"Look over there!"
Xu Yi and Yu Xiaoyu were engrossed in conversation when sudden exclamations erupted from the crowd.
The two immediately followed the astonished gazes of everyone around them. On the competition stage, Lu Zaiye, by some unknown means, had broken through the thread-like attacks and reached Bai Shan's side.
By the time everyone realized what was happening, Lu Zaiye had already grabbed Bai Shan by the neck with one hand.
Once again, Lu Zaiye, with his early Nascent Soul cultivation, had defeated Bai Shan, who was in the late Nascent Soul stage, in a cross-level battle.
It turned out he was the true dark horse.
Many cultivators' eyes darted about, already calculating whether they should gather the courage to place a substantial bet on him before the top three were decided tomorrow.
Lu Zaiye held Bai Shan with one hand, his eyes flashing with a cold light, a killing intent surfacing.
During his fight with Bai Shan, he had sensed a feeling from him that he found extremely repulsive.
However, that feeling disappeared quickly, and he wasn't even sure if it was his imagination.
"Cough, cough, Fellow Daoist Lu, cough, can you let go now?"
Bai Shan's face was flushed red, and his speech was strained, but his eyes were bright and clear, as if one could see straight through him.
Lu Zaiye remained silent for a long time before finally releasing his grip.
This was the competition stage for the sect grand competition; he couldn't act solely on intuition.
Bai Shan, Five Blessings Sect...
Lu Zaiye noted them down, the curve of his lips growing colder.
"Lu Zaiye, you're something else."
As soon as Lu Zaiye stepped off the competition stage, Xu Yi clapped him on the shoulder.
He jolted back to attention, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
Since when did Xu Yi's approach no longer trigger his caution?
"What's with that expression? You look preoccupied, not happy even after winning?" Xu Yi frowned slightly.
"No," Lu Zaiye retorted reflexively. "I was just thinking about who I'll face in the next round."
Hearing this, Xu Yi's attention was immediately diverted. She scanned the area, her gaze finally settling on Yu Xiaoyu.
Yu Xiaoyu, noticing Xu Yi's gaze, happily waved at her.
Xu Yi sighed softly, reaching out to pat Lu Zaiye's shoulder twice more. "If you can, try to go easy on her later. Don't make the young girl cry."
Lu Zaiye: ...
"The remaining two matches are finally nearing their end."
Xu Yi shifted her gaze to the last two pairs of disciples on the competition stage.
These two matches coincidentally featured disciples from the Beast Taming Sect against disciples from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
On one stage stood Xiong Zhuangzhuang and a short-haired, short-sleeved male cultivator wielding a long staff.
The male cultivator's name was Xiao San, a lay disciple of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect. He hadn't cultivated the Buddhist path but followed an elder in the sect to learn staff techniques.
His staff techniques were exquisite, but he was still no match for Xiong Zhuangzhuang's fist arts, being smashed off the stage with a single punch.
The other match was between the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect's Buddhist Son Hong Jing and Wu Gewei from the Beast Taming Sect, who was known for his strong defense.
After Wu Gewei stepped onto the stage, he curled his entire body into a ball, remaining motionless. Hong Jing's multiple attacks landed on him as if they were mere tickles.
Everyone expected this to be a prolonged battle, but soon Hong Jing sent Wu Gewei off the stage in an unexpected manner.
He held a golden alms bowl in one hand, his lips moved, and he softly chanted Wu Gewei's name.
A strange fluctuation slowly spread, like a hand stirring the soul, making Wu Gewei feel dizzy and disoriented, until he finally got up and walked off the competition stage.
"Sound attack?"
Xu Yi's eyebrows shot up, and she became wary.
Her next opponent was none other than Hong Jing.
"The second round of the elimination matches begins."
As the elder from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect had said, after the first round of elimination matches concluded, the second round would immediately commence.
The competition stage, previously shattered by Bei Xinghan's sword energy, had now been restored to its original state.
"Fellow Daoist Xu."
Hong Jing clasped his hands together and offered Xu Yi a Buddhist salutation.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Jing," Xu Yi returned the greeting, her expression guarded.
This Buddhist Son possessed an ethereal demeanor and a kind, unrevealing countenance, but the threat he posed to Xu Yi far surpassed any previous opponent.
Xu Yi dared not harbor the slightest hint of complacency.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, please."
"Forgive my offense."
Xu Yi raised her hand, the Admonition Ruler automatically landing in her palm. Her entire aura erupted, and she leaped forward, striking directly at Hong Jing's face.
Hong Jing smiled slightly, his body moved, charging into the air. The golden alms bowl in his hand flipped, and a strong golden light shot towards Xu Yi.
Xu Yi immediately dodged to the side, but the golden light was like a persistent leech, relentlessly pursuing her.
She had no choice but to strike the golden light with her ruler.
"Huh? Not good!"
The moment the Admonition Ruler struck the golden light, Xu Yi felt it suddenly lose its connection with her.
She focused her gaze. The Admonition Ruler was tightly enveloped by the golden light, making it difficult to retrieve.
The spot where she held the Admonition Ruler suddenly felt a strong repulsive force, as if trying to snatch the ruler from her grasp.
Xu Yi was horrified. What kind of divine ability was this!
"Fellow Daoist Xu, be careful."
Hong Jing's expression grew more composed. A second golden light shot out from the golden alms bowl.
Xu Yi held tightly to the Admonition Ruler with one hand, while with the other, she waved towards the sky. Five silver needles suddenly appeared from the void, whistling towards the direction of the golden light.
After throwing the silver needles, Xu Yi reached out and grabbed fiercely in the void. A large net unfurled, spreading across the sky like a celestial canopy, then swooped towards Hong Jing.
The silver needles collided with the golden light, emitting a sizzling sound like cold water dripping onto a scorching stone slab, rapidly dissolving in the air.
Meanwhile, the large net was about to fall upon Hong Jing.
If Lu Zaiye were present, he would recognize this net as the one Xu Yi had used in the Myriad Demon Ridge.
Hong Jing looked up at the net, making no move to dodge. He clasped his hands together again, softly chanting, "Lotus Movement."
Hum—
Behind him, a colossal lotus Dharma image suddenly appeared. Upon contact with the lotus Dharma image, the net lost its spiritual essence and fell from the sky.
Seeing this, Xu Yi's lips twitched.
She had often heard the Buddhist saying, "Put down the butcher's knife and attain Buddhahood instantly."
Xu Yi felt that Hong Jing had mastered this saying to perfection.
Each of his divine abilities caused the magical treasures in people's hands to become useless. Was this not forcing them to put down their butcher's knives?
However, while this move might be effective against others, it wasn't quite enough against her, an amateur artifact refiner.
Because...
"Fellow Daoist Hong Jing, this time let me remind you to be careful."
Xu Yi's lips curved slightly. The spiritual energy within her body was furiously drawn out, and a violent spatial distortion instantly appeared before her.
Hong Jing's heart tightened. Xu Yi's words echoed in his mind, giving him a strong sense of crisis.
He couldn't help but focus intently on Xu Yi, the lotus Dharma image behind him becoming increasingly solidified.
The next moment, his eyes showed a moment of dullness, his face filled with disbelief.
"My heavens, I must be dreaming!"
"She, she, she..."
"Madman! Truly a madman!"
"..."
On the competition stage, countless people simultaneously widened their mouths, their faces etched with disbelief.