As soon as Lu Ping emerged from the Heaven's Spirit Hall's teleportation formation, he heard a deafening tiger roar. A loud laugh could be heard, "Sire's cultivation is indeed profound. We'll consider this battle a draw, so why don't we call it a draw?"
"Haha, sire's cultivation is admirable. Today's battle was truly satisfying. If we continued, then both of us would be heavily injured. Calling it a draw is exactly what I wanted."
Lu Ping was stunned. It seemed that he had arrived too late. The disciples of the five great sects of the Eastern Sea and the disciples of Zhenling had probably already begun.
However, the person who spoke first made Lu Ping feel rather surprised. From the voice, it was clear that Yao Yong had just fought with someone. However, with Yao Yong's personality, he would either win or lose in a battle. There would always be a result. For him to call it a draw like today was truly inconceivable to Lu Ping.
Lu Ping's interest was piqued. He walked towards the direction of the voice, wanting to see just who it was that could make Yao Yong feel a sense of familiarity.
However, before Lu Ping had even arrived, Yao Yong's roar could be heard, "Perfect, I have a few jars of fine wine in my dwelling. Sire, you've come from afar, why don't we drink to our hearts' content and see who's better at drinking?"
"How delightful! I didn't think that I would meet such a straightforward person like sire today, haha!"
Before Lu Ping had even arrived at the plaza of the Heaven's Spirit Hall, two streaks of red light had already streaked across the sky. Clearly, the two people who had just battled had already left.
At that moment, a person came walking over. Seeing Lu Ping, he was stunned for a moment before revealing a smile. Lu Ping asked first, "Junior Zhang, are the disciples of our sect currently sparring with the disciples of the five great sects of the Eastern Sea? Why are you leaving?"
Zhang Zicheng smiled, "So it's senior Lu who has returned. Senior Lu has come at just the right time. Our early Core Forging disciples have just finished sparring with the disciples of the five great sects of the Eastern Sea. Now it's time for the mid Core Forging disciples to fight. With senior Lu here, we should be able to win the first battle."
"Oh, they've already finished five battles? Who won? "
The disciples of the East Sea and the North Sea had a total of ten matches. Five matches were at the early-stage of the Core Forging Realm, and the other five matches were at the mid-stage.
Zhang Zicheng said with both excitement and regret, "Two wins and two losses. Just now, Senior Brother Yao Yong shook hands with a disciple of Sky Splitting Sword Sect and made up with him. Now, both of them are having a drinking competition. This result is better than Xuan Ling Sect's. I heard that Xuan Ling Sect only won two out of the five early Core Forging matches, and only won one round against Ouyang Weijian in the mid Core Forging matches. Now that Senior Martial Brother Lu is here, I'm sure Xuan Ling Sect will be able to win another round in the mid Core Forging matches. With this, Xuan Ling Sect is already half a round ahead of Xuan Ling Sect! "
Lu Ping smiled and said, "The disciples of the East Sea sects are all crouching tigers and hidden dragons. How can I say that I will definitely win?"
Zhang Zicheng did not refute. Instead, he said, "Senior Brother, Junior Brother was confident in that match. However, Senior Brother said that the disciples of the Eastern Sea's sects are all crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Senior Brother did not believe it before, but now I have no choice but to believe it."
"Oh?" This piqued Lu Ping's interest. Although his understanding of the Eastern Sea was far greater than his peers, Zhang Zicheng often worked under Heaven's Spirit Hall's Enlightened Master Profound Miao and Enlightened Master Guo Xuanshan. Presumably, Lu Ping would be able to obtain a lot of information from them. So, he asked, "Junior Martial Brother, did you hear anything?"
Zhang Zicheng said, "This time, although the disciples sent by the Eastern Sea's sects are all elites, according to Martial Uncle Guo Xuanshan, these disciples are not the best of the best. Whether it is Senior Martial Brother Ji, Senior Martial Brother Yin, or Senior Martial Brother Yao Yong, they can be said to be the best of the early Core Forging disciples."
Lu Ping nodded. What Zhang Zicheng said was true. The Eastern Sea's sects were indeed stronger than the Northern Sea's sects. So, he asked again, "Did Junior Martial Brother Xuan Xuan and Junior Martial Brother Xuan Chu also compete with the Eastern Sea's disciples?"
Zhang Zicheng smiled and said, "Yes, if it weren't for the two of them, I'm afraid it wouldn't have been easy for us to win. These two Senior Martial Brothers won one match each, Senior Martial Brother Yao drew one, and lost the remaining two matches."
Zhang Zicheng looked at Lu Ping and said, "In one match, Yuan Zhan went up. This person's cultivation has already reached the Third Layer of Core Forging. He exchanged several dozen moves with a Purple Talisman Pavilion disciple, but in the end, he was defeated."
Lu Ping nodded and didn't say anything. Zhang Zicheng saw that Lu Ping's expression didn't change because of his mention of Yuan Zhan, so he thought for a moment and said, "Originally, Senior Martial Brother Du Feng wanted to go up, but Yuan Zhan took the initiative. Martial Uncle Xuan Shu also selected his general. If Senior Martial Brother Du had gone up, maybe we could have won another match."
Lu Ping understood what Zhang Zicheng meant, so he smiled and said, "It's good to hide a bit. The five great sects of the Eastern Sea are stronger than us. If we make their disciples suffer, it'll be a bad thing for our sect. After all, the five great sects of the Eastern Sea are several times stronger than the ten great sects of the Northern Sea."
Zhang Zicheng nodded and thought about it.
Lu Ping smiled and said, "Why isn't junior martial brother continuing to observe? Are you going to leave?"
Zhang Zicheng smiled and said, "There's nothing for me to do now, but there's still the matter of the courtyard. Martial Uncle Xuan Yuan pushed all the matters of the courtyard to me, but now he's free and unfettered."
Lu Ping patted Zhang Zicheng's shoulder. After the two said their goodbyes, Lu Ping continued to walk towards the square in front of the main hall. In the distance, he saw several Core Forging late stage cultivators sitting in front of the Heaven's Spirit Hall. Among them, Daoist Guo Xuanshan was chatting with a cultivator with an arrogant expression. Lu Ping recognized this person's robe, he was from the Eastern Sea's Crystal Palace.
Next to them were two Core Forging late stage cultivators from Zhenling and four other Core Forging late stage cultivators from the other four sects of the Eastern Sea. From time to time, their eyes would glance at the two cultivators sparring in the middle of the square. One of the two cultivators from Zhenling was Daoist Liang Xuanfeng, while the other one Lu Ping didn't know. Presumably, he was Daoist Xuanshu who schemed against Huang Li Island.
Among these people, there was also a person Lu Ping was familiar with. It was Daoist Qin from the Northern Alliance when Zhenling participated in the Northern Alliance's Pill Gathering in the Eastern Sea.
Seeing that Daoist Qin was there, Lu Ping subconsciously didn't want him to find out that he was from the Northern Sea or even Zhenling's disciple, so he quietly stood in an inconspicuous corner and watched the two sides fight.
At this time, the Eastern Sea cultivator fighting was a disciple from Wind and Thunder Island, while the one fighting Zhenling was Lu Ping's acquaintance, Daoist Xuanlei.
Daoist Xuanlei learned a powerful thunder-attribute magic art. Wind and Thunder Island was famous for their wind-attribute and thunder-attribute cultivation methods in the Eastern Sea. Naturally, it was a fierce battle when the two met. However, in the end, the cultivator from Wind and Thunder Island had the upper hand. Daoist Xuanlei's Spiritual Essence was not as strong as that of the cultivator from Wind and Thunder Island, so Daoist Xuanlei was defeated in the end.
From the side, Lu Ping could clearly see that Enlightened Master Xuan Lei's fighting experience wasn't any less than the Wind and Thunder Island cultivator's. In fact, he was even braver than the Wind and Thunder Island cultivator. Both of them cultivated lightning-elemental spells, and they had been competing against each other with many basic spells. The lightning-elemental spells they cast were the same, but the Wind and Thunder Island cultivator had a slight advantage in these spells. More often than not, his spells were stronger than Enlightened Master Xuan Lei's.
In addition to the fact that the cultivator from Wind and Thunder Island had a stronger foundation than Daoist Xuanlei, the most likely reason for this phenomenon was that when Daoist Xuanlei advanced to the mid-stage Core Forging Realm, he smelted far less spirit items than the cultivator from Wind and Thunder Island.
Lu Ping had a lot of contact with Daoist Xuanlei on Frost Island. He knew that when Daoist Xuanlei advanced to the mid-stage Core Forging Realm, his accumulation was enough for him to smelt low-grade earth-step thunder-attribute spirit items. However, thunder-attribute spirit items were rare, so Daoist Xuanlei couldn't advance to the mid-stage Core Forging Realm for a long time. In the end, Daoist Xuanlei had no choice but to smelt two high-grade mystic spirit items. Although it was much stronger than the cultivator who smelted one spirit item, it was still not comparable to smelting low-grade earth-step spirit items.
This had always been a regret in Daoist Xuanlei's heart. Now, this regret finally had the opposite effect.
The Northern Sea was barren!
Daoist Xuanlei wasn't inferior to the disciples of the Eastern Sea in all aspects. However, ordinary elite disciples of Wind and Thunder Island could smelt low-grade earth-step spirit items when they advanced to the mid-stage Core Forging Realm. As the most elite disciple of Zhenling, Daoist Xuanlei couldn't obtain a low-grade earth-step spirit item.
In Zhenling, a cultivator who smelted a high-grade mystic spirit item when he advanced to the mid-stage Core Forging Realm could become an elite cultivator and have the possibility of becoming a Dharma Adept in the future, although the possibility was extremely small. In the Eastern Sea, the requirement was to reach the low-grade earth-step spirit item. Only then could a cultivator be recognized by the sect and be nurtured as a Dharma Adept.
The scarcity of spirit items in the Northern Sea was evident.
This was also why the Northern Sea cultivators could win more in the early-stage Core Forging Realm. When they reached the mid-stage Core Forging Realm and smelted spirit items, the gap between the Northern Sea and Eastern Sea cultivators widened. The most obvious example was when Xuan Ling Sect's early-stage Core Forging Realm cultivators could win two matches against Eastern Sea cultivators of the same level. When they reached the mid-stage Core Forging Realm, they could only rely on Xuan Ling Sect's number one genius, Ouyang Weijian, to win one match.
The second person to fight was Daoist Xuanxing of Zhenling. The Eastern Sea sent out a disciple from the Northern Alliance. Unfortunately, Daoist Xuanxing's strength was not as strong as Daoist Xuanlei's, but this Northern Alliance disciple was stronger than the Wind and Thunder Island cultivator. Daoist Xuanxing was defeated in a hurry.
The third person to fight was Zhenling's disciple. Lu Ping didn't know him, but he heard his name was Xuan Xiao. He was at Core Forging Realm Level Five, but unfortunately, he was still defeated by a disciple from the Violet Talisman Pavilion. In the mid-stage Core Forging Realm, Zhenling had lost three matches in a row.
At this time, the surrounding cultivators of Zhenling started whispering to each other. The competition between Zhenling and Xuan Ling Sect had been getting more and more intense in recent years. The two sects would compete in everything. In the previous few battles between the two sects, Zhenling always had the upper hand. This time, Zhenling only needed to win one more match to suppress Xuan Ling Sect. However, in the mid-stage Core Forging Realm, Zhenling had lost three matches in a row. There were only two matches left, and the strongest disciple from the Crystal Palace had yet to fight. If all the mid-stage Core Forging Realm cultivators were defeated, Zhenling would become a laughing stock in front of Xuan Ling Sect.
"Who's the next match? He won't lose again, right?"
"I heard it's Reverend Xuan Shang. He's ranked in the top ten among the new talents of North Sea. He should be able to win one match."
"It's hard to say. Reverend Xuan Lei might not be much weaker than Reverend Xuan Shang, and his opponent is Skyrend, known as the strongest sect in the ocean. Reverend Xuan Shang will probably lose this match!"
"As expected, the five great sects of East Sea are not something we can compare to. In North Sea, all of the cultivators from our sect who are fighting today are famous, but none of them can win against cultivators of the same level as them."
"North Sea can't compare to East Sea. No wonder some senior cultivators often say that our North Sea is barren."
"There's still one person from our sect who hasn't fought yet!"
"That's right. Where's Reverend Lu Xuanping, the Water Sword Immortal? Back then, during the chaotic battle at Tianling Mountain, Spiritual Master Lu Xuanping suppressed several cultivators of the same level from our sect. What kind of prestige was that? If he was here, he would definitely be able to defeat Donghai and not let that Ouyang Weijian dominate. "
"I heard that Reverend Lu Xuanping went to Universe Island with Fornax Laozu. He probably hasn't returned yet. He probably won't be able to make it to this grand event."
"It's a pity. Why did he have to come at this critical moment?"
"Perhaps our sect has other considerations. Think about it, if all the cultivators in the middle stage of the Core Forging Realm in our sect lose, we can still say that our strongest cultivator did not participate in the battle due to other matters. At that time, we can still save some face, but if Reverend Lu Xuanping is here today, once he loses, it will mean that our sect can't compare to Xuan Ling Sect, and Lu Xuanping can't compare to Ouyang Weijian."
"Forget it. Our sect has always been open and aboveboard. We're not afraid of being laughed at by others. If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose. Why would we use these dirty tricks? It'll just make others laugh at us."
… …
The Water Crystal Palace cultivator who was watching the battle with Reverend Guo Xuanshan smiled at him and said, "Your sect's early Core Forging disciples are not bad. They can be considered as elites among the various sects of the Eastern Sea. However, these mid Core Forging disciples are a level lower than Xuan Ling Sect's disciples. Although your sect's three disciples gave it their all, there were very few eye-catching performances. They can't even compare to Xuan Ling Sect's Ouyang Weijian. Ouyang Weijian can be regarded as an astonishing talent even among the large sects of the East Sea. His future is limitless. I've heard that your sect has always been on equal footing with Xuan Ling Sect in the North Sea. If he reaches the Dharma Manifestation stage in the future, he'll be able to suppress your sect. "
The words of the cultivator from the Crystal Palace caused displeasure to appear on Reverend Liang Xuanfeng and Reverend Xuan Shu's faces. When the Reverends of the other four sects of East Sea heard the words of the Reverend from the Crystal Palace, they did not say anything. They just smiled and watched the battle between the cultivators below, as if they had nothing to do with it.
Reverend Guo Xuanshan did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "Xuan Ling Sect has been around for longer than me, Zhenling. They've also been the number one sect in the North Sea for three thousand years. Their foundation is naturally not something that I, Zhenling, can compare to. Even though they're going downhill now, Laozu is the one who holds up the sky. Even if I, Zhenling, catch up to him, I can never compare to him."
His tone was actually one of weakness. The cultivator from the Crystal Palace smiled and did not say anything else. Instead, he looked at the fourth battle in the field.
The people who fought this battle caused Lu Ping's eyes to light up. East Sea had sent out Skyrend's disciple, and Zhenling had sent out Reverend Xuan Shang.
Lu Ping had fought against Reverend Xuan Shang a few times before, so he knew that Reverend Xuan Shang was stronger than Reverend Xuan Lei, so he had a chance to win this battle.
Just as he expected, Reverend Xuan Shang swung his long spear like a dancing dragon and fought head-on against Skyrend's disciple. The two of them fought fiercely, exchanging blows with each other, and the cheers from the crowd grew louder than the last. Skyrend's sword technique required him to press forward with an indomitable will, using offense as defense, and Reverend Xuan Shang was also a person who would rather break than bend. He was a person who loved fighting and fighting fiercely.
The two of them could be said to be evenly matched in their battle, and their fight was also the most dangerous. In the end, both of them were injured, and the spectators were incredibly shocked.
In the end, Skyrend's disciple used Heaven Splitting Sword, one of Skyrend's seven great sword techniques. Every single slash he delivered brought with it a presence that could split the world. Reverend Xuan Shang's spear technique could clearly not compare to Skyrend's disciple's sword technique, but Reverend Xuan Shang had found an opening and decided to trade wounds for wounds, causing Skyrend's disciple to hold back. He had a few chances to heavily injure Reverend Xuan Shang, but because he would also be heavily injured, he had no choice but to stop midway.
Skyrend's disciple could not help but let out a cold snort as he watched the battle from the front of Heaven's Spirit Hall. He was very displeased with his sect's disciple, but he praised Reverend Xuan Shang to the side.
Skyrend's disciple finally found an opening. His longsword turned into a long arc and stabbed towards Reverend Xuan Shang's shoulder.
Reverend Xuan Shang did not seem to expect that his opponent's flying sword would be so fast. When he saw that it was already too late for him to dodge, the cultivators watching the battle cried out in surprise. Skyrend's disciple also seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The pressure from fighting against Zhenling's disciple was simply too great. This person was basically a desperado. He would rather be cut by his opponent just to leave a mark on his opponent's body.
However, at that moment, the gazes of the late stage Core Forging cultivators from the various sects watching the battle in front of Heaven's Spirit Hall changed. However, their expressions were different. Zhenling's disciple's lips curled up in delight, while Skyrend's disciple snorted coldly. The other four sects of Eastern Sea shook their heads. At the same time, Lu Ping, who had been watching the battle from the side, also smiled faintly.
Skyrend's disciple had been careless. The opening on Reverend Xuan Shang's shoulder was clearly a trap he had intentionally left behind.
The longsword stabbed forward, but Reverend Xuan Shang did not dodge. Instead, he leapt forward and pounced on the flying sword. Skyrend's disciple could not stop in time, and the flying sword pierced through Reverend Xuan Shang's shoulder. However, Reverend Xuan Shang seized the chance to move forward and point his longspear horizontally at Skyrend's disciple. With one thrust, he pierced through Skyrend's disciple's protective qi and pointed at the disciple's throat.
In the blink of an eye, the situation had suddenly changed. Skyrend's disciple was dumbfounded, and the Zhenling cultivators who were watching the battle were silent for a moment before they suddenly let out deafening cheers.
When Lu Ping saw that his sect's middle stage Core Forging cultivator had already won a battle, Zhenling could once again suppress Xuan Ling Sect, he walked towards the Relocation Rune, intending to return to Huang Li Island. He still had many things to do, and he did not want to stay in this place for too long. If it were not for Tian Xue Laozu's orders, Lu Ping would not have paid any attention to the sparring between the disciples of Eastern Sea.
However, right when Lu Ping arrived in front of the Relocation Rune, a clear shout traveled into his ears. "I am Crystal Palace's Zhang Shijie. I have heard that your sect's Water Sword Immortal, Reverend Lu Xuanping's sword technique is excellent. Would you be willing to teach me?"
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