Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 327 The Number One Person Below the Nascent Soul Stage

"I've met Instructor Zhou."

As soon as Zhou Ling entered the hall, several disciples of Jin Sheng stood up and bowed respectfully to him.

"You're all too kind, please sit down."

Zhou Ling sat down to the left of Dean Gong and said with a smile.

"Our opponent tomorrow is none other than Zhao Quan from the Nine Heavens Sword Academy of Jade River Immortal City!"

Seeing Zhou Ling sit down, Dean Gong spoke to him.

Weng Lanyue also offered him a cup of spiritual tea.

Today's battle made her realize that her master was not only good at weapon crafting, but also incredibly powerful in combat.

His imposing presence on the competition field made her somewhat tempted; should she learn some swordsmanship from her master in the future?

"We actually ran into them!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling also looked surprised.

Today, half of the Taoist academies were eliminated in the first round.

Those who made it to the second round today must be quite strong.

If he hadn't relied on the Five Spirit Flames and hadn't been gifted with the ability to absorb the spirit flames of the Flame Pill Domain, he wouldn't have been able to defeat He Jing so easily.

Although He Jing was at the peak of the Golden Core stage and possessed formidable strength in his Core Domain, he was almost completely suppressed by the Spirit Flame, thus failing to unleash the full power of his Core Domain.

"Although the five disciples of Jade River Immortal City are stronger than us overall, with three in the late Foundation Establishment stage and two in the mid-stage."

"However, they were clearly quite exhausted from today's battle, so we have a real chance in tomorrow's battle!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dean Gong opened the image-recording jade.

A scene of competition emerges.

The two sides in the competition were the Nine Heavens Sword Academy from Jade River Immortal City.

Their opponent was the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy of the Fourth-Rank Xuan Yu Immortal City.

The disciples of the Nine Heavens Sword Academy in Jade River Immortal City also formed a sword formation to fight the enemy.

However, to Zhou Ling's surprise, the disciples of Xuanyu Immortal City used runes to fight against them.

These are all ranged attack runes, such as flying sword runes and fire and lightning runes.

These runes are all at the peak of the second tier, and their power is astonishing.

Even though Xuanyu Immortal City was ultimately defeated.

But Jade River Immortal City also suffered a Pyrrhic victory.

"The formation they formed was the Five Phases Revolving Sword Formation, which could be used for both offense and defense."

"Among the five, two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators are the main swordsmen, taking turns to unleash sword attacks. Even a Golden Core cultivator would find it difficult to break through their defenses!"

Dean Gong pointed to the opponent's sword formation and analyzed it with everyone.

"Shi Yi, late Foundation Establishment stage, top-grade fire attribute spiritual root, and mastery of the Thousand Flame Sword Intent."

"Lin Feng, late Foundation Establishment stage, Wind Shadow Sword Body, mastering Wind Shadow Sword Intent."

"He Feiyu, late Foundation Establishment stage, top-grade lightning attribute spiritual root, and mastery of Heavy Thunder Sword Intent."

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"The Five Phases Sword Formation can condense the Five Phases Sword Domain, and its power is infinitely close to the Core Domain of a Golden Core cultivator."

"The only way to break this is to confront it head-on and destroy the five elements within."

"If our Fire Dragon Sword Formation clashes head-on with the Five Phases Sword Formation, we won't gain any advantage!"

Dean Gong continued to analyze the opponent's situation with everyone.

Upon hearing Dean Gong's words, everyone else immediately turned their gaze to Zhou Ling.

In the first battle, Zhou Ling's analysis of the opponent's magic formation was almost perfect.

That's how we were able to achieve victory.

So naturally, everyone wanted to know what Zhou Ling thought.
Otherwise, even Dean Gong wouldn't be able to spot the obvious flaws, and they would be left with nothing but frustration.

In the end, all we could do was fight to the death with the Fire Dragon Sword Formation!

"This Five Phases Sword Formation is indeed powerful, but the five phases rely on balance, so the cultivators who form the sword formation cannot have too large a difference in cultivation level."

"After today's battle, the two Foundation Establishment disciples are clearly exhausted."

"So when we face them tomorrow, we will focus on attacking the sword forms that these two disciples have condensed."

"As long as we defeat one of them, the Five Phases Sword Formation will collapse on its own!"

After a moment's thought, Zhou Ling offered his opinion.

Of course, with Dean Gong's keen eye, there was no problem in observing the sword formation.

However, she analyzed it from the perspective of overall combat strength.

With the help of his two talents, [Intermediate Observation] and [Intermediate Analysis], Zhou Ling is naturally able to analyze from multiple perspectives.

They were even able to find the weaknesses of two of the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, and looking at the commemorative photo, they felt that Zhou Ling's words made even more sense.

The images captured on the jade tablet show that although the five people were arranged in the Five Phases Sword Formation, their coordination was excellent.

However, most of the opponent's rune attacks were aimed at the sword forms of the three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Therefore, the Five Phases Sword Formation remained stable throughout the entire process.

Only when the sword forms of the other two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators were subjected to fierce attacks did some noticeable fluctuations occur.

"Zhou Ling, your taste is absolutely amazing!"

"Can you analyze this for me and suggest some good solutions?"

Dean Gong greatly agreed with Zhou Ling's analysis.

"There are no shortcuts; we can only confront it head-on with a sword formation, focusing on attacking its weakest point!"

Zhou Ling spoke up.

The opponent is also quite strong.

Through [intermediate analysis], he can only understand some of his opponent's weaknesses, gain the upper hand, and make advance plans.

Ultimately, however, the final outcome depends mainly on strength.

"However, we can exploit their weaknesses to launch a surprise attack!"

"The two of them are relatively weak in cultivation, and they have expended a lot of energy today. They will not be able to fully recover before they go into battle tomorrow."

"The fact that we used less energy today is already a huge advantage!"

"With Jin Sheng's Burning Sword Intent, he has a great advantage!"

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ling made another suggestion.

Generally speaking, there is a significant difference in strength between the mid-stage and late-stage Foundation Establishment.

However, for sword cultivators, this can make up for some of the deficiencies in their understanding of sword intent.

Just like Jin Sheng, who is now in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his combat power is no less than that of the late-Foundation Establishment stage thanks to his sword body.

Sword formations require balance in all aspects; even a slight mistake can determine the outcome.

This is especially true of the Five Phases Sword Formation.

In Zhou Ling's view, Jin Sheng's burning sword intent was the key to breaking through the opponent's sword form.

His Furnace Sword Intent was derived from Jin Sheng's Burning Sword Intent, so he has a deep understanding of its advantages.

Upon hearing Zhou Ling's words, the five disciples seemed to be deep in thought and quickly began to discuss them.

"Your opponent this time is also Gao Qi, a sword cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core stage. His mastery of the Seven Star Sword has reached the third realm and the fourth step, and it is said that he is only one step away from the fourth realm!"

"He is said to have no rivals below the Nascent Soul stage, and even some early Nascent Soul cultivators cannot defeat him!"

At this moment, Dean Gong pointed to another battle scene in the recording jade and spoke to Zhou Ling.

In the image projected by the recording jade, Zhou Ling saw a dazzling Star River Sword Domain and an Ice Soul Pill Domain intertwining and bombarding each other.

Finally, the Star River Sword Domain pierced through the ice seal of the Ice Domain, completely defeating the opponent.

"If we're not confident, then we'll assemble the Sun and Moon Five Elements Sword Formation!"

Seeing Zhou Ling's furrowed brows, Dean Gong said this.

In her early years, she competed with Dean Zhao for the position of Dean of the Nine Heavens Sword Academy in Jade River Immortal City, but was defeated because of her low cultivation level.

That's why I came to the Nine Heavens Sword Academy in Qingyun Immortal City.

In a competition between two parties, defeat is a normal occurrence.

However, Dean Gong disapproved of Dean Zhao's smug and arrogant attitude. As a result, some grudges arose between them.

Therefore, she must find a way to defeat her opponent. As for Dean Zhao, she is confident that she has the strength to defeat him after entering the fourth realm of swordsmanship.

Now it all depends on Zhou Ling's situation.

After all, she could tell from the battle that morning that Zhou Ling was able to defeat his opponent mainly because he relied on the Spirit Flame to be unafraid of He Jing's Pill Domain.

But tomorrow's opponent, Gao Qi, is a sword cultivator with the Star attribute, so Zhou Ling's spiritual flames won't have a significant advantage over him.

"Dean, let me take this back and analyze it first, and then make a decision tomorrow!"

Within the image jade, the battle between the two sides was fierce, and Zhou Ling thought he should study it first.

If all else fails, then use the [Illusionary Realm Simulation] to understand your opponent's situation first.

"Well, you don't need to feel any pressure. They also suffered a lot in today's battle. As long as we set up the Sun and Moon Five Elements Sword Formation, we will be invincible!"

Dean Gong said this.

She knew Zhou Ling's swordsmanship better than anyone else.

If the two of them combine their sword formations, the Five Elements Sword Domain, in conjunction with her Heaven and Earth Sword Domain, will greatly enhance the power of her Heaven and Earth Sword.

Putting aside everything else, the duration of the sword domain can at least double.

Zhou Ling nodded; he naturally felt no pressure.

Now we have the Jade Rejuvenation Elixir.

Moreover, swordsmanship is not his true bread and butter, so even if he loses, it won't have much of an impact.

However, since the opponent is Dean Gong's rival, we must do everything we can to defeat him.

After discussing with Dean Gong and the others for a while, they left the hall and returned to their rooms.

Afterwards, Zhou Ling carefully observed his opponent's situation using the image-recording jade.

They learned that the other party was a sword cultivator at the third realm and fourth step, and could also draw upon the power of the stars in the sky.

His combat power will plummet if his sword domain is isolated from absorbing the power of the stars.

Otherwise, his sword domain could continuously draw upon the power of the stars, minimizing his own energy consumption.

Even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't outlast him.

Moreover, conventional methods simply cannot stop his sword domain from absorbing the power of the stars.

After several intermediate analyses, Zhou Ling came up with a plan to use the Five Elements Spirit Flames to form a Five Elements Sword Formation to block the power of the stars.

Without the assistance of stellar power, the opponent's cultivation level would plummet.

It becomes much easier to deal with.

But how effective is it in actual combat?

It still depends on how well you can adapt to the situation.

Zhou Ling also decided to use the Five Elements Sword Formation in conjunction with the Five Elements Spiritual Flame to fight the enemy.

After all, with the talents of [Six Transformations] and [Meticulous Detail], even when he uses the Five Elements Sword Domain, the energy consumption is within a controllable range.

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The competition continued the following day.

The main campus of the Nine Heavens Sword Academy was even more bustling.

After yesterday's competition, thirty-two Taoist academies have been eliminated.

The competition for the remaining thirty-two Taoist academies will become increasingly fierce.

There are more and more interesting things to see.

Among the disciples, many geniuses emerged.

In the first round, someone even defeated five of the opponent's disciples in a one-on-five battle.

This is Shi Xiuyu, an unparalleled genius representing the Nine Heavens Sword Domain of Qingyun Immortal City.

He became the most watched disciple.

There was also a disciple named Wan Ya with the Thunder Body, whose combat power was extremely terrifying; he also fought five people alone.

Among the instructors, Zhou Ling, the chief Foundation Establishment student of the Nine Heavens Sword Academy in Qingyun Immortal City, is the most watched.

His performance yesterday was truly amazing in the entire Qingyang Immortal City.

A Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator defeating a Golden Core Peak cultivator is an unprecedented event in the Qingyang Immortal Realm for nearly a thousand years.

The news that he is the number one person below the Nascent Soul stage in the Qingyang Immortal Realm has already spread.

Although Zhou Ling used some tricks in this battle.

However, being able to control five spiritual flames is also a display of terrifying strength.

If Zhou Ling is willing to expend his five spiritual flames, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have to treat them with utmost seriousness.

clang!
clang!
clang!
As the judges arrived, the melodious bells of the Taoist temple rang out.

"Golden Light Immortal City's Heaven-Mending Dao Academy versus Flying Feather Immortal City's Heavenly Summer Dao Academy, Arena Number Three"

"Jade River Immortal City Nine Heavens Sword Academy versus Azure Cloud Immortal City Nine Heavens Sword Academy, Match Stage Number Five."

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As the host's loud voice rang out, cultivators from various Daoist academies walked towards the competition stage.

The Nine Heavens Sword Academy of Qingyun Immortal City undoubtedly became the focus of attention once again.

After all, Zhou Ling's performance is highly anticipated.

"Patriarch Wang, do you think Zhou Ling can still win today?"

Looking at the fifth competition stage from the judges' panel, Dean Shen couldn't help but ask a question.

"I also hope this kid wins."

The head of the Wang family said with a smile.

Zhou Ling's performance yesterday brought a lot of honor to the Wang family.

Many outsiders believe that Zhou Ling's current achievements are inseparable from the upbringing he received from the Wang family.

Otherwise, where would Zhou Ling, a first-level rogue cultivator, get his resources and cultivation techniques?
"Zhou Ling still has great potential. If he continues to progress like this, he will become a pillar of our Qingyang Immortal Realm in the future!"

Lin Zhishou also spoke meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, the head of the Wang family looked surprised, not expecting that Chief Lin would have such a high opinion of Zhou Ling.

I felt rather helpless.

Given Zhou Ling's current situation, he no longer needs to rely on the Wang family.

He himself is fully capable of supporting a Nascent Soul family.

Under these circumstances, it would be even more impossible for Wang Xin to return to the family.

But the Wang family can't resort to force anymore!

After all, Zhou Ling is no longer someone the Wang family can easily control.

“Zhou Ling was lucky yesterday. With the help of the Spirit Flame, He Jing’s Dan Domain could not suppress him. Today, he is facing Gao Qi from the Nine Heavens Sword Academy of Jade River Immortal City, who is said to have already touched the threshold of the fourth realm of sword intent.”

"It can also draw upon the power of the stars."

"Zhou Ling wants to defeat him? That's simply impossible!"

A distinguished-looking and imposing judge spoke up.

He is Zhu Gang, the dean of the Flying Dragon Battle Academy.

"That's true, but who could have imagined yesterday that He Jing would lose to Zhou Ling!"

Dean Shen shook his head and said.

Although Zhou Ling is representing the Nine Heavens Sword Academy this time, he is still an instructor at the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, so he naturally has to support Zhou Ling.

While everyone was discussing, Zhou Ling and the others followed Dean Gong onto the competition stage.

"I didn't expect you guys to actually make it to the second round!"

Upon seeing Dean Gong and the others, the burly Dean Zhao spoke nonchalantly.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man with a calm expression and a slender build.

It was Gao Qi.

He looked at Zhou Ling, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Upon learning that Zhou Ling had defeated He Jing, he did not believe that Zhou Ling was a Foundation Establishment cultivator; he thought Zhou Ling was probably hiding his cultivation level.

However, as his divine sense swept over him, Zhou Ling was indeed at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, but his internal mana was incredibly powerful, far surpassing that of ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.

(End of this chapter)