Chapter 80: The Competition (Part One)

The man turned and walked to the window on the other side, slowly pushing it open.

The four of them immediately followed, poking their heads out to look.

Outside lay several plots of vegetable gardens.

Looking at the lush green vegetables in the fields, Shi Qi murmured, “Isn’t this just a vegetable garden?”

The man chuckled. “People are divided by rank, treasures by grade, and so are medicinal herbs. The higher the grade of a spiritual herb, the more spiritual it is, and the better it knows how to protect itself.”

With that, the man waved his hand.

A bright light flashed before their eyes; the gardens vanished, replaced by a single red fruit growing in the center of the plots. The fruit was the size of a thumb, glowing brilliantly red.

In all five gardens, there were five such fruits.

Bai Qiu asked, “What kind of fruit is this? I’ve never seen it recorded in any book. Old Sun, have you ever seen it?”

Sun Fanbai shook his head. “I’ve never seen such a fruit either.”

Yuan Wu also shook his head in silence.

The man spoke. “This is called Vermilion Fruit. In your words, it’s an artifact from ancient times—a divine fruit. It blooms once in a thousand years and bears fruit once every thousand years. When I awoke, these vermilion fruits had already been planted here and were nearing maturity. Only a few days ago did they finally ripen.”

Then, the man turned to Shi Qi and said slowly, “Vermilion Fruit contains immense spiritual power. Consuming it greatly enhances one’s cultivation, though it cannot forcibly help the user break through to a higher realm. Even in your so-called ancient times, these fruits were rare. Yet here, five have been deliberately cultivated.”

Shi Qi opened her heavenly eye to examine the fruit and saw dense spiritual energy pouring constantly from the glowing red fruit.

Shi Qi said, “As expected, a divine fruit.”

The man smiled. “I suppose your master wanted you to pick these fruits, so she sent you here. Little did she know, I am here as well.”

Shi Qi followed up, “Senior, do you know my master?”

The man waved dismissively, signaling her not to ask further, then continued, “Since fate has brought the four of you to this cave, I’ll make the decision for my master and gift each of you one fruit. After all, if the vermilion fruits are not picked within a year, they will wither away.”

Just as they were about to thank him, the man suddenly added, “But I never said it would be for free.”

Their words caught in their throats.

Bai Qiu said, “Senior, please don’t tease us.”

The man laughed. “I’ve been here a hundred years and am terribly bored. How about this—you play a game with me. If you win, I’ll give you the vermilion fruits as a reward. If you lose, you’ll have to leave. What do you say?”

Shi Qi stepped forward, “Senior, what kind of game?”

The man drew a transparent crystal ball from his sleeve and cradled it in his hands.

“This is a Trial Crystal. Long ago, the Four Friends entrusted it to me to use at a suitable opportunity. I never found the right time—until today, meeting you four, I think the time has come.”

He infused the crystal with true qi.

The crystal instantly burst into pure white light, enveloping them all.

After a moment, the white light faded, and they realized they were no longer inside the rustic house.

Looking ahead, the four saw, besides the mysterious man, three other men standing beside him.

The man on the far left wore white Daoist robes with a golden sash; his long black hair flowed over his shoulders, and he carried only a folding fan—nothing else adorned him. There was an air of nobility about him.

The man in the center wore purple Daoist robes, a long sword propped on his shoulder, a blade of grass between his teeth. His black hair was tied in a messy topknot, giving him a wild, unruly demeanor.

The man on the far right was a monk—extremely obese, with layers of fat, particularly prominent wind-catching ears above a double chin, a round, shiny face, and shifty, bright eyes. At a glance, he did not look like a good person.

The man turned to Shi Qi and the others, smiling. “We’ve known each other for a while, but I’ve never introduced myself. I’m Little Jin… Hm? What’s wrong?”

Shi Qi and Bai Qiu covered their mouths, barely suppressing their laughter.

Shi Qi waved her hand hurriedly. “Nothing, nothing. My friend just thought of something funny.”

Little Jin asked, “And you?”

Shi Qi replied, “I also remembered something amusing.”

Little Jin looked at them, “You both remembered the same thing?”

Shi Qi answered, “No, no… we just happened to recall something happy at the same time.”

Little Jin waved his hand and continued, “Let me introduce you. These three are three of the Four Friends. On the left is the Demon Lord, Ximen Shuai. In the middle is the Sword Hero, Zhang Tongyuan. On the right is Master Jue Se.”

Little Jin went on, “Of course, these aren’t their true forms, but projections left behind in this crystal during their lifetimes. The projections retain their personalities but only a tenth of their true power.”

The four paid their respects. Sun Fanbai then asked, “Little Jin… Senior, if these are three of the Four Friends, then you must be the last one?”

Little Jin shook his head. “Me? No, no, I’m far from that. The fourth is… not inside the crystal. Don’t ask. Simply put, you four will face us four. If you win, you get the vermilion fruits. If you lose… well, you die… Just kidding, don’t worry—losers simply leave the cave with nothing lost.”

Little Jin added, “Inside this crystal, you may use your full strength, anything except forbidden techniques. Dying here isn’t true death—you’ll simply be ejected from the crystal. A friendly warning: although these three projections only have a tenth of their true strength and won’t use high-level spiritual treasures, their combat experience is immense. You’d best prepare yourselves.”

The four glanced at each other, frowning. They didn’t even have time to react before being drawn into this battle.

Shi Qi tentatively asked, “Senior Jin, um… what if we don’t want to fight?”

Little Jin’s eyes widened in mock anger. “Not fight? After all this effort? Enough nonsense—pick your opponents!”

Seeing the situation, the four could only accept the challenge. After all, the prospect of the vermilion fruit, which could improve their cultivation, was truly tempting—even for Yuan Wu.

Yuan Wu had once advised Shi Qi to let go of hatred to progress further, but he, too, had a knot in his heart—his master’s charge that he return to the relay inn in two hundred years, having reached the peak Nascent Soul stage. The Buddhist heart method, much like the Primordial Heart Sutra, emphasized foundation and inner cultivation, making progress slow. He did not know if he could reach the required level in two centuries. Thus, the vermilion fruit stirred even his Buddhist heart.

The four exchanged glances and nodded.

Bai Qiu, ever decisive, stepped forward, cupped his fists, and announced, “Seniors, I am Bai Qiu of the Bai family, also known as the Omniscient Scholar. May I ask which senior would face me?”

The white-robed man named Ximen Shuai’s eyes sparkled. He leapt forward to stand before Bai Qiu.

“I am Ximen Shuai,” he said, “You’re quite handsome, though just a bit less so than I am.”

Bai Qiu was left speechless by this remark.

Ximen Shuai laughed. “Come then!”

He gestured for Bai Qiu to make the first move.

Bai Qiu saluted in thanks, then stepped back two paces and drew a talisman box from his storage pouch, placing it on the ground.

The others stepped back as well, giving the two space.

Bai Qiu forced a drop of blood from his fingertip, formed a seal, and shouted, “Rise!”

The talisman box sprang open, and dozens of azure talismans flew out, swirling in the air.

“Oh?” Ximen Shuai watched with interest. “I’ve never seen such talisman arts before. What technique is this?”

“Omniscient Scholar! Bai family! Talismanic Dunjia Art! Azure Dragon Talisman!”

During the months since Shi Qi’s troubles began, Bai Qiu had spent all his spare time cultivating, apart from searching for her.

For the first time, his naturally lazy temperament left him disheartened by his own low cultivation, powerless to avenge his friend alone.

Both he and Shi Qi were alike—easygoing and unmotivated, yet blessed with extraordinary talent; when they put their minds to it, progress was swift.

Through unrelenting effort, Bai Qiu finally mastered the Azure Dragon Talisman, which he’d been unable to control before, and his combat power soared.

Facing Ximen Shuai—who, despite his easy smile, was a legendary figure of the ancient era, famed across the Twelve Provinces as one of the notorious “Four Fiends”—Bai Qiu did not dare hold back and unleashed his best technique from the start.

The Azure Dragon Talismans whirled through the air, forming a giant azure dragon that roared as it circled to shield Bai Qiu.

This was the “Possession Spirit Armor” from the Bai family’s Talismanic Dunjia Art.

The dragon coiled around Bai Qiu, allowing him to attack and defend as one, leaving no openings.

With a shout, Bai Qiu stamped the ground, and the dragon spirit armor lunged at Ximen Shuai, jaws wide.

“Well done!” Ximen Shuai shouted, pulling a Cosmic Ring from his robe and hurling it forward. The ring, spinning in a gale, met the azure dragon head-on.

A thunderous crash echoed as the dragon struck the ring.

In the end, the dragon prevailed, sending the Cosmic Ring flying with a tremendous blow.

Ximen Shuai retrieved his ring from midair, muttering, “Interesting…”

He then lowered his head, closed his eyes, and formed seals with his hands.

“Heavenly Demon Divine Sound!”