Chapter 720: Seven hundred and twenty-three-clawed black scorpion
"Roar!"
The majestic Tiger-Headed Serpent Jiao, having torn its opponent to shreds, let out a furious roar towards the sky. However, those lifeless tiger eyes signaled that it may not be acting on its own will but instead under the influence of its master, Xu Huan.
As for Xu Huan’s opponent, a middle-aged man who had been brimming with vigor, his face turned deathly pale after his Meridian Spirit had been destroyed by the Tiger-Headed Serpent Jiao.
Although a Meridian Spirit may seem like an external entity, since it has been refined by a Cultivator, there naturally exists a connection. And this time, the Meridian Spirit was directly torn apart, inflicting substantial damage on the middle-aged man.
"You have given me leeway!"
Because of the observation of the special envoy, Xia Yong, Xu Huan didn’t act too ostentatiously. After showing off the might of his Tiger-Headed Serpent Jiao’s Meridian Spirit, he simply clasped his fist towards his pale-faced opponent.
If one’s skill was inferior, there was nothing more to say. The middle-aged man returned the gesture and then dejectedly walked off the stage. Thus, the victory of this battle belonged to Xu Huan.
Although a Cultivator at the Qi Seeking Realm can refine two Meridian Spirits, the rules of the Spirit Fighting Conference do not allow for using two Meridian Spirits in a relay battle.
Generally speaking, the Meridian Spirit brought into battle is one’s strongest, and even if the middle-aged man were to summon his second Meridian Spirit, the outcome would probably be no different from the first. Consequently, he saw no point in making a futile effort.
"How about that, Special Envoy Xia? My son’s Meridian Spirit performed well, didn’t it?"
On the high platform, seeing his son win with ease, Xu Huang’s eyes glinted with pride. He turned around and respectfully asked, seemingly eager to hear some words of praise from the special envoy.
"Hmm."
Who would have known that Xia Yong would only hum in response, without opening his tightly shut eyes even a sliver? This left Xu Huang somewhat disappointed. Was his son’s impressive display still not enough to catch the special envoy’s attention?
Anyway, with Xu Huan’s victory, the battle of Meridian Spirits among the first fifty had also gradually come to an end. Since the endings were staggered, the next fifty couldn’t possibly start their battles simultaneously.
In the blink of an eye, it was around number three hundred, and at this moment, Yun Xiao and Lin Xuanhao once again spotted a familiar, aged figure. It was none other than the old man they had had a conflict with in the hall of Douling Commerce.
"This old fellow acts so arrogantly. I wonder if he has any real skills!"
Lin Xuanhao naturally had no good feelings towards the man. Upon seeing him, he immediately spoke with a grave tone, secretly praying that the old fellow would meet a Peak Qi Seeking Realm powerhouse and get eliminated in the first round.
"Number three hundred and twenty-six, please come to the Qi Seeking Platform Number Eight!"
As Lin Xuanhao’s words had just ended, he heard a loud voice, causing him to freeze for a moment. The next second, he turned his head and saw a face that was equally taken aback.
"Number three hundred and twenty-six, Brother Yun Xiao, it’s you!"
Lin Xuanhao was filled with disbelief. He had never imagined that Yun Xiao would be so unlucky to encounter a Late Stage Qi Seeking Realm Cultivator in the first round, and moreover, an old acquaintance with some grudges.
"Heh, it seems this so-called fair and just Spirit Fighting Conference has some hidden tricks!"
Yun Xiao naturally thought deeper than Lin Xuanhao. Especially when his gaze covertly glanced at a certain young figure and saw the cold laughter in his eyes, he seemed to understand something.
In fact, it was indeed Xu Huan, the young master of the Douling Commerce, who was secretly tampering with the matchups, thus causing Yun Xiao to meet the old man, Jiang Nanchao, in the first round. As the commerce’s young master, such a minor manipulation would go unnoticed by everyone.
Besides, it wasn’t something new for Low-level Practitioners to encounter Late Stage powerhouses. To most people, it just seemed like those Low-level Practitioners were unlucky.
Since these Low-level Practitioners were bound to be eliminated, what difference would it make if it happened sooner or later? Therefore, Xu Huan’s slight manipulation went unchecked by anyone.
"Brother Yun Xiao, be careful!"
Seeing Yun Xiao head towards the Qi Seeking Platform Number Eight, Lin Xuanhao spoke with concern. Perhaps, in his heart, such an unequal battle of Meridian Spirits held no hope of victory for Yun Xiao.
"Is it that kid?"
Upon the Qi Seeking Platform Number Eight, watching the young figure slowly make his way up, the elder Jiang Nanchao also paused briefly, internally exclaiming at the coincidence. How could what he was thinking of happen so readily?
That day in the hall of Douling Commerce, Jiang Nanchao had harshly told Yun Xiao to pray that he wouldn’t face him in the first round. And now, astonishingly, they had indeed come face to face in this first round.
Of course, to Jiang Nanchao, this was merely a surprising coincidence that was far outweighed by the joy in his heart. This naive youngster deserved a good lesson.
"Hehe, kid, I must say, your luck is really... not bad at all!"
Seeing the youth in coarse clothes standing firmly on the stage, a strange smirk surfaced on Jiang Nanchao’s face. The words "not bad luck" he uttered were clearly sarcastic to those who understood his true meaning.
However, not many cultivators were paying attention to the Qi Seeking No. 8 stage. After all, the disparity in Meridian Qi between the two was too vast, and generally speaking, the strength of a Meridian Spirit is also linked to one’s Meridian Qi Cultivation.
Not every cultivator has the background like Xu Huan, who can rely on a stronger person behind them to first subdue some powerful Vein Demons and then proceed to refine them across ranks.
For instance, an ordinary cultivator in the Early Stage of the Qi Seeking Realm would often refine Meridian Spirits that are merely at the Low Rank of Seventh Rank, or even the Low Rank of Sixth Rank is not impossible.
But what about cultivators in the Late Stage of the Qi Seeking Realm? The Meridian Spirits they refine are at least at the Low Rank of Seventh Rank, and many are at the Middle Level of Seventh Rank. This kind of gap is extremely obvious.
With such a massive disparity in the battle of Meridian Spirits, naturally not many are interested. Perhaps only people with special emotions like Xu Huan and Lin Xuanhao would pay a bit more attention, right?
"Hmm, the luck is indeed not bad!"
Jiang Nanchao had hoped to see a look of despair on the young man’s face, but the latter calmly nodded and said something that left Jiang at a loss for words.
"Doomed and yet so clueless!"
In the end, Jiang Nanchao could only snort coldly in response, but to the ears of the surrounding onlookers, this seemed rather presumptuous. The outcome of a Meridian Spirit fight had no real impact on the life of a cultivator; the use of the word "death" seemed rather excessive.
What the crowd didn’t realize was that Jiang Nanchao had already decided to tear the ignorant young upstart’s Meridian Spirit to shreds, just like he had done with Xu Huan before.
This way, even if he couldn’t kill the youth in coarse clothes on the spot, he could still leave him severely wounded and take his life after the Spirit Fighting Conference had concluded, wouldn’t everyone be happy with the outcome?
Like the bystanders, Jiang Nanchao had never considered the possibility of losing. His real rivals were those at the Peak of the Qi Seeking Realm or even cultivators who were also in the Late Stage of the Qi Seeking Realm, definitely not the young man in front of him who was only at the Early Stage of the Qi Seeking Realm.
"Old man, if you’ve got nothing else useful to say, are you going to fight or not?"
Seeing the old man rambling on, Yun Xiao grew impatient and waved his hand slightly, a trace of golden light flickering faintly, and some aura began to stir at his will.
"Since you’re so eager to send your Meridian Spirit to its death, then this old man will oblige you!"
Yun Xiao’s words triggered Jiang Nanchao, who immediately let out a loud shout, and with a wave of his right hand, a gigantic presence materialized in front of him.
"That... That’s a ’Tri-claw Black Poison Scorpion’?"
A strong and peculiar aura emanated from the dark giant, drawing the attention of many, and immediately someone shouted in astonishment because they were all too familiar with that entity.
Jiang Nanchao’s Meridian Spirit appeared like a huge black scorpion, except this scorpion had an odd third claw protruding from its abdomen, in addition to its normal pincers – likely the origin of its name Tri-claw Black Poison Scorpion.
However, the shock in the onlookers’ eyes wasn’t due to the bizarre appearance of the Tri-claw Black Poison Scorpion, but rather because of the additional meaning behind its name - "Black Poison".
Legend had it that the Tri-claw Black Poison Scorpion was a Highly Poisonous Pulse Demon, and its black Scorpion Poison had reached the peak of Earth Rank Low Level. Even some cultivators in the Seeking Origin Realm would find it extremely troublesome if inflicted with Black Scorpion Poison.
Even if the aura of the Tri-claw Black Poison Scorpion seemed to be only at the Intermediate Seventh Rank, the effectively lethal poison made most of the onlookers pray not to encounter this ruthless character in the next round.
"Kid, taste the black poison feast I’ve prepared for you!"
After summoning his Meridian Spirit, Jiang Nanchao seemed to relish the shock drawn by the black poison scorpion in the eyes around him. In the next moment, with a loud shout from him, the Tri-claw Black Poison Scorpion brandished its three giant claws and furiously charged towards Yun Xiao.
"Tri-claw Black Poison Scorpion?"
Watching the hulking beast rapidly approach, a glint flashed in Yun Xiao’s eyes, then he silently spoke in his heart, "Xiao Wu, that old fellow actually wants to use poison against you. He is really underestimating you!"
"You don’t need to provoke me, young man!"
Little did he know, the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu had already seen through Yun Xiao’s ploy, but since he had agreed to the Dragon Tree Spirit Little Dragon, he would not go back on his word. Besides, seeing the old man using a Highly Poisonous Pulse Demon against him admittedly did arouse some anger within him.
Swoosh!
A streak of golden light shot out from Yun Xiao’s right palm. As the golden light dissipated, everyone could clearly see the form of Yun Xiao’s Meridian Spirit, adding an even deeper sense of peculiarity to their gaze.
"Is that... a grass threadworm?!"