Chapter 51: Ranked at the End

The scorching sun hung high in the sky. Fang Qingyuan, astride Yinbao, faced off against a fellow disciple at the Sixth-Layer Qi Refining realm high above a valley.

A large crowd of their fellow disciples had gathered to watch. Meanwhile, Lechuan sat within a palace perched atop a giant Camel Beast, observing the duel alongside several of his Foundation Establishment Disciples.

With all eyes on him, Fang Qingyuan attacked first. He summoned the Turtle Shell Spirit Shield to protect himself, then activated a Vajra Talisman to envelop his body. Finally, he unleashed a Tier One Middle Grade Magic Sword, sending it hurtling toward his opponent.

The opposing disciple remained unfazed by Fang Qingyuan’s assault. His response was quite similar: he activated a Golden Bell Talisman and waved a hand, commanding the giant lizard beneath him. The massive reptile charged swiftly to meet Fang Qingyuan’s Magic Sword.

Just as the Magic Sword was about to strike, a jade ruler materialized to parry the blade. Immediately after, a sky-blotting spray of the giant lizard’s venomous drool erupted forth.

The stench of the lizard’s saliva, which smelled even fouler than the depths of the Black River, made Fang Qingyuan’s brow furrow. He signaled for Yinbao to fly far away.

Yinbao, of course, dared not touch the toxic spray. It flapped its bat-like wings, executing a masterful aerial maneuver to evade the cloud of venomous drool.

Right after the spray, however, the giant lizard leaped through the air, its jaws gaping as it tried to bite Yinbao’s back.

Just as its jaws were about to snap shut, a Turtle Shell Shield shot out to intercept. With a loud CRACK, it slammed into the giant lizard’s head, knocking it aside.

The giant lizard shook its head dizzily, clearly stunned by the blow. After hesitating for a few moments, it lunged toward Yinbao again at its master’s urging.

But once again, it was met by the thick Turtle Shell Shield. After several more attempts, the giant lizard’s spirit was broken. It cowered, no longer daring to press forward.

Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. He was already multitasking, controlling his Magic Sword in its clash with the opponent’s jade ruler while simultaneously watching for the giant lizard’s sneak attacks and keeping an eye out for any skills or Talismans his opponent might use.

He was truly stretched thin. Thankfully, Yinbao was agile. When skills were aimed at them, Yinbao’s feints were often enough to make them miss.

’Otherwise, I’d have to divert even more of my mental energy to defending, and I’d truly be stretched too thin.’

A moment later, the Golden Bell Talisman protecting Fang Qingyuan shattered. Expressionless, he simply applied another.

A single Golden Bell Talisman was worth over fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones, yet it was exhausted in just a few short minutes.

’Now that I’ve activated another, it means I’ve already spent a whole Middle-grade Spirit Stone on this fight.’

When the opposing disciple saw Fang Qingyuan produce another Golden Bell Talisman, he gritted his teeth and activated a new one of his own.

Fang Qingyuan kept his Magic Sword locked in combat with the jade ruler. At the same time, he retrieved several vines from his storage bag, chanted an incantation, and infused them with his Spiritual Power.

A few moments later, the formerly lifeless vines suddenly twitched, then transformed into several giant pythons as thick as water buckets. They slithered through the air, winding their way toward the giant lizard and its master.

This was the Poison Vine Python Transformation Technique. The vines Fang Qingyuan had selected were hundred-year-old Yin Mountain Old Vines, renowned for their incredible toughness. The pythons they now formed were strong enough to strangle a tiger to death.

To counter this technique, the other disciple tore apart a Fire Armor Talisman. It transformed into a warrior made of pure flame, which moved to grapple with the vine pythons.

The battle continued in this back-and-forth manner, with both Fang Qingyuan and his opponent tacitly agreeing to turn it into a contest of Talismans.

Both combatants had Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation, meaning neither had an abundance of Magical Power. It was perfectly normal to rely on Talismans during a fight.

Fang Qingyuan was in a slightly better position, as he still had a few skills left to use. His opponent, on the other hand, had already used a flurry of Talismans, but they were largely ineffective against Fang Qingyuan’s triple-layered defense.

After another moment, the Golden Bell Talisman on Fang Qingyuan shattered once more. Without a second thought, he slapped another one on to replace it.

Just then, the opposing disciple saw Fang Qingyuan use yet another Golden Bell Talisman. He then glanced at the Turtle Shell Spirit Shield still hovering in the air. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he finally spoke.

"Enough. I surrender."

’My heart clenched when I heard him surrender. Why couldn’t you have said that sooner? I just wasted another fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones for nothing!’

After Fang Qingyuan withdrew, the next pair of disciples stepped forward to begin their match. Up in the palace, however, Lechuan’s expression was grim as he reflected on the duel he had just witnessed.

Zhao Liangde, his eyes narrowed to slits, seemed to sense his master’s displeasure and spoke up.

"These disciples’ performances are rather unsatisfactory. Compared to those from Zongshan, they are a world apart."

Once Zhao Liangde started, the other disciples chimed in to agree.

"It’s true. When Zongshan Disciples duel, they won’t surrender unless they’re gravely injured. In fact, some of the fiercer ones will fight to the death, willing to let their Spirit Beasts perish and suffer damage to their own core essence just to win. It’s nothing like this... giving up after a short skirmish. Are they just playing house?"

"It’s all the previous Courtyard Head’s fault. He was far too lenient. The Southern Border is a Barbaric Land; you have to contend with fiends, with men, and with the heavens themselves. But what did he do? He promoted the path of inaction. All these years under his guidance have ruined these disciples."

As the Foundation Establishment Disciples chimed in one after another, Lechuan grew visibly agitated. He spoke softly, his voice cutting through their chatter.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day. Enough. Just continue watching."

With Lechuan having spoken, the other disciples fell silent. Yet, their words seemed to linger in the air of the grand hall.

...

After leaving the dueling grounds, Fang Qingyuan ignored everything else. The very first thing he did was cast the Wood Spirit Rejuvenation Skill to heal Yinbao’s wounds.

Yinbao had been caught in the crossfire of several skills during the battle, leaving it with numerous injuries. Though none were life-threatening, the sight still pained Fang Qingyuan deeply.

That had been Fang Qingyuan’s final match. After five fights, his record stood at one win, two losses, and two draws. According to the standings, he was now ranked twenty-ninth.

The ranking was on the lower side, but it was of no great consequence. It simply meant he would receive slightly fewer benefits in the future.

Across the five matches, he had used up Talismans worth around ten Middle-grade Spirit Stones. It really proved the old saying: war is an expensive business.

Fortunately, Lechuan was giving out rewards based on the rankings. Even at nearly thirtieth place, Fang Qingyuan could still claim a Tier One Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

’That Magical Artifact should sell for about ten Middle-grade Spirit Stones. With that, my losses won’t be too bad after all.’

Besides, he had gained valuable experience and learned a few lessons from these five duels. Say what you will, but Lechuan’s intentions for holding the competition were good.

’But if someone were to ask if he’d want to participate in this kind of sect competition again... well, anyone who wants to can have at it. He, for one, had no desire to go through that a second time.’

With his business concluded, Fang Qingyuan had no desire to watch the other disciples’ matches. He took Yinbao and returned directly to his small courtyard.

As soon as Yinbao was back in its familiar den, it plopped down and refused to move. Fang Qingyuan gazed at the Camel Ray curled up in the Beast Cage and sighed internally. ’It’s getting harder and harder to get by in the Beast Taming Sect. I might as well just leave and become a Loose Cultivator... forget all this.’