Immortal Rebellion: Investing in Cause and Effect, Unexpectedly Hijacking Li Muwan's Deal

The second round eliminated nearly two hundred people, most of whom had been trapped in the illusion for too long or showed obvious psychological defects.

The third challenge, "Battle of Wits," will be held the following day.

The remaining 400-plus people will have their opponents determined by drawing lots.

The contestants are paired off, with the winners advancing and the losers being eliminated, until the final ten are determined.

The competition took place simultaneously on ten makeshift arenas.

This time, in addition to Zhou Su and several late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples supervising, intentional killing or maiming is strictly prohibited, and violators will be severely punished.

Lu Xuan drew the number "Jia Qi", which means he will have to play in the first round.

His opponent was a burly, bearded man with early Foundation Establishment cultivation. He wielded a pair of heavy iron hammers and practiced a brutal, hand-to-hand combat style.

On the arena, the burly man with a thick beard looked at Lu Xuan, who had a delicate face and a gentle demeanor, and grinned, saying, "Kid, looking at your soft skin, you might as well admit defeat and save yourself a beating later!"

Lu Xuan simply cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Please enlighten me."

A rogue cultivator in the audience who recognized the burly man whispered, "It's Liu Meng, the 'Mountain-Splitting Hammer.' He's fierce and domineering. This kid's probably doomed."

At the referee's signal, Liu Meng roared and his earth-yellow spiritual energy began to erupt.

He wielded his twin hammers, creating a muffled whooshing sound as he smashed them down on Lu Xuan from the left and right, sealing off all his escape routes.

He wanted to use Lu Xuan to establish his authority, so he used eight-tenths of his strength in his first move.

Lu Xuan did not move until the two hammers were about a foot away from him, then suddenly took half a step to the left front.

This seemingly simple step actually passes right through the gap in the combined force of the two hammers, a truly exquisite feat.

At the same time, he joined his right index and middle fingers together, a faint green light emanating from the fingertips, and struck Liu Meng's chest with lightning speed.

"puff!"

Liu Meng felt a numbness in his chest, and a soft, yin-like force penetrated his meridians, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

He was terrified and hurriedly swung his hammer back, trying to force Lu Xuan back.

Taking advantage of the close proximity, Lu Xuan darted behind him and precisely pointed a finger at the spot opposite his back.

This finger seemed to pierce straight through Liu Meng's body.

He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, staggered forward a few steps, then waved his hands behind him repeatedly, saying, "I'm not fighting anymore, I can't beat you!"

"Lu Qing wins!" the referee announced immediately.

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

Lu Xuan won too quickly and too easily. Before they could even see what happened, Liu Meng was already clutching his chest and back as he left the stage.

Only a few discerning individuals could see it.

Lu Xuan's movement technique and timing in those two steps were nothing short of miraculous.

Those two fingers precisely interrupted Liu Meng's spiritual energy circulation, causing him to suffer a backlash from his own spiritual energy and strength.

Liu Meng stood below the stage, his face alternating between red and white.

"What bad luck, running into a pro right off the bat..."

He knew he had met a master, and could only leave dejectedly.

Lu Xuan walked off the stage with a calm expression.

He deliberately controlled his performance, only managing the timing and placement to the extreme.

In the following rounds, Lu Xuan won easily.

After several rounds of elimination matches, only twelve players remained on the field.

These twelve people still need to fight to determine the final top ten rankings.

Lu Xuan's opponent in this round was a cold-faced young man in black, who was at the late Foundation Establishment stage and was one of the most powerful cultivators in this competition.

His performance in the previous rounds was also very strong, and his ice magic was quite troublesome.

The young man in black had clearly been paying attention to Lu Xuan's previous matches.

From the very beginning, he deliberately distanced himself from Lu Xuan and launched several ice spikes as a ranged attack.

At the same time, he also exuded a chilling aura, attempting to slow down Lu Xuan's movements.

He assumed Lu Xuan was skilled in close-quarters combat, so he didn't give him any chance to get close.

However, Lu Xuan formed hand seals and summoned a fire dragon that swept away!

"Pfft pfft pfft..."

The fire dragon was extremely fast, smashing through the ice spikes one after another before arriving in front of the young man in black.

The young man in black was shocked. He had no time to dodge and could only hastily conjure an ice shield in front of him.

However, he still underestimated the power of the fire dragon.

"Bang!!"

"Snap!"

The dragon head crashed straight into his ice shield. The stalemate lasted for less than half a breath before cracks appeared on his ice shield, which then shattered into ice shards!

The young man in black wanted to retreat again.

But somehow, his feet became entangled by two extremely thin, almost transparent, bluish-green grass stems.

Although the two grass stems did not completely immobilize him, they did make him pause for a moment.

In that short moment, the red dragon had already arrived in front of him, stopping abruptly less than an inch from his nose!

The faucet was still spewing out scorching heat.

The young man in black could already smell the burnt smell of his own hair being roasted.

"I surrender!!!" he shouted without hesitation.

"You flatter me." Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan withdrew his hands, and the fire dragon immediately dissipated.

The young man in black looked very ugly, but the other party had indeed shown mercy.

He took a deep breath, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Lu Xuan, and said, "I admire you."

He then turned and left the stage.

Although Zhou Su was standing quite far away, he was secretly observing the battle unfolding on this side.

He nodded slightly and said to the disciple beside him, "Lu Qing has been fighting in close combat, which has left people with the impression that he is good at close-quarters fighting."

But in reality, his ranged spells are also quite good, and he uses fire and wood attributes quite well, making him a promising talent.

Ultimately, Lu Qing (Lu Xuan)'s name ranked fifth, and he successfully obtained the qualification of an inner disciple.

After the competition ended, Zhou Su reappeared and announced:

"From this day forward, you ten are the inner disciples of my Luohe Sect."

An elder from within the sect will arrive shortly to select disciples based on your qualifications and strengths.

Those not selected will also have their apprenticeships arranged by the sect.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, several powerful divine senses swept out from inside the mountain gate and landed on the ten people.

Then, four figures appeared from the air.

The three men and one woman were all dressed in dark blue Taoist robes with silver trim, signifying their status as elders, and all of them were at least at the Core Formation stage.

One of the elderly men, with a gaunt face and bright, piercing eyes, scanned back and forth between Lu Xuan and the other two individuals with outstanding wood-type spiritual roots.

After a moment, he spoke in a calm voice: "I am Zhao Mu, in charge of the alchemy room in the C section of the Earth Fire Palace. I am skilled in earth fire alchemy and fire magic control."

Lu Qing, would you be willing to become my disciple, even if it's just a nominal one?

First, learn the basic principles of alchemy and fire control from me. After six months, you will be assessed again. If you pass, you can become a formal disciple.

Lu Xuan's heart stirred slightly. Zhao Mu was skilled in alchemy using earth fire, which perfectly suited his needs for later encountering the tribulation of earth fire.

He immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Disciple Lu Qing greets Master!"

Zhao Mu nodded and tossed a cyan jade token to Lu Xuan with a flick of his sleeve.

"Take this token to the Inner Affairs Hall to complete the entry procedures and collect your items. Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), come to see me at the alchemy room number seven in the Earth Fire Hall."

"Yes."

The other elders also selected other disciples.

Soon, all ten people found a place to belong.

Zhao Mu said to Lu Xuan, "You go with them to the Inner Affairs Hall first."

Just as Lu Xuan was preparing to enter the mountain gate with the other new disciples,

The teleportation array at the entrance of the mountain gate flashed with light.

Two figures walked out, slightly unsteady; they were Li Qiqing and Li Muwan.