Watching the Mountain

Chapter 263: Chapter 164: Wind and Rain

The Changqing County Grand Sect Tournament drew to a close, and Li Daoyi, unsurprisingly, took first place.

This result was well within the expectations of everyone from the Profound Pure Sect, so no one was surprised. What truly shocked them was the process.

Logically, with Li Daoyi’s cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, combined with the talent and strength he had previously demonstrated, this tournament should have been his personal showcase. The entire event should have concluded with a series of one-sided, overwhelming victories.

Just like his master, the Changqing Sword Saint, who had displayed absolute dominance over the prodigies of his own generation and was unrivaled within his realm.

The potential Li Daoyi had shown, both in his initial talent assessment and during his subsequent growth, was even greater than that of his master, the Changqing Sword Saint, Zhang Zhentian.

The entire Sect hoped he would become an even greater Sword Saint than Changqing himself.

And yet, during this tournament, Li Daoyi failed to demonstrate that absolute dominance over the other sects’ disciples. His path to victory was incredibly difficult.

This was especially true of his final two matches: one against a disciple from the Illusion Spirit Sect named Chu Lingxiao, and the other against a female disciple from the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect named Luo Qianxue.

Li Daoyi barely scraped by with a win in both matches.

Furthermore, the process was strangely identical in both cases. The combatants fought until they were both lying on the ground, covered in blood. Then, after a long struggle, Li Daoyi would stagger back to his feet on the arena platform, while his opponent was unable to rise in the final moments.

Li Daoyi won by virtue of the match’s rules.

Beyond that, there was another, more important point: during this tournament, Li Daoyi broke a rule he had set for himself and consumed a Healing Elixir—a Life Creation Pill.

He had even personally asked Xu Ran to give it to him, while also imploring Xu Ran to give one to his opponent, Chu Lingxiao of the Illusion Spirit Sect.

The two had fought for a full day and night, leaving them both utterly spent and covered in wounds. With the next match only three days away, it was clear that without a Healing Elixir, he wouldn’t recover enough combat strength to compete.

More importantly, his next opponent, Luo Qianxue of the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect, was another powerhouse. Even at his peak, Li Daoyi wasn’t confident he could secure a win against her, let alone while injured.

Therefore, after wrestling with the decision for a long while, he proactively asked Xu Ran for a Life Creation Pill to restore himself to his peak condition and secure the honor of first place for the Sect.

As Xu Ran handed him the Life Creation Pill, he asked, ”Are you sure you want to take this? You won’t regret it? Before his Golden Core shattered, Senior Brother Ye Shan never once consumed a Healing Elixir.”

Li Daoyi took the elixir from his hand, then unhesitatingly put it in his mouth and swallowed.

At that moment, all hesitation and struggle vanished from his face, replaced by a calm as placid as still water.

”My Dao is different from that of Senior Sword Dao Ye Shan,” he said. ”What I pursue is my Sect’s strength and glory. If I were to back down now, that is what I would regret for the rest of my life.”

Xu Ran saw the determination in his eyes and felt a brief sense of wonder. At that moment, he felt he was beginning to understand the difference between himself and these young prodigies.

After Li Daoyi took the Life Creation Pill, Xu Ran produced another and offered it to his opponent, Chu Lingxiao of the Illusion Spirit Sect.

Li Daoyi had a plain face, but his purple robes and jade belt were exceptionally lavish. In contrast, his opponent, Chu Lingxiao, was strikingly handsome with sharp brows and bright eyes, yet he wore only a simple, gray robe.

Their appearances and attire were a perfect contrast.

When Xu Ran offered him the Life Creation Pill, Chu Lingxiao accepted it respectfully and said, ”Thank you, Senior.”

He then turned his head slightly to look at Li Daoyi. He understood that Xu Ran had given him the elixir only because Li Daoyi had requested it. But instead of offering thanks, he simply said in a level voice:

”Fellow Daoist Li, once this tournament is over, let’s have another match. What do you say?”

Upon hearing this, Li Daoyi replied coolly, ”I’d like nothing better.”

Chu Lingxiao nodded, said no more, and silently consumed the elixir, closing his eyes to meditate and recover his strength.

Standing between the two, Xu Ran listened to their exchange and couldn’t help but give them a longer look.

’Is this that mutual respect between worthy opponents?’

It was a scene that should have been common in the Cultivation Realm, yet it was the first time he had witnessed such a thing since arriving in this world.

He had never seen such a moment from Ye Shan, Zhang Zhentian, or even Chen Chang’an.

Witnessing this now filled a certain void for him.

And then, while he was still marveling at this, the same scene played out again three days later. This time, it was between Li Daoyi and Luo Qianxue of the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect.

Once again, two rivals made a pact to fight again in the future.

The result was that Xu Ran was out two more Life Creation Pills.

He didn’t feel the loss, however. They were only First Grade Life Creation Pills, after all. For a cultivator like him, already at the Purple Mansion Stage, they were no longer of any use.

’Better to use them to help my martial nephew make a few friends, anyway.’

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Li Daoyi had won first place in the Changqing County Grand Sect Tournament, but no one in the Profound Pure Sect could bring themselves to celebrate.

It wasn’t just because the much-lauded Li Daoyi had failed to show absolute dominance during the process. More importantly, aside from Li Daoyi’s first-place finish, not a single other disciple from the Profound Pure Sect had made it into the top fifty.