Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 643: Chapter 258: Change of Owners · Mishap · End of the Arena Defense (Part 2)

Chongzhen Temple’s Magic was inherited from ancient times. It followed an orthodox path, emphasizing a steady and methodical approach that, while suitable for arena combat, lacked versatility.

By introducing as much unpredictability as possible into the Magical Combat, one could create an opening.

Sure enough, as a few elite disciples took to the stage, a second arena finally fell.

Then a third, and a fourth...

In just a short while, the other six sects had each claimed an arena for themselves.

In the blink of an eye, Chongzhen Temple was left with only the final Side East Arena.

The intense Magical Combat and the dramatic shift in the situation had the Loose Cultivators below cheering wildly, watching completely captivated.

"Just as I said! The Five Great Sects were clearly holding back before. Now that they’re getting serious, it’s a completely different story."

"True. A new power like Chongzhen Temple is still no match for the old, established sects."

"Heavenly Sword True Man is as incredible as ever! That Flying Sword of his is truly extraordinary!"

"Which do you think is more powerful: the Thunder Spear of the Thunderbolt Spear, or the Divine Sword of Heavenly Sword True Man?"

Amid the discussions, someone noticed that one Loose Cultivator had yet to be eliminated.

"That’s strange. Hasn’t Zhang challenged an arena yet?"

"You’re right. Aside from Xiao, he was the one I was most optimistic about winning and holding an arena."

"There can’t be much time left. Why hasn’t Zhang made his move?"

Soon, more and more Cultivators began to notice.

Since Xiao Chen was now rumored to be a Hidden Sect Inheritor, Zhang Shouquan had become the sole remaining representative for the Loose Cultivators.

Everyone was sizing him up with curiosity, and some even started shouting words of encouragement.

Sensing everyone’s attention on him, Zhang Shouquan sighed inwardly. ’Ah, forget it. I’ll take a step back.’

He cast a reluctant glance at the East Main Arena before choosing the Side East Arena as his target.

If he could, he would have loved nothing more than to compete for the Taiqing Infant Transformation Glaze Pearl.

The problem was, after witnessing Xiao Chen’s inhuman performance, he didn’t have much confidence left.

Even with the ace he had up his sleeve, he wasn’t certain he could defeat him.

After all, even the other Major Sects were deliberately avoiding Xiao Chen. No one dared to challenge him.

So, after a long hesitation, Zhang Shouquan decided to settle for second best and pick off the weakest target.

Even without the guidance of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, two straight days of observation had allowed him to identify some of the Chongzhen Temple disciples’ weaknesses.

Xiao Chen was also quite interested in this newly prominent Loose Cultivator, so he paid close attention to Zhang Shouquan’s fight.

It had to be said, the Chongzhen Temple disciple had come prepared. The moment the challenge began, they produced and activated a Tier Three Blazing Sun Talisman, filling the entire arena with sweltering heat.

In such an environment, the power of his Ice Flood Dragon was naturally much diminished.

However, just as the intelligence he’d purchased had indicated, Zhang Shouquan had another trick up his sleeve: the Golden Blade Skill, a technique of even greater power.

He unleashed it by surprise during the battle.

It sent the Chongzhen Temple disciple flying from the arena, securing his victory in a single stroke.

And with that, all eight arenas had changed hands.

This outcome was clearly what most of the Cultivators had expected. Everyone was discussing the recent Magical Combat, and no one thought anything was amiss.

It was a well-known fact that the Cultivators from the Five Great Sects were simply stronger.

The fact that two dark horses like Xiao Chen and Zhang Shouquan had managed to break into the ranks was already a surprise.

After this major turnover, the entire arena area quieted down considerably.

There were still other Cultivators qualified to issue a challenge, but they were self-aware enough not to go up on stage just to be humiliated.

Barring any surprises, the current lineup was likely to be the final result of the arena challenges.

After watching Zhang Shouquan’s Magical Combat, and seeing that no one else was coming forward to challenge, everyone tacitly sat down cross-legged. They began to regulate their breathing and absorb the insights from the recent battles.

Xiao Chen was no exception. He sat cross-legged in the center of his arena and re-entered Meditation to contemplate his Cultivation Technique.

He hadn’t gained any particular combat insights, but waiting around idly was boring. He figured he might as well cultivate for a bit to pass the time.

Previously, with the Loose Cultivators below chattering away, it would have been difficult for him to enter Meditation.

But now, with [Star Realm Blessing I], he could enter a state of cultivation anytime he wished, no matter how noisy his surroundings were.

Frankly, the ability to maintain such focus was, in itself, an exceptionally rare gift.

To say nothing of the Heart of Clarity, which also helped him comprehend the Great Dao. It was truly worthy of its name.

Seeing that the dust had all but settled, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the stands finally began to comment on the disciples’ performances.

"Daoist Yun Feng, you are as skilled as ever in teaching your disciples. I can see that his mastery of the Thunderbolt Looping Spear has improved even since two months ago."

"Tie Shan, you flatter my disciple. He is merely relying on the advantage of his Spiritual Artifact to save a little face for our sect. When it comes to pure proficiency in Magic, your esteemed disciple is still a cut above."

On an occasion like this, even if they saw flaws, they would never point them out.

It was all just mutual flattery, a classic case of "you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours."

Only He Ming True Monarch, off to the side, continued to stare intently at the arenas.

At the same time, he was plotting inwardly, ’How should I deploy my people to guarantee we take back all eight arenas?’

As a Nascent Soul True Monarch, he was extremely sensitive to shifts in the ambient aura of the grounds.

Thus, he quickly noticed that Xiao Chen, in the center of the East Main Arena, seemed to have entered a state of Meditation.

Hmm?

Realizing this, He Ming True Monarch’s pupils contracted slightly. ’It can’t be... ’

’After all, Xiao Chen had just been through a battle.’