"Of course not. No matter what you design, I can build it. Besides, there are still many people at the testing grounds..."
Seeing the smile on Xiao Wenbing's face, the Mirror God silently cried out "Amitabha Buddha" and mourned for several minutes for those drug test subjects whose fates were destined to be tragic.
An hour later, Xuan Ci's expression became increasingly ferocious, as if he were enduring immense suffering.
"Strange, this is too exaggerated." The Mirror God was shocked. Could absorbing energy really be this difficult?
"What?"
"The effects of this elixir only last for three hours. During this time, it will release the spiritual energy of a celestial being who has cultivated for a hundred years. How could he possibly absorb all of such a vast amount of spiritual energy? But this person is extremely greedy. Knowing that it is impossible, he still insists on forcibly absorbing spiritual energy beyond his maximum limit, which naturally causes him great pain."
"Ah, I see." Upon realizing it wasn't his mistake, Mirror God was immediately relieved.
"To give him this pill is a complete waste of resources."
"Um?"
"To absorb so much spiritual energy of the Earth Immortals within three hours is impossible, let alone for someone at the Integration Realm, even for someone at the Nascent Soul Realm. Therefore, the suitable place for this pill should be... an Upper Immortal."
"Wow……"
Xuan Ci suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed limply to the ground.
Xiao Wenbing gave a light snort, and Xuan Ci's body trembled. He immediately stood up. Although he had just spat out a mouthful of blood, he was full of energy at this moment, and his eyes were shining brightly. It was obvious that his skill had improved and he could not adapt to it for a while.
"How about it?"
Xuan Ci bowed deeply and said sincerely, "Thank you, Fellow Immortal Xiao. I just absorbed the energy with all my might and have increased my cultivation by nearly sixty years."
"A hundred years?" Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. He sensed the energy intensity of the pill and his expression changed slightly. It turned out that after the Mirror God's redesign, the energy contained in this pill was greatly enhanced. What about a hundred years of arduous cultivation? Compared with the energy loss and Xuan Ci's progress, this pill contained at least the powerful spiritual energy of an ordinary immortal's more than five hundred years of arduous cultivation.
Xuan Ci still thought Xiao Wenbing was dissatisfied with him, so he quickly bowed and said, "This humble immortal is dull and failed to absorb all the spiritual power, wasting your painstaking efforts, please forgive me."
Raising an eyebrow, Xiao Wenbing waved his hand and said, "Forget it, you've done your best."
Xuan Ci responded meekly, then suddenly asked, "Fellow Immortal Xiao, you've been so kind to me, I wonder..."
Xiao Wenbing glared at him. "Who took care of you? I was just using you as a test subject. But you're luckier than Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) at that; you didn't encounter any poison gas, hallucinogens, or laxatives."
However, he was too embarrassed to say it aloud. After a moment of hesitation, he said earnestly, "Brother Xuanci, you are the only one who ascended to the Immortal Realm with me from the celestial sphere."
Xuan Ci was taken aback at first, then overjoyed. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Yes, of all the immortals who ascended from the celestial realm, only I am one." He clasped his hands together and said sincerely, "From now on, I will follow your lead in everything, Brother Xiao."
"Good, good, good..." Xiao Wenbing said "good" three times in a row. Although it was driven by self-interest, his words were full of sincerity. In the future, he would not seek out this person again for drug testing.
Volume 18, Chapter 12: The Magic Competition
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The inner mountains of Xuanji Sect are vast and boundless, even comparable in size to a medium-sized country.
However, this is not surprising. Just think about it: countless immortals worked tirelessly to expand this mustard seed space. It was the work of countless people throughout the ages. If it didn't reach this scale, it would be truly unbelievable.
Therefore, even though ten thousand newly ascended immortals were staying here at the same time, it did not cause them any feeling of overcrowding.
Feng and Zhang were assigned to two adjacent guest rooms, while Die Xian naturally stayed with Feng Baiyi. Although she longed to return to her master's side, Feng Baiyi wouldn't let her go, and Die Xian had no choice.
On this day, Xiao Wenbing excitedly arrived at the two women's residence, carrying dozens of those pills that could enhance spiritual power.
This was his first time here since entering the Xuanji Sect. He looked around the guest room; the decorations weren't particularly luxurious, but they weren't exactly shabby either. They just had a somewhat antique feel to them.
No sooner had Xiao Wenbing sat down than Elder Yan and the other four veteran immortals, including Quini, followed closely behind.
Zhang Yaqi thoughtfully set out wine glasses. Ever since they learned that Xiao Wenbing had a lot of Millennium Wine, they naturally drank this wine when discussing matters.
Quini downed his glass and sighed, "Indeed fine wine. From now on, we're going to enjoy a life of luxury with our master."
Shabir smiled and nodded, each of them beaming with joy.
Seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, the four veteran immortals, including Quini and Shabir, blended in among the many newly ascended immortals without being noticed by Mu Yun. Even at the welcome ceremony a few days prior, they didn't make a public appearance. However, this didn't mean they had left the leadership of this vast organization. In fact, below Xiao Wenbing, these four were still the most prestigious.
Elder Yan nodded to the crowd and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, after more than a month of careful investigation, we have a general understanding of the power distribution in Huangzhou City."
"Hmm, tell me about it," Xiao Wenbing said calmly.
During this month, although Xiao Wenbing only forged swords for Zi Liao while everyone else seemed to be doing nothing, in reality, many of them, under Xiao Wenbing's orders, were using various pretexts to gather information about everything in Huangzhou. This included the number of experts in Huangzhou City, the number of major sects, and the specific distribution of power.
It must be understood that wherever there are people, there will be conflict. Although the disputes among immortals cannot be compared with those in the mortal world, there are still differences in closeness and distance between different sects.
Leading tens of thousands of ascended immortals into the country, it was impossible not to cause a sensation. Therefore, even for the sake of self-preservation, he had to know how the people here would treat their arrival and decide on his future actions and direction.
"Huangzhou City is indeed the largest city in Huangzhou, with countless mortals. There are at least ten million people, but only two major forces can truly be in charge," Elder Yan said softly.
"I know." Butterfly Fairy suddenly jumped out and snuggled up to Xiao Wenbing. She hadn't seen her master for a long time and really missed him.
Xiao Wenbing affectionately patted her little head and said, "You know?" He paused, then said, "That's impossible."
Butterfly Fairy pouted her beautiful little lips and protested, "I just know that one is the Mysterious Mystery Sect and the other is the Raging Waves Sect."
"Huh. Miss Butterfly Fairy really knows?" Elder Yan was slightly taken aback, not expecting that Butterfly Fairy was actually quite capable.
Xiao Wenbing's surprised gaze lingered on Die Xian's face for a moment before he asked, "Die Xian, how did you know?" Xiao Wenbing was the first to disbelieve that Die Xian would be interested in such things.
Butterfly Fairy smiled sweetly, indescribably lovely and charming. She tilted her head and said, "I've made a few friends here, and they all say that the Xuanji Sect is the number one sect in Huangzhou City, with only one sect called the Raging Waves Sect able to rival them."
"Ah." Xiao Wenbing turned to Elder Yan and asked, "So, after a month of inquiries, this is all the information you've gathered?"
Elder Yan's face flushed slightly. He hadn't expected that what he had painstakingly and discreetly gathered was so worthless. He quickly coughed a few times and said, "Fellow Immortal Xiao, this is just the most basic, the very most basic thing."
"Okay, say it again."
"Yes, yes..." Elder Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "I also learned that in another year, these two families will hold a millennium-long martial arts competition."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wenbing's curiosity was piqued, and he quickly asked, "What is that?"
Elder Yan's face showed a hint of pride as he said, "This is a secret that I, a humble immortal, painstakingly extracted from Fellow Immortal Yu Hui."
"Alright, hurry up and tell me," Xiao Wenbing urged impatiently.
"The Millennium Tournament, huh? It's just a game where these two major sects send a few people out every thousand years to compete and wager a prize." A sweet voice came from beside Xiao Wen. Butterfly Fairy tugged at her master's arm, shaking it and pleading, "Master, Butterfly Fairy wants to go see too!"
"Alright, let's go see, let's go see." Xiao Wenbing casually replied, glancing at Elder Yan. His meaning was clear: So even Butterfly Fairy knew about the news you went through so much trouble to obtain.
Elder Yan gaped in astonishment; this Butterfly Fairy was truly divine…
Seeing the man's expression, Xiao Wenbing simply stopped asking him and directly took Die Xian's small hand, asking, "Die Xian, is there any other news? Tell me more."
“Well, in this Millennium Tournament of Combat, they will compete in ten matches. Some are at the Nascent Soul stage, some are at the Tribulation Transcending stage, and there are…” Butterfly Fairy thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled broadly. Under Xiao Wenbing’s expectant gaze, she said generously and matter-of-factly, “Master, I forgot.”
"Ah..." Xiao Wenbing shook his head slightly. He knew Die Xian's temperament. She might be able to get the gist of things, but she was not capable of actually finding out information.
Turning to Elder Yan, Xiao Wenbing said, "You speak."
"Yes, every martial arts competition is of paramount importance to both factions. There are ten matches in total, two for those below the Immortal Realm and eight for those above the Immortal Realm." Elder Yan breathed a sigh of relief; finally, there were things that Butterfly Fairy didn't know.
"Eight battles for those at the Immortal Realm and above?" Xiao Wenbing frowned and said, "Does the Xuanji Sect still have no preparations? If they intend to send Mu Yun and his seven companions this time, as long as the other side sends out even one High Immortal, they'll be in deep trouble."
Elder Yan shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Fellow Immortal Xiao, you are unaware that in such a competition, let alone at the Upper Immortal level, even among the Lower Immortal level, only two experts at the Avatar Realm can participate."
"oh."
"The power of an immortal is too great, and their position within the sect is extremely high. Therefore, unless one intends to kill the other, an immortal generally will not participate in conflicts between sects," Elder Yan explained. "As long as an immortal is not involved, no matter how powerful the players below are, they cannot have a significant impact on the entire sect."
Xiao Wenbing suddenly realized why even a major sect like Xuanji Sect didn't have an immortal presiding over it; it turned out they weren't afraid of the other side's earth immortal taking action at all.
Come to think of it, both Xuanji Sect and Nutao Sect are great sects that have been around for millions of years. Such sects must have produced a few immortals. These people are essentially the core of the earth, and as long as one of them exists, other sects will not dare to bully them too much.
If someone accidentally destroys a sect with immortals, then when he returns seeking revenge, it will be the other side's turn to suffer.
Immortals have such long lifespans that no one can stay vigilant all the time. Therefore, the relationship between the major sects is actually one of mutual fear. Even if they tear off the mask of civility, they dare not settle scores and completely eliminate each other.
“Elder Yan is right. Even if these two sects really have immortals returning, they can’t possibly make an appearance. Instead, they should hide their whereabouts and avoid suspicion,” Zhang Yaqi said softly.
Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly, took her soft hand, gently tickled her palm, and praised, "Yaqi, amazing."
Zhang Yaqi's pretty face flushed red. She shook her head slightly and glanced at Elder Yan's face, only to see him sitting upright with his eyes downcast, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Only then did she feel relieved, and the blush on her face faded a little.
While complaining about Xiao Wenbing's audacity, they were also overjoyed, as if they had drunk sweet honey.
"Ahem..." Elder Yan suddenly coughed, still keeping his head down and not looking up, as if speaking directly to the person in front of him: "Fellow Immortal Xiao, judging from Yu Hui's tone, it seems he wants to ask us to help him with a match."
"They're asking us to help?" Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised and said, "This is their business. Why are they asking us to help? Do they really have no one else to help?"
"No. The rules for the battles between these two factions have been established over the generations. For those below the Immortal level, the battles are fought between the Nascent Soul stage and the Tribulation Transcending stage." At this point, he finally looked up.
Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly to Elder Yan, then sighed softly and said, "For cultivators, these two realms are the most important. The competition between these two realms should reveal the reserve strength of their next generation of disciples."
“That’s right. Considering the cultivation speed here, a competition that happens once every thousand years can indeed reveal the extent of their reserve strength.” However, Elder Yan clearly didn’t care much about competitions below the Immortal level, so he only mentioned it briefly.
After taking a sip of the Millennium Wine, he said, "Among the eight battles above the Immortal Realm, apart from the two battles between the Avatar Realm and the others, there are six battles that are rich and varied, each with its own unique characteristics."
Volume 18, Chapter 13: Objectives
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Tell me more. Xiao Wen's curiosity was piqued. To be praised like this by Elder Yan, one must be extraordinary.
"Of these six matches, two are one-person matches, two are two-person matches, and two are three-person matches. Moreover, half of the spots are reserved for foreign aid."
"foreign aid?"
"Indeed, to establish oneself in the Immortal Realm, besides one's own strength, having a wide network of connections is also essential. A sect that is isolated and without support cannot gain a foothold in the Immortal Realm."
Almost instantly, Xiao Wenbing understood Elder Yan's meaning, and he asked with a smile, "Was it Yu Hui who said that?"
"Exactly."
"He asked us for help?"
"yes."
The simple answer was not unexpected for Xiao Wenbing. Come to think of it, apart from the two matches involving clones and the two matches involving beings below the immortal level, there were six matches involving beings at the fusion level.