The next day, the third round of the competition proceeded as scheduled. Through the draw, Mo Qi was pitted against Yue Linsong of the Divine Sword Sect.
Yue Linsong was a prominent figure among the younger generation of the Divine Sword Sect. Not only was he handsome, but he was also exceptionally talented and possessed profound cultivation, his momentum even surpassing that of Huangfu Lin. It was rumored that he had already reached the Core Formation stage.
As for Mo Qi, many believed his advancement to the third round was purely due to luck. Luck, however, was bound to run out, and this was the moment he was expected to reveal his true, lesser capabilities.
Therefore, when the match-up between these two was announced, the crowd began to murmur, "Isn't the outcome obvious? Is there even a need for a match?"
"That Mo fellow should just concede directly and avoid suffering physical pain."
"This will undoubtedly be a crushing victory; Senior Brother Yue got a free pass."
Some individuals in the audience started organizing bets. As a result, everyone bet on Yue Linsong to win. With odds of one hundred to one, no one dared to bet on Mo Qi, causing the gambling to be called off.
Bu Xiaoman's eyes were bloodshot, dark circles under them, and his expression was somewhat vacant. He muttered to himself, "Must lose, must lose!"
Yue Linsong, on the other hand, appeared confident of victory. He gazed at Mo Qi from afar, a hint of killing intent in his eyes.
He thought, this is truly heaven's will. Last night I burned incense and prayed to face you today, and indeed, here we are.
Heaven itself wishes to destroy you!
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Yue Linsong summoned a colorful bead into the air. The bead grew rapidly against the wind, instantly becoming several zhang in size, emitting a colorless, brilliant light as it surged towards Mo Qi.
Seeing Yue Linsong use a bead, Mo Qi recalled that he also possessed two beads. He summoned one of his beads into the air, simultaneously forming a hand seal, preparing to unleash an ice wall. If the bead proved insufficient, he would use the ice wall to counter.
To his surprise, the Soul Shocking Pearl suddenly flickered with light, a fleeting flash. However, in that instant, Yue Linsong's gaze became vacant, as if his soul had been instantly ripped away. Losing control of his spiritual energy, the bead he had summoned also fell to the ground, its spiritual energy completely depleted.
"It has this effect too? Truly a precious treasure!" Mo Qi exclaimed with delight. But he knew the opportunity was fleeting and allowed no hesitation. He flicked his hand, simultaneously darting forward. Just as Yue Linsong regained his senses, the phantom image of his Eagle Soul Claw had already coiled around his neck. Yue Linsong conceded!
The entire venue was stunned, including Lu Xiaoyue, who was observing from the spectator area.
Bu Xiaoman died from spitting blood!
Thus, Bu Xiaoman became the only participant to die in this year's Four Sects Competition.
Afterward, the Divine Sword Sect, the Divine Pill Sect, and Bu Xiaoman's family engaged in a three-year negotiation and tug-of-war regarding compensation for Bu Xiaoman.
Bu Xiaoman's family sought compensation from the Divine Pill Sect. The Divine Pill Sect, however, argued that Bu Xiaoman was killed by a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect on the stage, and since the Divine Sword Sect was the host and bore security responsibilities, they should be the ones to provide compensation.
The Divine Sword Sect countered that participants in a competition should be mentally prepared beforehand. The moment they stepped onto the stage, they implicitly accepted the consequences of injury or disability, and the organizers would not be held responsible.
The three parties remained in dispute. In the end, the Divine Sword Sect and the Divine Pill Sect compromised, each offering five hundred taels of silver as compensation.
This is a digression and will not be elaborated upon.
However, at this moment, no one paid attention to Bu Xiaoman's death!
The air remained frozen for the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea. Everyone was trying to wake themselves up, attempting to comprehend what had just happened.
Yue Linsong had lost!
And he had lost so decisively, so directly!
To put it plainly, he had been utterly crushed!
But shouldn't he have been the one to crush his opponent?
What was going on? Had Yue Linsong gone easy on him?
Yet, looking at Yue Linsong's dejected and grief-stricken demeanor, it didn't seem like he had held back.
Zhang Tianshi had also paid attention to this match. Watching Yue Linsong depart, he sighed repeatedly.
Xue Nu's opponent was a disciple from her own sect. She was currently holding a pill, hesitating whether to consume it.
Lai Yaoshi suddenly appeared from nowhere and snatched the pill from her hand unexpectedly, even glaring at her, "You still need to use a pill against a disciple from your own sect?"
Xue Nu said somewhat guiltily, "I, I didn't..."
"It's best if you didn't. He won't use one either, so you'll fight with true skill. In that case, I'll give this pill to Wu Siqi to use against disciples of other sects," Lai Yaoshi said. Without waiting for Xue Nu's agreement, he turned and left.
Xue Nu secretly cursed, "Bandit!"
However, Xue Nu's opponent had also advanced through the competition by consuming pills twice. His strength was comparable to Xue Nu's.
Xue Nu's strengths lay in her mental fortitude and her determination to travel to the Northern Territories!
After a fierce battle, Xue Nu ultimately defeated her fellow disciple, securing her qualification to train in the Northern Territories.
At this moment, cheers erupted from another arena. Mo Qi went to investigate and found that Shi Siyao had defeated a chief disciple of the Divine Mist Sect. Everyone found it incredible and applauded her.
As Mo Qi approached, he noticed her looking at him again, a strange smile on her face. Mo Qi's hair stood on end, and he stealthily slipped away.
Finally, the twelve individuals who entered the Northern Territories were: Lu Xiaoyue, Shi Siyao, and Gu Ping (Chief Disciple) from the Divine Sword Sect; Xue Nu, Mo Qi, and Wu Siqi from the Divine Pill Sect; Qi Zhi Mei (Peak Master), Pei Ruxue (Peak Master), and Ba Dun from the Divine Escape Sect; and Wang Lu, Qian Yu (Chief Disciple), and Sheng Jintian from the Divine Mist Sect.
The most surprising outcome of this competition was Shi Siyao. She was like a star that had suddenly blazed in the night sky.
She fought her way to the finals, breaking through the encirclement, truly slaying gods and Buddhas wherever she went, unstoppable. At one point, Zhang Tianshi even thought that even he might not be able to stop her.
What had happened to her?
As for Mo Qi's performance, it could only be considered satisfactory. It would have been normal for him to be eliminated in any given match, and his advancement was not entirely unexpected, given his talent as an alchemist.
If he were truly foolish, then those Foundation Establishment cultivators who died in Shura Mountain years ago would have died in vain.
However, Mo Qi's ability to gain everyone's recognition was largely due to his secluded cultivation on Yaochi Peak over the past three years. Three years of silence and obscurity had made people almost forget his existence.
When he reappeared, he did not exude an overwhelming aura that would provoke hostility.
Otherwise, he might have been constantly hunted or already died in an assassination attempt.
Therefore, when Mo Qi proposed to cultivate at the Divine Pill Sect, Wu Fan immediately agreed.
After a brief rest, the ranking matches commenced immediately. Following the first round of draws, Mo Qi was dumbfounded: he was pitted against Lu Xiaoyue.
Xue Nu was lucky enough to be matched against Sheng Jintian of the Divine Mist Sect, who had likely also advanced by consuming pills.
Mo Qi stepped onto the stage, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts, filled with conflict. He held an Emergency Response Pill in his hand, unsure whether to consume it. At that moment, Lu Xiaoyue also walked onto the stage, her eyes filled with disdain and arrogance. After glancing at Mo Qi, she no longer looked at him, turning instead to face the audience, her eyes vacant.
For some reason, Mo Qi felt a surge of nervousness again and couldn't help but consume another pill. However, he kept the Emergency Response Pill, quietly placing it into his storage bag.
After the referee announced the start, Lu Xiaoyue turned sideways again, facing Mo Qi. She produced a ring-shaped, silk-like artifact with red mist seeping from its surface and placed it over her eyes!
What kind of move was this? In the span of a few fleeting thoughts, Mo Qi immediately understood. She had watched his previous matches, discovered the formidable power of his Soul Shocking Pearl, and had thus prepared an artifact in advance to counter it. She was truly prepared, having gone to great lengths. Mo Qi couldn't help but feel more nervous, patting his storage bag. It seemed that besides some invisibility pills, hair-blackening pills, and beauty-preserving pills, there were no other pills he could consume.
Still unwilling to give up, he summoned the Soul Shocking Pearl to test it. The white light flashed and disappeared, but a hint of disdain appeared on Lu Xiaoyue's lips.
He quickly put away the Soul Shocking Pearl, formed a hand seal with his right hand, and a ripple appeared before him. Within the ripple stood over a hundred blade-like projections. With a point of his finger, those blades surged forth, moving in parallel through the air, accompanied by faint thunder and a muffled growl, like ten thousand horses galloping, roaring as they charged towards Lu Xiaoyue.
Lu Xiaoyue formed a hand seal: "Downpour!" Countless short, dark shadows materialized out of thin air, descending from above. They were as fine as ox hair, dense as fine rain, falling with a rustling sound. Upon striking the blade projections, they seemed to corrode them, causing the blades to dissipate into layers of mist that spread infinitely outwards.
"Extreme Wind!" Lu Xiaoyue suddenly changed her hand seal and pointed. Those layers of mist rapidly condensed, forming threads. As they moved, they coalesced into a massive torrent, rushing towards Mo Qi like an unstoppable tide formed by the stampede of countless beasts.
From a distance, the wind and waves buffeted his skin, creating countless pits and causing his body to sway, making it difficult to stand. Mo Qi was greatly alarmed and slammed his hand onto the ground, "Thousand Miles of Ice Seal!" Cold air rose from nowhere, and the surrounding air instantly plummeted, as if falling into an ice cave. A thick layer of ice formed on the ground, rapidly spreading forward with a continuous cracking sound, like ice devouring earth. Above the ice layer, white mist steamed, absorbing the surrounding air infinitely, as if possessing the power to condense the air.
The next moment, the torrent of spiritual energy, like ten thousand galloping horses, arrived. It met an invisible wall, abruptly halted, and then rapidly condensed. The previously formless, invisible undercurrent suddenly revealed a clear outline, coated with a layer of white frost. Its speed gradually slowed, but it still churned like a mudslide, surging towards Mo Qi.
Mo Qi continued to brace himself with his hand, pouring spiritual energy into it unceasingly, yet he could not stop the torrent from engulfing him. Beads of sweat beaded on his forehead. The current situation left him with two choices: either dodge by unfolding his body, which would mean jumping out of the ring and thus losing, or continue to hold on and be crushed by the opponent's spiritual energy! He was in a dilemma!
At this moment, Lu Xiaoyue's disdainful voice echoed in his ears, "Weren't you showing off? Weren't you here to mock me? Did you think that after years of effort, you could defeat me? Let me tell you what a talented cultivator is. The cultivation you accumulated over twenty years, I achieved in just one. You can refine pills, so what? Who can't refine pills? I disdained the meager improvements in cultivation brought by those pills."
"Let me tell you, six years ago I beat you into the water because I looked down on you. I still look down on you now."
Mo Qi struggled to hold on, his left hand slowly curling its two fingers.
Lu Xiaoyue pushed her spiritual energy to its limit to suppress him. Suddenly, he heard a woman's voice transmit, "Be careful of his sneak attack!"
Mo Qi flicked his left-hand fingers, and a hidden arrow silently shot out, piercing through the torrent of waves and heading straight for Lu Xiaoyue's chest. In his urgency, Mo Qi had also harbored killing intent and delivered a fatal blow.
Hearing the warning and sensing a surging undercurrent, Lu Xiaoyue dared not delay and hastily dodged.
As she dodged, her spiritual energy instantly lost its momentum. The collision between the previous wind and wave torrent and the ice and snow cold current finally erupted. With a loud bang, all the light and energy shattered like glass shards and then dissipated.
Mo Qi was violently pushed back, retreating rapidly and almost falling out of the ring. He casually grabbed a side pillar, steadying himself.