Chapter 128: The Rookie Tournament

The eighth day of the third lunar month, Boruo Terrace.

Today marked the first day of the Novice Tournament. To Lei Xiang’s surprise, his first opponent was a beautiful woman named Tian Qian. As they stepped onto the arena, Lei Xiang was stunned; he had never seen such a beauty. In terms of appearance, she was even more striking than Lan Xi. Her beauty was filled with a primal, wild energy that made any man who looked at her feel his blood boil.

Boruo Terrace was a massive field, essentially a vast platform carved out by human effort. There were twenty competition rings on the platform, each protected by powerful barriers. Without a cultivation level of at least the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, it was impossible to cause any damage to these seals.

Lei Xiang and Tian Qian were assigned to Arena No. 2. After exchanging names, Lei Xiang did not rush to chant spells or form seals. After all, he was only participating for appearances; as long as he didn't lose too embarrassingly, he would be fine. He planned to lose this first match to avoid drawing unwanted attention, allowing him to continue hiding here in peace.

Tian Qian, however, did not share his intentions. Gritting her pearly teeth, she waved her delicate hand, sending a bolt of golden light toward him. Lei Xiang hurriedly cast a protective shield around himself. The golden light struck the shield with a sharp "crack," causing countless fissures to spiderweb across its surface. The light returned to Tian Qian’s hand, revealing itself to be a golden blade. It seemed this thirteen-level Qi Refining girl’s magical power was significantly higher than that of the "eleventh-level" Lei Xiang.

Lei Xiang certainly wouldn't expose his true strength for the sake of a minor reputation, but he couldn't just stand there and die—that would be too obvious. He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a low-grade flying sword, which began to spin above his head. After a flurry of dazzling hand seals, the sword surged to twenty feet in length and slashed fiercely toward Tian Qian. She sneered and pointed a finger; the golden blade rose to meet it. With a "snap," the two artifacts collided. Lei Xiang’s flying sword was shattered into pieces without suspense, and the golden blade continued its momentum, piercing through his protective shield as if it were nothing and dispersing it into sparks.

The golden blade showed no signs of slowing down as it headed straight for Lei Xiang’s face. "I concede! Senior Sister, please stop!" Lei Xiang shouted in a panic. Tian Qian seemed stunned; she hadn't expected Lei Xiang to be so cowardly, but she appeared unable to control the golden blade, standing rooted to the spot in a daze.

Lei Xiang cursed inwardly. He was caught in a dilemma: if he didn't act, the blade would surely strike him down; if he fought back, his true cultivation level would be fully exposed, rendering his disguise useless. In a moment of desperation, he pulled out dozens of talismans and threw them at the oncoming blade. The talismans transformed into fire snakes, fireballs, and ice spikes, striking the blade in rapid succession. While they couldn't damage the golden weapon, the sheer volume of attacks hindered its momentum, buying Lei Xiang enough time to use his "current cultivation" to scramble over thirty feet away. He thought to himself that surely now she would have the chance to recall the blade.

To his surprise, Tian Qian acted as if she hadn't seen a thing, standing there with her mouth agape and completely unaware that she should summon the blade back. Just as Lei Xiang was feeling stifled and weighing his options, a wisp of gray energy pierced through the arena’s barrier, latched onto the glowing golden blade, and forcibly dragged it outside the protective seal.

Only then did Tian Qian snap out of it. She jumped up and down, shouting, "I qualified! This is great! I finally qualified!"

Looking at the child-like Tian Qian, Lei Xiang sighed helplessly and slowly stepped off the arena. Just as he was about to return to his cave dwelling to cultivate, a voice stopped him: "Junior Brother, I didn't expect you to be so kind as to hold back during the Novice Tournament. With such a temperament, you will surely accomplish great things in the future."

Without turning back, Lei Xiang knew it was Senior Brother Liu. It seemed this senior had intervened to save him. He turned and bowed deeply, "Thank you for your assistance, Senior Brother. Otherwise, I would have lost quite miserably. I hope for your future guidance so that I may advance my cultivation."

Senior Brother Liu seemed to be in a good mood, nodding with a smile. "Guidance is no problem, but the path of cultivation relies mostly on perseverance and insight. Many things cannot be taught by others; you must observe and think more to gain understanding. How about this: come watch my match tomorrow—it will be against this Tian Qian. I hope you gain something from it."

Lei Xiang’s heart stirred. He immediately understood Liu’s intentions. Perhaps Liu had been in high spirits after quickly defeating his opponent to qualify, and he had come to watch Arena No. 2 to scout his next opponent, which was how he happened to save Lei Xiang. Realizing this, Lei Xiang was genuinely grateful; the senior wasn't a bad person. He happily accepted the invitation, unaware that this act of spectating would nearly lead him to his doom.

The next morning, the second round of the Novice Tournament proceeded on schedule. Lei Xiang arrived at Arena No. 12 to watch the match between Senior Brother Liu and Tian Qian. Dressed in gray, Senior Brother Liu stood tall with a suave smile. At the fourteenth level of Qi Refining, he had almost no peers in the Qi Refining stage. Moreover, having seen Tian Qian’s tactics yesterday, he was certain of his victory.

Across from him, Tian Qian wore a fiery red, tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her explosive figure, drawing the gaze of countless male disciples and turning her into an instant goddess. "Senior Brother, please."

Senior Brother Liu smiled gently, "Junior Sister, please make the first move, otherwise you won't have many chances..." Before he could finish, a scream erupted from Arena No. 6. The victim had clearly been killed. Before Liu could react, more screams followed. He immediately summoned a pale green flying sword, which circled him to form a protective barrier, and looked at Tian Qian, "Junior Sister, it seems there is a serious situation in the tournament. Perhaps we should stop..."

Senior Brother Liu stopped mid-sentence, truly shocked. Tian Qian, who was forming seals, was undergoing a terrifying transformation. Her waterfall of black hair had turned fiery red, her almond eyes were bloodshot, and most notably, her jade-like hands were sprouting thick black fur while her stature grew taller.

A demonic beast? I must stop her transformation.

If a demonic beast could take human form, it would have at least the cultivation of the late Golden Core stage. How could it be at only the thirteenth level of Qi Refining? Liu could not break the arena's barrier, so he had to strike first, hoping to kill this unknown beast before it finished changing. Making up his mind, he breathed out a puff of clear energy, causing his flying sword to flare with green light. With a "swish," he slashed toward Tian Qian.

The half-transformed "Tian Qian" seemed much slower now. She only sensed the sword when it reached her, lifting her right claw to block it. With a "clack," the sword was easily swatted away. The half-beast stopped its transformation, leaped forward, and thrust its black-furred claw toward Liu’s left chest.