"We’ve struck it rich, struck it rich..."
A few days later, when the first batch of Dragon Ascending Pills was auctioned off, Xu Zhizhi immediately sought out Lin Jing, but discovered that Lin Jing was in closed-door cultivation.
"Really diligent, and rightly so, as he collided with Yan Xiangbei in the second round. It’s truly a tough challenge!" Xu Zhizhi spoke with concern, unsure if Lin Jing could secure victory.
He felt that unless Lin Jing achieved Foundation Establishment before the second round, otherwise... he might not be a match.
No wonder Lin Jing urged him to sell the pills quickly!
Once the Dragon Palace participants collectively lose, the price of the pills would definitely drop.
Meanwhile, inside the inn room.
Lin Jing was actively preparing for battle.
He and the Pine Leaf Mouse first needed to check the Mosquito Power Mecha to prevent any mechanical failures at the crucial moment.
The opponent had a high-grade magical artifact, formidable in power; Lin Jing didn’t want to engage in direct conflict.
Despite his fusion with the Ice Soul Gu, which certainly gave him the power to fight, the personal burden would be extremely high, and he didn’t want to risk injury.
As for the Pine Leaf Mouse, even with the true form of a Demon King, it probably wasn’t a match for a high-grade magical artifact until the Cyan Emperor’s Longevity Skill was perfected.
In summary, Lin Jing didn’t want to overburden himself, the Ice Soul Gu, or the Pine Leaf Mouse, and risk severe injury that would affect future battles.
So... he had to rely on the Mosquito Power Mecha. Even if the mecha was destroyed in battle, Lin Jing wouldn’t mind, as it could always be rebuilt.
Most of the materials were synthesized by the Pine Leaf Mouse, and like the pills, there was no need to worry about expensive repair costs.
A span of seven days flew by swiftly.
During these seven days, the audience was thoroughly satisfied. Based on the names for the eight arenas, the cultivators continuously debated and exchanged views, greatly expanding their horizons. Additionally, they purchased rare pills that some participants had left behind, making the journey worthwhile...
At the site of the Ranking Battle of Talents, atop the immense arena, the Celestial Regret Flower announced the list of names for the first group battle...
"Chen Chong from the Spirit Dao Sect, Xiao Chen from the Purple Cloud Sword Sect, Changsun Sheng from the Celestial Net Sect..."
As the Celestial Regret Flower read out the eight names, seven of them wore extremely grim expressions. Since the moment the list was revealed days ago, they had been unable to sleep well.
"You should thank me. My Spiritual Luck Body shared luck with you, preventing you from encountering this Chen Chong." Gao Sheng from the Hidden Dragon Academy and Dragon Palace participants said with a laugh.
This Chen Chong, currently the top of the Talent List, facing him meant you’d be terribly unlucky.
"I’ve heard that a Technique Elemental Spirit requires absolute mastery of a magical technique to be born. This Chen Chong, despite being only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, accomplished what many Nascent Souls and Divinity Transformations couldn’t..."
Yuan Jing from the Celestial Sword Sect originally thought his Sword Dao comprehension was astonishing, having realized Sword Intent to an extraordinary level, but this Chen Chong was evidently even more supernatural.
"He has the Innate Dao Body, ranked nineteenth on the Divine Body List, significantly boosting his magic cultivation. The Spirit Dao Sect reportedly also possesses a rare beast, the Enlightenment Fish..." Zi Ling’Er sighed.
This person, placed in the Immortal Palace Era, would likely ascend.
In the first group battle, Chen Chong ranked first on the current Talent List, while Xiao Chen ranked eighth, featuring two talents in the top ten.
Although Xiao Chen didn’t possess an Innate Divine Body, he developed a Houtian Thunder Spirit Body alongside his Innate Sword Body, which was quite remarkable.
As the battle began, the other seven collectively directed their attention to Chen Chong, who was dressed in a black and white Yin Yang Fish Daoist Robe. Without any discussion, they all attacked in unison, with the same target!
Chen Chong merely slightly closed his eyes.
The terrifying gravity centered on Chen Chong, repelling and suppressing all surrounding enemies!
Magic, Gravity Technique.
In an instant, the space blurred, as if the sky was collapsing; all magical artifacts and techniques were obliterated. The seven who had attacked were now all lying on the arena, pressed tightly against the ground. The sound of bones cracking emanated from their bodies, with blood trickling from their mouths.
"Spirit Dao Sect, Chen Chong wins." The Celestial Regret Flower glanced at Chen Chong, who had opened his Daoist Eyes, and announced.
Chen Chong calmly flew back to his seat.
This scene left the talents from the other groups feeling suffocated.
It was known that Chen Chong’s Technique Elemental Spirit hadn’t even been summoned yet!
Just using his mana to perform a simple Gravity Technique, and among the top ten talents, this dual-body Xiao Chen was utterly powerless, unable even to stand?
"This is the Innate Dao Body. As a member of the young generation from the Sword Domain, I am no match for this Xiao Chen, yet he couldn’t withstand even a single move from Chen Chong..." Yuan Jing was speechless.
"Xiaoyuanzi, don’t feel pressured. Anyway, your Celestial Sword Sect has the Ling Yue Sword Immortal ranked first in the Earth List, so there’s no need for you to uphold the reputation. Moreover, you’re still young, just past twenty, the youngest among us." Gao Sheng patted his shoulder, leaving Yuan Jing helpless. Indeed, the Celestial Sword Sect is the top sword sect of the Ancient Country, and the current strongest talent of the sect is not him but the Ling Yue Sword Immortal Feng Ning, who automatically rose to first place when the previous Earth List leader turned sixty.
The most anticipated person in the next group battle was Mo Qianyi from the Divine Strategy Manor.
A female mechanism master, her attire was simple, her appearance plain, wearing a yellow cloth garment akin to a commoner, forming a stark contrast to the elaborately dressed female cultivators.
In this group, besides her, there was also a tenth-ranked talent.
Yet the top three were rightfully the top three. On the arena, Mo Qianyi only used a Shooting Immortal Chariot, and without deploying her famous mechanical array, she swept through her opponents.
With her Exquisite Body connecting to the soul core inside the mechanical creations, the Shooting Immortal Chariot shot forty-nine crossbow arrows, each one equaling the power of a magical artifact, containing attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, yin, yang, and poison.
Mo Qianyi controlled these arrows at will; once they broke through all foes’ defenses, they returned to the chariot, whether damaged or intact.
She patted the Shooting Immortal Chariot, then flashed back to her seat.
The descendants of the Ice and Fire Island and their King Blood Flood Dragon were wiped out during this period by the rain of arrows, becoming the first sacrifice from the Dragon Palace.
"What a pity." Lin Jing sighed when he saw this, realizing that in front of genuine talents, these Dragon Blood Pet Beasts, even reaching King Blood, were evidently no match.
Luckily, he had the Dragon Palace participants showcase their Pet Beasts early on, and now that the Dragon Ascending Pills were sold out, there was no way Lin Jing would agree to any returns.
"The Innate Exquisite Body is also heaven-defying. It likely controls dozens of magical artifacts simultaneously; while the Controller Physique focuses on quality, the Exquisite Body emphasizes quantity. And with mechanical creations assisting, her consumption isn’t that great..." Xu Zhizhi glanced at Lin Jing, saying, "Are you ready for your upcoming match against Yan Xiangbei..."
"Mm." Lin Jing nodded at the gazes directed at him. Soon, the Celestial Regret Flower began to read out the third group’s names... The rıghtful source is N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"Yan Xiangbei from the Refining Immortal Valley, Lu Tong from the Divine Movement Sect, Lin Jing from the Beast Taming Sect..."
The announcement immediately stirred a discussion on the scene.
"Chen Chong and Mo Qianyi faced top ten talents, ending with an overwhelming victory, showing a significant gap in strength."
"Yan Xiangbei is also among the top three talents. It remains to be seen if he will also decisively defeat Lu Tong, who ranks ninth..."
"Hold on, there’s also Lin Jing from the Dragon Palace!"
"Him? I thought he would have broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage in these seven days, but he’s still at the Qi Refining stage... Could it be he’s pursuing the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, despite the risks?"
They thought, if it were them, they wouldn’t dare pursue the twelfth level of Qi Refining, let alone the thirteenth. Reaching the tenth level would certainly be enough for them to stop.
If they didn’t ascend to higher realms while still young, they risked running out of lifespan, thus shortening their prime cultivation years. When this period was over, physical abilities declined, and even with pills and Secret Techniques, it wouldn’t be exaggerated to stay languishing at the same level for hundreds or thousands of years due to factors like talent, as well as the loss of ideal cultivation time.