After the break, the stands of the Five Peaks separated again and turned into flying boats, heading towards the Wuyin Peak, the sub-competition venue. The second competition, "Treading on Water Without Leaking", will be held in the Hanwen Pool at the top of the Wuyin Peak.
The rules of the "Treading on Water Without Leaving a Trace" competition are to freeze ice on the water surface and move it from one side to the other. It sounds simple, but the Hanwen Pool is a huge natural hot spring pool with water temperature high enough to boil eggs. The difficulty of freezing ice on the hot spring increases sharply.
The competition is judged on two criteria: the speed of reaching the other side and the solidity of the ice. If the ice remains intact after reaching the other side, a high score is awarded.
"Isn't the Hanwen Pool very hot?" Si Rong leaned over the edge of the stands and looked down. "There's not even any mist in the water."
"Three frost crystals are placed at the bottom of the water to lower the temperature of the pool. Every time you advance to a higher level, you take out a frost crystal. The water temperature rises and the difficulty increases." Shen Qingmang explained patiently.
The first group of Qi Refining stage contestants participating in the competition came down to the ground along the suspended ladder extending from the stands. Shen Qingmang served as the scoring referee this time, responsible for evaluating the difficulty of ice freezing, and sat on the edge of the field.
It's hard not to dip your feet in this temperature, she thought as she felt the heat of the water.
Considering that some competitors might choose to freeze the entire surface of ice, the competition didn't start all at once, but rather took place one by one. The first disciple from Wendao Peak was somewhat bewildered. He tried to freeze the surface of water in front of him, but the ice shattered as soon as it began to spread. The steaming water seemed to mock his presumption.
He quickly changed his strategy, froze a small piece of floating ice on the water surface, stepped on it, and quickly froze a second piece. He did this piece by piece until he finally succeeded in moving to the other side. The moment he reached the shore, the last piece of ice melted in the water.
Shen Qingmang applauded to show encouragement, and soon applause broke out from several stands.
It is very difficult for cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage to freeze the entire surface of the water. The two groups with the highest scores were those whose broken ice remained on the surface of the pool the longest, and those whose floating ice had the most regular shape.
During the Foundation Establishment stage, the water temperature rose, making the competition even more spectacular. The disciples of Wuwei Peak and Wuxing Peak each froze a bridge of ice. The Foundation Establishment disciples of Wuyin Peak, lacking water spiritual roots, automatically withdrew from the competition. Gu Suihan, the last competitor in the first Foundation Establishment stage group, attracted countless attention the moment he stepped onto the shore.
"Your disciple is extraordinary." Another referee sitting next to Shen Qingmang, an elder from Wendao Peak said.
Shen Qingmang leaned forward slightly. "This is his main event. It should be even more exciting than the last one."
Shen Qingmang was very confident that he would win as long as the ice bridge he froze lasted longer.
The competition started. Gu Suihan raised his hand and stretched it towards the water surface. An icicle stretched out from the bottom of the water, followed by another one in front of its left side.
Is this going to be a stepping on plum blossom piles to cross the river? Shen Qingmang wondered.
Gu Suihan leaped onto the first icicle, raised his hand to condense the third, and then jumped onto the second icicle, causing exclamations from the stands. Where he jumped, a bridge formed between the two icicles. The rising steam did not melt it, but instead condensed when it encountered the cold, strengthening the bridge surface.
Gu Sui Han crossed over step by step, and wherever he passed, a connected bridge surface was formed. Shen Qingmang's expression was solemn.
His performance wasn't inadequate; it was too good. It was so good that it exceeded her expectations, and also exceeded the common understanding of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
This kid is obviously not an extroverted person, and he has more reliable ways to win the game, so why does he have to challenge such a difficult challenge?
She stared at the icicles rising from the water, pinched her right thumb, index finger and middle finger together, ready to rescue him at any time if he failed.
However, Gu Suihan completed the race steadily and came to the other side. The next second after he got ashore, the ice bridge collapsed, but no one would think that he was not successful enough. The high bridge just now said it all.
The number three in the Jade Ring of Wuya Peak transformed into a number four, towering above the other four jade rings and standing proudly above the rest. The disciples cheered with joy, their faces filled with proud expressions.
In the following matches, Wuwei Peak won one game, and Wuxing Peak won two. When it came to the exhibition matches for those above the Nascent Soul stage, everyone held their breath, waiting to see the masters from each peak show their skills.
By this time, all the frost crystals in the water had been removed. Steam filled the surface, and bubbles were even forming in some places. However, the elders all looked calm.
Wuyin Peak was the first to come on stage. Ice pillars of varying heights rose from the water surface, with air holes in the middle. Every time someone stepped on an icicle, a musical sound would be emitted, and together they formed an ethereal and graceful rhythm.
Qi Xiao, from Wuya Peak, emerged. He conjured a small boat, which drifted slowly to the other side. Shen Qingmang was somewhat surprised. She had assumed her second senior brother, with his qinggong skills, would simply float across the water.
Wuweifeng was impatient and directly put up the formation, forming a floating island in the center of the pool. Using it as a fulcrum, he crossed the pool in two steps and reached the other side.
The elders sent by Wendao Peak walked slowly with a strong air of retirement, and wherever they walked, the ice surface condensed. The process looked ordinary, but the slower it was, the more it tested their continuous control over the ice surface, and thus they won a lot of applause.
The last one to appear was Wuxing Peak. Everyone's eyes were closely following the person they sent out, the master of Wuxing Peak, the only two True Lords of Taichu Sect, and Baopu True Lord Cheng Wuyi.
He looked somewhat thin, his entire body like a sword gleaming with cold light, standing proudly between heaven and earth. With a flick of his sleeve, the steaming pool froze instantly. With another wave of his hand, a humming sound echoed from the center of the ice, and a massive ice sword burst forth from the ice.
"The cloud roc strikes the water, the South Sea is near, the frost sword soars in the sky, the Big Dipper is low."
Cheng Wuyi rode the ice sword across the ice, bringing up a cold wind. The low-level cultivators in the stands couldn't help but wrap themselves tightly in their Taoist robes.
Shen Qingmang held his jaw, nearly dropping in shock, and exclaimed in admiration, "What a bold and courageous person! He is indeed the Master Baopu, who can transform everything into a sword. The Hanwen Pool has become his forge."
The elder of Wendao Peak stroked his beard and said, "Master Baopu has received the true teachings of the Formless Immortal Lord, and his ascension is just around the corner."
Shen Qingmang recalled the plot. Master Baopu had ascended to heaven before the Taichu Sect encountered a disaster. Perhaps if he had stayed here all the time, other sects would not dare to attack.
But she had no control over the ascension of this senior.
After the second competition, Shen Qingmang returned to the Wuya Peak stands carrying a bamboo basket, and the children looked at him curiously.
"Master, what is this?"
Shen Qingmang opened the lid and smiled contentedly. "It's a hot spring egg. I put it in the warm water pool before the competition started. The egg white is transparent and tastes great. You all should try it."
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