The Confucian and Taoist Sages of Mortal Cultivation

"How come he's facing off against Yan Nanfei from the Yan family right from the start?" Wan Xiaoshan felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat for Yang Qingyuan.

Just then, Yan Nanfei and his sister in the crowd also saw Yang Qingyuan.

"This rogue cultivator with the Thunder Spirit Root actually wants to fight in the arena? He's really courting death." A hint of killing intent flashed in Yan Nanfei's eyes as he thought to himself, "This is a good opportunity to eliminate future troubles."

Yan Nanjiao noticed the change in her brother's expression and guessed what he was thinking. She hesitated and said, "Isn't that inappropriate? He has a rare lightning spirit root."

"Hehe." Yan Nanfei didn't seem to care. He touched the spirit pet pouch at his waist and replied, "Don't worry, he insisted on fighting in the arena himself."

"In this way, even if he dies in the ring, no one can find fault with him."

After saying that, Yan Nanfei used his lightness technique to flip over and leap onto the arena, where he stood firmly.

When the cultivators near the arena saw Yan Nanfei step onto the stage, they began to whisper among themselves, causing quite a stir.

"They are members of the Yan family, a renowned family of cultivators!"

"A cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refining."

"These aristocratic families are becoming increasingly greedy, directly cultivating their clansmen to the eleventh level of Qi Refining. How could a rogue cultivator possibly be their match?"

"I wonder who his opponent is? How unlucky."

Seeing that Yang Qingyuan had encountered such a formidable opponent, Han Li advised, "Senior Brother Yang, why don't you just admit defeat?"

"Where there's life, there's hope."

"This person has already become your enemy."

"If he's wary of your lightning spiritual root aptitude, he might desperately try to kill you to eliminate any future trouble."

"Brother Han is right," Wan Xiaoshan echoed. "Brother Yang, the difference in your cultivation levels is too great. Why don't you just admit defeat?"

Uncle Wang, standing to the side, frowned slightly when he saw the character "Yan" on Yan Nanfei's sleeve. He said to Yang Qingyuan, "This person's cultivation is far superior to yours, and he comes from the Yan family. He must be carrying a powerful top-grade magic weapon."

"If there is even the slightest mistake, your life will be in danger."

"Let's just admit defeat."

Yang Qingyuan shook his head and replied, "Please rest assured, Uncle-Master, I have my own methods."

Uncle Wang had no choice but to advise, "Alright, if you're at a disadvantage, it's best to admit defeat as soon as possible."

"If you admit defeat, I will stop the fight."

"Disciple has noted it down." Yang Qingyuan then stepped out of the crowd and slowly walked up the steps to the arena.

The spectators were quite surprised to see a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining walk onto the arena.

"Only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and you dare to challenge us?"

"The people of Yanjiabao are really lucky to have encountered such a weak opponent."

"Huh? Isn't that the rogue cultivator with the lightning spirit root from before?"

"Didn't he successfully join Yellow Maple Valley?"

"Why are you here to challenge again?"

"It must be to obtain the second Foundation Establishment Pill."

"How greedy! Spells don't discriminate; aren't you afraid of getting killed...?"

Just as everyone was talking at once, Yang Qingyuan had already stepped onto the arena and stood opposite Yan Nanfei.

A pale yellow protective shield slowly rose from the arena, isolating the inside from the outside.

"You're truly insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant." Yan Nanfei sneered, "Does he think he can look down on everyone just because he has a lightning spiritual root?"

"Today I'll teach you a lesson: a genius who hasn't grown up isn't a genius at all."

After saying that, he patted his storage bag and took out a greenish-yellow folding fan.

The moment the cyan-yellow folding fan appeared, it emitted a dazzling spiritual light, clearly indicating that it was a magic artifact of extremely high quality.

"It's the top-grade magic weapon, the 'Bone-Melting Treasure Fan,' a famous top-tier magic weapon of the Yan family."

Among the spectators, many cultivators immediately recognized the fan's origin and gasped in surprise.

"As expected of a Core Formation family, the Yan family has indeed bestowed upon Yan Nanfei a top-grade magic weapon."

"When this fan is waved, it will stir up an extremely poisonous fog."

"A cultivator in the Qi Refining stage will die instantly from the poison if they come into contact with even a little bit of the poisonous mist; their flesh and bones will be melted away."

"The Yan family is planning to leave no way out for rogue cultivators. They're really going too far."

Seeing this, Wan Xiaoshan was filled with apprehension and muttered, "It's over."

"Brother Yang doesn't have any defensive magical artifacts, how can he withstand this poisonous fog?"

Just then, Yan Nanfei held a fan in both hands, poured out his inner power into the fan, and then kept fanning Yang Qingyuan with the folding fan.

This paper fan should have been a light and airy object, but Yan Nanfei found it extremely heavy when he fanned himself, and he was drenched in sweat after only a few fannings.

With each swing of the fan, thick purple mist shot out, carrying a nauseating stench, heading straight for Yang Qingyuan.

Yang Qingyuan remained completely calm and simply flicked his sleeves.

Five emerald green beads flew out from his sleeve, hovering above his head and spinning continuously. In the blink of an eye, they condensed into a semi-transparent emerald green shield, covering Yang Qingyuan.

The purple poisonous mist was immediately repelled upon touching the emerald green shield, unable to harm it in the slightest.

"What?!"

Yan Nanfei was shocked to see Yang Qingyuan control five bead-like defensive magic artifacts in one go. He exclaimed, "Impossible! At most, a Qi Refining stage cultivator can control three or four magic artifacts at the same time."

"How could you possibly control five things at the same time?"

The crowd watching from all sides were puzzled and very surprised that Yang Qingyuan could control so many magical artifacts.

"It's the top-grade magic artifact, the Azure Wood True Shield!" a rogue cultivator who had some experience in artifact crafting exclaimed. "This treasure is a set. As long as you control the mother bead, you can influence the other four child beads. It's like controlling just one piece."

Everyone then realized what was going on.

"Oh?" Wu Feng asked Wan Xiaoshan beside him, "Junior Brother Yang actually possesses such a rare magical artifact. Could he also come from a family of cultivators?"

"But I've never heard of a prominent family surnamed Yang in the Yue Kingdom?"

Han Li also cast a curious glance at Wan Xiaoshan.

Wan Xiaoshan's lips twitched slightly, a strange look on his face. He muttered, "So that treasure map of the Yan family was real. I should have known better than to throw it away..."

On the arena, seeing that the Bone-Melting Fan was ineffective against his opponent, Yan Nanfei stopped what he was doing, reached for the spirit pet pouch at his waist, and rebuked, "How can the foundation of our Yan family be negated by a mere defensive magic weapon like yours?"

After saying that, he threw the spirit pet pouch in his hand away.

A black beam of light flew out of the bag, hovered in the air, spun around, and revealed a huge, strange bird.

This strange bird resembled an eagle but was not one; it was covered in gray feathers, its wingspan was several meters, and it had a pair of scythe-like claws beneath its body.

Its neck has two bald, menacing bird heads, each with two small eyes that gleam slightly green.

"A level one demonic beast, the Two-Headed Duck!" The crowd erupted in chaos, with shouts and exclamations filling the air, and the scene quickly descended into disarray.

"What a joke! This is a demonic beast comparable to a Qi Refining thirteenth level cultivator."

"Isn't this two against one?"

"Who else can defeat the cultivators of Yan Family Fortress?"

At this moment, the two-headed geese flapped its wings and swooped down towards Yang Qingyuan, extending its sickle-like claws and grabbing heavily onto the real wood shield.

With a loud "bang," the emerald green shield shook violently, even twisting and deforming, but it ultimately blocked the attack of the two-headed duck.

Upon seeing this, Yang Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, patted his storage bag, took out a yellow sword box that was four or five feet tall, and stood it heavily on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a "click-click" sound came from the sword case, and it opened to both sides, revealing seven sword slots.

Of the seven sword slots, only the three middle slots each have a flying sword inserted into them.

But as soon as the three flying swords appeared, they exuded an extremely sharp aura, making Yan Nanfei's heart pound with fear.

"Three top-grade flying swords!" Yan Nanfei exclaimed in shock, "Even my Foundation Establishment stage uncles don't have that many top-grade flying swords."

"I, Yan, refuse to believe that you can control three different flying swords while using a defensive magical artifact!"

Yang Qingyuan, however, did not take it to heart and pondered for a moment.

"What is he doing?" Han Li asked in surprise, seeing Yang Qingyuan standing inside the protective barrier without using his flying sword. "The Twin-Headed Duck is about to break through the barrier with its next attack! Why isn't Senior Brother Yang moving?"

Wan Xiaoshan's eyes lit up, and he looked eager to try it out. He almost jumped up and shouted, "Look! Look!"

"Brother Yang is about to recite a poem."

"The battle is about to be decided!"

Han Li, Wu Feng, and Uncle Wang were all puzzled upon hearing this, pondering, "What does reciting poetry have to do with magical combat?"

Just then, Yang Qingyuan spoke leisurely, reciting softly, "With furrowed brows and a fierce spirit, he leaps into the air ten thousand miles away."

"With a three-foot sword in its sheath on my back, I stand up for Heaven and to show justice to the righteous."

As soon as the poem was finished, the three top-grade flying swords hummed simultaneously, emitting a clear sword hum, and then soared into the sky together, tearing through the air and heading straight for the chest of the double-headed duck.

Three sword lights flashed through the air with a whooshing sound.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Before the two-headed geese could dodge, three bloody holes appeared on its chest.

"Screech..." The two-headed duck let out a mournful cry and plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the arena, causing the arena floor to tremble slightly.

"What?!" Yan Nanfei was dumbfounded.

Immediately afterwards, the three flying swords made a turn in the air and shot towards Yan Nanfei.

Yan Nanfei hurriedly summoned a bronze round shield and held it in front of him.

But this round shield is only a high-grade defensive magic weapon. How could it possibly withstand three top-grade flying swords blessed with the mantra of the word "sword"?

The bronze shield was sliced ​​open the instant it made contact.

The three flying swords streaked across the sky like cold stars, precisely slicing across Yan Nanfei's neck.

Before he could react, he suddenly felt dizzy and the world spun around him. The next moment, he saw a headless body standing stiffly on the arena.

"This...this is my body!"

In just a split second, three flying swords severed Yan Nanfei's head, sending it flying into the air.

"What kind of tactic is this?!"

"How could someone at the eighth level of Qi Refining possibly kill someone at the eleventh level of Qi Refining?"

The crowd watching from below the stage stared at each other in disbelief.

A series of exclamations and gasps erupted, and everyone's faces turned deathly pale.

Some people took a half step back in shock, while others gasped in disbelief. The place was in an uproar as everyone was shaken by the sudden and decisive victory.