Volume 1 Chapter 34

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Volume 1 Chapter 34: Narrow Victory

The next day, Jiuhua Mountain was sunny and bright as usual, with the sounds of cranes echoing like a scene from a fairy tale. The large crowd gathering in the square made Jiuhua Gate seem even more vibrant. It seemed as if no one noticed what happened last night, just like how few people realized the crisis at Jiuhua Gate.

The danger hidden under the sunlight is the most dangerous, but how many people can actually discover it?

When Xu Qingfan arrived at the square the next day, he found that Jin Qinghan and Bai Qingfu were already waiting for him.

After greeting each other, the three talked about yesterday’s round of sixteen match. After Xu Qingfan left, six more matches took place, and finally, the list of the top eight was created. They were Sheng Yushan, Xu Qingfan, Feng Qingtian, Wang Qingjun, Jin Qinghan, Lou Qingsong, Lv Qingshang, and Bai Qingfu. Today’s matches would take place among these eight, leading to the selection of the top four in this big competition.

Bai Qingfu and Jin Qinghan indeed stepped into the top eight easily, just as Xu Qingfan expected, while Feng Qingtian’s advantage in the matches remained overwhelming. For the three of them, the round of sixteen was no different from the previous group matches. In fact, there was no difference; to them, no matter how strong the ants were, they were still just ants.

When Feng Qingtian was mentioned, Jin Qinghan’s expression unconsciously became serious. Clearly, Feng Qingtian’s strong performance after Xu Qingfan left made Jin Qinghan uneasy. His opponent this time also could not withstand Feng Qingtian’s attacks for more than three cups of tea.

Other peers who had caught Xu Qingfan’s attention, like Wang Qingjun, who could only barely win regardless of his opponent’s strength, managed to win just enough to enter the top eight again. As for Lou Qingsong and Lv Qingshang, they were already well-known in Jiuhua Gate; one was skilled in wood-type magic, and the other was a genius at making talismans, so their entrance into the top eight was not surprising.

However, instead of missing the match between Feng Qingtian and Wang Qingjun, Xu Qingfan cared more about not seeing Bai Qingfu in action. He still had no idea about the strength of this always-smiling senior. He secretly asked Jin Qinghan, but Jin Qinghan could not clarify. According to Jin Qinghan, Bai Qingfu did not show any outstanding qualities in yesterday’s match, but his opponent appeared very strong, yet Bai Qingfu still won.

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Bai Qingfu felt even more mysterious to Xu Qingfan.

Ever since Bai Qingfu and Xu Qingfan met, Bai Qingfu has never shown any bad intentions towards Xu Qingfan. They have always gotten along well, and Bai Qingfu has even helped Xu Qingfan a lot. But Xu Qingfan cannot help but feel deeply guarded against Bai Qingfu because he thinks there is great danger and many secrets hidden behind Bai Qingfu’s friendly smile.

This feeling is baseless, yet it lingers. Sometimes Xu Qingfan wonders if he is being too suspicious.

Putting aside these useless thoughts, Xu Qingfan is not the type to distrust others based on his own ideas. As long as Bai Qingfu means no harm, Xu Qingfan will always consider him a friend. Besides, Xu Qingfan does have very few friends in Jiuhua Gate right now.

The first match today will be between Xu Qingfan and Sheng Yushan, so after chatting a bit with Jin Qinghan and Bai Qingfu, Xu Qingfan said goodbye and turned to walk towards the arena.

"Xu Qingfan, that person is Xu Qingfan, the fourth most popular contestant in this inner gate competition," said a passerby upon seeing Xu Qingfan.

"Is he the ‘picking flowers, wearing plain clothes, ghostly body, ruthless heart’ Xu Qingfan?" asked another passerby.

"Yes, that’s him," the first passerby confirmed.

"What does that last sentence mean?" interrupted a third passerby.

"‘Picking flowers’ refers to Xu Qingfan’s unique ability to summon all sorts of amazing plants for offense and defense; ‘wearing plain clothes’ means he always dresses simply; ‘ghostly body’ describes how he moves like a ghost; and ‘ruthless heart’ means he is fierce in battle, severely injuring his opponents during matches and even ruining their skills in yesterday’s top sixteen competition," explained the second passerby proudly, as if he were Xu Qingfan himself.

On the road, the spectators below politely made way for Xu Qingfan—a strong person always has such privileges—and then stood at a distance, pointing and whispering about him. After yesterday’s battle, Xu Qingfan’s fame grew even more at Jiuhua Gate. And after he defeated Nangong Qingshan during the match, a hint of blood added to his reputation.

Hearing the comments from those around him, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He wore plain clothes because he was still in mourning for his senior brother; according to the rules, he could only wear plain clothes. It was one thing if others misunderstood that, but calling him "ruthless" didn’t make sense. When had he ever appeared to be such a cold-hearted person in others’ eyes?

Shaking off these messy thoughts, Xu Qingfan focused all his attention on the match that was about to begin.

There was no doubt that Sheng Yushan was a rather tricky opponent, and Xu Qingfan had no strategy to deal with his terrifyingly strong abilities.

On the field, Sheng Yushan stood quietly, waiting. However, his mood was not as calm as his indifferent expression suggested. In the group matches, Xu Qingfan had already eliminated his younger brother and his closely-bonded senior brother. While they couldn’t say it was a life-and-death feud, Sheng Yushan certainly didn’t have good feelings toward Xu Qingfan. But thinking of Xu Qingfan’s humble and elegant smile and his graceful demeanor, Sheng Yushan found it hard to truly dislike him.

However, Sheng Yushan was still full of anticipation for his match against Xu Qingfan, especially eager to defeat him in front of everyone. This not only related to his chance of making it to the top four but also because he wanted to prove himself.

Sheng Yushan was not convinced by Xu Qingfan’s displayed strength. At the very least, he believed that Xu Qingfan’s power didn’t match the fame he had gained. To Sheng Yushan, Xu Qingfan was just someone who knew a few flashy techniques and moved quickly; there wasn’t anything particularly outstanding about him. The victory over his senior brother Li Yuhan was mostly due to the elements being incompatible and some luck.

Yet, it was precisely because of those beautiful and flashy techniques and his swift movements that Xu Qingfan gained great fame among the lower-level disciples at Jiuhua Gate, even being regarded as the fourth favorite contender in this competition. This made the proud Sheng Yushan, who had always been overlooked by others, feel even more disgruntled. Especially after he had won consecutively with ease but still received insufficient recognition, Sheng Yushan’s desire to defeat Xu Qingfan grew stronger.

To achieve a greater reputation than Xu Qingfan, the simplest way was to defeat him.

When Sheng Yushan saw Xu Qingfan slowly walking towards him, he tried hard to calm the turmoil and heat in his heart. He slightly bowed and said, "Martial Uncle, you have arrived."

Xu Qingfan returned the gesture and said, "Young Master Sheng, no need to be polite."

Sheng Yushan nodded, but did not say much more. The desire to fight in his eyes grew stronger. He simply said, "Please teach me, Martial Uncle."

Xu Qingfan saw how direct Sheng Yushan was about wanting to compete and couldn’t help but smile slightly. He thought that Sheng Yushan truly was a person who spoke through his actions, just as he had said. So, he calmly replied, "Young Master Sheng, please go ahead."

Sheng Yushan nodded and said to Xu Qingfan, "I apologize."

As he spoke, Sheng Yushan let out a light shout. His right arm quickly grew larger, just like when he had competed with Wang Qingfeng last time. It instantly burst through the right sleeve of his shirt, turning into a silver arm nearly six or seven feet long and eight or nine inches thick, emitting a dangerous aura. At the same time, his face twisted in pain, with veins visible and a crack resembling an eye appearing between his brows, glowing faintly. After completing all this, Xu Qingfan immediately felt a great pressure coming from Sheng Yushan.

It was the mystical powers Sheng Yushan had practiced, "Silver Dragon Hand" and "Evil Exorcising Eye"!

Clearly, Sheng Yushan knew that his Taoist spells could not compete with Xu Qingfan, so he directly used the mystical powers he was best at to fight.

In the audience.

Jin Qinghan suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Bai, who do you think has a better chance, Brother Xu or this Sheng Yushan?" After seeing Sheng Yushan’s performance yesterday, Jin Qinghan couldn’t guarantee that Xu Qingfan would definitely win.

Bai Qingfu, hearing Jin Qinghan’s question, frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "It’s hard to say. Sheng Yushan has stronger attack power, while Brother Xu moves faster. However, using magical abilities consumes Spirit Qi very quickly. This match will depend on whether Brother Xu can last through Sheng Yushan’s continuous attacks before Sheng Yushan runs out of Spirit Qi."

On the field.

After everything was ready, Sheng Yushan let out a soft shout and charged at Xu Qingfan. His speed was extremely fast, and his movement even echoed with rolling thunder.

Unfortunately, although Sheng Yushan moved very quickly, Xu Qingfan was even faster. In an instant, he had jumped three meters away, leaving only a faint afterimage that was shattered by Sheng Yushan’s "Silver Dragon Hand."

Xu Qingfan had carefully thought about the match between Sheng Yushan and Wang Qingfeng yesterday. He realized that Wang Qingfeng lost because he trusted too much in the power of his wind magic and underestimated the wonders of Sheng Yushan’s abilities. So, in the match, Wang Qingfeng only focused on using powerful magic to defeat his opponent and did not fully utilize his speed advantage.

Since Wang Qingfeng had already proven through his defeat that his approach was not advisable, Xu Qingfan certainly would not make the same mistake. So, facing Sheng Yushan’s overwhelming attack, Xu Qingfan only focused on evasion.

After dodging Sheng Yushan’s Silver Dragon Hand again, Xu Qingfan moved to the outskirts and swiftly changed the movements of his ten fingers. Countless Explosive Flame Flowers and Blade Grasses surged towards Sheng Yushan, filling the field with vibrant colors, beautiful beyond measure.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s magnificent attack magic, Sheng Yushan remained unfazed. His "Evil Exorcising Eye" flickered with ghostly light. The Explosive Flame Flowers and Blade Grasses flying towards him turned into shades of gray-green and scattered across the sky after being struck by the ghostly light. The few remaining flowers and grasses were blocked by Sheng Yushan’s "Silver Dragon Hand," causing no threat to him. After being hit by the Explosive Flame Flowers and Blade Grasses, Sheng Yushan’s right arm did not suffer any damage, despite the series of explosions and the sound of metal clashing.

But Sheng Yushan was shocked, because suddenly Xu Qingfan had disappeared. Xu Qingfan had quickly moved behind Sheng Yushan while the smoke from the Explosive Flame Flower surrounded him. Before Sheng Yushan could react, three Iron Vines appeared and wrapped around his chest, waist, and calves, leaving him unable to move.

While Sheng Yushan was stuck and couldn’t move, Xu Qingfan’s "Ruler of Wither and Flourish" turned into a green light and swiftly attacked Sheng Yushan’s back.

Victory or defeat depended on this one strike!

Just as the "Ruler of Wither and Flourish" was about to hit Sheng Yushan’s back, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, Sheng Yushan let out a loud roar, and scales began to appear all over his body, instantly changing into a set of armor that blocked the attack from the "Ruler of Wither and Flourish." Although he staggered back from the force of the blow, he was not hurt badly. After his scales appeared, Sheng Yushan felt a surge of strength and managed to break free from the three Iron Vines that Xu Qingfan had used to tie him up.

Seeing his Iron Vines snap one by one as Sheng Yushan broke free with great strength, Xu Qingfan was shocked, as he knew very well how strong the Iron Vines were.

Just then, Sheng Yushan finally turned around, and Xu Qingfan noticed that his face was now covered in fine scales. Along with the strange "Evil Exorcising Eye" and the terrifying "Silver Dragon Hand," Sheng Yushan looked nothing like a human anymore.

On the sidelines.

"I never expected that kid Sheng Yushan would have mastered the ‘Incarnation Technique,’" Bai Qingfu murmured. "At this rate, the match is about to end."

"Is the ‘Incarnation Technique’ really that powerful?" Jin Qinghan asked.

"Very impressive, it is a divine skill even higher than the ‘Evil Exorcising Eye’ and ‘Silver Dragon Hand’." Bai Qingfu showed a rare serious expression on his face. "But that kid Sheng Yushan dares to use three divine skills at the same time. The Spirit Qi in his body is being consumed too quickly, and the burden on his body is too great. Does he not care about his life?"

"What do you mean?" Jin Qinghan asked with a frown.

"It all depends on whether Junior Brother Xu can withstand this round of attacks from Sheng Yushan. If he can, Junior Brother Xu will win. But it will be very difficult to hold on." At this moment, Bai Qingfu’s face returned to his usual cheerful expression as he spoke.

On the high platform where the elders of Jiuhua Gate were seated, Zhang Hualing slightly changed his expression after seeing the changes in Sheng Yushan and smiled at Zhou Huahai sitting next to him, "Congratulations, Junior Brother, you have taken in a good disciple. He has mastered the ‘Incarnation Technique’ at such a young age."

"You’re making me blush, Senior Brother," Zhou Huahai replied politely, but a hint of pride appeared on his face.

"A new generation replacing the old! I remember when you mastered the ‘Incarnation Technique,’ you were already over eighty, right? Truly impressive!" Zhang Hualing sighed.

"Divine skills are just minor paths. I remember when you, Senior Brother, reached the Lingji Stage before the age of sixty; that was truly remarkable."

Skipping the mutual praises and sentiments among the sect leaders on the high platform, Xu Qingfan was now in great danger.

Since the transformation, Sheng Yushan not only had increased strength but also an incredible speed. Even while Xu Qingfan was intentionally trying to evade, Sheng Yushan could keep up with his speed. Sheng Yushan’s divine skill ‘Silver Dragon Hand’ was indestructible, and Xu Qingfan did not dare to confront it head-on. The Explosive Flame Flower and Blade Grass that Xu Qingfan shot out did not cause any damage against Sheng Yushan’s scales. Although ‘Ruler of Wither and Flourish’ could harm Sheng Yushan’s body, Xu Qingfan did not dare to use it easily for fear of his ‘Evil Exorcising Eye.’

Little did he know, at that moment, Sheng Yushan was also struggling. Using three powers at the same time was still too much for him. The Spirit Qi inside him was quickly draining, and more importantly, using three powers at once was too burdensome for his body.

"I can’t stay like this any longer," Sheng Yushan quietly decided. He was ready to take a big risk.

Just as Xu Qingfan was dodging and thinking of a strategy, Sheng Yushan roared again. His scales shone brighter, and his speed suddenly increased, allowing him to appear right in front of Xu Qingfan in the blink of an eye. His silver-glimmering arm swung down toward Xu Qingfan with great force.

With no other choice, Xu Qingfan pushed his speed to the maximum and quickly retreated. He created dozens of iron cattail leaves to block himself. Unfortunately, against the power of the "Evil Exorcising Eye" and the ferocity of the "Silver Dragon Hand," the iron cattail leaves could not stop Sheng Yushan’s charge. They were all broken through in just a moment.

However, that moment did give Xu Qingfan a chance to catch his breath. Taking advantage of that brief time, he not only moved three meters away, but also created countless large and thick iron cattail leaves as a shield in front of himself, forming a protective barrier.

After creating so many iron cattail leaves in one breath, Xu Qingfan felt his Spirit Qi waning, and he sighed softly, realizing that these iron cattail leaves would not last long against Sheng Yushan’s terrifying attack. When Sheng Yushan appeared before him again, it would mean his defeat.

And judging by the power Sheng Yushan had just shown, those iron cattail leaves wouldn’t last much longer.

To his surprise, Sheng Yushan looked at the shield made of iron cattail leaves and let out a disappointed sigh. Then, a series of soft cracking sounds echoed from his body. With these sounds, Sheng Yushan slowly returned to his normal state, though he looked very pale and his expression was gloomy.

"I lost," Sheng Yushan said quietly, with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"You lost?" Xu Qingfan looked at Sheng Yushan in disbelief, since it had seemed that he was winning just a moment ago.

"I am currently low on Spirit Qi, not enough to keep using my powers," Sheng Yushan said calmly. It seemed that in a short time his emotions had returned to their usual indifference.

"What a pity, I almost couldn’t hold on earlier. If your spiritual power were stronger, I would have definitely lost," Xu Qingfan said honestly.

"Losing is losing; there are no ‘ifs’ in victory or defeat." After Sheng Yushan finished speaking, he ignored Xu Qingfan and turned to leave.

"When I master my powers, I will come back to challenge you again."

"I won?" Xu Qingfan thought it was hard to believe as he watched Sheng Yushan walk away, feeling as if he were about to lose just a moment ago.

As if sensing Xu Qingfan’s confusion, an elder on the stage stood up and announced, "In the first match, Xu Qingfan is the winner."

"No matter what, I have finally taken a step closer to reclaiming my master’s relic," Xu Qingfan thought silently as he looked at the cheering crowd below.