NOVPUBFong Rulie felt immensely pleased.
No matter how skilled his magic cultivator opponent was in the art of magic and spells, or how exquisite the techniques they could deploy, once a combat cultivator like him got close, the opponent was doomed to a dire fate.
He braced himself to take a hit from the enemy, all for this very opportunity.
He could win, he was sure he would!
Infinite confidence surged in his heart. The spear thrust he made in that instant was more powerful than at any other time, the pinnacle spear thrust of his life!
Like a dragon, the movement of his spear, and like a prison, its force; no one in the Cloud River Realm could block his spear!
A short while later.
Inside the Heaven's Augury Hall of a 1st grade sect in Dingzhou, Fong Rulie suddenly appeared, his spirit force swirling violently around him, his face pale, his eyes filled with fear, as if he had narrowly escaped death!
The boundless confidence from a moment ago had now shattered and fell to dust.
Thinking back to the moment before he gave up, Fong Rulie found it hard to believe.
Having struggled to close in on his opponent, ready to defeat him thoroughly, his opponent had calmly produced a long spear Spiritual Artifact.
With a casual thrust, that spear not only broke through all his attacks but also plunged him into a deep crisis.
If he hadn't yelled "I give up" quickly, he wouldn't just have been severely injured; he might have died!
The seemingly relaxed, yet astounding spear thrust had left him profoundly shocked. When his opponent thrust that spear, it felt as if an adult was nonchalantly disciplining a child...
"Master Nephew Fong," came a gentle woman's voice from beside him.
Unlike small sects like the Righteous Blood Sect, in big sects, disciples participating in the Cloud River supremacy had their elders watching over them next to the Heaven's Augury Pillar, and they were always accompanied by a healing cultivator since no one could guarantee whether their disciples would return injured.
With a healing cultivator present, wounds could be quickly treated.
This woman was the sect's most skilled healing cultivator, also a strong cultivator from the Divine Sea Realm.
"Are you hurt?" the woman asked.
Fong Rulie was jolted from his shock and defeat. He looked at the woman who showed concern for him and shook his head, "Master Uncle Nan, I'm fine."
The woman's eyes flickered, "Did you encounter Lu Yiye?"
Fong Rulie didn't appear injured, but he clearly was distressed and seemed to have been humbled, a scenario that likely only had one explaination.
He had been defeated in the previous combat, in a way that he found hard to accept, which undoubtedly was a great blow to him.
And in today's Nine Provinces, only the legendary Lu Yiye would have that capability.
Fong Rulie shook his head, his mind still immersed in that spear thrust from his opponent. Even though he was back at the sect headquarters, the sharpness of that spear seemed to pierce through the Void, following him and causing a chill in his heart.
The woman reassured him, "A moment of strength means little. Above the Cloud River, there is the True Lake, and above that, the Divine Sea. Many of my contemporaries had greater talents than me, but how many of them have ascended to the Divine Sea? Nephew, you mustn't be disheartened."
Fong Rulie gathered himself and replied earnestly, "Thank you for your concern, Master Uncle. It's just a small setback. I can withstand it."
The woman smiled, pleased, "That's good to hear."
"Master Uncle, do you think someone could walk the path of both a magic cultivator and a combat cultivator, and succeed in both?"
"The divisions between factions aren't as strict as imagined. Since ancient times, the cultivation of Nine Provinces cultivators isn't confined to one faction. Take me for instance; I am both a healing and a magic cultivator. Often these can complement each other, and it applies similarly between magic cultivators and array cultivators too. However, combat cultivators and magic cultivators don't naturally complement each other. If someone really does that, they're only sabotaging their path. Even if they achieve minor success now, it will scatter their energies, and they won't get far in the future, unless they come to realize this soon."
Fong Rulie nodded, "I understand, Master Uncle. My path will surely extend beyond the Cloud River and the True Lake."
He walked to the side and sat down to rest. He naturally took his Master Uncle's advice seriously but then he thought, Lu Yiye seemed to be both a combat cultivator and an array cultivator...
If what his Master Uncle said was true, his future was indeed worrisome.
As a core disciple of such a top big sect, not only were his talents and mental resilience superior to ordinary people, so even though he had been defeated, it didn't affect him much.
It was merely the abrupt spear thrust from his opponent that had somewhat shaken him.
...
The first round of the Cloud River supremacy involved completing a hundred matches wherein cultivators' performance in combat was observed, selecting the top three thousand. This lasted seven days.
The second round also spanned seven days, but it didn't require completing as many as a hundred matches.
Only fourteen were necessary.
The frequency of the battles wasn't as high as in the first round since most cultivators needed time to recover after a fight; every cultivator tried to maintain their peak condition.
This led Lu Ye to spend almost two days to complete thirteen matches, mostly waiting by the Heaven's Augury Pillar.
Now only one match left to finish this round.
Whether or not he could advance into the top hundred was unquestionable. If even a flawless record couldn't secure a spot in the top hundred, then the so-called fairness and justice of the Heaven's Augury were nothing but a sham.
After a long wait next to the Heaven's Augury Pillar, the battlefield marking finally began to stir.
Lu Ye closed the book in his hands, skillfully put on his mask, raised his hand to touch the Heaven's Augury Pillar, and relaxed his mind.
He reappeared on the familiar combat arena.
Through the mask, Lu Ye lifted his eyes and looked forward.
What he saw made him slightly startle.
Since his participation in the Cloud River competition, he had encountered over a hundred opponents. However, given the vast base of cultivators from the Nine Provinces, he didn't recognize any of them, irrespective of their origins.
Yet unexpectedly, he encountered one here!
Moreover, what puzzled Lu Ye even more was, how could he have encountered her here?
It made no sense at all!
The woman opposite him, dressed in a robe of purple that accentuated her distinguished aura, had a tall and slender figure. Yet, the expression in her eyes was indifferent and calm, as if she was detached from all worldly matters.
Endless Island, Lan Ziyi!
He had only met this woman twice.
Once was during a challenge in the Spirit Stream Ranking, where she challenged him and was defeated.
The other time was in the secret realm of the Ten Thousand Beasts Domain, where under the arrangement of Heaven's Augury, she, along with Xia Qianqian and Shen Xiaomao, became his maids and followed him to seek refuge in Two Worlds City.
The most profound impression Lu Ye had of her was her strong vigilance.
At the end of the last battle in the Ten Thousand Beasts Domain's secret realm, everyone was injured, and Lu Ye had planned to seize the opportunity to kill her, but she had disappeared without a trace early on.
Instead, after leaving the Ten Thousand Beasts Domain's secret realm, she was waiting for him at the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union to share the profits from selling the Beast Seal Method.
She would appear when there were benefits and escape early when there were dangers. There was no denying her high vigilance.
Meeting her in the second round of the Cloud River competition truly surprised Lu Ye.
Because those who had made it to the second round were either of the Cloud River Level 8 Realm or the Cloud River Level 9 Realm, either having profound foundations like Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan or exceptional talents like Giant Armor.
What about Lan Ziyi?
And seeing her composed and tranquil demeanor, it seemed she had not suffered any injuries throughout the combats she had been through.
While Lu Ye was scrutinizing Lan Ziyi, she was also sizing him up.
He only glanced at her casually and didn't take it too seriously, but then a familiar throbbing sensation came from his heart, a premonition from his conscience.
His indifferent expression grew solemn, and his delicate brows furrowed.
Upon another look at Lu Ye's attire, she immediately realized whom she had encountered.
It was none other than the recently famous magic cultivator!
However... she had heard of this magic cultivator's reputation before and had not paid much attention to it. In all of the Nine Provinces, the only one she held in esteem was Lu Ye from the Cloud River Realm.
That was, assuming Lu Ye's strength was as formidable as the rumors suggested.
But unexpectedly, she had encountered another one here!
Instinctively, she raised her hand and grabbed in front of her, seizing two long knives that were even longer than ordinary ones. If wielded by an ordinary woman, it would have looked unfitting, but for someone tall like her, they complemented her perfectly.
A powerful aura, like that of a slumbering beast, began to awaken from within her.
Lu Ye could hardly believe his eyes and to verify the reality, raised his hand and launched a spell at her.
Lan Ziyi brandished her long knives, splitting his spell in two.
In that instant, the fluctuations of spirit force were undoubtedly prominent.
"Cloud River Level 9 Realm!" Lu Ye was shocked in his heart.
How long had it been?
How could this woman have reached the Cloud River Level 9 Realm already?
Compared to other cultivators, his cultivation had progressed quickly as well; since entering the Cloud River battlefield, he had reached the Level 8 Realm in just over a year.
Yet, unexpectedly, Lan Ziyi had advanced faster, having reached Level 9!
No wonder she appeared here.
Originally, Lan Ziyi was also a strong contender on the Spirit Stream Ranking, frequently receiving rewards bestowed by Heaven's Augury. With a solid foundation and profound strength, it was only natural for her to make it into the top three thousand.
In a daze, Lu Ye recalled a rumor.
Those top big sects actually possess the capability to rapidly enhance their disciples' growth.
Golden-hued spirit fortune sticks, although difficult for ordinary cultivators to obtain, meant little to those big sects; as long as the elders were willing to bestow them, the younger generation could easily acquire them.
However, cultivation is not merely about higher levels being better, as the growth process is also crucial. Otherwise, having cultivation without a solid foundation is like building a castle in the air, destined not to last long.
Thus, even though those big sects have the capability to swiftly enhance their disciples' cultivation levels, they normally wouldn't do so as it would only be fostering growth with undue haste.
But judging from the knife strike Lan Ziyi had just made, Lu Ye could tell that there was no sign of an unstable foundation.
In other words, although Endless Island had elevated her cultivation to the Cloud River Level 9 Realm, she could perfectly control her own power.
This seemed utterly incredible.
