The entry for cultivating immortality states that after dying a hundred times, I attained immortalit

Two days have passed since the night raid.

This morning, Jiang Bai slowly finished his practice in his small courtyard, and the dark green poisonous gas surrounding him completely disappeared into his body.

He opened his eyes and exhaled a breath that had a faint, sweet, metallic scent.

"The late stage of Qi Refining Level 1 is now completely stable."

Feeling the poisonous spiritual power in his dantian, which was nearly 30% stronger than it had been two days ago, Jiang Bai nodded in satisfaction.

After killing Li San that night, the clan elder gave him an extra ten low-grade spirit stones and a bottle of Corrupting Heart Pills as compensation.

Ostensibly, it was to appease the frightened Jiang Bai, but in reality, it was to reward him for killing the enemy and preserving the family's reputation.

In the past two days, apart from necessary eating and sleeping, Jiang Bai has spent all his time cultivating.

The combination of the "Poisonous Miasma Technique" and the Corrupting Heart Pill, along with the [Toxicity Immunity], allowed him to absorb the toxicity from the corrupting miasma without restraint, resulting in rapid progress in his cultivation.

"At this rate, I should be able to attempt to break through to the second level of Qi Refining in a few days."

As Jiang Bai was making his plans, there was a gentle knock on the courtyard gate.

"Young master, are you awake?"

It was Xiao Cui's voice.

Compared to a while ago, this voice carried less rigid respect and more awe.

That night, she personally witnessed Li San's body being carried out.

They also saw signs of a struggle inside the room.

A cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining killed a beast tamer at the third level of Qi Refining.

Regardless of the methods used, this strength and ruthlessness were enough to make her reassess this "surveillance target".

"Come in."

Jiang Bai stood up and dusted off his robes.

Xiao Cui pushed open the door and entered, holding something that looked like an invitation. She bowed and said, "Young Master, today is the clan's semi-annual martial arts competition, which will begin at 3:45 AM in the training ground. All cultivators must participate. This is your participation certificate."

Jiang Bai took it and glanced at it.

His name and group number were simply written on it.

They are newcomers to the Qi Refining Group.

The competition rules are as follows: the penalty is reduced to a point, and no intentional injury or death is permitted.

The reward is a number of spirit stones and pills, as well as the opportunity to enter the Poisonous Miasma Cave for three days of cultivation.

"understood."

Jiang Bai put the token into his pocket and looked at Xiao Cui: "How many matches do you think I can win?"

Xiao Cui was taken aback, then lowered her head and said, "This servant dares not speak presumptuously... but since you, young master, were able to defeat the strong with the weak, you must have gained something from this martial arts competition."

"There will surely be something to gain..."

Jiang Bai laughed: "Yes, if you win, you get spirit stones, pills, and three days to cultivate in the Poisonous Miasma Cave. If you lose, there's not much to lose, at most you'll be laughed at a few times."

He paused, then asked casually, "By the way, what happened in the manor after that night?"

Xiao Cui hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Li San's body was sent back to the Li family by the clan elders. The Li family didn't react much, but privately, it's said that the head of the Li family lost his temper and smashed a tea set."

"Oh? Is it because you're heartbroken over the death of an animal tamer?"

"This servant does not know."

"What about the Grand Elder?"

Xiao Cui lowered her head even further: "The Grand Elder... has been staying in seclusion these past few days, and usually has his trusted confidants relay his daily affairs. But today, for the clan's martial arts competition, he will definitely be there in person."

Jiang Bai chuckled: "He certainly knows how to pick his timing."

Xiao Cui didn't dare to reply.

Jiang Bai waved his hand: "Alright, you go ahead and get busy. I'll change my clothes and head to the training ground."

"Yes."

After Xiao Cui left, Jiang Bai returned to the house and changed into a clean blue short jacket.

He looked at himself in the bronze mirror. The boy in the mirror had delicate features, but his eyes revealed a coldness that was not commensurate with his age.

"A clan martial arts competition..."

Jiang Bai straightened his cuffs, thinking to himself, "This is my first time participating. I'm no longer the useless person I used to be. Showing my strength is a must, otherwise I'll never get the good resources."

"As for the Grand Elder's lineage..."

His eyes turned slightly cold: "It's a good opportunity to use this martial arts competition to see who his lackeys are. Make a note of them, and deal with them one by one later."

At 7:45 AM, at the Jiang family's martial arts training ground.

This bluestone plaza, located on the east side of the mansion, is about thirty feet long and wide. The ground is paved with a single piece of black granite, which is hard and wear-resistant, and can absorb the residual spiritual energy to a certain extent.

On the north side of the square, a three-foot-high wooden viewing platform was erected, where more than ten high-ranking members, including clan chief Jiang Yunshan, elder Jiang Zhen, and clan elder Jiang Yuanshan, were already seated.

Below the stage, more than a hundred members of the Jiang family were divided into three groups according to their cultivation level: about forty people in the initial stage of Qi Refining (levels one to three), about fifty people in the middle stage of Qi Refining (levels four to six), and more than twenty people in the late stage of Qi Refining (levels seven to nine).

Jiang Bai stood among the newcomers, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire scene.

[Killing Intent Perception] has been activated at this time.

In an instant, several ideas surged forth like a tide.

Most of them were eager to fight, but a few were quite different.

Jiang Bai followed his senses and looked over. There were several young disciples standing below the elder's seat. Most of them were at the second or third level of Qi Refining. They were looking at him with disdain, hostility and a hint of jealousy in their eyes.

"It seems that Li San's death has made some people very unhappy."

Jiang Bai sneered inwardly, but his face remained expressionless.

He even nodded slightly to one of them, a tall, thin young man with triangular eyes.

The young man was taken aback, then turned his head away with a gloomy expression.

"childish."

Jiang Bai withdrew his gaze and began to observe other noteworthy individuals.

Clan chief Jiang Yunshan sat in the middle, resting with his eyes closed.

This patriarch, who was at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, rarely showed his face. His presence to watch the battle today sent a certain signal.

The First Elder, Jiang Zhen, sat on the left, his expression indeed not good. Occasionally, when he whispered to his confidant beside him, his brows were always furrowed.

Elder Jiang Yuanshan sat on the right, talking to a steward beside him. His gaze occasionally swept across the audience, lingering on Jiang Bai for a moment before he nodded.

"Entering the Qi Refining Group, First Round of Drawing Lots!"

The elder referee's voice faded.

A deacon carried a wooden box to the front of the new group, and the disciples took turns drawing a box.

Jiang Bai drew "C1".

Soon, the match schedule was announced.

There are 42 people in the initial group. The first round will consist of 21 matches. Jiang Bai's opponent is "Bing Er".

He is Jiang Hu, a member of a collateral branch of the family.

"Jiang Hu..."

Jiang Bai searched his memory for the name.

I don't have much of an impression of him; he's probably not a direct descendant of the Jiang family.

As for cultivation level...

He glanced at the burly young man with a fierce face not far away.

He's at the second level of Qi Refining, but his aura isn't very stable; he must have just broken through recently.

"Category 1 Jiang Bai versus Category 2 Jiang Hu! Step onto Arena Number 3!"

The elder referee announced loudly.

Jiang Bai stepped out of the crowd and leaped onto the third arena.

It was a stone platform, surrounded by a simple protective light curtain.

Jiang Hu also jumped up from the other side, and the impact of his landing made the platform tremble slightly.

He was eight feet tall, with bulging muscles. He didn't look like a cultivator, but more like an ordinary martial artist. He was also carrying a machete.

"Jiang Bai?"

Jiang Hu looked Jiang Bai up and down, grinning, "I heard you killed the Li family's beast tamer a few days ago? You're pretty lucky."

Jiang Bai didn't reply, he just stood there quietly.

"Unfortunately, luck doesn't work in a duel."

Jiang Hu slung the machete over his shoulder, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"I heard you picked up a poison technique book and started practicing it recklessly? Don't get poisoned to death by your own poison later, that would be a huge joke."

A few low laughs came from the audience.

Jiang Bai looked up at Jiang Hu and calmly asked, "Are you finished?"

Jiang Hu was taken aback.

"I'll get started right away," Jiang Bai added. "I'm in a hurry."

"you--!"

Jiang Hu's face twitched with rage, and he laughed coldly, "Fine! Fine! Today I'll teach you what respect really means!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly pushed off with his feet and charged straight at us like a bull!

The machete was swung in a wide arc and cleaved down, the wind from the blade whistling, its momentum astonishing!

This strike was devoid of any fancy moves; it was pure brute force. With his cultivation at the second level of Qi Refining, coupled with this greatsword weighing at least a hundred pounds, it was enough to shatter the protective spiritual power of a first-level Qi Refining cultivator!

But Jiang Bai didn't dodge.

He even took a step forward at the very moment the blade was about to strike.

This action stunned everyone watching from below the stage.

"Are you looking for death?"

"Should we take it head-on?"

Amid exclamations of surprise, Jiang Bai raised his right hand, and the poisonous spiritual power rapidly condensed in his palm, transforming into a cloud of dark green mist.

The first move of the Poisonous Mist Technique: Poisonous Mist Palm!

Instead of directly confronting the blade, he struck Jiang Hu's wrist, which was holding the knife, with a palm at the very moment the blade was about to fall!

"Snapped!"

The poisonous mist palm struck the wrist.

Jiang Hu felt a numbness in his wrist, and a cold, poisonous substance surged up his arm's meridians, causing his grip on the knife to weaken by a third.

The blade veered off course by half a foot, grazing Jiang Bai's clothes before striking the arena, sending sparks flying.

"you--!"

Just as Jiang Hu was about to draw his sword and strike again, he suddenly felt dizzy and his vision went black.

"Poison...you poisoned me..."

He staggered backward, his face turning bluish-purple at a visible speed.

Jiang Bai stood still and asked calmly, "In a martial arts arena, is using poison considered a violation?"

The elder judge's voice rang out at the opportune moment: "The use of poison by a poison cultivator is not considered a violation. However, if it results in serious injury or death, the cultivator will bear full responsibility."

Jiang Bai nodded and looked at Jiang Hu: "Admit defeat, and I'll give you the antidote."

Jiang Hu gritted his teeth and tried to hold on, but the poison was already penetrating his lungs and internal organs. He felt his limbs getting weaker and weaker, and he could barely hold the knife anymore.

"I...accept..."

Before he could even utter the word "lose," his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground.

"Category 1, Jiang Baisheng!"

The elder referee announced loudly, while simultaneously waving his hand to release a burst of spiritual energy, dispelling the toxins from Jiang Hu's body.

This is just a martial arts competition; there's no need to actually kill anyone.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by a murmur of discussion.

"One move?"

"Jiang Hu is at the second level of Qi Refining. Even though he just broke through, he shouldn't be this fragile..."

"That poison is quite potent."

Jiang Bai ignored the comments, jumped off the stage, and returned to his original position.

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing to recover the spiritual energy he had just consumed.

The Poison Mist Palm technique is quite powerful, but it consumes a lot of energy. With his current cultivation level, he can only use it five times in a row before his spiritual energy is exhausted.

"We need to use it sparingly."

About half an hour later, the first round of the initial group ended, and 21 people advanced.

In the second round of the draw, Jiang Bai drew "Level 2". His opponent was Jiang Lin, a female cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining.

More importantly, she is the granddaughter of the Grand Elder.

"This is interesting."

Jiang Bai looked at the girl in the pale yellow dress on the opposite stage.

She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pretty face, but her eyes and brows carried an air of arrogance, and she was staring at him coldly at the moment.

"Round Two, Jiang Bai (Bride 2) versus Jiang Lin (Bride 5)! Step onto stage number two!"