Chapter 77 Turning the Tide: Revealing the True Cards
The two projection stones are Ji Mingran on one side and Shen Qingluo on the other.
Ji Mingran was facing off against Meng Yingyang of Hongqi Sect, Mu Huanhui, and Ye Wentang of Xiaosu Pavilion, none of whom were easy to deal with.
The outcome was obvious: no matter who made the move, Ji Mingran was powerless to fight back. She was destined to lose, and it would be an instant elimination. There was nothing to see.
Those who observed the practice showed little interest in it.
Compared to the four lonely people on Ji Mingran's side, the scene on Shen Qingluo's side is more interesting.
Accompanying the Shen family disciples were sixteen people, including disciples from the Beast Taming Sect and other allied sects.
Four Shen family disciples approached and guarded the four corners, while the rest surrounded Shen Qingluo.
The disciples of the Beast Taming Sect stared intently at the donkey beside her.
The scene was grand and even more interesting, drawing the attention of the cultivators observing from the viewing platform.
“Shen Qingluo is the same; she will definitely lose.” The cultivator on the observation platform analyzed, “If she hadn’t been forbidden from using her natal spells, she might have actually won with her abilities. But things are different now, and since the start of the competition, she hasn’t seemed to have used any spiritual artifacts or talismans. She probably hasn’t made any preparations in that regard.”
Someone asked, "Weren't the people surrounding her from the Shen family? Why are they fighting amongst themselves?"
"I heard she's fallen out with the Shen family, and they're trying to take her back."
“The Shen family never lets go of those who escape from the family. They might be concerned about the reputation of the Dingsheng Sect outside of the spiritual cultivation competition, but it's understandable if something unexpected happens during the competition. This time, she's in a difficult position.”
"It seems the Beast Taming Sect is also thinking about this, probably trying to take back the Qilin Beast through a competition. With the Beast Taming Sect around, even if she has the Qilin Beast, it's useless."
"Moreover, the four members of the Dingsheng Sect are all in different places, so no one will help her this time."
"We have absolutely no advantage."
The observers shook their heads and sighed: she was bound to lose.
People are only watching her to see how long she can hold out.
They weren't the only ones who thought this way. Seeing that their allies had taken their positions, Chen Ningzhuang felt reassured and spoke with a more assertive tone: "Sister, you..."
"Enough with the nonsense." Shen Qingluo stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze sharp as a knife as she glanced at the crowd. "If you want to come, then come all at once."
The disciples of the Beast Taming Sect had been waiting for this moment. The five cultivators formed an array at the same time, and a white spider web imprint descended from the sky, covering the person and beast in the center.
The spiderweb mark that was about to land on Shen Qingluo's head was taken away by the little horse, and the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect focused on the Qilin Beast, following it in circles.
"Sister," Shen Ningzhuang insisted on speaking, her voice soft, "I will plead for you when I return."
He slightly bent his index finger, which he held in front of him, while the other three Zhu family disciples clasped their hands together.
The intense heat instantly filled the entire space.
Fire fell from the sky, each drop a scalding, leaping flame, melting the ground into molten lava.
The fiery rain intensified, turning the surrounding area into volcanic lava.
Scalding hot steam rose up.
The Shen family's secret technique: molten lava rain.
Shen Qinglu frowned slightly. Just seconds before a drop of fire fell onto the tip of her hair, her figure flashed and disappeared.
She dodged the fire rain with a speed so fast that it was impossible to see.
The slender fire droplets bathed the entire projection stone in a red glow, and the scorching heat seemed to overflow from the projected image, making people feel as if they were actually there.
A girl in red moved swiftly through the rain of fire, her movements becoming faster and faster, yet not a single drop of fire touched her.
Those observing the trial exclaimed, "He is indeed a military cultivator; his physical skills are so profound that he can dodge spells simply by relying on his physical abilities."
"This is not just profound, it can be described as extraordinary skill. I think that among cultivators of the same level, there is really no soldier cultivator whose skills can compare with hers."
"No wonder he dared to challenge the family; he really does have some talent." The observer shook his head and commented, "He's young and impetuous, with a shallow vision. He doesn't know that there are always people more capable than you. He's just at the Foundation Establishment stage; he really thinks he can shake the family in the slightest."
He concluded directly, "A person like that won't go far."
The fiery rain fell like a torrential downpour, its range expanding rapidly. The little horse, which had been circling around Shen Qingluo, was unable to turn back and had to move further away.
In the fiery rain, the girl in red moved as fast as lightning, but the rain became increasingly torrential and dense. Her dodging speed could not keep up with the increasingly heavy rain, and she had nowhere left to retreat or avoid.
As if sensing something, Shen Qinglu stopped and looked up at the next wave of dense firedrops falling from the sky.
A sudden downpour began, and fiery droplets rained down on everything on the ground, including the beautiful girl standing amidst them.
Golden-red firedrops struck her face, one after another, burning her like spots, growing wildly on her beautiful face. A particularly scalding spark landed on her brow, flowing down and scraping out a hideous scar.
"Sister," Shen Ningzhuang murmured, "you forced me to do this."
Despite being roasted by the raging fire, Shen Qingluo didn't blink. She raised her left arm, palm up, as if to catch the fire droplets in her palm.
"I'm forcing you." She chuckled lightly, then turned to Chen Ningzhuang and said, "Who do you think you are?"
The five fingers slowly closed.
Firedrops from the sky, molten lava on the ground, and even sparks that landed on her face—the raging flames seemed to be torn apart and pulled bit by bit into her palms.
Flames flickered and swirled around her, as if trying to escape, but the girl stood in the center of the flames, her five fingers finally clenching into a fist, and the last flames that surged in were extinguished completely as if they had been spurred out.
"This..." The Shen family disciple looked shocked and looked around in disbelief, searching for the fire droplet.
The only light was faintly visible through the gaps between Shen Qingluo's tightly clenched fists.
"Impossible." Shen Ningzhuang's face turned deathly pale.
“Just because Father doesn’t teach me doesn’t mean I can’t.” Shen Qingluo met Shen Ningzhuang’s gaze: “Spells can be learned on your own, little brother.” The Dingsheng Sect’s treasure cave is full of fire-attribute spells, and among them are even the secret techniques that the Shen family keeps hidden.
The reasons behind this are not her concern; she should focus on learning.
She already had a foundation, so learning it was effortless for her.
“Self-taught…” Shen Ningzhuang’s face darkened, feeling that Shen Qingluo’s words were sarcastic. Self-taught? In the entire Shen family, only she could do that.
A surge of anger welled up in his heart, and Shen Ningzhuang clenched his fists: "Since you betrayed the Shen family, how dare you use the Shen family's magic? You've always been arrogant and proud, and wasn't it for this reason that you became a military cultivator after betraying your family? Now you've shamelessly used your family's magic?"
"This is our Shen family's magic; outsiders are not allowed to use it!" a Shen family disciple chimed in. "Aren't you ashamed!"
"Ashamed?" Shen Qingluo's eyes were calm. "If it's useful, why not use it?" She raised her hands, palms facing upwards, and clusters of flames danced lightly on the tips of her ten fingers as she moved.
She smiled gently: "People who can't even use their own magic properly should be ashamed."
“If you don’t know how, I’ll teach you.” Shen Qingluo spread her five fingers, and flames shot out instantly, rising higher and higher, spinning rapidly. She then closed her five fingers again, and the flames were divided into four streams.
In the next instant, the ground, riddled with molten lava holes, collapsed with a deafening roar, turning into molten lava. Several alliance participants were unable to dodge in time and fell into it like dumplings being dropped into a pot, all of them eliminated.
"You!" Shen Ningzhuang and the other Shen family members and disciples hurriedly retreated several feet, but before they could finish speaking, they heard a "smack!"
Before Shen Ningzhuang's eyes could see anything, the enormous fire whip was already poised to strike his face. The heat wave that accompanied the whip was intense and scalding, causing Shen Ningzhuang's skin to turn red and blister to appear. Then the fire whip lashed down, scraping from his left cheek to his right foot.
"Young Master!" The other Shen family disciples rushed forward to help, but were all whipped away by the three fiery whips that arrived like shadows.
Shen Qingluo stood a full ten feet away from the Shen family disciples. She stood still, twirling and turning, her arms waving. The five fire whips were like her five fingers, wielded with agility and freedom. Sparks flew everywhere, and the fire whips lashed out, each one striking the fleeing Shen family disciples without ever missing.
As the whip struck the ground, it scraped out streaks of molten lava, causing the ground to collapse inch by inch. The remaining disciples, including the Zhu family disciples and other participants, retreated step by step, forced to squeeze onto the only remaining rock about ten feet in size amidst the lava.
They stared in horror at the countless whip shadows gathering in the sky, trying to discern which fiery whip was about to strike from the sea of fire.
Shen Ningzhuang was protected in the center, but the heat made him sweat profusely. His robes were soaked, his hair was greasy and disheveled, and he looked extremely disheveled, completely losing his original relaxed and handsome appearance.
The whip fell with a whoosh.
"Formation!" He gritted his teeth and issued the command, his hands quickly forming hand seals. The three Shen family disciples, no longer on guard against the whip shadows above, responded swiftly, chanting the fire formation.
But the whips were even faster. Four fiery whips lashed out from the sky, wrapping around each person's waist and abdomen, and with a forceful pull, they were ripped apart in four different directions.
Shen Qingluo leaned her right leg back, widened the distance between her legs, stabilized her center of gravity, grabbed the arms of the four people, and swung them backward and downward!
The Shen family disciple, who was airborne, was suddenly pulled and slammed into the molten lava at an uncontrollable speed, splashing up a wave of fire.
The molten lava churned and surged, instantly swallowing up everything that landed on it, before returning to calm.
All of the Shen family's disciples who participated in the examination were eliminated.
Tara, tara, tara, tara... The sound of hooves grew louder and louder; the foal was returning.
Five disciples of the Beast Taming Sect appeared together, chasing closely behind him.
The four fire whips suddenly grew longer, and the whips swept through the air, not only reversing the situation for four of the Beast Taming Sect disciples who were chasing the Qilin Beast, but also sending them flying and falling into the lava.
Eliminate, eliminate, eliminate, eliminate.
Shen Qingluo loosened her clenched fingers and flicked them gently. The fire whip and molten lava disappeared, leaving only deep marks on the ground as a testament to the fierce battle that had just taken place.
"Let's go." She ignored the remaining Beast Taming Sect disciple, beckoned Xiao Ma over, leaped onto the horse, and rode away.
It was done in one swift and clean motion, and the situation was turned around in no time.
The observation platform fell silent.
One person swept aside fifteen participating disciples with ease, leaving everyone astonished.
Even the disciples of Dingsheng Sect who were observing the test were extremely surprised.
Someone asked the question that was on everyone's mind: "Isn't she a soldier cultivator?"
Non-specialized spellcasters may use some minor spells, but she was clearly using a high-level spell that only a spellcaster would use.
The soldier defeated the magician with magic.
Unheard of.
But that's not reasonable either.
"This doesn't seem right." The leader of the group of disciples taking the first-class seats had already challenged the Eastern Continent True Person of the Dingsheng Sect. Nanmen Hong was the first to do so, with a faint sneer on his lips: "If I remember correctly, Shen Qingluo is a disciple of your Yaofeng. Yaofeng is a place for military cultivation. Since she specializes in military arts, how could she also use magic?"
The spiritual community does not advocate practicing multiple skills simultaneously, as this would require disciples to expend more energy and effort in their practice, hindering their rapid growth.
In short, prominent families look down on miscellaneous studies, and only a few minor sects or independent practitioners who are not respectable would do such a thing.
If Dazong were to do such a thing, his reputation would be ruined.
This is a serious questioning of the sect's traditions.
Dong Lu remained expressionless, still with that calm demeanor, and turned to Nanmen Hong: "She comes from the Shen family and has only been studying military strategy for a year. She will naturally know what she has learned before."
"She dares to do that!" Shen Ting, the leader of the Shen family, was so angry that his eyes bulged and his face turned red. He gripped his cane so tightly that it almost trembled.
Dong Lu seemed oblivious to her anger and calmly reminded her, "The Shen family is out of the game. You may move to another seat."
All of Shen family disciples who participated in the competition have been eliminated by Shen Qingluo and lost their eligibility for the Spiritual Cultivation Competition. Since they have lost their eligibility to participate, the team leader has become an ordinary spectator and can no longer stay in the first-class seats.
This is the first time since the Spiritual Cultivation Competition began that the Shen family, one of the ten cultivators of the Daoist sect, has lost its first-class seats.
"I don't need your reminder!" Shen Ting, the leader of the Shen family, glared at her fiercely, slammed his cane heavily on the ground, stood up, and angrily left the room.
The leader of the Beast Taming Sect, Master Hexiu, was pale-faced and looked worriedly at his only remaining disciple. He hoped that his disciple could survive until the final competition of the Spiritual Cultivation Grand Competition, so as not to suffer the same loss of face as the Shen family.
"That's a good excuse." Nanmen Hong's attention was not diverted by this. He slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, his thick, long feathers drooping down, as if he were thinking about something.
The other leaders who had attempted to launch an attack backed down, filled with envy and jealousy.
Shen Qingluo has only been a military cultivator for a year, but her military skills have already far surpassed those of other military cultivators of the same level.
The Shen family's rejection of such talent is utterly foolish; Dingsheng Sect has truly struck gold.
"Huh?" someone exclaimed in surprise, pointing a finger at the other projection stone: "What's wrong with her?"
Upon hearing this, the leader of the Class A seating group looked over.
In the unnoticed projection screen, Meng Yingyang had vanished without a trace, while Ji Mingran, dressed in a gray robe, lowered his eyebrows and eyes, twirling his small cane as he looked peacefully at the ground.
On the ground, Hong Qizong Mu Huanhui and Xiao Suge Ye Wentang lay motionless, their faces deathly pale.
The girl's voice was pleasant and melodious: "I wasn't lying to you, was I?"
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