91: Chapter 91 Golden Core Stage Competition, Lin Lei's Strength

Qingling picked up the dozing Xiao Jiu from her shoulder, rubbed its head, and said, ‒Elder sister is going to host the match, go find your master to play.‒

‒Meow, Elder Sister Qingling, come on!‒ The kitten was half-asleep, and the moment it opened its mouth, it cheered.

‒You little lazy cat, I'm not even participating, what are you cheering for?‒ Qingling tapped the kitten's head exasperatedly.

‒Oh, then this meow will go find the Daoist!‒ The kitten turned around in a daze and walked towards Ye Qingxuan.

Watching the wobbling kitten, Qingling shook her head and then stepped forward.

Flying above the arena, she channeled her magic power and her voice spread across the entire venue: ‒Next is the Golden Core Stage duel, which will be hosted by this poor Daoist. Competitors, enter the arena.‒

As soon as her voice fell, more than four hundred streams of light landed on the arena. Among these people were the Clan Chiefs of the Elf Race and the Dwarf Race; after all, speaking of it, both of them belonged to the strength of the Golden Core Stage.

At this moment, whether it was the audience at the scene or the people in the live broadcast room, everyone sat up straight.

Simply because—only a Golden Core can be called an Immortal Master!

Stepping into the Golden Core, condensing the Dao foundation, greatly increasing Lifespan, mastering the laws of heaven and earth, and wielding aerial techniques, this was the true sign of knocking open the door to the vast immortal path.

Thinking back to the beginning when Ye Qingxuan first entered the National Destiny Space, his Realm was still lingering at the Foundation Establishment level.

Yet his foundation, Dao foundation, and lethal Divine Abilities had long transcended the shackles of his Realm. His combat power was terrifying, and he could be called unbeatable among the same rank. Although his Realm was low, his strength had long exceeded the standard.

The number of people pouring into the live broadcast room was unprecedentedly high, already exceeding 3 billion. People all over the world were paying attention to this match.

High in the sky, Qingling looked at the more than four hundred Golden Core Cultivators off the stage, and then spoke in a clear, loud voice, announcing the exclusive tournament rules for the Golden Core group:

‒Golden Core group format: Groups of four, starting one hundred arena duels simultaneously!‒

‒One hundred matches conducted simultaneously! The rule of stopping at the point still applies; intentionally inflicting heavy injuries or harming fellow Cultivators is prohibited. The losers are immediately eliminated, and the winners advance to the next round!‒

‒Now, according to the drawing results, competitors, enter the arena!‒

At this moment, the gazes of everyone in the audience were all locked uniformly onto a figure in the corner of the arena—Lin Lei.

Lin Lei had created a new Martial Dao by himself! With a Mortal body, he forcefully carved out a heavenly path of Martial Dao.

Entering the Dao through martial arts and matching Patriarch Lü—this was Ye Qingxuan's evaluation of him.

Above the spectator stands, the Sect Heads and Elders of various Sects stroked their beards and sighed lightly, discussing in low voices.

‒The Golden Core group seems to have over four hundred people competing, but in reality, there is no suspense at all.‒

‒Lin Lei created his own Martial Dao, and his combat power has long transcended the category of the same Realm.‒

‒There is no need to compare at all. This session's Golden Core champion has long been within Lin Lei's grasp, and no one can contend for it unless Ye Qingxuan makes a move.‒

‒Equivalent to a Qi Refining thirteenth-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator, this kind of talent is simply not something ordinary Golden Core Cultivators can contend against.‒

All the Sect moguls had long defaulted to the result in their hearts.

The contention of the Golden Core group; from the moment Lin Lei stepped onto the arena, the outcome had already been determined.

In the spectator seats, Ye Qingxuan sat calmly in his original place, looking at Lin Lei with a calm expression in the center of the arena.

He saw things the most thoroughly.

If the more than four hundred Golden Core Immortal Masters present were to besiege Lin Lei together, the best result would still be both sides suffering heavy losses.

The three billion viewers in the live broadcast room had also long seen through the situation, and the barrage comments were boiling.

[Laughing to death, the biggest attraction of the Golden Core group is not winning the championship, but who can last one more move in Lin Lei's hands!]

[Patriarch Lü of Martial Dao lives up to his reputation, single-handedly opening up a new Dao. Who can match this prestige?]

[Daoist Ye Qingxuan is quite something!]

[Daoist Ye? Then it's fine.]

[Over four hundred people fight for second place, while Lin Lei exclusively locks down first place. This match ended right at the start!]

[The Sect Head moguls have all acquiesced; this is a true generational crushing defeat!]

Countless foreign viewers looked at this scene, completely falling into silence, filled with bitterness and helplessness.

Not only was Hua Guo's immortal path prosperous, but it also produced a peerless figure who created his own Martial Dao. This foundation was simply not something other nations could look up to.

Qingling high in the sky looked at the situation in the audience with a hint of approval in her eyes, then said in a deep voice:

‒The Golden Core group match—officially begins!‒

The Formation on the platform began to operate, dividing it into exactly 108 arenas.

Lin Lei looked at the three opponents with wry smiles, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, ‒Three Fellow Daoists, please enlighten me.‒

The three Cultivators opposite him wore wry smiles, stood up one after another, and cupped their hands.

The three of them came from Tianshi Mansion, Wudang, and Chunyang Palace respectively, all of them at the Golden Core Perfection cultivation base.

They could be considered geniuses who rose in the same era as Ye Qingxuan.

They had struggled to achieve Foundation Establishment in the Dharma-ending era. After the recovery of Spiritual Qi and multiple baptisms of National Destiny blessings, they advanced by leaps and bounds all the way, ascending to Golden Core Perfection with an extremely profound foundation.

In this era of cultivation, before returning to the void, it was all about brute force and profound foundations; as long as one's foundation was deep enough, one could break through all the way.

Yet coincidentally, all three of them had been suppressed with a single slap by Ye Qingxuan back then.

Facing another Prodigy, Lin Lei, at this moment, the three of them had long lost the heart to compete for victory in their hearts.

Yet they still strictly guarded their Dao Hearts, and with solemn expressions, cupped their hands.

‒Fellow Daoist Lin's strength is formidable, and we know we are no match. Therefore, the three of us will join forces to experience Fellow Daoist's brilliant martial arts techniques!‒

Lin Lei's expression was peaceful as he slightly cupped his hands in return:

‒Three Daoists, please enlighten me.‒ As his voice fell!

Boom—!

A monstrous surge of Qi and blood suddenly exploded from within Lin Lei's body!

Boundless crimson Qi and blood soared into the sky, and the extremely dense flesh-and-blood power condensed into the shape of a dragon. A ferocious and majestic blood-red divine dragon hovered in the sky, its dragon roar shaking the arena barrier!

The pure Martial Dao charm was domineering, fierce, and indomitable!

The three Golden Core Perfection Immortal Masters opposite them wore solemn expressions, suppressing the shock in their hearts, not daring to hold back even a fraction.

The three of them struck at the same time!

Taiji crossed the sky, and the Yin and Yang fish diagram rotated to suppress;

Thunder techniques roared, and brilliant purple lightning tore through the sky and slashed down;

Sword Qi filled the sky, and streaks of sword shadows sealed off all directions!

The ultimate skills of the three major renowned Schools burst forth with full force!

At this moment, all the Cultivators in the surrounding neighboring arenas subconsciously stopped what they were doing.

Everyone who was originally sparring and discussing Dao all turned their heads to gaze at Lin Lei's arena.

Sparring in the same Realm could happen anytime, but a monster comparable to Patriarch Lü making a move, and in the same Realm at that, was rare! Everyone wanted to witness with their own eyes just how terrifying the extreme of a self-created Martial Dao could be!

The live broadcast room completely exploded!

[Holy crap! This Qi and blood turning into a dragon! Is this really the Golden Core Realm?]

[So what? Didn't Daoist Ye slay a Nascent Soul tiger demon back in the Foundation Establishment Stage?]

[That's true too!]

[Don't forget! Big Boss Ye said long ago that Lin Lei is at Divine Ability Perfection, benchmarking against Golden Core Perfection!]

[From cultivating Martial Dao until today, calculating fully, it's only been four or five months!!]

[Is this what Genius cultivation is like? Ridiculous!]

[Stop chirping! Watch the fight!]

On the arena.

Facing the fatal joint attack of the three Golden Core Perfections, Lin Lei's figure stood tall and straight, neither dodging nor evading.

He needed no Dao techniques, no Divine Abilities, and no secret arts.

The extreme of Martial Dao—one force breaks ten thousand techniques!

He saw his body sink slightly, his right arm slowly gathering power, and then he suddenly threw a punch!

There were no heaven-shaking anomalies, no intricate Dao patterns.

It was a simple, unadorned punch!

Bang—!

The air exploded violently, and the sonic boom resounded through the barrier!

The extremely domineering martial arts fist force traversed the sky!

The Taiji Yin and Yang diagram, the sky-full lightning, and the Chunyang Palace Sword Qi unleashed by the three of them shattered, annihilated, and turned into nothingness instantly under this punch!

The terrifying residual fist force turned into a violent wind torrent, instantly enveloping the three of them.

The three Golden Core Perfection Immortal Masters simply could not withstand it; like three broken sacks, they were directly blasted flying out of the arena barrier and heavily dropped below the stage!

The entire audience was dead silent.

One second later, an uproar shook the heavens!

The three Daoists under the stage stood up with extremely complicated expressions. They looked at Lin Lei, and then glanced at Ye Qingxuan on the spectator stands, who was intently petting the cat at the moment.

At this moment, they seemed to see Ye Qingxuan, who had suppressed an entire era back then.

At this time, everyone who had been beaten by Ye Qingxuan looked at Lin Lei with complicated gazes, especially Yun Huan from the Heavenly Demon Palace. She sensed a dangerous aura from Lin Lei.

Zhang Yuzhuo and Duyuan exchanged a glance, only feeling that their upper Dantian hurt a little. ‒What a familiar feeling.‒

Everything went without saying.

The same simplicity, the same directness, the same crushing and unsolvable nature!

Lilith of the Elf Race and Aikoni of the Dwarf Race wore complicated expressions. Every single one of the three people casually blasted off the stage by Lin Lei could easily defeat them.

Yet in Lin Lei's hands, they couldn't even last a single move.

On the stage, Lin Lei slightly cupped his hands: ‒Three Daoists, you flatter me.‒

The three of them took a deep breath and solemnly returned the salute: ‒Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for showing mercy!‒

The live broadcast room barrage went wild with screen-scrolling once again!

[It's over? It really ended with just one punch?]

[I'm in a trance; this fighting style is simply identical to Big Boss Ye's slap!]

[The Dao is simple! All flashy tricks are illusions!]

[And this is still without using his trump card of Dual Cultivation in magic and martial arts! He hasn't even gotten serious yet!]

[Outrageous! Is there really anyone in the same Realm who can withstand him?]

All participating Cultivators in the audience looked at each other in dismay, their hearts greatly shaken.

Too strong! Truly too strong!

At this moment, everyone's mind conjured up the shadow of the past—that casual, all-suppressing slap from Ye Qingxuan.

Just as the atmosphere in the venue was shocked, a gentle voice sounded, coming from a participating Disciple of Tianshi Mansion:

‒Fellow practitioners, there is no need to stall.‒

‒Our cultivation is not for brawling and fierce fighting, nor is it for contending for strong victories and defeats.‒

‒The path of cultivation lies in breaking free from the Mortal cage, transforming the level of life, and pursuing the Dao of longevity. Strength is merely an instrument to protect the Dao, not the root of the Dao.‒

As soon as these words came out, they instantly awakened everyone. All the Cultivators in the audience nodded one after another, resonating in their hearts.

Indeed.

Lin Lei's talent was peerless and his Martial Dao was unmatched, commanding admiration.

But others' strength would never hinder one's own Dao Heart. Admire without fear, look up without confusion.

Everyone snapped back to their senses, once again starting the sparring and discussion of Dao in their respective arenas. Spiritual Qi roared, and spellcraft rose anew.

Above the spectator stands.

Seeing this, the crowd of Sect moguls clapped and laughed heartily, offering continuous congratulations to Celestial Master Zhang.

‒Congratulations, Celestial Master Zhang! Your Disciple's Dao Heart is clear and lucid, understanding their original mind, their future is promising!‒

Celestial Master Zhang laughed heartily and waved his hand leisurely:

‒Fellow Daoists flatter me too much. The juniors of each major School are all talents who comprehend the Dao, why praise them so much.‒

For a time, above the spectator stands, the various Sects were harmonious, and the Dao charm blended seamlessly.

In the center of the arena, Lin Lei stood quietly, waiting for the next round of duels.

Everyone knew—this session's Golden Core champion was none other than him.

At this time, Ye Qingxuan was petting the cat, watching Lin Lei with his Divine Sense, especially the power within his acupoints.

‒Is this his Divine Ability? The power of the Eight Extremities?‒

Time passed quickly. By evening, the Golden Core Stage tournament had ended.

The winners of each arena had all fought against Lin Lei, and the result was that every person's match ended with a single punch, very similar to the scene at the Grand Ritual of Luotian ten years ago.

However, Ye Qingxuan used a slap.

Qingling looked at the arena, seeing that no one else stepped forward to compete.

She directly announced, ‒In this Grand Ritual of Luotian, the Golden Core Stage duel champion is—Lin Lei!‒