Chapter 58
"In the first round of the sect competition elimination tournament, Wei Tao of the Kunlun Sect will face off against Ma Xu of the Kunshan Sect."
The two named monks took their positions, and with the arbitrator's command, the battle between them was about to begin.
The Kunshan School was once part of the Kunlun School, one of the Five Great Schools, and it enjoyed a period of glory, but it later declined.
Now that the Kunshan Sect has become independent, relying on its former glory in Kunlun, it has been swindling and cheating people everywhere under the name of Kunlun. The disciples of the Kunlun Sect all despise them. Now that they have met, it is a good opportunity to teach them a lesson.
The elders of the Kunshan Sect were secretly delighted. If they won this match against Kunlun, it would not only be a great start but also a source of pride, and it would make Kunlun lose face. If they lost, it wouldn't matter much; wasn't it normal for their small Kunshan Sect to be unable to defeat a major sect?
Wei Tao naturally understood the reasoning behind it. It concerned the reputation of the sect, and it was the first competition, so they couldn't afford to lose no matter what.
The disciples who came to participate had all been selected through multiple rounds of screening. The fight was fierce and evenly matched for a moment, but soon the difference in skill became clear, and the Kunlun Sect disciple was superior and won the match.
"This disciple has not failed in his mission!"
Wei Tao returned to the elders to report the good news, and all the elders of the Kunlun Sect were beaming with joy.
The first battle of the game was a resounding victory!
The second match began quickly, and everyone turned their attention to the upcoming games.
"In the next match, it would be better for the Xuanji Sect to fight against the Kunlun Sect."
Having watched so many matches, many of which were crushing victories by the most gifted disciples, Wen Wan listlessly propped her chin up with one hand, looking at the arena with a seemingly drowsy expression. Suddenly, upon hearing a familiar name, she couldn't help but sit up straight and look towards the arena.
Wen Wan spotted Fang Ruo at a glance. Perhaps due to her improved strength, Wen Wan could now easily see through a person's strength. Even if some people wore magical artifacts to block their view, she could still see through them easily if she wanted to.
Fang Ruo's cultivation level was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, while his opponent was at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. With such a small difference in cultivation level, Fang Ruo was at a disadvantage.
Most people believe this will also be a crushing defeat, and they would rather crush Fang Ruo's game than not think so.
When the competition officially began, to everyone's surprise, it was indeed a crushing defeat. Fang Ruo, whose cultivation level was two minor levels lower, easily defeated Ning Ke and won.
Wenwan found it quite pleasing to watch her friend win.
"He cheated, arbitrator, I want to report him for cheating."
Ning Ke, who had lost the match, was quite embarrassed and angry, and shouted loudly in the middle of the ring without regard for his image.
The arbitrator, naturally, had encountered this situation before. He was very disdainful of Ning Ke's behavior, but still gave a fair reply: "Fellow Daoist, you must be sure to provide evidence before you speak. All disciples who participate in the competition must undergo multiple layers of verification to ensure the fairness of the competition."
Ning Keke didn't care about these things. He lost to someone with a lower cultivation level than him, and the other party was a disciple from some unknown, obscure sect, Xuanji Sect, which he had never even heard of.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible, the other party definitely cheated: "If he didn't cheat, how could I, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, be no match for a mere Nascent Soul newcomer like him, and let him win the competition so easily? He definitely cheated."
The people on the field watched this farce in silence, and needless to say, it gave them something to talk about during their leisure time.
At the Kunlun Sect's seats, noticing the low mood of the Supreme Elder, Elder Lü gave Wei Ye a look. Wei Ye immediately understood, stepped forward to stop Ning Ke's behavior, and apologized to everyone: "I'm really sorry, my junior brother lost the game and was in a bad mood, which made everyone laugh."
Ning Ke was still unconvinced and wanted to say something more, but Wei Ye warned him fiercely: "A loss is a loss. Don't upset Elder Lü and the Supreme Elder. If he really cheated, do you think the arbitrator wouldn't have noticed? Would the two elders not have testified for you?"
After Wei Ye's explanation, Ning Ke, having figured this out, glared fiercely at Fang Ruo. He still couldn't understand how the other party had won against him, but he remembered this debt.
Looking at the two people on the field, Wen Wan suddenly remembered Wei Ye and Ning Ke. They had a brief encounter on the Ark in Kunlun, but she never expected the other to be like this.
But that didn't matter; she was happy that Fang Ruo had won the match.
Moreover, he still owed Fang Ruo a favor; he had been fortunate to receive their help during the sudden tribulation.
"Next match: Wu Sinian, a disciple of the Huashan Sect, will face Yun Xiao of the Wanjian Sect."
First to take the stage was Yun Xiao, a disciple of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. He wore a black robe with gold thread, his eyes were piercing, and the sharpness of the sword on his body was clearly visible, indicating that he was quite powerful.
"Yun Xiao is a talented child. He is only sixteen years old and he can already achieve 'unity of sword and heart'."
"That's right, but he's still young and needs more experience. This is a good opportunity."
The two elders of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect looked at the young man in the arena with satisfaction.
"But this is...?"
On the arena, Yun Xiao's opponents were two men.
Ling Yue, who was walking in front, was eight feet tall and had a commanding presence. His eyes were covered by a black veil, and only his fair and delicate features were visible. He was clearly a very handsome man. His robe was crimson purple with gold thread, which made him look very noble.
While Wu Sinian behind him didn't have such a strong presence, he wasn't intimidated on the field. He had a lot of confidence in Ling Yue, and it didn't matter if he lost. So, he was very calm and composed at the moment.
The people had some understanding of puppeteers.
In a 1v1 match, if two people were to compete, the arbitrator would definitely intervene. However, the fact that the arbitrator did not take any action can only mean that the other party's behavior was in accordance with the rules.
Only a puppet replicated by a puppeteer can do this, which basically confirms that the other party is a puppeteer, and one of the two is a puppet.
Puppet masters are very good at concealing their true cultivation level. They rely on the protection of puppets. For both the puppets and the puppet masters, the person who controls the puppets is their greatest weakness.
Of the three people on the field, apart from Yun Xiao, one of the remaining two was actually a puppet. This thought was like a stone thrown into a lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves among the crowd.
It's unbelievable, it's too realistic.
The cultivation world hasn't seen such a lifelike puppet for many years. The number of puppeteers who remain is already very small. It's unexpected that someone would have such skill to make a puppet look so realistic.
It's just unknown how powerful this puppet is.
"If you ask me, the tall one is a puppet. After all, he's blindfolded. You need to be able to see to control a puppet, right?" said one of the cultivators in the audience.
“Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. Of the five senses, even without sight, one can still perceive changes in the surrounding environment through the other four. Besides, this person’s eyes are covered with gauze, which does not affect eyesight at a certain level of cultivation. If you ask me, the shorter one is more likely a puppet, easier to control and more flexible,” another cultivator said, offering a completely opposite view.
"This fellow Daoist is right. Let's watch the competition and look forward to the answer together."
Even disciples from other sects couldn't help but look to their own masters or elders, hoping for answers.
Elder Lü of the Kunlun Sect couldn't help but look at their Supreme Elder, who merely glanced at him coldly and left three words: "Watch the match."
Seeing this, Elder Lü couldn't help but think more highly of Wu Sinian.
"Senior Brother Wu, please enlighten me." Yun Xiao couldn't tell which was the puppet and which was the puppeteer, so he called out to Ling Yue, who was walking ahead, and took the lead in making his move.
He suddenly swung his sword, and in an instant, a burst of cold air exploded out, instantly spreading a layer of icy, interwoven ice formations beneath their feet. The ice on it rapidly spread forward along with the sword's momentum, heading straight for the two of them.
"This is the Frostbite Sword!"
Someone at the table recognized it as the Frost Sword, ranked third among the Ten Immortal Swords, and exclaimed in surprise.
No matter what, Yun Xiao is just a teenager, yet he can wield the Frost Sword and unleash such power, which is already quite remarkable.
Wen Wan naturally recognized it as Chu's former sword, which she had once wielded. Was this sword now in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?
The last time the two recognized each other, there were many things they hadn't had a chance to say before they parted again.
Wen Wan checked the contact rune, but still received no message, so she had no choice but to focus on watching the match.
With a flick of his finger, Wu Sinian and his puppet quickly separated themselves to avoid the attack.
"The tall one is a puppet," the Supreme Elder suddenly announced.
Wu Sinian used Phantom Silk, which was almost invisible to the naked eye. Only cultivators with a cultivation level of Mahayana stage or above could see the direct link between the puppet and its master by infusing it with spiritual power.
The top prize in this sect competition is Gangjin Sand, an extremely rare material that can be used to refine weapons and increase their hardness. Even though his opponents include geniuses from all walks of life, he still wants to give it a try.
The threads connecting him to Ling Yue will become even more stable after being adapted to the Gangjin Sand, which is also a kind of protection for him. After all, if the threads are cut, it will be fatal for the puppeteer.
The attacks on the field continued. After several probing attempts, Yun Xiao had identified the real puppeteer. Seizing the opening, he once again wielded the Frost Sword, its chilling aura aimed directly at Wu Sinian.
Just when everyone thought the competition was over and Yun Xiao would win, Wu Sinian remained expressionless. With a flick of his finger, the puppet and the puppet switched places in an instant. Sword energy pierced through the puppet's body, and the puppet disappeared instantly.
"How could it disappear?" Just as Yun Xiao was puzzled, a voice sounded behind her.
"Puppet Technique: Binding!"
It was the puppet from before!
Suddenly, several silk threads appeared behind Yun Xiao, coiling around him like venomous snakes and completely locking him in place. The two were instantly switched sides, Yun Xiao was defeated, and Wu Sinian won.
"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!"
After watching dozens of dull matches, this one was particularly exciting, and the audience applauded enthusiastically.
Yun Xiao was completely convinced of his defeat and couldn't help but step forward to ask, "Senior Brother Wu, just now you switched positions with the puppet. My attack should have hit the puppet, so why did it instantly disappear and reappear behind me to bind me?"
Wu Sinian scratched his head. This was the Netherworld Eye that his junior sister Wen had given him to enhance Ling Yue's power, but he couldn't reveal the Netherworld Eye, and he wasn't good at lying...
"This is my unique talent."
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