"He actually won."
In the Mending the Sky Division, Zhong Liyi couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at Chen Mobai, unscathed and standing at the center of the screen.
"It seems that Lu Qiulong is not as formidable as his reputation suggests."
Zhong Liyi shook her head, commenting as one of the deputy leaders of the Mending the Sky Division. Besides concocting medicines and handling medical logistics, she also managed the sorting and distribution of various pieces of information and intelligence.
She had once seen a top-level document mentioning Lu Qiulong, stating that the Mending the Sky Division was focusing on developing him. They planned to recruit him after Lan Haitian's retirement to be another Foundation Establishment figurehead enforcer.
Now, it seemed he was nothing special.
"Is there a possibility that the chief of the Refining Department is just too strong?" Qing Nv spoke calmly, causing Zhong Liyi to pause.
"If that's the case, he's excessively strong." Zhong Liyi sighed as she looked at the handsome young man in the red and black long robe on the screen.
***
At the Student Council headquarters of Red City Cave Heaven.
Ming Yihua and others were cheering, while Hua Zijing stood in front of the screen, dumbfounded and in disbelief.
She knew Chen Mobai was strong, but she never imagined he could be this powerful.
That was Lu Qiulong!
Known as the ferocious tiger of the Immortal Gate, a Foundation Establishment powerhouse famous for his combat prowess across the thirty-six Cave Heavens and seventy-two Blessed Lands.
After witnessing the outcome of the battle, Meng Huang'er felt a sense of relief.
She put away her phone, ended her break, and returned to the studio to continue rehearsing with the Jade Phoenix troupe.
"Why were you gone for so long?"
Jiang Yuyuan, drenched in sweat from practice, noticed Meng Huang'er's seemingly happy demeanor and curiously asked.
"I watched a good show."
"A good show? What kind of play?"
Meng Huang'er rolled her eyes at Jiang Yuyuan's question. All he ever thought about was theater, a natural-born theater fanatic.
But it was precisely because of this obsession that he had managed to establish his Foundation early and was considered the most likely to master the astonishing Divine Melody.
Meanwhile, Meng Huang'er had been unable to establish her Foundation for two years, dragging down the average level of the Refining Department. The people who once flattered her were now looking at her differently.
"If only I could be as outstanding as him."
Meng Huang'er thought to herself, recalling Chen Mobai's heroic figure as he casually slew Lu Qiulong, her mind drifting away.
Somewhere in the square of Red City Cave Heaven, Lan Haitian witnessed the scene of Chen Mobai cutting Lu Qiulong into pieces on the big screen, his face showing surprise.
"This guy seems stronger than before." Beside Lan Haitian stood Lin Yin, leaning against the wall in the shadows, having witnessed the entire battle between Chen Mobai and Lu Qiulong. Having seen their strengths firsthand, she had originally thought Lu Qiulong had a better chance of winning.
She had encountered Lu Qiulong once while on a mission with Lan Haitian, and they had fought.
Facing Lu Qiulong, who had merged with a second-order peak beast spirit, Lan Haitian had a hard time winning.
That's why she thought Chen Mobai would be at a slight disadvantage.
Who would have thought he would win?
"If he had prepared in advance, he could have absorbed only twenty percent of that fierce tiger's malevolent energy. It's normal for him to lose."
Lan Haitian, however, saw the reason at a glance.
"Oh, did you think Lu Qiulong would lose before the fight?" Lin Yin was a bit surprised.
"No, my opinion was the same as yours." Lan Haitian hesitated, then told the truth.
Chen Mobai's victory was beyond everyone's expectations, including the Pure Yang Academy, which had arranged the battle.
"Now that Lu Qiulong has lost, who below the late stage of Foundation Establishment can defeat him?"
Xiahou Weihuan frowned, looking at Wen Ren Jue, the current chief of Pure Yang Academy. Under the academy's generous resources, Wen Ren Jue had already advanced to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.
Even facing late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, relying on the Pure Yang Scripture and Yuan Yang Sword Scripture, he wasn't without the power to fight.
But if he were to confront Lu Qiulong, it would surely be a fight to the death.
"Senior brother, although I'm not his opponent, this matter concerns the ancestor's record. Even if I have to die once, I must fight."
Wen Ren Jue said with a determined look, ready to project himself into the Minor Red Heaven.
"If it really comes to that, let's use the method we discussed before."
Just then, Sima Xingyu stopped him, opening his eyes to speak.
"Your sacrifice is too great. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I don't agree."
Xiahou Weihuan shook his head, rejecting Sima Xingyu's suggestion.
"Let's wait until he has won one hundred and nineteen battles."
But seeing Chen Mobai on the screen, like a sword god, defeating three more powerful opponents, Xiahou Weihuan wavered and sighed, nodding in agreement.
"Then let me go first to lay the groundwork for the final battle. It's also a good opportunity to probe some of Chen Mobai's capabilities."
Wen Ren Jue spoke, and the other two nodded in agreement.
"Ah, I'm feeling frustrated. I'll go vent in the Minor Red Heaven."
Seeing Wen Ren Jue's readiness to face death, Xiahou Weihuan couldn't suppress the frustration that had been building for two or three days because of Chen Mobai's consecutive victories.
He also projected himself into the Minor Red Heaven, wanting to match with two opponents and indulge in a killing spree.
Sima Xingyu didn't stop him. Practitioners of the Pure Yang Scripture, in order to break through and maintain the purity and strength of their spells, would usually follow the example of the ancestor of Yuan Yang, remaining celibate for life.
As a result, if their spiritual state wasn't high, they would often experience severe mood swings due to an excess of yang energy.
Xiahou Weihuan had managed to suppress it for two or three days, which was already a sign of a high level of spiritual consciousness.
But what these two outstanding chiefs of Pure Yang Academy for the past hundred years didn't know was that a shark hidden in the sea had been waiting for his entrance all along.
***
"Xiahou Weihuan has appeared."
On the square, Lin Yin saw the image in the top right corner of the big screen and couldn't help but feel excited.
"Good luck, we won't have to wait long."
Lan Haitian saw Xiahou Weihuan beheading his opponent with a sword on the screen and smiled with ease and comfort.
Then, he divided his consciousness and projected himself into the Minor Red Heaven.
"They're all trash."
Xiahou Weihuan, matched with a sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator who seemed to have a good chance of winning, was still unable to withstand his sword.
If only he could match with that junior from the Refining Department!
Feeling even more frustrated, Xiahou Weihuan decimated his opponent and clicked the match button again.
Today, he decided to kill thirty.
Then, his third opponent of the day appeared before him.
First to appear was a long robe of blue and white, embroidered with a strange creature with a dragon's head, a fish's body, and wings.
"A flying fish-like python with two horns. It's the Kunpeng Flying Fish Robe. Could it be Taishi Shu again?"
The opponent's projected avatar was gradually solidifying, and Xiahou Weihuan's face showed a smile. He preferred to face strong opponents head-on rather than weaklings.
Although Taishi Shu was only at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, as the chief of the Kunpeng Refining Department, her strength was formidable. Perhaps among the graduates of Pure Yang Academy, only he and Xingyu could confidently claim victory.
Just right, another defeat would probably vent most of the anger in his heart.
Xiahou Weihuan thought so, standing with his hands behind his back, arrogantly waiting for Taishi Shu to appear.
But soon, he felt something was wrong.
Usually, only those who project into the Minor Red Heaven for the first time would be this slow.
Could it be someone other than Taishi Shu, perhaps another Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Kunpeng Refining Department?
Could it be they couldn't accept defeat and called for reinforcements?
After this thought flashed through his mind, Xiahou Weihuan frowned slightly, but he was extremely confident in himself. Except for Lan Haitian, he feared no other graduates from the Kunpeng Refining Department.
However, what he feared came to pass.
When the opponent's projection fully solidified, Xiahou Weihuan, and even the entire audience of the Immortal Gate watching him, were all wide-eyed.
What's going on!
Why is he here!
Is the Kunpeng Refining Department really that sore about losing?
"I've also heard of your great name, said to be the genius most likely to be invincible at the Foundation Establishment level after me."
Lan Haitian smiled warmly at Xiahou Weihuan.
"You've been invincible for sixty years and are about to form your Golden Elixir. If you lose to me, your Dao heart might be flawed. Is it worth it?"
Xiahou Weihuan, after all, was the most outstanding graduate of Pure Yang Academy in the past hundred years. Although he was only fifty years old, facing Lan Haitian, almost a mythological figure of invincibility at the Foundation Establishment level, he was still thinking of ways to weaken his opponent's fighting spirit.
"If I don't lose, that's all that matters."
Lan Haitian said casually, then lifted his right hand.
Clang!
Seeing this, Xiahou Weihuan didn't dare to be negligent and immediately released his proudest Yuan Yang Sword Light.
***
The flickering of the Purple Fire Sword Light, after neutralizing the opponent's Yuan Yang Sword Qi, Chen Mobai's eyes sparkled.
With the Divine Command Slash activated, the exhausted Wen Ren Jue could no longer hold on. His head burst open, and he collapsed on the ground, disappearing from the arena.
One hundred and nineteen victories!
Chen Mobai glanced at his record, just one more battle, and he would surpass the ancestor of Yuan Yang, holding the longest winning streak in the Minor Red Heaven.
Breaking something with his own hands.
The feeling was indescribably delightful.
Just as Chen Mobai decided to go all out and match again, he suddenly paused.
His true body outside saw a push notification on his phone.
[Peak showdown, the invincible legend of Foundation Establishment VS Pure Yang Academy's number one Foundation Establishment]
[Shocking, Lan Haitian and Taishi Shu have this kind of relationship]
[An anger for a beauty, why does Lan Haitian not hesitate to bully the weak for Taishi Shu, click the link below]
[Xiahou Weihuan is just one battle away from ascending the throne of Foundation Establishment, becoming the second ancestor of Yuan Yang.]
If Chen Mobai wasn't clear about the reasons for Lan Haitian's visit to Red City Cave Heaven, he might have believed these eye-catching headlines.
However, this battle was undoubtedly very important.
So he decided to wait.
After Lan Haitian defeated Xiahou Weihuan, he would strike while the iron was hot, breaking the winning streak of the ancestor of Yuan Yang and delivering a double blow to Pure Yang Academy.
Thus, he exited the Minor Red Heaven and focused on watching the live broadcast.
Meanwhile, Sima Xingyu, who had crippled his eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation and dropped to the sixth level, waiting for Chen Mobai to match again, was turning red with impatience, unable to wait.
"What's going on, could someone else have gotten in?"
Sima Xingyu asked anxiously, while the technical person in charge at Pure Yang Academy immediately contacted the operators of the Minor Red Heaven to confirm there were no issues with the backend and to ensure that as soon as Chen Mobai clicked match, the next opponent would be him.
"He seems to have withdrawn!"
Soon, the operators of the Minor Red Heaven sent a message, and after seeing it, Sima Xingyu could no longer suppress his injuries and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Something's wrong, senior."
Just then, another piece of bad news came.
"What's wrong?"
Sima Xingyu circulated the Pure Yang Scripture to calm his spiritual energy and asked patiently.
"Senior Xiahou has matched with Lan Haitian!"
Bang!
Sima Xingyu stood up abruptly, knocking over the table in front of him. He immediately switched channels to watch Xiahou Weihuan's feed.
Just as he switched over, he saw his revered senior getting beaten.
"The Yuan Yang Sword Scripture is indeed extraordinary."
***
Inside the Minor Red Heaven, Lan Haitian moved his hands apart and together, suppressing and tearing apart the sky full of sword light unleashed by Xiahou Weihuan. Then, he moved like a phantom, suddenly appearing in front of his opponent.
With a heavy punch, Xiahou Weihuan managed to block it with his sword finger in time, but he also heard the sound of his right hand's bones breaking.
It was like a heavy steel hammer smashing down; even if his sword light could cut through a mountain, at this moment, it could only result in a broken sword.
"There's still a chance!"
But Xiahou Weihuan was also a peak Foundation Establishment powerhouse, and with the top-tier combination of the Pure Yang Scripture and Yuan Yang Sword Scripture, he managed to break free from Lan Haitian's magnetic force in an instant.
His eyes began to burn with blood, like two crimson suns, and his entire body's qi and blood ignited, breaking through the limits of Foundation Establishment in an instant, reaching a terrifying realm.
"Blood Ignition Open Yang Sword!"
This was Xiahou Weihuan's desperate move, which required burning half of his essence blood. If not for the Minor Red Heaven's exemption from consequences, he would rather admit defeat than use this move.
But at this moment, it became his only chance to turn the tide.
Feeling a spiritual force more than three times stronger than his prime, Xiahou Weihuan extended his hands, burning with flesh and showing white bones, holding a blood-red light sword, and slashed heavily at Lan Haitian who was pursuing him.
With this sword, the void trembled, and space twisted.
Even a Forming a Golden Elixir Taoist master would do no more.
"I might be able to win!"
Just as this thought flashed through Xiahou Weihuan's mind, he saw Lan Haitian extend his fair and slender right hand, gently grasping the blood-red sword light he had slashed.
Then, Lan Haitian clenched his right hand tightly.
Crack!
The blood-red sword light shattered into pieces.
"Is this all you've got?"
Lan Haitian's sigh reached Xiahou Weihuan's ears, and then his entire body swept past, with the latter's half-body pulverized into blood mist and bone fragments under his right hand's swing.
"Is this guy really just at Foundation Establishment?"
Chen Mobai, seeing Lan Haitian's clean and decisive victory over Xiahou Weihuan, couldn't help but widen his eyes.
He had never seen the invincible figures of the Tianhe Realm at Foundation Establishment, but he imagined that even those who grew up in the bloodbath might not be as good as Lan Haitian.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan