Volume 1 Chapter 22

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Volume 1 Chapter 22: Before the Competition

After deciding to join the Jiuhua Gate’s big competition, Xu Qingfan went to the front mountain with his senior brother to register early the next morning. After registering, he received a badge that represented his status as a participant.

Number sixty-six, a very lucky number.

At that time, only three months remained until the big competition.

In the days that followed, Xu Qingfan began to train even harder, even using his study time for practice. Although he knew he couldn’t make a huge improvement in just three months, it was better than doing nothing.

As long as you work hard, you will reap rewards. This was what Xu Qingfan’s father told him the first time he joined a hunt in the Southern Wasteland. Xu Qingfan believed it wholeheartedly and made it one of his life principles.

Especially when he saw Jin Qinghan, with his rare talent that had taken hundreds of years to cultivate, still working hard every day.

No one succeeds solely because of talent and luck. Talent only represents a possibility; only through hard work can it be realized. Luck also requires full preparation so that missed opportunities do not lead to regret.

During these three months, Xu Qingfan not only practiced meditation every day to speed up the refining of the Spirit Qi in his body and focused on training the "Finger of Wither and Flourish," but he also decided to retrain in his family’s martial arts — "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard."

As the name suggests, after mastering this martial art, one will have the defense of a turtle, making it impossible for regular weapons to harm them; the strength of an elephant, where even a simple punch or kick can deliver immense power; and the speed of a leopard, allowing them to cover great distances in the blink of an eye.

To be honest, ordinary martial arts are far behind the abilities of cultivators. For example, after mastering "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard," one might be impervious to knives or spears, but if a cultivator uses their abilities or magical tools, one would still have no way to resist; having the strength of an elephant offers no advantage against the strange spiritual power of cultivators; and although one may have the speed of a leopard, it is nothing compared to a cultivator’s extraordinary techniques, not to mention cultivators also possess higher-level cloud-traveling skills.

Xu Qingfan is still training in "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard" because, while it may not greatly improve his strength, it is still progress, and any improvement is better than no improvement.

Moreover, Xu Qingfan suddenly feels that if he can combine martial arts with cultivation techniques, it might lead to a significant boost in his strength. For example, after training in "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard" and gaining increased speed, wouldn’t it be even faster when paired with the cultivation technique "Art of Divine Action"? With strong defense, even if it is not as good as dedicated defensive techniques, it still adds an extra layer of protection. The strength gained from mastering "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard" could also have surprising effects in battle.

Last but not least, "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard" represents more than just an ordinary martial art for Xu Qingfan. It is also a memory, a reminder of the carefree and childlike times he had back in Xu Family Village. Xu Qingfan still clearly recalls the words of the Grand Elder while teaching him martial arts — "As a member of the Xu family, how can you not master ‘Turtle, Elephant, Leopard’?"

As Xu Qingfan expected, he made rapid progress in training "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard," reaching the highest level in just over a month. Now, in terms of martial arts, Xu Qingfan is already on par with the Grand Elder in his prime.

According to old traditions, martial arts were created by a wise elder from ancient times. Although this person possessed exceptional intelligence, he lacked the natural talent for cultivation. Despite yearning for the path of cultivation, he was repeatedly rejected when seeking a master. After facing many setbacks, he decided to create a cultivation method suited for himself. After decades of hard work, he finally developed this unprecedented martial arts method.

Unlike the cultivation methods that absorb the essence of the earth and sky to strengthen oneself, martial arts focus on harnessing excess energy within the body to transform it into inner power, making the difference between the two vast. This elder was ultimately defeated by a low-level cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining, which led to his shame and death.

Although martial arts are far less advanced than the cultivation methods, they spread widely in the mortal world because they do not require very high qualifications for training. After many years of perfection and improvement, they have developed their own unique system and a variety of different martial arts. "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard" is one of the best among them.

It is precisely because martial arts focus on extracting excess vital energy from the body that Xu Qingfan finds it easy to practice "Turtle, Elephant, Leopard." Ever since Xu Qingfan experienced the Qi Refining and fasting stages, the vital energy in his body far exceeds that of ordinary people.

During busy times, time always flies by. Three months passed in a flash as Xu Qingfan tirelessly practiced, almost unnoticed. At this point, Xu Qingfan’s "Finger of Wither and Flourish" had just begun to show minor success.

According to the rules of Jiuhua Gate, before each major competition, the participating disciples must gather in the square in front of Jiuhua Gate Linghua Hall to listen to the Sect Master’s words of guidance and encouragement.

This was Xu Qingfan’s first time at Linghua Hall, and he saw that it stood about ten zhang high, built entirely of large white jade. It was grand and beautiful, with a strict design. Surrounded by white clouds and mist, and backed by the majestic Jiuhua Mountain, it appeared both mysterious and solemn.

In front of Linghua Hall stood a main platform over a zhang high, where the elders and guardians participating in the competition were seated, with their proud disciples standing behind them. These disciples were undoubtedly strong contenders for the top five in the upcoming competition.

When Xu Qingfan and his senior brother Yue Qingru arrived at the square, all the disciples competing in the Jiuhua Gate competition had already gathered. There were about several hundred of them, each with different expressions. Many other disciples also stood nearby, excitedly pointing at the people in the square, predicting the outcomes of the matches, talking animatedly, as if they knew everything.

Xu Qingfan quickly spotted Jin Qinghan, who was standing behind an elderly man with a faint golden complexion, positioned far away on the main platform, clearly favored by his master. When Jin Qinghan noticed Xu Qingfan’s gaze, he nodded slightly in greeting before lowering his head again.

Then Xu Qingfan saw Feng Qingtian, someone he had only met once, standing alone at the front of the crowd, as his cultivation method came entirely from family teachings without a master. He still appeared proud and aloof, wearing a faint smirk. There was a strange empty space around him, with no one daring to approach. In the bustling square, it seemed like anyone standing next to him would feel embarrassed.

Just as Xu Qingfan was carefully observing the competing disciples around him, he suddenly felt a slight chill on his back, as if a venomous snake was staring at him. Unable to resist, he looked up and discovered that it was Nangong Qingshan standing behind Dharma Protector Xu, glaring at him with hatred from the main stage. Xu Qingfan merely snorted dismissively at his gaze and turned his head away, but inside he regretted his previous restraint. The fact that Nangong Qingshan was standing on the main stage with Dharma Protector Xu proved that he was now highly regarded by him. With Nangong Qingshan’s vengeful nature, it seemed that trouble was ahead.

At that moment, a majestic crane called out, and rays of divine light shone from afar, appearing even more dazzling than the sun. It was Sect Leader Zhang Hualing and Supreme Protector Zhou Huahai, arriving with several elders who did not have disciples competing, riding on clouds. Zhang Hualing had a calm expression, and when he looked at the disciples below, his face was filled with contentment. Zhou Huahai, however, still looked cold and serious.

When Zhang Hualing descended from the clouds and landed on the main stage, all the disciples bowed to him and said in unison, "We welcome Sect Leader."

Their voices resounded powerfully, reaching the sky.

Zhang Hualing addressed the disciples below, saying, "You do not need to be overly respectful." Though his voice was low and gentle, it was as if someone was softly speaking beside you, easily overpowering the disciples’ greetings.

Seeing the admiring gazes of the disciples below, Zhang Hualing appeared even kinder, speaking warmly to everyone, "Every sixty years, we hold a grand competition here at Jiuhua Gate. While we do want to select a winner to participate in the Newcomer Competition held by the six Holy Lands in ten years, the more important reason is to encourage you all to learn from each other and recognize the shortcomings in your cultivation methods and Taoist spells. So, you must cherish this opportunity."

Amidst the enthusiastic responses from the crowd, Zhang Hualing added, "You are all the cream of the crop among the junior disciples of Jiuhua Gate. Today, Jiuhua Gate belongs to us old folks, but it also belongs to you young ones. After a hundred years, Jiuhua Gate will completely belong to you, so do not disappoint our hopes for you."

After Zhang Hualing finished speaking, he gradually took his seat in the center of the main stage under the respectful gazes of the disciples.

Next, the Supreme Protector began to announce the rules of the competition, stating that disciples should not use deadly force during matches and must compete fairly. After Zhou Huahai finished, another elder stepped forward to announce the rewards for the top five disciples in this competition.

The disciple who wins first place in this inner door competition will receive a bottle of "Spirit Gathering Pill." This special pill is very effective for disciples at the Lingji Stage, but unfortunately, the materials to make it are hard to find. Right now, in the entire cultivation world, apart from the six Holy Lands, it is almost impossible to find even one pill.

The reward for the disciple who comes in second place is an egg of the "Golden Feather Eagle" demon beast. After a drop of blood is added, it can hatch and recognize its master. The Golden Feather Eagle is a middle-class human level demon beast, known as the one with "steel beak, iron feather, and thunder wings." It can fly very fast and has the innate ability to control wind and thunder.

The disciple who comes in third place will receive a Human Level high-grade magic tool called "Three Meters Green Silk." This was the magic tool used by Xu Qingfan’s master, Lu Huayan, in his lifetime. It can be used for protection, flying, and even binding opponents.

The disciples who come in fourth and fifth place will also each receive a Human Level high-grade magic tool, but neither its clever uses nor its power will be as good as the "Three Meters Green Silk."

Although most people had received the news early, when this elder announced the rewards, there was still a big stir among the crowd. Everyone eagerly wanted to compete right away to show their abilities, as if these rewards were made just for them. However, Xu Qingfan and Yue Qingru only aimed to gain third place.

Amid the excitement, the Jiuhua Gate’s inner door Newcomer Competition for this year began.