Chapter 114: Facing Qin Lan

The elders had a splitting headache; no sooner had they left than the geniuses started fighting amongst themselves without even waiting for the signal to begin.

Are all prodigies so unruly and insubordinate these days, refusing to follow instructions?

Looking back on the past, I considered myself talented in my younger days, with quite a renown in the Northern Region. Was I ever that obedient?

But perhaps this is for the best, letting these thorns sort out their ranks before the actual sparring begins.

"That Yu Sanbian is not bad; he can actually fight cross-rank, and his opponent is a prodigy from Central Province, possessing the manner of my younger days!" an elder praised.

"Old boy, stop putting gold on your face. Back in your day, you used Heaven and Earth Treasures for who knows how much just to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage. How can you compare with somebody's natural talent?"

"Exactly, Yu Sanbian is forcefully suppressing his cultivation level, holding back his breakthrough in order to solidify his foundation. Moreover, it's said that the old monk from the Western Region taught him a secret technique. Only when his divine skills are fully developed will he open his eyes, and at that time, his strength is likely to explode by three or four times."

"And those six disciples over there are also at the Nascent Soul Stage, and moreover, they are experts from our Northern Region. Truly a blessing for our sect!"

"Yes, I had originally thought these foreign talents would completely suppress our Holy Demon Sect disciples, but looking at it now, that worry was superfluous. Our Northern Region also has a constant stream of gifted individuals, and in front of those old fogies from Central Province, we too will have our moments of pride!"

"Indeed..."

The elders felt relieved. This competition wasn't just about how the participating disciples performed, but rather about the gap between the Northern Region disciples and the prodigies from other regions.

But judging from the current situation, the Northern Region's prodigies were in no way inferior to those from other regions, not only in strength but also in their uncompromising style of conduct.

Very good, they have not brought shame to the cultivators of the Northern Region!

The three groups on the stage were evenly matched, but the first to decide the outcome were Golden Spear Overlord and Yu Sanbian.

Being unable to take down his opponent quickly made him impatient, and finally, he unleashed his Great Divine Power to suppress the other. Although Yu Sanbian was strong, his lower cultivation stage ultimately was his downfall, and his opponent was a prodigy after all.

Despite this, the fight was not frustrating. Without using his big moves, the opponent had no chance to take him down.

"So this is the strength of a Central Province prodigy. Yu has learned much."

Yu Sanbian chuckled lightly, turning to leave without giving his opponent a second thought, infuriating the Golden Spear Overlord so much that he was steaming, yet was unable to say anything harsh.

All present were no fools; anyone with eyes could see that it was a Nascent Soul Stage prodigy who had embarrassed himself. Without another word, he stepped down from the stage and left as well, content to simply be a disciple of the Holy Demon Sect.

He couldn't afford to lose any more face by staying.

"Brother Ye, come and have a smoke with Huazi."

Yu Sanbian shook the empty box in his hand, approaching Li Xiaobai.

"Brother Yu, you bought ten packs of it just the other day..."

Li Xiaobai eyed Yu Sanbian suspiciously, seriously doubting the other wanted to mooch some Huazi.

"I forgot to bring them with me when I left home," Yu Sanbian said indifferently.

Li Xiaobai was exasperated by such a show-off and reluctantly took out a stick of Huazi to light up for Yu Sanbian.

After a session of puffing smoke, Li Xiaobai asked, "Brother Yu, how strong is Golden Spear Overlord? You managed to hold your ground against him for so long with just a Half-step Nascent Soul cultivation."

"Golden Spear Overlord is not weak; to say he's a dragon among men wouldn't be an exaggeration. It's just a pity; he came up against a true prodigy,"

Yu Sanbian casually took a puff of Huazi, exhaling a smoke ring, and said faintly.

Li Xiaobai: "..."

"Alright, big shot, whatever you say is right."

On the stage, Su Yunbing's match had also concluded with a clear victory, and his opponent was a genius from the Eastern Sea, which had always been shrouded in mystery.

It wasn't that the people of the Eastern Sea liked to be secretive, but rather, the Eastern Sea was situated over an overseas Penglai Immortal Island, naturally isolated from the world, with few venturing out.

Additionally, their frequent encounters with the demonic beasts in the vast ocean meant their cultivation techniques were quite different from those of regular cultivators.

However, even so, Shenxu Zi was no match for Su Yunbing. Su Yunbing took a domineering approach, seeking enlightenment through strength. No matter how Shenxu Zi used his techniques to escape into the void, a single hammer strike from Su Yunbing could always smash him out.

After exchanging blows, suffering substantial injuries, Shenxu Zi was hammered and sent flying out of the ring.

"I concede!" Su Yunbing said, as he cupped his hands together in acknowledgment and stepped down from the stage.

Shenxu Zi did not show any signs of anger, maintaining a serene demeanor, and also gave a polite fist salute in return.

At the same time, Third Senior Brother Lin Yin had also decided a winner with his opponent. Li Xiaobai always felt that Third Senior Brother Lin Yin's cultivation technique resembled that of an evil cultivator, striking viciously and using a toxic technique, with the grey fog clearly having a strong corrosive effect.

Even though the opponent was also a prodigy, against an all-pervasive offensive, they were quickly defeated.

Mouth gushing with fresh blood, they looked somewhat weak and listless.

The myriad of disciples beneath the stage widened their eyes; today was indeed a spectacular event, full of non-stop thrilling moments without a single dull look, as geniuses collided with each other of their own accord, paying no mind to whether they could advance to the top ten, seeking only to measure up against their equals.

However, precisely because of this, many cultivators in the arena became more eager, suddenly with three big shots eliminated and another who left of their own accord, fearing disgrace. Their hopes of entering the top ten soared.

It's fair to say that as long as they didn't face those freaks, they still had some chances of winning.

Qin Lan's eyes gradually grew more intense. She wanted to become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Holy Demon Sect, not that the Inner Sect was all that great, but she wanted to fight for her pride, to enter the top ten and be adored by more disciples, enjoying that feeling.

Watching as the figures on the stage ceased their disturbances, Feng Qingyang spoke up, "Is there anyone else who wants to cause trouble? If not, adhere to the order and proceed with the matches in an orderly fashion according to the sequence drawn!"

"Understood!"

Elders began distributing number plaques; two people who drew the same number would be paired off for the match.

Li Xiaobai looked at the number plaque in his hand.

Ring three, group one.

He was the first to go up.

"Go for it, junior brother. You can handle the senior sister's attack. Getting into the top ten should be no problem."

"Yeah, just relax."

"Brother Ye, you can light up a Huazi first to relax a bit."

Li Xiaobai: "..."

The elder brothers and sisters were as unreliable as ever, and so was Yu Sanbian.

Holding the number plaque, Li Xiaobai slowly walked towards ring three. Looking up, he was stunned to see that it was someone he knew.

The person opposite was a female cultivator, possessing a face that could overturn states, and it was none other than Immortal Qin Lan, who had joined the sect entrance test with him.

She had even extended an invitation to him back then. He never expected that they would meet on the battlefield today. Indeed, how unpredictable life could be...

But a match was a match, and he couldn't go easy. Once on the stage, one must put up a strong front...