354: Obtain Xianchi qualification

Xiao Zhuo took only one hour to completely heal the old injuries of the three Saint Land Elders.

The first one's injury was the simplest; Xiao Zhuo easily resolved it by cleansing the Dao injury with the Great Dao of Life.

The second one was afflicted by a potent poison, and Xiao Zhuo mobilized the Great Dao of Devour to assist, with the process remaining smooth and unhindered.

However, the third Elder had sustained damage to his Divine Soul. While the surging vitality could alleviate the severe pain in his Divine Soul, to eradicate the hidden danger, both the Great Dao of Life and the Great Dao of the Soul had to be applied simultaneously.

Since Xiao Zhuo had already demonstrated the Great Dao of the Soul when treating Wang Xianyu, he no longer held back. The two powerful forces emerged together, instantly and thoroughly healing this Immortal King Late Stage Elder.

Xiao Zhuo directly cured the root cause for all three, requiring only recuperation afterward.

The three Elders were endlessly grateful—whether in the Immortal-Demon Realm or the Myriad Heavens and Domains, Immortal Lords and Immortal Kings proficient in the Great Dao of Life were highly sought-after existences, and even Quasi-Saints would treat them with courtesy.

After the matter was concluded, everyone returned to the Holy Land plaza.

The semi-finals of the afternoon's Grand Competition had already begun. Nie Qianji invited Xiao Zhuo back to the cloud platform to observe, and even the Wang Siblings were summoned to the cloud platform.

Qiao Zimo's opponent was a Buddhist Disciple from the Mount Putuo Buddhist Kingdom, possessing the Myriad Buddha Divine Physique, and also at the Mahayana Peak.

This Physique granted him extraordinary Comprehension Ability in the Buddhist Dao, and various Buddhist Divine Abilities had been Cultivated to a profound Realm.

His fighting style was also like that of a Protector Vajra, fierce and unparalleled.

The other match was between Li Bufan, the current Saint of Penglai Holy Land, and a Female Immortal from Kunlun Holy Land.

Li Bufan was Li Xiaoyao's clan brother, but his temperament was calm and steady, earning him great respect from many Elders of Penglai.

Among the top four, apart from Qiao Zimo, the other three were all inheritors of the Three Great Sacred Lands, demonstrating the profound heritage of the Holy Lands.

These four had all comprehended their own Dao Principles. Although they were Mahayana, the power of their intense battles far surpassed that of ordinary Quasi-Immortals.

On the cloud platform, the powerhouses of various sects nodded and commented.

Xiao Zhuo also occasionally answered questions for The Two Little Ones beside him.

Two intense battles were taking place simultaneously.

Li Bufan fought steadily, testing each other with the Kunlun Female Immortal for a hundred moves before revealing his true strength.

The battle between Qiao Zimo and the Buddhist Disciple, however, was much more violent.

From the very first exchange, it was a head-on Physical Body clash, fist to flesh, which ignited the passion of the Prodigies watching below, drawing continuous cheers.

Buddhist Physical Body Cultivation Techniques were unparalleled across all Realms, and many Body Cultivator Cultivation Techniques in the Immortal-Demon Realm originated from Buddhist Divine Abilities.

The Buddhist Disciple's Physical Body was only slightly inferior to Qiao Zimo's. Seeing that he couldn't gain an advantage, he immediately unleashed an endless stream of Buddhist Divine Abilities, actually suppressing Qiao Zimo.

Qiao Zimo's ferocity erupted, and he defiantly transformed into a thirty-foot-tall Eight-Armed Demonic God, directly confronting the sky-filling Buddhist light!

In the end, Qiao Zimo narrowly won.

However, the cost was heavy—his Physical Body was largely shattered by the Buddhist Disciple's final move, the “Great Sun Wheel Heavenly Buddha Palm,” and his Divine Soul was also severely injured.

In contrast, although the Buddhist Disciple was forcibly saved by the Mount Putuo Holy Land Elder and conceded defeat, his injuries were far lighter than Qiao Zimo's.

In Qiao Zimo's current state, participating in tomorrow's final battle was almost hopeless.

Injuries involving the Divine Soul, even for a Holy Land, would be difficult to recover from overnight without special means—unless Xiao Zhuo was invited to act.

Not long after Qiao Zimo's battle concluded, the other match also decided a victor.

Li Bufan was as steady as a mountain, wielding his 'Knowing Guard Sword Art' with extraordinary skill, leaving the Kunlun Female Immortal no flaws to exploit.

The Female Immortal was forced into continuous strong attacks, only to be seized by Li Bufan's fleeting opportunity, winning with a single strike.

After this battle, Li Bufan had almost secured the top spot in the Grand Competition in advance.

Both the senior Immortals and young Prodigies watching felt exhilarated.

Wang Xianzhi gained some insights from watching Li Bufan's battle and immediately secluded himself in his room after returning.

Xiao Zhuo also returned to his room to rest.

Regardless of whether Qiao Zimo could participate tomorrow, the Grand Competition would conclude.

Once The Two Little Ones finished their Cultivation in the Penglai Immortal Pond, Xiao Zhuo would set off to return to the Blood Demon Realm.

Unexpectedly, before dusk, Nie Qianji came to find him again.

Xiao Zhuo led him into the room.

Nie Qianji looked embarrassed: “Daoist Friend Wang, I should have offered the previous consultation fee. It's just... today, although Ancient Refining Sect's Qiao Zimo defeated the Buddhist Disciple Hui Ming (Bright Wisdom), he also sustained severe injuries and may not be able to participate in tomorrow's final battle. His Divine Soul was annihilated by twenty percent, and even with the use of sacred medicines, it would take several years to recover. This Grand Competition is hosted by our Penglai, and the final battle concerns the reputation of our Holy Land's Saint... I can only shamelessly implore Daoist Friend to once again lend your miraculous hand!”

“Penglai is afraid that Li Bufan will win without a fight, leading to criticism, so they are willing to go to great lengths to save Qiao Zimo,” Xiao Zhuo thought, his mind clear.

He did not refuse—the consultation fees for the three Immortal Kings had not yet been collected, and with Qiao Zimo's case, it was a good opportunity to raise the price.

“A healer's heart is benevolent. Since Fellow Daoist Nie has requested, This Wang will naturally grant Fellow Daoist this Face.” Xiao Zhuo's tone shifted, “However, This Wang is quite curious about your Holy Land's Immortal Pond. I wonder if it would be possible to allow me to enter and explore its mysteries?”

Upon hearing this, Nie Qianji's Face first flashed with joy, then a bitter smile: “Daoist Friend is truly noble! It's just that this matter... This Elder cannot decide and must seek instructions from the Holy Lord.”

He knew that Xiao Zhuo had grasped the crucial point; those proficient in the Great Dao of the Soul were as rare and hard to find as those proficient in the Great Dao of Life, and given the urgency of the situation, Penglai had no other choice.

If handled improperly, widespread criticism would be a minor issue; affecting Li Bufan's Dao Heart would be a major one.

Nie Qianji immediately sent a message to Saintly Venerable Hao Yun.

Before long, a reply came: The Holy Lord agreed, but only allowed Xiao Zhuo to stay in the Immortal Pond for one day, far less than the three-day period for the top ten of the Grand Competition.

The reason given was also grand—the Immortal Pond had been nurtured for a thousand years, and its energy was limited, only sufficient for the needs of ten Prodigies.

Xiao Zhuo's Realm was profound, and his consumption upon entering the pond would undoubtedly far exceed that of juniors who had not yet entered the Immortal Realm, so he could only be limited to one day, and regardless of any gains, he must leave when the time was up.

Xiao Zhuo did not bargain and readily agreed.

A moment later, Xiao Zhuo followed Nie Qianji to the Pill Hall.

In an ancient wooden building, he saw Qiao Zimo.

Ancient Refining Sect Elders and two Penglai Grand Unity Elders stood by.

Qiao Zimo lay on a black stone platform about ten feet square, with pure Qi and vitality continuously pouring into his body from the stone platform.

This platform was clearly also a treasure, capable of replenishing vitality, but compared to the methods of an Immortal King who controlled the Great Dao of Life, it was ultimately inferior.

At this moment, Qiao Zimo's Physical Body was almost fully recovered, and the Buddha Power within him had also been cleared.

But with a sweep of his Divine Sense, Xiao Zhuo detected that his Divine Soul had already merged with his Physical Body! The portion of his Divine Soul corresponding to his right arm had actually been completely annihilated.

“This Physique is truly extraordinary! Spirit and flesh united before Immortal Ascension?” Xiao Zhuo exclaimed in wonder.

“Daoist Friend has keen insight!” The Ancient Refining Sect Elder replied with a bitter smile, “Zimo's Physique is special; precisely because of this, once his Physical Body is injured, his Divine Soul is inevitably implicated. Therefore, each recovery requires a long period of time.”

“Oh?” Xiao Zhuo raised an eyebrow slightly, “Daoist Friend means that even if this young friend Qiao is not treated, his Divine Soul can slowly recover on its own?”

The Ancient Refining Sect Elder knew he had misspoken, revealing Qiao Zimo's secret, but the words were already out, so he could only nod: “...Precisely so.”

He secretly rejoiced that Xiao Zhuo was a highly skilled expert invited for treatment, so there should be no problem.

Although Xiao Zhuo was also interested, he did not have the habit of revealing others' secrets and did not delve deeper.

He simply nodded, waved his hand, and from his glabella, one green and one transparent, two Dao tentacles had been unleashed by him, extending into Qiao Zimo's body.

At this moment, Qiao Zimo was still in a state of unconscious self-repair, and when Xiao Zhuo's Dao entered his body, he only trembled slightly.