Longevity begins with alchemy master

Chapter 1144 Martial Arts Tournament Determines the Winner
"Is everyone here?"

On the high platform in the arena, a man in white robes sat lazily in a chair, his gaze fixed on the teacup in front of him, seemingly oblivious to the bustling scene of the crowd below, as if no one could pique his interest.

Two figures walked up from the left and right, each handing over a name card, and then said in unison.

"Reporting to the Special Envoy, these are our chosen candidates for the battle."

Envoy Wuyou raised his eyes and glanced at the two people who looked similar but had completely different temperaments.

The two brothers, Xiao Feng and Xiao Yun.

It's a pity that the two who inherited the bloodline of the martial arts fanatic Lord Xiao did not have any of their father's passion for martial arts. Instead, they were immersed in the struggle for power and profit.

The Worry-Free Envoy gestured, "Bring it here!"

Having obtained the calling card, the Worry-Free Envoy initially intended to give it a quick glance, but paused at the end.

"A Blood River Realm martial artist? Xiao Feng, are you sure?"

Upon hearing this, the first to react was Xiao Yun, who was competing with Xiao Feng for the position of city lord.

He looked at his elder brother with surprise, his eyes showing disbelief.

However, Xiao Feng's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded calmly, "Our fifth player will be Luo Chen."

Envoy Wuyou was slightly surprised, but considering that the number of experts in Yixian City was only so-so, he assumed that Xiao Feng had no strong generals and had hastily included such weaklings, so he didn't take it seriously.

Of course, judging from the order of appearance on the roster, Envoy Wuyou believed that Xiao Feng was full of confidence and that the first four matches would be enough to win, so there was no need for a fifth person to participate.

After all, among the first four, there are two well-established experts at the Furnace Realm, and Tie Xiong, whose realm is as high as the Flawless Realm, is in charge of the most important third match. Even Xiao San Niang, who looks the weakest, is actually a close confidante of the former city lord and must possess some powerful killing moves.

However, after comparing the troop deployment of Xiao Yun's side with that of Wuyou, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

One side is trying to win quickly and take the first four games.

The other side, however, adopted a horse racing strategy, with the strength and weakness of the opponents clearly distinguished in the first few rounds, and the arrangement was highly targeted. They were determined to drag the focus of this fight to the last two rounds!

Upon reflection, the Worry-Free Envoy became somewhat interested.

"Go, post the list and announce the start of the fighting!"

Envoy Wuyou waved his hand, and his entourage immediately took the two lists respectfully and headed towards the arena.

Meanwhile, the Xiao brothers, Xiao Feng and Xiao Yun, sat down in the high-platform spectator seats as they exchanged confident glances.

……

The huge fighting arena was as noisy as a vegetable market.

After the warriors of Worry-Free City posted the list of those who would win the martial arts competition, a brief silence ensued.

Everyone stared at the roster with great curiosity.

Even people with poor eyesight got a general idea from other people's accounts.

"The first battle: Granny Yu versus Lord Wood Wolf!"

"The second battle: Crimson Flame versus Silver Hand Yama!"

"The third battle: Tie Xiong versus Helian Shanque!"

"The fourth battle: Xiao San Niang versus Hua Gu Zi!"

"The fifth battle: Luo Chen versus the Ironclad Cavalry!"

When the list of fighters with the predetermined order of appearance became known to everyone, the momentary silence vanished instantly, replaced by an even louder uproar than before. The entire arena was like a pot of boiling water, with countless discussions surging within it.

And the first people to be discussed were none other than the two from the first battle.

"Wood Wolf God Lord, could it be that one who once dominated the Great Destruction Realm? The one who killed without hesitation, came and went like the wind, and was once wanted by the Nine Cities Alliance, yet is still alive and well?"

"My goodness, when did this person join the City of Lost Immortals and become a guest retainer under Young Master Xiao?"

"In this first battle, I'm afraid Granny Yu will be in grave danger!"

"It's hard to say. Granny Yu has been famous for two hundred years, and even the leader of the Meteor Bandits was defeated by her. Her combat experience is so rich that it may not be weaker than that of the Wood Wolf God!"

On the subjective side, Xiao Feng's expression changed slightly after seeing the opponent's order of appearance.

The appearance of the Wood Wolf God, in particular, made his heart skip a beat.

He looked coldly at Xiao Yun, "Second brother, I didn't know that you would even take in a wanted criminal from the Nine Cities Alliance."

Xiao Yun looked smug. "What do you mean by 'wanted'? Don't you know that the Nine Cities Alliance canceled the arrest warrant for Lord Wood Wolf half a year ago?"

Xiao Feng's heart sank, and he instantly thought of the structure of the Nine Cities Alliance.

The so-called Nine Cities Alliance is an alliance composed of nine major cities on the outermost edge of the Great Destruction Realm.

Unlike the city of Yixian, which is located in a rich area, those peripheral areas are extremely dangerous, not only because they are poor in resources, but also because wild beasts attack the towns all year round.

The two major cities that dominate the alliance are Xilong and Mofeng.

If we were to name a force that could persuade the Nine Cities Alliance to lift the arrest warrant for Lord Wood Wolf, it would undoubtedly be one of these two cities.

He then recalled the Meteor Bandits who had frequently targeted the Yixian City caravan over the years, whose leader, Tong Huaijin, and third leader were both from Xilong City and Mofeng City.

Therefore, whether it is the Meteor Thief or the Wood Wolf God, they are clear evidence that the Nine Cities Alliance interfered in the position of the city lord of the Lost Immortal City.

They're all after Xiao Feng!

"Big brother!"

Xiao Yun's voice came again, causing Xiao Feng to look at it coldly.

"Don't say that Second Brother was surprised. Didn't you also not send General Chu as expected, but instead send the unexpected new guest minister Luo Chen?"

That's what he said, but the sneer on Xiao Yun's lips was all too obvious.

Clearly, he didn't think much of this new guest advisor.

Xiao Feng snorted coldly, no longer arguing with him, and his gaze fell on the other person Luo Chen was about to fight.

Meanwhile, the discussions among the audience grew increasingly heated.

"Tie Futu is Tie Xiong's junior brother. It is said that their strength and realm are about the same. Why didn't they fight each other in this battle?"

"Helian Shan may be strong, but his foundation is ultimately not as good as the Iron Pagoda. Can he defeat Tie Xiong?"

"And who is this Luo Chen? Is he a newly joined guest elder of the city lord's mansion?"

"The two, Crimson Flame Old Monster and Silver Hand Yama, debuted around the same time and have similar battle records. It's hard to say who will emerge victorious."

"Hua Gu Zi? Could she be that expert who loved the old city lord but couldn't win his heart back then?"

……

On the left side of the stands.

Luo Chen sat calmly in the chair, his mind clear, taking in all the surrounding circumstances.

The murmurs, the changes in expressions, and even the movements of the martial artists nearby were all clearly visible.

Upon seeing the list of those to fight, General Chu, clad in heavy black armor, darkened his already thick face even further.

"This is going to be difficult. The Second Young Master is clearly well aware of our situation and came prepared!"

Luo Chen looked curious. "General Chu, what do you mean by that?"

General Chu said with deep concern, “We previously learned that the Second Young Master’s chosen fighters didn’t include the Wood Wolf God. Although the others are strong, they are only about equal to ours. And no matter who goes, Uncle Tie is guaranteed to win this battle, even against Ironclad. But the Wood Wolf God’s addition has disrupted this balance… Most importantly, the Second Young Master deliberately rearranged the order of battle, sending the weakest, Helian Shanque, to Uncle Tie. Instead, he pushed his junior brother Ironclad, who seems to be on par with Uncle Tie, to the very end. This is clearly a horse race strategy, an attempt to avoid our strongest point and try to take down the weakest one…”

At this point, he felt Luo Chen's gaze and instantly realized he had misspoke, so he immediately changed the subject.

"Such a targeted arrangement would be difficult to handle even for me. I'm afraid the vanished Xiao Zirui has leaked all our intelligence to the Second Young Master!"

Luo Chen wasn't angry at General Chu's slip of the tongue, after all, he had never made a move in front of everyone. To outsiders, he was indeed just a Blood River Realm martial artist, far inferior to a Furnace Realm expert who had undergone a qualitative change.

Instead, he looked curiously at Tie Xiong, who was sitting in charge here, and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this battle?"

In terms of strength, even if Tie Xiong were a flawless cultivator, he wouldn't be a hundred or two percent as strong as Luo Chen at his peak, and wouldn't deserve to be called a "fellow Daoist".

However, in terms of their current level, Tie Xiong is far ahead of Luo Chen in the path of martial arts, so calling him "fellow Daoist" is barely acceptable.

Tie Xiong said in a deep voice, "Since the young master has entrusted us with this task, then we should just go out and fight, and do our best."

Just then, a loud drumbeat resounded from the arena.

"The first battle begins. Warriors from both sides, please step onto the stage!"

In the stands, Luo Chen and the others all turned their gazes to the silent old woman.

Grandma Yu took a deep breath and slammed her cane on the ground with a clanging sound.

"This old woman would like to test whether the name of the Wood Wolf God is truly worthy of his reputation!"

After saying that, he walked out of the spectator stands.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stands, a green light leaped out. As the green light dissipated, a thin, middle-aged man with fierce eyes appeared before countless eyes.

Exclamations of surprise echoed throughout the venue.

"Is this the legendary Wood Wolf God?"

Luo Chen looked at it with slight curiosity, a red light flashing in his eyes, but his expression remained calm.

The battle has already begun in the arena.

The battles among experts at the Furnace Realm are no longer limited to physical combat between martial artists.

In addition to weapons, their attacks also involve frequent bursts of powerful internal energy!

It is a power whose range of transmission is less than that of magic, but whose attack strength is far greater than that of magic.

Even though Granny Yu and the Wood Wolf God were only in the initial testing phase, the collision of their qi occasionally produced terrifying noises, like metal clashing or thunder and lightning, deafeningly loud.

In other words, the battle was confined to a fighting arena no more than ten feet long and wide, and was reinforced by a special formation; otherwise, the aftershocks and noise alone would have been enough to destroy a large number of spectators.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, you seem completely unconcerned about Granny Yu's victory or defeat?"

Tie Xiong's voice came from the side, which made Chi Huo and Xiao San Niang, who had not yet entered the arena, look in his direction.

Luo Chen's gaze remained fixed on the field, but he casually replied, "What's there to worry about? If you win three out of the first four matches or lose three out of the first four, I won't even need to play. Therefore, winning or losing isn't that important to me."

Tie Xiong frowned. "This battle is ultimately about the position of city lord for the eldest young master. If the previous battles end in a draw, you will definitely have to fight one. And your opponent, Tie Futu, is my former junior brother. He is not weak, and you could even say he is extremely strong! If I hadn't made a breakthrough by chance, I'm afraid I would have had a hard time defeating him even if we were at the same level."

Xiao Feng had already told everyone about Tie Xiong's breakthrough to the Perfect Realm during a private gathering two days ago.

Luo Chen was not surprised. Instead, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, is there any instruction you have for me?"

Tie Xiong nodded and said, "If you don't mind, I'm willing to tell you about my junior brother's powerful skills and the general weaknesses of his techniques."

As he said this, he subconsciously began to reveal information about the Ironclad Cavalry.

"My junior brother cultivates a method of physical training, and when paired with a suit of Floating Pagoda Armor, he is said to be invincible against ten thousand men, and his heavy hammer is even more..."

But then he stopped talking.

Luo Chen chuckled lightly, revealing a slight hint of disapproval.

Tie Xiong recalled the sense of threat he had once felt from Luo Chen, and couldn't help but smile awkwardly, "Sorry, I was presumptuous."

For a top-tier martial artist, informing the enemy of such information in advance is an underestimation of Luo Chen's strength.

Moreover, he hadn't fought against the Ironclad Pagoda for a long time. If the opponent had made up for their weaknesses and vulnerabilities, this intelligence might actually harm Luo Chen.

Luo Chen waved his hand, "Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist. You only need to tell me one thing."

"Please say!"

"Can you defeat the Ironclad Cavalry now?"

"My golden body is complete, flawless. He can't sense my aura, but I can use the aura sensing method to find his weaknesses. I can easily defeat him in less than ten moves!"

"Ten moves? That's enough." Luo Chen smiled calmly.

This composure was so infectious that even Chi Huo and Xiao San Niang, who were listening in, subconsciously chose to believe Luo Chen.

But then, they looked at each other in disbelief, realizing that Luo Chen's strength had reached such a level.

That's the Iron Pagoda!
Just then, Luo Chen's words interrupted their reverie.

"The battle is about to be decided."

"So fast?"

The group was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise and subconsciously looked towards the fighting arena.

Unbeknownst to them, surging qi had already permeated the entire martial arts arena. Granny Yu's hunched figure stood in the center of the arena, while hazy shadows surrounded her on all sides, with a green light flashing intermittently, making it impossible to discern her true form.

Its speed is astonishing!

Unparalleled speed!

This is the source of the confidence that allowed the Wood Wolf God to run rampant in the Nine Cities Alliance!
During this process, the Wood Wolf God Lord would occasionally unleash crescent-shaped attacks of qi. Even though Granny Yu wielded her cane with impenetrable force, her movements were severely restricted, making her almost a sitting duck.

This scene is unbelievable.

That's the renowned Granny Yu, when has she ever been so disheveled?

Even Chi Huo and Xiao San Niang, who were on the sidelines, looked grim. Even if it were them, they probably wouldn't have the power to fight back at this speed!
If things continue like this, Granny Yu's defeat is almost inevitable.

The only way to break this deadlock is to take a risk and gamble.

It's no wonder that Luo Chen suddenly said that the battle was about to be decided.

as predicted!

The next moment, Granny Yu let out a shrill cry, ignoring the crescent-shaped energy coming from all around, and slammed her cane into the ground.

boom!
A pure and incomparable stream of energy surged outwards from her aging body, shattering countless crescent-shaped energies in an instant.

Moreover, those remaining phantom images also shattered.

In an instant, the true form of the Wood Wolf God was revealed to Granny Yu.

She loosened her cane and raised both hands.

call out!call out!call out!
The sound of something cutting through the air was incessant, followed by the sound of sharp objects piercing flesh.

Visibly, embroidery needles pierced the body of the Wood Wolf God, and behind each needle were strips of bright red thread.

"come on!"

Granny Yu gestured with her fingers, and with a sudden pull, the Wood Wolf God flew towards her like a puppet.

Upon seeing this, everyone couldn't help but show expressions of surprise and delight.

The vital energy transforms into threads, sealing the heart and locking the meridians!
With such a brilliant technique, even the most powerful expert at the Furnace Realm would be unable to retaliate due to the obstruction of their Qi flow, leaving them no choice but to surrender.

However, Luo Chen's eyes flashed red, and he sighed softly.

General Chu, who was standing to the side, was puzzled, but the next moment his eyes widened.

Click!

Bang!
On the fighting field, two figures passed each other, accompanied by a loud boom.

The cane had broken in two, and Granny Yu's figure, like a tattered sack, was thrown several feet away, slamming helplessly to the ground.

Only the Wood Wolf God stood atop the obsidian platform, his hands folded at his sides, his expression cold.

Granny Yu, who had already secured victory, ended up in such a predicament in the blink of an eye, and even getting up was so difficult.

Chi Huo suddenly stood up, his face showing disbelief.

"How is that possible? Granny Yu has never lost a move like that. Even Tong Huaijin, the leader of the Meteor Bandits, was defeated with resentment. How could the Wood Wolf God be completely unharmed after being hit by it, and even have the strength to counterattack?"

Tie Xiong first glanced at Luo Chen, his eyes showing amazement, then sighed and said, "Granny Yu's move has probably already been countered, which is why she returned empty-handed. Look, what's on the Wood Wolf God?"

Everyone looked over, and then their faces turned to horror.

The clothes of the Wood Wolf God had been torn to shreds, but his exposed skin was as hard as pieces of wood, indestructible.

Those sharp embroidery needles didn't even pierce the skin of the wooden block, let alone seal its heart and lock its meridians.

It seems that when the Wood Wolf God was pulled over by Granny Yu earlier, it was simply a matter of going with the flow.

In the main arena, Xiao Feng clenched his fist and slammed it heavily on the table, laughing in exasperation.

"Good, good, good! Even Father praised Granny Yu's move before, but it was so easily countered. It seems that the leader of the Meteor Bandits attacked Granny Yu's caravan on your orders, in order to test the effectiveness of this move and prepare for today's battle!"

Xiao Yun smiled smugly, but did not admit it. Instead, he said, "Brother, you've lost your composure."

Xiao Feng glared at him fiercely, then immediately sent people to protect Granny Yu. He suppressed his anger and sat down.

After this battle, Granny Yu was seriously injured, and even if she recovers, she will likely be unable to accomplish much.

He asked in a cold voice, "It seems you are truly well-prepared for this battle. I'm afraid you also learned about Chi Huo's intelligence from Xiao Zirui!"

Xiao Yun spread his hands, "It's not just Crimson Fire."

Xiao Feng stopped speaking and simply looked coldly at the two people who were going up on stage in the martial arts arena below.

The Worry-Free Envoy didn't seem to care much about these things; instead, he observed the two brothers with great interest.

It seems that the scheming and intrigue between the two is far more interesting than the battle that follows.

Boom!
Another drumbeat signaled the official start of the second match.

Crimson Flame versus Silver Hand Yama!

(End of this chapter)