Chapter 44: The Match Begins (Part II)

The cultivators who had just been standing still were now caught in a fierce battle, resulting in over a dozen wounded, while their magical treasures and flying swords intertwined to create a dazzling spectacle of light.

Less than fifteen minutes into the competition, more than ten cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage revealed their assigned protection talismans, retreating from the contest in embarrassment.

The number displayed on the massive protective barrier dropped from 2156 accordingly.

In contrast, those who fled to the distance fared much better.

This competition had no time limit; it would only conclude when the number of participants dwindled to five hundred. In other words, one might not need to confront a single opponent directly, simply surviving by safely avoiding combat during others' battles.

Though seemingly unfair, the contest combined both wisdom and martial prowess.

Over two thousand competitors dispersed throughout the forest within a hundred-mile radius, making it genuinely difficult to find one another. The key was how well one could evade others’ tracking.

Li Chengzhu wiped his mouth with a look of disdain. If he were to enter this competition, he wouldn’t need to engage anyone directly. With the keen spiritual pressure guide provided by his small companion, he could easily avoid anyone approaching him.

“My husband,” Xiaoying looked around nervously, glancing between the battlefield and the colossal moving images, “where is Qiufeng?”

“Hmph,” Li Chengzhu, the big boss, crossed his legs and stroked his chin. “If I were him, I’d be heading to the opposite side of the battlefield, avoiding others as much as possible to minimize unnecessary fights.”

Yuanmu nodded in agreement beside him. “Yes, that’s the most effective approach.”

“Look, over there,” Yuchun’s sharp eyes quickly spotted Qiufeng on one of the large moving images.

That man appeared relaxed, standing steadily on a flying sword, racing alone through the air.

Li Chengzhu curled his lips. Experience truly made a difference; Qiufeng knew exactly how to maximize his safety.

They watched that moving image until nightfall, seeing no sign of Qiufeng encountering anyone. Aside from resting a few times in the middle, he continuously shifted positions to dodge other contestants. Remarkably, the moving image closely followed Qiufeng’s every step, projecting all his movements.

This was no ordinary illusion spell—it undoubtedly possessed powerful tracking capabilities.

“These spellcasters are incredibly formidable!” Li, the big boss, muttered to himself.

“Let’s go, nothing more to see,” Li patted his seat as the evening grew late.

Xiaoying and Gulinglong obediently followed their husband away.

“You two go back. I’ll stay here a bit longer,” Yuanmu seemed fascinated by the ongoing carnage and kept his gaze fixed on the battling cultivators.

“Alright,” Li Chengzhu took his two wives and headed out. Rarely did Yuchun fail to follow; this time, she remained seated, still watching the battle unfold inside.

Back at the Ascension Hall, Li Chengzhu removed the Jade Blood Ring and instructed his wives to keep quiet before immersing himself in study.

Xiaomai and Keba continued absorbing spiritual energy inside. As Nascent Soul cultivators, if they stopped absorbing, their powers would gradually diminish.

Li Chengzhu refrained from disturbing them, instead releasing his spirit to carefully examine the space, then comparing it with the competition arena.

For five days, Li studied diligently. Gulinglong and Xiaoying rarely interrupted him, only occasionally checking on Qiufeng’s status. Otherwise, the sisters stayed at the inn, keeping their husband company.

Finally, Li Chengzhu slowly opened his eyes. He had gained some understanding of the living space stored within the Jade Blood Ring. Now, all that remained was to observe the competition arena again for confirmation.

“What have you been doing these days?” Xiaoying suddenly threw herself into Li’s arms, tilting her head up to ask.

“Secret,” the big boss smiled, his large hand brushing over Xiaoying’s ample chest.

“Annoying,” Xiaoying pouted, about to rise but was pressed back down by Li Chengzhu. Then, a large kiss landed, and her clothes were slowly undone.

The first round of the competition had finally ended, and Qiufeng returned to the inn unscathed.

Seeing Yuanmu excitedly explaining the battle details to the two wives, and even Yuchun acting as commentator nearby, Li Chengzhu approached Qiufeng with a slight smile. “Congratulations, Brother Qiu, on passing the first round smoothly.”

Qiufeng rarely smiled but returned the gesture. “Thank you.”

“When does the next round begin?” Li asked.

“In ten days,” Qiufeng pressed his lips together. “Many participants still exhausted from this battle.”

“They’re pigs,” Li spit disdainfully. “I don’t know how they’ve survived for hundreds of years.”

Qiufeng glanced sideways at Li Chengzhu. “If it were you, Brother Li, what would you do?”

The big boss smiled coldly. “Form an alliance with some contestants. Act together.”

“Oh?” Qiufeng raised an eyebrow. “You’re thinking too simply.”

“How is that simple?” Li Chengzhu was unconvinced. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Qiufeng smiled faintly. “Let’s not forget, everyone inside is an enemy. The moment you meet, a fight likely erupts. There’s no time to persuade others. Even if you could, would they not stab you in the back? Alliances only form among those of the same sect or old friends.”

“Hmph,” Li Chengzhu shot a sideways glance at Qiufeng, waving his hand. “That’s a matter of individual skill. If I were to enter, I’d definitely manage to persuade a few contestants to act as a group. Team strength always surpasses a lone individual.”

Qiufeng shook his head slightly, unwilling to argue further.

Anyone can theorize without experience. If you stepped into the arena, you’d likely be blasted to bits before taking action, Qiufeng thought with a cold smile.

“By the way, Brother Qiu,” Li’s expression shifted abruptly, “can we enter the competition arena now?”

“Now?” Qiufeng hesitated. “I don’t think so. Entry is only allowed when the second round begins.”

“Is there cheating even in the Immortal Realm?” Li’s eyes bulged.

“Heh, everyone has their own ambitions,” Qiufeng smiled faintly.

“Damn it,” Li groaned. Looks like he’d have to wait until the second round to observe the arena.

“Do you have any business going there?” Qiufeng stared intently at Li.

“To help you cheat,” Li Chengzhu grinned slyly and raised his eyebrows.

Qiufeng smiled subtly, thinking, if you were so kind, pigs would climb trees.

Still, Li’s desire to explore grew stronger. He was eager to understand the living space storing ability.

If his guess was correct, the competition arena could be seen as a gigantic storage ring capable of holding living beings—comparable to the area within the Jade Blood Ring.

The difference was that the Jade Blood Ring could be set to open only for specific people through unique spiritual pressure fluctuations, such as imprinting the small companion’s spiritual signature to allow free entry and exit.

The competition arena, however, was different. Anyone entering it was automatically allowed to open it freely, hence why everyone could come and go as they pleased.

Li Chengzhu aimed to verify this. Surely, somewhere within the arena was a place or device recording everyone’s spiritual pressure, like a computer storing fingerprints.

Moreover, he sought to understand why the “Seed in Mustard, World in Grain” technique could store living beings. According to his knowledge, the space created by that method should not hold any living thing, but the Jade Blood Ring defied this concept, earning its place among the top five storage artifacts in the Immortal Realm.

Perhaps others hadn’t noticed, or noticed but didn’t investigate. But with Li’s inquisitive nature, leaving such secrets unexplored would make him uneasy. Fully grasping this secret could greatly enhance his combat ability.

He was truly looking forward to that enormous storage ring!

With ten days remaining before the next round, Li Chengzhu also inquired with Qiufeng about the upcoming competition.

Unlike the chaotic free-for-all of the first round, from the second round onward, participants would engage in one-on-one duels.

Each opponent would be drawn at random, with the strength entirely determined by luck.

If a late Nascent Soul cultivator faced an early Nascent Soul opponent wielding no good immortal artifact, defeat was certain—or they might not even have time to draw their protection talisman before dying.

This one-on-one format continued until the top three emerged. These three would then each duel the other two once more. A win counted as one point, a loss zero, with no draws. The contest ended once a clear winner was decided, and rankings were based on total points.

Among these five hundred, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the top three. Fourth place was no different from last.

This ruthless format squeezed out every ounce of strength from each contestant, ensuring that the receiving immortal envoy was the strongest among all late Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Realm.