Volume 1 Chapter 41

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Volume 1 Chapter 41: The Final Battle

On the day of the finals, the square was filled with a bustling crowd, as if everyone from Jiuhua Mountain had gathered here. Today was the day for Feng Qingtian and Jin Qinghan to compete. Both were renowned in Jiuhua Gate and were known together as the "Jiuhua Twin Talents." Many elders, who had been in seclusion for a long time, had heard of these two, so much so that many of them ended their seclusion early to watch the finals. Looking around, the high platform in front of Linghua Hall was full of elderly people with white hair.

Xu Qingfan heard from a senior brother, who was responsible for coming down the mountain to buy supplies, that it had been raining spring rain outside Jiuhua Mountain for three days, but inside Jiuhua Mountain, the sun was shining brightly, with fluffy white clouds, and a gentle breeze making the clothing flutter slightly, giving a sense of paradise.

But where there are people, there will be conflict, and sometimes, conflicts are even created by people. This is true even in a paradise or a holy land for cultivation, and the grand competition at Jiuhua Gate is one such example. Fortunately, this grand conflict was finally coming to its climax and conclusion today.

Although Xu Qingfan had meditated and rested all night, his injuries had only healed a little. However, he still arrived early at the square. Even though he could no longer help Jin Qinghan, watching Jin Qinghan compete in person made him feel more at ease.

"I think Feng Qingtian will win this match. His fire-type technique is specially designed to defeat Jin Qinghan’s gold-type technique."

"That’s not certain. Didn’t you see how Jin Qinghan defeated the third favorite, Lv Qingshang, in the last match? After mastering the ‘Golden Armor Technique’, Jin Qinghan is nearly invulnerable. He is the first Inedia Stage disciple in Jiuhua Gate to master this technique in nearly seven hundred years."

"Although the ‘Golden Armor Technique’ has strong defense, can it withstand Feng Qingtian’s ‘Flame Phoenix’?"

"Feng Qingtian’s fire-type technique doesn’t have any defensive spells either, so it will be hard for him to defend against Jin Qinghan’s attacks."

Listening to the supporters of Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian arguing about who would win, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. To be honest, he thought Feng Qingtian had a higher chance of winning in the competition between the two. Not to mention Feng Qingtian’s powerful and mysterious magical skills passed down in his family, when it came to their abilities, they were perhaps similar in talent, but Feng Qingtian had been practicing since he was six years old, giving him a full ten years more experience than Jin Qinghan. Moreover, Feng Qingtian’s fire-type Spirit Qi was strong against Jin Qinghan’s gold-type Spirit Qi, making it seem likely that Feng Qingtian would win.

However, thinking of Jin Qinghan’s determined eyes and stubborn face whenever he talked about Feng Qingtian, Xu Qingfan felt that anything was possible. He just hoped that if Jin Qinghan lost this match, it wouldn’t be too hard on him. After all, the path to becoming an immortal is long, and there would be more matches in the future.

"Senior Brother Xu." Just as Xu Qingfan was worried, a charming voice suddenly came from behind. He turned to see Dongfang Qingling.

"Junior Martial Sister Dongfang." Xu Qingfan smiled gently and greeted her.

"Senior Brother Xu, have you recovered from your internal injuries from the match with Feng Qingtian the other day? I saw you cough up a lot of blood out there," Dongfang Qingling asked with concern. After saying this, she seemed to think she had been too caring, and a slight blush appeared on her fair face.

I must say, Dongfang Qingling’s blush was quite charming, and Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel a bit startled by her beauty, but he ultimately held back his feelings and smiled softly, saying, "Thank you for your concern, younger martial sister. I’m much better now."

"Oh, that’s good to hear."

After saying this, both of them found themselves in an awkward silence. Xu Qingfan had never interacted with a girl before and didn’t know how to start a conversation, while Dongfang Qingling was used to men approaching her, making the atmosphere suddenly quiet.

The silence made things feel even more intimate.

In the end, Dongfang Qingling overcame her shyness, secretly called Xu Qingfan a "blockhead" several times, and said, "Senior Brother, it was a pity that you lost to Feng Qingtian in the match the day before yesterday. You had several chances to win."

Hearing Dongfang Qingling’s words, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but recall his match with Feng Qingtian. It was the first time he faced an opponent where he had no hope of winning by any means. He gently said, "Losing to opponents of equal strength is what I would call a pity. Feng Qingtian is much stronger than I am, so losing to him is not a shame; it’s just that I am not as skilled."

"Senior Brother Xu, you shouldn’t say that! If you could defeat me, you’re not worse than Feng Qingtian. If you didn’t win this time, you will surely win next time," Dongfang Qingling quickly glanced up at Xu Qingfan and saw that his expression was a bit gloomy, so she hurriedly comforted him.

Seeing the serious look on Dongfang Qingling’s face as she spoke, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but smile lightly. It seems that Dongfang Qingling has indeed been spoiled by her master, thinking her skills are nearly as high as Feng Qingtian’s. Xu Qingfan knew his own abilities; if he couldn’t beat Feng Qingtian now, he certainly wouldn’t be able to in the future. After all, according to Lu Huayan, the highest level Xu Qingfan could reach in his lifetime would be the late stage of the Lingji Stage. Considering Feng Qingtian’s talent, it was hard to imagine he wouldn’t step into the Condensed Core Stage.

But Xu Qingfan didn’t want to shatter Dongfang Qingling’s innocent thoughts; he believed that all innocence is beautiful. So he smiled softly and said, "I hope so. Thank you for your encouragement, Junior Martial Sister Dongfang."

Just as Dongfang Qingling was about to say something else, she suddenly changed her mind and said, "Since you said that, Senior Brother Xu, I feel relieved. It’s getting late, and I need to head back to practice."

"Aren’t you going to stay and watch the final match between Feng Qingtian and Jin Qinghan?" Xu Qingfan asked curiously.

"It’s just a match between two arrogant people. Why would I want to watch it?"

Hearing Dongfang Qingling’s words, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback; he didn’t expect Dongfang Qingling to view Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian in that way.

"Junior Brother Xu, you arrived so early." Just as Xu Qingfan was staring at Dongfang Qingling’s figure in a daze, he heard Bai Qingfu’s voice.

Bai Qingfu still had a cheerful smile, as if the recent failures in the competition had no effect on him. However, Xu Qingfan always felt something was strange; it seemed that every time Dongfang Qingling saw Bai Qingfu, she would quickly leave, her face showing a hint of fear, as if she was avoiding something.

But then Xu Qingfan thought again, how could Dongfang Qingling, who had always lived under her master’s protection, be afraid of Bai Qingfu? He couldn’t help but shake his head, feeling like he was overthinking.

"Senior Brother Bai, you’re here," Xu Qingfan greeted with a bow.

"Where is Junior Brother Jin? Isn’t he here yet?" Bai Qingfu asked with a smile.

"I don’t know, maybe he will arrive soon."

Just then, the crowd at the edge of the square began to stir, and when Xu Qingfan turned to look, he saw Jin Qinghan coming.

After Jin Qinghan arrived at the square, he ignored the crowd’s awed gazes and walked straight toward Xu Qingfan.

"Senior Brother Xu, why are you here too? Shouldn’t you be resting in the back mountain?" As he approached, Jin Qinghan greeted Bai Qingfu first, then asked Xu Qingfan, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.

"It’s fine to take a day or two longer to heal. However, I missed your past few matches, and I can’t miss this one no matter what." Hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Xu Qingfan felt a warm feeling in his heart and smiled as he comforted him.

"Junior Brother Jin, do you have confidence in this match?" Bai Qingfu asked with a smile.

"You can only know if you have confidence after you compete," Jin Qinghan replied calmly.

Just then, Feng Qingtian arrived in the square, causing a stir among the crowd.

At the same time Feng Qingtian arrived, the sound of bells began to echo through Jiuhua Mountain, signaling the start of the match. It must be said that Feng Qingtian knows how to manage his time well; he always arrives at the last moment before the match begins.

"Senior Brother Xu, Senior Brother Bai, I’m going," Jin Qinghan said, his expression growing even more serious as the bells rang.

"I wish you victory, Junior Brother Jin," Bai Qingfu said with a smile.

Xu Qingfan simply smiled and nodded, saying nothing more. He knew that sometimes encouragement and expectation just created more pressure for a person.

Jin Qinghan nodded to the two of them and then turned to walk slowly toward the arena.

Looking at Jin Qinghan’s proud back, Bai Qingfu asked, "Junior Brother Xu, do you think Junior Brother Jin can win this contest?"

"I hope he can win," Xu Qingfan said softly.

On the high platform.

Sect leader Zhang Hualing chuckled and said, "Junior Martial Brother Weichi, you have trained a good student for our Jiuhua Gate. At such a young age, he has achieved so much; he will surely become a great master of our Jiuhua Gate in the future."

Jin Qinghan’s master, Elder Weichi, did not show much delight, but instead said with a serious expression, "This child Qinghan has great talent; he is smart and hardworking. But his opponent this time is a descendant of the Feng family, so winning will not be easy."

"Hmph, what if he is a descendant of the Feng family? Wasn’t their family also…" Supreme Protector Zhou Huahai clearly had some grievances against the Feng family, but for some reason, he stopped after half a sentence, as if he thought of something and hesitated.

Zhang Hualing laughed and said, "Hehe, didn’t Junior Martial Brother Weichi give Qinghan those things you used back in the day?"

"I did give them, but since the time is too short, whether he can master them depends on him," Elder Weichi said slowly.

On the field, when Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian stood quietly without saying anything, they just coldly stared at each other. No matter how proud they were, they had to admit that the person before them might become their destined rival.

As time passed, the two continued to stare at each other in silence, but the audience below showed no signs of impatience. They simply watched quietly, waiting for the moment of great excitement to arrive.

Under the pressure of the atmosphere, the Spirit Qi within both of them began to stir uncontrollably. A soft golden light radiated from Jin Qinghan, while a gentle red light shone from Feng Qingtian. In that moment, the golden and red lights began to confront each other, making the atmosphere even more intense.

"Could you warm up with me?"

In that incredibly quiet moment, Feng Qingtian suddenly broke the silence and said with a gentle smile.

"I would be happy to." Upon hearing Feng Qingtian’s slightly dismissive words, Jin Qinghan’s expression did not change; he simply replied in a cold tone.