"Ending in anticlimax."
After watching the last two duels, the representatives from the Taoist Academy shook their heads, their faces filled with undisguised disappointment.
The first match between Chen Mobai and Gong Xiangyu was a case of the weak overcoming the strong, defeating an enemy beyond their level.
In this duel, Chen Mobai demonstrated tactical awareness and combat experience, as well as a complete system of spells and talismans. Among all the Qi Refining cultivators they had seen, he could easily rank in the top three.
As for Gong Xiangyu, Chen Mobai's opponent, he had mastered the art of spirit control at the Qi Refining stage, which was quite rare.
If Gong Xiangyu had indeed won this duel, Lan Haitian would have been willing to accept him into the Kunpeng Taoist Academy.
The second match was the most brutal of the duels, whether it was the breakthrough on the battlefield or the absorption of lightning into the body, both could be passed down as legendary tales.
"Only five people are left, do we need to draw lots again?"
Shang Qing asked the red-robed Taoist master in front of him, who shook his head.
"Let's follow the upper and lower halves of this draw. Kong Feichen and Yang Jing are in the upper half, while Yan Feng, Xue Luan, and Chen Mobai are in the lower half."
"How will the three in the lower half compete?"
Shang Qing was puzzled, he had never seen such a match-up before.
"Xue Luan can't fight anymore, he will have to rest in bed for the next half a year."
At this point, Ning Anning spoke up.
As the doctor who personally treated Xue Luan's injuries, he was very confident in his judgment.
"That's perfect, they can pair off."
The red-robed Taoist master clapped his hands, seemingly satisfied, and instructed the referee from Danzhu Academy to bold the names of the winners on the match-up chart.
"In three days, the semi-finals, you four better not disappoint me."
After hearing the words of the red-robed Taoist master, Chen Mobai looked at his opponent.
Yan Feng.
This was a stern-faced young man, dressed in the uniform of Yuheng High School, surrounded by his schoolmates at the center. Their eyes met, sparks flying.
"Hey."
At this moment, Kong Feichen's voice rang in his ear, and Chen Mobai turned to look at him.
"We agreed, see you in the finals."
"Right, see you in the finals."
Chen Mobai nodded heavily.
Hearing this, Yan Feng sneered and turned to leave amidst the indignation of his classmates.
"This guy is something, be careful."
Kong Feichen pointed at the retreating figure of Yan Feng, speaking with a hint of warning.
"Right, I feel he might be stronger than you, possibly the strongest in this duel."
Chen Mobai spoke his feelings directly, causing Kong Feichen to click his tongue.
"The strongest is right next to me?"
Kong Feichen pointed to Yang Jing beside him, saying something that left Chen Mobai puzzled.
"She can't reveal her true power, she will lose to me in the semi-finals. But it's a pity, I originally planned to let her face you, so I wouldn't have to do it myself."
Chen Mobai was even more puzzled after hearing this.
"You're so confident that she can beat me?"
"She practices a very strange technique, invincible at the Qi Refining stage. But using that technique causes her great pain, and she will be watched by the relevant departments of the Immortal Gate, so we decided to let her lose to me in this duel."
Kong Feichen's words made Chen Mobai frown, reminding him of something.
"She's not practicing a forbidden technique, is she?"
"Hmm! You even know about forbidden techniques!"
Kong Feichen looked surprised, as if Chen Mobai had hit the nail on the head.
"Let me remind you, Lan Haitian came to Danxia City this time to arrest someone who practices a forbidden technique. If you don't want her to be arrested too, it's best not to reveal this."
Although Chen Mobai and Kong Feichen were opponents, he had a good impression of them from their first meeting, so he kindly reminded them.
"You don't need to worry about that, the forbidden technique Yang Jing practices is allowed by the Immortal Gate."
Hearing this, Chen Mobai's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything more.
"Since she's invincible in Qi Refining, why don't you lose to her and let her advance to the finals? That way, neither I nor Yan Feng might be her match."
"I don't want her to suffer, and the four major Taoist academies won't accept her."
Kong Feichen looked at Yang Jing beside him, who remained motionless under her wide-brimmed hat after hearing these words.
"So I should thank you for stopping such a powerful opponent in the semi-finals."
Chen Mobai's words made Kong Feichen shake his head slightly.
"Either way, you're going to lose, there's nothing to thank."
The two exchanged words again, then turned and left at the same time.
On his way back to his rented cave, Chen Mobai was confronted by a few students from Yuheng High School who didn't know any better. But before he could act, the student council of Danzhu Academy stepped in, suppressing and driving away these people.
One of them was very familiar to Chen Mobai, it was Chan Si.Beside her, there was also the knowledgeable senior sister.
"The principal has specifically ordered to have you in the best condition for the semi-finals in three days."
The student council president leading the group was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with a gentle demeanor and a calm expression. After hearing his explanation, Chen Mobai thanked him politely. Then, under his escort, he returned to his own cave dwelling.
"The school has upgraded the spiritual energy of your cave dwelling to the second-order lower grade for free."
After the student council president escorted Chen Mobai, he swiped his card to upgrade the spiritual energy for Chen Mobai, then left with his people. However, Chan Si and Shen Juanxiu stayed behind, keeping him company for a while.
"By the way, isn't Danzhu Academy famous for its talismans? Do you seniors have any discarded spiritual brushes?"
Chen Mobai remembered that he needed to start making talismans after the magic duel.
He could buy talisman paper, and he had almost figured out how to prepare the talisman ink machine, but he still hadn't found a spiritual brush for drawing talismans.
The shopkeeper of the Wood Spirit Talisman Shop said that his spiritual brush was passed down from his ancestors and had been used since he was a child.
The best place to produce spiritual brushes in the Immortal Gate was naturally Weiyu Dongtian, but Chen Mobai was just about to start, and he didn't need such high-end goods. If he were to buy online, the local online stores only had a few orders, and the reviews were average, which made him hesitant to buy.
"I have a first-order superior grade bamboo brush. If you want it, I can give it to you."
The one who spoke was Shen Juanxiu. Her family owned a mine and specialized in selling a type of spiritual sand produced in Danxia City. Her wealth was astonishing.
"No, that's too precious."
Chen Mobai immediately shook his head and refused. This first-order superior grade talisman brush was worth at least a hundred thousand Good Deeds in the market. He wouldn't accept such a valuable gift without doing anything in return.