A Discourse That Began Strongly but Ended Weakly

So far at the Famen Temple Dao Discussion, Yu Zhao has not seen any cultivators who have impressed her, which has given her the illusion that she might be invincible in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Until the young monk Kongxiang took the stage, his opponent happened to be Mufeng from the Dragon Tiger Holy Land.

The two had become friends over time. After going on stage, Mu Feng clasped his hands in a respectful greeting and said:

"I've long wanted to spar with you, Brother Kongxiang, and today my wish has finally come true."

Seeing the opponent's fierce fighting spirit, the young monk Kongxiang smiled helplessly, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "May Buddha have mercy. This humble monk is not skilled in combat. I hope Brother Mu will show mercy."

"Of course." Mu Feng, that simple-minded boy, actually believed this nonsense. He looked arrogant, one hand behind his back and the other hand forming a sword finger in front of him. "Brother Kong Xiang, be careful."

With a loud shout, a series of flying swords suddenly appeared behind him, dazzling like a red sparrow spreading its tail feathers.

Seeing this, Yu Zhao's eyes lit up; finally, he had found someone who could fight.

At this moment, Zhang Yanqiu, who was standing to her left, spoke up: "What Junior Brother Mu is using is the Myriad Swords Technique of my Dragon Tiger Holy Land. When it is mastered to a high level, ten thousand swords will be unleashed at once, covering the sky and the earth."

This is one of the supreme sword techniques of our Dragon Tiger Holy Land.

As Zhang Yanqiu explained, Mu Feng on the stage drew his sword, and a series of flying swords formed from spiritual energy surged toward the little monk Kong Xiang like a long river.

To be fair, the Ten Thousand Swords Technique is indeed very flashy and looks powerful, but Yu Zhao keenly sensed that this sword technique is too focused on form, in other words, it is flashy but impractical.

It's unclear whether Mu Feng didn't master the technique or if the swordsmanship itself had a fatal flaw.

"Senior Brother Mu is going to lose."

Yu Zhao muttered something unconsciously, and her words were like divine pronouncements. As soon as she finished speaking, golden light shone around the little monk Kong Xiang.

The golden light shattered the river of spiritual energy flying swords. At the same time, the young monk Kongxiang raised his hand, and a large golden hand appeared in the air, slapping towards Mu Feng.

With a single blow, Mu Feng was knocked off the stage.

He was completely stunned, never expecting to lose so quickly.

"Thank you for your concession."

The young monk Kongxiang clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, his face still bearing his signature simple and honest smile.

Upon hearing this, Mu Feng snapped out of his daze and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Brother Kong Xiang's cultivation is profound; I admire him."

So this is what you mean by not being good at magical combat? You bald monk, you're so wicked!

Mu Feng felt extremely aggrieved, but the young man was also able to accept defeat and did not harbor any resentment towards the young monk Kong Xiang because of it.

He walked up to Zhang Yanqiu, his face contorted in pain, and lowered his head, not daring to look at his senior brother. "Senior brother, I lost. I've disgraced the sect."

"Knowing he had embarrassed himself, he trained even harder after returning home."

Zhang Yanqiu did not blame his junior brother too much. Victory and defeat are common occurrences, and it is not a bad thing to know shame and then be brave.

As for losing face for the sect? That's a minor matter. The Dragon Tiger Holy Land's face can't be lost just because of the outcome of a disciple competition.

The disciples of the Dragon Tiger Holy Land can afford to lose.

However, Mu Feng's defeat made Zhang Yanqiu think more highly of this seemingly simple and honest little monk.

Seeing his junior brother chatting and laughing with the little monk as if nothing had happened, Zhang Yanqiu was quite worried about his junior brother's brain.

Is it really wise for my junior brother to befriend such an unfathomable person who knows how to play dumb? He might get betrayed one day and end up counting the money for the other party.

Master was right after all. Buddhist disciples are all good at disguising themselves, and one really has to be careful when dealing with them.

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Zhang Yanqiu glanced at Yu Zhao beside him and saw that his junior uncle was watching the competition taking place on the stage with great concentration.

The girl's focused expression was quite beautiful; she would occasionally furrow her brows as if deep in thought, and then a smile would occasionally appear on her lips, as if she had seen something interesting.

Suddenly, Yu Zhao turned her head and met Zhang Yanqiu's gaze. As Zhang Yanqiu subconsciously looked away, he heard Yu Zhao's clear voice.

"Senior Brother Zhang, you've been staring at me for a while now, is there something you want to say?"

"Indeed, I'm very curious how you knew Mu Feng would lose the moment he made his move?"

Although the topic was brought up on the spot, Zhang Yanqiu was genuinely curious, since he hadn't noticed it at the time, but his junior uncle had seen it at a glance.

Could it be that this junior uncle is really stronger than him?

No matter how composed he may seem, Zhang Yanqiu is still just a young man in his early twenties, and naturally he has his own pride and unwillingness to admit defeat.

"There's nothing mysterious about it. I just noticed that Senior Brother Mu's spiritual energy flying sword wasn't sturdy enough. Buddhist disciples are known for their physical strength, and a spiritual energy flying sword of this level simply can't break through someone's protective spiritual energy."

In fact, Yu Zhao left half of what he said unsaid, and had already been as tactful as possible.

If you ask her to tell the truth, it would be:

"How much spiritual power can a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator have? And they're diverting so much of it to condense spiritual energy flying swords. A spiritual energy flying sword of this level is just like paper."

Indeed, Yu Zhao felt that Mu Feng had practiced the Ten Thousand Swords Technique incorrectly. In her opinion, the true way to practice the Ten Thousand Swords Technique should not be to pursue the number of flying swords, but to transform the ten thousand swords into one.

If all those in the Dragon Tiger Holy Land who practiced this sword technique were like Mu Feng, then Yu Zhao felt that as long as they dared to use it on her, she could smash this fancy thing with her bare hands.

After watching so many battles, Yu Zhao noticed that these Foundation Establishment cultivators all pursued how to make their spells look good, as if the more gorgeous the phenomena they created, the more powerful their spells were.

But they forgot that a Foundation Establishment cultivator's spiritual power is limited, and the more elaborate the spell, the more spiritual power it consumes. If a spell doesn't bring down the opponent, wouldn't they be doomed?

They have absolutely no idea how to use their limited spiritual power to cause the greatest damage.

To use the Taoist philosophy of her previous life as an example, it seems that cultivators in this world do not value "nature and destiny," that is, they value techniques more than the Tao.

While Yu Zhao's thoughts were churning, Zhang Yanqiu was also pondering her words. After a moment's thought, he realized that Yu Zhao was right; his junior brother's spiritual energy flying sword was indeed very fragile.

However, he felt that this was related to his junior brother's low cultivation level, which led him to a thought: the Myriad Swords Technique seemed unsuitable for disciples below the Golden Core stage.

Disciples below the Golden Core stage lack sufficient spiritual power to support a large number of spiritual energy flying swords. If they encounter a cultivator undergoing body re-refinement, it will be very difficult for them to win.

As expected of the grandmaster's daughter, she saw through the flaws of the Myriad Swords Technique at a glance. Her comprehension and insight are truly enviable.

Zhang Yanqiu admitted that he was envious, but not jealous. The other party was his own junior uncle, so how could he be envious? He was happy that the other party was more powerful.

"Junior Sister Yu's insights are profound; Yanqiu has learned a great deal."

He clasped his hands in a salute, which made Yu Zhao feel embarrassed. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "What do you mean by 'giving advice'? Senior Brother Zhang, you're too kind. I was just expressing some basic thoughts."

This person is so polite. What did I say to make him so respectful?

Yu Zhao began to have doubts.

Zhang Yanqiu smiled and didn't say anything more.

Yu Zhao felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he took the initiative to start a conversation with Zhang Yanqiu, "By the way, Senior Brother Zhang, do you know what the prize is for this Dao discussion?"

Yu Zhao's opponent is Zhang Yanqiu. She strongly suspects that this is a setup, so she wants to find out what the prize is. If the prize isn't too good, she plans to fight without going all out.

Just test Zhang Yanqiu's abilities.

A tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind. If a powerless and insignificant cultivator like her were to defeat the current senior disciple of the Dragon Tiger Holy Land, it wouldn't bring her fame; it would be courting death.

It would inevitably attract too much attention from powerful figures, and she didn't want that.

They'll only consider making a name for themselves once they've at least reached the Golden Core stage.

Zhang Yanqiu, of course, was unaware of Yu Zhao's ulterior motives. He simply assumed it was a young girl's curiosity about the prize, and so he answered with a smile without giving it much thought:

"I actually know that. The biggest prize of this Dao discussion is the Bodhi seeds from Famen Temple. This item can be considered a treasure for us Foundation Establishment cultivators."

This item can calm the mind and soothe the spirit, allowing us Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter a meditative state without distraction, and even potentially capture the essence of the Dao. You must know that the essence of the Dao is extremely mysterious, and even Golden Core cultivators can only glimpse its beginnings.

"And as long as one obtains the Bodhi Seed, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might be able to comprehend some of its secrets. Wouldn't you say that's an incredible stroke of luck?"

Yu Zhao: "???"

Why would Famen Temple be so kind? What are they after? Using such a priceless treasure as a prize? Is this some kind of charity?

Yu Zhao, who was always very suspicious, had a feeling that something was wrong, and she immediately lost interest in winning the championship.

Firstly, she doubted that Famen Temple would be so kind, and secondly, these Bodhi seeds didn't seem to be of much use to her.

When she enters a meditative state, she can concentrate without distraction. Besides, with the bronze coffin, a magical artifact that can be described as a heaven-defying auxiliary weapon, she doesn't need something like the Bodhi seed at all.

Her bronze coffin had the same effect, and was likely even better.

If that's the case, why bother showing off?

With this thought in mind, Yu Zhao completely relaxed and watched the other people's fight with a spectator's mentality.

Another hour passed, and it was finally Yu Zhao and Zhang Yanqiu's turn to go on stage to discuss the Dao.

After the two took the stage, Zhang Yanqiu stood in front of Yu Zhao. The elegant young man with a long sword on his back really had a bit of the demeanor of an immortal.

He raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, "Junior Sister Yu, please."

This wasn't because he looked down on Yu Zhao, but because he had already accepted Yu Zhao as his junior uncle. Since Yu Zhao was his junior uncle, he was an elder.

When discussing matters with elders, there's no reason to strike first.

However, Yu Zhao interpreted his posture as pretentious, and if it weren't for the fact that they were in public, she would definitely beat up this show-off.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I'd like to witness your thunder magic, is that alright?"

Although Yu Zhao intended to lose this round, he knew he couldn't just admit defeat, otherwise his cheap master and Monk Huizhen would lose face.

They recommended me, and then I just admitted defeat. That's how you offend people.

Yu Zhao didn't want to stand out, but she also didn't want to offend anyone, so she decided to pretend to be defeated and admit defeat after witnessing the power of thunder.

It's perfectly reasonable that she, someone from a small place, couldn't defeat the senior disciple of the prestigious Dragon Tiger Holy Land.

In fact, Yu Zhao's thinking was not wrong. No one thought she could beat Zhang Yanqiu. Even Qingxuan, after learning that Zhang Yanqiu was participating in the Ullambana Festival, felt that his eldest disciple could not win the championship.

Therefore, he was too lazy to read the treatises and went directly to explore the ruins with the monk Huizhen.

Let's get back to the present.

Upon hearing Yu Zhao's request to witness the thunder magic, Zhang Yanqiu agreed without hesitation, simultaneously forming hand seals and offering guidance:

"Junior Sister Yu, be careful."

If you're going to act, you have to act convincingly. So, as soon as Zhang Yanqiu finished speaking, Yu Zhao immediately pulled out his mourning staff... no, I mean, his vajra.

The spiritual energy around him was cleansed, forming a protective golden light that shielded him.

Seeing that she was ready, Zhang Yanqiu did not hesitate and shouted as if it were the law of heaven: "Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, descend!"

The sound was followed by the sudden darkness of the once clear sky, with dark clouds gathering and lightning flashing.

Streaks of silver lightning fell, forming pillars of lightning that trapped Yu Zhao as if he were in a cage of lightning.

The lightning was extremely violent, and its power even startled some Golden Core cultivators who were secretly observing.

Yu Zhao, trapped in the Thunder Prison, remained calm. She released her divine sense and carefully sensed the lightning. At this moment, Yu Zhao realized that Zhang Yanqiu's lightning technique was very different from her own Five Thunder Technique.

Zhang Yanqiu's lightning technique is essentially spiritual power; it uses a special method to attach a layer of lightning to the spiritual power.

However, her Five Thunder Technique is different. The Five Thunder Technique directly draws heavenly lightning to the ground, so the two are fundamentally different in terms of power and other aspects.

She didn't know if all the lightning magic in the Dragon Tiger Holy Land was like Zhang Yanqiu's, which made Yu Zhao even more curious about the Dragon Tiger Holy Land.

I want to see what kind of thunder magic the Celestial Master of the Dragon Tiger Holy Land would use.

After reflecting on his understanding, there was no need to continue the discussion, and Yu Zhao directly admitted defeat.

Others didn't think much of her conceding defeat; this level of lightning magic was generally difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators to break.

Even a prodigy would have to put in a lot of effort.

Clearly, in the eyes of others, Zhang Yanqiu's opponent was not Tianjiao.

Zhang Yanqiu himself was quite surprised. He didn't think that this junior uncle couldn't break through his Thunder Prison, so why did she admit defeat?

Is it because they don't want to reveal their true abilities?

That's right. Junior Uncle must have suffered a lot while he was away from home, so it's normal that he doesn't dare to show his talents.

"Thank you for your concession."

After exchanging greetings, Zhang Yanqiu and Yu Zhao stepped down from the stage.

At this moment, the crowd watching the commotion below began to discuss:

"That's it, Young Master Zhang will definitely be the champion of this debate."

"Yes, who can break such powerful lightning magic?"

"Even if he doesn't use thunder magic, we'll still have a hard time winning. You have to know that the Dragon Tiger Holy Land has three great heaven-reaching techniques, seven unique skills, and thirty-six protective Dao techniques. As the number one person of this generation in the Dragon Tiger Holy Land, who knows how many of them Young Master Zhang has mastered."

As soon as these words were spoken, many of the cultivators who had won the first round of the competition felt a wave of despair.

How could they possibly compete with the number one young talent from the Dragon Tiger Holy Land?

Damn it, what kind of treasures doesn't the current senior disciple of the Dragon Tiger Holy Land have? Why are you competing with us for this little bit of opportunity?

Some people harbored resentment towards Zhang Yanqiu, but they only dared to mutter it to themselves.