WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 85
──────
Yi Hyeon returned to the beginning of the jade slip.
There was no teaching on how to turn heaven-origin qi into Heaven-Origin Force.
It contained only records of the energy within the fruit, the spirit tree’s growth, and the soil and spiritual qi concentration needed to grow it.
‘Hmm... Still, if I can get some of that energy, I might be able to work something out.’
This was different from when he had learned to produce Earth-Origin Force.
Back then, while looking through books on formations, he had discovered that the method used to generate Earth-Origin Force in a second-tier grand flight-sealing formation was an application of the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art’s Foundation Establishment Section. He had then applied the Materialization incantation he found in records on first-tier flight-sealing formations to his primordial unity true qi.
The principle involved first using Return to Unity to return postcelestial five-element spiritual qi to a state of primordial unity. Then it imitated the change described in the theory of the Five Primordial Stages, in which form gained substance and condensed. Since Yi Hyeon already used primordial unity true qi, he did not even need the Return to Unity process.
In other words, what he had found back then was not some energy like earth-origin qi, but the actual method for generating Earth-Origin Force.
This time, however, he had found a clue about heaven-origin qi, not a method for creating Heaven-Origin Force from the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. He was missing the link that would let him make it his own power.
If he could only use Heaven-Origin Force by consuming heaven-origin qi from the fruit, it would not be very useful. He could not expect to have that much fruit.
To use Heaven-Origin Force in combat, Yi Hyeon needed an incantation that could turn primordial unity true qi into Heaven-Origin Force. Only then could he use his vast spiritual power to fuel it.
Even with Earth-Origin Force, anyone without as much spiritual power as Yi Hyeon would struggle to generate enough attraction to pull in a cultivator of the same realm.
‘Could there be a related incantation in the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art’s Nascent Soul Section or Spirit Transformation Section?’
Still, he was not certain he could produce Heaven-Origin Force.
He could understand obtaining Earth-Origin Force through Return to Unity and Materialization based on the theory of the Five Primordial Stages. It was similar to how mass produced gravity.
But what exactly was repulsion?
‘Wait. It said the Heaven-Origin Divine Tree’s fruit already pushes matter away. Doesn’t that mean the heaven-origin qi inside the fruit is actually producing repulsion? If I examine its structure closely, I might find a clue to creating Heaven-Origin Force. In any case, I should get this divine tree.’
If he gained the power to push as well as pull, there would be plenty of uses for it.
Slightly excited by the thought that he might move beyond Earth-Origin Force and gain control over Heaven-and-Earth Force, Yi Hyeon lowered the jade slip.
“Where did you obtain this tree?”
The steward turned toward the glass case.
“A merchant company that travels to and from the Geonwon Empire brought it here. Our sect purchased it along with some other spirit materials.”
The Geonwon Empire was the fifth-tier cultivation kingdom Yun Chae-ryeong had told him about recently.
‘Huh? The empire’s name and the divine tree’s name use the same characters. Are they related?’
The jade slip did not explain the origin of the name.
Yi Hyeon checked the records again.
According to them, the tree would bear its first fruit at around a thousand years of medicinal age if grown in a suitable environment. Even after the fruit formed, however, it needed a little more time to gather enough heaven-origin qi.
Fortunately, once it began bearing fruit, the tree’s medicinal age continued to affect the fruit’s grade, just as it did with Stone-Honey Peaches.
When Yi Hyeon took the jade slip away from his forehead, the steward added, “To be honest... I’d choose something else. It takes a long time, and... I haven’t heard of anyone in Unju obtaining fruit from this divine tree yet. The ones our sect acquired haven’t been grown long enough to bear fruit either. Besides, the biggest problem is that very little is known about what you can do with heaven-origin qi once you obtain it. In Unju, at least.”
Yi Hyeon nodded, but his gaze remained on the glass case.
The sapling was less than two chi tall.
He read through the growing conditions again.
A lack of spiritual qi of heaven and earth would not cause any particular problems, but it would slow the tree’s growth.
‘Will it grow at a third of its normal rate, like other spirit plants, rather than gaining a full year of medicinal age for every year that passes, like the Ringless Divine Tree? If I have to wait three thousand years instead of a thousand...’
Still, it would not matter much if it did not bear fruit quickly.
‘If I really need to hurry, I could install a Spirit-Gathering Formation in Underground Hideout No. 3. If I only raise the spiritual qi concentration around the Heaven-Origin Divine Tree, I should be able to afford the spirit stones it consumes. With some study, I could set up a Tier 2 Spirit-Gathering Formation myself...’
Yi Hyeon asked another question.
“Could I buy this with spirit stones right now?”
“This item has been offered as a reward for the coming matches, so it isn’t for sale here.”
“I see.”
...
Yuk Hong-yeon, who had been waiting outside the hall, spoke when she saw Yi Hyeon.
“They have a material that would be useful for ritually refining my spear. It’s hard to find under normal circumstances.”
“Are you planning to enter, Senior Sister?”
“No.”
Yuk Hong-yeon’s hand touched the small book at her waist.
“I told you about my vow before, how it makes me want to take part in fights more often. But if I fight Foundation Establishment cultivators chosen by the Nammyeong Twelve-Sect Alliance, there’s a good chance I’ll die. If my opponent takes out a talisman treasure... This is the kind of fight I should stay out of.”
Yi Hyeon nodded.
“That’s wise.”
“But why did you spend so long looking around?”
After a brief silence, Yi Hyeon answered, “I’m going to enter.”
Yuk Hong-yeon’s expression changed.
“...Even after what I just said?”
“Yes. There’s something I really want to get.”
“I know you’re strong. But this is a fight to the death. How am I supposed to face Seo-rin if you die?”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
...
Hyejeong was preparing to return to their separate residence.
When Yi Hyeon said he wanted to enter, the old monk put down the jade slip in his hand.
“You want to take part?”
“Yes.”
“Our temple was asked to provide three participants, but I have no intention of filling those places by force.”
“This is my own decision.”
“Then I’ll put your name down.”
...
Jewel Light Temple’s three participants were chosen.
Wonseok of Vajra Court.
Yu Gyeong-do of Demon-Subduing Court.
Yi Dong-sa of Lotus Court.
Wonseok was a monk with a broad forehead and thick eyebrows. Yu Gyeong-do was a middle-aged cultivator with a scar near his eye and a long scabbard at his waist.
Hyejeong took the three of them back to the reward hall.
When Yi Hyeon chose the Heaven-Origin Divine Tree, the steward wrote his name on a wooden token. Fortunately, no one else had chosen that item.
“If you win, we’ll give you both the sapling and its cultivation records.”
“Will I still receive it if Unju loses overall?”
“Of course. Rewards for individual victories are separate.”
...
That evening.
Both sides finalized their lists of participants.
Under the joint watch of Nascent Soul cultivators from Taeak Sect and Nammyeong, the names floating above two formation disks were paired one by one.
Yi Hyeon’s match was seventeenth.
His opponent was Yeom Baek of the Yin Bird Sect.
Beside the name was a cultivation realm: Foundation Establishment, Layer 9.
‘The Yin Bird Sect...’
It was the sect to which the Skull Island branch had belonged.
After they checked the pairings, an explanation of the entry procedures followed.
A steward from Cheongso Palace spoke.
“Leave inheritance jade slips and anything unnecessary for combat with your own sects. You must not touch the possessions of anyone who surrenders and withdraws. The dead will be collected by their own sects. Attacking after a match has ended is strictly forbidden.”
...
Back at the separate residence, Yi Hyeon sorted his belongings.
There was almost no chance of him losing anyway, so he put only items that could not expose his identity into the storage pouch he would leave with Hyejeong, such as a few jade slips from Jewel Light Temple.
This way, even if Martial Uncle Hyejeong secretly opened the pouch, they would have no reason to suspect anything about Yi Dong-sa’s identity.
* * *
The fourteenth day of the gathering.
People began gathering at the training hall early in the morning.
The atmosphere was different from the sparring matches held until yesterday.
People still discussed the pairings and predicted the winners, but the participants and everyone who knew them wore solemn expressions.
Restrictions had been set up around the broad central arena. Outside them, Golden Core cultivators from Unju and Nammyeong stood facing one another.
Yi Hyeon sat in the stands with his fellow disciples.
The Nascent Soul cultivators occupied a high platform to the north.
A short while later, the first participants stepped onto the stone arena.
‘Han Gyeong-su of Cheongso Palace?’
Han Gyeong-su, who had fought him in the preliminaries, had taken second place in their group and advanced to the main tournament. Apparently, Han had also entered these special matches.
Opposite stood a Nammyeong cultivator in a brown robe. Several layers of cords bound the ends of the sleeves, and two spirit insect pouches hung at the cultivator’s waist.
A moment later, the formation inscriptions lit up.
Vmmm.
A black curtain rose around the stone arena, soon hiding everything within.
Beside Yi Hyeon, Senior Brother Wonjeong’s eyes glowed blue before he shook his head.
“I really can’t see anything.”
...
Only the faint sounds of people waiting remained in the stands.
Not even a sound escaped from within the curtain.
Those who had been discussing the participants’ magical implements gradually fell silent too.
Before long, the curtain brightened and opened.
Han Gyeong-su stood alone.
The ring in Han’s left hand was half broken, and the right sleeve had been torn off below the shoulder. Black spots were spreading across the exposed arm.
The Nammyeong cultivator lay at the edge of the stone arena, with small dead insects scattered all around.
“Victory to Han Gyeong-su of Cheongso Palace.”
...
The bouts continued.
When the restrictions lifted again, the first thing revealed was a foot in a black boot.
It belonged to the Nammyeong cultivator.
Dark red blood dripped from the short axe in the cultivator’s right hand.
Opposite lay the Unju cultivator.
He was the young man whose unusually splendid golden enchanted robe had stood out when he entered. Now, the chest of that robe had been torn wide open.
Two Golden Core cultivators below the arena stepped up at the same time.
One examined the fallen young man while the other briefly announced the winner.
A section of the stands grew noisy. Fellow disciples wearing similar golden enchanted robes murmured in disbelief.
In the third bout, both participants walked out.
One had both sleeve ends burned away, while the other had a long cut across the forehead. The injured cultivator presented a broken jade token to the steward in charge and conceded defeat.
When the curtain lifted on the fourth match, broken magical implements lay scattered across the floor.
Even the victorious Unju cultivator suddenly doubled over and vomited blood.
The fighting continued. After each bout, the officials cleaned the floor and checked the formation inscriptions.
Even the places where bodies had lain were soon spotless.
The spectators, who had initially watched as if enjoying an entertaining show, gradually grew serious or grim.
Every participant was an outstanding cultivator recognized as a rare talent even within a major sect.
Watching such powerful people emerge half crippled each time the curtain darkened and brightened made them feel that even Foundation Establishment cultivators were nothing more than expendable pawns to the great sects.
Each terrible ending reminded the spectators that the same could happen to them.
The sight unfolding in the arena was both brutally cold and intensely gripping.
Victory and defeat came so quickly that even these clearheaded cultivators could not look away for a moment.
After about eight matches, the central wooden board read: Unju, 3 points. Nammyeong, 5 points.
...
The matches that followed brought some unexpected results.
An Unju cultivator whom Yuk Hong-yeon had singled out as powerful lost.
He was the man who had leaned against the railing of the jade-colored flying boat with his eyes closed on the day they entered the immortal city.
Yi Hyeon also remembered his deep, steady aura.
When the curtain lifted, he lay at the edge of the stone arena. Broken magical implements were scattered around him, and one leg was bent at an unnatural angle.
The victorious Nammyeong cultivator’s hand was also shaking badly. The last scrap of a charred talisman fell from those fingertips.
A mark remained on the arena floor, as if a huge blade had struck it.
“A talisman treasure...”
...
After sixteen matches, Unju had won six times and Nammyeong ten.
Senior Brother Wonseok of Jewel Light Temple’s Vajra Court was looking up at the wooden board displaying the next participants’ names. Senior Brother Yu Gyeong-do of Demon-Subduing Court kept his hand on the sword resting across his knees.
Martial Uncle Hyejeong looked at Yi Hyeon.
“It’s your turn.”
When Yi Hyeon rose, Yuk Hong-yeon lightly caught his sleeve, then let go.
“Make sure you survive.”
“I will.”
Yi Hyeon went down the stone steps.
Below the arena, the steward in charge checked his jade token.
“Yi Dong-sa of Jewel Light Temple.”
“That’s right.”
On the other side, another steward was checking the Nammyeong cultivator’s identity.
Yi Hyeon looked at him.
He was the man carrying a coffin on his back, who had stood on deck the day Nammyeong’s flying boat arrived.
He was tall, with dark shadows beneath his eyes, but the flow of his vitality was deep and steady.
He studied Yi Hyeon in turn.
His gaze swept over Yi Hyeon’s storage pouch, wrists, and feet before a sneer formed on his lips.
Soon, both men stepped onto the arena.
“Yeom Baek.”
“Yi Dong-sa.”
“......”
Yeom Baek shifted his shoulders. The coffin came loose from his back and landed on the stone arena.
Thud.
It was large enough to hold a person.
Its surface bore a design of birds pecking at a corpse, and black nails had been driven into the lid’s four corners.
Yi Hyeon examined the design.
Corpse qi was leaking out of the coffin, and a faint scratching sound came from within.
Yeom Baek rested his fingers on it.
A voice sounded from outside the arena.
“Ready.”
Vmmm.
The black curtain rose on all sides.
The stands vanished from view. The place where Yuk Hong-yeon sat and the Nascent Soul cultivators soon disappeared as well.
When the restrictions closed, all sound from outside stopped.
A heartbeat later, one of the formation inscriptions on the floor turned red, and Yeom Baek moved first.
Bang!
The coffin lid shot upward, and a horrifying figure sprang out from beneath it.
Its dried-out face had no lips. Both arms hung almost to its knees, and layers of cloth wrapped its chest and belly.
When it planted a foot, its toes gouged marks into the stone arena.
Whoosh!
A long arm cut through the air.
A blue-green plate of Yi Hyeon’s Six-Leaf Shield rose in front of him.
Skrrraaatch!
The nails scraped along the shield plate, throwing out a long trail of sparks.
The corpse puppet immediately thrust out its other arm.
Yi Hyeon shifted sideways and raised his palm.
A golden palm seal flew toward the corpse puppet’s chest.
Demon-Subduing Seal.
Just before the seal struck, a piercing cry burst from the corpse puppet’s mouth. Red smoke rose between the strips of cloth around its chest.
The golden palm seal plunged into the smoke, but instead of dispersing, the smoke wrapped around it.
Yeom Baek curled his fingers, and the golden light trapped in the smoke split into several small points.
‘Hmm?’
Kaboom!
The red smoke exploded.
Three shield plates were pushed back, and the corpse puppet burst out of the smoke, its nails reaching for Yi Hyeon’s throat.
Almost at the same time, a throwing knife flew from Yeom Baek’s sleeve.
Yi Hyeon slid aside.
A fourth shield plate knocked the knife aside. He twisted, and the corpse puppet’s nails brushed past his cheek.
‘A technique that devours the Demon-Subduing Seal... Interesting.’
It seemed to be something prepared specifically to counter Jewel Light Temple’s techniques.
The corpse puppet spread both arms and lunged again.
The throwing knife rebounded off the shield plate and drew back, then flew in low toward Yi Hyeon’s legs.
Meanwhile, a small bone token rose from Yeom Baek’s hand.
He smoothly raised a defensive magical implement in front of himself even as he attacked.
Then Yi Hyeon suddenly withdrew his Buddha-Light True Qi.
‘The people outside shouldn’t find it strange if I finish now.’
Click, click.
The six blue-green shield plates interlocked at different heights.
The corpse puppet’s hand struck the shield again.
Boom!
The six plates shared the impact. Far from being pushed back, they knocked the corpse puppet’s arm outward.
Startled, Yeom Baek changed his hand seal, and dense corpse qi rose from the puppet.
With the sound of bending joints, the arm that had been knocked away swung back at a strange angle.
Just as Yeom Baek reached into his storage pouch for something, the sword in Yi Hyeon’s hand moved like lightning.
Flash!
Sword light swept over the corpse puppet’s neck and shoulders. Its head fell off, and its body toppled to the floor.
Horrified, Yeom Baek immediately retreated.
‘Damn it, something’s wrong with this bastard!’
Just as he reached out to break his jade token, a sharp wave of spiritual sense rushed at him.
Yeom Baek hurriedly raised a barrier with his own spiritual sense. But the absurdly powerful spiritual sense pierced straight through it.
His mind went blank.
When he recovered from that brief loss of consciousness, Yi Hyeon was already right in front of him.
‘When...?’
Yeom Baek realized that foreign true qi was blocking his meridians in several places. His acupoints had also been sealed while he was unconscious, leaving him unable to move even a finger.
Even his surrender token was in his opponent’s hand.
This Yi Dong-sa showed none of the tension of someone who had just fought desperately for his life.
“It would be a little awkward if it looked like I’d cut you down with a single stroke... I hope you’ll understand.”
Yi Hyeon took an old set of Dark-Scale Underarmor from his storage pouch, lifted the motionless corpse puppet’s hand, and mercilessly stabbed its nails into the armor.
Thump, thump. Rough holes opened in the underarmor.
Next, he tossed one plate of the Triple Union Shield onto the floor, picked up the throwing knife Yeom Baek had used, and cut a long gash across its surface.
He put away the Six-Leaf Shield and left the split Triple Union Shield plate somewhere noticeable.
Then he used the corpse puppet’s pointed nails to roughly tear the sleeve and shoulder of his outer robe.
When he put on the punctured underarmor beneath his robe, its damaged scales showed through the torn cloth.
Yeom Baek watched the entire process with a chill running through him.
‘A monster...’
As the truth sank in, his eyes grew bloodshot and filled with terror.
The person before him was no mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself. He was someone terrifying, on an entirely different level.
From the beginning, his only aim had been to create signs of a desperate battle to deceive the people outside. He had never felt threatened by Yeom Baek at all!
‘Why would someone like this... I have to tell the people outside...!’
He tried with all his might to send spiritual power toward the jade token in his opponent’s hand, but his blocked meridians would not respond.
“I can’t leave a witness alive. Farewell.”
At those words, Yeom Baek felt utter terror. But a huge wound had already opened from his flank to his chest.
Splurt!
Yi Hyeon withdrew the Cheonggang Sword.
Yeom Baek’s knees buckled, and he collapsed.
Thud.
Yi Hyeon examined his opponent carefully, confirming that even his primordial spirit had been destroyed.
Then he broke Yeom Baek’s jade token, which he still held, and the curtain around them began to lift.
The sounds from outside gradually returned.
Someone let out a quiet gasp.
Two Golden Core cultivators stepped up from below the arena and examined Yeom Baek’s body and Yi Hyeon.
“Victory to Yi Dong-sa of Jewel Light Temple.”
“Well done!”
His fellow disciples from Jewel Light Temple were waving.
...
Yuk Hong-yeon quickly looked over Yi Hyeon’s face, hands, and clothing.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
She let out a breath.
Jang Tae-san also came over and patted Yi Hyeon’s shoulder.
“So he controlled a corpse puppet. He must’ve been difficult to deal with.”
“I was lucky.”
Martial Uncle Hyejeong approached.
“Your complexion looks fine. Still, corpse poison may have entered your body. Circulate your qi and check.”
...
While the other matches continued, Yi Hyeon left the stands and headed for the reward hall.
The hall was quiet. Most cultivators had gathered at the training hall.
Yi Hyeon presented the jade token confirming his victory. After examining it, the steward rose and went to the glass case.
When the steward’s palm touched the restriction, the transparent wall faded, and the pot inside slowly floated upward.
“One Heaven-Origin Divine Tree, as reserved. Here are the cultivation records and observations of mature trees as well.”
...
After putting the items into his storage pouch, Yi Hyeon left the hall and heard murmuring from the direction of the training hall.
When he returned to the stands, another curtain was lifting over the arena.
The score was Unju, 10 points, and Nammyeong, 14. Several cultivators sighed.
“Those Nammyeong bastards really are tough.”
“We chose people based on sparring, not fights to the death. There was bound to be a difference...”
...
It was Wonseok’s turn, representing Jewel Light Temple’s Vajra Court.
As the monk slowly rose, Jang Tae-san approached and massaged his shoulders.
“Senior Brother, make sure you win.”
Wonseok nodded, bowed to Hyejeong with his palms together, and went down the stone steps.
His opponent was a cultivator from the Life-Sharing Sect.
He was a short man with narrow shoulders. With every step, something slowly wriggled below the back of his neck. The collar of his enchanted robe shifted slightly with the movement.
They exchanged brief greetings, and the curtain rose.
A short while later, it lifted.
Wonseok knelt in the middle of the stone arena, both hands braced against the floor.
Almost nothing remained of the front of his monk’s robe. Dense black dots covered his exposed chest and shoulders.
The golden light flowing over his skin was broken in several places.
Opposite him lay the Life-Sharing Sect cultivator.
Dark red liquid slowly spread beneath the man’s body.
Thin, broken fragments resembling insect legs were scattered nearby.
“Senior Brother Wonseok!”
As Jang Tae-san headed for the stone steps, Martial Uncle Hyejeong hurried down as well.
While the Golden Core cultivators confirmed the result, blood poured from Wonseok’s mouth.
Hyejeong placed their palm against Wonseok’s back.
Vmmm.
Soft golden light enveloped Wonseok’s body.
“Don’t move.”
The old monk took out a jade bottle with his other hand.
When Wonseok barely managed to open his mouth, Hyejeong fed him an alchemical pill.
Hyejeong touched his shoulder and chest in turn, and several of the black dots were forced out through his skin.
They were fragments as fine as needles.
As they wriggled in midair, a small flame bloomed between Hyejeong’s fingers.
Ssss.
The smoke dispersed.
...
Wonseok was taken to a small hall behind the arena that had been prepared for treating injuries.
While Hyejeong examined him inside, Yi Hyeon and Jang Tae-san waited outside the door.
A little later, the old monk emerged.
“His life isn’t in danger. His internal injuries aren’t light, but he should recover with proper rest.”
...
As the sun sank toward the west, it was Senior Brother Yu Gyeong-do’s turn, representing Demon-Subduing Court.
His opponent was a female cultivator holding a long sword case.
She was the woman who had stood beside the young man with several spirit insect pouches on the deck of Nammyeong’s flying boat when it arrived. She was said to belong to the Heuksu Sect.
The woman set her sword case upright at one side of the arena and brought her hands together.
Yu Gyeong-do also drew a broad sword from the scabbard at his waist.
Dark blue patterns ran along its blade, which was as thick as the spine of a saber.
A long, slender sword emerged from the woman’s case.
The curtain rose.
A short while later, it disappeared.
Both participants were still standing.
Yu Gyeong-do’s right arm hung limp, and he held the pieces of a broken jade token in his left hand.
The woman was putting her sword away.
As the slender blade entered its case, the dark blue energy lingering in the air was drawn in with it.
The steward in charge announced Nammyeong’s victory.
Yu Gyeong-do’s sword had broken in two.
...
Yuk Hong-yeon waited at the foot of the stone steps.
“Senior Brother.”
“I lost.”
Yuk Hong-yeon looked at his right arm.
“Are you badly hurt?”
“I think my meridians are slightly damaged.”
Yu Gyeong-do swallowed an alchemical pill, took a moment to steady his breathing, then looked back at the arena.
The woman from the Heuksu Sect was already returning to her fellow disciples.
“She wasn’t as ruthless as I expected. To think she spared my life...”
“Was she very strong?”
At Yuk Hong-yeon’s question, Yu Gyeong-do nodded.
“Her sword intent was stronger than I could’ve imagined. Frankly, I’m shocked... I was a frog in a well.”
...
The score kept changing.
After the fortieth match, Unju had 18 points and Nammyeong 22...
Then the woman who had rolled a water droplet around on the jade-colored flying boat when they first arrived at Cloud-Gathering Immortal City appeared.
She belonged to the Cheonghyeong Sect of the Jin Kingdom, one of the Nine Kingdoms of Unju.
Opposite her, the Nammyeong cultivator had a thick iron ring floating in the air.
The curtain soon closed.
...
When they came into view again, the iron ring lay on the floor, cut through in several places.
The Nammyeong cultivator knelt on one knee and raised a hand. A broken jade token was losing its glow in that palm.
A small water droplet rolled between the Cheonghyeong Sect woman’s fingers.
Yi Hyeon looked at the severed iron ring. The cuts were unusually smooth.
‘Did she cut it with that water droplet? Interesting.’
...
After the forty-eighth match, Unju had won twenty-three times and Nammyeong twenty-five.
As the gap narrowed, the voices in the stands gradually grew louder again.
Someone spread out the list of remaining participants and pointed at the names.
“They still have that cultivator left.”
“But we still have Jeong U-baek of the Cheonghyeong Sect, don’t we?”
...
Before long, the sixty-fourth match ended.
Unju, 32 points.
Nammyeong, 32 points.
A stir ran through the stands.
The Nascent Soul cultivators from Unju and Nammyeong briefly conferred. Then a Golden Core steward stepped forward and announced that, as agreed beforehand, each side would send out one representative again to decide the winner.
A short while later, both representatives were chosen. After separately confirming their willingness to take part, the steward spoke again.
“With the agreement of both sides’ sects and participants, the fighting in this final match will be visible to the audience!”
The stands erupted with excitement!
Unju’s final representative was Jeong U-baek of the Jin Kingdom’s Cheonghyeong Sect. The young cultivator, who had already won their earlier match, rose from their seat with three scabbards on their back.
Beside Yi Hyeon, Yuk Hong-yeon spoke excitedly.
“We’ll finally get to see how the heavenly prodigy considered the strongest at this Dao Discussion Gathering actually fights!”
Wonjeong nodded.
Yi Hyeon asked, “Is he that strong?”
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