Translator: Lordbluefire

  Even if Jiang Zhitong were to die, no one would spare him a second glance, let alone that he was in good condition.

  Right now, Ying Baiwu was in the limelight.

  After a series of explosive shots, the iron-headed young girl rose upright.

  The martial dojo was very big and didn’t have a roof. Hence, the blue clear sky became Ying Baiwu’s backdrop.

  She stood there in the air, looking down at Xu Cong.

  The entire martial dojo was silent.

  Even the great teachers who had seen a lot in life were extremely astonished right now, let alone the spectators.

  Fly…… flying?

  Was this something that could be done by humans?

  Xu Cong looked at Ying Baiwu with a stunned expression. To think that she could fly?

  Thereafter, a tremendous wave of defeat filled Xu Cong. It made him feel that his hard work for the past 20 or more years was all futile.

  (How am I supposed to fight like this? Even though my sword qi can also hit things from a distance, the range is about 30 meters at most. However, my opponent is now flying over 50 meters up in the sky, and it looks like she can go higher!)

  Putting aside the fact that Ying Baiwu’s archery skills were unrivaled, even any hunter who couldn’t sense spirit qi would be able to shoot Xu Cong to death as long as they could fly.

  He had no chance of winning!

  After waiting for a few seconds, Ying Baiwu drew her bowstring, gathered spirit qi, then formed a semi-translucent arrow.

  “Hmmm? Why did she show her arrow?”

  Lu Zhiruo couldn’t understand.

  “It’s because she’s sure to win regardless if the arrow is transparent or not.”

  Tantai Yutang chuckled. Of course, the most important thing was to cause Xu Cong to feel humiliated.

  Right now, Xu Cong was facing a difficult situation.

  There was no way that he’d be able to win, but if he were to admit his loss…… Thinking of the Jiang Clan and his teacher’s conflicts, thinking of his honor, he’d rather die in battle than admit his loss willingly.

  But he really had no chance of winning this!

  Although there was the saying that blades and swords couldn’t see and casualties were common in battles, Ying Baiwu cared about her teacher’s honor. In a situation where she was sure to win, if she were to shoot and kill her opponent intentionally, it’d make her seem ruthless and heartless. Therefore, Ying Baiwu let Xu Cong make the decision.

  (Don’t disappoint me!)

  Ying Baiwu wore a mocking gaze, intentionally agitating Xu Cong.

  The battle entered a stalemate.

  Tong Yiming was stunned.

  Wasn’t Sun Mo too powerful?

  It had only been over two years since he first saw Sun Mo in the first great teacher examination. How could Sun Mo have grown to such a horrifying state?

  The ancestor-level experts on the judges’ stand were stunned too. Only after a long time did one of them speak up.

  “Secondary Saint Zhou has really gone for wool and come home shorn. After this examination, Sun Mo’s reputation will fill the entire great teacher world. He’ll definitely be a saint candidate!”

  “That’s right. He has comprehended the Ancient Sage Halo and received recognition from over 1,000 ancient sages. Now, he has even invented a way to fly, rewriting the way of battles in Middle-Earth Nine Provinces!”

  “I wonder if this flying technique is easily applicable? If it can be mass-produced, it’ll be bad.”

  The ancestor-level great teachers discussed amongst themselves, wearing solemn expressions.

  In the past, archers weren’t highly regarded and people placed more value on blades and swords. After all, in battles, archers had both advantages and disadvantages. However, once they could fly, how were others going to fight?

  Right now, Ying Baiwu didn’t need to fight to the bitter end like before. She could just fly and send out a round of explosive shots, ending the battle.

  Peak of the Blood Ignition Realm?

  Sorry, even someone from the legendary realm would be bashed up. The worst-case scenario would be that Ying Baiwu’s attacking prowess was too weak and she couldn’t break through her opponent’s defense.

  However, it would be impossible to kill her!

  “Erm, is this considered a violation of rules?”

  Someone from the crowd suddenly asked.

  “I don’t think so? The rules say that if one falls off from the arena and lands on the ground, it’ll be considered their loss. But she’s flying!”

  “That’s right. The rules don’t say that flying isn’t allowed!”

  “But isn’t this being too shameless?”

  “You’re blaming others when you’re the one who can’t fly?”

  The spectators discussed amongst themselves, claiming that they had gotten their ticket’s worth from watching this battle.

  “Kneel down and admit your loss!”

  Ying Baiwu was very sly, adding the words “kneel down” just to enrage Xu Cong.

  Xu Cong instantly fumed up. He had the urge to kill her, but he couldn’t!

  “Since you aren’t admitting your loss, it means that you want to continue fighting?”

  As Ying Baiwu said this, she released the bowstring.

  Swoosh!

  The arrow shot out.

  Xu Cong quickly dodged it, only to realize that the arrow dissipated in midair. His expression turned dark.

  She was clearly trying to scare him and had no intention of attacking.

  This was too humiliating. Xu Cong wanted to slap his chest and bellowed, challenging her to come down if she had the guts to. However, in the end, he still didn’t dare to do so.

  “I don’t have time to waste on you!”

  Ying Baiwu drew her bow once again.

  “Indeed, I can’t reach you, but it isn’t easy for you to kill me either!”

  Xu Cong planned on going all out to dodge the attack. (I don’t believe that your spirit qi can allow you to fly forever.)

  Beng!

  The bowstring trembled.

  An arrow shot out and then split up into 99 shadows above the arena. They came down like the rain.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The Wind King Divine Arrows exploded over a large area.

  “Admit loss…… We admit our loss!”

  Jiang Zhitong was supported by two of his good friends and he shouted out weakly.

  He really couldn’t accept this!

  But so what?

  Sun Mo looked over.

  The two friends who were supporting Jiang Zhitong immediately lowered their heads. They didn’t wish to offend Sun Mo and be seen to be on the same side as Jiang Zhitong.

  “This round, Ying Baiwu wins!”

  Tong Yiming announced.

  Ying Baiwu landed on the arena. Then, with another leap, she flew lightly over to Sun Mo. Her actions looked very cool.

  “Teacher Sun, how is this done?”

  Despite knowing that this wasn’t a suitable time to ask such a question, Liang Hongda really couldn’t hold it in.

  Swoosh!

  Everyone’s eyes stared at Sun Mo, having a strong wish to know.

  “Through spirit runes!”

  Sun Mo smiled, not hiding anything.

  Old Master Zheng, Li Xiu, and Prince Consort Qi had seen it before, so it was impossible to hide it. Moreover, Sun Mo was also planning to let more people know about this spirit rune and use it to attract more outstanding students and great teachers.

  Take these few ancestors for example. Would they want one?

  If they did, then they should come to the Central Province Academy to teach. Sun Mo wouldn’t ask for too much. Maybe just come for half a month in a year?

  This was the tactical value of the Skyward Spirit Rune.

  “Wow, isn’t Sun Mo’s luck too heaven-defying?”

  “I wonder which darkness ruins he dug it out from?”

  “Won’t you know if you investigate his movements over the last two years?”

  All sorts of mumblings rang out around them. No one felt that Sun Mo was the one who had invented the Skyward Spirit Rune because this was too unbelievable.

  “Teacher Sun, may I be so intrusive to ask you to talk about the story behind this spirit rune?”

  The ancestors in the judges’ stand who majored in spirit runes finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was as if they had seen the most beautiful treasure.

  “That day, Teacher woke up from his afternoon nap and ate a pile of snacks with a cup of afternoon tea. Then, he had a sudden inspiration to……”

  Qin Yaoguang always liked to create trouble. She cleared her throat and started the story.

  Everyone instantly perked their ears. The martial dojo that was filled with over 10,000 people was extremely quiet.

  “To go to the toilet!”

  Qin Yaoguang’s lips twitched. “Hanji Bakery’s snacks really don’t taste good. Daoji Bakery’s ones are better. Oh, are there people from Daoji Bakery here? Remember to send me the advertising fees!”

  “What rubbish is this?”

  Everyone frowned, feeling speechless but didn’t dare to kick up a fuss.

  “Stop it!” Li Ziqi rolled her eyes at the snack girl. “This spirit rune was accidentally and miraculously invented by my teacher after he had completed an operation.”

  The little sunny egg wasn’t going to tell these people that her teacher’s inspiration came from a mechanical doll that Lu Zhiruo had found after opening a mysterious chest.

  “In…… invented?”

  An ancestor spirit runist was stunned and he stuttered, “You…… you’re saying that…… this spirit rune was…… was invented by Teacher Sun?”

  “That’s right!”

  Li Ziqi smiled sweetly. “Have you seen anyone else using it before?”

  Sssss!

  The place was filled with gasping sounds, almost rendering the martial dojo into a vacuum state.

  Everyone’s gazes when they looked toward Sun Mo were filled with doubt, astonishment, envy, but eventually, all these feelings turned into disbelief.

  This spirit rune was unbelievable. So was Sun Mo!

  This…… this was definitely the best creation in the Nine Provinces’ spirit runes world, right?

  “You…… you have one too?” the ancestor asked.

  Li Ziqi didn’t reply. After giving a faint smile, her body floated up directly.

  “Masterpiece! Masterpiece!” The ancestor clapped and praised, “This is really a great masterpiece!”

  “Everyone, this small thing isn’t worth mentioning. The personal disciples battle has been disrupted. Judge Tong, please carry on!”

  Sun Mo cupped his fists together and apologized.

  The battles started, but who’d still be in the mood to watch them? Even if two saints were dueling each other right now, no one would be interested to watch them.

  “Teacher Sun, you……”

  The examinees nearby came crowding over, wanting to be closer to him. One of them had just spoken when he was lashed out.

  “What Teacher Sun? Who are you calling? You’re being rude. You must address him with more respect[1], understand?”

  This person felt that he had done a good job in bootlicking and that Sun Mo would have a good impression of him. However, at the next instant, he realized that there’d always be someone better out there.

  “What rubbish. Who are you looking down on? Do you have the right to be his disciple? Call him Ancestor Sun! Great Ancestor Sun!”

  A female great teacher reproached in a righteous tone.

  The people on the judges stand could only watch blankly at Sun Mo. They really wanted to go over and have a talk with him!

  From ancient times, flying had always been everyone’s dream.

  “We’ll talk about the spirit rune after the examination is over!”

  Sun Mo was feeling troubled by all the noises.

  “Sun Mo is going to be very popular now.”

  Gu Xiuxun felt emotional. “Sister An, you have to hold onto him tightly and not let him get headhunted by other famous schools.”

  “Only the Nine Greats have the right to headhunt him. I don’t believe that the headmasters from those ‘A’ grade famous schools can put down their pride and ask him.”

  Mei Ziyu thought to herself that even her mother felt embarrassed to try to headhunt him.

  Sun Mo’s three disciples were done with their matches, so he didn’t need to stay here anymore. After telling his students to stay behind and watch the battles to accumulate experience, he left.

  “Teacher Sun!”

  Sun Mo had just stepped out and hadn’t gone far when Mei Yazhi came chasing after him.

  “Aunt Mei, you’re being too polite. Just call me Sun Mo!”

  Sun Mo revealed his eight teeth, looking bright and handsome with his smile. It was as Apollo, the God of the sun, had descended onto the world.

  Seeing that Sun Mo didn’t become arrogant and did not pay any heed to other people despite having achieved such results, Mei Yazhi felt very satisfied. “I’ll get straight to the point. That spirit rune……”

  “If you want, I can tattoo one for you at any time!”

  She was one of his important backers, and he had to hold onto her tightly.

  “But what I have now is the first version and there are some minor flaws. The flying speed is limited and won’t be too agile when making turns.”

  Sun Mo explained, but his gaze darted at Mei Yazhi.

  (Her figure is really well-maintained. Compared to Mei Ziyu, the hairtail girl, Aunt Mei is a lot more voluptuous. Should I tattoo it on her chest?)

  “Of course, you can be assured that with my Ancient Dragon Capturing Hands, I can remove the old spirit runes any time. It won’t affect your future. However, I hope that you can keep this matter a secret.”

  “Of course!”

  Mei Yazhi nodded and then felt very emotional.

  Were all the youngsters these days so sensible?

  Mei Yazhi increasingly felt that Sun Mo was very considerate. He was a lot better than her daughter.

  (Sigh, if I were ten years younger, I’d definitely try to fight with An Xinhui.)

  Although Mei Yazhi didn’t say anything about repaying Sun Mo, given her character, she’d definitely not let Sun Mo suffer a loss. ……

  The battles continued, but everyone had lost interest in them. Their attention was all on Sun Mo.

  Although 64 people were still going to take part in the championship battle, how could Sun Mo’s disciples lose after he had revealed the Skyward Spirit Rune?

  The archer Ying Baiwu was sure to enter the finals. As for Li Ziqi, everyone hadn’t forgotten about her pile of spirit rune rods. If she were to float in the sky and toss them down, who’d be able to hold off her attacks?

  Also, there were Sun Mo’s record-breaking results from the Ancient Sage Building. If there were no accidents, he’d be the champion of this year’s 4-stars great teacher examination.

  Passing four consecutive examinations with the best result, being the champion. Moreover, he had broken records for each of them.

  This result was really shocking.

  Moreover, because of the epochal Skyward Spirit Rune, people were starting to give Sun Mo the ‘saint candidate’ title.

  After all, a great teacher who could achieve such terrifying achievements at the age of 22 had never appeared in the great teacher world before. ……

  The great teachers battle ended, and 100 winners were selected and given the honorable 4-stars great teacher title.

  To speak the truth, because the Ancient Sage Building’s test was too hard, the judges had lowered the standards. Otherwise, only Sun Mo, Zhang Wentao, and Wan Xiulin would have passed.

  This meant that the three of them had reached the level of a 6-stars great teacher in terms of their lecture, as well as in their knowledge accumulation and foresight.

  If it wasn’t because everyone knew that the three of them couldn’t be headhunted, those headmasters would have made a move long ago. They wouldn’t mind even if they had to make a sky-high offer.

  “Teacher, are we still participating in the championship battle?”

  When they were having their meal in the hotel, Huang Peng seemed very listless.

  “Why? Are you afraid of losing?”

  Wan Xiulin furrowed his brows deeply and put down the bowl and chopsticks.

  “It’s not that I’m afraid of losing. I just can’t think of any possibility of winning!”

  Huang Peng felt depressed.

  “Is not being able to win the reason for you to give up?”

  Wan Xiulin reproached, “Go face the wall and reflect upon yourself!”

  After his disciple left dejectedly, Wan Xiulin had lost his appetite. (Do you think I want to fight? We’re from the Secondary Saint Zhou’s faction! We don’t have a choice!)

  (Teacher, giving up on Li Ziqi is really the greatest mistake you’ve made in your life!

  (No! Giving up on Li Ziqi isn’t scary. What’s scary is that Li Ziqi met Sun Mo. Sigh!)

  It was really aggrieving to be from the same era as Sun Mo.

  Wan Xiulin was also a shining new star who had a lot of attention showered upon him. However, he was completely suppressed by Sun Mo in this examination.

  Even if they couldn’t win against Ying Baiwu, they must at least win against Li Ziqi!

  This was Wan Xiulin’s minimum expectation.

  [1] The term ‘laoshi’ (old/elder teacher) has been mentioned before…… In this story’s context, it is a much more respectful way of addressing someone compared to simply using the word ‘shi’ (teacher).

  Chapter 1089: Championship Battle, Li Ziqi’s Invincible First Battle!

  Translator: Lordbluefire

  The championship battle was on a voluntary basis.

  If a person wanted to become famous, what could they do?

  They had to fight on a great stage, and the 4-stars personal disciples battle was such a stage!

  The top three disciples would definitely get on the Hero Rankings, being able to gain both fame and benefits.

  As everyone would be fighting to participate in it, the prize prepared by the Saint Gate was mediocre—a heaven-tier cultivation art.

  To most people, this would be extremely attractive. However, to 3-stars great teachers, it was insignificant. The Saint Gate didn’t care about that.

  After all, the reason everyone participated in the personal disciples battle was for fame!

  In the past batches, there’d always be over 64 people signing up for the championship battle. Therefore, they had to let those participants who weren’t seeded have another round of battles. However, this year, there weren’t enough people.

  When Liang Hongda heard his secretary reporting this piece of news, he was stunned for a moment and started to suspect if there was something wrong with these people’s heads.

  However, he soon knew the reason.

  It was because the Skyward Spirit Rune had appeared out of nowhere, allowing Ying Baiwu and Li Ziqi to possess the ability to fly. Moreover, the two of them were also long-distance combatants.

  Who’d be able to win against them?

  Rather than being tormented and embarrassed on the arena, the other participants might as well avoid the competition completely.

  “Go and try to persuade those candidates!”

  Liang Hongda instructed.

  The audience had spent a lot of money to buy the tickets. If they were to find out that the Saint Gate couldn’t even gather enough candidates, wouldn’t the Saint Gate lose some credibility?

  The secretary received the order and went off.

  However, after the three days break, the number of participants was still less than 32. In the end, Liang Hongda had to personally visit some newly appointed 4-stars great teachers and promise them some benefits if they allowed their personal disciples to take part in the battle.

  At the very last moment, they finally managed to gather the top 32.

  It was a day of clear sky and bright sun!

  On this warm morning, the championship battle started!

  Sun Mo was a super uprising star in the limelight, having the reputation of being a saint candidate and the originator of the Skyward Spirit Rune. Hence, the amount of attention he had on him was indisputably the highest.

  Therefore, in the first round, it was Li Ziqi against Sang Qiao.

  The Saint Gate would also hype up the battles.

  “Start!”

  As the main judge, Tong Yiming called out, and Sang Qiao immediately pounced toward Li Ziqi.

  He had brainstormed with his teacher on how he should fight if he were to encounter Sun Mo’s disciples. Their plan was to take the initiative and fight them before they flew off the arena!

  Thankfully, he had an extremely high cultivation level to suppress her, otherwise, Sang Qiao would have just forfeited the match.

  “I must be faster!”

  Sang Qiao pursed his lips, gathering his strength. He was about to release it explosively when two three-meter-tall wind elements appeared out of nowhere, blocking him.

  Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

  Several crescent-shaped wind blades shot out from the wind elements.

  (It’s over!)

  Sang Qiao felt a little despair. If he didn’t dodge the attacks, he’d be dismembered. However, if he did, Li Ziqi would be able to fly freely with ease.

  (Damn it! Isn’t your summoning speed too fast?)

  “Why is it so fast?”

  Someone under the arena felt perplexed.

  “She did a silent incantation, and she also used One Heart Two Uses”!

  A spirit controller who knew the trade gasped in surprise. “Genius! She’s definitely a genius!”

  Everyone knew that spirit controllers’ greatest shortcoming was their long chanting period. During this time, they were undoubtedly the most fragile.

  However, through silent incantation, Li Ziqi made up for the time difference, and she was able to doublecast using One Heart Two Uses.

  Given her age, she was definitely a monstrous genius to be able to reach this level.

  As Sang Qiao dodged the wind blades, he saw that Li Ziqi was still standing on the arena. After being stunned for a moment, he was enraged.

  “Damn it! She’s looking down on me!”

  Sang Qiao was furious. (Do you really think that you, a Spirit Refinement Realm girl, can defeat me?)

  The White Tiger Guard appeared and Li Ziqi got onto it.

  Her small face looked very composed!

  (My motor skills might be weaker, but I have a ride!)

  The little sunny egg then flicked out her finger incessantly.

  Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

  Myriad Manifestations Spirit Wave Art!

  Sang Qiao charged forward, but before he could get close, he saw three other wind elements appearing.

  “Huh? So fast?”

  (Why is there one more than earlier?)

  “You fool. Once the competition started, she could just chant the incantations normally with her mouth!”

  The great teachers were very astonished.

  If the silent incantation earlier was the effect of using the One Heart Two Uses halo, then right now, it was purely her personal talent.

  This Li Ziqi could use one head to do three things at the same time!

  This was spiritual beasts summoning. If her pronunciation wasn’t clear or if there were mistakes, she’d receive a backlash and would either be seriously injured or dead. However, she had still done it.

  How great was her confidence!

  “All hail, Eldest Martial Sister!”

  Lu Zhiruo raised her arms and cheered.

  Sun Mo didn’t allow her to sign up for the championship battle, so she could only be a cheerleader today.

  “Eldest Martial Sister is proving to everyone that even without the Skyward Spirit Rune, she can still win!”

  Xianyu Wei was so agitated that her little face flushed.

  Although she was also a girl, her eldest martial sister’s attitude was too domineering.

  Sang Qiao attacked fiercely. With great difficulty, he avoided the spiritwave bullets and wind blades, getting close to Li Ziqi.

  “Die!”

  Sang Qiao sent out a heavy punch.

  Li Ziqi raised her slender palm calmly.

  Windwave Bullet!

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  As Sang Qiao was too close, he received a direct hit, and the powerful impact caused him to roll on the ground.

  “Be careful!”

  When Sang Qiao’s teacher saw that the wind blades were attacking his disciple again, he was so scared that his soul almost left his body. He almost cried out that they were going to forfeit.

  “He won’t be able to win!”

  Several people sighed.

  Before Sang Qiao had gotten his act together, another three wind elements appeared next to Li Ziqi.

  The little sunny egg’s best money-spamming battle tactic hadn’t been used yet, but Sang Qiao was already beaten up.

  Pa!

  Li Ziqi finally threw out her first spirit rune rod.

  Lightning sea permeated out.

  After that, the little sunny egg put one of her hands next to her red lips. She then bit her thumb and chanted an incantation while drawing a spiritual formation in the air.

  “F*ck, she can even do a speed drawing of a spiritual formation?”

  The spirit controllers present were surprised.

  Did she have to be so outstanding?

  What people usually saw was destruction caused by various moves and attacks. They had never witnessed such a pure spirit qi blast before.

  Everyone knew that this could save time, but who would dare to do that?

  If they were to make a mistake, they might die.

  Wasn’t this young girl afraid?

  Faint red blood fog dissipated in the air, forming a strange but profound image. Then, Li Ziqi clapped her hands together!

  Pa!

  Spiritual Summoning, Ancient Battle Tree!

  Boom!

  Amidst a tremendous amount of light that was shooting out explosively, a huge ancient tree appeared on the arena. Its roots were like tentacles, shooting out at great speed and wrapping around Sang Qiao’s body, which had turned numb and stiffened up after being hit by the lightning sea.

  This was the Ancient Battle Tree that Sun Mo had encountered in the ecology garden. Li Ziqi had summoned one with a spiritual control technique.

  Li Ziqi raised her right hand and aimed it at Sang Qiao, her left hand grabbing her right wrist. She then started to gather spirit qi.

  Zap! Zap!

  Golden spirit qi glow shrouded on Li Ziqi’s body, and a spirit qi light sphere appeared in front of her right hand.

  “What kind of cultivation art is this?”

  Many people gasped in surprise.

  “I don’t know!”

  “I haven’t seen it before, but it should be some kind of rare cultivation art.”

  “It feels like it has a great destructive force!”

  The spectators discussed fervently, their gazes filled with surprise and doubt. Why was it that Sun Mo’s disciples could always come up with such unprecedented new stuff?

  “For Teacher’s glory!”

  Li Ziqi bellowed in her heart!

  Ultimate technique! Spiritwave Cannon!

  Boom!

  The light sphere formed from the spirit qi gushed out. It was a supersonic thrust.

  No one knew what species that ancient tree was, but its roots were thick and big, filled with great tenacity. Sang Qiao went through a lot of trouble before he managed to break free when he saw the Spiritwave Cannon shooting over.

  Boom!

  The Spiritwave Cannon brushed past Sang Qiao’s head, hitting several ten meters away and leaving a big hole in the martial dojo’s steps.

  Splash! Splash!

  Dust flew up and the entire martial dojo was silent.

  Wasn’t this destructive force too great?

  Even the great teachers froze up.

  A short moment later, the audience near the hole screamed and scrambled away with pale countenances.

  If that attack had hit them, they’d have died!

  “Everyone, there’s no need to panic. I had calculated the positioning before I attacked,” Li Ziqi announced loudly and then looked toward Sang Qiao. “Are you going to admit your loss?”

  “.……”

  The great teachers were speechless. You still had the spare energy to calculate this?

  (F*ck!)

  (Why isn’t such an amazing student mine?)

  (Secondary Saint Zhou will definitely be extremely regretful if he saw this scene.)

  Sang Qiao had been feeling thankful that he wasn’t hit by the attack and was about to retaliate when he heard this. A feeling of disappointment immediately crept up his body.

  He knew that she had intentionally missed.

  (But to admit his loss? I’m at the Divine Force Realm!)

  He couldn’t get himself to say it.

  “We admit our loss!”

  Sang Qiao’s teacher was more broad-minded.

  “This round, Li Ziqi wins!”

  Tong Yiming announced.

  “Don’t be dejected. It’s not embarrassing to lose to a spirit controller. It’s even less embarrassing to lose to a spirit controller like Li Ziqi.”

  His teacher consoled.

  No one felt that Sang Qiao was weak!

  It was just that this battle was impossible to win.

  The strength of a spirit controller primarily depended on their spiritual beasts.

  Li Ziqi’s wind elements might not be that strong individually, but they threw out too many wind blades that could effectively stop the enemies from getting close. Then, she would throw out all sorts of long-ranged attacks.

  This was a victory won through aptitude and battle tactics.

  “Be happier. If someone else with the same cultivation base was in your shoes, they’d have been defeated long ago.”

  Sang Qiao’s teacher was very positive.

  “I’ve brought shame to your name, Teacher!”

  Sang Qiao was having a hard time accepting this.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Sang Qiao’s teacher patted his disciple on the back and then went to look for Sun Mo. (Do you think that I let you participate in the battle for you to win? Wake up! I’m just trying to find an excuse to talk to Sun Mo after you fight against his disciple. I really want that Skyward Spirit Rune!)

  “I didn’t expect that someone in the Divine Force Realm has no means of retaliating when pitting against Ziqi.”

  Gu Xiuxun flipped through Sang Qiao’s information and felt a little surprised.

  She had paid for this. It cost 1,000 taels per set.

  These people were too good at earning money. Moreover, they were also very professional. Even the information that Ying Baiwu and Li Ziqi could fly was indicated.

  “Suppressed by cultivation arts and a good battle tactic, how could he win?”

  Murong Mingyue didn’t find this strange.

  “Why do I feel that after the Skyward Spirit Rune appears, the usage of cultivation arts will only get weaker in the future?”

  Gu Xiuxun felt a little uneasy.

  “Revolution of battle tactics, as well as advancement of weapons, will definitely lead to further development of cultivation arts. Don’t worry, this is the natural pattern for the world’s development.”

  Murong Mingyue chuckled.

  “Why does your way of speech sound so much like Sun Mo?” Gu Xiuxun frowned.

  “When you chat with Sun Mo, you can’t possibly just be thinking about his face, could you?” Murong Mingyue was speechless.

  (Although Sun Mo is very handsome, I admire his thoughts more. They are really transcendent of this era.)

  “I didn’t! Don’t spout rubbish! I’m ignoring you!”

  Gu Xiuxun lowered her head guilty and then sneaked a quick glance at An Xinhui. When she noticed that An Xinhui was looking at Sun Mo and Li Ziqi and hadn’t paid any attention to the conversation between her and Murong Mingyue, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

  (Sigh! I feel like a horrible woman to be eying my sister’s fiancé!)

  The same conversation was going on amongst Sun Mo’s disciples.

  “The Spiritwave Cannon is too powerful!”

  Li Ziqi felt emotional. As they lacked a weaponsmith, they weren’t able to make spirit runes equipment. Therefore, they could only tattoo the spirit runes onto their bodies.

  “When that time comes, killing anyone who blocks our path, including people of a higher cultivation level, would only require releasing a few more Spiritwave Cannons after being equipped with an Infinity Gauntlet [1]!”

  Lu Zhiruo felt that she didn’t need to work hard in her cultivation anymore.

  She might as well just put on more Infinity Gauntlets.

  Xuanyuan Po, who was usually only interested in battles, wore a grim countenance. It was because Li Ziqi’s battle tactic was very tricky to deal with.

  “Cultivation isn’t just to obtain stronger martial prowess. It also tempers the will. Zhiruo, don’t misunderstand the objectives.”

  Sun Mo preached.

  “The strength of weapons and individuals is different. Moreover, weapons also have a disadvantage. They will require maintenance. What are you going to do once it spoils?

  “Remember this. Weapons are forever controlled by humans. Weapons can become more advanced, but elites can never be mass-produced!”

  The higher the weapon’s technologies, the higher the requirements on the users.

  Take the most advanced fighter jets for example. Would a normal airline’s pilot be able to maneuver it?

  “Teacher, I was wrong!”

  The lucky mascot quickly admitted her mistake.

  “Regardless of the reason for our cultivation—be it for a longer lifespan or to become a saint—what we’re pursuing comes down to a Dao, a type of surpassing oneself.”

  Buzz!

  When Sun Mo’s words ended, golden light spots splattered.

  Priceless Advice erupted!

  The people in the martial dojo were immediately attracted by the commotion over here.

  “I wonder what Great Teacher Sun has taught them? How I wish I could listen to his words!”

  Everyone felt very envious.

  These students were really lucky to have a saint candidate as their teacher. ……

  The second round started and Huang Peng got onto the arena.

  There was no doubt about the outcome. He instantly crushed his opponent.

  The third round was Zhang Wentao’s disciple, Liu Yuzhi, up against a girl. It was also an instant kill.

  Next was the fourth round. The disciple of Bai Xiqing—Sun Mo’s fangirl—Miao Chuandong was up against a young man. She also clinched a clean victory.

  Jin Mujie’s disciple, He Ben, was in the last round. He got extremely lucky and met an opponent who had gone all out in the previous two rounds. As a result, he passed the round with great luck.

  This beautiful great teacher, who was extremely mature, had finally accomplished her wish and got a 4-stars title.

  She knew that He Ben would just be giving away a free victory when participating in the championship battle. However, she still signed it up for him. Her objective was that if he were to encounter Li Ziqi or Ying Baiwu, he could forfeit the match so that they could fight one round less.

  As for it being embarrassing?

  In order to repay Sun Mo’s favor of lending her a helping hand, Jin Mujie no longer cared about the embarrassment, and she had taken the right gamble.

  For the fifth round, it was Ying Baiwu against He Ben.

  He Ben got on the arena and forfeited the match outright.

  No one felt that He Ben was cowardly. After all, who’d be able to win against an archer that could fly?

  [1] Reference from Marvel Comics.