Chapter 86: The Foundation Establishment Competition

Chapter 86: The Foundation Establishment Competition

Li Yan sat cross-legged in the cultivation chamber. At this point, the Foundation Establishment competition had concluded after four days.

In five days, the competition for the Qi Condensation stage would begin. These five days were, first, for the Qi Condensation disciples who observed the Foundation Establishment battles to summarize and study; second, to allow the injured Foundation Establishment cultivators time to recover.

After watching the Foundation Establishment experts compete, Li Yan couldn't help but sigh. No wonder each battle stage was fifty li long. Even though every battle platform was surrounded by protective barriers, the battles inside were earth-shattering. The barriers constantly flashed with intense blue light under the impact of spells.

In this competition, he also witnessed both the ferocity and restraint of his Sixth Senior Sister.

This cold and elegant senior sister preferred brutal techniques from the body cultivation path when attacking. She often engaged in close combat, going toe-to-toe with her opponents. Usually, it only took a few exchanges for her to knock her opponents unconscious.

The craftier cultivators, on the other hand, would deliberately keep a distance of over ten li upon entering the platform, launching long-range immortal techniques. Gong Chenying would either stop or deploy formations while on the move.

This allowed Li Yan to witness another side of this senior sister, her formations were endlessly varied, often trapping her opponent without them even realizing they had walked right into one during the fight.

Later in the competition, Gong Chenying was matched against Chu Weili of Four Symbols Peak. The two fought formation with formation, breaking each other's tactics in a dazzling contest.

In the end, Chu Weili narrowly won with slightly superior formation techniques. That was also because Gong Chenying didn't employ any other immortal arts, she was clearly aiming to test her skills purely through formations in that battle.

Gong Chenying didn't get matched against Wang Tian, which only made her look at him with increasingly unfriendly eyes.

After all, each participant in this grand tournament only fought five rounds. Once the top 49 were determined, the competition stopped, and those in the top 49 wouldn't compete further for ranking. This led to many disciples expressing dissatisfaction.

However, the sect was clearly considering the secret realm harvest expedition a few months later, that ranking battle would be even more intense, and serious injuries would be inevitable.

What surprised Li Yan even more was Zhao Min, she used the same brutal close-combat tactics as Gong Chenying. He hadn't expected that this delicate and graceful-looking girl could be so violent.

She, too, would rush her opponent as soon as the match started, unleashing a storm-like barrage of attacks. Those unfamiliar with her would easily be misled by her stunning and fragile-looking appearance.

If her opponent was far away, Zhao Min would release two types of strange Gu insects.

One type excelled at concealing its aura and silently creeping up on its target to deliver a fatal blow. These Gu insects didn't seem to be numerous, Li Yan saw her release only three or four.

Each had an aura around the eighth or ninth level of Qi Condensation. Their attacks were incredibly swift, often targeting the face, neck, and exposed arms. A single bite could be deadly.

But Zhao Min had complete control over them. As soon as such a Gu insect touched an opponent's skin, she would stop attacking and simply watch coldly. At that point, the opponent wouldn't dare move, drenched in cold sweat, and could only surrender immediately.

The other type of Gu insect excelled at swarming. Li Yan later researched them in relevant texts, they loved devouring flesh, burrowing into the body and eating from the inside out until not even bones remained.

These Gu insects Zhao Min refined only had a Qi Condensation fifth-level aura, but they were extremely numerous. When released, they covered the sky and earth in a dense wave that made one's heart tremble just to look at.

However, Li Yan only saw Zhao Min use them once, and from a distance at that, they circed around her opponent from afar. Clearly, even she couldn't fully command such a large swarm freely.

Both Gong Chenying and Zhao Min made it into the top 49.

Second Senior Brother Wei Chituo also made his way through the rounds, only losing in the final one when he met Gan Shi of Four Symbols Peak. Their battle was intense, with both cultivators at the peak late-stage of Foundation Establishment being evenly matched.

In the end, Gan Shi used his body as the core of a small formation to trap Wei Chituo. After half an hour without being able to break free, Wei Chituo had no choice but to admit defeat, though he still entered the top 49.

Yun Chunque, however, lost his first match against Li Changting, which darkened his expression.

Li Changting was the eldest senior sister of Boundless Peak, just one step away from reaching the Pseudo Core stage. Combined with her awe-inspiring Gu-controlling techniques, Yun Chunque's loss was not unjust.

Later, this Third Senior Brother also faced disciples from other peaks. With his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he lost one more match and drew three others. Ultimately, he also entered the top 49, though his ranking was likely near the bottom.

Li Changting passed each round with ease. Even when facing Gan Shi from Four Symbols Peak who was good at formations, he had a headache dealing with the overwhelming swarms of Gu insects.

Given Gan Shi's current cultivation, he couldn't deploy a formation spanning dozens of li. Even if he trapped Li Changting in a formation, he still had to deal with the endless insect clouds.

As soon as Li Changting entered the battle platform, she would spread large swarms of Gu insects in all four corners, making it impossible to avoid them. Li Yan finally got to witness the formidable divine sense and Gu-controlling arts of this senior sister from Boundless Peak.

Fourth Senior Sister Miao Wangqing was eliminated after losing three consecutive matches in the second round.

Wen Xinliang, however, reached the fifth round despite being only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, though he was eventually eliminated. His impression on Li Yan was one of ruthless cunning, with a highly developed skill in the use of poisons.

He was adept at exploiting opportunities to quietly deal fatal blows. But due to the gap in cultivation, he eventually encountered several late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and, despite his cleverness, he could not defeat them.

Wen Xinliang did have one match that delighted everyone from Little Bamboo Peak.

In the fourth round, he was matched against Zuo Shengyan from Spirit Insect Peak, the Dao companion of Wang Tian. Li Yan had previously suffered a soul attack from Wang Tian for merely glancing at her, almost being forced into several days of bed rest.

Zuo Shengyan was also very powerful, having reached the fourth round herself. But then she met two strong opponents in a row and was ultimately defeated.

By her third match, Zuo Shengyan was already full of pent-up frustration. Seeing that her opponent was just an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, Wen Xinliang, she couldn't help but want to vent all her anger on him.

She was mid-stage Foundation Establishment and had a powerful eighth-level Qi Condensation demonic beast, clearly a crushing advantage.

Wen Xinliang, of course, knew the disparity between them and understood the potency of the Blackwood Scorpion venom. As soon as he stepped onto the platform, he distanced himself and engaged in a mobile battle, constantly evading. Zuo Shengyan tried several times to trap him but failed, her pretty face turning pale with frustration.

The two tattooed scorpions writhing on her fair belly quivered violently, as if about to leap off her body. She hadn't expected Wen Xinliang to be so slippery and difficult to fight.

Zuo Shengyan had always been somewhat arrogant. After failing to take down a Foundation Establishment early-stage opponent for such a long time, she immediately grew impatient and agitated.

Wen Xinliang, however, had been waiting for an opportunity the whole time. Just as the blackwood scorpion sprayed its venom again at close range, a slight wave of his sleeve quietly released the "Two-Headed Fly" powder onto the ground. It formed a thin layer, which resembled the stone patterns of the arena floor and was hard to detect without careful observation.

As a spirit beast, the blackwood scorpion seemed to sense something. Before it could screech a warning, the impatient Zuo Shengyan who was eager for victory had already stepped into the area. By the time she sensed something was wrong, it was too late to retrieve the antidote, she collapsed to the ground in a dizzy spell.

Without its master's support, the blackwood scorpion despite being at the ninth level of the Qi Condensation stage was subdued by Wen Xinliang after several rounds.

When Zuo Shengyan regained consciousness and learned what had happened afterward, her heart surged with fury toward Wen Xinliang.

It turned out that she was already scantily dressed, and after collapsing from the potent drug effects of the "Two-Headed Fly," her limbs convulsed uncontrollably and spread apart. Areas of her fair and delicate body that should never have been exposed were inadvertently laid bare in full view.

Fortunately, the elder supervising the duel acted swiftly, waving a hand to remove her from the platform and administering an antidote in passing. Otherwise, it was anyone's guess what kind of compromising posture Zuo Shengyan might have displayed on the crystal panel.

When Wang Tian found out about the incident afterward, his eyes turned blood-red with rage. Unfortunately, he never drew a match against anyone from Little Bamboo Peak and could only vent his fury on other opponents, who suffered miserably as a result.

Zuo Shengyan was eliminated from the tournament after that match!

After the incident, the rest of the disciples from Little Bamboo Peak began to look at Wen Xinliang with both a gaze filled with bad taste and ill will, especially the three female cultivators.

Wen Xinliang was so frightened he hurriedly tried to explain: when forced into a corner, he had only thought to use a poison that was hard to detect yet extremely potent. He hadn't considered the other... consequences.

But no matter how he explained, Miao Wangqing and Gong Chenying only looked at him coldly. The younger female disciple didn't dare to openly express anything, but her gaze still revealed a deep fear, as if this Fifth Martial Uncle were some beast in human clothing.

Lin Daqiao had already been eliminated in the first round. He fought four matches, winning only the second against a new Foundation Establishment cultivator, and lost the remaining three. This made him sigh with emotion, he really was still too weak.

In these past days, aside from focusing on the matches of his senior brothers and sisters from Little Bamboo Peak, Li Yan spent more time memorizing the techniques each person used, their methods of deploying immortal arts, and so forth.

Over the course of four days, he benefited immensely, gaining a new understanding of formations, poison arts, and the innate skills of spirit beasts.

Li Yan closed his eyes and carefully reflected on everything he had seen and heard in recent days, refining the methods and techniques he could currently use.

He had to make good use of his time. He had almost no actual combat experience, and there was far too much he still needed to learn, it was overwhelming.

Just then, the command token at his waist began flashing white light. Li Yan's brows furrowed. He really didn't want to be disturbed at this moment, his match was in five days.

Nevertheless, he still sent his divine sense into the token. In the next moment, Li Yan froze.

The Eldest Senior Brother had arranged five days of intensive practice for him. Each senior brother and sister would take turns sparring with him. When Li Yan saw this message, he was momentarily stunned.

He understood how precious this treatment was. Even among disciples of the same sect, sparring guidance was usually rare. To have seven people take turns offering instruction was an extreme rarity. If the other disciples of his peak found out, they'd be red with envy.

Though five days would pass in a blink for others, for Li Yan it felt like years.

At first, each person would let him freely attack and then offer critique. Later, they would suppress their cultivation and engage in actual combat.

That's when Li Yan's hellish days began. Even when they suppressed their cultivation, they were still Foundation Establishment cultivators. Their vision and understanding of immortal spells were on a whole other level.

Never in his wildest dreams would Li Yan have thought that his always-polite and modest Eldest Senior Brother could be so ruthless. Now, every time he saw Li Wuyi, he thought the man was a complete hypocrite.

Fourth Senior Sister also shed her delicate image, letting Li Yan realize that even Foundation Establishment cultivators not adept at combat were still incredibly oppressive, tormenting him both inside and out.

Third Senior Brother's ghostly attacks severely damaged Li Yan's spirit, making him feel like he was about to go mad. Second Senior Brother attacked like a storm, beating Li Yan black and blue, all while telling him his attacks lacked strength.

Sixth Senior Sister's formations plunged Li Yan into endless illusions, shattering his focus. Seeing Gong Chenying felt like having all his secrets laid bare. Even Lin Daqiao, when he struck, made Li Yan realize the vast difference between someone who had just entered Foundation Establishment and someone still in the Qi Condensation stage. The seamless mix of indiscriminate immortal arts and poison attacks left Li Yan scrambling in all directions.

For five days, Li Yan was in a constant haze. One senior brother would leave, and a senior sister would take over. He stood there, stiff and bruised. One senior sister would leave, and another senior brother would come. He still stood there, just with a battered face...

However, Li Yan's performance shocked the others. In their private discussions, they realized that no matter what poison he was hit with, his symptoms would start to subside before they even administered the antidote. After some time, he would slowly recover to normal.

Although the process was slow, it was his own body doing the work. Moreover, once a particular poison had been used on him, it was significantly less effective the next time, his poison resistance was steadily increasing.

To withstand them, Li Yan had to go all out every time. As a result, they also discovered his true cultivation: the late stage of the seventh level of Qi Condensation!

Such hidden strength was common in the cultivation world. But what astonished them more was that even though they were a full realm above Li Yan, they hadn't noticed his concealed level. Still, no one pried into how he was hiding his aura.

What surprised them even more was the depth of Li Yan's spiritual power, it had nearly reached the early ninth level of Qi Condensation. This junior disciple was truly unfathomable.

(Chapter End)