Lu Tianlei was skilled with the Dao of lightning, and was extraordinary in his own right. His lightning magic was shocking, and even his Master Xu Meixiang praised him ceaselessly, virtually guaranteeing him a spot in the top ten.
Then there was Zhou Xinqi, who showed incredible skill in the Dao of medicine. Of course, as Li Qinghou’s personal apprentice, she also had astonishing magical techniques at her disposal.
When Bai Xiaochun learned about the overall situation from Xu Baocai, he couldn’t help but feel indignant at the despotic way the north bank acted.
Filled with emotion, he swore to himself: “Just wait until I reach Foundation Establishment. I’ll definitely cut those north bank Outer Sect disciples down a notch or two!”
As far as the south bank qualifying matches, and the subsequent Chosen battles, he wasn’t the least bit interested in them.
As far as Bai Xiaochun was concerned, fighting and killing weren’t his style. He was a Prestige disciple, and the Junior Brother of the sect leader. He existed on a higher plane of seniority, and didn’t feel that it was appropriate for him to be competing with members of the junior generation.
“Besides, what would happen if I didn’t win?” he thought with a dry cough. “Wouldn’t that lose a lot of face for elder Brother Sect Leader? Forget about it. I’m definitely not participating.” When he thought about how much he was sacrificing just for his Elder Brother Sect Leader, he decided that he should probably go burn some incense to his Master and complain a bit about the situation.
**
Life was great. Bai Xiaochun didn’t think much about the Chosen battles. Instead, he visited Big Fatty Zhang as often as he could. Every time Big Fatty Zhang would try a spirit enhancement, Bai Xiaochun would use his turtle-wok to turn it into a success, which led Big Fatty Zhang into new realms of excitement.
At a certain point, Big Fatty Zhang began to suspect that something was going on, but was so happy that he simply reveled in the feeling of success. Eventually, he got used to the situation, and came to be convinced that he really was a genius spirit enhancer.
Considering the incredible level of self-confidence that he was building, his spirit enhancement magic and power of will also began to grow much stronger.
Time passed. A month later, it was only three days until the qualifying round began. It was at that point that Bai Xiaochun got a notice from the sect informing him that attendance in the qualifying round was mandatory for all disciples in the eighth level of Qi Condensation. There were to be no exceptions.
After scanning the jade slip, Bai Xiaochun yawned. Assuming there must be some mistake with the message, he continued his pill concocting.
Three days later at dawn, bells filled the south bank, and Bai Xiaochun strolled out into the sect to see countless Outer Sect disciples hurrying along with very serious expressions. Spirits rising, he joined the crowd of moving people.
Soon, he reached a certain valley behind the three mountain peaks. It was a huge place, paved with white jade, in the middle of which was a huge, open square, with four awe-inspiring columns in the corners carved with coiling dragons.
Between each column was another statue depicting a fierce beast, extremely lifelike in appearance. The ferocious nature of it all made the entire valley seethe with a bleak and violent aura.
On one of the valley walls was a balcony, upon which numerous notable members of the sect could be seen. Li Qinghou was there, along with Xu Meixiang and the peak lord from the third mountain. Even Sect Leader Zheng Yuandong was present.
The qualifying matches for the north and south banks were not held concurrently. The south bank went first, followed by the north bank. That was to ensure that the sect leader didn’t show partiality to one bank or the other. After observing the south bank’s qualifying matches, he would go to the north bank to watch theirs.
Li Qinghou and the other peak lords sat near Zheng Yuandong, chatting amiably.
Behind them were the elders from the three mountain peaks, including Elder Zhou. Some sat quietly with their eyes closed, others conversed in low tones. A few were observing the disciples pouring into the valley.
Bai Xiaochun walked along lazily until he was in the valley itself. Looking around, he realized that he had never been here before. Curious about the statues, he walked over to examine one more closely.
As he neared the statue, he noticed that there was even fur on its surface, which rippled in the wind. “These creatures almost look alive. So interesting.”
It was at this point that the sound of voices suddenly rose up from within the audience.
“Elder Sister Zhou is on the way!”
“Elder Sister Zhou has been in the eighth level of Qi Condensation for a while now. She’s definitely going to get into the top ten. In fact, considering her status, she’ll most likely get into the top three!”
A blue swath of flying silk appeared off in the distance, upon which could be seen Zhou Xinqi. She first clasped hands and bowed to the balcony, then landed off to the side, where she closed her eyes and sat down quietly. The truth was that she was inwardly nervous; after all her years of cultivation, the qualifying round had finally arrived, and she had to perform well.
Up on the balcony, Li Qinghou gave her a faint smile of approval.
Smiling, Zheng Yuandong said, “Qinghou, not only is Zhou Xinqi extraordinary with plants and vegetation, she also has some shocking magical techniques. I have the feeling she’ll bring glory to the south bank.”
“There’s no need for such praise, sect leader,” Li Qinghou replied modestly. “My apprentice still needs some more tempering. However, her personality is of a type rarely seen among her contemporaries. She really has incredible potential.”
Most of the crowd looked over enviously at Zhou Xinqi, but as for Bai Xiaochun, he cleared his throat and looked at her with an expression similar to Li Qinghou’s. Clasping his hands behind his back, he gazed at her with praise and approval.
Before people could finish talking about Zhou Xinqi, another small uproar occurred in the crowd. People turned their heads up as the rumble of thunder echoed out. A bolt of lightning snaked out overhead, perched atop which was a young man wearing a long green robe and a haughty expression.
Countless lightning bolts spread out in his wake, and thunder boomed around him. He seemed even more impressive than Zhou Xinqi, and when he landed in the square, the area for thirty meters around him turned into a lake of dancing lightning.
Sparks of electricity even arced back and forth on his skin.
“It’s Lu Tianlei from Violet Cauldron Peak! Elder Brother Lu has a rare lightning meridian. He’s been in secluded meditation almost the entire time since joining the sect. Now he finally makes his extraordinary debut!”
“Lu Tianlei is incredible. He cultivates some sort of technique that gives him control of lightning!” As the conversations continued, Lu Tianlei proudly clasped hands in greeting toward the balcony. Then his gaze swept across the crowd. Among all the Outer Sect disciples gathered there, only Zhou Xinqi was someone he considered a worthy opponent. The others weren’t even worth looking at.
Up on the balcony, Xu Meixiang smiled, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Sect leader, what do you think of the Extreme Dao Lightning Control Magic that my disciple cultivates?”
Zheng Yuandong smiled and looked a bit more closely at Lu Tianlei. “He already controls two types of lightning, and he’s only in the eighth level of Qi Condensation. With skill like that, he’s definitely a top Chosen among the disciples under Foundation Establishment.”
The peak lord of Green Crest Peak, the emaciated old man who seemed as sharp as a sword, suddenly looked up with a smile.