Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 48 Another Wave Rises

"We owe our success today to Senior Sister Jiang's Flowing Cloud Boat, which provides such a wide view. Otherwise, how could we have found such a perfect spot to take in the fierce battle on the cloud platform?"

On the deck of the cloud boat at Kunyang Peak, a young cultivator dressed in a light blue disciple robe looked down at the martial arts arena and exclaimed in sincere admiration.

The flying boat named "Flowing Cloud" was hovering quietly a hundred feet above the training ground. A dozen or so disciples from Kunyang Peak were gathered on the deck, all gazing into the distance from the railing.

Surrounded by the crowd, Senior Sister Jiang Yanqiu wore a sky-blue Taoist robe, exuding a gentle and refined temperament.

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on her lips: "Junior brother's words make me feel ashamed." She glanced at everyone on the boat with a hint of gratitude, "If it weren't for the invitation from all of you junior brothers and sisters, I would have missed this wonderful duel."

"Senior Sister Jiang, were the Dharma assemblies in previous years as wonderful as today's?" a round-faced female disciple with almond eyes asked curiously.

Jiang Yanqiu gently shook his head: "In previous years, the scions of aristocratic families would not easily participate in the competition. It was mostly just ordinary disciples engaging in small skirmishes, which was quite boring. A competition like today's is something you can only see in the sect's grand competition."

"Senior Sister Jiang, do you think Fang Lan will accept the challenge?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yanqiu pondered and said, "Fang Lan is a man of profound knowledge and exceptional talent. He is usually arrogant and conceited, and if someone else were to challenge him, he probably wouldn't even bother to lift an eyelid."

"But..." Her gaze fell on the upright figure in the arena, "This Zhou Li is the top scorer in this term's major examination, and he is a once-in-a-millennium talent with two top grades. This is a great opportunity for him to make a name for himself."

Just then, Xia Mingduo, who had been standing quietly beside Jiang Yanqiu, suddenly said, "This duel... is unfair."

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, her clear eyes fixed on Zhou Li's figure below with concern, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes.

"It is indeed extremely unfair." Jiang Yanqiu looked around at everyone and explained, "Although Zhou Li is the top student, he has only been cultivating for a little over a month, while Fang Lan has been nurtured by the Fang family since childhood and has practiced diligently without stopping. Whether it is his understanding of the cultivation method or his application of the magic, he is far superior to Zhou Li."

She paused, her tone becoming even more serious: "Not to mention that Fang Lan has already achieved minor success in body refinement. I entered the sect a year earlier than him and am half a decade older, yet I am still no match for him. Even if Zhou Li has exceptional talent, he... has absolutely no chance of winning. This is the result of accumulated effort, not something that can be achieved overnight."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a sneer came from the side: "Hmm? Is Fairy Duo feeling sorry for him?" He deliberately dragged out his words, "Don't forget, in front of everyone, he was the one who declared that he would challenge Fang Lan."

"No, Brother Zhou is not a reckless person. There must be another reason why he did this," Xia Mingduo retorted.

Another disciple said sarcastically, "Knowing the gap is as vast as an insurmountable chasm, it's rather foolish to insist on stepping forward. In the cultivation world, strength is paramount; it's good for him to suffer a bit. Fairy Duo, this is the Changtian Sect, not your Xia Mansion."

Xia Mingduo blushed at the retort, her chest heaving slightly. She bit her lower lip tightly, unwilling to argue any further.

She turned her gaze back to the figure below, silently thinking, "Fang Lan is so powerful, why are you doing this? Duo'er believes you must have your reasons, but in this situation, Duo'er truly doesn't know how to help you..."

…………

In the cultivation world, physical cultivation is divided into six stages: body refinement, tendon strengthening, bone forging, acupoint integration, golden body, and shattering the void. Similar to the profound cultivation, each realm is also divided into four stages: initial glimpse, minor achievement, major achievement, and perfection.

Its combat skills are only slightly inferior to those of the six stages of Xuanxiu cultivation: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, and Void Transformation.

All the disciples in the arena were at the initial stage of Qi Refining, while Fang Lan, with her exceptional talent, had already achieved minor success in Body Refinement and was a leading figure among the disciples of aristocratic families in the same period of the Changtian Sect.

At this moment, upon hearing that someone actually wanted to fight Fang Lan, a huge uproar instantly broke out in the martial arts arena.

One was Fang Lan, the eldest son of the Fang family and a leader among the scions of prominent families; the other was Zhou Li, who ranked first in the imperial examination for entering the clan and was a double-ranked scholar.

It was as if an invisible hand was stirring things up, and conflicts between the aristocratic families and the commoners began as early as when they were new disciples.

A low chuckle came from inside the cloud sedan. "Challenge me? Interesting..."

Fang Lan slowly stood up, lifted the curtain and stepped out. Everyone saw a young man standing on the martial arts platform, with sword-like eyebrows that slanted into his temples and a jaw as sharp as if carved by a knife.

Amidst the swirling of his robes, one could vaguely see the glass and jade plaque at his waist, engraved with the four ancient seal characters "Fang Family Qilin," signifying that he was the Qilin of this generation of the Fang family.

Zhou Li's clear gaze, as if reflecting the eternal Milky Way, pierced through the layers of figures and looked at the young man in brocade robes.

Fang Lan, standing tall and fanning himself, also sensed something. He turned his head slightly and, for the first time, truly focused his gaze on Zhou Li.

Their eyes met across the distance.

"I don't engage in pointless arguments," Fang Lan said first. "If you lose, you must bow down and retreat whenever you encounter members of the Fang family."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li calmly retorted, "What if I win?"

"Heh," Fang Lan snorted coldly, "Whatever."

Zhou Li's gaze slowly swept over the three fiery red kites behind Fang Lan, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. He said leisurely, "I see your cloud chariot has quite an air about it. If you lose, how about you give it to me?"

Fang Lan suppressed her smile, snapped the jade-ribbed folding fan shut, and slowly stepped forward, saying slowly and deliberately, "Alright, I accept."

"Big brother!" Fang Yu wanted to step forward and dissuade him, but he didn't understand how things had developed like this.

"Senior Brother Zhou..." Shen Qing's voice trembled, his eyes filled with worry.

Zhou Li stared at Fang Lan as she approached, feeling an overwhelming pressure. He slowly drew his sword and held it horizontally against his chest, saying, "Please."

Fang Lan pursed her lips when she saw Zhou Li's ordinary sword, turned around and gave an order. A moment later, the young Taoist brought over an iron sword that was exactly the same as Zhou Li's.

Fang Lan took it, weighed it in her hand, shook her head, and said, "It's barely usable."

He looked up at Zhou Li again, his tone tinged with contempt: "Zhou Li, don't say I took advantage of you. Some people are born to stand at a height that others can never reach in their entire lives."

Fang Lan had been taken care of by the powerful families in the sect since childhood, and could get whatever she needed for cultivation. So when she saw that Zhou Li only had an ordinary weapon, she looked down on him.

Looking at the arrogant young man, Zhou Li calmly said, "It will definitely hurt a lot if you fall. I just hope you still have the strength to stand up again."

"How dare you!" A fierce glint flashed in Fang Lan's eyes. He had originally disdained to take action himself, but Zhou Li's provocation and strange calmness aroused his anger. He wanted to tear his dignity apart with thunderous force!

"Rise!" Fang Lan shouted, charging towards Zhou Li, who was a hundred feet away, like a wild beast unleashed!

Wherever it passed, violent air currents swept wildly, and the broken bricks and bloodstains from the previous battle were all lifted up by this powerful force and floated eerily in mid-air.

This strike was enough to severely injure any disciple present, revealing the power of the Fang family's eldest son!