Fantasy: I, the Great Celestial Venerable of the Dao

Master Shuiyue quietly looked at his beloved disciple standing before him.

That face, which was usually as cold as ice, was now incredibly gentle.

Lu Xueqi is a disciple she is incredibly proud of, and one who often leaves her in awe.

It is always so aloof and extraordinary.

"Xueqi, you did very well in today's battle."

Lu Xueqi lowered her head slightly, her voice clear and melodious: "It's all thanks to Master's careful guidance."

Shuiyue gently shook her head, her tone tinged with rare excitement:

"Even the sect leader praised you today, saying you are a once-in-a-century genius, and may even break through to the Taiqing realm in the future!"

This statement is like a pebble thrown into a still lake.

Ripples spread through Lu Xueqi's usually calm heart.

A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her usually indifferent face.

No one in this world dislikes receiving recognition, especially affirmation from someone they respect most.

Seeing her disciple's expression, Shuiyue couldn't help but smile knowingly.

This child grew up by her side from a young age, so her personality is all too clear to her.

Over the years, there have been very few moments that have brought a smile to her face.

"Oh, right."

Shuiyue suddenly said seriously,

"The sect leader specifically instructed that one should pay attention to refining spiritual energy during cultivation, as the foundation is of utmost importance."

His cultivation is extraordinary; there must be a profound meaning behind his words.

Lu Xueqi nodded solemnly: "This disciple will remember it and will certainly live up to the expectations of Master and Sect Leader."

……

The night passed quietly.

The second round of the Seven Veins Martial Arts Tournament began on time the next morning.

Dao Xuan Zhenren sat on the high platform, watching the arena below with a smile on his face.

Today's competition was even more exciting than yesterday's.

The competition takes place simultaneously on eight stages, with only two rounds needed to determine the winner. The third round is scheduled for the afternoon.

Just after noon, the second round was completed.

Dao Xuan's gaze lingered on the Soul-Devouring Staff in Zhang Xiaofan's hand for a moment longer. This magic weapon was indeed strange, its demonic energy was deep yet difficult to detect.

Dao Xuan pondered for a long time, but ultimately gave up the idea of ​​immediately taking the item back.

He also needs to rely on Zhang Xiaofan and the Soul-Devouring Staff to lure both the righteous and demonic factions to Qingyun Mountain.

That's right, we're going to lure them up to Qingyun Mountain!

As his cultivation level improved, Dao Xuan had already made up his mind to properly "entertain" these uninvited guests on Qingyun Mountain.

In the afternoon, the third round of the competition, from sixteen to eight, began immediately.

Looking at the list of disciples who had advanced, not only were the ordinary disciples in an uproar, but even the senior elders were quite surprised.

Surprisingly, there were so many new faces among them.

Young disciples such as Lu Xueqi, Zeng Shushu, and Zhang Xiaofan successively defeated their senior brothers and advanced strongly.

In the final eight, apart from Xiao Yicai and Qi Hao, the rest were all young disciples.

On the third day, the competition to advance from the quarterfinals to the semifinals officially began.

Zhang Xiaofan's opponent in this match is Zeng Shushu.

Although Zhang Xiaofan is now practicing both Buddhism and Taoism and has a solid foundation, he is still relatively inexperienced, and his true strength may not surpass Zeng Shushu's.

However, for the sake of the overall plan, Dao Xuan secretly intervened, allowing Zhang Xiaofan to narrowly defeat his opponent.

He had to ensure Zhang Xiaofan made it to the final four. Only then could Zhang Xiaofan leave the mountain;

Only when the secrets of the Great Brahma Prajna and the Bloodthirsty Pearl are exposed can they attract the attention of both the righteous and the demonic paths.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaofan brought the Xuanhuo Mirror back to Qingyun with him on his way down the mountain.

Under Dao Xuan's secret arrangement, the new top four were finally born: Xiao Yicai, Qi Hao, Lu Xueqi, and Zhang Xiaofan.

After Dao Xuan offered some words of encouragement, the semi-finals officially began.

The first match was between Xiao Yicai and Qi Hao.

"Senior Brother Xiao, please."

"Junior Brother Qi, please."

The two knew each other well and, without much small talk, went straight to meet each other on their swords.

With a loud bang, the two swords clashed, and powerful energy emanated in all directions.

Although Xiao Yicai did not use the Seven Star Sword, Dao Xuan passed on the Qingyang Sword, which he used when he was young, to him.

Its power is no less than that of Tian Buyi's Crimson Flame Immortal Sword.

The disciples below the stage watched the fierce battle with rapt attention, and even the elders were completely absorbed.

Under Dao Xuan's guidance over the years, Xiao Yicai has reached the Great Perfection of the Jade Purity Realm, and is only one step away from the Upper Purity Realm.

Qi Hao was slightly inferior, but he still reached the peak of the ninth level of Jade Purity, with one foot already in the tenth level.

However, he was just a hair's breadth short, and in no time, Qi Hao was defeated.

The two exchanged a few more polite words before stepping down from the stage.

Subsequently, Lu Xueqi and Zhang Xiaofan took to the stage together.

In an instant, the cheers from the audience reached their peak—Lu Xueqi was naturally the focus of the entire event.

Zhang Xiaofan is the biggest dark horse of this competition.

"Junior sister will win!"

"Junior Sister Lu, you must win!"

Many male disciples shouted themselves hoarse from the sidelines.

"Xiao Fan, keep going!"

Tian Ling'er was also cheering from below the stage.

Looking at his senior sister's bright smile, Zhang Xiaofan felt a warmth in his heart and nodded emphatically, "Yes!"

He knew in his heart that he might not be able to defeat Lu Xueqi in this battle, but he was still determined to do his best to win glory for his master and mistress and for Dazhu Peak.

In the blink of an eye, the Soul-Devouring Staff in his hand began to glow with a faint blue light.

The bells and tripods rang out, signaling the official start of the competition.

The Heavenly Jade and the Soul Devourer, these two divine weapons that seemed to be destined rivals, collided with a deafening roar!

With a deafening bang, the entire arena was completely destroyed by the violent shockwave!

It wasn't that the two men's cultivation was superior to Xiao Yicai's, but rather that the power of these two divine weapons was simply too astonishing.

Both Tianya and Shihun are top-tier among the divine weapons of the Nine Heavens.

The leaders stared in astonishment at the chaotic scene on the arena.

I don't understand the origin of that inconspicuous short stick, how it could rival Tianya.

Dao Xuan frowned slightly without realizing it.

He could see clearly that at this moment, it was less that the person was controlling the magic weapon and more that the magic weapon was controlling the person.

Both were drawn into battle by the spirituality of Tianya and Shihun.

It's likely that Lu Xueqi used the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique precisely to break free from Tianya's control.

As expected, to everyone's astonishment, Lu Xueqi gracefully took to the air.

He unleashed the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique, one of the four great true techniques of the Qingyun Sect!

In an instant, dark clouds rolled in, and all things fell silent.

The peerless woman, dressed in snow-white robes and wielding a sky-blue immortal sword, possessed extraordinary grace and captivated the entire audience under the reflection of the thunder.

However, the next moment, everyone exclaimed in surprise, as the woman's face turned pale and her delicate body trembled slightly.

Clearly, it could no longer withstand the backlash from the true technique.

A bolt of lightning struck straight down from the dark clouds!

puff--

Lu Xueqi finally couldn't hold on any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Zhang Xiaofan could only watch helplessly from below, unable to use any spells to defend himself.

"Senior brother!"

Shuiyue, who was standing next to Daoxuan, panicked when she saw this and grabbed Daoxuan's arm.

Dao Xuan felt the force on his arm, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he uttered a clear, deep shout:

"Gather!"

The moment this word was uttered, it contained an inexplicable Daoist charm, instantly overpowering the thunder and wind that filled the sky.

The endless spiritual energy above Lu Xueqi instantly condensed into a Tai Chi Yin-Yang diagram.

It rotated slowly, steadily supporting the falling lightning.

Dao Xuan casually raised his hand and waved it lightly, and the Taiji diagram actually rose against the sky, braving the dazzling heavenly lightning.

It suddenly disappeared into the thick dark clouds.