CH 108

Chapter 108 – Third Round of the Tournament

“Little Sky, you said your body was residing in that jade flute, right? Then do you know how to activate it?” Xu Disheng asked.

“I don’t know. After Master refined a Soul Vessel, I was sent by the jade flute into the Soul Suppressing Vestment. Only after receiving this much pure Soul Force over this time did I finally manage to awaken.”

Xu Disheng nodded, but didn’t inquire further.

“Junior Martial Brother Xu, the Peak Master has arrived. Lu Zimo is calling for you,” Bai Zhehua said, looking up from the vibrating message jade slip in his hands.

“Okay.”

Xu Disheng restored his mind to its usual calm state, then went with Bai Zhehua to the place where the Peak Master was, along with the other Dao Foundation stage disciples.

“Will you be able to secure a spot in the top 50 tomorrow in the Clam Sea Realm?” Lu Changge asked, smiling at Xu Disheng, his good mood apparent.

Xu Disheng paused for thought, then said, “I will do my best.”

No one even bothered to bring up the top 10.

The top few geniuses were simply too formidable. Even though Xu Disheng was able to beat the rank 32 Jie Zizhuo, there was still a large gap between Jie Zizhuo and those half-step Dao Foundation stage disciples.

Lu Changge nodded and said, “The rules in the Clam Sea Realm are exceedingly simple. Aside from killing clam demons to obtain points, you can also steal points from other disciples. I know you have two Magic Treasures. But each Magic Treasure can provide you a considerable boost to your fighting strength. If you’re interested, I can lend one to you.”

When he said this, the expressions of the several Dao Foundation stage disciples around him changed slightly.

The fact that Lu Changge was willing to lend Xu Disheng a Magic Treasure meant that he really regarded him highly.

Xu Disheng bowed and said, “For Peak Master’s generosity, this disciple offers his utmost gratitude.”

Lu Changge waved his hand, and two Magic Treasures appeared. One was a white calligraphy brush, and the other was an ancient sword.

“There’s also the Zhenhai Treasure Tome, which is my strongest Magic Treasure, but I already lent that to Chu Xiuyuan,” Lu Changge said with a chuckle. “You can pick whichever of these two Magic Treasures suits your fancy and use it for the remainder of the tournament.”

Xu Disheng looked at the calligraphy brush and said, “Thank you, Peak Master. Then I’ll borrow this brush. What is the name of this Magic Treasure?”

Lu Changge removed his mark that bound the calligraphy brush-type Magic Treasure to him and handed it over to Xu Disheng. “The Imperial Demon Brush. It has the ability to completely suppress demons, but in battles against other humans, it suffers a bit.”

Xu Disheng took the Imperial Demon Brush and bowed again in gratitude. Then, he retreated into the crowd, under a variety of looks from the other disciples.

That ancient sword Magic Treasure was clearly the stronger of the two, but Little Sky, from inside the Soul Suppressing Vestment, told him to choose the brush.

“Little Sky, is there something special about this calligraphy brush?” Xu Disheng asked Little Sky as he moved towards a quieter location, pulling out a mat and taking a seat.

“After I awakened, the Soul Suppressing Vestment advanced to Magic Treasure grade, so its defensive power is extremely strong now, and there are even Imperial Suppressing Spells you could use,” Little Sky said. “However, we still lacked a medium to use them properly, so the might of the spells would have been reduced by about half. But with this Imperial Demon Brush, we can exert the full might of the spells.”

“What kind of spells? Why have I been unable to perceive them?” Xu Disheng asked, brows creasing slightly. He examined the cyan jade flute in his sea of consciousness and the Soul Suppressing Vestment on his body, but he came up empty-handed.

“It’s in my memories. I’ll transmit them to Master.”

Soon after, detailed information regarding three spells appeared in his mind.

Technically, these spells belonged to the Sealing Soul Mantra, and were brought about by it.

First Spell, Sealing Soul Spell.

This spell was an advanced version of the Sealing Soul Mantra. Once used, this spell could seal a living being’s soul into the Soul Suppressing Vestment, siphoning even more Soul Force than before.

It was somewhat similar to trying to dig a hole in the earth with only one’s bare hands. With this spell, however, it was like suddenly receiving a sharp-bladed shovel that could pierce into the ground with ease, allowing soil to be excavated several times more efficiently.

Second Spell, Commanding Soul Spell.

This spell was somewhat useless, but it allowed him to use the souls who were less powerful than his, commanding them as ghost soldiers to do his bidding.

The Third Spell was called the God-Binding Spell, and was also the spell that could serve the most practical use to Xu Disheng at this time.

It used Soul Force as base to create a binding spell that could trap the target to one spot, rendering them unable to break free.

The might of this spell was entirely dependent on the level of the spell caster’s Soul Force cultivation.

Clearly, the power of these spells was in part largely dependent on the medium used to cast them. For example, the difference between casting one of the spells empty-handed compared to casting it with a Magic Treasure was quite considerable.

There was only a day left until it was time to go into the Clam Sea Realm, leaving him not enough time to practice these spells to perfection.

Little Sky’s suggestion was to first practice the God-Binding Spell. After all, when cast with the Imperial Demon Brush, the spell would display twice the results with half the effort. Even a half-step Dao Foundation stage opponent could end up trapped by the God-Binding Spell if they had even a momentary lapse in focus.

Xu Disheng took out several spirit stones and closed his eyes as he sat there cross-legged on the mat. He wasn’t willing to waste any time, immediately starting to comprehend and practice the God-Binding Spell.

… …

The next morning arrived.

The giant turtle was still hovering above the Green Lotus Domain, shrouded in mystical multi-colored clouds and fog.

“Killing Heart Spirit Master, morning has already arrived. You’ll be the one to open the Clam Sea Realm this time,” Feng Simiao, the Severing Meridian Spirit Master said from his perch atop one of the chariots.

“Understood, Severing Meridian Spirit Master,” Yu Xingchao replied, clearly having already made preparations for this. He lightly flicked his sleeves and a transfer stele with intricate designs on it appeared before them.

Yu Xingchao looked to the side at the several Spirit Masters on their chariots and said flatly, “Lend me your power, everyone.”

“Will do.”

The Spirit Masters simultaneously began to emit radiance as they channeled their power into the stele. The intricate carvings on the surface gradually began to glow, spilling forth a brilliant light that shone on the direct center of the Green Lotus Domain, which turned into a massive, intricate transfer array.

Now that the stele was already activated, Yu Xingchao moved it to the side of the giant turtle, where it hovered in midair. “All 2,500 disciples participating in the third round of the tournament, please step into the transfer array so you can enter the Clam Sea Realm,” he announced.

Below, many Dao Foundation stage disciples began to whisper amongst themselves as they looked admiringly at the stele.

“I heard that this Secret Realm transfer stele costs over 10,000 spirit stones to recharge after being used once.”

“If you kill enough clam demons in the Clam Sea Realm, you can obtain insight and even raise the cultivation of your mind and receive some resistance against illusion techniques. The benefits are really amazing, apparently.”

“I went in one time during a tournament, but I only managed to kill several hundred.”

… …

Over 2,000 Sea of Qi stage disciples stepped into the glowing transfer array, one after another.

After a while, Yu Xingchao glanced down and saw that no more disciples were stepping into the array, so he lightly waved his hand.

In the area directly above the Green Lotus Domain, a huge screen appeared in the air. All 2,500 of the disciples’ names were listed on it.

1st place, Yu Yangyao! 0 points!

2nd place, Jian Liangbi! 0 points!

… …

The names on the screen were still in the order from the first round’s ranking. But since there were only 2,500 people now, the ranking looked different.

Only after the disciples entered the Clam Sea Realm would the points start to move. On the huge screen, everyone in the Mingxin Mountain range would be able to see who the real geniuses of the Sea of Qi division were!

“Enter the Clam Sea Realm!” Yu Xingchao’s voice boomed as he cast several hand seals, which flew towards the seal. The other Spirit Masters nearby did the same.

The glow of the massive transfer array below grew brighter and brighter until an invisible ripple swept through the air with a loud rumbling sound. In the next moment, the disciples in the transfer array, 2,500 strong, all disappeared without a trace.