rounds to a stalemate, and they’d even considered that one of them might suddenly reveal a powerful trump card.

But they never expected the fight to be over in a single clash.

It made no sense. It made no sense at all.

It wasn’t just them who couldn’t figure it out; the organizer on the side couldn’t understand it either.

After all, he was here today on a mission to observe Xiao Chen’s fight and had to report the results afterward.

’But with things as they are, what am I supposed to say?’

’I can’t just say I didn’t see anything, can I?’

’But the problem is, I really didn’t understand. What exactly happened in that instant when the two of them clashed?’

Even the referee below the stage was utterly stunned.

He stared blankly at Chen Qingsong on the ground, not immediately realizing it was his job to step in and declare the loss.

It was only after three breaths that the surrounding chatter snapped him out of his daze.

He belatedly jumped back onto the stage and announced loudly, "The winner of this match is Xiao Chen!"

During the final round of the selection, many unusual scenes had emerged one after another.

For example, Master Cangjian demonstrated his Mastery of Swordsmanship, overpowering a fellow late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

For another, Zhang Shouquan’s sixteen-hundred-foot Ice Flood Dragon reappeared, coiling across more than half of the arena.

And a hunchbacked elder even managed to persuade his opponent to surrender just by using a Divine Sense transmission.

But by the end of the day, the most discussed and controversial match was, without a doubt, Xiao Chen’s.

This was especially true as the opinions of some Golden Core Cultivators started to circulate, which was like throwing water on a grease fire.

After all, many of the Loose Cultivators were only at the Foundation Establishment realm and didn’t understand Golden Core True Men very well.

So naturally, they were more inclined to believe what their elders were saying.

And since gossip has always been wildly popular, all sorts of speculation about the reasons for Xiao Chen’s quick victory rapidly ran rampant.

"Maybe they’ve known each other all along, so one of them deliberately threw the fight?"

"If you ask me, it must be some kind of extremely advanced Secret Technique, and we just couldn’t perceive it."

"I bet Xiao Chen secretly used a Divine Sense transmission to threaten Elder Chen by leveraging his background. He’s not a Loose Cultivator at all; he’s not one of us."

"What kind of nonsense is that? You’re all wrong!"

A youth with a sharp, weaselly face said smugly, "It’s all very simple. Elder Chen was just sent flying because he wasn’t strong enough."

"Impossible!"

Someone immediately shot back, "Elder Chen is a Body Refining Cultivator, and they’re both at the late-stage Golden Core. How could there be such a massive gap?"

"Hmph, that just shows what you know."

But the youth lowered his voice. "I’ll let you in on a secret. That Xiao Chen isn’t human at all. He’s a Great Demon in human form!"

"I’ve read about it in the Ancient Texts. Those Great Demons are born with abnormally vigorous Qi Blood, so they’re much stronger than Body Cultivators."

...

Xiao Chen, however, didn’t pay much mind to the rumors swirling outside.

’Let them say what they want. In a few days, when the challenges are over, everything will become clear.’ 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

.

Meanwhile, with the selections concluded, Chongzhen Temple began intensive preparations for the official establishment of the arenas.

This included strengthening the Defensive Arrays around the arenas, expanding the stages to accommodate large-scale Magic, and setting up exclusive viewing sections for the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, among other things.

At the same time, they initiated a round of recruitment, targeting the Loose Cultivators who had performed particularly well.

In the recently concluded selection, quite a few Loose Cultivators had demonstrated considerable potential.

Although their overall quality couldn’t compare to that of Major Sect Disciples, for Chongzhen Temple, which was currently rather short-staffed, accepting them as Disciples was a practical solution.

After all, for many matters, dispatching a Golden Core True Man was far more effective than sending a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Therefore, many Loose Cultivators were secretly invited for private discussions.

Xiao Chen was not among them, however. After all, in everyone else’s eyes, he was as good as confirmed to be the heir of a Hidden Dao Lineage and would certainly not switch to another sect.

But that didn’t mean Chongzhen Temple was going to ignore him.

On the contrary, due to the outstanding performances of Master Cangjian, Zhang Shouquan, the hunchbacked elder, and the most peculiar Xiao Chen during the selection, He Ming True Monarch specially summoned the organizer and several of the referees to hear their reports and analyze the situation.

As a new power, Chongzhen Temple needed to prove its underlying strength to the outside world.

The primary purpose of setting up these eight arenas was to establish their might through a display of Magic!

Therefore, He Ming True Monarch had specifically set aside some of his time and energy to personally manage the affairs of the eight arenas.

After listening to the reports, he began to comment on them one by one.

He also summoned the disciples responsible for defending and challenging the arenas to give them instructions.

"The first is a Sword Cultivator. His attacks are fierce, but as I’ve said before, his weakness is a lack of stamina. You just need to defend patiently and use your Spirit Shields to wear down his initial assault."

"If any of you lose to him, you can report for sect punishment on your own when you return!"

"The second one has a sixteen-hundred-foot Ice Flood Dragon. For a Loose Cultivator, he’s certainly a promising talent."

"Go and make contact with him. If he’s willing to join our temple, you can offer him the position of General Manager."

To the Core Disciples of Chongzhen Temple, all of whom practiced True Essence Secret Techniques, a Thousand Feet Technique in itself was nothing remarkable.

"The third one, however, is somewhat interesting. I will go and listen to his transmission myself tomorrow."