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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 50 (194): [No More Acting]
(50th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Qin Changfeng took out a Blood Crystal and, with a flourish, placed it in the wooden box containing the other Blood Crystals: "This Blood Crystal is worth a thousand Yongquan Coins! Brother Lin, I've already paid your challenge fee for you!"
Lin Yi chuckled: "I'm afraid you'll win all the Yongquan Coins and Blood Crystals in a single battle, leaving me no chance to even step onto the stage."
After Qi Wangshu verified the Blood Crystal, he gestured for Qin Changfeng to begin:
"Fu Prefecture, Qin Changfeng."
As Qin Changfeng stepped onto the stage, he clasped his hands in a formal bow, hoping to make a name for himself.
Li Weiyi stood up and returned the bow, his voice booming with confidence: "Brother Qin, you can use any Spiritual artifact!"
"Any Spiritual artifact?"
"Of course! This Li dared to set up this stage in the open street because I have confidence in accepting any challenge and winning every battle."
"What a bold spirit! But you are merely a Mortal. Defeating you with a Spiritual artifact would be an unfair victory."
Qin Changfeng didn't truly underestimate Li Weiyi.
In an instant, the Spiritual Qi within his body surged rapidly, seeping out from his pores in fine wisps. His spiritual energy radiated outward, and a twenty-foot-tall Battle Technique Intent materialized behind him, erupting in brilliant, radiant light.
"Mountain-Shifting Raging Current Palm!"
The seven-zhang-square arena felt cramped for a Martial-Mystic Cultivator at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm.
A single step could bring one to the opponent's face.
Qin Changfeng pushed forward with a horizontal palm strike, his right arm surging with Spiritual Qi like a torrential river, as if trying to move the entire space.
Li Weiyi's expression turned grave, as if facing a formidable enemy. He immediately activated his movement technique to dodge, unwilling to meet the attack head-on.
"Where are you going, Brother Weiyi? Get down here!" Qin Changfeng laughed heartily, his wide sleeves billowing.
His left palm struck down from above in an exquisite, almost mystical manner, while his Battle Technique Intent completely locked onto Li Weiyi.
With no other choice, Li Weiyi had to meet the attack head-on.
"Boom!"
The two men stood their ground, then rapidly retreated backward.
"Such immense power! Indeed, he's no simple opponent. He must be a Nine Springs Supreme." Qin Changfeng's expression grew serious.
He unleashed his full speed, transforming into six figures that filled the arena. Streams of palm strikes crisscrossed the space, trapping Li Weiyi in the center.
Li Weiyi dodged and parried three of Qin Changfeng's strikes, then seized his opportunity.
He thrust his right hand forward, two fingers like swords, releasing a beam of light.
"Cihang Enlightenment!"
"Whoosh!"
A finger-thick beam of light, as straight as an arrow, shot out, piercing through Qin Changfeng's Battle Technique Intent and protective Spiritual Qi, sending him flying off the stage.
Even wearing a Spiritual artifact battle suit, Qin Changfeng sustained minor injuries. He barely managed to channel his Spiritual Qi to cushion his fall, landing upright with a slightly pale face.
His eyes were fixed on Li Weiyi on the stage, unable to accept that a Pure Immortal Physique could be defeated so quickly by a Mortal.
"Qin Changfeng of Fu Prefecture, defeated in six moves," Qi Wangshu announced.
Li Weiyi stood with his hands clasind behind his back, his spine straight as a spear, looking down at Qin Changfeng: "Brother Qin, you shouldn't have underestimated me. If you had used your weapons, I wouldn't have defeated you so easily."
"I demand a rematch!" Qin Changfeng insisted, his pride wounded, his heart filled with resentment for his own carelessness.
Fortunately, this wasn't a life-or-death duel, and he had another chance.
Qi Wangshu said, "Rematches require queuing. Three others have already paid their challenge fees. By the way, let me remind everyone that Young Master Li will only be hosting this stage for two hours today. His time is very limited."
Over a dozen Martial-Mystic Cultivators quickly departed to summon their clan's experts.
"This man is strong. Don't underestimate him. His finger technique is incredibly unpredictable and powerful. Be careful."
Qin Changfeng gripped Lin Yi's wrist, offering this warning before going to pay the second round of challenge fee.
Lin Yi understood Qin Changfeng's strength.
Even if he had underestimated his opponent, the fact that Li Weiyi had knocked him off the stage in six moves meant he was no ordinary opponent.
Therefore, after stepping onto the stage, Lin Yi didn't hold back.
He retrieved a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact Battle Sword embedded with scripture and asked, "Brother Weiyi, what Spiritual artifact do you use?"
"My finger technique has reached a level of mastery that could be called peerless. It's more than enough to overcome adversity and defeat superiors. Why would I need a Spiritual artifact?"
Li Weiyi stood with one hand behind his back, his expression serene, as if he were surveying the world.
"To be frank, in the same realm, physique isn't the decisive factor in determining combat strength. What truly matters is one's Martial-Mystic Cultivation, Martial-Mystic Techniques, combat intelligence, Spiritual Qi manipulation, mental state, and spiritual cultivation..."
As a Pure Immortal Physique Martial-Mystic Cultivator, Lin Yi naturally didn't believe into this nonsense.
He interrupted, "Let's just begin!"
Li Weiyi sighed and shook his head: "Very well."
"Boom!"
.....
After eight moves, Li Weiyi unleashed the Cihang Enlightenment technique from the Twelve Dispersed Hands of the Chan Sect once more.
His finger force, like a sneak attack, struck at an oblique angle, shattering Lin Yi's protective Spiritual Qi and knocking him off the stage.
"Lin Yi of Fu Prefecture, defeated in nine moves," Qi Wangshu announced.
Li Weiyi gazed at the Immortal Forest suspended in mid-air, his tone tinged with regret: "Lin Yi, Lin Yi, your state of mind during our match was far from as calm as mine. You were only here to win Yongquan Coins, not to exchange Martial Dao insights. With such a mindset, how could you ever be a match for me?"
Lin Yi retorted coldly, "Brother Weiyi, while you're lecturing me, why don't you take a look at your sleeve?"
Li Weiyi raised his arm and glanced at the tear in his sleeve, his expression shifting slightly: "You..."
"You were only three inches away from losing that hand!"
Lin Yi snorted coldly and immediately went to pay his second challenge fee, convinced he now knew how to defeat Li Weiyi.
Seated in his chair, Qi Xiao nodded slightly.
Li Weiyi's ability to defeat Qin Changfeng and Lin Yi within ten moves demonstrated his skill.
However, neither Qin Changfeng nor Lin Yi were Nine Springs Supremes.
Qi Xiao was confident he could defeat them both within ten moves at the same cultivation level.
What was the Inheritor truly after?
Yin Shiyi sat on the second floor of a nearby restaurant, a wide grin on his face: "Is making money really this easy? The world is full of fools, all scrambling to be sparring partners and practically begging to hand over their money."
Li Weiyi had stationed Yin Shiyi nearby for three reasons: to prevent Hidden Ember from reappearing, to guard against Yang Qingxi causing trouble, and to protect his Yongquan Coins. These coins and Blood Crystals were all he had, obtained by exchanging all his low-grade Spiritual artifacts. He couldn't afford to lose them.
....
"Qi Qian, defeated in four moves."
.....
"Li Jiuzhong defeated in five moves."
.....
"Si Jiabai defeated in six moves."
...
Qin Changfeng had been observing the battles on the stage, carefully studying each exchange.
Now, it was finally his turn.
"Whoosh!"
As he stepped onto the stage, he donned a pair of High-Grade Spiritual Artifact boxing gloves forged from dense metal. Each glove weighed eight hundred pounds. With each step toward Li Weiyi, the Battle Technique Intent coalesced behind him, pushing him to his peak state.
"Brother Weiyi, I won't underestimate you this time! I know you're incredibly strong, with profound mastery of the Martial Dao, but I'm no weakling either," Qin Changfeng declared.
The duel began.
"Boom!"
Li Weiyi didn't engage in a direct clash, instead relying on his speed advantage to evade and counter.
By the eighth move, he finally unleashed Cihang Enlightenment, a single finger strike that sent Qin Changfeng tumbling off the stage.
"Qin Changfeng defeated in nine moves."
To keep the challengers motivated to continue paying the Yongquan coins, Li Weiyi offered a Martial Dao critique to each defeated opponent.
"Your strength is formidable, and your fists and palms have reached the pinnacle of skill. However, your footwork and speed are too slow. A top-tier expert shouldn't have such a glaring weakness."
His normal Martial Dao assessment, however, sounded incredibly harsh to the defeated.
It would have been more satisfying to mock and ridicule them.
Just a little more, just a little more...
Qin Changfeng trembled, his gaze sweeping over the pointing fingers of the young Martial-Mystic Cultivators around him. He burst out indignantly, "In a battle between Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm cultivators, he built a seven-zhang-square arena! Of course it was easy to fall off. That's right, the arena was too small! If we had a larger venue, he wouldn't be able to defeat me."
"Not only was the arena small, but the ground was also slippery," Li Jiuzhong, who had been knocked off the stage earlier, said darkly.
Zuoqiu Baiyuan sneered: "It snowed this morning, of course the ground is slippery. Why did only you two fall off? Did Young Master Li grow roots on the stage?"
"If you can't handle losing, why bother fighting?" Qi Wangshu shrugged and spread his hands.
"Fight again! Keep fighting! I refuse to believe he can't even withstand ten moves from me."
Li Jiuzhong paid another challenge fee.
Qin Changfeng followed suit, determined to regain his lost face today, no matter what.
Moreover, he had found the reason for his defeat: his mindset. He shouldn't have been so eager to win.
If he focused solely on surviving ten moves, enduring ten moves to win ten thousand Yongquan Coins, how could it possibly be difficult?
A man blinded by rage loses all reason.
....
....
The news spread quickly. Martial-Mystic Cultivators at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm from the four cities - East, South, West, and North - gathered beneath the arena.
Even from the Immortal Forest, Pure Immortal Physique cultivators at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm, both male and female, emerged one after another, eager to display their skills.
Most had come with their clan's top experts, either to join the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival festivities, lend support, or forge connections with fellow young talents.
"He's quite formidable! I just asked around. This Li Weiyi has fought nearly twenty matches and defeated every opponent within ten moves," said Luo Zhan, a young Martial-Mystic Cultivator at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm from the Thundercloud Sect.
Lu Wensheng, the elder brother of Thundercloud Sect's Inheritor, Lu Cangsheng, possessed a Pure Immortal Physique at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm.
As a youth, the sect elders had once believed his talent surpassed even Lu Cangsheng's.
But in just a few short years, his younger brother had risen rapidly, leaving him far behind.
Lu Wensheng mused, "Could it be that he isn't at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm?"
"I doubt it. Zuoqiu Ting wouldn't have written that inscription if he wasn't staking his reputation on it. Besides, the Spiritual Qi emanating from the boy is indeed Third-Level Spiritual Qi," Luo Zhan replied.
The young men and women of the Thundercloud Sect who had accompanied Lu Wensheng and Luo Zhan to broaden their horizons numbered seven or eight.
One of them said, "He only defeated a rabble. The true strength of the Ancient Myriad Sects' disciples lies in their mastery at the same cultivation level."
"The number one person without equal at the same cultivation level... It sounds ridiculous. Southern Territory Martial-Mystic Cultivators are too arrogant. Senior Brother Wensheng, do you think you could defeat him?"
Lu Wensheng had watched both of Li Weiyi's matches in their entirety: "He's very strong, and he's been holding back. He hasn't used his Battle Technique Intent at all. I'd say we're evenly matched."
"What? Isn't he only at the Third-Level Spiritual Qi level? Senior Brother Wensheng, you're at the Fourth-Level Spiritual Qi level, and your Thunder Method cultivation is extremely advanced!" The Thundercloud Sect disciples couldn't accept this.
Lu Wensheng chuckled: "You're just like those Martial-Mystic Cultivators who blindly climbed onto the stage to challenge him, only seeing his Spiritual Qi cultivation. I'd bet this person has already achieved a considerable level of physical cultivation."
"He won using physical strength? Wouldn't it be unfair to set his cultivation level at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm?" one of the Thundercloud Sect disciples asked.
Luo Zhan said, "There's no unfairness. Every one of the Ancient Sects, the Myriad Sects, and even many of the Powerful Clans' most outstanding talents cultivate both Spiritual Qi and their physical bodies simultaneously. Look at Eldest Brother - he's already cultivated a Dao Body."
Lu Wensheng nodded: "Every top-ranked cultivator in the first and second tiers has a supremely powerful physical body, completely eliminating any weaknesses. But Golden Bone is difficult to cultivate, and Golden Springs are hard to find, so few have achieved a Dao Body. Junior Brother Luo, would you like to give it a try?"
"Haha, that's exactly what I had in mind. I can definitely withstand ten moves. I'll force him to reveal his true strength."
Luo Zhan strode toward the arena, paid a thousand Yongquan Coins, and handed over Lu Wensheng's challenge gold as well!
Qi Xiao glanced at him, sensing the unique aura of a Thundercloud Sect disciple. He then turned his gaze toward a man in the distance who bore a slight resemblance to Lu Cangsheng.
After a moment of thought, a smile played on his lips.
With his cultivation, how could he not see that Li Weiyi had been holding back?
But now that a disciple from the Thundercloud Sect had arrived, they might finally force Li Weiyi to unleash his true combat prowess.
Qi Xiao found himself secretly looking forward to it.
Li Weiyi fought nine more matches, sending Qin Changfeng flying for the fifth time.
This crushing defeat completely shattered Qin Changfeng's spirit. He collapsed to the ground and remained there for a long time, his eyes vacant.
Li Weiyi couldn't bear to offer any more guidance. He spoke plainly, sighing, "Brother Qin, you're no match for me within ten moves. Stop wasting your money; you've already paid enough! I, Li Weiyi, am the undisputed number one in my realm. Ordinary Martial-Mystic Cultivators like you simply can't withstand ten moves against me."
"So he's not even bothering to put on an act anymore?" Qi Xiao, seated in his chair, raised an eyebrow.
The next challenger, Luo Zhan, cast a contemptuous glance at Qin Changfeng lying in the snow: "So this is the level of the Imperial Court's Martial-Mystic Cultivators? If there were a forest of blades beneath the stage... heh heh..."
"Roar!"
Qin Changfeng couldn't bear the provocation. He roared in fury, first glaring at Luo Zhan with clenched teeth, then turning his gaze to Li Weiyi on the stage.
Finally, he charged out of the crowd like a madman.
His companion, Lin Yi, had silently departed after losing four matches.
Luo Zhan, clad in a Thunder-Lightning Spiritual Artifact battle suit woven with purple lightning patterns, ascended the arena step by step.
With each breath, strands of lightning danced within a seven-zhang radius.
He asked, "I heard challengers are allowed to use Spiritual artifacts of any grade?"
Li Weiyi recognized him as a disciple of the Thundercloud Sect, realizing his true big client and hunting target had finally appeared.
When it came to wealth, the Ancient Sects and Myriad Sects were the true powerhouses.
While Imperial Court Martial-Mystic Cultivators also had money, it varied depending on the individual. If he could hook a top-tier official's son like Jiang Ning, he could make several fortunes in one go.
Li Weiyi chuckled, "If you can produce a Hundred-Character Scripture artifact, this Li will concede without hesitation."
"Can I use Thunder Law Profound Ice?" Luo Zhan asked.
Li Weiyi replied, "Of course! But I guarantee that within seven zhang, even if you take it out, you won't be able to use it. Your hands will break first!"
"Haha, just joking. It's just a sparring match, not a life-or-death battle."
Luo Zhan formed a Finger Seal, and a serpent-like bolt of Thunder and Lightning appeared in his palm, spreading into an arc over ten zhang long.
He announced his name: "Luo Zhan of the Thundercloud Sect, here to learn from Young Master Li's skill."
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END OF CHAPTER
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