80: Chapter 81 Ends in the Next Round

After this battle, the situation for the Grade A list became completely clear.

The Lu Family of Hexi was first defeated by the Jiang Family, and then, according to the rules, turned to challenge the Gu Clan, who had received a bye.

The Lu Family had lost their Aura in the previous match, and Patriarch Lu Xuanpu had just narrowly escaped death at the hands of Jiang Yuhe; ultimately, it was difficult to stabilize the morale of the entire Family.

The three Cultivators sent by the Gu Clan of Qingwu Terrace all advanced and retreated with composure, and Young Master Gu Xingzhi did not even take action himself, merely watching from afar while seated.

Thus, the final match of the Grade A list was to be the Jiang Family of Baili Mountain versus the Gu Clan of Qingwu Terrace.

The various families on the lake had originally been waiting to watch this battle.

On one side was the emerging Jiang Family, showing their sharp edge.

On the other was the Gu Clan, a Foundation Establishment Family from the south.

Furthermore, there had been rumors about Jiang Yuhe and Young Master Gu Xingzhi previously at the Canghu Market; if the two met on the water stage, it would attract attention regardless of the outcome.

Just as Liu Xuanhe was about to call their names, Jiang Chengning had already risen and bowed towards Shuiyue Pavilion: "The Jiang Clan of Baili Mountain admits we are no match for the Gu Clan and wishes to forfeit this battle."

A moment later, an uproar broke out on the lake.

The Jiang Family was actually not going to fight.

Jiang Yuhe sat in the seating area with a calm expression; this matter had already been agreed upon by the Jiang Family.

The Jiang Family had first defeated the Fang Family of Hanquan, then the Lu Family of Hexi, having already secured the quota for the Chengtian Sect and proven their strength before the various families.

Fighting this match against the Gu Clan would have little chance of winning, and if they fought too fiercely, it would damage the already delicate relationship between the Jiang and Gu families.

Rather than that, it was better to concede.

In the Gu Clan's seating area, Young Master Gu Xingzhi was slightly taken aback.

He had originally been resting his chin on his hand, looking towards the Jiang Family's side, with a hint of eager anticipation hidden in his eyes.

After hearing Jiang Chengning speak, that smile dissipated, turning into a trace of indescribable regret.

He looked at Jiang Yuhe and smiled silently, appearing somewhat helpless, as if saying she was quick to hide.

Jiang Yuhe merely lowered her eyes without responding.

Liu Xuanhe had no interest in the miscellaneous affairs between these families.

He flicked his sleeve, and the blue light fell upon the jade scroll.

"Grade A list, the Gu Clan of Qingwu Terrace wins."

"The Gu Clan advances to the battle for the top of the list."

With this, the Grade A list was settled.

The Gu Clan temporarily occupied the top spot, the Jiang Clan stopped behind them, and the Lu Clan was defeated.

As for the Grade B list, the first battle was between the Shen Clan of Jinglan Lake and the Han Family of Hedong.

Originally, many people on the lake had been looking forward to the battle of sword Dao between Han Zhaoye and Shen Zhaowei.

Han Zhaoye had newly reached the Perfection of the Early Stage of Qi Refining and had just defeated the Shao Family of Chiliang, his sharpness at its peak.

Shen Zhaowei was a direct descendant of the Shen Clan, and his Frost Shadow techniques were strange and unpredictable; although he had previously lost to Young Master Gu Xingzhi and Jiang Yuhe, his own foundation remained solid.

However, unexpectedly, Han Zhaoye did not even get the chance to step onto the stage.

In the Early Stage of Qi Refining battle, the Han Family was defeated.

In the Middle Stage battle, the Han Family was defeated again.

The Shen Clan Cultivators pressed forward step by step, not giving the Han Family the slightest room to turn the tide.

Having lost two rounds, the Han Family no longer had a Late Stage battle.

Han Zhaoye sat in the seating area, his fingers resting on his lake-colored sword scabbard, his expression unchanged.

He did not care.

The Han Family had lost.

Han Zhaoye had not lost.

It was just a pity that he had no chance to personally eliminate the hidden threat of the Jiang Family.

Next, when the Han Family faced the Xie Clan of Xiping Pass, they actually voluntarily surrendered.

However, in the face of the hegemon of the west side of Guli Circuit, any Qi Refining Family would likely be unable to muster any desire to resist.

Thus, the current battle between the Shen and Xie Clans was the true struggle between the families of the southwest sides.

The Xie Clan of Xiping Pass was the leader of the west side.

The Shen Clan of Jinglan Lake was a Family of the south side.

Once the two families stepped onto the stage, the discussions on the lake grew significantly quieter.

In the Early Stage of Qi Refining battle, the Xie Clan won first.

The Xie Clan's representative was a young Cultivator who practiced the Autumn Equinox path; as he swung the short ruler in his hand, the water vapor on the stage was parted as if by an invisible object.

The Shen Clan's Early Stage Cultivator tried several times to obscure their vision with frost mist, but each time was lightly swiped away by the short ruler, revealing a clear water path once more, until they were eventually forced to the edge of the stage and conceded.

In the Middle Stage of Qi Refining battle, the Shen Clan regained a victory.

The Shen Clan's Middle Stage Cultivator practiced the Cold Dew method, gradually lowering the temperature of the water stage.

The Xie Clan's Middle Stage Cultivator tried several times to balance it with autumn methods to disperse the cold, but the Shen Clan Cultivator was clearly well-prepared, using the water vapor of Jinglan Lake to layer frost upon frost, eventually sealing the opponent's breath with a frost mirror and seizing the victory.

Each Family had won one round.

Thus, the outcome fell once again to the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

At this moment, someone rose from the Shen Clan's seating area.

Shen Zhaowei.

He wore a light cyan, almost white long robe today; the side of his face that had been shattered by Jiang Yuhe's water arrows had recovered as before, still wearing that cold expression.

He stepped onto the water stage, and frost patterns spread outwards from the stage surface.

From the Xie Clan's seating area, a woman slowly walked out.

The woman was in her thirties, her hair bundled up with a white jade hairpin, dressed in a plain-colored long dress with autumn patterns, her brows and eyes soft.

As soon as she stepped onto the water stage, the surrounding, previously unstable water mist suddenly became much quieter.

As the Autumn Command descended, all things returned to their proper places.

Someone whispered: "The Xie Clan, Xie Guanheng."

"A rare female Cultivator of the Late Stage in this generation, she has now broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refining, practices the Autumn Equinox Dao, and is said to have received personal instruction from the head of the Xie Clan."

Shen Zhaowei raised his eyes to look at her.

Xie Guanheng also looked at Shen Zhaowei and bowed slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Shen."

Shen Zhaowei returned the bow.

"Fellow Daoist Xie."

On the water stage, frost and autumn intent spread out simultaneously.

On the other side.

Below Qingsang Ridge, outside the Eastern Array Base.

The water vapor in the spiritual fields at the foot of the mountain was growing heavier.

Several mu of newly cleared fields spread out along the array base, and a row of wooden and bamboo Formation Flags were inserted along the ridges; the talisman patterns on the flags were faint, barely able to gather some water vapor to press down on the roots of the spiritual seedlings, preventing the mountain wind from blowing them over.

Jiang Xingchuan stood by the field, his fingertips forming seals.

He was still using the name Zhang Daniu, wearing the grey linen clothes common among the Cold Household of the Zhou Family, his cuffs splashed with field mud, looking no different from the Cultivators protecting the fields at the foot of the mountain.

He had now cultivated to the second level of Qi Refining; retracing the old path, his speed was actually much faster.

A wisp of water vapor rose from his palm, scattering into fine rain in mid-air.

This was the low-grade Rain-Calling Technique taught by the Zhou Family to Cold Household Cultivators, which was nothing unusual.

When ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators performed it, the rain was either coarse or the water vapor uneven; after watering a field, they often had to call Mortal tenant farmers into the fields to add more water.

But when Jiang Xingchuan used it, it already had a touch of precision.

The fine rain over the fields fell like silk, winding around the roots and leaves of the spiritual seedlings, with almost not a single drop wasted.

To outsiders, he was just farming, patrolling the array, and cultivating day after day.

In reality, every wisp of rain concealed another layer of Qi.

When the rain fell, the wind on the field ridges also moved.

That wind caused the rain to not fall straight down, but to slide obliquely along the leaves of the spiritual seedlings into the root soil.

This was Calling the Wind, and also Calling the Rain.

Or rather, it was no longer just Calling the Wind and Calling the Rain.

A few days ago, Yan Zhaopo had been muttering in his spiritual sea, tearing these two low-grade techniques to pieces and blending them back together.

"Calling the Wind only knows how to borrow wind, Calling the Rain only knows how to summon rain; both are inferior methods."

The old ghost's tone had been flat at the time, yet it carried a condescending disdain.

"Wind without rain scatters, rain without wind falls. Wind is the envoy, rain is the soldier; where the wind goes, the rain follows, and when the rain falls, the wind hides. Only then can it barely be considered decent."

Thus, two low-grade techniques that any Zhou Family Cold Household could learn were modified by him into the prototype of a High Grade technique.

Yan Zhaopo called it — Wind and Rain Edict.

This technique even had room for improvement, so Jiang Xingchuan did not dare to reveal any of it.

So these days, he only claimed to be practicing the Rain-Calling Technique and the Wind-Inducing Art to look after the spiritual fields.

Those at the Eastern Array Base saw him watering the fields every day and assumed he was diligent; no one thought that beneath this thin drizzle, there hid a High Grade technique capable of killing and trapping enemies.

The fine rain fell slowly, and just as Jiang Xingchuan was about to stop, a thought suddenly came into his mind.

"The third ridge on the left, the rain fell a bit too heavily."

The voice was as clear as if someone were speaking right next to his ear.

Jiang Xingchuan's expression did not change; his fingertips shifted slightly, and the wind bent within the rain, sending that patch of drizzle to the side.

"How about this?"

He asked in his heart.

Chen Xiaoyan was tidying up the Formation Flags by another spiritual field not far away; she had also broken through to the second level of Qi Refining.

"That's better."

Jiang Xingchuan couldn't help but smile in his heart.

You've become better at farming than I am.

Chen Xiaoyan straightened a crooked Formation Flag, and her thought followed.

"You watered it wrong, and you would be scolded by Steward Fang again tomorrow. If I didn't remind you, would I just watch you get lectured?"

The corners of Jiang Xingchuan's mouth moved imperceptibly.

Over these days, the faint connection between him and Chen Xiaoyan had become much clearer than it was at the beginning.

At first, it was just a connection of emotions.

When he was in pain, she would feel palpitations; when she was startled, he would also feel dazed.

Later, it was occasionally being able to perceive the other's location, like a lotus root broken but with its fibers still connected.

And now, as the two gradually familiarized themselves with the Ritual Counterpart Shadow method and explored the Purple Mansion Golden Core Way under the occasional sarcastic guidance of Yan Zhaopo, they could actually converse silently in their spiritual sea.

There was no need to speak; as long as a thought arose, the other would understand the general meaning.

Sometimes Jiang Xingchuan even felt that before he had truly thought a sentence through clearly, Chen Xiaoyan had already understood it first.

At first, he was not used to it, and was even somewhat afraid.

After all, Yan Zhaopo had said that if the Ritual Counterpart Shadow is cultivated to a deep level, the shadow body can Cultivate on its own, break through on its own, and even develop a sense of betrayal.

But Chen Xiaoyan was not his shadow body.

She was Chen Xiaoyan.