She is Jianxiu

Chapter 1472 Qi Refiner

Suotuyi stood tall, turning his gaze from the sky back, a sense of solemnity creeping into his heart.

Zhao Chun was new to this place, and his skill in martial arts was far inferior to his. His only concern was that this person came from beyond the heavens and must have a different lineage of knowledge than that of the sages. He knew little about this, so he had to be wary of the other party taking a risky approach and using some tricky methods that would make him hard to defend against.

After a moment of contemplation, the number of students gathered near the Benxing Terrace increased. Si Queyi, with a worried expression and a heavy heart, stood among several fellow students, attracting a lot of scrutinizing gazes.

"Yi-mei, you've been by Master Zhao's side for so long, do you know who is stronger between her and Master Suotu?" a busybody in the clan asked.

Si Queyi glanced at the man, his heart tightening with vigilance, and said cautiously, "I know that Senior Zhao is unparalleled in bravery, and Master Suotu is also renowned. These people are even above the Ancestor, so how can I presume to judge them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Si Que Deyin, who was standing beside him, also scolded him, making the man smile sheepishly and shrink back into the crowd.

Seeing this, Si Queyi breathed a slight sigh of relief. She thought to herself that while this was true, she felt Zhao Chun was slightly better, since her actions clearly showed she didn't take Suo Tu Yi seriously. Moreover, over the years, Zhao Chun had been like a fog, occasionally revealing surprising brilliance, but more often remaining an unfathomable abyss.

She lowered her head, her thoughts a mix of emotions, when she heard a clear, resonant sword cry, like a thunderclap, ringing out on the Benxing Platform.

In the crowd, someone shouted, "Someone's coming from the sky!"

In an instant, thousands of students looked up and saw a white rainbow streak across the sky, like a shooting star streaking across the night, stirring up the clouds on both banks and revealing a clear Milky Way. However, it was not midnight, and what landed on the platform from afar was not a star from outer space. The students held their breath and waited until the flying light and sword shadows had completely dissipated before they could see a woman dressed in plain clothes with a cold expression standing on the Benxing Platform, facing Suotuyi.

This person was tall and composed. It was said that he was a visitor from outer space who had never been taught by a sage. Therefore, his literary talent was not obvious and his aura was difficult to discern. Even when he stood in front of others, no one could tell what his true background was.

Therefore, on the mountain ridge, amidst the dense clouds, three scholars sat side by side, each releasing their divine sense to carefully examine the person. However, they couldn't help but feel curious and asked the person on their right, "Yingtai, this person was recruited into the Martial Arts Department by you. Do you know her background and whether she poses any threat to our Qianming Realm?"

Yingtai Zhiqiu stroked his white beard and said calmly, "My Qianming Realm is protected by sages. This person's merits are only at the third rank. How could he possibly cause any trouble? Zuo Zhou Jijiu is overthinking it."

He paused, then answered Zuo Zhouyun's first sentence, "As for her background, I have already investigated it by examining Baoyu. I know that her birthplace is about to decline, or is a chaotic realm outside, so she is not much of a threat to us."

Upon hearing that it was the Chaotic Realm, Zuo Zhouyun's expression softened slightly, and he said with pity, "If that's really the case, she's a pitiful person with a wandering past. If we can help her up in the future, we can order her to subdue that realm and bring it to my Qianming territory to become a small grotto-heaven."

Gong Huasu frowned, not entirely agreeing. "Subduing Jietian is no easy task. Now that the Sages are not emerging, who will promote someone to the first rank? Such a major matter ultimately depends on the opinions of the great sages."

Zuo Zhouyun, who had always been proud and arrogant, was now refuted and his expression was not good. "So what? Among those great sages, there are also extraordinary people. If one could gain their favor, how could one not rise to the top in one step?"

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Yingtai Zhi Qiu sighed inwardly and took on the role of peacemaker again. "You great sages assist the sage in governing the world, and even we are not taken seriously. It is hard to say whether a mere junior with only the third rank of merit can pass the test of Suo Tu Yi. You two might as well wait and see the result of today's battle before making any other judgments."

The three of them stopped their discussion and went together to look at the Benxing Terrace.

Seeing the scene before him, Suo Tu Yi's expression darkened slightly. He thought to himself that this method of flying wasn't particularly special; once a scholar of the Mind School reached the fifth rank, he too could ride the wind and fly through the air. However, the scale of this method was far from the level of Zhao Chun's, which could flatten clouds and cleave the Milky Way. Even Suo Tu Yi himself would have to put in considerable effort to create such a grand spectacle.

It is clear that the other party came prepared and, without making a move yet, intended to intimidate others with their power.

He snorted coldly and nodded at Zhao Chun.

Seeing his coldness, the latter simply lowered her sleeves and nodded slightly, which could be considered a response.

Such a tense atmosphere caused an uproar among the audience below Benxing Terrace, who unanimously fell silent.

At first, it was thought that this competition was just a friendly spar between masters, but now it seems that the two have been at odds for a long time and are about to fight to the death, which makes people feel scared.

Then Suo Tuyi flicked his sleeves and said solemnly, "Today I have agreed to a duel with Master Zhao here, and I would like to ask fellow student Fan Ya to be a witness."

As he raised his hand, a figure landed on the stage at the right moment and said, "Both of you are the pillars of my Gushe Academy. Although we have been compared today, we should stop here and set an example for all of you students."

Fan Ya stood between the two men, giving them a deep look before speaking in a whispered voice, "Esteemed priests, you two know your place and must not act recklessly!" After saying this, her expression relaxed, and she took out a crystal-clear water clock, showing it to everyone, saying, "Today, we will use this to keep time. Half a day will be the limit. Whoever knocks the other off the stage will win. If no winner is determined after half a day, then it will be considered a draw."

Do either of you have any objections?

Zhao Chun shook her head, and Suo Tuyi also spoke up, "Half a day is enough, I have no objection."

Hearing his confidence, Fan Ya had nothing more to say. He immediately set up the water clock, retreated to the outside of the Benxing Terrace, and announced the start of the competition.

Hearing the dripping sound of the water clock, the students from all directions felt their hearts pound, each one focused intently, not daring to look away. However, to their surprise, neither of the two on the platform made a move, simply standing quietly at opposite ends of the Benxing Platform, as if waiting for the other to make the first move!

Suo Tu Yi thought to himself, "As expected. Knowing that this person comes from beyond the heavens, he must conceal his abilities and not easily reveal his true strength. Only in this way can he strike back and catch him off guard."

He narrowed his eyes, thinking that Zhao Chun was using a feigned retreat to advance, but he did not give in. Instead, he took a step forward and forced out a powerful spiritual energy from his seven orifices, gathering the surrounding spiritual energy in front of him and transforming it into three golden, gleaming divine warriors who picked up their weapons and attacked Zhao Chun.

Below the Benxing Platform, Yi Ling, the martial arts instructor, was also watching the battle with her colleagues. In the blink of an eye, she immediately knew that this technique was of the same origin as her own golden body. However, Suo Tu Yi's achievements far surpassed hers, which was why he was able to transform it into three solid and lifelike soldiers, and even control them freely, with agility no less than the original body.

Looking at Zhao Chun's side, facing the simultaneous attack of the three golden bodies, she remained completely still. She merely raised her gaze, and the three golden bodies seemed to have bumped into something, retreating backward.

Zhao Chun's eyes were sharp. He glanced at the golden body in front of him and found the core of the thing that was being activated in the three extremely pure and refined auras.

Although Suotuyi was proficient in martial arts, he was essentially a scholar of the Mind School. His martial arts techniques originated from his literary lineage, so he still relied on external objects to control his movements rather than his own true essence.

However, this also has an advantage: it saves scholars of the Mind School from the steps of expanding their Dantian and refining their true essence, allowing them to use external energy freely without having to diligently cultivate for thousands of years. Moreover, if their primordial spirit is strong, they can transform all things in the world into their own power, which is undoubtedly a powerful supernatural ability.

Furthermore, the scholars of the Mind School condense their primordial souls, and all the methods they use are borrowed from the outside world. This greatly reduces the energy they consume when fighting. As long as the part of their soul that controls the golden body is still there, Suotuyi's three guards will be immortal.

Unfortunately, the person he encountered today was himself.

If Zhao Chun cannot take Suo Tu Yi's life directly in this contest, she will have to seek some benefits for herself elsewhere.

She regained her spirits, and with a surge of will, an incomparably sharp sword intent shot up into the sky from behind her, splitting into countless sword energies that rained down and quickly coalesced into a sword array, firmly trapping the three golden bodies within!

This tactic was extremely swift. Suotuyi only saw a flash before his eyes, and the three golden bodies had already fallen into the enemy formation, unable to advance or retreat!

He frowned, and a wisp of his soul descended forward, urging the golden body on his left to advance. Unfortunately, the progress was not significant enough. After advancing only two or three inches, it collided with the opponent's sword energy and was knocked back to its original position.

“These sword energies are indeed sharp and powerful, and judging from their origin, they seem to be slightly different from my golden body…” Sotu Yi turned his eyes and suddenly noticed something unusual from the changes in the surrounding energy.

When the opponent made their move, the surrounding energy all rushed outwards rather than being gathered inwards by the soul consciousness. This shows that the source of these sword energies was different from her own golden body, and seemed to originate from Zhao Chun herself, completely belonging to her.

“This approach seems to be that of a Qi cultivator,” Yingtai Zhi Qiu nodded, making the first judgment.

Zuo Zhouyun also agreed, saying, "Of all things in the heavens, Qi is the first. In the small cave heavens of my Gushe lineage, there are also Qi-refining traditions that devour the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to enhance their own cultivation."

“That is true. Qi cultivators use their bodies as a vessel and regard the world and nature as their source of nourishment. If this continues, they will inevitably be destroyed by the world itself. How can they be considered the orthodox way of the world?” Gong Huasu shook his head, looking down on this. “They are just people from a small world, with short-sighted views.”

Zuo Zhouyun glanced at him sideways, a hint of mockery creeping into his eyes. He knew that Gong Huasu had once ordered people to recruit Zhao Chun, but now that the attempt had failed, he was probably seething with resentment. No wonder he was behaving so disgracefully.

But... is Zhao Chun really just a Qi Refiner?

He looks somewhat different from the Qi Refining cultivators of the Shaolin lineage...