Banshee Family Training Record

Page 287

The female cultivator chanted an incantation, and the spiritual energy threads in her hands flickered. Six wooden puppets scattered and, breaking the sound barrier, attacked Yun Chuan from all directions.

Yun Chu'an only dodged and didn't attack, only defended and didn't offensive, intentionally letting this female cultivator display her strengths and advantages. Seeing him fall into a disadvantageous position, the crowd below couldn't help but feel contempt, thinking that this guy had quite the big mouth, but his skill level was actually only so-so.

Only the female cultivator on the field grew increasingly nervous as the fight progressed, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her forehead. She had already exhausted all her methods, and an ordinary opponent would have long been driven to the brink of defeat. However, in this limited battlefield, her opponent's evasion remained effortless, indicating that her opponent's skill level far surpassed hers.

A competitive spirit rose within her, and with a determined bite, she urged the wooden figures to attack him, leaving only an opening. As Yun Chu'an dodged in that direction as she had predicted, she suddenly shouted, "Take this!"

Then, the spiritual threads that she was using to manipulate the wooden puppet suddenly transformed into a giant net, wrapping around Xiang Yun Chuan's body!

Chapter 573 Winning streak

"Ok?"

Seeing that her silk threads could not only control puppets, but also have such wonderful uses, Yun Chu'an's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but secretly admire her ingenuity.

He was indeed unable to dodge in time and was entangled by her silk threads, unable to move, while the six wooden figures then attacked him.

Offstage, the other five contestants at the early stage of the Golden Core realm all believed that his defeat was inevitable. Only the old man at the late stage of the Golden Core realm showed anticipation in his eyes. He knew that Yun Chuan, who had been holding back all along, would have to use some of his true abilities.

Sure enough, the next moment, Yun Chu'an shouted, "Ha—!"

His body suddenly hardened and grew larger. His bluestone-like body broke free from the threads of spiritual energy and transformed into a giant blue ape that was a hundred meters tall.

At the same time, blinding lightning appeared on his legs, propelling his massive body forward at supersonic speeds. His thick arms rose high, and his terrifying fists slammed towards the woman.

The female cultivator's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly dodged backward. However, her slender body was not as fast as Yun Chuan's hundred-meter-tall stone body. The giant fist struck her body head-on, sending her flying like a sandbag. She flew straight backward for a distance of a thousand meters, crashing heavily into the barrier, spitting out blood, and falling to the ground.

The wooden puppets she brought onto the stage also immediately lost control, fell to the ground, and were unable to move, clearly having completely lost their ability to resist.

Yun Chu'an reverted to his original form, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your kind offer."

His expression was calm, showing little guilt or concern for the other person's condition. For a Golden Core cultivator, even if their physical body is completely destroyed and only the Golden Core remains, they can reshape their body. As long as their head doesn't fall off, it's not considered a serious injury. A mere fracture and spitting blood are not even minor injuries. At most, they can recover in an hour or two.

Across from her, the female cultivator's face was deathly pale. She didn't even bother to pull out the broken rib piercing her heart first. She knew Yun Chu'an had held back, intentionally letting her perform for the audience, which was why the battle had dragged on for so long. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Therefore, she first bowed to him to express her gratitude, then turned and stepped off the stage, while circulating her spiritual power to reposition the ribs that had pierced her heart and lungs, and slowly healed herself.

Yun Chu'an ignored her, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below, and asked softly, "Who's next?"

At this moment, the five people dared not say anything more. Recalling the transformation he had just suddenly displayed, they racked their brains to think of various ways to break the deadlock. For a long time, no one responded and dared not step forward.

Only the old man in the late stage of Golden Core frowned slightly, feeling that Yun Chu'an probably hadn't used his full strength yet.

However, all of this was irrelevant to him; he was merely a referee. His gaze swept over the other five cultivators, and seeing that they dared not accept the challenge, he said, "In that case, let's draw lots."

With a wave of his hand, a sealed earthenware jar appeared in his hand, gesturing for everyone to come and grab one. The five people came over one by one, taking turns to draw a slip of paper and holding it in their hands. When they opened it, the person who drew the last slip was overjoyed, while the person who drew the first slip was as if they had lost their parents.

However, since the order had been determined, the elder in the late Golden Core stage urged them to hurry up and go on stage to fight.

A young and handsome male cultivator looked indignant, as if he was very unhappy that he was so unlucky and had to face Yun Chu'an so soon.

But he quickly composed himself and took out various magical treasures from his storage bag, including an official hat with phoenix inscriptions on the wings, a long robe made of white feathers, and a longevity lock for protection at his waist. He activated them all, making his whole body colorful and ready for battle as if facing a formidable enemy.

Seeing his expression, Yun Chu'an guessed that he probably didn't have many complicated methods left to use, as all his skills were in his magical artifacts.

Sure enough, this guy activated his magical artifacts and attacked, chanting incessantly. The artifacts flashed in turn, unleashing a barrage of flames, frost, lightning, and gales, creating a scene of utter chaos where the sky darkened, the sun and moon lost their light, and smoke filled the entire venue.

Yun Chu'an didn't retaliate at all, he just dodged. He had already realized that his opponent's fighting style couldn't last.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before this guy's spiritual energy was almost completely depleted, and he was panting heavily.

This time, he didn't even need to transform into a stone ape. He charged straight up and delivered a powerful elbow strike to the man's chest. The man screamed "Wait—!" but still flew backward, clutching his heart and spitting out blood, unable to fight back.

He clapped his hands and stood still, calm and collected, waiting for his next opponent to take the stage. The crowd erupted in uproar, but the old man presiding over the event kept urging him on, so he had no choice but to go up on stage again, only to be defeated by him.

Yun Chu'an intentionally controlled the length of the matches, but even so, after a morning, all six matches were over, and he secured the championship title in the early Golden Core stage with his outstanding performance.

"call……"

After finishing all the matches, he bowed to the elderly referee in the late stage of the Golden Core realm to express his gratitude, then left the arena to meditate and recuperate.

The old man looked at the remaining six cultivators. It was still early, and he asked them with his eyes if they were still willing to compete.

Having just lost to Yun Chu'an, although their injuries weren't serious, everyone was in low spirits. The old man noticed their mood and waved his hand, indicating that the match would be suspended for today and resume tomorrow.

After announcing all this, he was too lazy to waste any more time in the arena here, so he flew to the arena for late-stage Golden Core cultivators to watch the matches there.

Even though the early-stage Golden Core competition is the most age-sensitive and best reveals the talent of the participants, the participants are still relatively young and have limited skills. In the eyes of these already discerning Golden Core cultivators, their competition is not exciting or thrilling enough.

Only the arena at the late Golden Core stage can meet their needs. Therefore, at this moment, that arena is attracting the most attention.

The early stages of the Golden Core competition were suspended, and the remaining participants dispersed to rest, adjust their condition, and prepare for the next day's competition.

Yun Chuan had nothing to do, but he didn't go back. He followed the referee across several thousand meters to the vicinity of the late-stage Golden Core arena to watch the competition and learn from it.

Meanwhile, above the arena, Duke Jin and a group of important officials sat cross-legged, watching the arena below where late-stage Golden Core cultivators competed, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

Beside him, Sheng Linglong, dressed in her finest attire, sat cross-legged beside her father. But today, this princess, who was usually quite carefree and self-satisfied, wore a frosty expression, as if someone had angered her.

Her attention was different from that of the many ministers behind her; instead of focusing on the late-stage Golden Core competition, she kept sneaking peeks at the early-stage Golden Core competition.

Seeing Yun Chu'an win one victory after another and secure the championship in advance, the frost on her face gradually dissipated, but then she remembered something and felt a surge of resentment again.

Noticing his daughter's emotional change, Duke Jin turned his head slightly and took in the situation on the field in the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

He nodded slightly and chuckled, "As expected, he won the championship over there. And I can tell that he hasn't even used his full strength yet. Heh, I'm afraid even if those six people joined forces, they wouldn't be a match for him, would they?"

Sheng Linglong turned her face away, showing no joy at her father's praise: "Hmm."

She gave a perfunctory answer, and the Duke of Jin's eyes trembled slightly. He was quite certain that the reason his daughter was in a bad mood was because of Yun Chu'an: "What's wrong? Did you have a fight with him?"

Sheng Linglong bit her lower lip and pushed her father away, saying, "I'm not angry. Oh, Dad, please don't worry about it."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Jin said no more. He knew very well that his daughter had indeed quarreled with Yun Chu'an, but as an elder, he felt it was inappropriate to interfere in the emotional matters between young people, so he remained silent.

Chapter 574 Whoever wins the championship, this princess will marry him!

However, the Duke of Jin believed that with his daughter's abilities, she could handle their previous relationship issues, so he stopped talking and focused his attention back on the competition for the late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Watching the young cultivator on the stage display his extraordinary prowess and defeat his opponent once again, the Duke of Jin couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. He turned to a minister behind him and said, "Minister Sima, this young man in your family is truly remarkable."

Now, the cultivator on the platform is Sima Lixin. Today, he is wearing a set of golden armor that shines brightly. He holds two steel whips, one long and one short, in each hand. He is good at both offense and defense. No one can break through his defense. They can only be defeated by his continuous and relentless attacks.

The later stages of the Golden Core competition started earlier than the earlier stages because there were fewer participants there, and most of the competitions have already been completed.

At this rate, he probably won't encounter any rivals. It's already a foregone conclusion that he will advance triumphantly and win the championship.

Sima Zongzheng couldn't hide his smile and said modestly, "Not at all, not at all. My grandson still has a lot to learn. Who knows, there might be someone even stronger than me in the future!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another middle-aged female minister with a round face suddenly spoke up, "You said it, Lord Sima, then I won't give you that face."

Sima Zongzheng feigned surprise: "Lord Cheng, please speak. There's no need to worry about saving face for me."

The female Golden Core cultivator surnamed Cheng immediately said, "I think some cultivators are hesitant to go all out. A great reward will surely bring forth brave men. Your Majesty, I am willing to donate the Four-Colored Lotus as an additional reward for the late-stage Golden Core competition, to encourage the participants to spare no effort in winning the championship!"

As she spoke, she turned to face the Duke of Jin. Upon hearing this, the crowd on the clouds erupted in uproar.

The Four-Colored Lotus was a priceless treasure bestowed upon the Cheng family patriarch by the Great Zhou Emperor. It possessed boundless wonders, not only aiding in cultivation but also rapidly reshaping the physical body.

There was once a young cultivator who was killed before he could form his core, leaving only a remnant soul. However, he was fortunate enough to be protected by this four-colored lotus. Not only did he not perish, but he also successfully reconstructed his physical body. He even turned misfortune into blessing and directly entered the Golden Core realm!

Not to mention that even if a Golden Core cultivator only has one remaining pill, he can return to his peak after meditating for three days!

This is an extremely rare life-saving artifact, which could even be used as a family treasure for some small families. However, today, the Cheng family is actually going to donate it to encourage the young talents of Jin.

Standing to the side, Minister Sima looked satisfied, but still waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "Oh dear, how could I accept that? What if Xin'er really wins the championship? Wouldn't that be taking away someone else's prize?"

The female minister surnamed Cheng said, "Wait a minute, Lord Sima, these four-colored lotuses are not for your family, but for the champion of the competition, the future pillar of our Great Jin. Don't make any boasts, what if your grandson loses later!"

Sima Zongzheng laughed heartily: "Then let's wait and see!"

The Duke of Jin watched as his two ministers sang in unison. Although they were doing it "for the country," he could tell that they had secretly formed a faction. He said nothing, but nodded slightly and said, "Very well, then I will announce this matter."

The female minister surnamed Cheng took the four-colored lotus from her storage bag and handed it to the Duke, clearly having prepared in advance and not acting hastily.

The Duke of Jin saw everything and chuckled inwardly. He took the document, placed it in front of him, looked down at the crowd on the ground, and spoke in a booming voice: "Announcement: An additional overall champion will be appointed for the Martial Arts Tournament. There will be no separate venue for the champion; all participants may compete for this title."

"The winner of the overall championship will receive an additional reward for the event: a four-colored lotus, a treasure bestowed by the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

He announced this to the entire audience, but he had his own agenda. Instead of saying that the treasure was for the winner of the late-stage Golden Core competition, he added the title of "overall champion".

His booming voice resounded for miles around, and everyone present, whether spectators or contestants, was in an uproar, marveling at the official's generosity in daring to offer such a treasure as a reward.

However, upon hearing the additional selection criteria for the "Grand Champion," the crowd's excitement quickly subsided. The reason was simple: this rule clearly favored those in the late-stage Golden Core realm, while those in the mid-stage and early-stage realms, due to the difference in cultivation levels, were essentially exempt from this consideration.

Above the clouds, Sima Zongzheng also felt something was amiss, but upon closer reflection, he figured it was probably just a formality. After all, no one could defeat his grandson, so he figured he might as well let it go.

Then, everyone's attention turned to the late-stage Golden Core arena, to the cultivator clad in golden armor, wielding long and short steel whips. Everyone suspected that the "championship" was meant for him; among those present, only he possessed the ability to claim the crown.

Sima Lixin looked up, his expression excited. He knew better than anyone that all of this was actually prepared for him. The family's plan was proceeding smoothly, and he only had one last match left. If he could defeat one last opponent, he would win the championship.

Besides this, another impulse filled his heart. Now he couldn't wait any longer. Looking at the crowd above the clouds, he saw Princess Sheng Linglong, whom he had been longing for day and night. Seeing her stunning beauty, a surge of blood rushed to his head.

An inexplicable impulse drove him to disregard everything and suddenly kneel down on one knee before the Duke of Jin!

"His Majesty!"

His voice trembled as he called out to the heavens, “Your Majesty has shown me boundless kindness, and I am deeply grateful. However, I still have a wish that has been lingering for many years, and I cannot find a way to express it. Today, I dare to ask Your Majesty to grant my request!”

Above the clouds, the Duke of Jin remained expressionless: "Speak freely."

Then, Sima Lixin, his voice trembling, called out, "Your Majesty, I have long admired Your Highness, but due to my status and abilities, I have never dared to express my love. Only today, as I am about to ascend the throne, do I dare to ask Your Majesty to marry the princess to me!"

He staged a public marriage proposal, causing another uproar at the scene. No one expected that this promising champion would take the opportunity to make such a request.

Above the clouds, the Duke of Jin's expression turned somewhat cold. The Sima family members seemed to be acting arrogantly and recklessly.

He's not dead yet, are they already treating him like a dead person?

Seeing this, Sima Zongzheng immediately complained, "Oh dear, this guy... even if he admires Her Highness the Princess, he shouldn't say such things at this time!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly bowed to the Duke of Jin: "This foolish grandson has been rude, please forgive me, Your Majesty!" (The last line appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

Beside him, a female minister surnamed Cheng chimed in, "The young man was moved by love and acted rashly, saying such things. Lord Sima, you must discipline him properly when you get back!"

The Duke of Jin remained expressionless, coldly watching their performance without answering, seemingly still confident of victory.

He then looked to his side, at Sheng Linglong, and quietly asked, "Linglong, what do you think?"

Sheng Linglong didn't reply immediately. She glanced coldly at the edge of the arena, where Yun Chuan, whose match had already ended, was sitting and watching. He seemed indifferent to the situation and completely unaware of the seriousness of the matter.

Her heart ached; she couldn't believe he was truly so heartless, that he had no feelings for her whatsoever. In a surge of anger, she stared at Yun Chu'an and loudly replied, "Fine!"

"Sima Lixin, I hereby promise you, whoever wins the final championship of this martial arts tournament, I will marry!"

Chapter 575 Clouds Overlook the Terrace

Her clear voice resounded throughout the venue, causing another round of excitement. Many of the audience members were whispering among themselves, thinking that Sima Lixin's behavior was somewhat impulsive and that he would inevitably face severe rejection and reprimand, or even lose the championship that was within his grasp.

But the princess's answer immediately surprised everyone present, who wondered if the two were already in love and that's why they put on this performance.

Among the crowd, only Yun Chu'an had a strange expression. He could hear the anger in Sheng Linglong's words. After she finished speaking, he looked up at the clouds and saw that the girl was indeed staring straight at him, her pretty face frosty and her eyes full of murderous intent. Clearly, all her negative emotions were directed at him.

His expression immediately became subtle.

This……

Do you want me to go on stage and give that young master of the Sima family a good beating?

Uh uh uh……

On the other side of the field, Sima Lixin completely failed to pick up on the emotions in Sheng Linglong's tone, nor did he notice who she was looking at.

His heart was filled with ecstasy, and he couldn't wait to stand on the field again. He glanced around, his gaze landing on his last opponent. He pointed his whip at the opponent and then asked the referee to start the final match now.

The referee was a middle-aged woman in the late stage of the Golden Core realm. She was slightly displeased with this, but she wouldn't offend the promising Sima family for it.

Moreover, Sima Lixin's last opponent was nothing more than an old, powerless, and unaffiliated hermit.

She called for him to come up on stage, and a burly man with dark skin walked up, wearing animal skins and holding a simple stone axe. Clearly, this cultivator's background was even lower than that of the rogue cultivators in the country. He might even be a naturalized barbarian!

The surrounding spectators, seeing this, all showed dissatisfaction and even contempt. The barbarian went up on stage, brandishing his stone axe. When the referee announced the start, he roared and charged forward, engaging Sima Lixin in combat.

Sima Lixin also stepped forward and engaged him in direct combat. Both of them were at the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and their clash stirred up fierce gales that swept across the land within a radius of several thousand meters. If it weren't for the protective barrier, this place would have been a complete mess long ago.

The barbarian wielding the stone axe let out terrifying growls as powerful spiritual energy surged within him, causing his muscles to swell and grow larger. Already standing at 1.9 meters tall, he continued to expand until he exceeded 2 meters.

His animal-skin coat was torn open, revealing his muscular, well-built physique. A grotesque and terrifying wolf tattoo, painted in stark white paint, adorned his back and shoulders, sending chills down one's spine. (The last line appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and is omitted from the translation.)

As he swung his stone axe, his muscles rippled, and the vicious wolf tattooed on his body seemed to come alive, baring its fangs, grinding its teeth, and sucking blood. Some of the more timid spectators in the stands were so frightened that they cried out in pain.

The barbarian then unleashed the surging spiritual energy around him, wielding his stone axe as he charged across the arena at supersonic speed, colliding head-on with Sima Lixin. Spectators with slightly lower cultivation levels couldn't even see their movements clearly.

However, compared to his opponent's wild and unrestrained fighting style, Sima Lixin was clearly more composed. His golden armor was surrounded by surging spiritual energy, which blended seamlessly with the two steel whips in his hands, one long and one short, making him a master of both offense and defense.

His eyes were sharp, his movements fluid and agile, dodging and weaving before he swung his steel whip, clashing with his opponent. He understood his strengths perfectly, and he also knew that his final opponent was stronger than he had imagined.

But he wasn't in a hurry. He knew that his strengths were precisely his opponent's weaknesses, so he calmly and steadily engaged in a ping-pong battle with his opponent.