The Long Journey to Immortality

Instead, he watched both matches from the audience.

The cultivators on the stands were engaged in fierce combat, while the spectators below watched with eager anticipation.

After figuring out the approximate skill level of the cultivators in the arena, Xiao Ran took the initiative to challenge all the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators present, wagering twenty spirit stones.

[Author's Note] Instead of constantly scheming and living in fear, why not just retreat into seclusion and cultivate immortality? I'll start writing 10 chapters to complete the story, each chapter advancing me to a higher realm. The protagonist will stay hidden in a mountain cave cultivating, only venturing out once every hundred days to buy food. How safe and interesting would that be?

Furthermore, based on the description above, it is clear that the protagonist should not be able to outrun Xiao Ran.

However, I'm still very happy that everyone is willing to post and discuss this.

Chapter 274 Xiao Ran's Swordsmanship

To be honest, Xiao Ran's appearance is very much like that of a master. In Han Lu's opinion, Xiao Ran should be very popular in this arena area if he goes on stage to challenge someone.

Unexpectedly, after Xiao Ran shouted a few words on the stage, not a single cultivator in the mid- or late-stage Foundation Establishment stage had the desire to go up and fight him.

Being left standing there all alone made Xiao Ran's expression somewhat awkward.

"What happened?" he wondered, annoyed. "Just now, a bunch of people were scrambling to go on stage for a magical duel, but now that it's my turn, everyone's become a peace dove?"

Xiao Ran's question was answered by a remark from a cultivator in the audience.

"A dignified late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with false core cultivation only uses twenty spirit stones as gambling stakes, like giving alms to a beggar."

This caused quite a stir, and Xiao Ran, who was neither famous nor well-known in the Dongzhou Prefecture's independent cultivator community, was met with a burst of laughter.

These laughs made Xiao Ran's already gloomy expression even more so.

Heiji was not wrong.

On the arena, initiating a duel as a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator indeed only requires five spirit stones.

However, this does not mean that if you issue a duel invitation for a low price of five or even twenty spirit stones, there will definitely be other cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Foundation Establishment who will be willing to step in and fight you.

After all, the higher one's cultivation level, the higher one's wealth, so naturally one wouldn't spend money for a mere twenty spirit stones.

Some arrogant, wealthy late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators are only willing to accept bets of 500 or even 1,000 spirit stones or more. Only such high-stakes gambles can stir even a slight ripple in the mind of these cultivators.

Before losing his storage bag, Xiao Ran wasn't exactly a wealthy cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, but he wasn't the type to lower himself for twenty spirit stones either.

Naturally, when everything was laid out before him, he understood the crux of the matter and why no one was willing to step onto the stage and fight him.

Having already taken the stage, Xiao Ran naturally didn't want to stand on the stage for only a short while before stepping down.

Asking Han Lu, whose cultivation level is lower than his, for spirit stones on the arena would only make him look even more humiliated.

So Xiao Ran simply pulled out the magic weapon from his waist, held it in his hand, and said, "Since you all don't like my spirit stones, how about adding this second-grade magic weapon soft sword?"

A top-grade magic weapon can easily fetch two thousand spirit stones if sold in a shop.

If it were the spirit sword in Xiao Ran's hand, it would be normal for it to sell for three thousand spirit stones at an auction.

In this way, Xiao Ran turned a gamble that wasn't even a small bet into a high-stakes gamble, attracting the attention of the cultivators watching the battle from the arena where he was standing and the surrounding arenas.

The cultivators who had been laughing at Xiao Ran from below the stage, even calling him a "poor bastard," were speechless.

However, the story did not unfold as Xiao Ran had imagined.

The stakes were too high, causing many cultivators who were considering taking part to hesitate.

Some people lack confidence in their own abilities, while others simply cannot offer a wager comparable to a soft sword.

No one knows Xiao Ran's strength, so it would be unwise to rashly gamble with him on a high-grade magic weapon.

Neither the small nor the large figure responded. Xiao Ran stood on the stage, holding his soft sword, unsure of what to say.

Seeing Xiao Ran's awkwardness, Han Lu couldn't bear it any longer. She tried to recall if there was anything in her storage bag that she had used as a betting stake at some point in the past.

Just as Xiao Ran was thinking of stepping down from the stage and then discussing borrowing spirit stones from Han Lu, Han Lu threw an unclaimed storage bag with its mark just wiped off onto the arena and said loudly, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I'm returning the mid-grade fourth-rank magic item I borrowed from you yesterday."

Xiao Ran picked up the storage bag, feeling somewhat bewildered.

"When did I lend Han Xianzi any magical artifacts?"

But when he opened the storage bag and saw the only mid-grade fourth-rank magic item inside, he immediately understood Han Lu's good intentions.

He took out a giant shield from his storage bag and smiled, "Thank you, Fairy Han."

A mid-grade fourth-rank magic tool can probably sell for one or two hundred spirit stones, so taking out this giant shield at this moment as a wager is just right.

"This rank-four giant shield magic weapon will be valued at one hundred spirit stones. Is there any fellow Daoist willing to offer one hundred spirit stones and place them on this arena to fight me, Xiao?"

A little gambling is harmless fun, but excessive gambling is harmful. Sure enough, when Xiao Ran offered a suitable stake, many cultivators were tempted.

In just a moment, a cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage leaped onto the arena, patted his storage bag, took out one hundred spirit stones, placed them in front of the Nine Dragons Mountain disciple who was acting as the referee, and said, "Let me, Daoist Yuanshan, have a go at you."

After saying "okay," Xiao Ran casually hung the storage bag on his waist, and then used his weapon control technique to place the giant shield on the table in front of the referee.

The stakes were in place, and both parties agreed to the bet.

The onlookers were not idle either; they all poured some of their spiritual energy into the dark spirit stones throughout the arena's formation, helping to activate the protective restrictions to prevent the two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting on the arena from accidentally injuring the onlookers.

Han Lu was no exception.

Seeing that everything was ready, the Jiulong Mountain disciple who was acting as the referee did not hesitate and directly announced the start of the competition.

The crowd off the field was anticipating a fierce battle, but the two on the field exchanged a few more words.

Daoist Yuanshan, with his hands behind his back, said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, if we have a pleasant fight later, how about you bring your second-grade magic weapon, the spirit sword, for another duel?"

Clearly, the Taoist of the Distant Mountains believed his strength far surpassed that of Xiao Ran, who did not have a storage bag hanging from his waist.

He was planning a grand scheme, intending to lure Xiao Ran into another battle with a small victory or a major defeat, so that he could win the soft sword from Xiao Ran's hands.

Xiao Ran naturally understood the deeper meaning in Yuanshan Daoist's words, but he didn't react in any special way. He simply said, "If you want to fight again after we're done, I'm willing to oblige."

Xiao Ran had an innate prejudice against cultivators who had already chosen a Daoist name before reaching the Golden Core stage.

He didn't think the cultivator who called himself the Daoist of Distant Mountains was any troublesome fellow.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Yuanshan smiled and said, "Alright, Fellow Daoist Xiao, please go first."

Despite saying that, Daoist Yuanshan showed no intention of giving up the initiative.

He summoned a flagpole from his storage bag and waved it in the air.

A gust of eerie wind blew, and several sinister spirits flew out from the flag, rushing towards Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran was unimpressed. He used the software to casually unleash a few sword energies.

These sword strikes looked no different from ordinary sword energy, but they were surprisingly powerful.

As if they had all struck the weaknesses of the ghosts, they shattered those blue-faced, fanged ghosts into dust in a single blow.

Upon seeing this, Han Lu's eyes lit up, and she thought to herself, "Xiao Ran wasn't bragging. Perhaps he didn't really learn from Senior Fang Lin, but his sword control technique is indeed quite impressive."

Chapter 275 The Ghost Giant

After showing off his skills on the stage, Xiao Ran deliberately gave Han Lu a look, as if to say with his eyes, "You better watch carefully."

Han Lu cooperated, making eye contact with Xiao Ran and nodding slightly, replying with her eyes and body language, "I will look carefully."

Xiao Ran's behavior was noticed by Daoist Yuanshan. Following Xiao Ran's gaze, Daoist Yuanshan also noticed Han Lu, who was watching the battle from below the stage and making eye contact with Xiao Ran.

Seeing this scene, the Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator, Yuanshan Daoren, who was still single at the age of 130, felt a surge of anger.

He thought angrily to himself, "Although you have won by a small margin for now, this bet is not over yet."

"We're fighting right now, and you're ignoring me and flirting with your partner?"

"This is a blatant disrespect to me. I'm going to use all my skills to teach you a lesson."

"To teach you what respect is."

Han Lu, who was mistaken by the Daoist Yuanshan as Xiao Ran's Daoist partner, was completely unaware of this matter.

She was completely focused, her gaze fixed on Xiao Ran and his unique soft sword, trying to glean something useful from the sword control and swordsmanship Xiao Ran displayed.

Yuanshan Daoist suppressed his anger, his face grim, "Fellow Daoist Xiao's sword is quite good."

The outcome of the previous round could be attributed to Xiao Ran's advantage in using a magical artifact; Yuanshan Daoist's literary combat skills were clearly superior to his martial combat skills.

Xiao Ran ignored Yuanshan Daoist's sarcasm and replied, "Yuanshan Daoist's little flag is quite interesting. I suppose it can summon more than just a few little ghosts."

"Of course, Fellow Daoist Xiao would like to see it?" Daoist Yuanshan gripped the flagpole tightly with his right hand.

“Of course,” Xiao Ran said with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Yuanshan, please feel free to show us any powerful moves you have.”

Because Xiao Ran didn't have a storage bag on his waist, Yuanshan Daoist underestimated this fake Core Formation cultivator, thinking that he could defeat Xiao Ran with his late Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Xiao Ran also felt that as a pseudo-core cultivator, with his expertise in sword control and possession of a high-grade spiritual sword, it was only natural that he could defeat Daoist Yuanshan.

Even though they had already exchanged blows once, both men remained confident that they would be the final victors.

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, Daoist Yuanshan snorted coldly, and the flag in his hand emitted bursts of black light. "Fine, then try this move."

The Taoist priest waved the flag in his hand again, and a great black light shone brightly. In the blink of an eye, the small area of ​​the arena changed completely.

The sun was obscured by dark clouds emanating from the flags; just moments ago, the sun was blazing, but in an instant, it looked like a storm was brewing.

"Wow," Xiao Ran said, not taking Yuanshan Daoist's moves seriously, "quite a spectacle."

Yuanshan Daoist listened to Xiao Ran's words in one ear and out the other, afraid that hearing too much would affect his mood.

He exerted all his strength to activate the magic weapon and unleash his best skills.

If it were Han Lu, she would definitely use her sword to attack at this moment, seizing the major flaw revealed by the Daoist of the Distant Mountains.

However, in order to ensure that Han Lu could clearly and carefully understand the true meaning of his swordsmanship, Xiao Ran did not take advantage of her vulnerability.

He only hoped that the "demons and monsters" summoned by the Taoist priest of the distant mountains would be a big one, an opponent worthy of his all-out effort.

Only in this way could he fully display his swordsmanship to repay Han Lu for her kindness to him several times.

Sure enough, such a grand scene summoned extraordinary spirits.

A giant ghost, five meters tall, was squeezed out from the banner of the Taoist priest from the distant mountains.

When this ghost, which was somewhere between a spirit and a physical body, landed on the arena, it shook the arena and created two large craters.

Clearly, the spirit summoned by the Taoist of the Distant Mountains was different from the spirits that most cultivators were familiar with.

External attacks are what this giant ghost excels at.