Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 354: How Am I Supposed to Give a Commentary on This?

On the stage, Lu Yang sank into contemplation.

Below the stage, Meng Jingzhou sank into contemplation.

Big Senior Sister told us that the Qing Province authorities had invited disciples of the Dao-Seeking Sect to participate in the grand ceremony, with the requirement being cultivators under the age of eighteen. We registered to take part in the exchange among the younger generation. No one can find fault with that.

But why are Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and an unfamiliar face sitting at the judge’s platform?

Are they all over eighteen?

Gasps echoed throughout the audience below the stage upon hearing that Lu Yang was from the Dao-Seeking Sect. They didn’t expect someone from the Five Great Immortal Sects to be a contestant. There was no such precedent.

“But who is Lu Yang? Have you heard of him before?” The people were befuddled. Though the Dao-Seeking Sect’s reputation spread far and wide, few recognized Lu Yang.

“Never heard of him. I only know his opponent, Feng He.”

“Me too. Rumors say that Feng He entered the Dao through listening to music, drawing qi into his body and stepping on the path of cultivation. After reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, he acquired a damaged guqin[1] at an auction, which appeared to be the personal relic of some expert. It caught the attention of plundering cultivators, one at the Basic Foundation Establishment Stage and two at the Advanced Qi Training Stage. However, Feng He captured them instead with the guqin.”

Lu Yang lacked the fame of seeded contestants.

These popular contestants had the backing of their sects, which helped build up their reputation. Their sects would promote how their disciples descended the mountain to exterminate evil for the people, slay the bandits and demons, or clinched first place in their sect’s tournament and were unmatched among peers of the same cultivation realm. If all else failed, the minimum was tragic backstories, where they were orphaned, faced endless adversities, and surmounted countless hurdles to pursue the path of cultivation... In short, whatever stood out would be used for publicity.

As for Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi, through working on their sect missions, they had eradicated evildoers numerous times. Even the local gentry, town mayors, and commandery governors treated them with utmost respect, afraid they might use their immortal sect’s enforcement authority. Their deeds were widely circulated among the common folk, earning them even greater fame than seeded contestants.

In contrast, when Lu Yang was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, he infiltrated the Everlasting Creed, eliminated the provincial governor who doubled as the leader of the Yanjiang Branch, tricked the vice creed leader to his death in the Dao-Seeking Sect, then wiped out the fourteen-thousand-year-old Everlasting Creed.

At the Golden Core Stage, he established the Heavenly Court Creed and deceived the Nine-Netherworlds Creed into temporarily abandoning thoughts of murder and running a barbeque business.

Not only were these operations classified, but even if they were leaked, no one would believe them.

“Oh, it’s a fellow Daoist from the Dao-Seeking Sect! Come, let’s fight!” Feng He was full of confidence, flashing a wide smile. He produced an exquisite guqin from his storage ring, whose golden strings glistened in sunlight.

His shifu had the guqin appraised. This guqin was the relic of a Divine Transfiguration cultivator. With seventy percent of it repaired, though it couldn’t unleash the full power as it did in the hands of a Divine Transfiguration cultivator, even a fraction of such a high-level magical artifact would be a challenge for peers at the same level to withstand.

Feng He indeed had reason to be proud. Lu Yang’s dozen junior brothers and sisters from the same cohort were all under eighteen. Most had recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, with a few faster ones possibly reaching the Intermediate Foundation Establishment Stage.

Feng He’s cultivation talent was evident.

Notwithstanding, Lu Yang’s junior brothers and sisters were more self-reliant, while Feng He was meticulously groomed by his sect. They were not at all comparable.

Despite facing a peer of the same age who was brimming with confidence, Lu Yang didn’t let his guard down, activating his Unbeatable Golden Core.

Soon, the Unbeatable Golden Core gave its verdict.

“Fight as you please.”

Clang!

The guqin chimed like golden bells, its timber resonating like coiling dragons and crouching tigers. A glimmer of golden light began to vibrate, releasing a powerful sound wave sweeping toward Lu Yang. In an instant, the music from the guqin drew an accurate arc in the air like a white snake, its sound waves carrying a scorching heat and power with hostile intent permeating the air.

Feng He was the first to strike. Channeling his powers into the guqin, he seized the initiative to gain the upper hand from the outset. Regardless of whether Lu Yang forcefully withstood the attack head-on or dodged it, Feng He had already calculated his next step.

Combat is all about schemes!

“The sound waves materialized! He has already mastered this method despite just reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage?” A knowledgeable cultivator gasped. Countless cultivators specializing in music spend one or two decades before mastering this art, yet a junior like Feng He has already achieved it.

“It’s said that Feng He used this very method to defeat the veteran plundering cultivators!”

“The guqin was still damaged then. Now that it has been repaired, it will only be more powerful!”

“Deploying his trump card right from the get-go?”

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

Faced with the materialization of the sound waves, Lu Yang didn’t hold back. With a downward swing of his right hand, he dispersed the deadly sound waves. Taking a step forward, he extended his forefinger and released intangible sword qi.

Feng He couldn’t react in time, and his magical artifact automatically moved in front of him to protect its master.

The sharp yet heavy sword qi struck the guqin, its residual shockwaves jarring Feng He’s organs. With his guqin in his arms, Feng He fell out of the arena.

The audience was silent for a split second before erupting into a deafening cacophony of discussions.

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

“He dispersed the sound waves with just a swing of his hand and defeated Feng He in one move! This Lu Yang guy is so strong!”

“What exactly is his cultivation realm?!”

~~~

At the judges' platform, Lan Ting was left speechless for a long while.

When the provincial governor first entrusted them with this matter, she thought it would be straightforward. The worst thing that could happen was some skirmishes among Foundation Establishment cultivators, and offering commentary on the contestants’ strengths and weaknesses wouldn’t be difficult.

This situation before her had completely caught her off guard.

What should I say? Praise Lu Yang for defeating contestant Feng He with his Golden Core cultivation?

I can’t bring myself to say that.

Or should I commend Feng He for his soundwave attack, which demonstrated his talent and great potential for the future?

But those supposedly impressive sound waves were smacked into oblivion by Lu Yang...

She turned to look at Bai Ming and Yan Tianzhi.

Bai Ming was silent and seemed to have temporarily gone blind, unable to see the arena stage, while Yan Tianzhi parted his mouth, slowly uttering one word, “Amazing.”

Amazing? What’s amazing? Are you complimenting the supreme precision of Lu Yang’s sword qi, which sent Feng He flying out of the arena without causing him injury?

In the midst of Lan Ting’s confusion, she heard Yan Tianzhi add a few more words. “...lack of shame.” [2]

Lan Ting, “...”

Clearly, I can’t count on these two.

Taking a deep breath, she racked her brain for all the words she could use as she provided her commentary. “Contestant Feng He’s soundwave attack truly exceeded our expectations, living up to his title as a musical genius. Even if other seeded contestants could withstand that blow, they would have been left severely drained and exhausted.

“Unfortunately, Contestant Ma He’s opponent was Contestant Lu Yang, a sword cultivator completely devoted to the Sword Dao and dedicated to pursuing the highest sword techniques. His formless sword qi harbored profound mysteries of the cosmos, showcasing his supreme mastery in the Dao of the Sword!

“Of course, none of the above was the decisive factor that led to Contestant Lu Yang’s victory. The most crucial point is that Contestant Lu Yang is at the Golden Core Stage.”

1. Guqin is probably one of the most common instruments you see in historical C-dramas. It is one of the oldest forms of Chinese qin or zither, which is why guqin is made up of the word “gu” which refers to ancient and “qin.” In the past, it was simply referred to as “qin.” ☜

2. The original first character is actually “good,” but when combined with the additional characters which mean “shameless,” it becomes “so shameless.” ☜

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