In the battle forum, there were only a hundred people left.
It could be seen that among these 100 people, the top 50 were all there. The challengers showed their strength through battle. As for why it was the top 50, the reason was not complicated. People who were powerful did not always progress fast.
Li Yifei was the best example. His ranking was not high at all. He was in the Advanced Foundation Plane but only ranked 61 in the Zhengdu battle. Tsk!
For the last 20 days, it has been a battle between the Beginning Foundation Plane cultivators. Then the Intermediate Foundation Plane cultivators battled each other. Finally, the Advanced Foundation Plane fought with cultivators of their level.
After fighting to this day, no one remaining was mediocre. It was worth mentioning that during the open challenge phase, the Intermediate and Advanced Foundation Plane cultivators all challenged the Beginning Foundation Plane cultivators. This was an obvious loophole in the battle of the forum.
Otherwise, based on the few Advanced Foundation Plane cultivators, it was challenging for them to obtain victory. They would not have fought so many rounds in such a short time.
This seemed unfair to those Beginning Foundation Plane disciples. However, even if they lost to Intermediate or Advanced Foundation Plane disciples, they would not be eliminated immediately.
Victory was key. Even if they lost a few rounds, it would not affect the outcome. Moreover, even if it was an Intermediate or Advanced Foundation Plane cultivator, they could only challenge a Beginning Foundation Plane disciple once.
Now the rules of the battle forum had changed again. There was no random arrangement. It was still an open challenge. But this time, there was no Restriction on cultivation. Any victory would still be taken into account, and their previous victories would be reset to zero. From now on, whoever had more victories would be ranked higher. A simple rule was transmitted into the minds of the disciples by the jade token.
After understanding the rules, Qiao Haisheng was the first to attack. He gripped the jade token and appeared on the Eight Trigrams Platform in a flash. Similarly, Chen Jingzhai’s jade token emitted a dazzling light.
“Finally, you’re finally here!” Qiao Haisheng gritted his teeth and looked at the person opposite him.
“Why didn’t you challenge me before?” Chen Jingzhai asked curiously.
“I’m an Advanced Foundation Plane cultivator. So I can’t be bothered to bully you.” Qiao Haisheng snorted. “Besides, if you can’t even enter the top 100, it’s not worth it for me to take action.”
“I thought that you were afraid that you wouldn’t be able to defeat me and were concerned that you would be eliminated from the battle forum.” When Chen Jingzhai heard this, he smiled calmly and said, “Now that the opportunity you’ve been waiting for has arrived, make your move!”
Qiao Haisheng snorted, and his expression turned even colder. He did not speak anymore. There was nothing wrong with Chen Jingzhai’s words. He indeed had this concern.
To be precise, after Chen Jingzhai won first place in the Zhengdu battle, Qiao Haisheng was unconvinced by his abilities. Still, he also agreed that Chen Jingzhai was a resourceful person. Moreover, before participating in the battle forum, Qiao Haisheng already knew that Chen Jingzhai had a magic treasure.
Although Grade 3 magic treasures consumed a lot of energy when used, their power was even stronger.
Before the top 100, Qiao Haisheng did not want to lose face. After all, he was ranked third in the previous battle forum. If he failed before the top 100, he did not even know if he would have a reason to live. Many others harbored such thoughts; hence Chen Jingzhai was not challenged by an Advanced Foundation Plane cultivator.
In addition to strength, the battle forum also tested the wisdom of cultivators. This was even reflected in many ways. That was the meaning of the battle forum, and it was one of the focal points of the various branches.
The two contenders did not bother to make small talk. On the Eight Trigrams Platform, the jade tokens fell into the black and white fish eyes at the same time. The restriction dissipated, and Qiao Haisheng was the first to attack.
He opened his mouth and spat. The walnut-sized sword pill turned into a stream of light and rushed toward Chen Jingzhai. It was a move he never missed or lost the upper hand.
The sword pill was extremely fast. Therefore, even if Chen Jingzhai had been prepared, it would have been difficult to dodge. Previously, when Qiao Haisheng had accumulated victories, he had relied on this move to kill his opponents instantly. However, it was obvious that Chen Jingzhai was not the same as the people he had challenged. Therefore, a sharp sword light burst out after the sword pill flew out.
Qiao Haisheng sneered. How could the disciples of other peaks understand swordsmanship techniques? He wanted to see how he could defend against this!
[Slash!]
Chen Jingzhai was split in the middle like paper. His remaining body turned to water in the next moment.
Water Illusion Shadow!
He had used it many times, and the effect was excellent. This time was no exception. But the difference was that after dodging the sword light, the sword pill flew over.
The sword pill shot out in a straight line and formed an arc in the air. Then, it accelerated and charged straight into the open space to Qiao Haisheng’s left.
[Clang!]
Chen Jingzhai was forced to reveal his form. Not only that, but he also had the Golden Flame Sword in his hand.
The tip of the Golden Flame Sword hit the sword pill with precise accuracy. Chen Jingzhai’s hand holding the sword did not tremble, but he still felt uncomfortable. The impact of the sword pill was powerful. However, even with the Golden Flame Sword, it could not completely offset the force.
“Ha!”
“A sword?”
“The Little Master-Uncle of Daoxuan Peak also knows the Path of Sword?
“Then please teach me, Little Master-Uncle!
“Hahaha!”
Seeing this, Qiao Haisheng smiled arrogantly and casually formed a sword seal. The sword pill instantly bloomed, and a three-inch flying sword unfolded. It carried a boundless sharpness as it tore through the air and stabbed at Chen Jingzhai.
[Slash!]
Chen Jingzhai’s body was attacked again and turned into water.
It was the second manifestation of the Water Illusion Shadow!
When Qiao Haisheng saw this, his face was filled with mockery. No matter how many Water Illusion Shadows there were, could they block his flying sword? It was nothing more than consuming spiritual power and using spells to stall for time. Moreover, the space on the Eight Trigrams Platform was even narrower than the Sea of Clouds. So no matter how Chen Jingzhai dodged, he could still catch traces of him.
“Gotcha!”
Qiao Haisheng’s face revealed a ferocious expression, and his flying sword became increasingly erratic. Under his control, it suddenly slanted and stabbed his back.
[Slash!]
The third manifestation of the Water Illusion Shadow was shattered, and water splashed to the ground.
Qiao Haisheng did not care at all. He only controlled the flying sword and even activated the sword light. Sword light burst forth from the flying sword, forming a cross that rushed straight to the top right. It was extremely fast and unexpected. Even Chen Jingzhai could not dodge it. He was forced out again, and the Golden Flame Sword in his hand activated a fiery sword vapor.
The fiery sword vapor and crossed sword light collided in the air and exploded. At that moment, the flying sword silently appeared behind Chen Jingzhai.
[Clang!]
A White Jade Sword appeared in Chen Jingzhai’s left hand, and he held it behind his back and blocked Qiao Haisheng’s flying sword. The White Jade Sword was originally refined from a Grade 3 demonic beast bone.
Under the collision of the flying swords, there was a metallic sound. This was enough to show that Chen Jingzhai’s White Jade Sword had matured. The flying sword missed and quickly circled Chen Jingzhai to kill him.
Sometimes, it was aimed at his neck, the side of his head, or at his groin. The angle was tricky, and the ruthlessness of the attack made the rest of the people on the battle forum feel lingering fear.
However, Chen Jingzhai was very steady. He held two swords in his hands and kept dancing and dodging the attacks, using the tip and edge to collide with the flying sword. Every time they collided, sparks would fly.
Standing in the air, he moved and blocked his surroundings from being attacked. As the gold and white swords danced in sync, spirit light gradually overflowed.
Red represented flame while blue represented ice. The two types of spirit light flowed quickly and blocked the flying sword’s rapid slashes.
“Let’s see how long you can last!”
Qiao Haisheng’s gaze gradually turned icy, and his aura became heavier. He flipped his hands quickly and kept using sword seals. The flying sword became faster and faster, and sword shadows even appeared around Chen Jingzhai.
Unlike ordinary sword shadows, these sword shadows were in the shape of black veins. At first glance, it looked like a black net that enveloped Chen Jingzhai’s entire body.
“As expected, Qiao Haisheng has reached the realm of turning his sword into silk!” Wang Yao said softly.
“I’m just a beginner. I’m not proficient yet. Otherwise, Little Master-Uncle wouldn’t be able to withstand it!” Kong Guang shook his head.
“Little Master-Uncle is even more shocking!” Tian Feng exclaimed. “His Path of Sword has already reached the entry-level.”
“Is there such a prodigy in the world who can learn everything?” Shen Yurong said bitterly.
“Little Master-Uncle only started cultivating two years ago!” Zhao Qinghe said with a smile.
Everyone was speechless. They looked at Chen Jingzhai with extremely complicated gazes. They were all prodigies of their branches and were extremely outstanding figures of this generation. Even among other immortal sects, they were famous. But, even so, they still paled in comparison to Chen Jingzhai.
“Two years? Even three years is short.” Wang Yao shook his head and sighed.
“That’s why we admire Little Master-Uncle very much,” Zhang Kui said with a smile. “When communicating with Little Master-Uncle, there will always be something novel that can make people think and trigger inspiration.”
“No matter what,” Shen Yurong pursed her lips, “he’s indeed qualified to be our Little Master-Uncle, but I’m still unconvinced. We’ll see in a few years. If he can complete his core formation sooner than me…”
“Little Master-Uncle is on the Path of Technique Creation,” Li Yifei reminded her appropriately.
Again, everyone was at a loss for words. They did not dare to pursue the Path of Technique Creation. Yet, even the disciples of the sword branches admired Little Master-Uncle!
After hearing this, Shen Yurong was also speechless.
The Path of Technique Creation was filled with difficulties, and it was not easy to achieve core formation. Compared to Little Master-Uncle, she would be bullying him. So, naturally, the thoughts in her heart disappeared.
As everyone chatted, a change occurred on the Eight Trigrams Platform.
The sword pill was getting faster and faster. As expected, Chen Jingzhai could not stop it. Therefore, he decisively injected more essence power.
The Golden Flame Sword lit up and collided with the flying sword. However, the flying sword changed its angle and rushed forward, directly stabbing Chen Jingzhai’s abdomen. As a result, Chen Jingzhai was stabbed unexpectedly.
He turned into water again and fell to the ground from midair.
The fourth manifestation of the Water Illusion Shadow!
When Qiao Haisheng saw this, he gritted his teeth. “If you have the guts, don’t dodge!”
“Sure!” Chen Jingzhai appeared opposite him and smiled.
When Qiao Haisheng saw this, he was stunned for a moment, but the flying sword instinctively aimed at him. Chen Jingzhai stabbed out with the White Jade Sword in his left hand. This time, the flying sword was not knocked away. Instead, it was attached to the White Jade Sword.
“Cold air?”
“Are you looking down on me by introducing such petty tricks?”
Qiao Haisheng snorted coldly and was about to use his flying sword to release sword vapor. However, at this moment, his body tensed up and a force wrapped around him. Instinctively, he looked down and saw the water swirling around his body.
Water Forbidden Technique!
Chen Jingzhai’s eyes lit up, and he put away the Golden Flame Sword. His fingers formed a seal. This was the seal of a restriction spell.
At that moment, Qiao Haisheng was bound by ropes formed by water. His hands were restrained behind his back, his legs were bound together, and he felt a tightening around his neck and abdomen. There was even the power of the Restriction sealing the spiritual power in Qiao Haisheng’s body.
“How cunning!
“You used four Water Illusion Shadows. The entire Eight Trigrams Platform is wet from it.
“It will allow you to cast a water spell without being detected by me!
“You’ve really impressed me by doing this!”
Despite being imprisoned, Qiao Haisheng stared at Chen Jingzhai and calmly narrated Chen Jingzhai’s strategy.
Chen Jingzhai’s smile disappeared. He frowned slightly as he realized something was wrong. Qiao Haisheng was too calm. His reaction did not sound like he was at a disadvantage.
Could it be…
“Unfortunately, you underestimate the disciples of the sword branches!
“I’ll show you the meaning of ‘One sword to break all techniques’!
“Out!!!”
