In the world of cultivation, one grinds for proficiency and longevity.

The training ground was packed with people, including not only the newly married immortals and their relatives, but also a large number of junior and middle-level Zhou family members.

Zhou Ruoyun, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family who is at the late stage of the fifth level of Qi Refining, is among them.

She was dressed in a blue robe, her face was stunningly beautiful, and she stood out from the crowd.

Furthermore, a group of high-ranking members of the Zhou family were seated on a high platform overlooking both arenas, with Zhou Dezheng prominently among them.

Beside him stood a burly, imposing man.

Judging from his appearance, he is undoubtedly Zhou Hao, the youngest and most promising Qi Refining Level 8 expert in the Zhou family.

"Erniu, six Immortal Seedlings competing... is the audience... really that large?"

Chen Changqing was genuinely surprised. He had been focused on improving his liver proficiency and knew little about what was happening outside.

"No. Brother Chen, you don't know this, but today is also the day of the martial arts competition for the lower-level members of the Zhou family. Our competition is just a small-scale event and is not worthy of being called a formal event."

"Oh, I see."

The scene was divided into two groups.

The ground on the left is very open, with flowers in full bloom and a beautiful environment, with five or six large martial arts arenas; the right side, on the other hand, has no landscape trees, only a lonely arena in a small square, and even the audience seats are temporary benches.

The distinction is obvious.

"Fellow tribesmen, listen up! The purpose of this competition is solely to improve our physical fitness. Therefore, friendship comes first, and competition comes second."

"I'll reiterate the rules again: no killing blows, no excessive force, and absolutely no despicable tactics such as gouging eyes or striking the groin!"

"Especially the latter, listen to me carefully!"

On the right-hand arena, Zhou Jian, a referee at the sixth level of Qi Refining, addressed the Immortal Seedlings in this manner.

Because there are only six participants in the competition, a single-elimination round is adopted.

The remaining three will compete for first place.

There were quite a few audience members, nearly ten.

Li Erniu's wife, Zhou Cui, did not come because she was eight months pregnant.

As soon as Chen Changqing sat down, he keenly sensed a hostile force.

He followed the gaze...

It comes from that mortal woman, Zhou Qiao'er...

Why?

Is it all because of a single sentence from the past?

Chen Changqing seemed to be deep in thought.

The competition begins. Round 1: Li Erniu vs. Wang Qi; Liang Shenggang vs. Shi Jiu; Duan Fei vs. Zhang Tiedan.

The immortal seedlings have little combat experience, and their cultivation levels are roughly the same.

Whoever has received the most rewards and has the most cards in their hand wins.

As expected, Liang Shenggang and Li Erniu, who were wielding magical artifacts, easily won the first two rounds.

The latter didn't even use any talismans.

In the final match, neither of them used any magical artifacts, and the fight became quite evenly matched.

After thirty or forty moves, Zhang Tiedan narrowly escaped defeat.

However, he was also exhausted and was likely to be slammed off the field soon.

"Brother, isn't that the only one among the Immortal Seeds with a medium-grade spiritual root who chose the second path of Guest Elder?"

On the high platform, Zhou Hao first glanced at Chen Changqing, then spoke to Zhou Dezheng.

"That's right, it's him. Huh, I didn't expect that he, who mainly cultivates the Everlasting Spring Technique, has also reached the third level of Qi Refining. As expected of someone with a medium spiritual root, his ability to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is relatively high."

Zhou Dezheng let out a soft exclamation, then quickly shook his head. "Hmph, even eight years as a guest elder doesn't guarantee success. Three years have passed, and he hasn't even mastered a single rune. What use is the emergence of divine consciousness now!"

"Indeed, none of those who chose the second path in the last batch ended up with a complete corpse; how pitiful."

Zhou Hao sighed, then added, "At twenty-four or twenty-five, his vitality is at its peak. Brother, why don't you ask him again if he ever considered changing his mind?"

"Ask him? Pshaw!"

"Fifth brother, you don't know this, but this boy has rejected my kindness time and time again... I have no reason to ask him again. If he feels his future is bleak, he will kneel down and beg me!"

Whether I agree or not depends on my mood!

Zhou Dezheng looked indignant, disappointed, and extremely angry.

"He's ungrateful for what he's got!" Zhou Hao chimed in.

……

Take a one-hour break in the middle.

In the second round of the draw, Liang Shenggang, having rested and prepared, faced off against Li Erniu and Zhang Tiedan.

The duel ended quickly; in less than ten rounds, Zhang Tiedan, bruised and battered, raised his hand in surrender.

"Fists and feet have no eyes, I'm sorry I slapped you in the face, Brother Tiedan."

Li Erniu's magic weapon was a wooden stick, and when he fought against someone without a magic weapon, he certainly had the air of a master.

"It's because I'm not as skilled as you, Brother Niu. You're too modest."

Faced with such an overwhelming disparity, Zhang Tiedan had no choice but to admit defeat.

I only regret that I wasn't born as well as others, and that I've wasted such a name.

"The final match, the 'Championship' battle, Li Erniu versus Liang Shenggang!" Zhou Jian announced loudly from the arena.

With a graceful somersault, Liang Shenggang was the first to leap onto the ring, pointing at someone and shouting, "Erniu, let my magic hammer punish your baguette!"

"Someone's stick is hard; I'm afraid you can't withstand it!"

Li Erniu already had two talismans, plus the five given to him by Chen Changqing. Although his cultivation level was slightly lower than his opponent's, he was still quite confident.

"Come on, let's see if my hammer is harder, or your stick!"

Liang Shenggang roared and swung his black gold hammer with incredible speed and precision, each strike accompanied by a heavy whistling sound, forcing Li Erniu to retreat repeatedly.

"Lightness Talisman! Fireball Talisman! Go!"

Li Erniu first crushed a speed-boosting talisman, instantly becoming lighter, and then darted out at an odd angle to dodge the opponent's attack.

Immediately afterwards, a huge fireball slammed into Liang Shenggang's left shoulder.

[Lightness Charm: After activation, the user becomes as light as a swallow, greatly increasing movement speed, jumping ability, and physical agility. Duration: 15 minutes]

[Fireball Talisman: One instant cast, with burning and explosive effects]

"Two talismans in one go?! That's really generous!"

Liang Shenggang was slightly startled, but he reacted very quickly. He flipped his left hand and a pale yellow Vajra talisman was already affixed to his left arm.

Immediately, a golden light flashed and disappeared, instantly forming a thin layer of light on his left arm.

[Diamond Talisman: Forms a pale golden light shield on the body, capable of withstanding physical attacks and some magical damage. Duration: 15 minutes]

"boom!"

The fireball struck the light shield with a muffled thud and then dissipated. Liang Shenggang's left arm was unharmed, except for a burnt corner on his sleeve.

"So you do have talismans too?"

Li Erniu was not surprised at all. Before the effects of the lightness talisman wore off, he suddenly twisted the wooden stick and stabbed it into the throat.

With a Qi Refining Level 6 expert protecting him, he wasn't worried about going too far.

"Good! Decisive enough!"

Chen Changqing was very certain of Li Erniu's reaction. Iron Hammer was heavy and difficult to defend, so he had to stick close to him and attack.

Seeing this, Zhou Qiao'er and Liang Shenggang's wife in the audience were not worried at all; instead, they scoffed at Chen Changqing's cheers.

as predicted.

A cold glint flashed in Liang Shenggang's eyes, and he no longer held back.

He slammed his right hammer into the ground, while simultaneously summoning his second magical weapon with his left hand—

A bronze bell.

"clang!"

With a soft sound, invisible ripples spread out instantly.

Li Erniu felt his feet sink, as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on him, making it difficult to even breathe.

"What kind of magical artifact is this?!"

Li Erniu was terrified and tried to back away, but found his legs felt like lead.

"Get out of here!"

Taking advantage of Li Erniu's slowed movements, Liang Shenggang swung his iron hammer with tremendous force, striking Li Erniu with overwhelming force.

Li Erniu used all his strength to raise his baguette to block.

"Snap!"

The baguette snapped in two, but the hammer's momentum hadn't subsided, and it slammed heavily into Li Erniu's chest.

"what!"

Li Erniu screamed and flew off the stage like a kite with a broken string, spitting out blood.

If it weren't for the magical artifact that blocked it, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Wasn't that a bit too much?"

Chen Changqing narrowed his eyes and looked at Liang Shenggang, who was actually the referee in charge of safety on the field.

He was a martial artist by training, and his fists and feet were unpredictable, which is understandable.

But since there are people in charge of safety to cover for them, why just stand by and watch Li Erniu get injured?

The two exchanged a smile, ignoring Chen Changqing's questioning.

Also!

At the third level of Qi Refining, one can only sit at the same table as mortals here.

Who cares about the cries of the weak?