Chapter 36, First Win

Translator: Raznick

 

In the end, Zhou Chun currently had no intention of seeking a Dao companion for mutual cultivation. After chatting for a while at the beginning, he became reluctant to speak much more, afraid of sending the wrong signals to the young lady.

 

When Zhou Chun showed little interest in joining the conversation, a few female cultivators realized he was merely there to make friends and not seeking a Dao companion.

 

Therefore, she didn’t press him further on any more personal questions.

 

On the contrary, it was Zhou Zhengyong who, following Zhou Chun taking the lead in opening up the conversation, also loosened his grip on caution and took center stage.

 

To be honest, Zhou Zhengyong wasn’t ugly either, standing out in his own way.

 

With his good looks and Zhou Clan background, plus his cultivation abilities, finding a Dao companion couldn’t be easier.

 

After all, many rogue cultivator women dreamed of marrying into a cultivating clan to have a safe and secure place to practice cultivation, free from having to rely on others anymore.

 

But it was clear that Zhou Zhengyong didn’t want to marry a female rogue cultivator; he would rather wed a woman from another cultivating clan.

 

He of course also has his own considerations.

 

By forming a dual cultivating Dao companion relationship with a female rogue cultivator, that was the only gain to be had from such a relationship.

 

But if he were to marry into another cultivating clan by wedding a woman cultivator from one, it would be like building a bridge between the two cultivating clans. Neither side would treat them poorly in such a union.

 

Moreover, compared to female rogue cultivators with complex backgrounds, ladies from cultivating clans were clearly more trustworthy in terms of character and morality because they are bound by numerous constraints.

 

As Zhou Zhengyong gradually showcased his abilities and unveiled his “secret weapon,” it unexpectedly piqued the curiosity of several female cultivators.

 

Zhou Chun realized at that moment that what he had referred to as his “secret weapon” was nothing but a Water Moon Hare, a lesser demon beast that had been born less than half a year ago.

 

This small white-furred rabbit, weighing less than five pounds, had a pair of captivating, sapphire-like eyes and ears so long they seemed comical to tug on.

 

Several female cultivators, upon seeing this, were all unable to put it down, taking turns holding and petting it.

 

Zhou Chun saw this scene, and immediately knew that Zhou Zhengyong must have a mentor guiding him from behind his back.

 

Otherwise, given his monkey-like impatient nature, how would he have thought of such a trick.

 

Thus, over the next two days, Zhou Chun and other four Qi Refining cultivators from the cultivating clans gathered together daily to organize various activities, hoping to find like-minded friends.

 

Zhou Chun also befriended some cultivators from other clans over the past two days and took great care to note down their appearances and names.

 

He clearly understood that, barring exceptions, these individuals were destined to become key figures within their clan’s hierarchy.

 

Now he took note of the other person’s appearance and name. For when they genuinely had to work together in the future, this event could then serve as a conversation topic to bring us closer.

 

On the third day, the Clan Leaders of several major clans had finalized the relevant arrangements, and the martial competition officially began.

 

According to tradition, the elite group and the young group each had their own stage, with matches happening simultaneously. All matches were decided by random drawing.

 

In the depths of Red Herb Valley, the Wang Clan had marked out a vast open plain where two arenas, each measuring three hundred meters in length and width, had been set up for the upcoming martial arts showdowns.

 

The leaders of the clans and a number of cultivators who had come to watch were seated on the viewing benches outside the stage, while some members of the Wang Clan, who had no specific tasks at hand, stood nearby.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Chun and fifty other cultivators from the young group had aligned into two neat rows outside the stage. One Wang Clan cultivator was holding a box containing numbered sticks, allowing each of them to pick one sequentially.

 

When it was Zhou Chun’s turn, he glanced down at his number, A 5 yang.

 

According to tradition, his first opponent should be the one who drew A 5 yin.

 

After everyone had finished drawing lots, the Wang Clan Foundation Establishment Elder serving as the referee on stage immediately spoke out. “Alright, since all the lots have been drawn, please have the two Fellow Daoists who drew the group A’s no.1 sign proceed to the stage for their sparring match.”

 

As soon as he spoke, the two young cultivators sprang to their feet immediately and made their way to the stage.

 

Two young men in yellow and green robes walked onto the stage, then stood more than thirty feet apart from each other. According to the rules, they cupped their hands, saluted each other, and announced their names.

 

“Gold Maple Peak’s Sun Clan, Sun Xuanhu.”

 

“Bamboo Groove’s He Clan, He Chenggang.”

 

After exchanging respectful greetings, with the referee signaling, they immediately summoned their artifacts and launched exploratory attacks toward each other.

 

These two cultivators had their cultivation at mid Qi Refining, with the He Clan individual having it a cut above in the same category, reaching the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.

 

Therefore, their methods did not hold much reference or learning value in Zhou Chun’s eyes.

 

After about half ten minutes of battling, Sun Xuanhu from the Gold Maple Peak’s Sun Clan successfully defeated his opponent and secured his first victory.

 

In this way, starting from the first number, it quickly came Zhou Chun’s turn.

 

His opponent, however, turned out to be a white-robed woman cultivator, also at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.

 

“Nine Peaks’s Zhou Clan, Zhou Zhengchun.”

 

“Red Herb Valley’s Wang Clan, Wang Zhenzhen.”

 

On the arena, Zhou Chun observed the delicate and frail female cultivator opposite him. He steadied himself slightly, quickly suppressing his strange inner feelings, and bowed respectfully to the referee to indicate he was ready.

 

The competition began.

 

As soon as the referee gave the signal, Zhou Chun immediately summoned up the black iron shield to protect himself and then pulled out the spirit beast pouch from his waist, releasing the Rock Turtle.

 

On the opposite side, Wang Zhenzhen chose similarly. She too first summoned a silver handkerchief, letting it hover above her head, spinning endlessly. She then brandished a silver long sword artifact, launching it toward him.

 

Zhou Chun’s thoughts stirred, and in an instant, the black iron shield swiftly intercepted the gleaming silver sword.

 

After completing all this, he proceeded to reach into his storage bag with a flick of his hand. From there, he retrieved two artifacts one after another. These were the silver short sword and the copper gourd.

 

Under his propulsion of spiritual power, Zhou Chun swiftly activated the artifact—a silver short sword—directing it with precision towards Wang Zhenzhen.

 

As he did so, he tossed his copper gourd artifact into the air; the mouth of the gourd gave off a muffled sound as it unleashed seven or eight large, fireballs.

 

Such sudden changes caused the Wang Zhenzhen opposite to also pale, hurriedly reaching out to tap her waist storage bag, retrieving a talisman which she slapped onto herself.

 

But suddenly, golden light surged and formed a gleaming golden suit of armor directly on her, proving to be a superior first-grade defensive talisman Golden Armor Talisman!

 

According to the rules of the martial competition, each time they stepped onto the arena, they could only carry one superior-first-grade talisman. But generally, cultivators might not be willing to actually use this talisman.

 

Now, as soon as Wang Zhenzhen began her movements, she already unleashed a talisman—a rare Golden Armor Talisman at that. In that very moment, Zhou Chun realized she had come across a second-generation cultivator.

 

This Wang Zhenzhen’s direct Senior, even if not a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Wang Clan, was likely still a core family member and spoiled her rotten.

 

On the battlefield, Zhou Chun summoned his silver short sword, an artifact, which had just reached Wang Zhenzhen’s side when it was immediately enveloped by the silvery-white glow emitted by the white silk scarf on her head. Not only could it not harm her in the slightest, but it was also rendered immobile.

 

It was only through the subsequent arrival of seven or eight fire projectiles, which were then detonated one after another, that the scattered silver-white glow was dispersed. This allowed control to be re-established over the silver short sword artifact.

 

But Wang Zhenzhen, protected by the Golden Armor Talisman, remained unharmed.

 

Seeing how the Golden Armor Talisman was so effective, her confidence was bolstered, and her face regained its normal color.

 

He immediately struck his storage between waist bag and retrieved a fiery-red copper ball.

 

“Go!”

 

She issued a sharp command and then swung her hand to throw the fiery-red copper ball toward Zhou Chun.

 

The object, as soon as it left Wang Zhenzhen’s hand, began to emit a swift crimson glow under her spiritual power’s urging. It rapidly rose one meter in the air and transformed into a crimson sun.

 

“Superior first-grade artifact!”

 

Zhou Chun’s face paled as he inwardly groaned with frustration.

 

He had originally planned to hide his skills and only unveil the Shooting Moon Edge during the final competition for the top ten spots.

 

But as it turns out, his plan was about to fail.

 

At that moment, all he could do was reach out and slap his storage bag, summoning the Shooting Moon Edge.

 

But as silver light flashed, the silver-black artifact resembling a round wheel collided with the crimson sun-like ball in mid-air, just like a silver meteor crashing into it.

 

Suddenly, the silver spiritual light and crimson fire light scattered and splashed in all directions. The two artifacts were evenly matched; neither could defeat the other. Thye soon exhausted their power and was retrieved by its master.

 

As for Zhou Chun, since he had already deployed his trump card, he no longer stalled.

 

Upon receiving the command, Rock Turtle began stomping, unleashing the Chained Earth Spike technique to attack Wang Zhenzhen while charging forward towards Wang Zhenzhen.

 

For an arena like this, which was confined to a specific area, it was extremely advantageous for a cultivator like Zhou Chun carrying a spirit pet.

 

At least even Rock Turtle, with its slower movement speed, had the opportunity to actively approach and engage in close combat with the enemy.

 

Wang Zhenzhen was not fool either. When she saw the Rock Turtle charging at herself, she quickly summoned her silver sword to attack the Rock Turtle.

 

But Rock Turtle not only had a powerful shell defense, but had also mastered the two close-range defensive mystical arts of stone Skin and Earth Shield.

 

Unless she employed her superior first-grade artifact to attack, she can’t break through.

 

With Zhou Chun watching, she couldn’t find that opportunity!

 

After half an hour of exchanging blows, her protective Golden Armor Amulet finally had its power exhausted and was shattered. She had no choice but to surrender.

 

Having won this contest, Zhou Chun’s face remained without a trace of joy.

 

As soon as the referee had declared the result, he hurried back to his original position to meditate and restore his spiritual power.

 

In this battle he had his spiritual power drained significantly. And in order to securely make it into the top ten, he still needed to win at least two more battles. He dared not waste precious recovery time.