The Top Six

The moment Shaoyan Xuan activated his divine ability, causing his whip to grow even more insidious and elusive, the Xia Emperor couldn’t help but shake his head and speak. “This Shaoyan Xuan has lost his composure. He’s made such a mistake.”

“Indeed. He lost his calm in the face of a great opportunity and committed a fatal error,” Lu Dongbin said, waving his hand dismissively. “Ji Ning was extremely cautious at the start, refusing to recklessly press the attack… which is why Shaoyan Xuan’s whip seemed to hold the upper hand. But in truth, Ji Ning is the most offensively powerful of these twelve! The fact that he hasn’t bared his fangs doesn’t mean he’s weak; it simply means he’s being careful when facing a weapon like the whip. Who would have thought that Shaoyan Xuan, eager for a quick victory and having gained the upper hand, would immediately use this divine ability in an attempt to entangle and bind Ji Ning? In truth, he was courting death!”

The Pure Yang True Immortals possessed incredible insight.

The moment Shaoyan Xuan used that nameless divine ability, they saw that it only made his arms as soft as boneless silk, rendering his whip-play even more bizarre and elusive. However, his strength actually decreased.

Ji Ning and Shaoyan Xuan fought.

Shaoyan Xuan was already at a disadvantage in raw power! And now, with his mind feverish, he used a technique that lowered his own strength… was that not suicide?

At the start, Ji Ning was very cautious. His six flying swords flowed like water, forming an impenetrable defense. Seeing this, Shaoyan Xuan activated his divine ability. His arms became soft and boneless, his whip turning even more elusive and bizarre. “Though my strength has dropped slightly, my whip is now even more unpredictable. As long as I can bind him in place, victory is mine!” At this moment, Shaoyan Xuan was completely frenzied. Faced with the chance to become a Daofather’s disciple, even he, a normally calm man, was letting his mind run hot.

“Mm?” Ji Ning was astonished.

He hadn’t even gone all out yet. He was just being cautious, not seeking merit but avoiding fault, so he could carefully observe the mysteries of Shaoyan Xuan’s whip technique. “Why did this Shaoyan Xuan suddenly lower his own strength?” Ji Ning discovered that the opponent’s whip had become even more elusive, and a thrill of surprise ran through his heart. “He’s digging his own grave!”

He himself trained in the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens!

His divine ability was the Starseizing Hand!

He had an absolute advantage in strength! He was merely being cautious, yet the opponent had willingly lowered his power in his desperation for victory…

“A free gift.” Ji Ning unleashed his power.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Six blinding streaks of sword-light shot through the air, each one ferocious and overbearing!

The power of the Starseizing Hand and his Fiendgod body refinement exploded forth simultaneously!

Bam!

The black whip met Ji Ning’s sword-light and was sent flying, sent flying with a single sweep. The gap in strength was simply too vast; the whip was actually knocked flying backward. Though Shaoyan Xuan still held onto it, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open, spraying blood.

The six streaks of sword-light, savage and unrivaled, either swept, chopped, or smashed at the whips, sending them all flying backward.

“Whoosh.” Ji Ning appeared in front of Shaoyan Xuan in an instant.

Shaoyan Xuan was greatly shocked. His face instantly turned pale. He understood that he had been too impatient and had completely underestimated Ji Ning. Watching from the sidelines was one thing, but only now, in direct combat, did he realize how savage Ji Ning’s attacks truly were. Earlier, at the very start, his palms had been numbed by the vibrations, and that was when Ji Ning was being careful and cautious, having not truly erupted.

In a head-on confrontation, he had come to understand Ji Ning’s terror. But it was too late; Ji Ning was already before him.

“I surrender!” Shaoyan Xuan shouted, his face as pale as paper as he waved his six hands and whips, desperately trying to form a wall of whips before him.

“Swish! Shk!”

Ji Ning’s six flying swords flashed and sliced through the air. Only now did Shaoyan Xuan’s voice fully register. The moment he spoke, Ji Ning naturally stopped his attack. This was the rule of the competition; anyone who dared to violate it would be killed on the spot by the Grand Xia Emperor.

Even though Ji Ning stopped, Shaoyan Xuan had already been chopped into several pieces. His body quickly reconnected.

“I lost.” Shaoyan Xuan rose to his feet, a self-deprecating smile in his eyes. “I, Shaoyan Xuan, have always considered myself a calm man, but I never expected… I lost today because I was not calm enough. The temptation of becoming a Daofather’s disciple, along with your strength, Ji Ning, put too much pressure on me. I wanted to win too badly.”

Ji Ning also felt that this victory had come easily.

In his fight with the Saber Slave, he had exerted himself to the limit, but against Shaoyan Xuan, he had won with ease. He had even been worried about the unpredictability of the opponent’s whip and had been very cautious.

In truth, among the top twelve, the Xia Emperor, Lu Dongbin, and the other Pure Yang True Immortals were actually keeping an eye on the Slatternly Daoist, Ji Ning, Xiamang Zishan, Blackstone, Muchuan, Cangwu Jiu, Jinwu, and others. As for Shaoyan Xuan… he was actually not highly favored. But even so, being one of the top twelve, he shouldn’t have lost so miserably.

If he hadn’t been so impatient, and instead had made his whip more ferocious to offset his disadvantage in strength, Ji Ning would probably have had to familiarize himself with the mysteries of the whip technique before he could secure a victory.

“Useless!” Ancestor Xuanji glanced at Shaoyan Xuan, his eyes as cold as ice. “Knowing that his attacks are strong, you lower your own strength… truly useless.”

Shaoyan Xuan silently sat down cross-legged.

Ancestor Xuanji was full of rage… but he forgot that the very words he had spoken to Shaoyan Xuan earlier had also disturbed the young man’s peace of mind.

“Calm. Even when faced with a great opportunity, I must remain calm.”

“This time, I lost badly. Ancestor Xuanji called me useless to my face. Once I return to the clan, the other high-ranking members will surely be furious as well.” Shaoyan Xuan was certain of this. “Since I have to endure the snide remarks within the clan, once this Immortal Fortunes Assembly is over, I’ll leave the clan and go out to adventure.”

He was, after all, an extremely calm person. This one moment of hot-headedness had cost him a great opportunity.

The loss was immense.

But a fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. He grew even more calm, contemplating the path he should walk…

The Xia Emperor had originally favored seven people and had been forced to make a difficult decision, having the Slatternly Daoist and Ninefate Recluse fight each other. But then Cangwu Jiu broke through, and the number of people the Xia Emperor favored rose to eight.

These eight people had already seen the Slatternly Daoist fight Ninefate Recluse. Now, what should the next arrangement be?

The fourth match: Muchuan Daoist versus Guiyuan Daoist.

Muchuan Daoist was like a humanoid tree, incredibly tenacious. He felt even more troublesome than the Slatternly Daoist to deal with and was a terrifying opponent who was extremely skilled at defense. Guiyuan Daoist was ground down by him until his divine power was completely exhausted and was forced to admit defeat.

The fifth match: Blackstone Daoist versus Qianyi Daoist.

That barefoot, bald youth, Blackstone Daoist, was indeed incredibly powerful. He deployed the Fuxi Staff Formation, using the formation to launch surprise attacks and disappear at will. Qianyi Daoist was toyed with until he was forced to surrender.

The sixth match: Xiamang Zishan versus Jinwu Daoist.

The most brutal battle of them all was the sixth: Xiamang Zishan versus Jinwu Daoist! Both of them were highly favored by the Pure Yang True Immortals. According to the Xia Emperor’s original plan, Xiamang Zishan was supposed to fight White Dragon Daoist, and Jinwu Daoist was supposed to fight Cangwu Jiu. But Cangwu Jiu’s sudden breakthrough had made him an extremely formidable figure as well.

Left with no choice, the second match became Cangwu Jiu versus White Dragon Daoist.

The sixth match became Xiamang Zishan versus Jinwu Daoist.

“This Jinwu Daoist is very powerful. It will be a good tempering for Zishan. If he can’t even defeat Jinwu Daoist, what right does he have to become the Master’s disciple?” The Xia Emperor was ruthless even towards his own clansmen.

This battle was exceptionally brutal!

Xiamang Zishan was even stronger than when he had fought Ji Ning. His staff technique had become more restrained and overbearing. In terms of speed and agility, Jinwu Daoist was second only to Cangwu Jiu, and his attacks were even more ferocious and savage.

The two fought, blood splattering everywhere with maddened frenzy.

In the end, because his injuries were more severe and his divine power was nearly exhausted, Jinwu Daoist was forced to admit defeat!

Xiamang Zishan had won!

Thus, the top six of the Immortal Fortunes Assembly were finally decided.

They were: the Slatternly Daoist, Cangwu Jiu, Ji Ning, Muchuan Daoist, Blackstone Daoist, and Xiamang Zishan!

“Two of the top six are from the Black-White College of Anchan Commandery!”

“T-this… this… just what kind of place is the Black-White College? Six monstrous geniuses, and two of them are from that sect?”

“I heard that the Black-White College is a sect that takes up only a tiny piece of land in Anchan City, with only a few hundred disciples in total.”

“What? Only a few hundred disciples total? Our sect has nearly a million disciples! We’re one of the top sects in the entire Grand Xia Dynasty, and we couldn’t even get one person into the top ninety-six. They have two in the top six!”

Of these top six candidates.

Two belonged to great tribes: Xiamang Zishan and Cangwu Jiu.

Two were rogue cultivators: Blackstone Daoist and Muchuan Daoist.

Two were sect disciples, and they were from the very same sect—the Black-White College. They were Ji Ning and the Slatternly Daoist.

Just by looking at the origins of these six… it was no wonder that everyone in the imperial city square, from the three thousand six hundred commanderies and the four seas, was buzzing with talk about the Black-White College.

“Haha, hahaha…” Immortal Wufeng laughed until his mouth was crooked, utterly delighted. “Haha, for me, an old drunkard, to be so famous just before I die… I could die content right now. Ji Ning, Slattern, good! Excellent! Hahaha! If that girl Yu Wei had also made it into the top six, it would have been even better.”

“Grandmaster, Yu Wei, senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, making it into the top six… isn’t that a bit too ambitious?” Mu Northson, standing beside him, saw the corner of his own eye twitch.

“Is that ambition? No… I’m actually thinking, if both Slattern and Ji Ning can make it into the top three, that would be even better. Hahaha! The top three of the entire Grand Xia Dynasty’s Immortal Fortunes Assembly, with two of them from our Black-White College! I would laugh in my dreams, and even if I went to the Netherworld, I could brag about this to the Judges there.” Immortal Wufeng was truly overjoyed.

While the imperial city square was bustling with noise, the atmosphere in the main hall of the Tianmang Hall was somewhat frozen.

Because the top six were decided!

The next step was the top three! One of these three would definitely become a Daofather’s disciple!

“The top three…” Xiamang Zishan’s gaze seemed to flash with lightning.

“The top three…” Cangwu Jiu sat there with his head lowered, silently murmuring to himself.

Ji Ning, the Slatternly Daoist, Muchuan Daoist, and Blackstone Daoist were all dead silent.

None of them spoke to one another. An invisible pressure had completely enveloped the six of them, because just one more battle would determine whether or not they could enter the top three.

Six people, three decisive battles.

Three would be eliminated, and three would remain!

Who would be eliminated? Who would remain?