Chapter 361: I. ADMIT. DEFEAT

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To be perfectly honest, Lu Yang had been utterly struck with awe when the Invincible Elixir provided such a meticulously detailed counterstrategy.

Previously, the Invincible Elixir offered only two options—either to flee for one's life or to strike haphazardly—which had caused Lu Yang to consistently regard it merely as a cultivation detection technique.

He had never imagined that when confronted with a formidable adversary, it would truly deliver an exceedingly reliable plan.

It truly deserved its reputation as a Golden Elixir personally recognized by the Immortal Fairy!

"Heh heh, do you now grasp the sheer prowess of this Immortal's Invincible Elixir?" For once, the Immortal Fairy carried herself with a lofty and arrogant air. Climbing down from the bed, she conjured a chair into existence, seated herself upon it, crossed her legs, and idly swung her bare feet to and fro.

"In the future, you must show this Immortal a modicum more of respect. The capabilities of this Immortal extend far beyond merely this!

"This Immortal's shoulders are rather sore; come, knead them for this Immortal." The Immortal Fairy motioned for Lu Yang to give her a massage.

Lu Yang reasoned that as Yun Zhi's junior martial brother, the undisputed foremost cultivator among his peers, and the preeminent practitioner of the sword Dao in the Golden Elixir stage—not to mention his status as the disciple of the Sect Master of the Dao Seeking Sect—massaging an immortal senior was a matter entirely beyond reproach.

"Is this amount of force acceptable?

"A bit firmer, yes, that is more like it." The Immortal Fairy expressed great satisfaction with Lu Yang's deferential attitude.

The precise moment Bai Ming conceded defeat, a tremendous stir erupted beneath the stage, for none had anticipated that Bai Ming would meet his downfall so rapidly.

Both being disciples of immortal sects and both occupying the early stage of the Golden Elixir realm, the disparity between them ought not to have been so vast.

"It is said that Bai Ming is highly proficient in the spells of the Five Elements, yet he conceded defeat after displaying a mere two varieties, those of Gold and Earth?"

"What else could he do but concede? Remain buried within the earth indefinitely?"

"Bai Ming's defeat is truly a grievance; he was constrained before he could even display a fraction of his true capabilities."

A cultivator possessing combat experience at the Demon-Suppressing Pass grew displeased by such remarks and reprimanded them sharply: "A grievance? Who speaks of such fair play upon a battlefield? Do you expect the enemy to be so foolish as to wait idly while you perform every single one of your techniques?"

The reprimanded individual could only mutter incoherently, utterly at a loss for words.

In front of the arena, a gathering of Golden Elixir stage cultivators still awaited an explanation from the venerable Old Master Kang.

"Old Master Kang, have you discerned the true nature of Lu Yang's Golden Elixir?

Granted, given their own talents, it was nigh impossible for them to ever condense a First-Grade Golden Elixir in this lifetime, yet broadening their horizons was a worthy endeavor, providing them with ample capital to boast about upon their return.

Old Master Kang had nearly tugged his white beard to the point of snapping, yet he remained entirely unable to fathom the nature of Lu Yang's Golden Elixir.

"Though this old man could not discern the precise Golden Elixirs of Bai Ming and Yan Tianzhi, there were at least traces to follow and clues to be perceived; Bai Ming's Golden Elixir is intertwined with the Five Elements, while Yan Tianzhi's is related to suppression. But as for Lu Yang's... forgive

this old man's dim-sightedness, for I truly cannot discern a single thing."

Old Master Kang shook his head. The Golden Elixirs of the Dao Seeking Sect were myriad and bizarre, a magnificent feast for the eyes. Even though he had witnessed countless Golden Elixirs and possessed the qualifications to critique those of every cultivator in Qingzhou, he still could not recognize them all.

There existed a shared consensus within the Imperial City Academy: anyone capable of identifying even thirty to forty percent of the Dao Seeking Sect's Golden Elixirs could well be deemed a scholar of heavenly erudition.

"Perhaps Lu Yang's Golden Elixir is a manifestation never before seen in history, lacking even a single prior parallel."

At this Grand Golden Elixir Appreciation Assembly, they had managed only to vaguely identify Lan Ting's Primordial Golden Elixir and Meng Jingzhou's Pure Yang Golden Elixir.

Old Master Kang had granted face to Meng Jingzhou, altering the Bachelor Golden Elixir to the name of Pure Yang Golden Elixir, which sounded considerably more elegant.

Upon the stage, Lan Ting was still locked in a bitter struggle against Lu Yang's lotus clone, her mind perpetually troubled by unease.

Just moments ago, out of the corner of her eye, she had caught sight of the duel between Lu Yang and Bai Ming—a single strike of the Arhat Fist had caused all of Bai Ming's hair to fall away.

She lived in absolute dread that Lu Yang's clone might cast away the Azure Peak Sword and subject her to that very same Arhat Fist.

"Remaining far from the clone is the safest course."

Lan Ting distanced herself from Lu Yang's clone and drew forth a palm-sized wooden box from her identity jade plaque.

"What might that be?" Lu Yang's clone probed with his divine sense; within the small box lay a thick stack of talismans, and at its base resided a formation array, one that felt oddly familiar to him.

Lan Ting made no attempt to prolong the mystery: "After this young lady returned to the Immortal Palace, I labored day and night to study the automatic meat-skewering formation. Alas, my talent in the art of formations is limited, and I could never perfect it; the bamboo skewers would invariably fly outwards at an astonishing velocity."

"Thus, this young lady shifted her perspective. If bamboo skewers can be propelled by a formation, why not talismans? Guided by this concept, I made slight alterations to the original design, shrinking the formation and replacing the skewers with talismans, precisely like this."

Lan Ting aimed the wooden box directly at Lu Yang's clone and activated the formation within. One paper talisman after another flew forth with a sharp, whistling sound, transforming mid-air into lightning, raging flames, and wind blades. Each was a creation meticulously drawn by Lan Ting herself, capable of severely wounding a Golden Elixir cultivator, causing Lu Yang's eyelids to twitch at the sight.

Boom—

Crack—

Smack—

Every single talisman represented a distinct form of assault, and the onslaught was seamless, one crashing down immediately after another upon Lu Yang's clone, producing a cacophony of varied detonations.

The Azure Peak Sword was held horizontally before him, his wrist trembling incessantly as he parried the unceasing tide of attacks.

The talismans detonated, kicking up a dense shroud of smoke and dust across the arena. As the contents of the box were fully exhausted, the dust dispersed to reveal Lu Yang, who remained reasonably intact.

"Senior Brother Lu Yang possesses fine skills indeed. How, then, will you fare against a doubled assault?

As Lan Ting spoke, she produced two wooden boxes packed to the brim with talismans, directing their apertures squarely toward Lu Yang's clone.

Just as Lan Ting was about to unleash another round of offensive fury, she beheld Lu Yang's true body approaching with a genial smile: "Bai Ming has already conceded defeat. Now, only you remain."

Lost?

"He lost?" Lan Ting was struck with astonishment. She had been so thoroughly engrossed in discharging her talismans just now that she had failed to note the developments on Bai Ming's side. So little time had elapsed, yet as she turned her head, she saw Bai Ming seated among the judges, his countenance painted with utter displeasure.

Turning her gaze back to Lu Yang and his clone, she concluded that the probability of victory was exceedingly slim: "Never mind, I too concede defeat."

Meanwhile, Meng Jingzhou and Yan Tianzhi were locked in a ferocious combat. Yan Tianzhi resembled a true Taotie, devouring all of creation with absolute ferocity.

Yet Meng Jingzhou proved even more ruthless than he. Opening his mouth wide, he deployed the divine ability "Heaven-Devouring" which he had only recently acquired from Lu Yang. The spiritual energy upon the stage was instantly vacuumed by him, held entirely within his jaws.

"Phooey!

The spiritual energy was compressed to its absolute limit within his mouth, forming a perfectly regular sphere before being hurled directly at Yan Tianzhi.

Yan Tianzhi dared not make direct contact with the sphere of spiritual energy; he executed a somersault to evade it, prompting Meng Jingzhou to offer a cold smirk: "Let us see how many times you can dodge. Phooey, phooey, phooey!"

Three distinct spheres of spiritual energy sealed off Yan Tianzhi's paths of retreat. Yan Tianzhi's eyes narrowed sharply as another of his tattoos flared with light.

"Shield Ghost!"

A Ghost King wielding a massive shield materialized behind Yan Tianzhi, its fangs bared and claws brandished. The Ghost King's shield interposed itself before Yan Tianzhi, and the spheres of spiritual energy erupted violently upon striking it.

This was a battle tattoo Yan Tianzhi had inked during his Foundation Establishment stage—the Shield Ghost. It possessed no offensive capability whatsoever; its sole outstanding attribute was its defense.

"I refuse to believe it, phooey!

An inexhaustible torrent of spiritual energy spheres poured from Meng Jingzhou's mouth, the duration of the assault depending entirely upon when his saliva would run dry.

Meng Jingzhou spat until his throat was parched and his tongue dry. Drawing a gourd from his identity jade plaque, he began to guzzle water, and having finished, he offered a piece of counsel: "Brother, heed my advice and concede early to save everyone the trouble. Let us not reach the point where I thrash you so severely that you cannot even crawl up; what kind of reputation would that leave if word got out?"

Yan Tianzhi flew into a towering rage, squeezing out his words one by one: "I. Concede. Defeat."

Meng Jingzhou was overjoyed by this unexpected tractability, leaping down from the arena to wait for Lu Yang.

It was only then that he heard Yan Tianzhi utter the remaining half of his sentence.

"You. Bastard!"

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

This is a masterpiece into which the author has poured all their talent, presenting a magnificent and heart-stirring narrative.