Chapter 161: Not Pretending Anymore, I’m Tribulation Stage

The Luban Sect disciple exited the match regretfully, but up in the stands, the Luban Sect Master was beaming with joy. This tournament was practically free advertising. After today, countless disciples would surely want to join the Luban Sect.
People often confused the Luban Sect with the Corpse-Driving Sect, thinking one played with puppets and the other with corpses—basically the same.
But corpses from the Corpse-Driving Sect weren’t Spiritual Treasures and couldn’t develop sentience. Luban puppets, however, were Spiritual Treasures and could gain sentience.
Now he’d like to see who still dared to claim there was no difference between them.
Aside from the Luban disciple holding back, there was also the Dragon Son wielding a Night Pearl. It didn’t seem to have any attack power, but once the Night Pearl gained sentience, it could freely toggle brightness.
Its flickering speed was astonishing, directly blinding his opponent. The Dragon Son seized the moment of temporary blindness to strike decisively and win the round.
This tournament had even sparked many legal discussions. For instance, a Golden Core Stage cultivator had his Spiritual Treasure self-destruct, injuring his opponent. A Minister of Law argued that since Spiritual Treasures had the right to life, this counted as intentional murder and shouldn’t be considered a valid tactic in competition.
Ji Zhi could already foresee this issue being hotly debated in the imperial court.
Another headache.
As expected, in the Nascent Soul bracket, the four rogue cultivators outclassed everyone. No matter what tactics their opponents used, they handled them easily and advanced.
The final round wasn’t one-on-one, but a chaotic free-for-all meant to test flexibility and teamwork—ten cultivators would fight it out on the platform, and the last one standing would be the winner.
“Contestant Yunfan uses eight Large Coins to form bronze swords for direct combat and keeps one for a sneak attack from behind. He wins the final match… What? The opponent contests the result, claiming Yunfan used nine Large Coins, exceeding the Spiritual Treasure limit.”
“…After review, the judges ruled that Large Coins are traditionally used as a set, and should be considered one single Spiritual Treasure. Contestant Yunfan did not violate the rules.”
“Contestant Yunfan is the winner of the Foundation Establishment bracket! Let’s give him a big round of applause!” Tianming Daoist enthusiastically announced.
As soon as Tianming Daoist finished speaking, disguised Tianji Tower disciples in the audience began clapping, prompting everyone else to follow suit.
These were atmosphere-boosting cultivators arranged in advance by Tianming Daoist.
Also called shills.
The Golden Core bracket wrapped up as well.
The highly anticipated Nascent Soul final began.
Ten Nascent Soul Stage cultivators stood on the platform, split into a group of six and a group of four, the division crystal clear.
The six had fought their way through to get here, and they’d already agreed amongst themselves: to win, they had to take down those four troublesome rogue cultivators.
“Charge! Let’s go together!” One of them commanded with the presence of a general.
“The six Nascent Soul cultivators form a grand array, supported by Spiritual Treasures—truly powerful. It’s the Sixfold Painting Dao Formation! Each of the six takes a position and brings out their individual strengths. This formation is usually used only by Soul Formation cultivators. They’re actually forcing it at Nascent Soul Stage—this is a true killer move. They’re attacking! They’re… thrown off the platform by contestant Bai Tu… huh?”
“Contestant Bai Tu’s strength runs deep.” Tianming Daoist squeezed out that line. He couldn’t understand Bai Hongtu’s technique at all. It clearly didn’t exceed Nascent Soul power, but he still couldn’t comprehend it.
“Who will be the final victor? Will it be the playful Bai Tu, the cold-hearted Yu Ming, the traditionalist Chen Jiannan, or the plain and honest Li Er? Let’s wait and see!”
At that moment, things got a little weird between the four on stage.
Bai Hongtu said with a half-smile, “Everyone, since we’re all Nascent Soul Stage, let’s not use techniques beyond Nascent Soul, shall we?”
Li Er chimed in, “Let’s fight within the rules.”
The Sword Sovereign said nothing, drawing his sword—his sword intent soared to the skies.
“Chen Jiannan draws his sword—he’s actually a sword cultivator!” Tianming Daoist exclaimed. Chen Jiannan had never used a spiritual sword before, opting for other techniques. But with Tianming Daoist’s experience, he should’ve noticed the signs.
This Chen Jiannan hid his strength very well. Tianming Daoist had a bad feeling.
Yu Yin took out her gourd. The gourd’s mouth opened, crackling with thunder.
“So the gourd wasn’t just decoration—contestant Yu Ming has finally used her gourd!” Tianming Daoist looked at the gourd in Yu Yin’s hand and thought it looked awfully familiar.
No… it couldn’t be. An Immortal Artifact, here? Hahaha, surely this poor Daoist is mistaken.
Next, Bai Hongtu held a sword in one hand and a talisman in the other. Li Er summoned a small Dharma Form.
These were all Nascent Soul techniques, but Tianming Daoist still felt uneasy.
“A sword cultivator who also practices runes and formations—you’re a disgrace to sword cultivation.” The Sword Sovereign didn’t like Bai Hongtu’s style.
“What can I say, I’ve got energy to spare. Sword, rune, and formation cultivation can all coexist—doesn’t slow me down one bit.” Bai Hongtu grinned proudly, totally unbothered by the criticism, proud of his triple cultivation path.
“Then let’s fight!”
“Let’s fight!”
Bai Hongtu and the Sword Sovereign clashed, their swordsmanship exquisite. Their spiritual swords collided with ringing clarity, sharp intent surging.
Their duel could be called a classic of Nascent Soul Stage—every bit of spiritual energy used with precision. Bai Hongtu’s methods were diverse: two fingers for talismans, three for formations, swords, talismans, and arrays working in harmony, shaking the heavens. Even the platform, built to withstand Nascent Soul power, began to crack.
And Bai Hongtu was still firmly within Nascent Soul Stage!
The Sword Sovereign focused entirely on the sword. One sword to shatter all techniques. Having conquered his inner demons, his sword intent ascended to new heights. No matter how flashy Bai Hongtu’s moves were, he countered them with a single strike!
The Ruyi Gourd spewed thunderbolts. Yu Yin wielded white flames. The platform’s temperature shot up, distorting the air—this cold and emotionless woman turned out to be a Fire Root cultivator!
Thunder and fire intertwined, forming countless bolts of lightning. Yu Yin pointed at Li Er—thunder exploded in rapid succession, black smoke rising. Even with a grand array protecting the stage, the audience still suffered ringing ears from the shock.
An average Nascent Soul cultivator would’ve died just being near this!
Li Er used his own body as a Dharma Body, his defense unmatched. He charged out of the smoke, nearly untouched by the thunder.
The audience was dumbfounded. Was this still Nascent Soul Stage? Even Soul Formation cultivators might not be able to fight like this.
The four gradually fought with real fury. Sword Dao reigned supreme—Bai Hongtu and the Sword Sovereign refused to yield. The Sword Sovereign was the first to unleash a Soul Formation-level sword strike.
Bai Hongtu took a hit and roared, “You dare call that a Nascent Soul strike?”
“I’m a peerless prodigy—I broke through mid-battle.”
“Fine, fine, very good!” Bai Hongtu’s smile vanished. “I’ve got help from a Tribulation Stage cultivator inside my body—I can temporarily reach the Fusion Stage!”
A dazzling grand formation enveloped the Sword Sovereign. The moment he moved, he couldn’t stop—he couldn’t even hold his sword.
This was a formation Bai Hongtu created himself, inspired by Jiang Li—it nullified all friction within a set range!
“Let’s see how you fight without your sword!”
“If a sword isn’t in my hand, that doesn’t mean I can’t fight. A sword is not something so inconvenient!”
The Sword Sovereign summoned sword intent from within and shattered the formation.
That was a Tribulation Stage move!
“So we’re done pretending, huh.” Bai Hongtu etched a complex formation onto his sword. One strike split the skies—ten thousand miles of clear sky.
Also a Tribulation Stage technique!
Elsewhere, Yu Yin and Li Er also stopped suppressing their cultivation and unleashed their true Tribulation Stage intent.
The grand array on the platform couldn’t withstand their power and shattered on its own.
All four of them, without a word, flew into the vast cosmos.
The audience and representatives in the stands were completely stunned by this turn of events. They looked up at the sky, mouths agape, speechless for a long time.
Finally, someone broke the silence.
“Imperial Physician, bring me my heart pills!”
Jiang Li helpfully handed one to Ji Zhi.