Zhao Ya glanced at Hu Jing. Hu Jing took a step forward. "Master, I’ll take the first match!"
Hu Jing walked into the center of the arena, and the disciples from both sides instantly erupted in a deafening roar.
A cold sneer appeared on Qiao Qian’s lips. ’Thunderlight Hall is still too naive. Why would you send out your strongest fighter in the first match? A strong start is important, but victory is what matters most. Dill is their number two expert; Hu Jing might not even be able to win.’
Both were Technique Cultivators, and female ones at that, appearing exceptionally calm. But at the command to begin, Dill imdiately launched a stern assault, sending a stream of Fire Talismans floating toward Hu Jing.
Hu Jing didn’t dodge. She unleashed her own Fire Talismans in a direct confrontation. It was a contest of power and frequency. When Technique Cultivators fought, there were no fancy tricks—it all ca down to fundantals. The stronger one would simply prevail.
Dill had clearly been in her hall for much longer, but in terms of talent and hard work, Hu Jing was second to none. From the very start, the two were evenly matched.
Hu Jing cultivated the Hundred Talisman Butterfly Stream, which focused on kiting and repulsion. It required master-level footwork and control over Elental Power consumption. Amidst the exchange, Hu Jing began to use her Hundred Talisman Butterfly Stream, forcefully suppressing her opponent with Talismans. Coordinated with her footwork, the attack position of each Talisman directly determined its effect. Because her opponent was also strong, this advantage couldn’t be established instantly but had to be built up bit by bit. Yet, as the confrontation continued, Dill was clearly finding it difficult to keep up.
Zhao Ya smiled and nodded. ’Hu Jing isn’t the most gifted person I’ve ever seen, but she is absolutely the best at learning and understanding. The talented don’t always beco the strongest, but those who are good at learning will never be weak.’
Once she had established her dominance, Hu Jing imdiately unleashed a Bursting Fire Talisman, instantly making it much more difficult for Dill to defend.
The morale on Thunderlight Hall’s side was sky-high. Chen Haiguan and the others wished Hu Jing could just kill their opponent with a single Bursting Fire Talisman.
Jia Shidao, Qiao Qian, and the others, however, appeared exceptionally calm. ’Only these sheltered Thunderlight Hall disciples would be so foolish. How could Dill, the number two figure in Hundred Herbs Hall, be so easy to deal with? It’s such an obvious trap.’
Dill was also fighting while retreating. As the saying goes, the player is lost while the watcher is clear. One should have noticed by now that, unbeknownst to her opponent, Dill had already circled around Hu Jing in a wide arc.
As the Bursting Fire Talisman blasted toward her, a victorious smile graced Dill’s lips. ’This Senior from Thunderlight Hall is not bad. To reach this level after only three years of training is indeed impressive. A pity that sotis in life, you still need a bit of luck.’
’And in eting , Hu Jing’s luck has been terrible. My ability is the perfect counter to all kinds of Talisman Cultivators!’
SHING! SHING!
Two Bursting Fire Talismans, launched simultaneously, instantly reversed Hu Jing’s so-called advantage, forcing her to retreat repeatedly. She had to cast several Defense Talismans in a row just to halt her opponent’s assault.
Dill smiled faintly. "Junior Sister Hu, as a sign of respect for Thunderlight Hall’s Senior, allow to show you my power."
A smile touched Qiao Qian’s lips. ’Girls and their drama. Why make it so complicated? Still, it’s good to put Thunderlight Hall in their place.’
Hu Jing remained calm. "I’ll be waiting to see it."
Dill flipped her hands, and two Talismans brimming with Elental Power appeared. ’These... they aren’t Fire Talismans for attacking...’
"Break—Spiritual Light Entwining Array!"
The two Talismans shot out and exploded before even reaching Hu Jing. The Elental Power dispersed, seemingly without any offensive force, but the ground began to tremble violently.
BOOM...
Countless arm-thick vines burst from the ground, slithering toward Hu Jing like a swarm of venomous snakes. Hu Jing imdiately threw out a series of Defense Talismans, and a Qiankun Defense Array appeared beneath her feet to block the vines’ attack.
Dill smiled faintly, leisurely drawing out a Fire Talisman. "Junior Sister Hu, you should just give up."
WHOOSH... BOOM...
One Bursting Fire Talisman after another flew murderously toward Hu Jing. The mont her Defense Array shattered, death would be all that awaited her.
Dill’s Fire Talismans grew increasingly swift and fierce. Soon, Hu Jing’s Defense Array was on the verge of collapse. She had been given a chance to surrender, so there was no need for Dill to be polite anymore.
SHING... Two Bursting Fire Talismans shot toward Hu Jing. The Defense Array was certain to break.
Just then, Hu Jing suddenly abandoned her defense and leaped into the air. A cold sneer ford on Dill’s lips. With a wave of her hand, all the vines shot upward, chasing after Hu Jing in the air.
’Trying to run? Not so easy.’
If controlling Spirit Beasts was the specialty of the Beast Hall, then controlling the plants of the Small Thousand World was the specialty of the Hundred Herbs Hall. Although aggressive Spirit Grass was relatively rare, it wasn’t nonexistent.
In mid-air, Hu Jing spun around, her hands spread wide. In her left hand was a Fire Talisman, and in her right, an Ice Soul Talisman.
"Kill!"
The two Talismans of completely opposite attributes blasted outward...
Dill was speechless. ’What’s the point of releasing them like that?’
’These vines have a strong resistance to Elental Power attacks. The lowest-grade Talismans like these can barely scratch them.’
In mid-air, Hu Jing suddenly clapped her hands together. "Ice-Fire Burst!"
The Fire Talisman and the Ice Soul Talisman slamd into each other. A brilliant light erupted, the ground trembled violently, and dust filled the air. Within the smokescreen, a sharp cry was heard, followed by a flurry of Talisman exchanges from both sides and a crackle of sparks.
Then, silence fell.
Everyone’s heart was in their throat, especially Qiao Qian’s. He hadn’t paid any attention to Thunderlight Hall at all, focusing his intelligence gathering on the Beast Hall. He never would have thought this Hu Jing was so formidable.
’I have no idea how she created an explosion with a Fire Talisman and an Ice Soul Talisman.’
When the smoke cleared, Hu Jing was standing in the sa spot, her expression as calm as ever. She didn’t seem exhausted from using the Ice-Fire Talisman. Dill, however, was on the ground, clearly having been struck by one of Hu Jing’s Talismans.
Jii Fei held his breath, waiting for a mont, hoping Dill would get back up. Losing the very first battle was too inauspicious. The effect produced by combining a Fire Talisman and an Ice Soul Talisman was completely unexpected. Most importantly, he had no idea how she did it.
"First match, Thunderlight Hall’s Hu Jing is the victor."
The Thunderlight Hall disciples imdiately jumped to their feet, pumping their fists and taunting the Hundred Herbs Hall disciples across from them.
Hu Jing walked back down. "I was fortunate not to fail my duty."
"Little Jing, it seems you’ve truly understood the aning of water and fire. You don’t even need compatibility Talismans anymore," Wang ng said with a laugh.
"Haha, that’s Jingjing’s ultimate weapon! Of course she had to practice it diligently."
"Congratulations, Senior."
Hu Jing was also very happy, but her natural composure kept her from getting overly excited. The competition had only just begun. In reality, she had already revealed her trump card, the Ice-Fire Talisman. She hadn’t actually planned to use it so directly, intending instead to use a talismanic array. But there hadn’t been enough ti. If she hadn’t released it directly, she would have been ensnared by her opponent’s vines, and she wouldn’t have even had the chance to use it at all.
’The margin for error had been razor-thin.’ She had won this battle, but the reality was far from being as easy as it looked.
Her victory in the smokescreen was only possible because her opponent was first stunned by the Ice-Fire Burst, which caused her to panic and gave Hu Jing an opening.
Dill was carried away by the Hundred Herbs Hall disciples. An Ergency Pill was poured down her throat, and she quickly regained consciousness. She had only been knocked unconscious by the blast from the Fire Talisman. Opening her eyes, Dill was filled with unwilling resentnt. She just hadn’t expected her opponent to use such an unconventional Talisman technique.
Qiao Qian’s expression was no longer so relaxed. He didn’t even have to look to imagine the smug look on that smiling tiger Jia Shidao’s face. He was probably laughing his guts out on the inside.
"Jin! Zhi! Gang!" Qiao Qian roared.
Jin Zhigang was originally a disciple of Dao Guang Hall, but he later transferred to Hundred Herbs Hall. Not everyone transferred from a lower-ranked hall to a higher-ranked one. Sotis, moving down could be more advantageous. Jin Zhigang hadn’t been happy in Dao Guang Hall. Just the fact that his na was similar to the Senior, Ning Zhiquan, was awkward. On top of that, the offer Hundred Herbs Hall made him was far too good. Jin Zhigang was one of the top three Body Cultivators in Dao Guang Hall, yet he rarely had a chance to compete. But by agreeing to go to Hundred Herbs Hall, his status changed instantly. Not only would he get to compete, but he would also receive Hundred Herbs Hall’s full support.
In his four years at Hundred Herbs Hall, he received more than three tis the resources he would have at Dao Guang Hall. Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.
THUD...
The ground trembled slightly as Jin Zhigang walked out from the crowd, one step at a ti. His fra wasn’t particularly large, but... on his shoulder...
"Holy crap, that thing must weigh hundreds of pounds!"
"It’s 421 pounds! That’s how much the heaviest weapon among our own Body Cultivators weighs!"
"Damn, if you got hit by that even once, you’d be toast."
"And he can actually lift it."
"A weapon isn’t necessarily better just because it’s heavier. He’ll probably just tire himself out."
Jin Zhigang swept a cold gaze over the Thunderlight Hall side. He casually shifted the War Axe from his shoulder to the ground. With a loud THUD, the ground seed to jump.
"Who dares to fight !"
On the Thunderlight Hall side, it wasn’t Hu Jing who made the decision. Instead, everyone looked toward Wang ng.
"Suo Ming, you’re up."
Suo Ming nodded and went up, carrying his Dual Hamrs. His hamrs were already quite large. Before he fully transitioned into a Defensive Body Cultivator, he had been known for his ferocious attacks, and his hamrs were large and fierce enough to match. But comparisons are odious. Next to Jin Zhigang’s weapon, his two large iron hamrs looked like little mallets.
The defeat in the first match had ignited the pride of Hundred Herbs Hall. "Vajra, finish him! Don’t give him any chance!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Smash that little bug flat!"
Jia Shidao stared at Jin Zhigang with a smile. ’So this is Hundred Herbs Hall’s trump card. That shaless Qiao Qian really will poach talent from anywhere. Everyone knows Hundred Herbs Hall is the wealthiest, but this thod is just too despicable. Jin Zhigang was already a top-tier talent in Dao Guang Hall. With the full support of Hundred Herbs Hall these past few years, his skill has probably reached the point where he could make the main roster in Dao Guang Hall now.’
"Suo Ming, go fuck him up! That guy’s axe is heavy, so his movents must be slow. Attack first!"
Zhang Xiaopang roared from below. The other Thunderlight Hall disciples also started shouting, agreeing that carrying such a huge weapon would surely make him clumsy.
Suo Ming stared at his opponent. As a Body Cultivator, the most direct comparison was of oppressive presence, and his opponent’s aura was incredibly powerful.
As soon as the battle began, Suo Ming did indeed launch a fierce assault, using his own agility to catch his opponent off guard.
Although he had transitioned to defense, that didn’t an he couldn’t attack. The Dual Hamrs danced in Suo Ming’s hands with the force of a whistling gale as he brought them down toward his opponent’s face.
The opponent acted as if he hadn’t anticipated Suo Ming’s speed. He actually ignored the hamrs and began to retreat. Suo Ming wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip by, and he pressed his attack, hamring away one blow after another.
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