Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-438

When Lu Ping walked out of the teleportation formation on Tian Ling Mountain, he heard a rumbling roar and a round of laughter. “Haha! You’re indeed powerful! Shall we call this a draw and take a break?”

“Ha! That’s exactly what I was thinking. If we continue this duel, we’ll inevitably end up hurting each other!”

Lu Ping realized that he was late as the friendly match between disciples of the East Ocean sects and the Zhen Ling Sect had already begun.

He could tell that it was Yao Yong speaking just now. However, as far as Lu Ping could remember, Yao Yong was never the type to back off that easily. Every fight he was involved in would only end with him defeating his opponent or the other way around. Hence, seeing him agreeing to a draw today was a surprise.

Lu Ping’s interest was piqued. He immediately headed over to find out who exactly was Yao Yong’s opponent

Before Lu Ping arrived, Yao Yong could be heard shouting, “I have some fine wine at my place. I’d like to invite you for a drink. How about that?”

“That sounds brilliant! It would be my honor!”

Two crimson-red lights shot into the sky and quickly disappeared from Lu Ping’s vision as the two men left the scene.

A person slowly entered Lu Ping’s vision, surprised to see him. This surprise was quickly replaced by happiness when Lu Ping said, “Junior Brother Zhang, I thought we were having a friendly match with the disciples from the East Ocean. How come you’re leaving already?”

Zhang Zi-Cheng smiled, and replied, “Greetings, Senior Brother Lu. The early-Core Forging Realm disciples of our sect have finished competing with the disciples of the East Ocean’s five great sects. It is now the mid-Core Forging Realm disciple’s turn to compete. I’m confident we’ve already won a round with you here, Senior Brother Lu.”

“Oh? How’s the result?”

The friendly match was split into ten rounds. Five rounds were for disciples in the early-Core Forging Realm, and the remaining five rounds were for disciples in the mid-Core Forging realm.

“The result? We’re at two wins and two losses. Senior Brother Yao Yong ended up with a draw against a disciple from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect, but we’re still ahead of the Xuan Ling Sect. I heard that the Xuan Ling Sect’s early-Core Forging Realm disciples only managed to win two out of five rounds, and Ouyang Wei-Jian was the only one that won among the mid-Core Forging Realm disciples. Anyway, with you around, we will definitely be able to surpass the Xuan Ling Sect!” Zhang Zi-Cheng replied with mixed emotions.

“We must not underestimate others. There are plenty of talents in the East Ocean. I can’t say that I’m confident in winning against them.”

Zhang Zi-Cheng did not refute Lu Ping’s statement. Instead, he replied, “I’m very confident that you’ll win your fight, but I can’t deny your point.”

“Oh?” Lu Ping was surprised. He knew a lot about the East Ocean, but as a disciple of Xuan-Miao and Guo Xuan-Shan, Zhang Zi-Cheng had probably received plenty of news from both of them. Hence, he asked, “Junior brother, do you mind sharing your opinion on the disciples from the East Ocean?”

Zhang Zi-Cheng replied, “As we both know, the disciples sent here are the elites of many sects from the East Ocean. However, according to Junior Uncle Guo Xuan-Shan, these disciples aren’t the ones standing at the top. Yet, be it Senior Brother Ji or the others, they are already the best of the best in our sect.”

Lu Ping nodded in agreement because the East Ocean had more resources than the North Ocean. He asked again, “I assume Xuan-Xuan and Xuan-Chu also competed with them?”

“Of course. If it weren’t for them, we would be in deep trouble. The two senior brothers each won a round, Senior Brother Yao’s fight ended in a draw, and two of our disciples lost.”

He glanced at Lu Ping and continued, “Yuan Zhan was one of the two disciples that lost. He managed to exchange a dozen blows with the disciple from the Violet Insignia Sect before being defeated.”

Lu Ping nodded without saying a word. After seeing Lu Ping barely react to him mentioning Yuan Zhan, Zhang Zi-Cheng carefully thought about his words, and said, “Senior Brother Du Feng wanted to volunteer, but Yuan Zhan insisted on fighting and Senior Uncle Xuan-Shu also chose him. If it was Senior Brother Du, we probably would have won another match.”

Lu Ping grasped the message hidden in Zhang Zi-Cheng’s words. In response, he smiled and said, “It’s better not to reveal our full strength. The East Ocean’s five great sects are stronger than all of us in every aspect. Making it difficult or embarrassing for their disciples could lead to a bad result for our sect.”

Hearing that, Zhang Zi-Cheng nodded and dwelled in his thoughts.

“What about you? Why are you leaving in such a hurry?” Lu Ping smiled.

Zhang Zi-Cheng smiled. “There’s nothing left for me to do here now. There are still many things that need to be dealt with because Senior Brother Xuan-Yun passed everything to me and left to have the time of his life.”

Lu Ping patted Zhang Zi-Cheng softly on his shoulder and bid him farewell. Lu Ping then headed to the court in front of the palace. From afar, he could see a couple of late-Core Forging Realm cultivators sitting in front of Tian Ling Palace and discussing some matters. The two cultivators were Guo Xuan-Shan and an arrogant-looking cultivator that Lu Ping identified as someone from the Crystal Palace from his clothes.

There were a few cultivators standing behind them. Among them were two cultivators from the Zhen Ling Sect and four from the East Ocean. From time to time, they would glance at the two cultivators fighting in the court. One of the two Zhen Ling Sect’s cultivators was Liang Xuan-Feng, and the other was someone he couldn’t recognize. However, from his conversation with Zhang Zi-Cheng, Lu Ping concluded that it was Xuan-Shu.

Lu Ping recognized one of the East Ocean cultivators as Qin Xu, someone he had encountered during the Northern League Alchemy Conference.

After noticing Qin Xu, Lu Ping consciously tried to avoid him to prevent him from finding out that he was a cultivator from the North Ocean and a disciple from the Zhen Ling Sect. Consequently, Lu Ping silently went to a secluded corner and spectated the match.

The cultivators fighting in the match were a disciple from the Thunderstorm Island of the East Ocean and Xuan Lei, a familiar face to Lu Ping.

Xuan-Lei was an adept user of lighting-elemental techniques, while the disciples of the Thunderstorm Island were known for their expertise in wind and lightning-elemental techniques. They engaged in a ferocious fight. In the end, Xuan-Lei was defeated after being unable to match his opponent's stronger energy level.

As a spectator, Lu Ping had a clear view. In terms of experience and technique, Xuan-Lei was on par with the disciple from Thunderstorm Island, if not stronger. However, Xuan-Lei always lost the upper hand because his opponent’s attacks were slightly stronger.

This was because apart from a better foundation, the disciple had also infused better wonder items compared to Xuan-Lei during his advancement into the mid-Core Forging Realm.

Lu Ping knew that when Xuan-Lei was ready to enter the mid-Core Forging Realm, he had no choice but to infuse two Mystic-Class wonder items. This was because he failed to acquire the necessary lightning-elemental wonder items due to their extreme rarity. Although the wonder items he infused were far stronger than ordinary, they were not as powerful as wonder items belonging to the Earth Class.

It was a pity, and the effects were starting to be seen.

This was how poor the North Ocean was!

Xuan-Lei was no weaker than the disciple from the East Ocean, yet he lost the fight because the resources in the North Ocean could not satisfy his needs, placing him at a disadvantage.

In the Zhen Ling Sect, a mid-Core Forging Realm cultivator that infused Mystic-Class wonder items would be treated as an elite cultivator that possessed a chance to advance into the Law Avatar Realm, albeit very minimal. However, in the East Ocean, the standard was completely different. In order to receive the same treatment, a cultivator would have to infuse Earth-Class wonder items.

This was also why the North Ocean’s cultivators won more matches during the early-Core Forging Realm but lost more matches in the mid-Core Forging Realm. The matches between the East Ocean and the Xuan Ling Sect were perfect examples. The early-Core Forging Realm cultivators from the Xuan Ling Sect won two matches, while Ouyang Wei-Jian, the most talented cultivator in the Xuan Ling Sect, was the only one that prevailed in the mid-Core Forging Realm.

The second match was about to begin between Xuan-Xing and a disciple from the Northern League. Compared to the previous match, Xuan-Xing was much weaker than Xuan-Lei, and the disciple from the Northern League was stronger than the Thunderstorm Island’s disciple. As a result, Xuan-Xing was quickly defeated.

The Zhen Ling Sect disciple partaking in the third match was someone Lu Ping did not know. From a conversation with the spectators, Lu Ping learned that the disciple was Xuan-Xiao. Similar to the earlier participants, Xuan-Xiao quickly tasted defeat at the hands of a disciple from the Violet Insignia Sect.

The Zhen Ling Sect’s disciples started conversing with each other. The conflict between the Zhen Ling Sect and Xuan Ling Sect had intensified quickly throughout the years. The two sects would always do everything they could to one-up each other in every aspect, and the Zhen Ling Sect would always gain the upper hand. If the Zhen Ling Sect won another match, they would surpass the Xuan Ling Sect once more. However, the Zhen Ling Sect had already lost three matches in a row during the mid-Core Forging Realm battles. While there were still two remaining fights, the strongest disciple of the East Ocean had yet to be sent out. If the mid-Core Forging Realm cultivators of the Zhen Ling Sect were all defeated, the Zhen Ling Sect would be turned into a laughing stock by the Xuan Ling Sect.

“Who’s next? Are we going to lose again?”

“I think it’s Xuan-Shang. He’s one of the top ten North Ocean Prodigies. He should be able to win!”

“I’d say otherwise! While Xuan-Shang is as powerful as Xuan-Lei, his opponent is from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect. Their sect is known to produce cultivators that excel in destructive power. Xuan-Shang is probably going to lose!”

“It seems like we truly aren’t as strong as the East Ocean’s top sects. The participants in these matches are all renowned warriors of our sect, but none of them could defeat their opponent.”

“The North Ocean isn’t as resourceful as the East Ocean. No wonder our seniors always talk about how poor we are.”

“There’s someone else!”

“That’s it! Where’s Lu Xuan-Ping? Where’s the Water Sword Immortal? He managed to overwhelm a couple of cultivators on the same level as him singlehandedly back then! If he’s around, we’ll definitely be able to win one more against the East Ocean! He’ll be able to match Ouyang Wei-Jian!”

“I heard he’s on Nucleus Island with Great Ancestor Tian-Hu. I’m afraid he’s probably still there, so he can’t make it today.”

“Shame. What bad timing.”

“Perhaps it's on purpose. The sect can salvage some reputation by giving the excuse that we were only defeated because the strongest disciple of our sect was occupied by official affairs. However, if Lu Xuan-Ping is defeated today, the world will know that the Xuan Ling Sect is superior, and that Lu Xuan-Ping is not as good as Ouyang Wei-Jian.”

“Forget that! We’re an honorable sect. There’s no need to resort to such shameful acts! We would be making a fool out of ourselves by doing so!”

The cultivator from the Crystal Palace who was next to Guo Xuan-Shan, smiled and said, “The Zhen Ling Sect’s early-Core Forging Realm cultivators are brilliant. They are worthy of being called elites, even in our sects. However, the mid-Core Forging Realm cultivators are rather disappointing. They aren’t even as strong as the ones from the Xuan Ling Sect. I can tell that your disciples have given their all, but there just haven't been any interesting moments. They can’t even come close to Ouyang Wei-Jian of the Xuan Ling Sect, who would be considered a brilliant talent even in the East Ocean. The future awaiting him is a bright one. The Zhen Ling Sect is at risk of being surpassed by the Xuan Ling Sect if Ouyang Wei-Jian advances into the Law Avatar Realm.”

The cultivator’s words displeased Liang Xuan-Feng and Xuan-Shu. The other representatives from the other four sects of the East Ocean kept quiet, but they wore a smile on their faces.

Guo Xuan-Shan was unbothered. Instead, he smiled. “The Xuan Ling Sect had been around for a very long time. In fact, they’ve been around longer than any of us in the North Ocean. The foundation they have is something we don’t come close to. While their strength might be on a downward trend, Dao-Sheng is still very powerful. We can’t catch up to him even if we tried our best.”

Hearing that, the cultivator from the Crystal Palace smiled and said nothing, switching his focus to the fourth match.

The candidates were Xuan-Shang and a disciple from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect.

Lu Ping had fought against Xuan-Shang several times. Thus, he knew that Xuan-Shang was slightly stronger than Xuan-Lei. As a result, the match was destined to be an exciting one.

Just as he had thought, Xuan-Shang performed well against the disciple of the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect. They exchanged blow after blow as the crowd cheered on. The disciple from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect displayed impressive sword arts and rained down attacks on Xuan-Shang, who refused to give up and retaliated with equally powerful attacks.

The clash between the two was a sight to behold and was unusually dangerous.

Both of them gained so many injuries and bruises that the crowd started to feel worried.

The technique used by the disciple from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect was one of the seven ultimate sword arts of the sect, allowing him to unleash attacks with tremendous force. Although Xuan-Shang was not as strong, he was very attentive and exploited every chance available, risking getting hurt just to land an attack on his opponent. His daring and bold moves forced the disciple to constantly give up opportunities to end the match by crippling Xuan-Shang.

Seeing this, the late-Core Forging Realm cultivator from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect grunted unhappily, obviously dissatisfied with the disciple’s performance. At the same time, he was full of praise for Xuan-Shang.

Suddenly, the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect disciple found an opening. Instantly, he dived forward and thrust his sword right toward Xuan Shang’s shoulder.

Unprepared for the sudden attack, Xuan-Shang could only watch as the attack closed in dangerously. Seeing this, the spectators exclaimed in shock. With victory within his reach, the disciple heaved a sigh of relief. The duel with Xuan-Shang had been very stressful for him because Xuan-Shang would risk getting hurt to land a blow.

The expression of the late-Core Forging Realm cultivators all changed. The cultivators from the Zhen Ling Sect were happy, the ones from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect felt awful, and those from the other sects in the East Ocean were indifferent. Lu Ping wore a faint smile on his face as he shook his head.

The disciple from the Heaven Cleaving Sword Sect had delivered a chance at victory right to Xuan-Shang by walking into a trap.

Facing the incoming attack, instead of avoiding or trying to minimize the damage, Xuan-Shang lunged forward and allowed the sword to pierce right through his shoulder. At the same time, Xuan-Shang thrust his spear forward, broke the aegis energy around the disciple, and rested the tip of his spear on the disciple’s throat.

In a blink of an eye, the tables had turned, leaving the spectators in awe. A moment later, the cultivators from the Zhen Ling Sect burst into cheers.

After witnessing Xuan-Shang’s victory, Lu Ping started walking toward the teleportation formation leading to Huang Li Island. He figured he was no longer needed because with this victory, the Zhen Ling Sect had already surpassed the Xuan Ling Sect. Additionally, he had plenty of affairs that needed to be dealt with, and he wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Tian-Xue’s request.

Right as he reached the formation, a clear and loud voice sounded, “I’m Zhang Shi-Jie of the Crystal Palace. I wish to challenge Lu Xuan-Ping, the Water Sword Immortal of the Zhen Ling Sect. May I have the honor?”