Eternal Tale
chapter-44

The moment they clashed, the overlooked spirit beast finally made its move!

"Moo!"

_ambush!_

A dark figure rushed out from the side. It dashed so fast that Liu Tao, who was already held down by Chen Xun, couldn’t react in time.

"Ah! Dammit!" Liu Tao's face was filled with unwillingness and humiliation as the black ox pushed him out of the arena.

On the other hand, Chen Xun also seemed unable to hold on any longer and collapsed onto the black ox.

Seeing this scene from below, Liu Tao was momentarily stunned. He couldn't help but admire Chen Xun's incredible resilience.

"Senior brother…." Chen Xun said weakly, with a faint smile.

"Junior brother, recover well. We will spar again next year," Liu Tao replied, saluting.

He had gained newfound respect for Chen Xun. In fact, this battle had provided valuable insights to him.

"All right." replied Chen Xun, struggling to raise his hand to salute back. He was then led down the arena with the help of the black ox.

Liu Tao approached the pair before handing him a medicinal pill.

Chen Xun was seemingly moved to tears and grabbed his hand tightly. Which in turn caused a sense of guilt to creep into the heart of Senior Brother Liu and he began to regret using excessive force.

Several disciples around them stared strangely at Liu Tao.

Shaking his head, Liu Tao left.

Half an hour later, still holding onto the big black ox, Chen Xun approached an Elder in the foundational stage and said, "Elder, I wish to continue."

"Can you still compete in your current state?" The elder frowned slightly and eyed Chen Xun up and down, with his hair sticking out through the holes in his tattered hat, as well as his disheveled, bloodied clothes.

"I can," Chen Xun replied with a determined smile, his eyes filled with stubbornness.

"Since you're determined, I won’t say anything more." the Elder nodded slightly.

Such disciples came every year: single-minded and stubborn. But in the end, they were the ones who paid the price.

A surge of spiritual energy was activated, and Chen Xun's yellow talisman emitted a faint, guiding light.

Chen Xun then looked at another martial arena where his next opponent—the second winner—awaited.

Chen Xun approached the arena and climbed onto the stage, unsteady and stumbling. By now, after this long day of fighting, his hat was all messed up. It was riddled with holes and was even emitting faint smoke from the straw burning up.

The eighth-level Qi Refining disciple on the other side looked shocked. Did his presence alone nearly kill off his opponent?

An hour later, the arena was filled with furious cries, "Junior brother, can you still hold on?!"

"Senior brother... bring it on!" Chen Xun roared, his steps unsteady. His hat now had a gaping hole.

The eighth-level Qi Refining disciple's expression was filled with despair. He was almost unable to hold on. After all, who in the Qi Refining stage could sustain a battle for an hour?!

"Moo!" Sensing the right moment, the black ox charged forward!

"What? An ambush?!" The man cried out in surprise and performed an elegant arc in mid-air before landing safely outside the arena.

A Third Victory!

Chen Xun was carried away by the big black ox, seemingly gravely injured and on the brink of death.

Under the shade of a tree, Chen Xun slowly regained consciousness, leaning against the tree with a smile on his face.

"Moo?" The big black ox lay down beside him, its large mouth trembling.

"Don’t worry, I brought them, I brought them." Chen Xun removed his hat, revealing a messy head of hair. He had numerous injuries on his body.

The big black ox kept licking Chen Xun's wounds with its tongue, and Chen Xun patted its head, taking out some healing salve from his storage bag.

"It’s just some surface wounds, no big deal."

"Moo~"

The big black ox still gazed at Chen Xun with concern. Although they often got injured in their small village in the past, this was different; in these battles, a single mistake could be fatal.

"Hehe, I learned quite a bit of medical skills from Master Ning. These injuries are nothing," Chen Xun said nonchalantly.

As long as they weren't internal injuries, applying the salve would heal them in a few days and there wouldn't even be any scars.

"They have limited spiritual energy and can't endure a battle of attrition against us. If we use our spells, they won't survive," Chen Xun grinned. He really liked these junior brothers and sisters.

"Moo~"

The big black ox nodded in agreement. Indeed, their spells were terrifying, and if they really used them, it would either result in death or serious injury for their opponents.

"We probably just need to win six more matches. If we win three more tomorrow, we'll have 500 contribution points."

"Moo~" The big black ox nodded its head as it looked at Chen Xun, its eyes filled with joy.

Chen Xun took out some melon seeds from his storage pouch and started eating them with the black ox. The sound of fierce battles continued and they both watched the martial arenas where the battles were the most intense with relish.

On the second day, Chen Xun was well recovered and full of energy, but his opponents were getting stronger.

However in the end, no matter how flashy their spells were, the duo still relied on their spiritual energy to outsustain them. It was all about enduring the relentless pressure.

The surrounding disciples had initially come to watch, but they soon grew drowsy and quickly moved to other arenas where the battles were more exciting.

"Junior brother, I can't hold on any longer!" a miserable scream rang out.

The disciple's face twisted and he looked at Chen Xun with fear in his eyes.

"Senior brother, hang in there!" Chen Xun shouted loudly, encouraging him. "I'm still going!"

"Moo!"

The black ox launched a surprise attack, and the disciple was pushed out of the arena, a faint smile of relief on his face. It was finally over…

Chen Xun had won his fourth match.

...

"Junior brother, I beg you, please. You don’t have to push yourself to such an extent. Surrender!"

"Impossible! How can we cultivators lack pride? Senior brother, come again!"

"Moo!" The black ox launched a surprise attack, and the senior brother collapsed outside the arena, his body completely devoid of spiritual energy.

Chen Xun secured his fifth victory.

...

"Junior brother, I still have countless talismans that I haven't activated. You won't be able to hold on!"

"Senior brother, don’t hold back anything. Unleash all your spells!"

Half an hour later, that senior brother was trembling and swaying in the arena.

All his talismans had been depleted….

"Moo." A surprise attack from the black ox. Chaaaarge!

"Ah!!"

The senior brother screamed in agony with tears streaming down his face, his body flying in mid-air. He had nothing left!

And with this, Chen Xun secured his sixth victory, but he himself was now trembling all over. He had to be supported by the big black ox to get onto the next stage.

Although Chen Xun seemed unremarkable, his indomitable willpower deeply shocked and impressed several Foundational Stage elders. Their eyes were fixed on Chen Xun's martial arena.

"Junior brother..." The senior brother watched Chen Xun, who could barely stand, with a slightly furrowed brow. How is he going to fight again in such a state?

Chen Xun's hair was dancing in the wind and his eyes were bloodshot. He bent over and placed both hands on his knees. Slowly raising his head, he said, "Senior brother... Come and fight!"

"I will naturally show respect to junior brother," the senior brother said solemnly, his gaze filled with admiration.

Just a few incense sticks' worth of time later, with a loud shout from Chen Xun, he charged forward, swinging his fists.

His whole body was filled with openings, and the senior brother just slightly tilted his body to dodge. He was full of emotion looking at this junior of his.

A cold wind blew by, and Chen Xun couldn't hold on any longer and he collapsed on the arena, raising a cloud of dust.

"Junior brother!"

"Moo!"

They rushed forward to check on him, and fortunately, he was unharmed and just mentally and physically exhausted.

"Thank you, elder." The senior brother clasped his hands and spoke.

The Foundational Stage elder nodded; his eyes carrying many emotions. This person was most likely from a casual cultivation background. People like him had certain qualities to endure hardship and were unwilling to yield, even if they fought until the last drop of blood. However, this couldn't change their aptitude for cultivating.

Chen Xun was carried down the mountain by the big black ox.