Chapter 65 Part 1

Truth be told, when Yin Bufu and Yin Budai saw Lu Wuqi draw three high-rank talismans in one go, they couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

However, they were the quickest to react. In an instant, they composed their expressions and put on looks of pride and glory.

See that? That’s our Imprint Moon Sect’s Young Sect Master. Not even twenty-four yet, and she has already mastered drawing high-rank talismans. Moreover, she can draw five supreme high-rank talismans in one breath—a level that even a level 7 celestial master might not achieve!

Logically speaking, once someone witnessed this with their own eyes, no one would doubt it.

But with so many elders and sect masters fixated on Lu Wuqi, they wanted to test her limits. Thus, they kept urging challengers to go after her.

The reason was simple. Since Lu Wuqi had to draw talismans on the spot, it meant she had no extra rebound talismans left.

Activating talismans didn’t consume much spiritual power, but drawing them was an extremely exhausting process in terms of both spiritual power and materials—though the former was negligible compared to the latter.

Normally, drawing high-rank talismans required bathing and burning incense first. Only after adjusting one’s body to peak condition could a talisman cultivator achieve the highest success rate.

High-rank talismans were something only level 6 celestial masters and above could draw.

Calculated at a 50% success rate, a level 6 celestial master could draw at most ten from their spiritual power reserves, a level 7 celestial master twenty, and a level 8 celestial master was unknown for now.

What shocked them wasn’t just that the not-yet-twenty-four-year-old Lu Wuqi could draw high-rank talismans. Even more astonishing was that she drew five in one go without breaking a sweat, with a 100% success rate!

After the leaders of various factions issued orders, seizing the arena master position suddenly became unimportant. Everyone’s attention focused on Lu Wuqi as she used up talisman after talisman.

Three, four, five.

The rebound talismans she had drawn not long ago were all used up by Lu Wuqi! What would she do next? Keep drawing talismans? Or switch to other types?

Lu Wuqi quickly provided the answer. She pulled out her pre-prepared stock from the Qiankun Bag: mid-rank supreme thunder talismans, the kind that could injure even a level 6 celestial master.

Lu Wuqi disliked being watched and scrutinized. She only revealed what she wanted to show.

So after exhausting her five rebound talismans, she started hurling thunder talismans like they were free, regardless of whether the challengers were men or women, testers or fame-seekers. One thunder talisman each.

If one wasn’t enough, she used two, blasting their hair upright and making their bodies tremble from the lingering electricity.

Getting hit by a thunder talisman was no joke. After three people were carried off on stretchers, no one else dared to test Lu Wuqi.

Sheng Gan, who had a grudge against Lu Wuqi, felt his heart turn to dead ashes. He desperately tried to minimize his presence, lest Lu Wuqi notice him.

The habitual smile vanished from Jia Qin’s face. All his deductions and conclusions had been overturned. Recalling how he had once seen Lu Wuqi as mere cannon fodder, his expression twisted.

Shi Siyuan was one of those with widened eyes and delayed reaction, but this display from Lu Wuqi didn’t make her envious or jealous. Instead, it brought her relief.

She truly couldn’t compare to Lu Wuqi, not in courage or strength. Losing to her was far better than losing to her own cowardice and weakness.

Moreover, with someone like Lu Wuqi by Xuxu’s side, no one would dare speak ill of them. Even if they did, no one would dare say it to their faces.

After the crowd’s attention shifted away from Lu Wuqi, another jaw-dropping scene unfolded before them.

Sheng Xu, whom most cultivators had dismissed, stood on the arena platform. She held a Profound Iron Sword in one hand and pinched a talisman between her fingers, looking every bit like a real celestial master with cultivation.

What was this? Was Sheng Xu trying to gain some presence?

The same question arose not only in the minds of the spectators who noticed this but also in the mind of Sheng Xu’s opponent, a level 4 celestial master who mainly cultivated sword techniques.

“Fellow Daoist Sheng, swords have no eyes. How about we change to a different sparring method?” The level 4 celestial master didn’t want to accidentally injure Sheng Xu and kindly suggested it.

“No need. Fellow Daoist, just attack as you please,” Sheng Xu replied.

To dispel her opponent’s underestimation, Sheng Xu activated a wind control talisman right after the match began. With the sudden gale and a talisman that ignited without fire, she proved she could use spiritual power.

“Fellow Daoist Sheng, you…” The level 4 celestial master was indeed stunned for a moment. But when he saw Sheng Xu charging at him with the Profound Iron Sword, he quickly reacted and countered with his own sword.

“Is my memory failing me? Wasn’t this one… physically altered as a child? When did she recover?”

“I don’t know either… She’s holding her own against a level 4 celestial master now. She must have recovered long ago.”

“Isn’t she always with the one from Platform 6? Maybe that one helped her.”

“I heard the Sheng Family plans to announce something important after the friendship matches. I thought it was about her marriage partner, but now it seems it might be her recovery.”

Since Sheng Xu didn’t display overwhelmingly powerful strength, the audience below was shocked but quickly turned to gossip.

Sheng Yuan, as family head, hadn’t attended, but Sheng Yu had come as team leader. When he saw Sheng Xu trading blows evenly with the level 4 celestial master—and even gaining the upper hand—he nearly failed to keep a straight face.

Facing curious inquiries, Sheng Yu could only give vague responses, saying he wasn’t sure and that Sheng Xu probably wanted to surprise everyone.

Truth be told, this answer wasn’t great—borderline inadequate.

If it had been Sheng Yuan or Jia Qin there, they would have smiled and said they only learned about it a couple days ago, then steered the conversation toward the Imprint Moon Sect to draw more attention to it.

Unfortunately, it was Sheng Yu. Though far superior to Sheng Gan, he was still immersed in the shock from Lu Wuqi and Sheng Xu.

Compared to the others, Sheng Yu cared more about the latter. One of his tasks this time was to announce, as the future family head, Sheng Xu’s marriage to one of Zhang Bufan, Xuan Lang, or Jia Qin.

But how could Sheng Xu suddenly use spiritual power? How had she reached level 4 celestial master strength overnight?

What was he supposed to do now? Marry off a level 4 celestial master to another as a spiritual power battery?

It was clearly a losing deal. Regardless of the Sheng Family’s willingness, announcing it would mean losing a genius for sure, and offending Lu Wuqi and antagonizing Shi Siyuan was guaranteed.

After barely calming down, Sheng Yu called his father for advice, to devise a more stable follow-up plan.

–

The view returned to the arena.

On Platform 9, under many watchful eyes, the two combatants were locked in a fierce struggle.

Sheng Xu had limited time practicing sword techniques, so she couldn’t match purely on swords. She would use talismans whenever she found an opening.

Wind control, fire control, or binding.

The first two were manageable, forcing the level 4 celestial master to divert some attention. But the binding talisman was different—if it landed, the match would end.

The level 4 celestial master’s defenses were flawless. Seven minutes passed quickly, with over five minutes gone and only a little over one left.

Sheng Xu’s offense showed no change, and her mind remained calm—calm enough to ponder whether to go all-out for victory or just show her face and end it.

She was already here. How could she not give it her all?

Those first four words seemed to hold magical power, prompting Sheng Xu to pull out her trump card: a thunder talisman.

Thunder talismans were among the harder ones to draw at the same rank. Sheng Xu could easily make mid-rank protective talismans, but for thunder talismans, she failed at least twice out of three tries. Even now, she had only succeeded five times.

As the thirty-second countdown began, Sheng Xu noticed a flicker of laxness in her opponent’s focus. She chained wind control and fire control talismans with her attack, finally summoning a bolt of lightning that struck true.

With black smoke billowing from her opponent’s mouth, the nearly seven-minute arena battle reached its conclusion.

“Contestant 67 Sheng Xu successfully seizes the platform. She is now Platform 9’s arena master. Challengers who haven’t gone yet may step up in three minutes,” the referee announced via the microphone at his mouth.

Discussion erupted below the platform. Perhaps because Sheng Xu was close to Lu Wuqi, the comments skewed positive.

At most, they grumbled that Sheng Xu had hidden her recovery just to gain presence now.

Out of respect for Lu Wuqi, the celestial masters below didn’t badmouth Sheng Xu openly, but that didn’t stop them from itching to challenge her. After the three-minute rest, challengers promptly stepped up.

Those who had watched her fight the level 4 celestial master felt they had her patterns figured out and confidently took the stage.

To be fair, Sheng Xu’s weaknesses were obvious: weak sword attack power and limited combat experience. If roles were reversed, she couldn’t defeat them in seven minutes.

But Sheng Xu had seized the first opportunity. Later challengers were strong, but with effort, she held out past seven minutes without being outright defeated.

After defending three rounds successfully, those eyeing the arena master spot reconsidered their options.

Deadlocking with Sheng Xu seemed fruitless. Switching targets offered better odds.

Time for contestants was running short. When the clock hand pointed between eleven and twelve, Platforms 6 and 9 saw no new challengers.

–

After the arena matches ended, Sheng Xu and Lu Wuqi advanced together to the afternoon finals.

Twelve finalists drew lots for one-on-one matches. Winners faced winners; losers vied for rankings.

The top three battle would be intense—first place had to beat second and third, no byes.