Chapter 142 Dating Routine 2
After the waiter finished speaking, seeing that the two had no further questions, he left the room.
Zhong Cai did the math—there were still thirty matches left, all of which should be pretty exciting.
Wu Shaogan was carefully cutting a palm-sized pastry.
This pastry is quite delicate and smells good. The outer skin is made with second-grade ingredients, while the filling is made with third-grade ingredients.
Perfect timing! Cut off a piece from the edge and give it to A-Cai, along with a little bit of filling so she can try it too.
Thinking it this way and doing it this way, Wu Shaogan picked up the delicate piece and brought it to Zhong Cai's lips.
Zhong Cai opened her mouth subconsciously.
In an instant, a sweet fragrance entered his throat, with a rich and mellow taste. At the same time, a burst of intense energy was transmitted to his limbs and bones, making him break out in a thin layer of sweat. This energy was beyond his tolerance, but because it was only a touch, and he was at the peak of the Palace Opening stage, it only added a new flavor to his experience.
Wu Shao chuckled dryly and asked, "Ah Cai, how is it?"
Zhong Cai answered without hesitation, "Delicious!"
Wu Shaogan's eyebrows relaxed as he cut the pastry from the other side and gave one to his wife, A Cai.
Zhong Cai ate it quickly.
Then, Zhong Cai picked out a few dishes from the table and gave them to Wu Shaogan.
Both of them were in a good mood.
·
At that moment, all forty cultivators of the Suspended Illumination Realm were standing on the arena.
Zhong Cai's eyes blurred.
A tall, elderly man had arrived at the front of the arena, facing the cultivators of the Suspended Illumination Realm.
His hair and beard were all white, and he exuded an imposing and dignified aura without being angry.
Wu Shaogan said, "The expert who has reached the Palace Building stage, is it Senior Ding Qing?"
Zhong Cai nodded, agreeing.
The white-haired old man nodded slightly to the crowd of cultivators and said in a deep voice, "If any of you have come here specifically to spar with someone, you may leave."
Zhong Cai was immediately amused, but there really might be such a person.
Many cultivators paused for a moment, but ultimately none of them came out.
The old man emphasized again, "Please think this through carefully."
"I'll be watching from the sidelines. In the upcoming matches, anyone who pretends to lose is slapping me in the face. Once you make it into the top ten, whoever gets the embroidered ball will have no right to refuse."
"If you refuse, you will be insulting my family and becoming my mortal enemy."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Cai couldn't help but say to Wu Shaogan, "Does Senior Ding Qing mean that someone deliberately threw the match in the previous days? If Senior Ding Qing saw this, he would probably find it truly an eyesore!"
Wu Shaogan nodded in agreement.
Zhong Cai sighed with a laugh, "People come here to find a spouse, but someone sneaks in to compete. That's not a very fair way to do things."
Wu Shaogan chimed in, "Indeed, that's why Senior Ding Qing emphasized it several times. Anyone who still doesn't believe in this is probably going to die here."
·
Among the dozens of cultivators on the arena, two or three seemed hesitant.
But in the end, no one moved.
Ding Qing nodded again and said, "Then the competition will continue, everyone please."
The next moment, two people stepped out from among the many martial arts cultivators.
The other cultivators left, handing over the arena to them.
As soon as these two cultivators made their move, they each unleashed a burst of explosive energy.
Amidst the explosion, colorful light gathered in the palms of the two men and collided with each other.
Their movements were incredibly fast, and amidst the flickering light, their auras surged constantly, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes strong, sometimes weak.
·
Zhong Cai had never seen this kind of playing style before.
Wu Shaogan raised an eyebrow and said, "The colorful light of the Dao Palace?"
Zhong Cai looked at Wu Shaogan and asked curiously, "Is this the colorful light of the Dao Palace?"
Wu Shao chuckled dryly: "Yes."
·
Once a cultivator has fully completed the consecration of their companion treasure, the more abundant the accumulated celestial yang and terrestrial yin energies, the higher the quality of the companion treasure, and the more intense the treasure's radiance.
When a cultivator reaches the Suspended Illumination Realm, their accompanying treasure will hang high above their Dao Palace, releasing its precious light and continuously strengthening the Dao Palace.
Throughout the entire Suspended Illumination Grand Realm, although the breakthrough methods for each minor realm are different, no matter how one cultivates or breaks through, the Precious Light will continuously strengthen the Dao Palace until the Precious Light is completely exhausted, thus ending the process.
The so-called colorful light of the Taoist palace is this precious light.
Cultivators can draw upon a wisp of precious light and integrate it into their own profound energy.
At this time, when circulating profound energy and using secret techniques, such colorful light will be emitted every time a move is made.
The colored light is essentially a manifestation of the power of the accompanying treasure. When the attack power is imbued with the colored light, it naturally carries a sense of intimidation.
The stronger one's foundation and the higher one's aptitude, the stronger the deterrent power of the colorful light—which will also enhance the cultivator's attack power.
However, this method consumes a lot of spiritual energy and usually cannot be sustained for long.
·
Both sides are now unleashing their colorful lights in an effort to determine the victor as quickly as possible.
Before long, the one with less foundation and talent will be unable to persevere.
·
Zhong Cai stared at the two people on the stage, squinting as she sized them up.
After a while, he pointed to the one on the right and guessed, "Is the one in white going to lose?"
Wu Shaogan glanced at it and laughed, "Ah Cai has excellent eyesight."
Zhong Cai chuckled.
When Lao Wu praised him, he naturally accepted it without hesitation.
As for what we call keen eyesight...
The young man in white was covered in sweat, his clothes were soaked, his face was deathly pale, and his breath was extremely weak. Wasn't he about to lose?
·
Sure enough, after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the young man in white was defeated.
He looked somewhat unwillingly toward a corner of the arena—there, Ding Jing was methodically refining pills.
It was completely undisturbed by the outside world.
Even though he lost, Ding Jing was not disturbed.
The young man in white was unwilling and somewhat displeased.
Ever since he met Ding Jing, he has been sticking around Ding Jing, but unfortunately Ding Jing has never accepted his advances and even held a martial arts contest to find a husband for him.
Therefore, he could only try his best to compete in the arena and seize the opportunity to win the embroidered ball.
As a result, these few rounds of battles alone were even more difficult than when he had previously tried to curry favor with Ding Jing.
All that effort was wasted; we can only look for other alchemists.
·
At this point, the victorious cultivator went to rest in a small house on the other side.
Two more martial arts cultivators jumped onto the stage, also unleashing the Dao Palace's colorful light.
They all wanted to defeat their opponent as quickly as possible, then recover quickly and prepare for the next match.
So it wasn't long before they decided who would win.
·
Zhong Cai looked at it for a while and then became a little listless.
Wu Shaogan chuckled and patted his head to comfort him.
Zhong Cai pouted: "This is really boring. I thought the last few matches would be a fierce battle."
Wu Shaogan smiled slightly: "The martial arts contest for marriage is all about the final result, and this will make things faster."
Zhong Cai glared at Wu Shaogan and snorted, "Why didn't you remind me before?"
Wu Shaogan rubbed Zhong Cai's face and continued, "Not everyone will use the Dao Palace Color Light, so we can always watch a few matches."
Zhong Cai pouted again: "Okay."
Wu Shaogan rubbed Zhong Cai's face again until her unhappiness disappeared before letting go.
Zhong Cai: "..."
Wu Shaogan touched forehead to forehead with Zhong Cai, sighed, and said softly, "Cai, didn't you come out to have a date with me?"
There seemed to be a hint of grievance in his words.
Zhong Cai cleared her throat: "Of course."
He understood instantly.
Then, Zhong Cai leaned closer to Wu Shaogan, bit his lip, and said loudly, "Old Wu, you're right. We're just here to have fun, not necessarily to see any exciting battles!"
Zhong Cai glanced at her husband, Lao Wu, and said even louder, "Besides, I don't understand it either!"
Wu Shaogan couldn't help but laugh.
Zhong Cai put his arm around Wu Shaogan's shoulder and chuckled, "Now that I think about it, the Dao Palace's colorful lights were so flashy, but they were actually more interesting to watch when we fought them."
Wu Shaogan turned his head and kissed Zhong Cai on the cheek.
Zhong Cai lazily rested her head on Wu Shaogan's shoulder and casually said, "In the first round, they didn't use colored light at all."
Wu Shao chuckled dryly, "Back then, most people would be eliminated, so naturally they had to show off their skills. Even if they didn't succeed in finding a husband later, they could still make a name for themselves and try to build more connections."
Zhong Cai nodded, indicating her understanding.
If you perform well, you might catch the eye of some powerful figure. Even if you don't, you can always find other beneficial opportunities!
·
Because of the enormous consumption of colored light, every battle is accelerated again and again.
Before long, half of the forty Suspended Illumination Realm cultivators were eliminated.
After the next ten games are played, it will be time to throw the embroidered ball.
·
Zhong Cai ate the delicious food while watching the cultivators who were about to take the stage.
The two cultivators acted swiftly as before.
Perhaps because it was the final round, they were all top performers, and their manipulation of the colored light was superb. They dodged, shifted, and jumped, and as they exchanged blows, colored light would occasionally burst from their palms and then recede, which was very dazzling.
The battle was also exceptionally fierce.
Zhong Cai murmured, "Fancy! And amazing! The combination of colorful light and secret techniques is even more ingenious!"
Wu Shaogan also took a closer look.
He was already able to understand many techniques of the Suspended Illumination Realm, and because there were so many Suspended Illumination Realm cultivators using colored light before, he had gained a lot of insights into this area and could see some of its mysteries.
—Once he is exposed to the light, he will likely be able to adapt to the colored light more easily.
·
Zhong Cai watched for a while, and then, inadvertently, she noticed two somewhat familiar faces.
After thinking for a moment, he recognized him and nudged Wu Shaogan's arm.
Wu Shaogan turned his head to look at him.
Zhong Cai whispered, "The first match we saw when we came here a few days ago was between the two of them."
Wu Shaogan also remembered that they had said at the time that the two had a good relationship.
Zhong Cai laughed and said, "That girl who won hasn't played again, so it seems she's been eliminated as well." He thought for a moment and then laughed, "If you ask me, since neither of them can get close to a pill master, and they know each other well, they might as well pair up on their own."
Wu Shaogan never refuted Zhong Cai's "ingenious ideas," and this time was no exception. He immediately gave a thumbs up: "Great idea!"
Zhong Cai laughed and rolled directly into Wu Shaogan's arms.
He didn't know what was so funny, but since he wanted to laugh, he laughed heartily.
Wu Shaogan smoothed Zhong Cai's hair, poured him a glass of fruit wine, and waited until he had laughed enough before bringing the wine to his lips.
Zhong Cai coughed twice, then drank the fruit wine, feeling quite comfortable.
·
Several hours passed in total.
It was getting late.
The martial arts contest for marriage continues day and night, attracting a considerable number of cultivators to watch every day, and this number remains high.
Currently, only ten people remain in the ring.
Six women and four men.
This is not surprising, since Ding Jing is a man, and there are more men and women in this world, so naturally many female cultivators at the Suspended Illumination Realm will come.
After a struggle, this is the result.
However, in the end, who will catch the embroidered ball will depend on their true skills—and a bit of luck.
·
Zhong Cai immediately perked up!
There have been some exciting battles before, but the next one is sure to be the most exciting!
The cultivators who are competing to find a husband have all come this far, and they will definitely use every means at their disposal!
Zhong Cai happily shook Wu Shaogan's hand.
Wu Shaogan grasped it back and gently squeezed it.
Under the watchful eyes of the two, Ding Jing stepped out from the corner of the arena.
He was not short, and his features were delicate. He had an air of elegance in every gesture he made.
Ding Qing also came.
As he lightly slapped the ground with his palm, a pillar appeared beneath Ding Jing's feet.
The pillar rose rapidly, carrying Ding Jing into the air as well.
At the same time, an embroidered ball appeared in Ding Jing's hand.
·
The hydrangea was quite large, with a diameter of about three feet.
Although it is not immediately obvious what material it is made of, it is clearly a rare and very heavy metal.
The surface of the hydrangea is covered with very fine, sharp thorns.
They are incredibly tiny, even as fine as cow hair, and there are so many of them that they are so densely packed that they look like a layer of down.
But in reality, anyone who touches it will know that it's definitely not fuzz!
Its destructive power is terrifying.
If you're not careful, your hands will be covered in bloody holes.
By then, let alone snatching it, even catching it will be extremely difficult!
·
Zhong Cai hissed, pointed at the embroidered ball, and said with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, "Old Wu, is this called an embroidered ball?"
Wu Shaogan couldn't help but smile: "It is indeed a hydrangea."
Zhong Cai gasped, clicking her tongue in disbelief, "If this hits, we're in big trouble!"
Wu Shaogan nodded in agreement.
Zhong Cai let out another breath and said, "If I remember correctly, this material... is gold beard ore?"
Wu Shaogan nodded again.
Both of them were very knowledgeable about rare and precious materials and various refining materials.
It is indeed a gold beard mine.
·
There are two types of gold beard ore.
One of them is indestructible; even using special flames to try to change its shape takes a lot of time.
This ore is predominantly golden in color and has no fixed shape. Although it is difficult to refine, it can eventually be formed into the desired shape.
Another type, with great toughness and similarly difficult to change shape, is "sticky" to that indestructible ore.
It is dark gold in color, varying in length, like fine needles or delicate whiskers, clinging to another type of gold beard mineral and swaying in the wind.
The name "golden beard" in gold beard ore probably comes from the two associated forms of gold beard ore.
If a magical artifact is crafted from hard gold ore, the gold ore can be removed first, and then reattached to the artifact after it has been refined.
It's like a parasite, very strange.
While these mystical artifacts are incredibly hard, the "Golden Beard" can also bring even more terrifying pressure.
·
Zhong Cai said, "Making this into an embroidered ball is the final test, isn't it?"
Wu Shaogan nodded slightly.
Zhong Cai then looked at Ding Jing.
He was holding the embroidered ball, but he didn't actually touch it. Instead, there was a layer of mystical energy separating them, which was also to protect himself.
·
Ding Jing said, "The one who finally received the embroidered ball and came to my side is my Daoist partner."
All ten cultivators of the Suspended Illumination Cultivator indicated that they understood.
Countless cultivators who love to join in the fun flocked over, crowding the area around the arena.
The most exciting part is about to begin!
Of course I'll watch it!
Many people even started placing bets enthusiastically:
"That girl in the green robe is very strong! I saw it before. When she was fighting, she didn't use the colorful light to drive away her opponent. She directly used her powerful combat strength to force the person out of the arena!"
"I think the burly man is better; he's obviously much stronger."
"That beauty in the red dress is also quite remarkable. But with her looks, surely she can find a suitable Daoist partner? Why is she here to seek a husband? Could it be that she and Alchemist Ding Jing knew each other before and have already secretly fallen for each other?"
"I don't think so. Maybe they just think it's nice to be associated with a master alchemist? Perhaps they actually want someone like Master Ding Jing?"
"Let's not talk about that now. Are you betting on her?"
"No, no, no, I bet on the girl in the white dress over there. She's incredibly skilled and agile! When it comes to catching the embroidered ball, the more agile you are, the easier it is to win!"
"That makes sense... So I'll bet on the white dress too?"
"And this one! I know this male cultivator. He's very aloof. Does he also want a Daoist partner? I remember a female alchemist once showed interest in him, but he didn't agree at the time. Could it be because he prefers male alchemists?"
"First, let me ask, what level of alchemist is that female alchemist?"
"Let me think, it seems to be... level three. But even if the alchemist's level is slightly weaker than mine, I can train them quickly. It's good enough to have one, I wouldn't be so picky. I think it's because he likes men!"
"I even said that he only likes Alchemist Ding Jing!"
·
All sorts of chaotic sounds were being transmitted through the crowd.
Zhong Cai had no spiritual sense, so even though she saw many people whispering to each other, she didn't know what they were saying.
Wu Shaogan understood Zhong Cai very well. Upon seeing his expression, he immediately understood and released his spiritual thoughts.
Then, Wu Shaogan recounted everything he had heard to Zhong Cai.
Zhong Cai laughed: "Old Wu, who do you think will be able to snatch it?"
Wu Shaogan pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That's hard to say. The remaining ones are all quite strong, and many are evenly matched."
Zhong Cai lowered her voice again and said, "Old Wu, do you think that male cultivator those people are talking about simply wants to be with a fourth-level alchemist, or does he have feelings for Alchemist Ding Jing?"
Wu Shaogan sighed, feigning concern: "My mind is entirely on A Cai; I can't see any feelings between others."
Zhong Cai hesitated for a moment, barely managing to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth, and hummed softly, "So cheesy."
Wu Shao leaned close to Zhong Cai's ear and said a string of even more cheesy things.
Zhong Cai jumped up in surprise, leaping more than ten steps away in an instant, and began rubbing her arms vigorously.
"What are you doing? Old Wu, are you doing this on purpose?"
Wu Shao chuckled dryly, "I call that sweet talk."
Zhong Cai felt her scalp tingle and quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need, I appreciate it. Lao Wu, just act as usual."
Looking at Zhong Cai like this, Wu Shaogan found her incredibly cute and almost wanted to utter a string of mushy words.
However, he ultimately didn't say anything, otherwise, it wouldn't be good if A-Cai refused to come over.
Zhong Cai was also puzzled.
Ever since the two started dating, his husband has evolved!
In comparison, he himself seemed much weaker...
Now, Zhong Cai could no longer care about other people's feelings for each other.
·
On the arena, Ding Qing raised his voice—
“Any cultivator vying for the embroidered ball may move up and down, but even in the air, they must not go beyond the arena’s boundaries.”
Anyone who goes outside the arena will be automatically eliminated.
Anyone who is knocked out of the ring area is automatically eliminated.
"Anyone who voluntarily steps out of the ring will not be considered to have given up, but rather to have provoked."
"start!"
As Ding Qing uttered those last words, he vanished.
The cultivators of the Suspended Illumination Sect did not focus their attention on Ding Qing.
Because of Ding Jing, the embroidered ball was thrown out.
The object was not thrown towards any of the cultivators on the arena, but rather into the very center.
The hydrangea tumbled rapidly through the air, its countless thorns whistling sharply as they pierced the air!
The ten cultivators who had been observing the Heavenly Light immediately sprang into action!
They leaped up from all sides of the arena, all heading towards the embroidered ball!
The fastest woman in a white dress had already arrived near the embroidered ball. She raised her hand, and a ball of white light appeared in her palm. It was the manifestation of her profound energy, which separated her skin from the countless fine thorns.
At the same time, she struck out with great force, trying to catch the embroidered ball!
It was as if a giant hand had appeared out of thin air!
However, the woman in the white dress's approach was ineffective. Several huge palms appeared on the other side, striking and shattering the woman's powerful palm, dissolving countless forces into nothingness.
The embroidered ball seemed to be struck by something, and it started to tumble rapidly, instantly shifting from one end to the other, almost immediately rushing off the stage!
At this moment, several more cultivators stood up and moved swiftly to grab the embroidered ball!
The embroidered ball was pulled back by several powerful forces, but due to the fluctuations from the collisions, it tumbled in the air several times and ended up in the opposite direction.
Then, the hydrangea was struck again and shot high into the sky!
That place was so high that it even surpassed the pillar where Ding Jing was standing.
The cultivators of the Suspended Illumination Sect flashed and quickly arrived in the sky, surrounding the embroidered ball once again.
That place was closer to Ding Jing than the ground level.
The cultivator who arrived first had already caught the embroidered ball and was about to rush towards Ding Jing's location.
Although the other cultivators were a little slower, they wouldn't let him succeed!
In that instant, all the cultivators attacked him simultaneously!
If numerous attacks land on you, you will inevitably suffer serious injury or even death!
The cultivator was unwilling to give up, so he quickly dodged and held the embroidered ball in front of him.
The embroidered ball blocked many attacks and also escaped from the cultivator's grasp.
The cultivators quickly turned around and chased after the embroidered ball.
The cultivator who had narrowly avoided all the attacks also fled quickly, heading towards the embroidered ball as well!
Under the onslaught of countless cultivators, the embroidered ball was overturned once again!
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