Immortal Refiner

The earth attribute mountain spear descended, immovable as a mountain, forcefully blocking the massive palm strike unleashed by the Tang Clan Patriarch.

Clang!

Having directly withstood an attack from a foundation establishment cultivator, the mountain spear trembled only slightly.

”Tang Clan Patriarch, your disruption here shows a blatant disregard for the Lingyun Sect,” Li Qing declared sternly from his high seat at the Martial Arts Stage’s peak, his gaze fixed on the patriarch who was about to charge onto the stage.

Upon hearing these words, Tang Lushan instantly regained his composure. The murderous intent that had been etched across his face just moments ago quickly softened.

”Heh heh heh, Elder Li of the Lingyun Sect, you misunderstand. I merely saw this youth’s ruthless nature and feared he might bring calamity to the region. I sought to eliminate a potential threat to the Lingyun Sect in advance.”

Tang Lushan forced a dry laugh but dared not make another move.

For not only had Li Qing taken action, but Shen Ningbing, seated beside him, had also risen silently. With a single gesture, she conjured ice spikes that materialized in the air.

Compared to Li Qing, it was this ice-cold female elder of the Lingyun Sect who truly intimidated him.

Shen Ningbing’s reputation was formidable. With her ice attribute variant spirit root and having been accepted as a disciple by a core formation true lord, news of this spread far beyond the Lingyun Sect, reaching even the cultivation circles of the Mu Kingdom.

In this frigid, snow-covered environment, her ice attribute variant spirit root could unleash its full combat potential.

Moreover, her mid-foundation establishment stage cultivation surpassed his own. If a fight broke out, he would undoubtedly suffer a disastrous outcome.

Li Qing sneered. ”What a joke! When has the Lingyun Sect ever needed to rely on outsiders to settle internal affairs?”

”Besides, if Lu Fan were truly as ruthless as you claim, your son Tang Zhan would have been dead long ago.”

Tang Lushan’s face flushed crimson, then paled. He hadn’t expected Li Qing to show him such disrespect, humiliating him in front of so many witnesses.

The Tang Clan Patriarch, momentarily speechless, could only reluctantly clasp his hands in a fist salute. He glared fiercely at Lu Fan before retreating into the crowd.

Of course, Li Qing was also playing to his audience.

The Tang Clan’s influence was limited, and they had no significant ties to the Lingyun Sect. Had it been the Chu Clan or another cultivation clan with deep connections to the sect, Li Qing would never have been so dismissive.

In truth, the Tang Clan’s weakness was their downfall. They relied entirely on their Clan Head to maintain their position.

This was still Lingyun Market. If Li Qing had truly lost his temper and joined forces with Shen Ningbing to make an example of Tang Lushan, the entire Tang Clan would have been brought to its knees.

After Tang Lushan dragged his useless son away, Li Qing declared in a clear voice:

”Everyone, on the arena, fists and feet have no eyes, and swords show no mercy. Once you step onto the stage, you must abide by the rules of the Lingyun Sect.”

”I don’t want to see a repeat of what happened just now!”

Li Qing’s words carried a heavy undertone of threat. If anyone dared to disrupt the order of the Ascension Conference again, he wouldn’t hesitate to join forces with Shen Ningbing and execute them on the spot!

With this, the Ascension Conference resumed its orderly proceedings.

The incident served as a stark warning. No one dared to disrupt the order as Tang Lushan had. Even when disciples from cultivation clans were defeated, no one dared to protest.

However, with nearly three hundred cultivators vying for selection, the Ascension Conference couldn’t be concluded in a day or two.

After today’s matches concluded, all the cultivators who had advanced to the next round were assigned to specially prepared accommodations within Lingyun Market to prevent any desperate attempts at sabotage.

As the Ascension Conference progressed day by day, more cultivators like Lu Fan emerged, quickly becoming popular betting choices.

”What a lively scene! No wonder the Ascension Conference of a cultivation sect is so grand.”

Outside a gambling house in Lingyun Market, a slender young man in a black trench coat emerged, an Azure Eagle with crimson eyes and azure feathers perched majestically on his arm.

The young man exuded a gloomy aura, his triangular eyes concealing a fierce glint.

Beside him walked an elderly man with a weathered face.

”The Lingyun Sect has always remained aloof from worldly affairs,” the old man sighed softly. ”Their recent alliance efforts are unlikely to succeed.”

The young man shook his head, the Azure Eagle shifting on his arm. ”Whether it succeeds or not doesn’t matter. Our presence here is merely to signal our stance and ensure the Lingyun Sect maintains its neutrality.”

”The sect cannot tolerate the Heavenly River Sect receiving any further assistance from the Lingyun Sect, such as the spirit herbs they obtained for refining the Purple Yang Pill last time.”

The old man paused, his tone turning curious. ”To sway the Lingyun Sect, the Heavenly River Sect must have paid a considerable price.”

”Hmph, all your struggles are futile. At best, you’re merely delaying your inevitable demise,” the gloomy youth sneered.

”... ”

The Ascension Conference had been ongoing for several days and was finally nearing its conclusion.

The final day, the most intense of all, had arrived.

The fifty cultivators who had secured entry into the Heavenly River Sect had already been determined. Today’s competition would select the ten strongest among them—those deemed worthy of consuming the foundation establishment pill, the true immortal seeds of this Ascension Conference.

”Quite a few exceptional talents have emerged,” Li Qing remarked, observing the fifty cultivators radiating fierce battle intent. ”Though no Heavenly Spirit Root or variant spirit root Heavenly Prodigies have appeared, there are still many cultivators with formidable combat prowess.”

Today’s clashes were destined to be the most spectacular. For the sake of a foundation establishment pill, most cultivators would fight with every ounce of their strength, unwilling to yield an inch.

Shen Ningbing rarely joined such conversations, but she chimed in, ”Cultivation aptitude isn’t everything. At the Ascension Conference, personal strength and skill matter most.”

Li Qing naturally agreed with this sentiment.

However, he couldn’t ignore the fact that superior cultivation aptitude granted more time to hone one’s combat skills, a significant advantage in itself.

Of course, there was no other way.

Gazing at the cultivators below, who were already prepared for battle, Li Qing took a deep breath and announced in a clear voice:

”Begin!”

Fifty seeded contestants would fight in pairs until only ten victors remained!

Boom!

As Li Qing’s words echoed, auras erupted across the arena.

Li Qing watched the rogue cultivator named Lu Fan with keen interest, hoping to glean clues about his origins from his body arts.

Unfortunately, since defeating Tang Zhan, Lu Fan’s recent opponents had been weak, failing to force him to reveal his true strength.

But today, he could no longer hold back.

Soon after Lu Fan entered the arena, he faced a formidable opponent.

”Kill!”

Li Qing narrowed his eyes, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his seat.

”Lu Fan’s body arts inheritance is extraordinary,” Shen Ningbing observed coolly. ”Are you interested, Senior Brother Li?”

Without denying it, Li Qing nodded directly, acknowledging the fact.

”Indeed. His body arts inheritance is far more advanced than First-Tier. It’s likely a Second-Tier inheritance, which is exceedingly rare.”

”I also cultivate body refinement as a secondary discipline, so I’m quite interested in his body refinement manual. Once he joins the Lingyun Sect, I’ll consider proposing a trade.”

Li Qing, having risen from the ranks of rogue cultivators himself, would never resort to forceful acquisition. He openly admitted his interest, confident that he could offer terms that would entice Lu Fan.

What could possibly drive a qi refining realm cultivator mad with desire?

The answer was clear: a foundation establishment pill!

Li Qing still possessed one such pill. By offering it in exchange for a Second-Tier body refinement secret technique, he was certain Lu Fan would accept—unless, of course, the secret technique had an even deeper origin.

The battles of the Ascension Conference continued relentlessly, one after another, leaving the cultivators little time to catch their breath.

In such intense combat, casualties were inevitable. Some fighters, unable to restrain their attacks, had killed their opponents outright on the Martial Arts Stage.

By the end of the day, three rogue cultivators lay dead on the stage, six were critically injured, and over a dozen suffered minor wounds, their mana reserves severely depleted.

”Excellent! The ten victors have emerged. If anyone still wishes to challenge the results, speak up now.”

”These ten immortal seeds will only need to face one more challenge at most!”

By this point, most of the remaining cultivators had lost the will to fight. After all, they had managed to join the Lingyun Sect through fair means. To push their luck further would likely lead to a tragic end.

Moreover, the ten immortal seeds had earned their positions through genuine combat prowess. Who could possibly dispute such a hard-won victory?

After waiting for a long moment without any challenges, Li Qing smiled and declared, ”Very well, I hereby announce the conclusion of the Lingyun Sect’s Ascension Conference!”

”Those who failed to ascend this time must not lose heart. Another opportunity will arise in five years. I urge you all to rekindle your fighting spirit and let your brilliance shine on the immortal dao!”

”...”

As these stirring words echoed through the arena, many disappointed rogue cultivators finally managed to shake off some of their dejection.

The forty-seven cultivators who had successfully joined the Lingyun Sect simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes gleaming with intense joy.

From this day forward, they would have the backing of a cultivation sect, no longer vulnerable rogue cultivators subject to bullying!

Observing their expressions, Li Qing couldn’t help but smile. He had once felt the same way himself.

These cultivators were likely consumed with thoughts of the Lingyun Sect, eager to depart immediately and begin their new Chapter in cultivation.

Turning to Shen Ningbing, Li Qing asked, ”Junior Sister Shen, do you have any further business here? If not, let’s set out for the sect right away.”

He had already acquired what he needed: a golden fire crow’s tail feather and a bottle of Soul-Protecting Pills from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. He didn’t require anything else for the time being.

Hearing Li Qing’s question, Shen Ningbing nodded. ”I have no further business here. Let’s depart as Senior Brother Li suggests.”

With a decisive wave of his hand, Li Qing led the forty-seven newly ascended cultivators in a grand procession out of Lingyun Market.

They traversed the thick ice covering the ice lake, passed through the frigid mist, with Li Qing and Shen Ningbing leading the way.

As they emerged from the ice lake, the piercing cry of an azure eagle echoed through the air!

(End of the Chapter)

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