Chapter 158: A Warning

Even Tianming Daoist felt his eyes had been opened today—so one could imagine how the audience felt.
It was like their third eye had been opened.
They had never imagined that the relationship between cultivators and Spiritual Treasures could be this complex—some treated their treasures like ancestors, while others treated them like wives.
Different relationships meant different combat styles.
Most cultivators treated their treasures like brothers or friends, sharing fortune and misfortune alike.
But those two on the stage were practically ready to live and die together with their treasures.
“You dare strike my grandfather?”
“You dare strike my wife?”
While their Spiritual Treasures battled fiercely, the cultivators themselves rolled up their sleeves and jumped in, throwing hands. In a blink, the stage became a chaos of overlapping spells and dazzling techniques.
“If you’re afraid your treasure will get hit, why send them into battle? Are they just fishing for sympathy?” Jiang Li was speechless.
Complaints aside, the two might’ve looked ridiculous, but their combat power was solid. Though just average Golden Core stage cultivators, their synergy with their treasures let them fight at levels far beyond their base strength.
“The Wei Family disciple’s spear strikes like a dragon, cold gleams flashing! The Luban Sect disciple refuses to back down, coordinating with his puppet to unleash a Yin-Yang combo, clashing hard against the spear! The Wei disciple’s strength peters out, and he’s blasted away, spear and all!”
“The Luban Sect disciple wins!”
The Wei disciple clutched his spear and howled in tears: “Master Spear, I’ve failed you, made you suffer!”
His cries were so tragic that listeners wept, and witnesses were heartbroken.
“Next match, hurry,” Ji Zhi sent a sound transmission to the official below.
Thanks to the theatrics from the Wei and Luban disciples, the Golden Core stage matches had clearly become more exciting, far better than the Foundation Establishment stage.
In the audience, some saw how tricky it was to win without a good treasure—so they just directly acknowledged their treasures as their masters and followed orders.
Other rich cultivators stepped onto the field and pulled out dozens of treasures at once, effectively fighting with the power of dozens of Golden Core cultivators. Their opponents were swiftly crushed.
This clearly exposed a loophole, so Ji Zhi promptly established a new rule to limit the number of treasures allowed in battle. This round’s result would stand, but the method couldn’t be reused in future matches.
Spectators quickly realized that this tactic would be perfect for real combat—catching the enemy off guard with devastating results.
The Golden Core matches had truly highlighted the importance of Spiritual Treasures, prompting many to reflect on what kind of relationship they should build with theirs.
“Now we begin the Nascent Soul group matches.”
Tianming Daoist read the list of matchups: “The first battle is Wang Meng of the Mad Blade Sect from the Martial Empire versus the rogue cultivator Bai Tu.”
“Wang Meng is a name many of you may know—he wields the Mad Dragon Saber and practices the ‘Blood-Surge Barbaric Art’. Back in the mid-Golden Core stage, he defeated peak-Golden Core opponents. He’s wild, rebellious, obsessed with blades. Ever since breaking through to Nascent Soul, he’s never fought. Will this be a groundbreaking performance?”
“As for the rogue cultivator Bai Tu, this poor Daoist knows nothing. Let’s see what surprises this mysterious contender will bring. We shall see.”
All the Tribulation Stage powerhouses had changed their appearances and suppressed their cultivation realms. Besides Jiang Li, no one in the arena could recognize them.
Bai Hongtu had changed his appearance but remained dashing and elegant, like a wealthy noble’s son—completely opposite of the burly, rugged Wang Meng.
When Wang Meng heard people comparing him to the pretty boy opposite him, he grew irritated.
“Fellow Daoist, I won’t be holding back. Be careful!”
“Up to you.” Bai Hongtu smiled nonchalantly.
Wang Meng activated the Blood-Surge Barbaric Art—his blood boiled, his skin turned red-hot, wisps of white steam rose from his body, and he gripped a wide saber like an unstoppable force.
“Haah—!”
“You can all see the white mist around Wang Meng—it means the moisture in his blood is being evaporated, thickening it like syrup to enhance spiritual energy flow. This blood flow method is unique to the Blood-Surge Barbaric Art. Fellow cultivators, do not try to imitate this,” Tianming Daoist offered a kind warning.
“This slash from Wang Meng is no joke—he’s currently mid-Nascent Soul, but even a peak-Nascent Soul would struggle to withstand it!”
“Logically speaking, Wang Meng shouldn’t be able to swing this hard. Even if his wide saber is sentient and helping him, this result is beyond normal. There must be more to that saber.”
“Wait, everyone look closely at the tiny markings on the blade—this is a kind of contract,” Tianming Daoist spotted a detail others missed due to weaker cultivation and explained further.
“It looks like a blood contract. Both parties live and die together. Though risky, it can enhance combat ability. It’s a common trick among beast tamers—never expected Wang Meng to apply it to a Spiritual Treasure.”
“Now let’s see how Bai Tu, also mid-Nascent Soul, will respond.”
“Bai Tu moves—he steps on Yin-Yang, forms an opening Eight Trigrams hand seal, his robes ripple, center of gravity as steady as mercury, storing force, gathering strength—like a refined pill!”
“The wide saber strikes, but Bai Tu sidesteps with exquisite footwork and shoves his palm upward, flipping Wang Meng’s chin skyward.”
“That’s the Dao Sect’s ‘Four Ounces Moves a Thousand Pounds’! A secret technique for the weak to defeat the strong! No—this is an improved version, more refined than the original!”
“It’s hard to believe a Nascent Soul cultivator could pull this off,” Tianming Daoist grew emotional. “But the proof is right there—he did it. A genius! Bai Tu is a genius!”
Wang Meng coughed up a mouthful of thick blood and smeared it onto the saber’s blade. Instantly, he weakened, while the saber’s power surged.
The blade now glowed with killing intent, looking even more savage.
He swung again at Bai Tu.
“This is a blood sacrifice technique—typically associated with dark arts. But since Wang Meng is using his own blood to enhance saber intent, it counts as righteous path.”
“Everyone, remember—Demonic Dao is an ideology, not a specific set of evil spells. Don’t blanket condemn all blood sacrifice methods. Used properly, they can do great good—Wang Meng’s case is a perfect example.”
“This strike from Wang Meng is beyond Nascent Soul range. No one at this level could block it!” Tianming Daoist declared.
Bai Hongtu gently tapped the saber’s blade with a smile, redirecting it effortlessly. Wang Meng slashed repeatedly, and even Soul Formation cultivators would sweat facing it—it was hard to imagine countering.
Yet Bai Hongtu remained calm, methodical, stringing together exquisite techniques and defeating Wang Meng with ease.
He only used mid-Nascent Soul power—nothing more, nothing less—perfectly controlled.
“Wang Meng’s strength is great, but he lacks flexibility and technique. This is the downside of evaporating moisture from the blood. I hope he realizes this and continues to improve,” Tianming Daoist offered his usual post-match critique. Many defeated cultivators took his advice to heart and changed their methods.
“Bai Tu’s performance was flawless. Even this poor Daoist has no complaints. But his attitude is frivolous, suggesting he’s not a grounded cultivator. I hope he can fix this flaw,” Tianming Daoist loftily commented.
Tianji Tower cultivators all practiced a technique called Commanding the Heavenly Secrets. Mastered, it could predict fortune and disaster.
For some reason, Tianming Daoist’s technique was now issuing a warning.
He couldn’t pinpoint the reason. Suspecting a flaw in his cultivation, he checked his body, circulated his energy… but still found nothing.
“Strange.”
“Heh, frivolous attitude, huh?” Bai Tu sneered and leapt off the stage.