Volume 2, Chapter 86 – The Evergreen Conference – Rematch

“Look, it’s the Haizhi Sect—one of the strongest contenders for the state-level Immortal Seed slots this time!”

“I heard three of their five Immortal Seeds have reached the Unity Realm!”

“Not surprising, considering they’re the second-largest sect in our Yongning Province.”

“Whoever drew them as opponents is out of luck! Aside from the Huxiao Sect, no one stands a chance against them.”

The surrounding cultivators buzzed with discussion.

“Go ahead. Do your best, but don’t push yourselves to the point of damaging your foundations.”

Qin Quan gave the order.

Several disciples of the Honghua Sect obeyed, stepping onto the arena. Leading them was naturally Cheng Hongling, the strongest among them.

“Isn’t that Fairy Hongling? So she’s from the Honghua Sect?”

“Well, that seals it—Haizhi Sect is definitely advancing. Is there some shady deal going on?”

“Not necessarily. Fairy Hongling is strong. Don’t forget, she made it to the top sixty in the last Evergreen Conference and is still on the Immortal Seed Ranking.”

“So what if she’s strong? Strength alone doesn’t matter anymore. The Evergreen Conference is all about connections and overall power. How many can she fight alone?”

“Exactly. Even if she wins this round, once the Immortal Alliance changes the team battles to ten participants, she won’t last long.”

“If I were her, I’d switch sects the moment I heard that news. Staying in a minor sect like Honghua means no future.”

The cultivators pointed and whispered, already writing her off.

On the arena, the disciples of both sects stood facing each other.

“Heh, Fairy Hongling. What a coincidence. Last time, I went easy on you out of pity, and you ended up eliminating me. This time, the tables will turn.”

Lu Wei, the top Immortal Seed of the Haizhi Sect, smirked with ill intent.

“Are you planning to eliminate me with empty words?”

Cheng Hongling’s voice was icy with scorn.

“Fine. Don’t blame me for being ruthless. Today, I’ll make sure you experience the same humiliation of being mocked by thousands of spectators.”

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With that, Lu Wei turned to his four junior disciples. “I’ll keep her busy. You four deal with the others quickly, then come support me. Understood?”

The juniors nodded. The rules allowed it, so they had no moral qualms.

“Use talismans to stall the three stronger ones. If you can’t win, avoid direct confrontation. Once I take out the two weaker ones, we’ll regroup and focus on them.”

Cheng Hongling swiftly devised her own strategy. Against a stronger opponent, she had no choice but to employ the Tianji’s Horse Racing Strategy—sacrificing the weak to defeat the strong.

The four Honghua male disciples nodded. Wang Zong took out a small vial, dripped a liquid into his eyes, then passed it to his fellow disciples.

“What are these guys doing?”

The Haizhi Sect disciples exchanged puzzled glances.

“Why are they suddenly using eye drops? Do all Honghua disciples have bad eyesight?”

“The Honghua Sect is so desperate they’d recruit blind people? Not surprising.”

“I doubt it. Maybe they’ve already accepted defeat and are just promoting some eye-drop merchant. At least they won’t leave empty-handed.”

The spectators speculated wildly.

At that moment, Cheng Hongling’s feet unleashed a surge of icy energy, spreading rapidly across the ground as she lunged toward one of the weaker Haizhi disciples.

“The same trick again? You think I’d fall for it twice?”

Lu Wei sneered. Beside him, a muscular youth dropped to one knee, slamming his palm onto the ground and roaring:

“Scorching Surge!”

A torrent of fire qi erupted from his palm, visible waves of heat distorting the air as they rolled forward.

This was Zhang Yang, Haizhi Sect’s second-ranked Immortal Seed, a fire qi cultivator at the third layer of the Unity Realm.

Cheng Hongling’s ice clashed with the heat, slowing its advance. But she ignored it, charging forward—though her speed had dropped by thirty to forty percent.

“So, your movement technique relies on ice.”

Lu Wei drew his sword, intercepting her with overwhelming force.

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Left with no choice, Cheng Hongling turned her focus to Lu Wei. Their blades clashed again and again, sparks flying as the metal groaned under the strain. The qi reinforcing the swords prevented them from shattering, but each collision sent shockwaves rippling outward.

“A water qi cultivator like you, trying to match me in brute force? Once your qi runs dry, how will you compare to my physical strength?”

Lu Wei mocked. He had expected her to rely on speed, not stubborn pride.

“Then drain my qi first!”

Cheng Hongling remained unfazed. Her cultivation was slightly higher, after all.

“Fine. Have it your way.”

Lu Wei’s smirk widened as he intensified his strikes.

“Why is Fairy Hongling fighting where she’s weakest?”

“Maybe she’s relying on her higher cultivation.”

“She’s two layers above Lu Wei, but she’s a woman. Her physical strength is far inferior. Each clash costs her more qi. Who will collapse first is still uncertain.”

“Who knows what she’s thinking? Not our problem. Just enjoy the show.”

The spectators couldn’t make sense of her strategy.

With Lu Wei keeping Cheng Hongling occupied, the remaining four Haizhi disciples moved like eagles swooping down on the Honghua men.

None of the Honghua disciples had reached the Unity Realm. They could only follow their plan—retreat while harassing their opponents.

“Smoke Talisman!”

Wang Zong crushed a talisman, releasing thick smoke that engulfed the entire arena, unaffected by the wind. The tactic was purely to buy time.

“You think this petty trick can stop a Unity Realm cultivator? Have you never heard of divine sense?”

Zhang Yang laughed coldly, lunging straight for Wang Zong.

Of course, Wang Zong knew. The smoke wasn’t just for obscuring vision.

As Zhang Yang closed in, Wang Zong didn’t flee. Instead, he hurled his sword at a Haizhi female disciple still in the Body Tempering Realm—a clear attempt to force Zhang Yang to divert his attack.

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How could Wang Zong see through the smoke?

The “eye drops” were actually cat tears, allowing him to perceive souls directly.

The female disciple, unable to project divine sense, didn’t sense the danger.

Zhang Yang, now in striking range, paled and hurled his own sword to intercept Wang Zong’s blade.

By then, Wang Zong had already repositioned himself, now armed with throwing daggers, which he and his fellow disciples relentlessly launched at the weaker Haizhi disciples.

The strategy was clear: force the two Unity Realm Haizhi cultivators to protect their juniors, rendering their superior strength useless.

“Cowards! Once I catch you, I’ll make you beg for mercy!”

Zhang Yang roared in frustration.

“Cowards? We haven’t ambushed or poisoned anyone. How is this cowardly?”

Wang Zong retorted, still casually tossing daggers.

“No scheme can overcome absolute strength!”

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Yang punched the arena floor.

The hollow structure couldn’t withstand a Unity Realm strike, collapsing instantly.

The weaker female disciple understood and leaped down. Another Unity Realm disciple followed suit, creating another hole for the remaining Body Tempering disciple.

Now, the Honghua disciples had no targets left.

“Now you die.”

Zhang Yang’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent as he charged.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hongling and Lu Wei continued their brutal exchange. Both were visibly weakening, yet neither retreated.

Though exhausted, Lu Wei wore a triumphant grin. Once their qi ran dry, pure physical combat would favor him tenfold over a woman.

They stepped back, gathering their remaining strength for one last clash. Their swords were chipped, but qi still surged around them.

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“Boom!”

Another violent collision.

But this time—

Cheng Hongling suddenly withdrew the qi from her blade.

The already-damaged sword shattered under Lu Wei’s strike, fragments shooting toward his face like arrows.

At point-blank range, Lu Wei barely managed to twist his head aside.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Razor-sharp shards sliced his cheeks, some even embedding themselves in his body.

“Guh—!”

Lu Wei staggered, his mind blanking from the pain.

Seizing the opening, Cheng Hongling pivoted and delivered a whip-like kick to his shoulder.

Bang!

Lu Wei’s bulky frame flew sideways like a ragdoll, nearly toppling off the arena—until Zhang Yang intercepted him midair.

Cheng Hongling turned slowly.

All four of her fellow Honghua disciples were down.

She stood alone.

“Tricks again. But this isn’t a one-on-one fight. Your Evergreen Conference ends here. Prepare to be ridiculed by everyone.”

Wiping blood from his lips, Lu Wei advanced with his fellow disciples.

“So it comes down to one against many after all…”

Cheng Hongling murmured, scanning the encircling foes.