Cultivation Kill

"Where's the tea?" Shen Zige asked. "I have to go after I finish my tea."

"Oh, I'm so happy! I almost forgot to make you some tea!" Zheng Yujie slapped her forehead. "Ding Zheng, go to the tea room and get the best pre-rain red tea leaves to brew for the Immortal Master."

A Celestial Master? The servant named Ding Zheng trembled. This was the most important person he had ever met in his life. Even when his master went to ask a Celestial Master for a favor, he had to be humble and subservient.

"Shi Dazhu, it's during the Great Yuan Gathering, and the Great Yuan Sect is recruiting disciples. Why don't you give it a try?" Shen Zige asked, knowing full well what was going on.

He had heard from Dazhu's mother that Shizhu had been taken into the Dayuan Sect. Of course, Dazhu's mother might also be exaggerating.

"I have no affinity with immortality. It is only thanks to Yu Jie's money and Master Shen's recommendation that I was able to work for an immortal master in the Da Yuan Sect," Shi Dazhu said. "This time, the immortal master granted me three days to purchase some medicinal herbs, which is why I had time to come here and see if Sister Yu Jie has returned."

"What level of cultivation does the immortal master who accepted you have?" Shen Zige asked curiously.

"I heard it's the mid-stage of the Spirit Condensation realm," Shi Dazhu said. "The Immortal Master is very strict. I'm leaving now. If I don't buy the herbs on the list within three days, I'll probably be scolded."

“Brother Dazhu, you have to be patient and serve the Immortal Master well. Even if the Immortal Master doesn’t need you anymore, you can still discuss with the authorities and get a position as a village chief or town mayor,” Zheng Yujie advised.

"I know," Shi Dazhu said. "So I have to go get to work now. Goodbye!"

After saying that, he looked back every three steps, reluctantly leaving.

Shen Zige thought to herself, "I could never do that kind of simp behavior. That's why I'm still single."

Qin Jie and Fang Lili flashed through Shen Zige's mind. Shen Zige couldn't tell whether she was grateful or fond of them. It's true that those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly.

"The tea is ready, please enjoy it, Immortal Master." Ding Zheng presented the tea with a tea tray, bowing his head. On the tray were five steaming teacups.

Shen Zige picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Farewell!"

Shen Zige turned and walked towards the villa.

The sounds of farewell from the crowd grew fainter and fainter after Shen Zige had walked away...

Half an hour later.

Shen Zige arrived at the central square of Xizhou City.

The central square covers a vast area, roughly the size of a town. From a distance, ten martial arts arenas are spread out in the square like a giant chessboard.

Each arena is a square with sides of 30 meters, one meter above the ground, with steps on all four sides. However, none of the independent cultivators participating in the arena walk up the steps; they all leap up lightly.

There was a cordon ten meters away from the ring, and the crowd watched the match from outside the cordon. Many people were holding notebooks and trying to persuade the audience to place bets.

There were too many people in the central square, at least tens of thousands. Shen Zige couldn't find Shi Yuan for the time being, so she had to shift her attention to the cultivators competing on the arena.

The two cultivators threw fireballs at each other from a distance, then summoned golden light shields for defense. They went back and forth like in a turn-based game. When one side's spiritual energy was almost depleted, they conceded defeat and jumped off the stage.

This is purely a contest of cultivation level; the higher the cultivation level and the more spiritual power, the easier it is to win.

Shen Zige felt that instead of fighting like this, the two of them could just go on stage and announce their cultivation levels. If the cultivation level was lower, they could simply admit defeat, without having to waste energy attacking each other.

Even with low cultivation levels, it's not impossible to win if you're determined to fight. For example, you can use water mist to disrupt vision, get close and launch a sneak attack, or use movement techniques to evade the opponent's attacks.

As Shen Zige was thinking, she heard a series of exclamations coming from the vicinity of the arena on the right side of the distance.

Is there an exciting match going on there?

Shen Zige pushed through the crowd and walked towards the arena.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the arena was occupied by two physical cultivators engaged in combat. Instead of using magic, the two rushed in and attacked with their fists and feet.

No wonder the audience cheered; after all, it's more exciting and entertaining this way.

Laymen watch the spectacle, experts see the details. Close combat is not impossible, but it is not suitable for arena battles. If you are injured in one fight, you will be naturally weakened in the next. You can use spiritual power to cast spells and have half an hour to take medicine and meditate to recover. Even if your spiritual power is not fully recovered, the power of the spell will still be the same.

Some clever cultivators would choose to challenge those who had fought twice before. Generally, those who had fought twice at the same level were already at their limit and would be defeated in a few moves.

After watching for a while, Shen Zige noticed that there were many independent cultivators participating in the arena, but few were able to win three consecutive matches to gain entry into the Great Yuan Sect.

Most people who can win three matches are high-level players fighting low-level players. However, there are rules at the arena that the difference in level between the two players cannot exceed two levels. Many people will choose their opponents carefully, so that they fight the early-stage players in the mid-stage and the mid-stage players in the late-stage, such as the fifth-level player fighting the third-level player.

However, you can choose your opponent the first time. Once you stand on the arena, you can only wait for your opponent to challenge you. For example, if a cultivator at the fifth level of the mid-stage of the Spirit Condensation realm defeated a cultivator at the third level of the early stage of the Spirit Condensation realm, the next person to challenge him would be a cultivator at the seventh level of the late stage of the Spirit Condensation realm. In any case, the difference in level is no more than two, which is in accordance with the rules.

If Shen Zige were to go to the arena, she could only fight cultivators at the eighth level of the Spirit Condensation Realm or above. Such cultivators rarely make a move, and when they do, they must succeed. For example, she would prepare a large amount of medicine to restore her spiritual power in advance to ensure that she could fight three matches.

"Brother, would you like to join the Great Yuan Sect?"

The three Spirit Condensation cultivators saw that Shen Zige was alone and crept closer.

"You can still sell sect slots?" Shen Zige asked.

"You go up into the ring, and the three of us will take turns losing to you," one of them whispered in Shen Zige's ear.

"You can even compete in the arena like that!" Shen Zige exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't it just a matter of having spirit stones to get in?"

He wondered if this was some bad idea Shi Yuan had come up with. Shi Yuan often came up with crooked ideas to make money.

"How many spirit stones?" Shen Zige asked.

He guessed that such blatant cheating must have cost a lot of money.

"One thousand." The middle monk held up one finger. "Guaranteed."

"Too expensive," Shen Zige said.

He wasn't interested in it; he could get in based on his own ability, so why should he pay money?

"Brother, it's not expensive. Think about it, you can enter the Great Yuan Sect for just one thousand spirit stones. There are countless materials and treasures inside. You can easily exchange them for rare and precious materials and make a profit," the middle cultivator advised.

"Won't the Great Yuan Sect find out about what you're doing?" Shen Zige retorted.

The three Spirit Condensation cultivators exchanged glances and whispered, "If it were any other rogue cultivator, they would definitely be disqualified and never be hired again if the Great Yuan Sect's referee found out! But we are different. We have a connection with the chief referee of the arena in the square. The referee will pretend not to know even if he sees us. The chief referee is that Foundation Establishment senior uncle in white robes in the distance."

"I see." Shen Zige understood why a mid-stage Spirit Condensation cultivator was clearly about to lose, but a casually waved fireball blasted the opponent off the stage.

It was all an act!

It seems that more than three people were involved in this.

"You should find someone else," Shen Zige still refused.

Seeing Shen Zige's resolute attitude, the three left after uttering harsh words.