Volume 1 Chapter 29

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Volume 1 Chapter 29: Fame

After Xu Qingfan defeated Dongfang Qingling, he finally made it to the final sixteen of the competition. Xu Qingfan’s match was also the last one to finish among several arenas. Thus, when Xu Qingfan won, the list of the final sixteen was finally revealed.

"Congratulations." As Xu Qingfan stepped down from the stone platform, Jin Qinghan was already waiting there. When he saw Xu Qingfan approaching, he clasped his hands in greeting.

"Congratulations to you too." Xu Qingfan responded quietly, also clasping his hands. He said this because he knew Jin Qinghan’s strength made it certain that he would reach the final sixteen.

"There’s nothing to celebrate, it’s just reaching the final sixteen," Jin Qinghan said with a hint of pride in his calm voice.

"So I should celebrate for making the final sixteen?" Xu Qingfan asked with a smile.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s response, Jin Qinghan was momentarily at a loss for words. Then the two shared a knowing smile.

After a brief exchange with Jin Qinghan, Xu Qingfan’s feelings, which had been heavy due to the death of his senior Yue Qingru, seemed to lighten a bit.

"Congratulations to both of you for entering the final sixteen of the competition!" Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something more to Jin Qinghan, a cheerful voice suddenly came from behind him. Xu Qingfan turned to see a chubby man smiling broadly as he congratulated them both.

The chubby man had skin as pale as a young girl’s. With his large body, he looked plump and white, but he did not seem awkward at all. Instead, the slight air of authority he carried was even more pronounced because of his size. His face was always smiling, which made his already small eyes squint into a line, making them almost invisible. But it was precisely because his eyes were so small that one could not guess his true thoughts from them at that moment.

When Jin Qinghan noticed someone interrupting, he couldn’t help but frown. He was naturally proud and seldom spoke to anyone other than Xu Qingfan. Seeing someone intrude on his conversation with Xu Qingfan upset him.

"I apologize for making a fuss, it was just luck. May I ask who you are, Senior Brother?" Xu Qingfan saw Jin Qinghan’s disinterested eyes and realized he had to handle the chatty plump man himself, so he politely responded with a bow.

"I am Bai Qingfu," the chubby man said with a smile; "I have seen both of you displaying your skills in competitions these days, and I couldn’t help but want to make friends. I happened to pass by and saw you talking, so I took the liberty to join in. I hope you won’t mind."

Saying this, Bai Qingfu gave a slight bow to both of them.

"Senior Brother, you are too kind. It is only right for classmates to get to know each other," Xu Qingfan quickly replied with a bow.

Hearing Bai Qingfu’s words, Jin Qinghan’s expression softened a little. When he saw Bai Qingfu bowing to him, he also gave a slight nod in return.

"Now that you have both entered the final sixteen, do you know anything about the opponents you might face?" Bai Qingfu asked with concern.

"It is quite embarrassing to admit, but both Junior Brother Jin and I are rather reclusive, and we do not have many friends at Jiuhua Gate. So, we are not very familiar with who else is in the top sixteen. Would Senior Brother Bai know anything about this?" Xu Qingfan explained in a calm tone and asked.

To be honest, Xu Qingfan didn’t care much about who his future opponents were; he only asked Bai Qingfu because it was related to his senior brother’s grudge and his master’s belongings. After hearing Bai Qingfu’s words, Jin Qinghan’s expression became more focused.

"I know quite a bit about the fellow disciples who made it to the top sixteen in this inner competition," Bai Qingfu replied with a smile.

"Please, Senior Brother Bai, share your insights," Xu Qingfan said with a respectful gesture.

"Speaking of which, this time the Jiuhua Gate’s inner competition is truly full of talented newcomers. Many elders say this year’s competition level is the highest they have seen in years," Bai Qingfu remarked.

Then, Bai Qingfu began to share the names of the top sixteen competitors from the inner competition one by one with Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan. A few of them caught Xu Qingfan’s attention.

First and foremost was Feng Qingtian. Although this year’s competition was filled with skilled people, the genius from the Jiuhua Feng family still stood out the most. After four rounds of matches, none of his opponents, whether they were mediocre Qi Refining Stage fighters or advanced Inedia Stage experts, could last more than a brief moment against his attacks. What’s more, he hadn’t even used the powerful techniques that only members of the Feng family could employ. How strong he really was and how much power he had hidden during the first four matches remained a mystery. Some even firmly believed that Feng Qingtian had already reached the terrifying Lingji Stage.

Under Feng Qingtian’s brilliant aura, Jin Qinghan, who was beside Xu Qingfan, was the only one who could somewhat compete with him. As the other half of the "Jiuhua Twin Talents," Jin Qinghan also performed exceptionally well. In his four matches, he only used one technique—the "Golden Spirit Spear"—against his opponents, and he won each time easily. If anyone could stop Feng Qingtian from taking first place in this competition, it would be Jin Qinghan. He was the second favorite in this match.

In contrast to Feng Qingtian and Jin Qinghan’s strong performances, a middle-aged man named Wang Qingjun was much more low-key. It seemed he struggled through each match to defeat his opponents. Even in his first match against a Qi Refining Stage opponent, he was the last to win, apart from Xu Qingfan. However, whether he faced disciples at the Qi Refining Stage or advanced Inedia Stage experts, he barely managed to win, and by the fourth match, it was clear to anyone paying attention that he had been hiding his strength. As for how strong he truly was, no one knew yet.

Next was Sheng Yushan, who had met Xu Qingfan once. He was the only "Yu" disciple to reach the top sixteen this time. Not only did he have late-stage Inedia Stage cultivation, but his mastery of certain magical techniques made his attacks incredibly powerful. He practiced two techniques, "Silver Dragon Hand" and "Evil Exorcising Eye." It was unclear whether he had trained in any other techniques.

What made Xu Qingfan both laugh and cry was that he was unexpectedly among the favorites to win this time. His abilities gained from "The Formula of Wither and Flourish" were now widely regarded as a form of magical art because they were not only powerful but also visually stunning, making it one of the most desired arts to learn for young cultivators. With Xu Qingfan’s strange and swift movements, ordinary Inedia Stage cultivators had no way to cope with his speed, let alone defeat him. Therefore, Xu Qingfan was considered one of the favorites in this competition.

The last person Xu Qingfan noticed was his brother’s killer, Nangong Qingshan. With Nangong Qingshan just entering the middle stage of the Inedia Stage, it was astonishing that he managed to defeat two late stage Inedia cultivators and reach the top sixteen, which was regarded as the biggest upset of this competition. Clearly, Nangong Qingshan had gained much favor from his master, Dharma Protector Xu. To ensure Nangong Qingshan performed well in this competition, Dharma Protector Xu even gave him his two most treasured artifacts from his youth, "Sky Catching Net" and "Qing Xuan Three Thrusts," significantly increasing Nangong Qingshan’s power. These two artifacts were also one of the key reasons he stood out and reached the top sixteen.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Bai, for your advice." After hearing Bai Qingfu’s introduction, Xu Qingfan bowed and expressed his gratitude to Bai Qingfu.

"No need to thank me, it’s just some common knowledge, nothing special." Bai Qingfu quickly waved his hand, still wearing a friendly smile.

I have to say, Bai Qingfu’s social skills are quite impressive. Though he showed up uninvited, he quickly eased Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan’s guard with just a few words. Now, even Jin Qinghan no longer harbored any dislike for him and occasionally initiated conversations with him.

So, the three of them chatted for almost half an hour in the square in front of Linghua Hall. Of course, because both Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan were somewhat introverted, while Bai Qingfu was knowledgeable and seemed to know a lot of gossip, it was mostly Bai Qingfu talking while Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan listened.

"Senior Brother Bai, are you going to participate in the competition?" After chatting for a long time, Xu Qingfan casually asked.

"Normally, I wouldn’t bother with competitions, but the prizes are tempting, so I couldn’t resist joining," Bai Qingfu replied with a cheerful smile, looking just like the Buddha.

"How well do you expect to do, Senior Brother Bai?" Xu Qingfan suddenly felt that things weren’t so simple and pressed for more information.

"I was lucky to make it into the top sixteen." Bai Qingfu answered with a smile, his eyes squinted, but no one could understand his true thoughts at that moment.

Hearing Bai Qingfu’s words, Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan were both surprised. They didn’t expect this chubby, smiling Senior Brother Bai to have entered the top sixteen. It was known that all the disciples who made it into the top sixteen were the future elites of Jiuhua Gate. Both of them used the "Sky Eye Skill" to observe Bai Qingfu, and they were shocked by what they found. This Bai Qingfu, who seemed to lack the air of a master, had actually reached the late stage of the Inedia Stage, and was just a step away from breaking through to the Lingji Stage.

Just as Xu Qingfan and Jin Qinghan were about to ask Bai Qingfu for clarification, Bai Qingfu smiled and said, "I have things to do, so I won’t keep you two. See you in the top sixteen competition." With that, Bai Qingfu gave a slight bow to the two and turned to leave. Although he walked slowly, he quickly disappeared into the trees on the mountainside.

"I can’t see through this Senior Brother Bai," Jin Qinghan said with a frown as he watched Bai Qingfu’s departing figure. "What does he really want from us?"

"Stop guessing. At least he hasn’t shown us any obvious hostility; in fact, he has provided us with a lot of useful information. Whatever his purpose is, we’ll find out later. He might just genuinely want to befriend us," Xu Qingfan said calmly.