plumnovel Chapter 525 Master Feihe! Concealing His True Skills!
Chapter 525 Master Feihe! Concealing His True Skills!
Master Feihe stood on the stone platform, his gaze fixed on Chen Fan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. From the activation of the illusion array to Chen Fan breaking free of it, only three breaths had passed.
Three breaths shatter the illusion.
This is the fastest of all the monks participating in the selection today.
Master Feihe glanced at Chen Fan a couple more times before turning his gaze back to observe the other cultivators.
Chen Fan didn't care. He stood with his hands behind his back and looked around.
On the Asking Heaven Platform, most of the more than 150 people were still immersed in the illusion.
Some people had ferocious expressions and gritted their teeth, as if they were fighting an invisible enemy!
Some people were in tears, trembling all over, as if they had witnessed an extremely sad scene!
Some people looked infatuated, with smiles on their lips, as if they were immersed in a beautiful illusion and unwilling to wake up.
Several people had already opened their eyes and stood there with different expressions.
One of them was the white-haired old man who had reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. He broke out of the illusion about ten breaths later than Chen Fan.
The old man took a deep breath, cold sweat still clinging to his forehead, and looked at Chen Fan with a hint of apprehension.
Immediately afterwards, two more people broke through the illusion.
One was a middle-aged woman in the late Foundation Establishment stage, with an ordinary face, but her brows revealed a stubborn air.
The other was a young man in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, who was panting heavily after breaking through the illusion, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.
Time passed slowly.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn is quickly up.
The golden light on the Heavenly Platform faded, and the illusion array dissipated on its own.
Those cultivators still trapped in the illusion suddenly awoke. Some looked around blankly, some collapsed to the ground, and some were as pale as paper.
With a wave of his sleeve, Master Feihe caused a circle of light to appear beneath the feet of those cultivators who failed to break through the illusion within the allotted time, and they instantly appeared at the edge of the Asking Heaven Platform.
Of the more than 150 people, only 36 remained in the center of the stage.
Chen Fan glanced around and noticed that of the seven or eight people Elder Li had recruited, besides Lu Xiong and the white-haired old man, two others had stayed behind.
Lu Xiong was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water, but his eyes revealed a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.
Master Feihe slowly spoke: "Thirty-six people have passed the test. Rest for half an hour, and then proceed to the second test."
He didn't say what the second challenge was, but simply sat cross-legged on the stone platform, closing his eyes to rest.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Master Feihe slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the thirty-six people below the stage, and his aged voice rang out once more:
"The second test is to assess cultivation level. The rules are simple: draw lots for a duel, the winner advances, the loser is eliminated, until the top ten are determined."
He paused, then with a flick of his sleeve, thirty-six jade tokens flew out from his sleeve, hovering in mid-air, emitting a faint spiritual light.
"Each person draws a slip of paper, and those who draw the same number are opponents."
As soon as he finished speaking, more than thirty people in the audience stepped forward to draw jade slips.
Chen Fan also stepped forward and picked up a slip of paper at random. Looking down, he saw that the slip had the character "three" engraved on it.
He discreetly tucked the jade token into his sleeve and stepped aside.
The others quickly finished drawing lots as well.
Master Feihe raised his hand and cast a spell. The array patterns in the center of the Asking Heaven Platform lit up again, the ground rumbled, and four stone platforms, each about ten feet high, slowly rose from the ground, standing in the east, west, south, and north directions.
"The four arenas will be used simultaneously. Those who draw the first four lots will step onto the stage."
Chen Fan glanced at the number "three" in his hand and strode towards the third arena.
Upon reaching the stone platform, I found a person already standing opposite me.
It was that white-haired old man who had reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
The old man recognized him as well, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Sun Buxiu, please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Chen."
Chen Fan nodded without saying anything more.
Below the stage, Elder Li saw that Chen Fan's opponent was Sun Buxiu, and a hint of relief appeared in his eyes.
Although Sun Buxiu was the one with the highest cultivation level among those he recruited, in terms of actual combat strength, he was far inferior to a body cultivator like Lu Xiong.
With the same strength that Chen Mu used to suppress Lu Xiong with a single finger, dealing with Sun Buxiu would be a piece of cake.
He withdrew his gaze and began to observe the situation on the other arenas.
On the east side of the Asking Heaven Platform, four Core Formation Elders each occupied a corner, their eyes fixed on the competition on the platform.
Besides Li Changhe, there was also the black-robed elder, Mo Hanshan, who was at the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm.
A middle-aged woman dressed in a blue Taoist robe, Liu Qiuhe, the Internal Affairs Elder, was at the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm.
And a short, stout old man with a smiling face, the Transmission Elder Qian Budu, with early Core Formation cultivation.
Each of the four elders has recruited a group of independent cultivators today, and their subordinates are currently engaged in fierce battles on the stage.
Whoever can keep more people in the top ten will have a more stable position in the sect.
Although Master Feihe did not say it explicitly, the four elders all knew that the results of this selection would directly affect the allocation of resources during the subsequent sect competition.
Elder Mo Hanshan, in black robes, had the most men under his command, with twelve of them passing the first test. He looked at the stage expressionlessly, but a hint of smugness flickered in his eyes.
Li Changhe only had five men left, including Chen Fan.
Qian Budu and Liu Qiuhe each have seven or eight people left.
The four forces were secretly vying for power, and none of them were willing to lose face.
Just then, a muffled explosion came from the third arena.
Li Changhe subconsciously turned his head to look, and his expression immediately changed.
On the stage, Chen Fan and Sun Buxiu had already clashed.
Sun Buxiu wielded a long, green steel sword, its blade flashing and gleaming like a relentless storm. Though the old man was advanced in years, his swordsmanship was seasoned and steady, each move executed with discipline, clearly demonstrating decades of immersion in the art of swordsmanship.
Chen Fan wielded an ordinary iron sword, his sword movements neither hurried nor slow, responding with considerable caution.
He did not use the same methods he had used against Lu Xiong that day. He simply dealt with Sun Buxiu at the level expected of a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator. He would even deliberately expose a few flaws occasionally, allowing Sun Buxiu's sword strikes to barely graz the hem of his clothes.
The two exchanged blows, and in the blink of an eye, they had fought more than thirty rounds, ending up evenly matched.
Li Changhe's face gradually darkened.
He had seen Chen Fan make a move.
That day, when he suppressed Lu Xiong, this man only used one finger.
Although Lu Xiong was terrified at the time, his overwhelming strength compared to others of the same level was no exaggeration.
How could they fight for so long against Sun Buxiu, who is nearing the end of his life and whose vital energy is waning?
This kid is hiding his true abilities.
Li Changhe narrowed his eyes, staring at Chen Fan's figure on the stage, thinking to himself: This Chen Mu is a smart man. He knows that being too conspicuous will attract trouble, so he would rather go through more trouble on stage than reveal his true strength. But that's fine too; only those who can hide their abilities can go far.
Thinking of this, the gloom on Li Changhe's face dissipated somewhat, and instead a barely perceptible smile appeared.
It's okay to hide your talents, as long as you win in the end.
What he valued was not the outcome of Chen Fan's match, but rather the man's true potential.
On the stage, Chen Fan and Sun Buxiu had reached a critical moment in their battle.
Sun Buxiu's attack had been unsuccessful for a long time, and fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
He gritted his teeth and poured all his spiritual energy into the sword. The sword hummed and a streak of azure light shot out, aiming straight for Chen Fan's chest.