Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman-Chapter 35: Sword Duel

As they chatted, Fang Cheng learned that the young man, Dongfang Xiong, was from the mountains outside the Abyssal Marsh.

His master was a Loose Cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Sensing. He had three disciples, and Dongfang Xiong was the youngest.

The young man had snuck away from home. He had originally planned to travel through the Abyssal Marsh but stumbled upon a lively event—the Ye Family’s Sword Fighting Conference. Wanting to test his sword against other masters, he decided to join in.

He had passed both trials: the Sword Testing Stone and the Illusion Heart Hall.

"Brother Fang, you know, I heard the Ye Family prepared a lot of prizes this time. Anyone who does well, even if they don’t take first place, will get some great rewards. It’s their way of making friends with talented people from all over!"

Dongfang Xiong remarked while munching on a flatbread, "The Ye Family really knows how to put on an event. If I can snag a Tier One Middle Grade Talisman, I’ll give it to my senior sister when I get back. Then maybe Master won’t scold me."

Fang Cheng was a little confused. "Why would giving your senior sister a gift stop Master from scolding you?" he asked.

Dongfang Xiong glanced around and lowered his voice. "My master is in seclusion, and my eldest senior brother is away traveling. Right now, my senior sister is the only one in charge of me. If she doesn’t tell on me, Master will never know."

Fang Cheng couldn’t help but laugh.

After the young man finished his flatbread, the qi in his body actually surged slightly, drawing a surprised glance from Fang Cheng.

The young man noticed his surprise and grinned proudly. "My senior sister raises bees. Their Spiritual Honey has the marvelous effect of boosting one’s Cultivation, but it only lasts for a day."

’It would be so nice to have a senior sister like that...’

Fang Cheng suddenly felt a pang of envy for the young man.

The young man leaned closer to Fang Cheng and whispered, "Brother Fang, when the duels start, you should avoid Dong Fangzhuo and Qian Shaoning."

Fang Cheng nodded. ’That Dong Fangzhuo must be the lavishly-dressed man from the Dong Family who came up just now.’

’Then who is Qian Shaoning? Could he be that Spirit Servant from the Dong Family that Dong Fangzhuo mentioned? The one who had some sort of lucky break?’

Although the young man didn’t cultivate in the Abyssal Marsh, he seemed to be much better informed than Fang Cheng.

After all, Fang Cheng had only heard about the Ye Family recruiting a son-in-law from Wang Xingzhi.

The young man pointed him out to Fang Cheng. Qian Shaoning was sitting alone in a corner, looking plain and utterly unremarkable.

Yet his Cultivation had reached the Seventh Layer of Sensing, making him arguably the most powerful person on the second floor.

...

After some time, it seemed no one else was coming up.

By now, there were over twenty people on the second floor of the Illusion Heart Hall.

Most of them were disciples from prominent families, with only a handful of Loose Cultivators or Servant Disciples.

The difference between the two groups was obvious. Judging by their clothes, very few Loose Cultivators or Servant Disciples would be willing to spend two or three hundred Spirit Stones on an ornate Magical Robe.

The robes of the family disciples, on the other hand, were not only ornate but also adorned with glowing patterns of Spiritual Qi, far surpassing any fine silks of the mortal world.

Outside on the Cloud Viewing Platform, a hundred or so Cultivators had gathered. They were all there to watch the spectacle, and some were contestants who had been eliminated in the Illusion Heart Hall trials.

A middle-aged man in a long robe appeared in the sky above the Cloud Viewing Platform. He swiped his hand through the air, and a streak of golden light shot out, drawing four massive golden rings in the sky!

Each ring was an impressive thirty zhang across.

The golden light was dazzling, solid and unwavering. The rings hung in a neat line in the empty air, a display of profound Magical Power that instantly awed the crowd.

"Everyone! These arenas will remain for two hours. Whoever can hold their ground until the end will advance to the final round to compete for the championship title."

With that, he waved his wide sleeve. Amid a flash of light, a Bronze Incense Burner emerged and floated in the air, hanging motionless. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

A thick stick of incense, as wide as a man’s arm, was set in the burner. The middle-aged man lit it with a flick of his finger.

"Let the duels begin!"

The middle-aged man let out a deep cry, then turned and flew back to the third floor of the Illusion Heart Hall.

Back on the second floor, Dong Fangzhuo stepped forward. His body blurred, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the sky and entered one of the golden rings.

He stood proudly in the void with his hands clasped behind his back. The high-altitude winds billowed through his wide sleeves, his robes fluttering with a commanding presence.

He looked down at the second floor of the Illusion Heart Hall, took a deep breath, and bellowed, "Qian Shaoning, do you dare face me in battle?"

An indifferent voice replied, "Defeat the others first. Then we’ll talk."

As the voice faded, a faint streak of light flashed. The crowd’s vision blurred for an instant, and then a figure appeared in the second golden ring.

It was none other than the plain, ordinary-looking Qian Shaoning.

A Bronze Shell Leaf materialized beneath his feet, emitting a soft glow as faint sparks of lightning crackled around it.

"A Tier One Top Grade magical artifact..."

Dongfang Xiong’s envious voice came from beside Fang Cheng.

Dong Fangzhuo sneered and was about to fly out of his golden ring to challenge Qian Shaoning.

But the middle-aged man’s voice echoed from the third floor of the Illusion Heart Hall, "Anyone who leaves their golden arena forfeits the match!"

Dong Fangzhuo stopped abruptly, just moments from flying out of his "arena."

’I almost fell for that miserable slave’s trick!’

Dong Fangzhuo cursed inwardly before returning to the center of his ring, where he stood motionless.

Aside from those two, no one else stepped up for a while.

After a moment, one of the disciples from the prominent families flew out with a chuckle and entered the third golden ring. He laughed heartily and called out, "Everyone, who wants to come have a round with me?"

Instantly, a young man from another prominent family leaped into the air, shouting, "Huang the Third! Last time we fought, you barely won by half a move. Let’s see if you’ve improved at all these last few months!"

Before his voice had even faded, the two were already locked in combat.

Both cultivators were at the Fifth Layer of Sensing. They seemed to duel often and knew each other well. The moment they began, brilliant light filled the sky, accompanied by the unending roar of wind and thunder, drawing loud cheers from the Cloud Viewing Platform below.

But any discerning eye could tell that neither was using their full strength. It was more like a contest to see whose stances were more stylish and whose Magic was more dazzling.

This was a game for the young masters of prominent families.

From Fang Cheng’s perspective, with his mastery of Sword Heart Clarity, their fight could be summed up in four words: flashy but without substance.

’At this level of skill, I could take off three heads with a single sword strike...’

Meanwhile, someone from Zhou Huaijin’s circle flew up and occupied the last ring. He announced arrogantly, "Any Loose Cultivators care to come up and help me stretch my limbs? Win or lose, I am willing to offer Fifty Spirit Stones to witness your skills."

Fifty Spirit Stones was no small sum for an ordinary Loose Cultivator at the Mid-Sensing Stage. It was enough to rent a small courtyard in the Yinluo Sect Marketplace for two months.

"I’ll—"

Dongfang Xiong was about to step forward, but Fang Cheng placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Let’s watch for a bit. No need to rush."

Fang Cheng said with a smile.

A Loose Cultivator flew out from the second floor and announced in a solemn voice, "I have come to accept your challenge!"

With that, he entered Young Master Li’s ring.

Young Master Li’s magical techniques were just as dazzling and stylish, but the Loose Cultivator’s inherited skills were too weak. The power of his moves couldn’t compare to Young Master Li’s.

After several dozen exchanges, Young Master Li sent the Loose Cultivator flying out of the ring’s boundary.

"Thank you for the match!"

Young Master Li chuckled, took out Fifty Spirit Stones, and handed them to the Loose Cultivator.

Seeing that he kept his word, another Loose Cultivator immediately flew out to challenge him.

This time, Young Master Li defeated him easily in just over ten exchanges.

Afterward, he still presented the Spirit Stones as promised.

Dongfang Xiong whispered to Fang Cheng, "That guy just now wasn’t using his full strength."

Fang Cheng smiled. "And what if he did? Could he last until the very end?"