Cultivation Online

Chapter 1728  End of Tournament of Rising Stars

”A heaven-defying talent that would make even the most talented individuals in the Nine Heavens look ordinary. I donʼt believe such a being exists, nor am I going to waste my time finding out,” said a handsome man with long black hair tied into a ponytail.

The second Celestial Overlord looked at Xu Jiaqi and said, ”Why donʼt you go and check him out, Senior Sister Xu? Itʼs been a while since you last recruited someone with significant talents in the faction.”

”…” Xu Jiaqi remained silent; as did Senior Bai.

The information that a monster like Yuan existed in the Celestial Overlords was strictly restricted due to Xu Jiaqiʼs efforts to keep his existence hidden until he was powerful enough to walk amongst them properly with his head held high.

If the members of the Celestial Overlords realized that someone not even in the Divine Realm was among their elite ranks, some might find issues with it and cause trouble for Yuan.

While Celestial Overlords like Xu Jiaqi hold immense authority in the faction, they were not in complete command over every member in the faction due to the existence of more than one Celestial Overlord, each having their own group or sub-faction.

For example, the faction had four members at the rank of Celestial Overlords, and each would hold a certain percentage of control over the faction. That percentage varied based on how many members each of the Celestial Overlords or their members had recruited. The membersʼ loyalty toward each Celestial Overlord also varied.

As of this moment, Xu Jiaqi had the lowest percentage, but those within her group could be considered the elite of elites, consisting of the most powerful members in the faction.

As for the other Celestial Overlords, they had Xu Jiaqi beat in quantity. Moreover, while numbers play a big role, it wasnʼt as if the members of the faction could recruit anybody they saw to inflate their numbers.

”Iʼll pass.” Xu Jiaqi said.

”Eh? Why not? I thought you loved gathering those with extreme talents. This guy sounds like heʼs right up your alley.”

Xu Jiaqi feared that if she recruited this mysterious monster and the others found out about Yuanʼs existence later on, things might get messy due to her monopoly of two monsters.

While she wasnʼt afraid of the other Celestial Overlords or their complaining, she feared that it might cause strife and affect the entire faction. ʼI only need Yuan. They can have this guy.ʼ Xu Jiaqi thought to herself.

She was also aware of how powerful Yuanʼs Heaven Refining Physique could become, so she wasnʼt worried about his potential being surpassed by some nobody.

”I have enough talented individuals by my side already. If I get another one, youʼll all be complaining, especially if his talent is as amazing as Kelan claims, anyway.” Xu Jiaqi sneered.

”Are you sure? Kelan is from your group, so you have priority over this man, regardless of our feelings.”

”Yes, I am sure.”

Xu Jiaqiʼs decision really surprised and puzzled many individuals there. She would typically be the first to jump at the opportunity to recruit someone highly talented, but she didnʼt seem interested this time for some reason.

Unbeknownst to them, Xu Jiaqi had already secretly recruited a monster and thought this new monster wasnʼt worth unnecessary drama. Only Senior Bai understood Xu Jiaqiʼs thoughts.

”In that case, Iʼll go take a look at this young man,” said the third Celestial Overlord. She was sitting beside Xu Jiaqi and was the one who addressed her as Senior Sister.

”Donʼt come complaining to me if he turns out to be the real deal, okay?”

”Celestial Overlord Qing, are you going to go down yourself, or should one of us go in your stead?” One of the Overlords there asked.

”Thereʼs a reason Kelan didnʼt outright recruit him but contacted Overlord Bai instead. Would you send your servant to invite an Emperor to your banquet? No, youʼd show up yourself to show your sincerity.” Celestial Overlord Qing explained her reasoning.

Sometime later, Senior Bai notified Kelan that Celestial Overlord Qing would be the one to recruit Yuan. Naturally, Kelan was incredibly upset by this decision.

”Why would she be the one coming?! I notified you because I wanted Celestial Overlord Xu to recruit him!”

Senior Bai explained the skepticism the others had about his information and Xu Jiaqiʼs reason for not recruiting another monster.

”They think I am misunderstanding something?! Thatʼs outrageous and slanderous! When have I ever made a bad judgment of talents?! Iʼm telling you that Celestial Overlord Xu will immensely regret not having this guy in her group! Heʼs even more monstrous than Yuan!”

”Whatʼs done has been done… Unless you are willing to risk offending Celestial Overlord Qing and recruit him before she arrives, go ahead.”

Kelan swallowed nervously at the thought of offending another Celestial Overlord—one that was not in his group. Heʼd essentially make an enemy out of everyone under Celestial Overlord Qing.

”Haaa… Why did the Celestial Overlords split up in such a fashion? I heard it wasnʼt like this when the founder was still alive.” Kelan sighed.

The Celestial Overlords were in complete unity when the founder of the Celestial Overlords was still in control. There were even more Celestial Overlords at that time than currently. Yet, nobody tried to fight for authority or acquire more control, and they were all loyal to the founder.

”Lady Xu is currently working to return the Celestial Overlords to its former glory. However, these things take a tremendous amount of time and energy.” Senior Bai said. ”Also, she believes in Yuan more, even if he may be a little behind now.”

”I also believe in Yuan, but thereʼs truly something unfathomable about this man surnamed Xiao. Whatever. If Celestial Overlord Xu refuses to recruit him, thereʼs nothing else I can do. I also donʼt want to offend Celestial Overlord Qing, as sheʼs also very scary in her own right.”

Meanwhile, Yuan faced his next moment, a young man wielding a sword.

”Wang Ming, and Iʼll be your next opponent.”

”A sword, huh? Let me change my weapon real quick.” Yuan swapped his spear for a sword.

Their fight began shortly later.

Neither of them really spoke to each other. Instead, they used their swords to do the talking.

Wang Mingʼs sword gushed with powerful Sword Aura, but it was still behind Yuanʼs ordinary Sword Aura.

Realizing this, Wang Ming used his cultivation to make up for the difference.

Only being weaker than Li Jinxi, Wang Ming was the second strongest member of the Demon Sealing Faction, and his performance only further solidified his position.

His movements were perfectly executed, and his sword techniques were on the verge of perfection. His Sword Aura was also impressive for someone his age, something only seen in the upper heavens. Yet, despite his excellence, he was still several steps behind Yuan… in every aspect.

ʼDamn it! This is exactly like fighting Yuan!ʼ Wang Ming gritted his teeth when he realized he couldnʼt gain any advantage or overpower his opponent, and he was having flashbacks of his first encounter with Yuan.

”Youʼre not bad, but in my eyes, youʼre only slightly better than my last opponent.” Yuan provoked him.

Wang Mingʼs eyes flickered with fighting spirit, and his aura abruptly soared.

[Sword Energy!]

Wang Ming swung his sword at Yuan, releasing a powerful beam of energy that resembled Yuanʼs Heaven Splitting Sword Strike. ”Hmph.” Yuan also swung his sword, but instead of using Sword Aura, his sword displayed Enhanced Sword Aura, cutting right through Wang Mingʼs technique.

”Enhanced Sword Aura?!” Kelan cried out loud as he witnessed Wang Ming being struck.

”Enhanced… Sword Aura…?” Wang Ming muttered in disbelief as he felt the sensation of his body being sliced in half.

ʼNot just Sword Aura and Spear Aura, but he also knows Enhanced Sword Aura?! Thereʼs no way heʼs less than thirty years old!ʼ Kelan started to question Yuanʼs true age, as his achievements seemed far too extraordinary for someone so young.

”No way! He defeated another Spirit Enlightenment cultivator while only being Spirit Grandmaster! How is this making any sense?!”

”That must be Enhanced Sword Aura just now! Itʼs my first time witnessing it, but itʼs so distinct from Sword Aura!”

While the spectators were in an uproar, Yuan looked at Li Jinxi and inquired, ”Are you next?”

After a moment of silence, she said, ”I want to, but I will deal with you once I finish this tournament.”

”If you say so.”

Yuan looked at the other participants, who all appeared to be stricken with immense fear.

”I guess there will be no more challengers for now.” Yuan returned to the Ning Familyʼs booth the next moment.

The tournament resumed shortly after, but most of the top 20 participants had lost their desire to fight. In the end, Li Jinxi swept away the rest of the tournament without any effort and became the champion.

”The champion of this yearʼs Tournament of Rising Stars is Li Jinxi, a rogue cultivator!” The judge announced.

The crowd cheered for her, but the celebration was short-lived since everyone knew there was still one more fight left to be fought.

After winning the tournament, Li Jinxi stepped onto one of the stages and beckoned Yuan with a finger.

Once Yuan entered the stage, he said, ”Since this is the last fight, and I can tell youʼre different from the others, letʼs make use of this entire stadium instead of just a single stage.”

”I am fine with that,” she calmly said.