From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 456 Five Matches
You Ming maintained a faint smile throughout, nodding to everyone in turn.

The people behind the desk were sizing up You Ming, while You Ming was also observing them.

Closest to the River God was a woman draped in a robe of emerald scales. Her face was beautiful, with a blue mark on her forehead. Her eyes, like those of a snake, were slightly open, gleaming with a cold light.

You Ming had previously introduced the other people who had helped him. Judging from her appearance, this woman was probably the Qingyue Snake Woman, the mountain god who was in charge of Qingyue Mountain.

Although his divine position is of the sixth rank, he is said to be the offspring of the fourth-rank deity, the Ten Thousand Scales Serpent Mother. Not only does he have a very powerful background, but his strength in the path of demon beasts has also reached the level of the [Sacred Body] (approximately equivalent to the "Dharma Form" among cultivators).

In particular, his poison techniques are unpredictable and extremely powerful.

Beside the Qingyue Snake Woman was a middle-aged man with silver armor and white hair, who held a large halberd and whose body was constantly surrounded by surging waves of water vapor.

This person should be Bai Tao, the adjutant of the Xiling naval forces.

Bai Tao once served in the Heavenly Realm as the eighth-rank official, the "Heavenly River Commandant," but he was later banished to the mortal realm for violating heavenly rules.

After serving his sentence, he had to remain in the mortal realm because there were no vacancies in the heavenly realm.

Later, he simply pledged allegiance to the Earthly Deity and was appointed as a sixth-rank naval adjutant, in charge of patrolling the Tongtian River. He had tens of thousands of soldiers under his command. Although he was not as powerful as the River God of Fengshui, he was still considered to be in a high position.

In particular, the river god of the Tongtian River had previously misappropriated the river water, causing a severe drought on earth, and has now been imprisoned.

If his superior could become the River God of Tongtian, he would have a chance to advance further and enter the fifth rank.

He is considered a rising star among the Water God lineage, with a very bright future ahead of him.

On the other side of the River God, there was a man wearing a long red robe, with eyebrows and eyes like distant mountains.

This person should be Lord Liuxia Mountain. Although he is a mountain god, Liuxia Mountain, which he governs, has the function of a water system, with its beautiful scenery reflected in the lake.

However, this person's reputation is not particularly prominent, and he doesn't seem to be known for his combat prowess. But since he received an invitation from the River God, he must possess some extraordinary abilities.

The last person, the woman closest to You Ming, looked like a young girl, but her eyes and brows had a captivating charm.

She wore a light veil and went barefoot, her smile as gentle as a spring breeze, yet her eyes held a captivating allure.

This person is named Fairy Taochuan. She is a cultivator at the Tribulation stage. You Ming can also observe the lingering aura of tribulation surrounding her.

Judging from the looks of it, the opponent hasn't survived a single tribulation yet, and the tribulations they face show no signs of diminishing.

After You Ming took his seat, He Bo did not begin discussing important matters with the group. Instead, he ordered people to continuously serve spiritual fruits and wines.

It's clear that the River God really went all out this time, but the cost of this banquet is probably no less than five thousand divine powers.

Only after several rounds of drinks and everyone was in high spirits did the River God put down his wine cup and look at the crowd.

"Gentlemen, the specific competition rules for this contest to determine the Lord of Azure Lake have been released."

The River God spoke slowly, and everyone listened attentively.

"This competition is divided into five rounds: opening the river, transporting water, clearing away turbidity, controlling spirits, and fighting magic."

River God continued speaking.

Among the crowd present, upon hearing the names of the five competitions, some nodded slightly, finding them unoriginal and largely in line with their expectations.

However, there are also those who are not very familiar with the Water God lineage, such as Fairy Taochuan. She had been cultivating in Lingzhou and did not know much about the inner workings of the divine path.

"Lord Liuxia Mountain, this river-opening test requires us to straighten the water flow in the chaotic terrain. As you are both a mountain and water deity, you should take the lead in this competition."

The River God looked up at the man in red robes and spoke. Lord Liuxia nodded; he was indeed skilled at manipulating the flow of mountains and rivers, which was his forte, and he did it with ease.

“General Bai, you are most skilled at summoning wind and rain and controlling water with divine decrees. You can employ large-scale weather techniques. You are the one who should take on this water transport test.”

He Bo continued to look at Bai Tao, the adjutant of the Xiling naval forces.

The so-called water transport test is a test of the river gods' ability to divert water from one place to another.

It can use supernatural powers to directly capture water flow, or it can raise water in one place and then lower it in another.

Regardless of the method you use, the only thing that matters is how many cubic meters of water you can ultimately transport.

Bai Tao downed the drink in his glass in one gulp and readily agreed.

“I am in control of poison techniques and methods of purification, so I will take the lead in this contest of purification.”

This time, just as the River God was about to speak, the Qingyue Snake Woman preempted him.

Qingyue Snake Woman is skilled in poison techniques and purification techniques. This purification competition is simply about refining foul water and removing toxins, which is extremely easy for her.

The River God was not annoyed that she had interrupted him; he simply smiled and nodded.

His purpose in seeking out Qingyue Snake Woman was mainly to take charge of the purification process. Since she had volunteered, he was spared the trouble of explaining further.

"Then, Fairy Taochuan, I'll leave this challenge of [Spirit Control] to you."

Although Fairy Taochuan is a rogue cultivator, she is skilled in the art of illusion and can communicate with various ferocious beasts and demons through illusory sounds and mental techniques. Furthermore, her methods contain a subtle and persistent power of emotion, which has a certain probability of directly taming beasts.

The contest of spirit control is about using one's own power to subdue as many aquatic creatures as possible.

Only with this skill can one suppress a region.

With the previous four matches already filled, the final [battle of magic] naturally fell to You Ming.

"A duel is exactly what I want. It's a direct fight, and if you win, you win. There's no need for all that messy stuff."

You Ming had no objection to this arrangement.

However, it must be said that experience matters.

Before the competition even began, the River God had already planned out the content of the competition and directly invited the gods and cultivators in charge of the corresponding competition. This showed great courage.

If he guesses wrong, he won't be able to find the right solution, and his chances of becoming Suicune will be slim.

But now he's won his gamble. Otherwise, if he had waited until the competition details were announced before extending an invitation, the reward would probably have doubled, and he still might not have been able to invite the person.

After all, other candidates might also seek help from these individuals.

“Fellow Daoist You Ming, I have heard that you are extremely skilled in combat, and that several of the Twelve Immortals have suffered defeats at your hands.”

"I didn't expect that you'd already started going through tribulations so soon."

Upon hearing that You Ming was in charge of the magical contest, Fairy Taochuan smiled and took the initiative to chat with him.

She had previously cultivated in Lingzhou and had heard of this alien cultivator who was extremely famous among the younger generation in Lingzhou.

However, the other party's progress is a bit too fast.

(End of this chapter)