landbeastnovel Chapter 48 Competition
Chapter 48 Competition
As the first rays of dawn pierced through the sea of clouds, casting golden light upon the vast Daoist platform area of Tongxuan Peak.
This arena complex, paved with ten solid Xuan Gang stones and inscribed with intricate formations, was already enveloped in a cacophony of noise and heat.
Four hundred newly recruited disciples—three hundred from the inner sect and one hundred from the outer sect—gathered here.
The auras intertwined, the fighting spirit filled the air, the surrounding spiritual energy subtly boiled, and the rosy light shifted and changed.
The circular viewing area around the platform, built along the mountainside, was packed with people.
Disciples, stewards, elders, and even cultivators from various peaks who came upon hearing the news, riding various flying magical artifacts or standing directly in the air, all focused their attention on the ten arenas below.
Swords flashed and shuttles moved through the air, lotus platforms and jade boats shimmered with light and color.
The ground was teeming with people, and the sounds were like a surging tide, truly a magnificent scene of immortals, with ever-changing atmosphere.
On the high platform, several elders with profound auras stood solemnly.
The leading elder of Tongxuan Peak, his gaze sharp as lightning, swept over the dark mass of people below the stage. His voice, like a booming bell, drowned out all the noise:
"The Land of Immortal Remnants is extremely dangerous; only those with accomplished Daoist skills can venture deep into it! Today, in this magical contest, three hundred inner disciples and one hundred outer disciples, a total of four hundred disciples, will compete here!"
"Ten debating platforms will open simultaneously, and only the top fifty will gain the opportunity to enter the Immortal Relic Land!"
"The rules are as follows: opponents are determined by drawing lots, and the contest is one-on-one. The one who falls off the platform, voluntarily concedes defeat, or loses the ability to fight loses."
"Intentionally harming fellow disciples is strictly prohibited! You may use your own magical treasures, talismans, and elixirs, but one-time use prohibited items are forbidden. Now, the drawing of lots begins!"
A huge light screen suddenly lit up in the air, and four hundred number plates representing the disciples' identities scrolled rapidly, eventually being randomly matched to ten arenas.
Lu Ming stood among the crowd, his robes fluttering gently in the morning breeze. His aura was calm and restrained, as if separated from the surrounding hustle and bustle by an invisible barrier.
After three days of almost brutal tempering by Mo Yuan, Lu Ming's spiritual energy became perfectly integrated, and his eyes shone brightly.
The spiritual energy within his body surged like an undercurrent, while the sword intent that he had obtained from the Sword Immortal Qingping, which had sprouted between life and death, was now like a dormant dragon or snake, deeply hidden in his mind, waiting for a thunderous strike.
The light screen freezes, and the name appears.
"Station number seven (Category C), number one hundred, Lu Ming of Tianyan Peak; yes, number two hundred and eighty-five, Wang Meng of Xuanshi Peak!"
Lu Ming moved slightly, without any apparent movement, and swept past the crowd like a gentle breeze, landing steadily on the No. 7 Dao Discussion Platform.
His opponent, Wang Meng of Xuan Shi Feng, jumped onto the stage almost simultaneously.
This man was eight feet tall, as strong as an iron tower, and his skin had a distinctive bronze color.
His body was filled with abundant spiritual energy, as if he were one with the cold Xuan Gang stone beneath his feet.
He held a heavy black iron shield in his hand, its surface engraved with mountain runes, shimmering with spiritual light, clearly a magical artifact focused on defense.
"Lu Ming of Tianyan Peak greets Senior Brother Wang and requests your guidance!"
"I dare not accept such praise. I am Wang Meng of Xuan Shi Peak. Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Lu!"
After going on stage, the two exchanged greetings with clasped hands.
"The contest begins!" The referee elder's command echoed throughout every corner.
Wang Meng let out a low roar, his voice like muffled thunder, and launched an attack without hesitation.
He slammed the black iron shield in his hand onto the ground in front of him!
"Buzz—!"
The mountain runes on the shield suddenly lit up, and a wave of earthy yellow spiritual light rapidly spread out from the shield, instantly enveloping the entire arena!
A powerful gravitational field suddenly descended, and the air seemed to become viscous.
Lu Ming, who was in the middle of it, immediately felt his body sink, and his movements slowed down by a third.
This is precisely the earth-based magic technique—"Thousand-Pound Domain"!
At the same time, Shi Meng's body surged with earth-yellow spiritual energy, which quickly condensed on his body surface, transforming into a pair of sharply angled armor.
It was his rock-solid battle body, honed through arduous training!
After completing the defensive enhancement, he finally took a step forward.
The arena trembled slightly. He clenched his right fist, which was covered with a thick layer of rock gauntlets.
This punch, carrying the terrifying force of shattering mountains and splitting rocks, hurtled towards Lu Ming from afar!
Where the fist passed, the air exploded, and a fist-force shot out like a cannonball, heading straight for Lu Ming's face!
Domain restrictions, magical artifacts for protection, and ranged attacks with powerful energy!
Shi Meng launched a series of extremely oppressive attacks as soon as he made his move, clearly intending to crush his opponent with absolute power and defense.
If it were Lu Ming three days ago, facing such a brutal fighting style, he might have only been able to rely on his agility to try his best to maneuver.
Finding an opening in the opponent's spiritual energy conversion and then using sword control techniques to win against all odds is bound to be an extremely difficult process.
But at this moment, having experienced the oppressive force of Mo Yuan's sword aura and intent, Lu Ming felt a sense of understanding as he faced the Thousand Jun Domain, which had a wider range but was scattered in intent and power.
Seeing the fist energy rushing towards him, Lu Ming did not retreat but advanced instead!
His spiritual energy instantly accelerated its flow, skillfully adapting to the momentum, like water flowing around a stone, making his figure exceptionally agile.
Lu Ming's steps appeared slow, but in fact they subtly followed a certain rhythm, a manifestation of the fusion of lightness techniques and body-strengthening boxing.
At the same time, he pointed his right hand together like a sword.
The pure spiritual energy within his body was highly concentrated at his fingertips, emitting a shimmering, clear light.
Lu Ming neither dodged nor avoided, but instead struck directly at the weakest point in the flow of power on the side of the incoming fist energy!
This finger strike was as fast as lightning! It contained his profound understanding of power control gained over the past three days, and also carried a hint of sword intent.
"Pfft!"
A soft, unusual explosion was heard.
Lu Ming's finger sword was like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, and the solid earthy yellow fist energy was actually split open by a point of clear light from his fingertip.
The violent force of the punch spread to both sides, causing his robes to flutter, but it failed to harm him in the slightest.
Shi Meng and Quan Gang were connected in spirit. When he was hit, his fist involuntarily veered off course, and the rock armor covering his fist made a slight "crack" sound.
It's now!
Lu Ming's mind raced, and the Wind Spirit Sword, which had been hanging at his waist, let out a resounding sword cry and was suddenly drawn from its sheath!
The sword's blade emitted a burst of blue light, transforming into a long rainbow.
The sword light followed the gap in the force field that had been broken by the finger sword, and shot towards the exposed ribs that had been exposed due to the deflection of the fist!
The flying sword pierced the air, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.
Shi Meng was shocked. It was too late to turn his shield back and defend. He could only forcefully twist his strong body, trying to use his rock armor to block the fierce sword.
But Lu Ming's offensive was relentless and unstoppable!
Almost at the same instant the Wind Spirit Sword was fired, he himself had already moved close to the target like a ghost.
With his left hand subtly forming a hand seal within his sleeve, a Xuan Yuan Water Thunder, imbued with both water and thunder elemental power, was silently launched.
It exploded suddenly in the space about a foot in front of Wang Meng, right at the point where his line of sight would focus!
"Bang!"
The burst of water vapor instantly spread, and the shockwave it contained further interfered with spiritual perception.
Wang Meng's vision was obstructed, and his mind was momentarily dazed.
The Taoist magic provides precise harassment, the flying sword is the main attack, and the user provides close-range pressure and support!
The three attacks, occurring in quick succession, arrived in an instant.
Wang Meng was caught off guard and with a crisp clang, the Wind Spirit Sword struck the rock armor under his ribs!
Although he couldn't completely break through the thick defense, the highly penetrating sword energy still dealt a heavy blow to his ribs, causing his blood and qi to surge violently.
Wang Meng grunted and staggered backward.
The explosion of water vapor in front of him and the interference with his spiritual senses caused him to instantly lose his perception of the battlefield situation.
In that split second, when vision blurred, body lost its balance, old strength exhausted and new strength yet to arise, all the old strength was gone and new strength had yet to arise.
Lu Ming had already closed in on him, within inches of his body! He thrust the Wind Spirit Sword straight at him.
Suddenly, several earthen walls rose up in front of Lu Ming. Lu Ming drew his sword and slashed at them, and the earthen walls shattered with a sound.
However, despite this obstacle, Wang Meng continued to cast spells, causing the shield to shine brightly.
Several small mountains flew out of the shield, transforming from phantoms into reality, and pressed down on Lu Ming from all directions.
At this moment, Wang Meng leaped into the air, wielding his shield and slamming it down with force, like Mount Tai pressing down.
With nowhere to hide, Lu Ming summoned several protective sword energies to shield himself from the encirclement of the earthen mound.
At the same time, the Wind Spirit Sword in his hand shone brightly with azure light and stabbed towards the sky. Lu Ming actually chose to withstand this crushing blow head-on.
Wang Meng was delighted to see this, thinking to himself that this crushing blow was not something he could easily withstand. If he chose to dodge, he would have to put in more effort.
Soon, Lu Ming's sword energy collided with the iron shield, and the sound of metal clashing against metal was deafening.
The incomparably sharp sword energy, carrying the intent of the Azure Lotus Sword, continuously slicing through the mountain formed by the shield.
Lu Ming brandished his sword wildly, and the overflowing sword energy shattered the surrounding hills that were pressing in.
Wang Meng, standing above, was drenched in sweat; the pressure from above was simply too much to bear.
Moreover, the overflowing sword energy was incredibly sharp, already cutting his skin and leaving many bloody marks.
Wang Meng shouted loudly, pushing his spiritual power to its limit.
Lu Ming remained calm, and the protective sword aura and overflowing sword energy condensed and then all gathered on the sword.
The sword shone with a brilliant blue light, and Lu Ming soared into the sky once more, as if he himself had transformed into sword energy and was thrusting straight towards the mountain above!
A tremendous crash resounded, and the small mountain that Wang Meng had conjured was instantly annihilated. Lu Ming, wielding the Wind Spirit Sword, broke through the obstacle and thrust it straight at Wang Meng's shield.
Wang Meng was no match for the sword and was sent flying backward by the powerful impact.
"Senior Brother Wang, you flatter me!" Lu Ming said, clasping his hands in greeting.
Wang Meng struggled to his feet, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Thank you for your mercy, Senior Brother Lu. I am simply outmatched." With that, he struggled off the stage and walked away.
A brief silence fell around Platform Seven, followed by an even louder uproar than before!
Many discerning elders could clearly see that Lu Ming seemed to have received some of the true teachings of the Qingping Sword Immortal. Although his sword moves were unremarkable, his sword intent was very evident.
"Tianyan Peak, Lu Mingsheng!"
The elder referee announced loudly, a hint of appreciation in his gaze as he looked at Lu Ming.
Lu Ming remained calm, his gaze sweeping across the audience below the stage as if searching for someone, but ultimately he found no one.
After bidding farewell to the elder judge, he walked downstairs.
In one corner of the viewing platform, several senior brothers and sisters who remained at Tianyan Peak were prominently displayed.
Zhao Ling watched with great interest, chuckled, and patted Mo Yuan's shoulder forcefully:
"Impressive, Junior Brother! That swordsmanship is quite good. It seems Senior Brother Mo has taught you well!"
Senior Sister Su Wan covered her mouth and chuckled softly, saying gently, "Junior Brother Lu has made rapid progress. It seems that Senior Brother Mo has indeed taught you everything he knows these past three days."
With a cold and stern expression, Mo Yuan still stood with his sword in his arms, but his gaze followed Lu Ming as he left the stage.
Hearing this, he simply nodded slightly and let out a barely audible "hmm" from his nose.
Senior Brother Chu Tianyi stood with his hands behind his back, a gratified smile on his face, and nodded slightly, saying:
"A mastery of all techniques, effortless mastery. Junior Brother Mo's contributions over the past three days are truly remarkable."
His gaze then swept over the other arenas where fierce battles were also raging.