Mysterious mirror hanging high

"If my Juntian Temple's Jindan Daoist disciple [Nan Chenshui] fails to take the top three spots, it will not only damage Nan Chenshui's reputation, but also... the reputation of my [Juntian Temple]!"

"To put it in a bigger picture, Juntian Temple has lost a quota for the first time in 20,000 years. This is a sign of a lack of successors within the sect, a sign of decline! The cultivators of the world feel that Juntian Temple's reputation is unworthy..."

Nan Xingyan leaned forward, unleashing his mid-Nascent Soul spiritual power without reservation. He stared at the expressionless Jing Yu and said slowly:

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing, can you afford the consequences?"

"My Juntian Temple is one of the most prestigious schools of the Divine Transformation Sect in the entire Penglai Immortal Continent. Providing spiritual funds to compensate you is already the maximum we can do. Do you want me to send the headmaster to come to your door in person and beg you humbly?"

Jing Yu's mouth twitched. He was the one who would rather be soft than hard. Seeing that Nan Xingyan's tone was no longer polite, he could not help but smile and said:

"Why, Brother Nan, are you trying to use courtesy first and then force?"

Nan Xingyan scoffed, "Not really... Juntian Temple is a Taoist sect ruled by a living God. How could any Nascent Soul True Lord be worthy of a God Transformation Heavenly Lord to resort to force? Fellow Daoist Xuanjing thinks too highly of himself."

Jing Yu narrowed his eyes at this moment: "You have to earn your own face. Fellow Daoist, you always use the title of Transformation God Heavenly Sovereign to bully others, but that's all you can do... Is this mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation just made of paper?"

Nan Xingyan was furious and said, "Boy, you are just a junior who has reached the Nascent Soul stage less than ten years ago, and you dare to comment on the cultivation level of a Nascent Soul True Lord like us who have reached this stage for many years?"

Jing Yu showed no sign of weakness, and was full of vigor. There was a faint golden line between his eyebrows, and his golden vertical pupils could be opened at any time.

Seeing that the atmosphere was already tense, Nan Xingyan suddenly turned his head to look at the blindfolded boy sitting beside him, gently stroking the blade of the wooden sword in his hand, and shouted:

"Guan Xiaoyou, what do you say?"

"Ling Xiao, a mere mid-Nascent Soul cultivator can't do anything to your master. Don't worry too much. At worst, you'll have to fight this old man! This opportunity to ascend to the Xuanyuan Yuhuatian realm will be of great benefit to your future path. You must seize it and absolutely cannot let it go!"

Jing Yu's voice transmission arrived at the right time, causing Guan Lingxiao's slightly white knuckles to return to flesh color.

The blindfolded youth smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, Master Nan, but in my life, I, Guan Lingxiao, have always fought without mercy, giving my all... If I were to hold back and admit defeat, it would only tarnish my swordsmanship."

"If Nan Chenshui wants to take the next spot, let him ask for it from Guan's sword!"

Guan Lingxiao's words were so decisive that there was almost no room for recovery. To put it mildly, if he was defeated without fighting, his swordsmanship would be tarnished, which would be detrimental to his future cultivation.

To put it in a broader sense, if Guan Lingxiao loses the edge of a sword cultivator that looks down on the world, he will just be indistinguishable from the crowd... Nan Xingyan's action is a life-and-death revenge that will sever his path to the Tao!

Seeing that Guan Lingxiao had said this, Nan Xingyan stood up suddenly and snorted coldly: "Neither the master nor the apprentice is sensible... Goodbye!" Then he took back the two storage bags and left.

By the time Jing Yu and Guan Lingxiao returned to the venue, Yun Xuance and others had surrounded them, asking what had happened.

When Jing Yu told the whole story, all the True Lords showed indignation on their faces.

"This is really too much!" Nangong Fuhua said coldly: "The Jindan Daoist of Juntian Temple is not good enough in his own ability, but he actually used such an unconventional trick."

"What's there to be afraid of? Is Juntian Temple that great? We have the [Xuance Sect] in the open and the [Tianming Tower] in the dark. Besides the fact that we still don't have a God-Transforming Heavenly Monarch in charge, we are already a first-rate Nascent Soul force in the world. A mere mid-Nascent Soul stage treasure house dean can boss us around."

Ye Xingyun snorted angrily, "Give him face."

Li Jiangmei, on the other hand, looked worried, her curved eyebrows slightly furrowed. "The Spiritual Transformation Realm is an insurmountable barrier. A hundred Nascent Soul True Lords may not be able to stop the Spiritual Transformation Supreme of Juntian Temple alone. He truly has the qualifications to look down on all the heroes in the world."

"So what? The worst that can happen is I can hide in a cave." Ye Xingyun suddenly pulled out a strand of his beard and spoke the most cowardly words in the harshest tone.

Ye Jinyuan looked hesitant. It was not the place for a mere Qi cultivator like him to interrupt the True Lord's discussion of such a major matter. However, he could not help but say:

"Master, do you think this True Monarch Nan Xing Yan is here to discuss this matter with you on behalf of Jun Tian Temple, or on his own behalf?"

Yun Xuance nodded appreciatively: "Yes, this is the crux of the matter."

Jing Yu curled his lips. "It's highly unlikely that this was Juntian Temple's decision. It's most likely that Old Daoist Nan is just trying to use the name of Juntian Temple to bully others...but that's the problem."

"If Nan Xingyan doesn't give up and goes back to Juntian Temple to cause a commotion, and persuades a few Nascent Soul Elders with whom he has a good relationship to unite as a team, then this matter might actually become Juntian Temple's will."

"That's fine, let's just play with him for a bit." Jing Yu said leisurely, "[Juntian Temple] isn't [Penglai Holy Land]. Don't forget they have a sworn enemy, [Liangyi Temple]. We might be able to leverage their strength against them."

"Master, have I caused you any trouble?" Guan Lingxiao whispered.

"It's a bit troublesome, but it's just troublesome." Jing Yu smiled and said, "The road is long, and there will always be some troubles as a diversion, as a embellishment."

"Ling Xiao, don't think too much."

"The Nascent Soul Game is what this Master and the other True Lords have to do, and you..."

“Just keep winning!”

----

When all the monks from the major sects in Penglai gather here, the Penglai Conference will officially begin.

The rules of this Penglai meeting are slightly different from those of two hundred years ago. It is still a defense battle, but this time there are only three rings. The champion needs to accept the wheel challenge until there is no one to challenge him.

This time, the rule of being eliminated if failing to defend the title twice has been removed. Instead, players can fail an unlimited number of times - but if a challenger loses to all three current champions, then he or she will lose the opportunity to challenge.

Theoretically, this rule almost eliminates all unexpected situations and can almost 100% select the three most powerful Jindan cultivators among the participants, without the possibility of missing out on any outstanding talent.

Of course, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the three champions this time are actually among the four golden and purple geniuses who attended the meeting. The others are at most just going through the motions and accumulating some fighting experience. They are all just supporting roles.

Sure enough, just like two hundred years ago, the weak ones still set an example, and the three defenders gradually became stronger. In the end, the champions standing on the three rings were Xiao Yinghan from [Penglai Holy Land], Nan Chenshui from [Juntian Temple], and Wei Wudao from [Liangyi Temple].

Guan Lingxiao, who had gathered his strength at this time, leisurely patted the wrinkles on his robe and slowly walked towards the ring with a wooden sword on his back.

"Guan Lingxiao, I have come to Juntian Temple today to learn about its Taoist magic!"