Chapter 542: Self-Selected Immortal Sect Cultivation Method (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 542: Selecting Immortal Sect Techniques (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Outside the spiritual realm arena of the Top Ten Leagues.

Zhang Pianpian looked at the student from Heavenly Demon University before her and said slowly, "Finally... we meet."

The other party chuckled. "I can sense a unique scent upon you. Once I devour you, I shall draw closer to the God Emperor."

Zhang Pianpian replied indifferently, "You and I are but two of countless competitors, not to mention that perhaps no one can reach the end of this path."

The other shook his head. "If you lack such confidence, why did you dare to come find me?"

In an instant, their consciousnesses clashed within the spiritual realm, trading thousands of blows in the blink of an eye.

Watching the other tremble like chaff in the wind, Zhang Pianpian sighed. "It is not that I lack confidence; I simply foresee that I have taken a step forward on this dead-end road, and I feel a sense of sorrow."

Not long after, the corpse of the Heavenly Demon University student was discovered, sparking yet another wave of turmoil.

...

Before the sword-fighting competition.

Bai Zhenzhen watched the various reports streaming through her dharma-remains, an irrepressible anxiety rising in her heart.

"Wanfa University City was attacked by the Demonic Sect?"

"Zhang Yu has gone offline?"

"Is he alright?"

"Damn the Demonic Sect..."

"What if Zhang Yu joins the Unemployed Cult... and becomes a useless bum who refuses to work?"

The mere thought made Bai Zhenzhen shudder, a surge of intense fear gripping her heart.

"It’s fine. Even if Zhang Yu doesn't work, I can support him in the future."

But Bai Zhenzhen knew it wasn't that simple.

A person not working signifies a severe decline in their potential for the Immortal Path; they would be unable to secure loans, rent homes, or maintain their spiritual realm accounts.

Gradually insulted by classmates, despised by teachers, abandoned by society, cast into the lowest rungs of the social ladder, and becoming a wandering rogue cultivator in the world of immortality... this was the norm, and it would lead to a grave regression of one's Dao heart.

Moreover, long periods of unemployment leave gaps in one's resume, making future employment nearly impossible—like falling into an abyss from which there is no return.

The lack of cultivation progress would further impact one's lifespan and strength; he might end up like a remedial student, unable to even withstand the stray sword qi leaking from his own body.

Thinking that she might accidentally skewer Zhang Yu in the future, Bai Zhenzhen’s emotions grew increasingly turbulent.

She wanted to contact Zhang Yu immediately, but the voice of the Seven Emotions God-Monarch echoed in her ears.

Seven Emotions God-Monarch: "Finish the sword fight first."

Bai Zhenzhen suppressed her inner rage and said, "What time is it to be worrying about that? If Zhang Yu is dragged into the Demonic Sect and never works again, what then?"

Seven Emotions God-Monarch: "He is in Wanfa University City; naturally, his teachers will protect him. If he can still be seduced by the Demonic Sect, then he is nothing more than that."

Bai Zhenzhen struggled to suppress the surging emotions within her and said slowly, "Do you know that I feel like ten thousand volcanoes are about to erupt inside me? Anger, tension, fear... I am truly going insane!"

Seven Emotions God-Monarch: "Just like that. Keep it up."

Bai Zhenzhen: "Damn it! If this continues, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from killing the opponent!"

Seven Emotions God-Monarch chuckled. "As if anyone else wouldn't want to."

In the sky, streaks of crimson sword light tore through the firmament like lightning.

The Seven Emotions God-Monarch said, "We’ve reached this point; if you want to kill, then kill."

"I have long wanted to embark on a slaughter."

Bai Zhenzhen felt a chill at these words, followed by a sense of helplessness, which only fueled her agitation further.

"Damn it... she pretends to be normal, but she’s the craziest one of all!"

Moments later, a seething Bai Zhenzhen stepped onto the arena to compete for a spot in the top eight.

Her figure shot into the sky like a crimson comet, heading straight for the position of the White Bone University student.

Amidst a crackling explosion, no matter what sword techniques the opponent employed, they were shattered head-on by the surging sword qi erupting from Bai Zhenzhen’s body.

What terrified the opponent even more was that Bai Zhenzhen’s sword qi grew increasingly fierce, rising without end.

Simultaneously, every sword strike that landed on her grew weaker, as if Bai Zhenzhen were adapting to the opponent’s offensive at an incredible speed.

After a series of fierce exchanges, a massive explosion rocked the sky, and the disciple from White Bone University plummeted downward.

Streaks of crimson sword qi manifested out of thin air, like self-aware dragons, chasing after the falling student.

The next moment, accompanied by another earth-shattering boom, the student was saved by an external hand.

"The outcome is decided, there is no need to..."

Before the protector could finish, the Seven Emotions God-Monarch let out a long laugh: "You were the ones who interfered on the field first."

Lightning-fast sword light filled the clouds in an instant. Amidst a chorus of screams, white lotus flowers bloomed from the void, blocking the Seven Emotions God-Monarch’s assault.

"Seven Emotions, do you dare to be so insolent?" ...

At the Wanfa University base.

Dao Qiankun watched the sword light and white lotuses interweaving in the distance and thought to himself, "The intensity of the battle has escalated again."

At the same time, he felt the phantom of the half-formed Golden Core within him, a trace of helplessness flashing across his face.

While competing for first place in spell-casting against Kuang Tianqing of Heavenly Demon University, he had failed to suppress his Golden Core, fully stepping into the realm, and was thus disqualified.

Fortunately, breaking through during a match was considered a work-related injury; after he immediately dissolved the core and fell back to the Foundation Establishment stage, no one held him accountable for the unauthorized breakthrough.

But looking at the remaining half-core phantom, Dao Qiankun felt the gap between himself and Kuang Tianqing.

"Even with my full effort, I still cannot completely dissolve the Golden Core in one go; instead, it leaves behind a 'Void Core.' With the slightest stimulation, I might lose control and break through again."

He recalled how, during his bout with Kuang Tianqing, he had shattered his Golden Core time and again, yet the residue grew thicker each time. After ten attempts, he couldn't hold it back anymore.

In contrast, Kuang Tianqing could completely shatter his own core every time, displaying far superior strength.

Dao Qiankun thought, "I couldn't even suppress the breakthrough after only ten attempts... How is my situation any different from those ancients who were forced to break through mid-battle? I look nothing like the strongest student of Wanfa University."

Dao Qiankun made a resolution: upon returning, he would practice "Golden Core Stalling" every day, shattering the core just before the moment of breakthrough to further strengthen his combat prowess.

"Kuang Tianqing, I will never lose to you again next year."

However, looking toward the escalating battle between the Seven Emotions God-Monarch and the White Lotus God-Monarch, Dao Qiankun mused, "The Top Ten Leagues next year will likely be even more intense, won't they?"

...

On the other side of the Wanfa University base.

Jiu Tianliu of the Finance Department was observing the operation of the destiny model through his dharma-remains.

Watching the data changes of countless students, Jiu Tianliu sighed, "Indeed, the winds are rising, and the dragons and snakes are stirring."

"It is said that times create heroes; the changes of an era will draw forth those upon whom destiny converges, leading them into all manner of contention."

In Jiu Tianliu’s mind, images of the contestants who had died in the Top Ten Leagues these past days flickered, along with the various losses and casualties at Wanfa University City.

"Perhaps many will die, but those who remain will gain more nourishment and become stronger."

Jiutian Liu gazed toward the horizon where the Seven Emotions God and the White Lotus God clashed, thinking to himself, "In the end, the powers above will never permit unrestricted slaughter to unfold within the universities."

"They are about to intervene, are they not?"

In the days that followed, the skirmishes between the Spirit Transformation masters gradually dissipated.

At some unknown moment, one by one, the masters departed from the scene.

Immediately thereafter, stock prices and currency values stabilized, and the financial storm slowly subsided.

With the cessation of hostilities among the masters, the spirit veins were reopened and restored, rents began to retreat, and the terrestrial catastrophe ebbed away.

Spirit coins flooded the banks, cascading across the land like the waters of salvation.

Projects everywhere resumed operation; countless teetering companies found stability through the infusion of spirit currency, and the wave of unemployment began to vanish.

Simultaneously, a host of orthodox deities descended from the heavens to oversee the regions, and any cultists who dared to show their faces were ruthlessly purged.

To Jiutian Liu, it felt as though an invisible hand had descended from the sky, smoothing over every fracture in an instant, forcibly terminating the conflicts between the Ten Greats and ending the economic crisis.

Yet, Jiutian Liu could sense that while this crisis had been suppressed by force, the contradictions between the Ten Greats had been laid bare; the gunpowder barrel, half-exploded and now clamped shut, was merely accumulating a more terrifying pressure.

"But regardless, as long as those above wish to maintain control, even if those below intend to fight, they must compete at the appointed time, in the appointed place, and by the appointed rules."

"Therefore, a university war cannot truly erupt in full, and the Ten Greats cannot truly take the field themselves."

Jiutian Liu trusted the judgment of the Finance Department on this matter.

...

On the airship returning to Wanfa University.

Yan Qianji of the Artifact Refining Department exclaimed in surprise, "The next Ten Greats League is to be restructured again?"

Beside him, Ye Xingli was also reading the document in her ocular implant, her heart skipping a beat: "They intend to use the Ten Greats League to resolve disputes between universities? The matches will determine the distribution of greater interests among the institutions."

"And furthermore..."

Yan Qianji could not help but lick his lips: "The Immortal Sect techniques awarded are no longer pre-designated? Instead, the Daoist Treasury catalog is opened, allowing the victors to choose a technique of their own?"

Seeing this, Ye Xingli felt a surge of excitement.

She thought to herself, "Even before this, the Ten Greats were already in severe conflict, having essentially torn off their masks; the next league will likely become a battlefield for these Immortal Sect techniques."

"Now... the freedom to choose such a technique is a reward so heavy that even the Spirit Transformation masters will be tempted, and they will surely drive their students to seize it. The competition will likely spill far beyond the arena."

Ye Xingli seemed to foresee the coming year, filled with countless schemes and hidden daggers unfolding both on and off the field.

The choice of an Immortal Sect technique served as a lure, drawing the countless students and faculty of the Ten Greats to swarm toward it like moths to a flame.

(End of chapter)