Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Fortune Falls from the Sky

After defeating Qiao Ping Shan, Liu Xuan fought rank 14 Bao Bai Chuan.

He was a Feng Hai Tower disciple who specialized in illusion arts.

This time, Liu Xuan tossed a snow-white pill into the air. It transformed into several small beasts with long noses and short whiskers, hopping and bounding as they scattered through the arena. To everyone’s shock, they devoured Bao Bai Chuan’s illusions until nothing remained.

Bao Bai Chuan had no way to continue. He could only leave the arena with a bitter, resigned expression.

After that, no one challenged Liu Xuan again—and Liu Xuan herself didn’t call for a match against anyone above her.

Ling Zhen’s side felt a touch of confusion, but they understood. Liu Xuan’s methods leaned heavily on unfamiliar strange pills rather than her own spell arts, and she also carried the status of an alchemist. The three Essence Condensation elders preferred she act steadily rather than chase glory.

Zhao Chun watched from her seat. Liu Xuan looked calm and detached. She likely didn’t enjoy combat in the first place. Her earlier anger had probably come solely from being treated as a stepping stone.

Two consecutive victories had already proven what needed to be proven: an alchemist could fight.

There was no need to keep risking herself.

Ren Yang Cult’s Liang Qi, sitting at rank 9, looked openly regretful. He had assumed Ling Zhen’s genius alchemist would challenge him out of old hatred, giving him the chance to crush her—wounding her badly and cutting down Ling Zhen’s momentum.

But the Fortune-Seizing Battle rules allowed only lower ranks to challenge upward. Liang Qi couldn’t challenge down. To him, it looked like Liu Xuan had escaped disaster by refusing to provoke him.

Only the final round—when the top ten fought among themselves—truly became a display of monstrous talent.

Ren Yang Cult’s secret arts were terrifying. With a jade-green, two-headed snake as his natal gu, Liang Qi defeated two opponents in succession to seize fifth place, only to be stopped by a genius disciple from Rong Qing Mountain.

The top three were Zhi Yue Sect’s Jie Yan Shu, Rong Qing Mountain’s Ning Fu, and Feng Hai Tower’s Sheng Xue Ting. Their strength was evenly matched. Aside from Song Yi Kun and Xue Jun, they were the brightest talents of their generation.

So when those three finally clashed, the entire arena held its breath.

Jie Yan Shu lived up to his reputation. His artifacts were a brush and a ledger: the ledger defended, while the brush struck—each stroke of ink transforming into shining characters that tore into the air. His spiritual power was vast, even compared to Ning Fu and Sheng Xue Ting, and he seized first place in the Fortune-Seizing Battle.

Ning Fu and Sheng Xue Ting’s match was even more brutal. Spell after spell hammered the arena until the floating platform itself shuddered, leaving the judging disciples sweating in fear.

Only when Fang Du Nian intervened did the platform stabilize. Even so, the two genius spell cultivators still forced a result—Sheng Xue Ting won by half a move, taking second, leaving Ning Fu in third.

Rong Qing Mountain believed itself second only to Zhi Yue Sect. Placing third left its elders sullen and displeased.

Feng Hai Tower’s elders, meanwhile, were radiant, accepting congratulations from every direction.

This year, Jie Yan Shu placed first, Sheng Xue Ting second, Ning Fu third—and even fourth belonged to Rong Qing Mountain. Among the top 20, the three great sects took 15 positions in one sweep. Their strength was undeniable.

Last time, Ling Zhen had only managed a single rank—exactly 30. This time, they held ranks 12, 13, 42, and 92: three within the top 50, two within the top 20. Li Shu’s spirits soared. He laughed and clapped his hands.

“You have won a great deal of fortune for Ling Zhen. When we return, I will report to the Sect Master and ensure you are richly rewarded. You’ve fought hard. Go sit and rest.”

The four disciples thanked him and returned to their seats, where they were immediately surrounded by congratulations. Ling Zhen’s side was all smiles, the mood light and buoyant.

Liu Xuan settled back beside Zhao Chun and said, “We’ve worked hard. Later we should go browse the market and relax.”

“Aren’t there still the Essence Condensation battles, and then the final sect battle?” Zhao Chun asked, puzzled.

“The Essence Condensation battles last more than 10 days,” Liu Xuan replied. “The sect battle comes after. We’ll have plenty of time.”

She tilted her head and laughed softly. “Junior sister, don’t tell me you’re still hoping to watch the elders fight?”

Zhao Chun hesitated, then nodded. The Foundation Establishment matches alone had revealed so many techniques and left her with endless insights.

As for Essence Condensation combat, she’d only glimpsed it once from afar—when Qiu Jian Ying fought Chi Song—and even that distant clash had felt like an unshakable divine force. How could she not yearn to see the strongest Essence Condensation battles in the South Domain?

Liu Xuan seemed to read her thoughts. “Hundreds of Essence Condensation cultivators fighting could flatten the Tun Qi Pool Grounds. They’ll move into the clouds to keep the surroundings intact.

“When that happens, Zhi Yue Sect will have several Profound Division cultivators protecting the area, and the three great sects will send grand elders to judge the final outcome. That’s the true pinnacle of the Hundred Sects Assembly—but it’s not something we can stand beside and watch.”

She paused, then added more gently, “And their realm is far above ours. Their arts have already reached true meaning. Even if we did see it, we might not be able to understand.

“The Assembly arranges it this way so low-level cultivators don’t chase what’s beyond them. You have to start close, take each step honestly, and only then go farther.”

“So that’s how it is.” Zhao Chun nodded, enlightened. The gap between Foundation Establishment and Essence Condensation truly seemed even greater than the gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.

As the leader of the South Domain, Zhi Yue Sect also carried the responsibility of distributing fortune.

Fang Du Nian rose into the air and pressed a massive hand downward, sinking the entire high platform into the pool. Above the Tun Qi Pool Grounds, four more waves of pressure appeared—vast as rivers, heavy as mountains.

Two figures wore the same white robes as Fang Du Nian, clearly Zhi Yue Sect cultivators. Of the remaining two, one bore misty green mountains on his robes, and the other seemed to carry rolling waves in his sleeves—Rong Qing Mountain and Feng Hai Tower.

Profound Division cultivators were rarely seen in Heng Yun World. Yet in that moment, five stood together.

A canopy descended over the Tun Qi Pool Grounds, and only then did everyone realize it was deep night. A thin crescent moon floated amid countless stars, while heavy black clouds darkened the sky like ink.

The five Profound Division cultivators took their positions and formed seals in unison. The waters of Tun Qi Pool churned, and a colossal turtle-and-snake beast slowly rose.

Zhao Chun recognized it immediately.

Xuanwu, the divine beast.

Yet this one had no life. It was a statue—she didn’t know what material it was forged from.

Then the darkness above split open. A beam of clear light poured down like rain over parched earth, sinking into the Xuanwu statue.

The giant beast seemed to awaken. Its jaws opened and closed, its body growing brighter and brighter.

“Look,” Liu Xuan said, pointing. “That’s fortune.”

Zhao Chun followed her finger. From Xuanwu’s mouth drifted a breath of clear qi—neither fully white nor fully gold. Under the clear light, it shimmered with five-colored radiance.

The breath spiraled upward, then shot away into the distance.

“Where did it go?” Zhao Chun asked.

Liu Xuan smiled. “Watch the sects’ expressions, and you’ll know.”