Chapter 405 - 212: The Grand Competition Officially Begins

Chapter 405: Chapter 212: The Grand Competition Officially Begins

The elders concluded their discussion in less than half an hour, an efficiency far greater than that of the Provincial Hall. Clearly, many of the terms had already been settled long ago; this was merely a final confirmation, a formality.

Once the discussion was over, they showed no intention of gathering for tea and idle chat. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, they left with their respective sect’s disciples.

This strictly business, "disperse when done" attitude quickly chilled the lively atmosphere that had been brewing among the young disciples.

Once they had left the main hall and were a safe distance from the other two sects, Qin Huaiming began to explain the tournament arrangements to Yang Wenqing and Sun Chen. "The competition begins tomorrow at 9:30 AM at the Martial Arts Arena on the mountainside. It will be a round-robin tournament. That young Bone Marrow Cleansing cultivator from the Beixuan Sect will not be participating."

"So, there are still six of you. Each person will have to fight the other five once. A win earns one point, a loss zero, and a draw half a point each. The final rankings will be determined by the total points. If there’s a tie, there will be an additional match."

"The first-round matchups have also been set. Wenqing, your opponent is Lin Xiyun of the Yunji Sect. Nephew Sun, you’ll be up against Wu Qing of the Beixuan Sect."

Sun Chen nodded silently to show he understood.

Then, after some thought, he said, "Junior Brother Yang, the central archives have a summary file on Lin Xiyun. He excels at using Five Yang Qi as a foundation to simulate and construct Dharma Seals."

"He also has a special Magical Artifact to aid him. In an instant, it can arrange and combine basic Dharma Seals of the five attributes—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—to produce dozens, or even hundreds, of different types of Magic for attack, defense, binding, and disruption. When you face him, you must avoid falling into the rhythm of his Magic and getting trapped by the layered effects of his Dharma Seals."

This was probably the most Sun Chen had said all day, and his words were dense with information.

Yang Wenqing quickly cupped his fists. "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother."

Hearing this, Qin Huaiming looked at Yang Wenqing and added, "You must remember the two primary offensive Dharma Seals he constructs with this method. They are his most frequently used and most threatening."

He extended a finger and drew in the air. Two complex, illusory Dharma Seals flashed into existence and then vanished. Although they weren’t activated, their unique energy structures and the faint auras of sharpness and explosive power they gave off allowed Yang Wenqing to instantly grasp their characteristics.

"The first is called ’Golden Flow Fire Rain.’ It uses Metal Qi to form a ’rain’ of countless fine, sharp glints, then attaches Fire Qi to them. This gives it both piercing and explosive properties, with an extremely wide area of effect that is difficult to completely avoid."

"The second is named ’Earth Trap Thunder Collapse.’ It uses Earth Qi to create a slowing, adhesive force field that traps the enemy with localized collapses. Then, it instantly channels Wood and Fire Qi to simulate a field of lightning that erupts at the center of the force field. It’s an internal and external assault, making it exceptionally dangerous."

"He is surely a master of these two Dharma Seals, and he can stack them with auxiliary Dharma Seals to multiply their power. You need to disrupt him with speed or shatter their key nodes with absolute force. You absolutely cannot allow him to set them up at his leisure."

Yang Wenqing committed the characteristics of these two Dharma Seals to memory and nodded with a grave expression. "I understand."

At that moment, Gu You clapped Sun Chen on the shoulder and said in his usual carefree manner, "Nephew Sun, you know that bunch of battle fanatics from the Beixuan Sect. If she’s focused on offense, the optimal choices are naturally Metal and Fire. But Metal and Fire conflict. At her Cultivation Realm, it’s practically impossible for her to simultaneously wield two conflicting attributes to create a stable and powerful Array Map."

"So, I’m 99% sure she’s specializing in one of them—either an array of ultimate sharpness with Metal, or an explosive array of Fire. She’ll then use a generating attribute to enhance its power and stability. For example, if she’s focused on a Metal array, she might supplement it with Earth Qi to increase its mass and resilience. If she’s focused on a Fire array, she’ll probably use Wood Qi to fuel the flames. When the fight starts, carefully observe the Spiritual Qi attributes of her array. That will let you see through to her foundation, and then you can find a targeted way to break it."

Sun Chen listened intently, and only after Gu You finished did he nod. "Thank you for the guidance, Martial Uncle Gu."

Finally, Qin Huaiming concluded, "This afternoon and evening, you two should focus on getting into the right state of mind and carefully considering your strategies. The chance to spar with your peers is rare. Just give it your all, and don’t worry about winning or losing."

Yang Wenqing and Sun Chen exchanged a look, and each saw a flicker of anticipation in the other’s eyes. That’s right—anticipation, not worry or nervousness.

The group returned to their quarters, chatting amongst themselves. Qin Huaiming instructed the two juniors, "Go back and rest. Don’t do any more active cultivation. Just enter meditation and keep yourselves in peak condition. Whatever you’re feeling right now, try to soothe those emotions and become calm."

"Yes. We will take our leave."

The two spoke in unison, then returned to their respective rooms on the second floor.

Back in his room, Yang Wenqing followed his master’s instructions. He refrained from any tangible circulation of Spiritual Qi or construction of Dharma Seals, choosing instead to simply relax his mind and let his thoughts settle.

Lan Ying saw that Yang Wenqing was just sitting quietly in meditation. After studying him for a moment with her head tilted, she hopped onto his lap and settled down.

As Yang Wenqing’s mind sank deeper, his consciousness also descended into the projection of the mystical Golden Core World.

As his thoughts wandered, he naturally began to simulate combining his newly acquired Golden Fire Skill with the ’First Ray of Dawn’ Sword Control Technique.

Time slipped away quietly amidst these deep simulations. Outside the window, the sky faded from bright to dusky yellow, then was gradually enveloped by the night.

Lan Ying’s breathing was faint and steady.

「The night passed without event.」

At seven o’clock the next morning, Yang Wenqing awoke on schedule from his deep rest and mental simulations. The Spiritual Qi in his body was peaceful and abundant, his mind as clear as a mirror.

Lan Ying was nestled beside his knee, curled into a small, blue fluffball and sleeping soundly, her tiny belly rising and falling faintly with each breath.

A gentle look softened Yang Wenqing’s eyes. He reached out and lightly stroked her smooth, warm feathers with the back of his finger. The little one unconsciously nuzzled his finger in her sleep, letting out a faint "COO" without waking up.