The Long Journey to Immortality

This scene was exactly what everyone expected.

If this Foundation Establishment cultivator named Lu Yong really had the audacity to challenge Master Guangbo, who was of inferior status, then that would be truly astonishing.

"Alright, then the Qian family will win the first match."

When a cultivator voluntarily conceded defeat at this moment, everyone's attention naturally focused on the arrogant Taoist who might or might not concede.

Feeling uncomfortable being stared at by everyone, the arrogant Daoist quickly spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng, shall we start the second round immediately? I'm eager to learn a few moves from Fellow Daoist Kongkong."

The Hermit of Emptiness chuckled and said, “Alright, as long as Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng grants my permission, I will now engage in a magical duel with you.”

Xuanfeng Daoist was also eager to see a good show, so he simply said, "Alright, then please come up on stage quickly."

With a light leap, the Hermit of Emptiness jumped onto the arena.

The arrogant Taoist had no choice but to bite the bullet and use his flying skills to get onto the stage.

He knew very well that he had only a 10% chance of winning this duel, but for the sake of his pride and the boast he had made earlier, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight.

Following the proper procedure of a duel, Xuanfeng Daoist activated the arena's restrictions, while also instructing, "Please, both of you, stop when you've reached your limit and don't damage the harmony between the three families."

Although the arrogant Taoist found these words agreeable, he noticed the smile on the face of the hermit of emptiness and vaguely felt that it was more like a reminder to the hermit of emptiness to "strike hard" at him.

This is a classic case of "looking down on people because they're no good."

The arrogant Taoist thought that everyone else would do the same thing.

The smile on the face of the hermit was simply because of the upcoming magical duel, in which he had a high chance of winning.

"Three, two, one, go!"

As soon as Xuanfeng Daoist finished speaking, the two began to fight on the arena.

One had just advanced to the Golden Core realm, while the other was a mediocre cultivator among the mid-stage Golden Core cultivators.

The duel between the two was considered very ordinary and commonplace by Han Lu and Xuanfeng Daoist, who were both seasoned Golden Core cultivators.

But to the disciples from various families who were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, it was incredibly exciting.

After a fierce battle that lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour, the arrogant Taoist, unable to withstand the onslaught, quickly "admitted defeat" to avoid being beaten black and blue.

Chapter 1167

Although he admitted defeat, the arrogant Taoist couldn't help but grumble and spout a few more harsh words.

“Master Kongkong, I am no match for you today, but a hundred years from now, when we compete again, I will surely prevail.”

Han Lu didn't see much of a problem with what he said.

After all, the arrogant Taoist has reached the third rank of Core Formation, and there is a good chance that he will reach the mid-stage of Golden Core in a hundred years.

At that time, the arrogant Taoist will have a good chance of winning against the stagnant Hermit Kongkong.

It could even be said that, given the arrogant Taoist's personality and style, simply uttering such harsh words was already considered "polite."

The hermit was well aware of this, so he did not respond, but simply said, "Let's talk about things a hundred years from now."

"Regardless of our cultivation levels at that time, whether we can even fight each other is still a question."

Having said that, the Hermit of Emptiness led his victorious figure off the stage, leaving only the arrogant Taoist with his back turned.

Filled with resentment, the arrogant Taoist stepped down from the arena.

"Kong Fang, calm down," Master Guangbo reassured him telepathically, "There's a third round."

Guangbo Shangren is mild-mannered and has a good relationship with the Golden Core cultivators from the other two families, so he naturally wouldn't stir up trouble at this time.

In his view, a cold response is the most appropriate approach.

Even the arrogant Taoist knew the importance of maintaining harmony among the three families.

Having just lost the contest, he kept his mouth shut after issuing the challenge, lest his true nature erupt and cause him further trouble.

Although he didn't like the idea of ​​enduring hardship and biding his time, the arrogant Taoist still understood this principle.

With one win and one loss, the already suspenseful third match became the focus of everyone's attention.

Originally, the two cultivators, who had thought themselves very important after learning about the rule changes, suddenly felt immense pressure.

Both Golden Core cultivators pulled their two juniors, on whom they had placed their hopes, to their sides.

At this point, it's too late to offer any on-the-spot guidance or impart any winning strategies.

Therefore, the two Golden Core cultivators simply encouraged the younger generation, relieved their stress, and promised them benefits, striving to ensure that the two could fight with high morale and light burden.

The Qian family promised their disciple, Qian Kai, a large amount of spirit stones, elixirs, and privileges such as using auspicious feng shui sites for cultivation.

Even if we lose, we can still receive elixirs as compensation.

Qian Kai, who had been at the late Foundation Establishment stage for twenty years, was already a rising star in the clan. Master Guangbo took this opportunity to grant Qian Kai special privileges.

The Lu family did not have much wealth or resources, so the hermit could only offer them a small sum of money and then appeal to their emotions.

“Lu Min,” the hermit looked back at himself, “no matter what the outcome, once we return to the clan, I will help you propose to that rascal.”

"If we win, the dowry will be even more generous."

Upon hearing such a promise, the female cultivator who had been sitting far away during the meeting had her eyes light up, her fighting spirit already ignited.

Although the concept of free marriage is deeply rooted in people's hearts, as a member of a cultivation family, you may ultimately become a "gift of friendship" and be unable to control your own love.

Most of the outstanding disciples of the major cultivation families have either studied under Xuan Yang Valley or have had experience cultivating within Xuan Yang Valley.

Naturally, the two cultivators who were about to stand on the arena to fight on behalf of their respective families also knew each other.

Although they had never fought in Xuan Yang Valley, they had interacted there due to the close relationship between the three families, and could be considered nodding acquaintances.

However, at this crucial moment, with so many elders and seniors watching the fight, the two who had just stepped onto the stage and were standing facing each other 30 meters apart had no intention of catching up or exchanging pleasantries.

Both of them were biting their lips tightly, whether from nervousness or gathering their strength, it was hard to tell.

"Fellow Daoist Zhenfeng, who do you think will win?" Not knowing the situation of the two people in front of him, Daoist Xuanfeng used this as a topic to chat with Han Lu through telepathy.

Han Lu wasn't sure which of the two cultivators was stronger, so she simply answered based on her intuition, brief observation, and her hopeful expectations, "I think the cultivator from the Lu family is slightly better."

"What do you mean?" Xuanfeng Daoist hadn't had much contact with Han Lu, and subconsciously felt that Han Lu must have found some reliable evidence to make such a judgment.

Han Lu chuckled and replied telepathically, "It's just a gut feeling. Anyway, we're just watching the show. If the Lu family wins, we'll both be happier, won't we?"

Master Xuanfeng smiled knowingly and then continued to perform his duties as referee.

A moment later, after Xuanfeng Daoist announced the start of the competition, the two cultivators, both at the late Foundation Establishment stage, began to fight on the arena, each using their own spells and magical treasures.

After observing for only a short while, Han Lu gained a more comprehensive understanding of the two cultivators' conditions.

"The Qian family cultivator has slightly more magic treasures in his storage bag, and they are of slightly higher quality, but his strength is not as good as that of the Lu family cultivator."

"Although the female cultivators of the Lu family mostly rely on magic to fight and retaliate, it is clear that the spiritual power in their dantian is abundant and their combat experience is also richer."

"If there are no unforeseen circumstances, the battle will likely last for about fifteen minutes before the female cultivator from the Lu family emerges victorious."

Subsequently, the battle unfolded exactly as Han Lu had predicted.

Although the female cultivator from the Lu family had somewhat limited methods, she relied on her profound spiritual power to make the Qian family cultivators unable to do anything to her with just three moves.

It's like two people playing rock-paper-scissors.

Although the Qian family cultivators were able to successfully perform three hand gestures on the arena, the Lu family cultivators could only perform one.

However, the Qian family cultivators' rock, paper, scissors, and rock-paper-scissors techniques were completely ineffective against the large rock that the Lu family cultivators had pointed to.

After a few back and forths, the situation on the stage reached a stalemate.

The Lu family cultivators were handling the situation with ease, while the Qian family cultivators were at their wits' end.

Finally, in a moment of distraction, the Qian family cultivator was caught off guard by the Lu family female cultivator, who struck him squarely in the heart with a spell, sending him flying and knocking him unconscious.

Upon seeing this, the crowds on both sides of the arena reacted with a mixture of excitement and disbelief.

The Lu family cultivators and some of the Han family cultivators cheered and celebrated.

The Qian family monks sighed repeatedly.

After the Qian family cultivator crashed into the light screen of the arena and began to fall freely, the referee, Xuanfeng Daoist, intervened, using his skills to catch him and simultaneously announcing that the outcome of the match was decided.

"The Lu family has won, and according to the best-of-three rule, the rankings of the three families are now set."

"The Han family is first, the Lu family is second, and the Qian family is third."

Xuanfeng Daoist gave the arrogant Daoist, whose face was contorted with embarrassment, a mocking look.

He was too clever for his own good, but in the end he lost everything.

The group returned to the negotiating table with mixed feelings.

Fifteen monks sat around the negotiating table.

The three cultivators each had a different expression.

The competition may determine the winners and losers, and the final rankings may be decided on the stage, but how much benefit each party can ultimately gain from the existing resources can only be determined and known through heated debate.

After a battle of wits, the three sides have different amounts of chips in their hands. The winner and loser have been determined. Now, the question is how much the winner will win and how much the loser will lose.

Chapter 1168

The vast majority of cultivators in the Central Plains are worthy of the title "gentleman".

At least on the surface, they can afford it.

Therefore, when discussing how to divide the resources at the conference table, even the arrogant Taoist, who was aggressive and liked to do things against the rules, "changed his nature" at this time.

Try your best to secure your own interests within the rules.

Even the arrogant Taoist knew very well that the rules for allocating resources among cultivation families were the foundation for the Qian family's growth and expansion.

Breaking the rules will only bring him and the Qian family short-term benefits at best; in the long run, it will definitely be a losing proposition.

As one of the earliest cultivators to prepare for the magical contest a hundred years from now, the arrogant Daoist had to broaden his horizons to avoid losing face and benefits a hundred years from now.

The arrogant Taoist priest behaved himself and did not cause any trouble. The negotiation and discussion among the group of gentlemen and hypocrites proceeded as smoothly as when the rules were established before.

There are only so many resources, and no matter how you divide them, you can't really create anything special.

There is also the result of the contest of skills as a basis for reference.