The sun rose, and the arena was already packed with spectators. These people weren't expecting much; they just hoped someone would step up and teach the shameless Zhang Chulan a lesson.
The old Heavenly Master and others also arrived to watch the battle. Since Lu Linglong hadn't encountered Zhang Lingyu yet and hadn't been eliminated, the old Heavenly Master avoided the embarrassment of showing up with a bruised face in the audience.
Zhang Chulan stood calmly in the arena, waiting for Wang Ye. When the referee called Wang Ye's name several times with no response, Zhang Chulan chuckled to himself, "Sister Bao'er must have taken action; this one's in the bag!"
Just when he thought victory was certain, a disheveled figure dashed into the arena gate, followed by someone holding a shovel and covered in dirt.
"Dispel the Illusion Incense!"
"Sis, you're still here? Do you even realize what place this is?"
Wang Ye dispelled the illusion and quickly yelled when he noticed the other person still had the intention to attack.
Feng Baobao snapped out of it, glanced around, and quickly bolted out of the arena.
Everyone: "…"
Wang Ye's expression gradually darkened. He whispered to Zhang Chulan, "At first, I thought she was a diehard fan of Zhuge Qing, but something didn't quite add up... Then I remembered, she wears the same company uniform as you. She's your goon, isn't she?"
"Well done, Zhang Chulan... you tricky little grandson!"
The audience, having witnessed this mess, expected a fierce battle between the two. However, to their disappointment, this fight was even more baffling than the one between Zhuge Qing and Wang Ye.
The two merely sat in the arena, eating steamed buns and chatting. Just like that, Zhang Chulan won!
"Refund!"
Luckily, the spectators didn't have to pay for tickets, or that would've been the majority sentiment.
From Lin Jiu's perspective, it was clear that Daoist Wang Ye had activated his passive ability, [Wang Ye's Persuasion], a skill that makes the target even more resolute in their own beliefs.
"Red against Feng Xingtong! Contestants, please enter the arena!"
After defeating Xiao Xiao, Lin Jiu's next opponent was Feng Xingtong. Feng had eliminated Wang Bing, so now Lin was replacing Wang in facing Feng Xingtong. Quite amusing.
This matchup also meant that in the semifinals, Lu Linglong would be up against Zhang Lingyu. The old Heavenly Master couldn't avoid the inevitable beating from Lu Jin.
"Brother Red, if it weren't for the last round, I would've surrendered immediately. Apologies!"
Feng Xingtong extended his hand, his palm enveloped in black mist, and a powerful aura spread out instantly.
In the audience, Deng Youfu was boiling with rage.
"What a joke! How could Lord Kunsheng be summoned and ordered around like this?"
A massive black mist-covered serpent crashed toward Feng Xingtong from mid-air. But midway through, it stopped, unable to enter Feng Xingtong's body.
The wind-up was long enough for Lin Jiu to kill him twice. But since this was the Raten Taishou, nobody would die. Lin Jiu didn't know how to summon and control the spirit like Wang Bing, so he couldn't directly compete with Feng Xingtong for control of the spirit. However, he could fight for it physically.
Feng Xingtong's eyes widened in disbelief as his opponent grabbed the tail of the spirit, Kunsheng, with his bare hands, forcibly interrupting the spiritual possession.
Deng Youfu was no longer angry, only shocked.
"What a joke… that's Lord Kunsheng!…"
This scene stunned him even more than the spirit-summoning ritual because, no matter how absurd it was, summoning spirits at least fell under the category of sorcery. But using physical force to stop a spiritual possession? That blew his mind.
Feng Xingtong reacted quickly, releasing his control over Kunsheng. With the pride of such a powerful spirit, Kunsheng would undoubtedly retaliate against Lin Jiu immediately.
And sure enough, Kunsheng turned and opened its giant maw, aiming at Lin Jiu. Lin Jiu loosened his grip on its tail, and the spiritual energy wrapped around his hand dissipated.
"As expected of a spirit that has cultivated to such power!"
Lin Jiu couldn't help but admire. Ordinary spirits, if not possessing a human body, would struggle to launch effective attacks.
But Kunsheng, this spirit, was far stronger than any of the young contestants in this Raten Taishou. If Deng Youfu had been able to handle more of its power and hadn't faced Feng Xingtong or Wang Bing, he could've easily made it to the finals.
The battle had now become a fight between Lin Jiu and Kunsheng. If Feng Xingtong didn't use spirit summoning to possess Kunsheng again, all he could do was watch from the sidelines.
Kunsheng's massive spirit loomed over Lin Jiu, exerting an overwhelming pressure.
Lin Jiu originally intended to rush over and grab Kunsheng by the neck, but since the spirit was too massive, he went for the tail instead.
As Kunsheng charged at him, Lin Jiu wasn't afraid of close combat; his only concern was if it tried to flee. Soul energy enveloped his sword, and he slashed at the enormous spirit. With such a big target, it was impossible to miss.
"You brat, you're not afraid of me at all! I admire your courage… Ah!"
Kunsheng praised him as he rushed forward without hesitation, but before it could finish speaking, Lin Jiu's sword had cut through its body.
The excruciating pain twisted Kunsheng's form, but what terrified it even more was the fact that soul energy was leaking from the wound—and being absorbed by Lin Jiu.
Receiving a notification from the Reincarnation Paradise, Lin Jiu realized that with that single hit, he had gained 10 points of soul energy. His eyes sparkled as he stared at Kunsheng.
"It's got such a massive spiritual body, surely absorbing a little won't hurt, right?"
After all, they say that donating blood in moderation is good for your health. Lin Jiu just wanted Kunsheng to donate some spiritual blood.
More importantly, Lin Jiu had already reached his 150-point limit for soul energy in this world. But this high-quality spiritual body still allowed him to increase his spiritual energy—this was fantastic!
As Lin Jiu celebrated inwardly, his hands didn't slow down, gaining another 10 points of soul energy. Before he could continue his assault, Kunsheng didn't even have time to throw out a threatening remark before zipping off toward the northeast in a flash.
"What a pity."
Lin Jiu shook his head in regret. He couldn't act recklessly in the stronghold of the Horse Immortals in the Northeast. Plus, in their territory, these Immortals had physical bodies, making them much harder to deal with than when they were mere spirits.
"I surrender!"
Feng Xingtong, who had watched everything unfold clearly, immediately raised his hand. Even Kunsheng, a spirit of that caliber, couldn't withstand two hits from Lin Jiu before fleeing. If his soul were hurt by Lin Jiu, they'd be utterly destroyed.
"What… what did that guy do? Even the fearless Kunsheng felt terrified!"
Lin Jiu's attacks were plain, without any flashy effects, and the dull gray sword wasn't eye-catching. So Deng Youfu had no idea what had happened, but at least Kunsheng had safely returned to the northeast.
Watching from the sidelines, Xu San and Xu Si furrowed their brows. Even at this stage, they still couldn't see any hope of Zhang Chulan defeating this so-called sect leader. If this continued, all their efforts would be in vain.
By the end of the morning's matches, the semifinalists had been decided. Wasn't it supposed to be nine contestants? How were there only four?
Naturally, this was because the female contractor who used a bow, Soma, knew she had no chance of advancing further and chose to forfeit. Among the final eight contestants, Lin Jiu was the only contractor still standing.
[Side Mission: The Old Heavenly Master's Judgment]
Difficulty Level: Lv.5
Mission Overview: The Qi-State Origin-Flow Art stirs up the storm. The Raten Taishou is not yet fully open, and only the disciples of the Ten Elders and those recognized by the Old Heavenly Master are invited to participate.
Mission Objective: As someone valued by the Old Heavenly Master, advance to the semifinals of the Raten Taishou to demonstrate his keen judgment.
Mission Deadline: Before the conclusion of the Raten Taishou.
Mission Reward: 2 attribute points, 3000 Paradise Coins.
Mission Penalty: Forced termination (death).