CHAPTER 84: THE CULTIVATION TALENT LOST ALONGSIDE THE HEAVENLY DAO

Wang Xiaolong struggled briefly within the tightening vines before quickly accepting his defeat.

Lu Chen released the bindings, letting Wang Xiaolong step back onto the arena floor.

Wang Xiaolog bowed slightly and said, "Brother Lu, that's an impressive technique. I'm truly impressed."

He smiled wryly. "The cultivation world these days is really full of talent. Maybe we old timers should think about retiring."

Lu Chen grinned. "Thanks for the compliment, Brother Wang. You've fought dozens of battles before, which has worn down your stamina. I just happened to take advantage of that. If you had more energy left, the outcome might've been different."

"A loss is a loss. There's no excuse for that," Wang Xiaolong said firmly.

He extended his hand. "The winner takes all, and the loser gets nothing. That's the rule."

Lu Chen bowed in return. "Well said. The winner takes all, and the loser gets nothing. Big Brother Wang, you have my deepest respect."

Wang Xiaolong chuckled as he grabbed all the spoils from the table and tossed them to Lu Chen. "Take everything. Give my regards to Brother Nantian. Tell him Wang Xiaolong respects him deeply and hopes to count him as a brother."

"Will do."

Lu Chen stored the spoils in his bag and bowed a third time. "On behalf of Little Jian, thank you, Big Brother Wang."

"Heh. Well then, I'll be on my way."

Wang Xiaolong picked up a dagger from the ground, laughed loudly, then jumped off the arena and disappeared into the crowd.

After Wang Xiaolong left, Lu Chen gripped a vine from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and looked down. "Next one, come up."

Wang Xiaolong was Jun Wudi's top assassin, yet Lu Chen had defeated him in under a minute.

A sharp glint flickered in Lu Chen's eyes as he scanned the crowd. Every time his gaze landed on a cultivator, they'd quickly lower their heads. For a long moment, no one dared step forward.

Lu Chen sighed. "Is no one going to come up?"

The cultivators whispered among themselves.

"It's one thing if he didn't suppress our cultivation, but with it suppressed, going up is just sending ourselves to die."

"Yeah, even Brother Xiaolong lost. What chance do we have?"

The murmurs below reached his ears. Unwilling to wait any longer, Lu Chen gathered the vines of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree in his hand and said calmly, "If no one volunteers... then you, come up."

The vines turned into a massive sword, which Lu Chen used to point at the tall cultivator still standing by the table. "Since you're so tall, you're up."

The tall cultivator chuckled. "Heh, me?"

Seeing how Lu Chen pointed at him with the giant sword, he felt underestimated. He immediately grabbed his weapon from under the table.

He said confidently, "They say you're unrivaled among cultivators at the Qi Regulation Realm. I'm not convinced. After all, the Qi Regulation Realm isn't like the Qi Absorption Realm, which relies purely on brute strength. Since you've chosen me as your opponent..."

He kicked the table hard, sending a pot of wine flying through the air. "Let me, Sun Xiaohu, test if your claim of being unrivaled among the cultivators in the same realm is true."

"Ha!"

Sun Xiaohu gripped his weapon tightly. The wine poured through the air, landing straight into his mouth.

He glanced at Lu Chen, then at the weapon in his hand. He took a deep breath and spat the wine over the broadsword.

"Come then!" he shouted, hurling it toward the center of the arena.

Circulating his spirit qi, he revealed his cultivation at the seventh level of the Qi Regulation Realm.

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. "Level-seven? That's not strong enough to threaten me."

Sun Xiaohu sneered. "We'll see about that."

He stabbed himself several times, sealing key acupoints, then suppressed his spirit qi down to the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm. "Let me be the one to end your winning streak."

He gripped the hilt firmly, lowered into a crouch, and fixed his gaze on Lu Chen. "Unlike Brother Xiaolong, who only dodged, I'll face you head-on."

Lu Chen snorted coldly. "Is that so? Then please, step aside."

The vines of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree transformed into a whip, which he swung fiercely at Sun Xiaohu.

Before Sun Xiaohu even had time to react, the whip struck him, sending him flying off the arena with a resounding boom.

Suspended mid-air, Sun Xiaohu stared at Lu Chen in shock. "How is this possible? That force... it's like a mountain crushing me. This can't be the strength of a level-one Qi Regulation Realm cultivator!"

Lu Chen laid a net of vines on the ground, cushioning Sun Xiaohu's fall. "Nothing is impossible. Right now, the raw power behind a single punch of mine already exceeds twenty thousand jin."

Sun Xiaohu lay on the vine net, meeting Lu Chen's gaze. "Twenty thousand jin in a single punch? That kind of strength can only be acquired after reaching perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm! It's impossible for others at the same level as you to possess this level of strength!"

Sun Xiaohu looked at Lu Chen in the arena and realized that less than five seconds had passed from the time he stepped onto the arena until he was sent flying. In that instant, his entire worldview collapsed.

Sun Xiaohu slowly climbed out of the net, his body trembling as he spoke. "So the rumors are true... You truly are unrivaled among peers of the same realm."

Noticing Sun Xiaohu's gaze, Lu Chen smiled and cupped his hands in salute.

Sun Xiaohu sighed deeply. "The world has changed. I've trained with all my might for over two hundred years, yet I still can't match a kid in his twenties."

He returned the salute, then picked up his broadsword and bowed before leaving.

Jun Wudi sat by the round table, watching Sun Xiaohu depart. "The golden age is coming. Spirit qi and secret realms will be restored. For those few born with talent, this will be an unprecedented opportunity, but..."

He sighed, then continued, "For those without innate talent, like Sun Xiaohu, who must accumulate spirit qi through sheer time and effort, this journey will likely end with them being buried, overshadowed by the brilliance of gifted cultivators."

Jun Laoye gazed toward Sun Xiaohu near the cabin door and sighed. "Is the world really changing, Second Uncle?"

Jun Wudi turned his gaze to Lu Chen and nodded. "It seems the destined child of this era has appeared. His strength already sets the standard for the golden age."

Jun Laoye glanced at Lu Chen, who fought relentlessly in the arena, and asked with doubt, "Second Uncle, do you think Little Lu is the one?"

Jun Wudi replied, "So far, it seems so, but anyone could become that person. The true outcome depends on what the future holds."

Jun Wudi reached out and patted Jun Laoye's shoulder. "If you stop living in your elder brother's shadow, you might also become the one to lead this era. Heavenly Rite Manor is where you truly belong."

Jun Laoye looked up at Jun Wudi, dazed. "Second Uncle... can I truly catch up to my brother? I'm afraid I may never return to Heavenly Rite Manor for the rest of my life."

Jun Wudi stroked Jun Laoye's hair gently. "Don't forget, you have the power to manipulate the Heavenly Dao. And you have comrades you can rely on, something your brother never had."

Jun Laoye met his gaze and nodded firmly. "Second Uncle... I'll try my best."

"Uncle Jun, Brother Jun..."

"Hm? What is it?"

Nantian Wan'er stared toward the cabin door where the lonely Sun Xiaohu stood. "He looks so pitiful. Is there really no way to change one's cultivation talent? If there were, everyone could start on an equal footing."

Jun Wudi sighed as he stroked Nantian Wan'er's head. "If the Heavenly Dao still existed, cultivation talent could indeed be changed. But since it vanished years ago, talent now passes only through bloodlines."

Nantian Yijian suddenly spoke up from behind Jun Laoye, his tone sharp with anger. "That's why the aristocratic clans endure while commoners suffer."

Jun Laoye quickly turned around to support Nantian Yijian. "Little Jian, how are you feeling?"

"I'm much better now."

Nantian Yijian patted Jun Laoye's shoulder, then knelt deeply before Jun Wudi, performing the most honorable ceremony of the Eastern Pole Continent.

He repeated the ritual nine times before finally speaking. "Uncle Jun, please tell me, if we find the Heavenly Dao again, can we truly solve the cultivation problems of the commoners?"

Jun Wudi said, "That would indeed work. The Jun Clan has the gift to sense the Heavenly Dao. Since the time of our first patriarch, we have sought it tirelessly. However, after more than a hundred thousand years of searching, we have yet to find it. If we don't succeed soon, this world will never—"

"Please, Uncle Jun, tell me how to find it. I want commoners to be able to cultivate. I don't want any more orphans to suffer humiliation."

After saying that, Nantian Yijian bowed repeatedly, pounding his head heavily on the ground.

Jun Wudi watched him, then suddenly changed expression and quickly stopped him. "I think you should give it a try."

He helped Nantian Yijian up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and looked into his eyes. "I see a different light in you."

Nantian Yijian bowed again. "Do you mean that, Uncle Jun?"

He was clearly moved. It was the first time someone had praised him so sincerely.

Jun Wudi nodded and placed Nantian Yijian's hand in Jun Laoye's. "Jun Laoye already knows how to seek the Heavenly Dao. He will guide you. For now, let's focus on the arena. We have plenty of time to talk about finding the Heavenly Dao later."

Nantian Yijian straightened his clothes and sat beside Jun Laoye, eyes fixed on the stage. "Yes, Uncle Jun."