Chapter 524 - 461: The Selection
Chapter 524: Chapter 461: The Selection
With some time left until the end of the month, Zhao Lin spent his days in the training room to pass the time.
Considering his Tier Two Skills could not be leveled up any further, he spent most of his time practicing martial arts and training with Li Feng in combat coordination.
For He Shanfeng to have survived the Chenghua Sect’s hunt for so long, his cunning and strategic mind must be as formidable as his combat strength.
The Red Queen Bee was elusive and highly venomous; it might provide an unexpected advantage at a critical moment.
Li Feng was also well aware that Zhao Lin had gone to great lengths to rescue him because he valued the Red Queen Bee’s potential contribution in a fight.
He didn’t resent it. It was a fair trade: he gained a new life, and Zhao Lin gained a powerful ally.
Besides, if Zhao Lin were defeated and killed, the demonic insect bound to him by a cursed contract would also perish.
Even if only for the sake of survival, Li Feng had to give it his all.
The training rooms weren’t far, and cost five Yuan Spirit Coins for one hour of use.
Zhao Lin arrived at the training room hall, slapped down ten Yuan Spirit Coins, and asked the cultivator on duty for a spacious room.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Turning his head, he saw a sturdy man entering the hall—it was the same Body Cultivator he had seen before at the courtyard residence.
An idea struck Zhao Lin, and he took the initiative to greet him. "Fellow Daoist, a pleasure to meet you!"
The sturdy man paused, sized Zhao Lin up for a moment, and then a look of recognition dawned on his face. "I remember you. You live in the courtyard residence too. You’re a Martial Cultivator, right?"
Zhao Lin clasped his hands. "I am Zhao Lin."
The sturdy man casually returned the fist-in-palm salute. "Lu Liancheng."
Zhao Lin opened his palm, revealing the training room Token, and said half-jokingly, "Fellow Daoist Lu, interested in a friendly spar?"
’He Shanfeng is a Body Cultivator, and so is Lu Liancheng. Their cultivation levels are only one layer apart, so their combat styles should have many similarities.’
’Sparring with him would definitely be a huge help for the mission.’
Lu Liancheng stared for a second, his eyes narrowing. "Fellow Daoist Zhao, are you planning to use me as a sparring partner to practice for He Shanfeng?"
"That’s right."
Zhao Lin admitted it frankly. He took a Spirit Pearl from his robes. "Brother Lu, you’ll need to replenish your Spiritual Power on your trip to the Bajiang Realm. If you’re willing to spar with me, then regardless of the outcome, this Third Grade Spirit Pearl is yours."
Lu Liancheng glanced at the Spirit Pearl but didn’t reach for it, asking calmly, "What are the terms?"
Zhao Lin said, "Blades have no eyes. How about we don’t use spiritual treasures and just fight with our physical bodies?"
Lu Liancheng chuckled. "I’m a Body Cultivator. If you don’t use a spiritual treasure, won’t you be at a disadvantage, Fellow Daoist Zhao?"
"It’s fine. It’s not a fight to the death."
"Alright, then I won’t hold back."
Lu Liancheng reached out and took the Spirit Pearl.
Entering the training room, Zhao Lin unequipped his Moon-Cutting Saber, storage pouch, and beast-taming pouch. He also let Li Feng out to observe from the side.
Lu Liancheng cast a slightly surprised glance at Li Feng but said nothing, casually tossing his own spiritual treasures and other items to the ground.
Once they were ready, the two walked to the center of the room and stood facing each other.
"There’s no referee, so let’s use this."
Zhao Lin took out a Spirit Coin and tossed it into the air.
The Spirit Coin landed with a DING.
At the sound, Lu Liancheng shot forward like a cannonball toward Zhao Lin and threw a punch.
A golden light shimmered over his fist, spreading from the knuckles to his entire forearm, as if covering it in a thick layer of armor.
"This is the Golden Armor Fist. Be careful!"
Worried about injuring Zhao Lin, Lu Liancheng deliberately gave him a warning.
Zhao Lin shouted, "A fine strike!" and instead of dodging, met the attack head-on with an Ice Fist.
His fist was encased in ice crystals, and it whistled through the air.
BOOM!
Their fists collided. Both were forced back several steps, their bodies swaying.
Zhao Lin was secretly shocked. It was the first time in many years that someone could match him in raw strength.
The Body Cultivator’s fist felt like it was forged from Gold Stone, unbelievably hard. It also carried a sharp, metal-aspected Spiritual Qi that left his arm numb.
Lu Liancheng’s expression changed. That Zhao Lin could withstand the Golden Armor Fist head-on surprised him as well, so he stopped holding back and launched into a fierce barrage of attacks.
They moved with extreme speed, exchanging over a hundred blows in moments. The impact of their fists and feet constantly collided, making the training room hum.
Lu Liancheng’s gaze grew serious. He had agreed to the spar just to get a free Spirit Pearl, but as the fight went on, his mindset had changed.
He couldn’t just take the Spirit Pearl for free; he had to show some of his true skill.
He immediately condensed his metal-aspected Spiritual Power, his hand chopping down like a solid, golden longblade.
Zhao Lin met it with his own palm, his vital energy forming a crescent-shaped blade over seven feet long, just as solid in appearance.
The two energy blades clashed, instantly stirring up a turbulent gale within the training room.
’They’re too vicious!’
The vital energy surged. Worried about being caught in the crossfire, Li Feng clung to the corner where the ceiling met the wall.
He was secretly astounded by their skills.
The strength they displayed had already surpassed that of most Qi Refining Realm cultivators, bordering on the level of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
In the entire sect, cultivators like them were as rare as a phoenix feather.
Zhao Lin was a mortal enemy of the Li family. Once he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Li family would surely face annihilation.
Li Feng lifted his two front legs and rubbed his head and face. He felt not a shred of pity. ’A bunch of inhumane bastards. If they die, they die!’
"Brother Lu is brilliant. I have learned much."
Zhao Lin leaped backward and called a halt to the spar.
After fighting for so long, he now had a general understanding of a Body Cultivator’s various abilities. There was little point in continuing.
Perhaps Lu Liancheng still had a trump card he hadn’t played, but the same was true for him. Without the protection of an Array, the intensity of the spar had to be kept within certain limits.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you’re too humble. I’m the one who has learned much."
Lu Liancheng said with a serious expression, then glanced up at Li Feng on the ceiling before taking his leave from the training room.
「A few days later.」
The administrative disciples notified the cultivators living in the courtyard residence to gather in the assembly hall.
Everyone arrived at the assembly hall to find a middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator with a long, three-stranded beard already waiting.
"My name is Xu Jingyu, and I am a deacon of the Ritual Hall."
The middle-aged cultivator coughed once and said, "All of you have accepted the mission to kill He Shanfeng. As you probably know, the Bajiang Realm is not under our sect’s control. The number of people we can send in requires negotiation with the Nanzhu Sect."
"We just received word today. This time, there are only eight spots."
He paused here. "Fifteen people accepted the mission, so there will have to be a round of selection."
Everyone nodded. This had been explained in the mission details, so it came as no surprise.
"Since no one has any objections, please follow me."
Xu Jingyu led the group out of the assembly hall and to an underground stone chamber.
Stepping inside, Zhao Lin felt a strong aura of wood and earth.
Judging by the Mana fluctuations, a Wood-Earth Symbiosis Array for sparring had been set up.
Xu Jingyu had an administrative disciple bring out a wooden box. He tapped it twice and said, "This selection isn’t about ranking. We are only choosing eight people, so we will try to minimize the number of matches."
"The rules are as follows: Inside the box are eight red tokens and seven green tokens. Those who draw a red token do nothing for now. Those who draw a green token may challenge any of the red token holders."
"If the challenger succeeds, the two will swap their wooden tokens. If they fail, the tokens remain unchanged. After two rounds of challenges, those still holding red tokens will be selected for the mission."