78: Chapter 78 Blood Demon Powder

Heavenly Sword Sect.

A certain great hall.

Fairy Qingling sat upright on a meditation mat, dressed in a moon-white immortal dress, her face pure and otherworldly.

“Disciple pays respects to Master.” Jiang Lijuan bowed respectfully to Fairy Qingling.

Fairy Qingling lightly raised her hand, signaling her to rise: “How is your mastery of the secret technique?”

“Reporting to Master, it has already reached Major Achievement,” Jiang Lijuan replied.

Fairy Qingling smiled upon hearing this: “Very good. You have always been diligent and cautious; you truly did not disappoint Master.”

Saying that, she changed the subject: “Lijuan, this Grand Competition is filled with talent. Are you confident in taking the championship?”

Jiang Lijuan bowed once more before saying: “Master, your Disciple does not dare to speak lightly of certain victory, but I will certainly go all out and give it my everything!”

She knew clearly in her heart that her Master had always placed high hopes on her, especially wanting her to win the championship of the Grand Competition.

“Good, with those words from you, Master can rest easy.” Fairy Qingling continued: “If you can win the championship, go to the Heavenly Sword Sect treasury and select the spirit suppressing pearl.”

“The spirit suppressing pearl?” Jiang Lijuan was somewhat confused as to why Fairy Qingling would choose this treasure.

“I owe your Senior Martial Uncle Qingxuan a favor; this spirit suppressing pearl is what he wants!” Fairy Qingling answered.

“Master, rest assured, your Disciple will definitely bring the spirit suppressing pearl to you!” Jiang Lijuan stated.

...

As the Grand Competition drew closer, more and more Disciples gathered on the Heavenly Sword Sect square.

Hu Nan also followed Qin Changsheng's orders and began scouting for information on the square.

“The rewards for this session are so rich!”

“I heard you can even enter the treasury to pick a treasure!”

“The champion of this competition will probably be Senior Brother Lin!”

“Lin Hao lost an arm; it will likely be very difficult for him!”

“The referee for this competition is Lin Zhentian!”

“I heard Qingxuan is preparing to take a Disciple during the competition!”

“I think first place will be Jiang Lijuan!”

The Disciples on the square were all discussing the Grand Competition.

“Senior Brother Hu, why are you here?” At that moment, a familiar voice drifted over.

Hu Nan turned to look and saw Li Hu appearing not far away.

“So it is Junior Brother Li!” Hu Nan nodded slightly.

“Senior Brother Hu, I know some insider information about the Grand Competition!”

“Shall we go to Qingyun Tower and chat over some wine?” Li Hu said mysteriously.

Hu Nan did not speak, but instead relayed this information to Qin Changsheng.

“Li Hu?” Back in the small courtyard, Qin Changsheng opened his eyes, which were filled with doubt.

With the Grand Competition imminent, Li Hu inviting him for wine at this time certainly boded no good.

Furthermore, at the beginning of this year, the look Li Hu gave Hu Nan was entirely one of greed.

However, Qin Changsheng felt no fear.

After all, Hu Nan was just an External Incarnation; even if Hu Nan died, he could summon the Incarnation again with a single Spirit Stone.

Whatever Li Hu's purpose was, since he had taken the initiative to come to the door, there was no reason to refuse.

He wanted to see for himself what this usually obscure Li Hu was up to, and whether there was someone else behind him pulling the strings.

“Go!” Qin Changsheng said.

Upon hearing the instruction, Hu Nan immediately said: “Fine, Junior Brother Li, let us go to Qingyun Tower together!”

Hearing this, Li Hu immediately pulled Hu Nan towards Qingyun Tower.

Along the way, Li Hu kept introducing matters regarding the Grand Competition to Hu Nan.

Before long, Li Hu and Hu Nan arrived in a private room inside Qingyun Tower.

The private room was elegantly furnished, with a pearwood table placed in the center. On the table were two sets of bowls and chopsticks, a pot of warmed spiritual wine, and several plates of exquisite spiritual food.

“Senior Brother Hu, please...” Li Hu raised his wine cup.

Hu Nan did not hesitate and directly raised his cup.

After the two of them had a drink, Li Hu slowly began to introduce the Heavenly Sword Sect's Grand Competition.

“Senior Brother Hu may not know, but this Heavenly Sword Sect Grand Competition is divided into two rounds. The rules are simple and clear, yet also extremely rigorous.”

“The first round is the Arena Challenge. The Sect will set up sixteen stages in the Martial Arts Arena. Tomorrow morning, all participating Disciples may take the stage. As long as one can stand firmly on the stage and defend it without being knocked off by other Disciples, they can directly advance to the top sixteen and qualify for the second round of elimination matches.”

“The Arena Challenge seems simple, but in reality, it is not.” Li Hu paused and added, “There are many participating Disciples with varying levels of strength. Defending a stage is by no means an easy task, especially since those powerful Disciples will definitely take the initiative to challenge and fight for a spot.”

Hu Nan nodded slightly: “Then what are the rules for the second round of elimination matches?”

Li Hu smiled and said: “The second round is the elimination stage, and the rules are even simpler. After the top sixteen advance, opponents will be determined by drawing lots. They will face off in pairs; the winner advances to the next round, and the loser is directly eliminated. This continues until only two people remain for the final to determine the champion of this Grand Competition.”

“The position of champion not only comes with rich rewards from the Sect treasury but also the chance to be taken as a Disciple by an Elder, and even the possibility of obtaining a foundation establishment pill!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Hu raised his wine cup toward Hu Nan again, his tone enthusiastic: “Come, Senior Brother Hu, let me toast you again. I wish you good results in advance!”

Hu Nan also raised his cup.

Right after Hu Nan drank this cup of wine, Qin Changsheng discovered an anomaly.

Because he found that an additional status had appeared on Hu Nan's attribute panel.

[Hu Nan: External Incarnation]

[Cultivation: Level 10 Qi Refining Stage]

[trait Buffs: Sword Heart Clarity, Breath Concealment, Storage Space]

[Status: blood demon powder]

“blood demon powder?!” Qin Changsheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he checked the details of the blood demon powder.

[blood demon powder: A secret poison of the Blood Demon Sect. After consuming blood demon powder, strength decreases by thirty percent and spiritual power is reduced by half, lasting for ten days.]

Seeing the words 'blood demon powder', Qin Changsheng instantly recalled that full moon night at Qingyun Lake.

At that time, he had wondered why the back of the mysterious masked man seemed so familiar.

It turned out that it was Li Hu's back.

Furthermore, the news about the black wind sword last year was also leaked by Li Hu.

Hu Nan had just obtained the black wind sword when Manager Ma Yingjie rushed over to kill him.

More importantly, this blood demon powder was a secret poison of the Blood Demon Sect.

Only high-level members of the Blood Demon Sect could possess it.

All sorts of clues pointed to that mysterious Young Lord being Li Hu.

Qin Changsheng had not expected that Li Hu would hide so deeply.

Only, he did not understand—if Li Hu was the Young Lord, then what was Chen Erniu's identity?

Qin Changsheng did not lash out; he simply had Hu Nan exchange a few pleasantries with Li Hu before leaving in a hurry.

Regarding this blood demon powder, Qin Changsheng did not take it to heart at all.

Because Hu Nan was just an Incarnation.

He only needed to have Hu Nan commit suicide and then summon a new Incarnation.

The new Incarnation would absolutely not have the blood demon powder.

None of Li Hu's schemes would have any effect.

...

Heavenly Sword Sect.

Sect Head's Hall.

Sect Leader Xuanyangzi sat behind a jade table in the center of the hall.

On the jade table lay a yellowed ancient scroll. Sect Leader Xuanyangzi stroked his beard with one hand and lightly pressed the scroll with the other, his expression focused. At times his brows furrowed, and at times he was lost in thought, as if deeply drawn in by the contents of the scroll.

At this time, Fairy Qingling walked in from outside.

Until Fairy Qingling walked up to him, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi did not make a move.

“Sect Head Senior Brother, what book are you reading that has you so engrossed?” Fairy Qingling inquired.

Sect Leader Xuanyangzi slowly came back to his senses and closed the ancient scroll in his hand: “It is nothing, just a long-circulated rumor. I had nothing to do, so I pulled it out to take a look, and I didn't expect to get so absorbed.”

A flash of curiosity appeared in Fairy Qingling's eyes: “Sect Head Senior Brother, a rumor that can make you so engrossed must be no ordinary anecdote. I wonder if you could tell me, to satisfy my curiosity?”

Seeing Fairy Qingling's curious look, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi smiled lightly and said: “This rumor is from a long time ago, its truth hard to discern. It says that during the ancient period, there was a Senior of the Soul Transformation stage with peerless talent and unfathomable cultivation, who was only one step away from the Undergoing Tribulation stage.”

“That Soul Transformation Senior spent countless efforts and prepared for a hundred years, gathering all kinds of Heaven And Earth Treasures, to charge toward the next stage. But the realm beyond Soul Transformation is too difficult; it is a natural chasm on the path of cultivation. Since ancient times, countless Soul Transformation Seniors have fallen at this step, and that Senior was no exception.”

Speaking to this point, a bit of regret entered Sect Leader Xuanyangzi's tone: “He failed to break through, his Divine Soul was damaged, and his Physical Body was on the verge of collapse. He should have suffered Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, completely vanishing from the world. But that Senior had amazing willpower and unfathomable magic power. When his Divine Soul was about to dissipate, he performed a Heaven-Defying secret technique, using great magic power to forcibly protect his Divine Soul, shedding his damaged Physical Body to undergo Reincarnation, attempting to seek Opportunity again in his next life to charge toward the Soul Transformation realm.”

“Reincarnation?” Fairy Qingling’s body shook slightly, a flash of unbelievable light appearing in her eyes.