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Chapter 343 I Am the Only One
Chapter 343 I Am the Only One
sunset.
Chen Beiwu and Xu Lingling strolled through the bustling dining hall.
Unlike the cuisine of the Jade Purity Immortal Sect, the signature dishes of the Heavenly Flame Immortal Sect are mostly related to fire.
Everywhere Chen Beiwu looked, there was either golden-brown roasted spirit beast meat or simmering, fiery old-fashioned soup.
"Try this earthworm tendon; it's said to be made from the tendons of golden-feathered chicken feet and grilled, it's incredibly chewy."
Xu Lingling familiarly bought two portions of barbecue and handed one to Chen Beiwu.
"tasty."
Chen Beiwu took it, tasted it, and found that the barbecue from the Tianyan Immortal Sect did indeed have a unique flavor.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lingling smiled brightly: "These are just appetizers. I'll take you to taste the delicacies of the Tianyan Immortal Sect later."
While Chen Beiwu and his companion were having a pleasant conversation, the atmosphere was quite different in the elegant waterside pavilion not far from the dining hall.
Inside the waterside pavilion, the aroma of tea wafted through the air.
The young talents sitting together were distracted and had no interest in sipping their tea.
"We have a lot of competitors this year, should we join forces?"
A young man with a sharp face and tiny arcs of electricity flickering at his fingertips suddenly spoke.
Among the ten immortal sects, the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect ranks the highest, placing fourth.
As the chief disciple of the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect, Lei Hao's goal this year is simple: strive for third place and secure fourth, try his best to enter the top four in the Dao Discussion Battle, and even compete with the top three immortal sects.
"Is joining forces even useful? Every Immortal Sect Exchange Conference talks about 'exchange and mutual learning' and 'a hundred schools of thought contending,' but in the end, the result never changes."
The green-robed cultivator, who came from the Bixiao Immortal Sect, spoke with a self-deprecating tone.
Upon hearing this, a woman dressed in a simple white flowing dress, with a cool and aloof demeanor, gently stirred the lid of her teacup, her tone surprised:
"What, could it be that Fellow Daoist Li has already decided to give up? Our combined efforts may be useless in the Dao Debate Battle, but we can work together to gain many points of victory at the Gathering of Heroes."
There was no other way; the Jade Floss Immortal Sect had only ranked fifth in the previous competition, and if they wanted to improve this year, they naturally had to join forces with other immortal sects within the rules.
"Giving up is not the answer," the green-robed cultivator sighed softly, "it's just that I feel somewhat helpless."
The top three sects in each Immortal Sect Exchange Conference are always the top three immortal sects, while the other immortal sects can only play a supporting role.
But what can you do if you're unwilling to accept it?
While the name of the Thirteen Immortal Sects sounds impressive, they are ultimately inferior to the Upper Three Immortal Sects and powerless to compete, especially since the leaders of the Upper Three Immortal Sects this year are all top-notch geniuses.
The Limitless Golden Elixir of the Taiqing Immortal Sect!
The Three Immortal Maidens of Shangqing Immortal Sect!
The Primordial Golden Elixir of the Jade Purity Immortal Sect!
The first two are fine, they were people from the same time, with an age difference of only a few decades, but Chen Beiwu is a junior who has only been cultivating for more than thirty years.
To be able to compete with such figures at the same exchange meeting is both an honor and a misfortune for them.
"It's all that brat Zhao Wuchen's fault," the green-robed cultivator thought to himself.
If Zhao Wuchen hadn't been so reluctant to spend a fortune to recruit him, the Bixiao Immortal Sect wouldn't have missed out on Chen Beiwu.
"To make a long story short, how should we join forces?" The chief of the Fulong Immortal Sect was already getting impatient.
He saw no hope in teaming up with a bunch of insects.
If it weren't for the fact that the Fulong Immortal Sect's ranking in the previous competition was so poor, and that they had to rebuild their prestige this year, he would never have participated in this kind of weak-willed act of joining forces.
"The tripartite balance of power among the three immortal sects has been maintained for far too long, to the point that it's become rather boring."
Lei Hao's gaze swept over the three chief scholars present, and he said meaningfully, "Don't you all want to make a change?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the private room by the water fell silent.
Everyone present knew that the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect had expanded its power rapidly in recent years, and had produced a powerful expert at the Refining Void Dao Venerable level, who had long harbored the ambition to challenge the authority of the three upper immortal sects.
But how could Lei Hao, a Golden Core cultivator who had forged a first-grade Golden Core, possibly shake the pride of the Upper Three Immortal Sect?
The Jade Floss Immortal Sect's Chief Cultivator, Mu Nanyan, spoke softly, her voice ethereal: "What insightful opinion does Fellow Daoist Lei have?"
"I wouldn't call it insightful."
Lei Hao's lips curled slightly: "I simply feel that if the four sects join forces, they might be able to challenge the three upper immortal sects at the Gathering of Heroes!"
"What is Fellow Daoist Lei's goal?" Mu Nanyan's eyes flickered slightly.
"At the gathering of heroes, what do you all think about clearing the Jade Purity Immortal Sect out of the venue ahead of time?" Lei Hao said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, the other three chiefs reacted with varying expressions: some were surprised, some were amused, and some were deep in thought.
Choose the softest persimmons to squeeze.
Compared to the two major immortal sects, Taiqing and Shangqing, the Yuqing Immortal Sect is clearly lacking in talent this year.
The previous Jade Purity Chief, Shen Lingxing, was unable to participate in the Immortal Sect Exchange Conference due to his age.
The new generation of Jade Purity prodigies, such as Chen Beiwu, Yu Zhaohua, and Mo Qingshuang, are juniors who have not been cultivating for very long.
Even though these three people are exceptionally talented and will surely become top experts in the future, their current cultivation is still shallow, and they have not even reached the Golden Core Perfection realm.
The remaining two are Xue Tianyi, a prodigy from the previous era who was able to break through to the Golden Core stage with the help of miraculous elixirs.
The other one was Ye Xinya, who was lucky enough to gain the approval of the Heavenly Gang Mystic Beast.
Thinking about it this way, although the Jade Purity Immortal Sect's strength this year is not bad, it does not have the unparalleled absolute suppressive power of previous years. "Are you confident that you can suppress the Primordial Golden Core?" Mu Nanyan asked bluntly.
"So what if he's a Golden Core cultivator? The four of us working together, can't we suppress Chen Beiwu, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator?" Lei Hao said decisively.
Upon hearing this, the chief disciples of the immortal sects present exchanged glances, a flash of confidence passing through their eyes.
When competing against each other in the same realm, they fight one-on-one and dare not touch the Primordial Golden Elixir.
However, given the suppression of their cultivation levels and the combined attack, if they, as the chief disciples of the immortal sects, dared not even make a move, then they might as well give up on cultivating immortality.
"In that case, there's no harm in giving it a try."
Mu Nanyan remained calm.
In the past, there have been instances where immortal sects joined forces to fight against the three upper immortal sects, but they all ultimately failed.
Now that the opportunity has come, Mu Nanyan also wants to follow the example of the seniors of the Immortal Sect and see the strength of the Upper Three Immortal Sects.
Tianyan Immortal Sect, Qixia Villa.
Han Liangcai sat alone on the futon, not touching the tea in front of him even though it had gone cold.
At that moment, a slender figure slowly walked over.
"Junior Brother Han."
"Senior Brother Meng."
Han Liangcai looked up at Meng Chengxian, whose expression was gentle, but there was still a trace of loneliness in his eyes.
"Junior Brother Han, you're getting too attached to appearances."
Meng Chengxian fiddled with the tortoise shell in his hand, his tone calm: "The secrets of heaven are chaotic, fortune is unpredictable, and cause and effect are hard to fathom."
The reason a dragon is called a "hidden dragon" is because its brilliance has not yet manifested, and its destiny is yet to be determined, like a rough gem buried deep underground.
"Let alone you, even when our master personally visited the Fallen Dragon Mansion back then, he might not have been able to see Chen Beiwu's potential."
Hearing this, Han Liangcai shook his head, his voice hoarse: "But Chen Beiwu had already shown his talent in the Immortal Alliance College Entrance Examination. It was my lack of attention that caused the sect to miss out on a peerless hidden dragon!"
"Although our Dongxuan Immortal Sect is established by divination and calculation, you should understand the principle that 'human strength has its limits, and the way of Heaven is unfathomable.'"
Meng Chengxian sighed softly: "Some opportunities cannot be forced; some causes and effects are predetermined and cannot be changed. If you miss them, you miss them. This is not your fault alone; perhaps it is the will of Heaven."
"call."
After a long while, Han Liangcai exhaled a breath of stale air, picked up the slightly cool tea in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.
He then changed the subject, asking, "Senior Brother Meng, what were the results of the sect's divination this year? Did Chen Beiwu enter the divination?"
"This deduction is quite strange; the rankings of the top three are all shrouded in mystery." Meng Chengxian's gaze was profound.
Han Liangcai's pupils contracted, and he quickly recalled the rumors about the Primordial Golden Elixir: "Senior Brother Meng, do you mean Chen Beiwu will lead the team to victory this year?"
"It's hard to say. Wuji Zhenren and Yuexiao Xianzi are also peerless geniuses who don't conform to the principles of divination." Meng Chengxian shook his head.
The divination techniques of the Dongxuan Immortal Sect can predict the fate of all beings in the Immortal Alliance, but they are incapable of predicting the peerless geniuses of the Three Immortal Sects and the Five Great Grotto-Heavens.
"Which one should we help?" Han Liangcai's expression hardened.
To ensure their ranking, the Dongxuan Immortal Sect would identify a peerless genius capable of winning the championship at each Immortal Sect Exchange Conference, making it easier for the Heroes' Gathering to invest and choose sides.
"Junior Brother Han, who do you think will win and stand until the end?" Meng Chengxian asked.
"Chen Beiwu".
After much hesitation, Han Liangcai finally revealed Chen Beiwu's name.
One or two is acceptable, but not a third!
The two previous misjudgments made Han Liangcai hesitant to continue his stubbornness.
"Why?" Meng Chengxian raised an eyebrow.
"Even if the Jade Purity Immortal Sect doesn't win this Immortal Sect Exchange Conference, the future is still in Chen Beiwu's hands," Han Liangcai said in a deep voice. The Primordial Golden Core was already incredibly powerful.
If Chen Beiwu were given another hundred years to cultivate, probably no one, except the chief disciples of the five great grotto heavens, would be able to rival him!
"Not bad." Meng Chengxian nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, at Luoxia Villa.
While many sect leaders were on high alert, Chen Beiwu had already finished his tour of the Tianyan Immortal Sect and returned to his cave.
"Woof."
Tie Dan snuggled up to Chen Beiwu and acted coquettishly.
It had been eyeing the Disintegrating Azure Flame for a long time and could no longer suppress its desire.
"I want one too."
Three heads poked out from the golden egg, joining in the fun.
It possesses the profound knowledge of the Three-Phase Furnace, is not picky about food, and can even devour strange flames of heaven and earth at will.
"Hey."
Five Qi Vine blinked and raised its hand as well.
It doesn't like strange fire, it only likes farming, but that doesn't mean strange fire is useless.
It had secretly checked the information beforehand and found that the Immortal Alliance world contained many rare and exotic flames that were of great use to precious and mysterious medicines, such as the Thousand Stars and Hundred Flowers Flame, the Longevity Golden Breath Flame, and the Dawn Thick Earth Fire.
If it could obtain even one of the strange flames, its farming career might take off immediately.
"Tiedan's meals are already monotonous, so you two shouldn't argue about it." Chen Beiwu sighed and rubbed his head.
Using beasts to cultivate immortality already requires a lot of resources.
It is no exaggeration to say that, apart from maintaining their own cultivation, the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance spend the vast majority of their resources on the Fellowship Beast.
Especially for beasts with higher bloodline rank, the resources required for their growth are terrifying.
If the resources for cultivating immortality are insufficient, even a Celestial Mystic Beast might be turned into an ordinary fourth-tier Mystic Beast.
This is why the vast majority of cultivators from impoverished backgrounds choose to specialize in cultivating a single companion beast.
There are very few cultivators like Chen Beiwu who can contract three Venerable Beasts during the Golden Core stage, and the number of Beasts they can even contract with may even break through to four.
Fortunately, the golden egg is not picky about food. It can eat anything, from the flesh and inner core of a demon general in the third realm to plants and spiritual stones, and its growth rate is extremely fast.
The Five Qi Vine is even more remarkable. It only needs to be watered occasionally with some fourth-order Xuan Liquid and absorb the essence of the Great Sun. It can thrive by planting some precious and mysterious herbs in the Five Qi Forest.
Only Tie Dan's growth rate was somewhat slow. Even though Chen Beiwu used a lot of third-tier precious medicines to feed him, his cultivation level still increased only to a limited extent.
To put it bluntly, the Immortal Alliance cultivators also consider cost-effectiveness when using resources to cultivate their fellow beasts.
Compared to other resources, the Strange Flame is undoubtedly a great supplement that can significantly enhance Tie Dan's cultivation level and bloodline growth potential.
"All right."
The golden egg drooped its three heads.
Considering that Tie Dan's cultivation level is two minor realms lower than its own, it can temporarily forgo the Strange Fire.
"Buzz".
Just then, a fluctuation came from the cave's protective barrier.
With a thought, Chen Beiwu released the array's restrictions, and four figures walked over one after another.
Leading the way was Yu Zhaohua, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, followed by Mo Qingshuang, who had a calm expression.
Xue Tianyi and Ye Xinya walked at the back, looking noticeably reserved.
"Senior Brother Chen."
After the four greeted each other, Mo Qingshuang spoke first: "Ge Daozhan's exam starts the day after tomorrow. We came here tonight to discuss the order of appearance for Ge Daozhan with our senior brother."
The Immortal Sect Exchange Meeting has two parts: the first is the Ge Daozhan event, and the second is the Gathering of Heroes.
The rules of Ge Daozhan are very simple: five disciples represent the Immortal Sect in the battle, and then the two sects will engage in a duel.
Each duel can consist of a maximum of five rounds, and each monk can only participate once (except for hidden rules).
The tournament uses a point system; whoever wins three matches first will win the π Immortal Sect showdown.
However, before the start of the Ge Dao competition, the leaders of the two immortal sects need to send five disciples to wait for their turn to appear and submit the "Ge Dao Sequence" jade slip to the organizers.
Once the jade slip is submitted, the order of the duel cannot be changed; otherwise, it will be considered a defeat.
Therefore, the order in which the disciples of the Immortal Sect appear will be extremely important.
"How should we arrange things for Jueyuan?" Chen Beiwu asked in return.
Yu Zhaohua's eyes brightened slightly, and she suggested, "I'll be the vanguard and take the first win. Senior Brother Mo will be the second vanguard, stabilizing the game and expanding our advantage."
Senior Brother Chen, as the backbone, secured the victory for Silk. Senior Sister Ye and Senior Brother Xue could choose between the pillar and the cauldron. Mo Qingshuang nodded slightly, agreeing with Yu Zhaohua's suggestion: "With Senior Brother Chen as the backbone, Silk will surely gain a decisive advantage."
He didn't want to waste time.
The top three players in the order of appearance are all strong, and Ji Zhi can win the game 3-0.
Xue Tianyi and Ye Xinya's eyes dimmed slightly.
According to the order of this list, their chances of playing are extremely slim, unless they encounter the Taiqing Immortal Sect or the Shangqing Immortal Sect.
However, considering that this list of participants could secure victory as quickly as possible and demonstrate the sect's prestige, none of them dared to object.
"I do have an idea," Chen Beiwu said calmly, shaking his head. "Ye Xinya will be the vanguard, Yu Zhaohua the second vanguard, Xue Tianyi the backbone, and Mo Qingshuang the mainstay."
At this point, Chen Beiwu paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four people: "What do you all think of my role as the Silk Cauldron?"
Upon hearing this, the pupils of the four people contracted slightly.
Ye Xinya is the weakest, and if she goes on stage first, she is very likely to fail to gain any points.
If this arrangement continues, they might even have to fight five matches against top-ranked immortal sects, or even suffer an unexpected defeat.
However, Chen Beiwu, as the leader of the Yuqing Immortal Sect, dared to make such an arrangement because he was confident of victory.
Upon realizing this, the four instantly recalled another hidden rule from the Immortal Sect, named "Sole Supremacy!"
What does it mean to be the only one who reigns supreme? It means that the strongest person can change the situation and lead the immortal sect to victory single-handedly!
Simply put, when the top three or four disciples of the Immortal Sect have all failed and have already lost according to the rules, the Guardian of the Pole Seat can activate the "Sole Supremacy" skill, allowing him to face all five opponents at once.
A victory would mean lifting the cauldron in one fell swoop, directly reversing the outcome of the game.
If you lose, there's no way to turn the tide; you must accept the defeat.
"Senior Brother Chen is so arrogant!"
Yu Zhaohua pursed her lips, sensing Chen Beiwu's absolute confidence.