Chapter 354: How to Judge This?

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

Lu Yang on the stage and Meng Jingzhou below the stage both fell into deep thought.

Eldest Senior Sister had mentioned that the Qingzhou government had invited Dao Seeking Sect disciples to participate in the festival. The standard for the festival was for cultivators under eighteen years old. The two of them wanted to interact with the younger generation, so signing up for the competition made perfect sense, and there was no flaw in their logic.

But why were Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and someone they didn’t recognize sitting in the judges’ seats?

Were they all over eighteen?

The crowd below gasped when they heard that Lu Yang was from Dao Seeking Sect.

They hadn’t expected disciples from the Five Great Immortal Sects to participate in this event. That had never happened before.

“But who is Lu Yang? Have you heard of him?” People were puzzled. Dao Seeking Sect was well-known, but hardly anyone had heard of Lu Yang.

“I haven’t heard of him. I’ve only heard of his opponent, Feng He.”

“Same here. I heard Feng He entered the path of immortality through music, drawing in spiritual energy. After Foundation Building, he obtained a damaged ancient zither at an auction, said to be the possession of a powerful cultivator. Greedy robbers tried to steal it, but the early Foundation Building cultivator and two late Qi Training robbers were subdued by Feng He using the zither’s power.”

Lu Yang’s name wasn’t as famous as the popular seeded contestants.

The popular contestants often had their sects promoting their achievements, building their reputations by highlighting how their disciples descended the mountain to rid the world of evil, slaying bandits, demons, and evil spirits, or winning first place in their sect competitions and having no rivals at the same level. If they had nothing else, they’d be portrayed with tragic backstories—parents deceased, overcoming countless hardships on their path to immortality. In short, they were promoted in the most eye-catching ways possible.

Then there were people like Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi, whose sect missions often involved acts of justice. Local gentry, town leaders, and county governors would treat them with the utmost respect, fearing they might invoke the law enforcement powers of the immortal sects. Their deeds were widely known among the common people, giving them even greater fame than the popular contestants.

In contrast, Lu Yang’s deeds included infiltrating the Undying Sect at the Foundation Building Stage, taking down the Helmsman of the Yanjiang branch, who also held a county governor’s position, and then causing the Deputy Sect Leader of the Undying Sect to be killed by Dao Seeking Sect, ultimately dismantling the 14,000-year-old Undying Sect.

Later, at the Golden Core Stage, he pretended to be an ancient genius, founded the Heavenly Court Sect, tricked the Nine Nether Sect into temporarily giving up on their killing spree, and even opened a barbecue shop.

Not only did these actions need to be kept secret, but even if they were shared, no one would believe them.

“Ah, so it’s a friend from the Dao Seeking Sect. Let’s fight!” Feng He said confidently, flashing a bright smile. He took out a perfectly intact ancient zither from his storage ring. Under the sunlight, its golden strings gleamed.

His master had it appraised and confirmed that this zither was the relic of a Spirit Transformation Stage cultivator, and it had been about seventy percent restored. Although it couldn’t fully unleash its power as it could in the hands of a Spirit Transformation cultivator, even using a fraction of its power made it formidable against others of the same level.

Feng He had reasons to be proud. Lu Yang had a dozen junior disciples who were in the same cohort as him and were all under eighteen.

They had just recently reached the Foundation Building Stage, and the fastest among them might have reached the mid-Foundation Building Stage.

This showcased Feng He’s impressive talent.

However, it was important to note that Lu Yang’s juniors were in a free-range state, while Feng He was meticulously nurtured by his sect, making a direct comparison unfair.

Facing an opponent of the same age who was brimming with confidence, Lu Yang did not let his guard down and activated the Invincible Core.

The Invincible Core quickly provided its assessment:

“Just hit him casually.”

Clang—

The ancient zither rang like a golden bell, its sound resounding like a coiled dragon or crouching tiger. Golden micro-lights began to tremble, launching a powerful soundwave that swept toward Lu Yang. The zither’s music traced an exact arc in the air like a white snake, with the soundwave carrying a scorching aura and force, filled with killing intent.

Feng He made the first move, infusing spiritual qi into the zither, seizing the initiative and gaining an early advantage in the battle.

Whether Lu Yang chose to block the attack head-on or evade it, Feng He had already planned his next step.

Combat is all about calculation!

“Soundwave manifestation! He’s just reached Foundation Building, and he’s already mastered this technique?” an experienced cultivator exclaimed. Many cultivators who study music spend ten to twenty years to achieve this level, yet Feng He, a mere junior, had already mastered it.

“Rumor has it Feng He used this very method to defeat an old early Foundation Building stage bandit!”

“At that time, the zither was still damaged. Now that it’s fully restored, its power can only be stronger!”

“He’s using his trump card right off the bat!”

“Can Lu Yang of the Dao Seeking Sect withstand this move?”

Facing the soundwave manifestation, Lu Yang didn’t relax. He put in his full effort, swiping his right hand downward, dispersing the malicious soundwave with a single slap.

He stepped forward, extended his index finger, and unleashed an invisible sword qi. Feng He couldn’t react in time, and the zither automatically shielded its master, blocking the attack in front of Feng He.

The sword qi was sharp and heavy, striking the zither. The residual impact reverberated through Feng He’s internal organs, and he was knocked off the stage, clutching his zither.

The cultivators below were momentarily stunned before erupting into a buzzing discussion that made the scalp tingle.

“Did you see that? Was that sword qi? It’s my first time seeing sword qi!”

“He dispersed the soundwave with a single slap and defeated Feng He in one move. This Lu Yang is strong!”

“What realm is he at?!”

Lan Ting, sitting in the judges’ seats, remained silent for a long time.

When she received the governor’s task, she thought it would be simple—at most, some small skirmishes at the Foundation Building Stage. Pointing out strengths and weaknesses wouldn’t be difficult.

But this scene was beyond her expectations.

What could she even say? Should she praise Lu Yang for defeating the seeded contestant Feng He with Golden Core Stage cultivation?

She couldn’t bring herself to say that.

Or should she praise Feng He’s soundwave attack as evidence of his musical talent, with a bright future ahead?

But it looked impressive only to be dispersed by Lu Yang’s casual slap.

She turned her head to look at Bai Ming and Yan Tianzhi. Bai Ming was silent, as if temporarily blind to the events unfolding in the arena. Yan Tianzhi opened his mouth and slowly uttered a single word: “Incredible.”

“Incredible?” Incredible what? Was he praising Lu Yang’s sword technique for its exquisite execution—managing to knock Feng He out of the ring without causing him harm, controlling his power to perfection?

Just as Lan Ting was puzzled, she heard Yan Tianzhi utter three more words: “…ly shameless.”

Lan Ting: “…”

Clearly, she couldn’t rely on these two.

Taking a deep breath, she racked her brains for her commentary: “Feng He’s soundwave attack just now was truly unexpected, living up to his reputation as a musical prodigy. Even if other seeded contestants could block it, they would suffer serious damage and fatigue.”

“Unfortunately, this time Feng He faced Lu Yang. Lu Yang is a sword cultivator dedicated to pursuing the highest swordsmanship. His invisible sword qi contained vast power, showcasing his remarkable attainment in the path of the sword!”

“Of course, the above isn’t the key reason for Lu Yang’s victory. The main factor is that Lu Yang is at the Golden Core Stage.”

(End of the chapter)