This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 114 Physical Body Compared to Foundation Establishment, Zhang Zhiwei Takes the Challenge

Seemingly sensing Zhong Bai's thoughts at that moment, the Tenth Patriarch of Maoshan immediately transmitted his voice to Zhong Bai.

"Don't worry, I don't have a penchant for spying on you. I'm just afraid that you're too amazing and some old guys might not be able to resist. Never mind, why tell you all this..."

The Tenth Ancestor's voice disappeared, while Zhong Bai's expression was somewhat amused and exasperated.

However, what the Tenth Ancestor just said is true. If Zhong Bai himself were the foundation of a sect and his lifespan was nearing its end, and he also learned that a peerless genius had emerged from among the evil spirits, Zhong Bai felt that he would not be able to resist killing him before he rose to power.

Shaking his head, Yun Qingzi then floated gracefully to Zhong Bai's side.

"Amitabha! Zhong Daozi can cause such a celestial phenomenon simply by cultivating. He truly deserves to be a prodigy who can receive the protection of the Maoshan Patriarch!"

Yun Qingzi wasn't just flattering him; he was genuinely envious. Zhong Bai's Samadhi True Fire Divine Power had even made Yun Qingzi feel that although Zhong Bai was still at the Qi Refining Perfection stage, the strength of his divine power was already comparable to that of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Such talent and such supernatural abilities were something Yun Qingzi never dreamed would appear in a young cultivator around twenty years old.

"Zhong Bai greets Senior!"
"Senior, you flatter me. Zhong Bai's cultivation method is merely somewhat unique. In fact, it was thanks to your demon king's essence blood that Zhong Bai was able to advance further. Zhong Bai should be thanking you."

Yun Qingzi shook his head, "Zhong Daozi is too modest. The old Taoist's demon king's essence blood is just icing on the cake for Zhong Daozi."

"Judging from Zhong Daozi's surging qi and blood, his physical strength must have been greatly enhanced."

Zhong Bai knew perfectly well that the other party, being a Golden Core True Monarch, was fully aware of his situation, so he decided not to hide anything from him.

"Haha, senior has a keen eye. Zhong Bai now possesses the power of a dragon, so it is no exaggeration to say that he has greatly improved."

"The power of one dragon!"

Zhang Zhiwei, standing beside him, stared wide-eyed in disbelief, clearly understanding what the power of the dragon represented.

"My goodness, Fellow Daoist Qianhe, the power of a dragon is 125,000 jin! Just in terms of physical strength alone, Fellow Daoist Qianhe is probably comparable to a Foundation Establishment True Person!"

Zhang Zhiwei's words struck the Quanzhen Sect disciples who were watching like a heavy hammer, and they all gasped in shock.

"With the power of one dragon, Zhong Daozi is truly fortunate!"

"Senior, it is a pity that this elegant garden has been destroyed. I hope that you and the other masters will forgive us for this."

"Haha, it's alright, it's just a small garden. It's nothing compared to Zhong Daozi's rapid progress!"

As the sect leader, Master Changming easily let the matter drop. It was just an elegant garden; the Quanzhen Sect naturally wouldn't take it seriously.

It was late at night, and the group couldn't keep talking forever. Soon, the elders of the Quanzhen Sect called their disciples back to their respective residences. As for Zhong Bai, Master Changming took him to a new courtyard to settle down.

After everyone left, Zhong Bai, standing in the new courtyard, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Being watched by everyone was not a comfortable feeling. In Zhong Bai's opinion, those so-called moments of glory were not as fulfilling as his own quiet and diligent cultivation.

"The power of the dragon has been achieved. It seems that to quickly improve the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique, one still needs the essence and blood of a demon king or higher to achieve remarkable results."

Zhong Bai pondered, but soon his face showed helplessness. How could the essence blood of a demon king be easily obtained? Each demon king was comparable to a Golden Core True Monarch.

Even with Maoshan, Zhong Bai probably wouldn't be able to truly kill the demon king for his cultivation now.

"I don't want to think about that. My physical strength is now comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Perhaps I am still a little lacking in supernatural abilities and techniques, but once I successfully establish my foundation, I'm afraid ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators will no longer be my match!"

This was Zhong Bai's strong premonition, and the first step to establishing a foundation was to build a Dao platform.

The Dao Platform is formed by gathering true essence within the body. Zhong Bai is unsure whether exorcism points can be used to accelerate this process.

After all, exorcism points require accelerating specific supernatural spells and techniques, while building a platform... sigh!

Of course, it doesn't really matter if you can't use the Demon Extermination Points to speed up the process, since the construction period for the Dao Platform is generally only one or two years.

Zhong Bai has the time; he could take two years to reflect and mature.

......................................................

As dawn broke, Zhong Bai pushed open the door and went outside, only to find Zhang Zhiwei already waiting for him.

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe, shall we go together?"

Zhong Bai nodded. When Master Changming escorted Zhong Bai to the new courtyard last night, he also invited Zhong Bai to witness the grand competition of the Quanzhen Sect.

In response, Zhong Bai also wanted to see what level the disciples of the Quanzhen Sect were at, and naturally, Zhang Zhiwei, the true disciple of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, was also invited.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, let's go..."

After the two arrived at the Quanzhen Sect's martial arts arena, they were led to the viewing area by a Quanzhen Sect elder, who was surrounded by Quanzhen Sect elders.

As soon as Zhong Bai sat down, he heard Master Changming, the sect leader, speak: "You are all disciples of my Quanzhen Sect. Whether you are inner or outer disciples, the Quanzhen Sect has always treated you all the same. However, now we need to adapt to the changing times."

You all know that the outcome of this competition will determine the rest of your lives.

Let's all do our best...

Master Changming didn't offer any lengthy discourses; he simply spoke the most plain and unadorned truths.

These honest words caused the Quanzhen Sect disciples who had gathered to have different expressions. They looked at their fellow disciples, some with worried faces and others with solemn expressions.

They knew that after this competition, they would likely need to go down the mountain to establish a Daoist temple and guard a region. If they could not break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime, they might not have the chance to return to Zhongnan Mountain.

Therefore, once the competition began, everyone planned to go all out.

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe, what do you think of these Quanzhen Sect disciples compared to our two sects?" Just after the competition began, Zhang Zhiwei glanced at the two Quanzhen Sect disciples fighting on the stage and lost interest. He then turned to Zhong Bai and asked this question.

Zhong Bai shook his head. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, we are all disciples of the Daoist sect. There is really no difference. It's just that some people walk in front and some people walk behind."

Those who walk ahead may not reach the finish line, while those who persevere behind may catch up. Therefore, I cannot make a judgment.

Zhang Zhiwei rolled her eyes; the Quanzhen Sect elders next to them couldn't hear what they were saying.

However, seeing that Zhong Bai really didn't want to answer such an uninteresting question, Zhang Zhiwei simply gritted his teeth and looked at the competition below the stage.

Time passed by, and some were happy while others were sad. The disciples of Quanzhen Sect, who were between twenty and thirty years old, were generally at the third to fifth level of Qi Refining. Perhaps they were nothing compared to those of Maoshan and Longhushan, but Zhong Bai truly believed that one should not judge a book by its cover.

Just like himself, if he didn't have the demon-slaying panel, he would probably be just an ordinary cultivator.

Who knows if the disciples of the Quanzhen Sect will be as lucky as him? There's no certainty, so Zhong Bai naturally wouldn't draw any conclusions rashly.

Just after the competition ended, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist Qianhe, there's something I've always wanted to try, but I don't know if you would agree to it..."

? ? ? ?
Zhong Bai asked in confusion, "What brings you here, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

Zhang Zhiwei's gaze towards Zhong Bai became intense.

"When we first met, I wanted to spar with you, but I never had the chance. Later, you progressed so quickly that I lost the courage to spar with you. But today, I want to give it a try..."

Even knowing they are no match!

The fervor in Zhang Zhiwei's eyes turned into intense fighting spirit as she looked at Zhong Bai. Zhong Bai was like a mountain, making Zhang Zhiwei feel that it was difficult to overcome, but Zhang Zhiwei felt that she could not lose the courage to overcome it.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't lower his voice when he spoke, and the Quanzhen Sect elders around him all looked curious. Of course, they knew that the true disciples of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain could not possibly surpass the Taoist disciples of Maoshan.

Both of them are exceptional talents, and their first confrontation with the Quanzhen Sect would surely enhance the sect's reputation.
"Really want to give it a try, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

Zhong Bai's gaze was solemn; this was a sign of respect for Zhang Zhiwei, and giving it his all was the greatest form of respect.

"That's right, I'd like to give it a try!"

"Hahaha, come on then!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Bai leaped from the stands and landed lightly in the center of the martial arts arena.

Zhang Zhiwei smiled at first, then followed closely behind with a serious expression.

The two men, standing about ten meters apart, sized each other up.

The Quanzhen Sect disciples, who were initially saddened by their defeat in the competition, now became interested and gathered around to watch. Even Yun Qingzi in the void cast his gaze upon them.

Zhang Zhiwei took a deep breath and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Zhang Zhiwei of Longhu Mountain, please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Qianhe!"

"Zhong Bai of Maoshan, please enlighten me, fellow Daoist!"

After the two exchanged fist salutes, Zhang Zhiwei did not stand on ceremony and chose to strike first. He revealed the aura of the late stage of the seventh level of Qi Refining, and at the same time, his true essence gathered in his palm and transformed into Yang Five Thunderbolts, which rushed straight towards Zhong Bai.

Faced with Zhang Zhiwei's all-out effort, Zhong Bai did not suppress his cultivation level. Instead, he unleashed his true Qi Refining Perfection aura, and terrifying true essence emerged from his dantian. Under the activation of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique, lightning and thunder crackled around his body.

"Well done!"

Zhong Bai unleashed a palm strike, sending countless bolts of lightning sweeping towards Zhang Zhiwei. Instead of retreating, Zhang Zhiwei protected himself with golden light and pressed forward.

Yang Wulei and Zhong Bai's Shenxiao Wulei collided and exploded instantly.

Thunder raged across the stage, and the Quanzhen Sect disciples who were nearby felt a tingling sensation.

On the stands, Master Changming looked down at Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei, his eyes seeming to recall his own past. He had a premonition that the two young Taoists in front of him would become famous throughout the world and become giants of the Taoist sect within fifty years!
Exhaling a deep breath, Master Changming's eyes were dark and unfathomable. Zhang Zhiwei, who was in the arena, was shocked the moment the thunder exploded. His thunder magic was much weaker than Zhong Bai's, so much so that Zhang Zhiwei felt a deep sense of powerlessness when he was hit by the shock.

Forcibly suppressing this feeling, Zhang Zhiwei used the Eight Trigrams Dragon Technique to attack. Seeing this, Zhong Bai simply stopped using his thunder magic. The moment his blood and qi surged out, Zhang Zhiwei was instantly blown dozens of meters away by the qi!

After regaining his footing, Zhang Zhiwei, whose face was somewhat pale, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He had just forcibly suppressed this, and now he understood that the gap between himself and Zhong Bai was really obvious. However, he dared to challenge him. The pleasure of the shackles disappearing made Zhang Zhiwei ignore his injuries and laugh loudly!

A shift in mindset led Zhang Zhiwei to a sudden realization: he was not far from reaching the eighth level of Qi Refining!

Zhong Bai's qi and blood dissipated, and he appeared before Zhang Zhiwei. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, congratulations!"

Zhong Bai could tell that Zhang Zhiwei was about to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining. While congratulating him, he also truly admired Zhang Zhiwei's hard work and dedication in achieving this through his own arduous cultivation.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Qianhe, without your help, it would probably take me some more time to dispel the fog in my heart."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Qianhe!"

Just as the two finished speaking, Master Changming came over and said, "Zhong Daozi and Zhang Qin Chuan were truly brilliant. Their duel today will surely make them famous throughout the world!"

Upon hearing Changming Zhenren's praise, Zhong and Zhang Zhiwei exchanged a smile. They didn't know if they could become famous throughout the world, but it was true that they were renowned throughout the Quanzhen Sect, as evidenced by the wide-eyed expressions of the Quanzhen Sect disciples around them.

Happy May Day to everyone!
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(End of this chapter)