Chapter 86

Even Yun Yangzi couldn’t conceal his shock—nor could the others present.

Everyone turned instinctively to look at Yun Qianren.

“Hehehe…” Yun Qianren chuckled smugly, especially when he caught a glimpse of his longtime rival Yun Ding’s expression. The man’s eyes looked as if they might pop out of his skull from disbelief, which only added to Yun Qianren’s glee.

“That’s right,” he said proudly. “Little Wu completed his eighth body tempering a full month before the tournament began.”

With Yun Qianren’s confirmation, no one doubted it anymore—Luo Xian Sect now had a cultivator who had reached the legendary eighth stage of body tempering.

At their core, body tempering and spirit tempering were the same—they were just different paths. Spirit tempering refined spiritual energy, while body tempering honed the physical form. And from a certain perspective, the two were incomparable in difficulty.

Spirit tempering depended heavily on innate talent—the higher the talent, the more times one could temper their spirit. Body tempering, on the other hand, relied on sheer willpower. The stronger one’s resolve, the more progress they could make.

Both paths had their own merits. Reaching the seventh stage of either was already considered perfection. The eighth stage? That was the stuff of miracles.

But in a cultivation-dominated world, warriors were rare—almost like mythical beasts. Their path was harsher, more painful, and produced results much more slowly than cultivation.

A cultivator with decent talent could expect steady progress. Their societal status and lifestyle were also far more glamorous than that of a warrior.

Below the Nascent Soul stage, cultivators completely suppressed warriors. Even above that, strength still depended on individual combat ability—it wasn’t like a warrior could suddenly surpass a cultivator just by effort alone.

So even though Wu Dao had completed the eighth body tempering and stunned the peak lords and Yun Yangzi, no one saw him as a true core figure to be cultivated. At best, he was now qualified to become a powerful guardian—someone who protected the true talents meant to lead the sect.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Wu Dao and Chi Xiao stood locked in a tense standoff. Sparks crackled between them as they steadily built up momentum for their next clash. Wu Dao specialized in close combat, and Chi Xiao, with her fire-attribute spirit root, also favored direct engagement. Once they went all out, the fight would end quickly. Both were holding nothing back, fine-tuning themselves to their peak states.

The standoff didn’t last long.

Suddenly—Boom!—a loud explosion erupted as something flew between them and slammed into the ground, shattering their focus. Both turned toward the source.

Cough cough...

Li Jun was the culprit. He clambered up from the dirt, looking utterly disheveled.

“Braised... pig... trotter!” came a crisp, slightly childish voice.

A giant, glistening, and delicious-looking pig trotter soared through the air toward him, trailing a savory aroma.

“Junior sister Xian’er! I swear it wasn’t me!” Li Jun shouted, dodging frantically as the monstrous pig trotter slammed into the crowd like a bomb, sending dozens flying and knocking them out of the competition.

“Hmph!”

Xian’er, cheeks puffed and eyes full of righteous fury, looked anything but pleased. She looked like a predator on the hunt, surrounded by an arsenal of gourmet dishes.

“Fried peanuts!”

With a sharp shout, she launched an entire plate of crispy golden peanuts like bullets at Li Jun.

“Junior sister Xian’er, I swear I didn’t wake you! I was just passing by!” Li Jun cried in desperation.

He had only intended to help Xian’er out of a jam—and maybe win some favor in the process. But unfortunately, Xian’er had awakened. Worse, she’d decided he was the one who’d disturbed her sleep.

What followed was chaos. From who-knows-where, Xian’er summoned wave after wave of delicious-looking yet terrifyingly powerful food. Each dish looked mouthwatering, yet exploded with explosive force. Li Jun didn’t dare take a direct hit and could only dodge continuously.

As he fled, people in his path immediately stopped fighting and scrambled to get out of the way. No one wanted to become collateral damage—Xian’er’s attacks were indiscriminate.

The entire arena watched, stunned.

No one had ever seen a cultivator weaponize food with such power. The sheer destructive force of her “meals” was unbelievable.

“Pfft, hahahaha…”

Han Luo couldn’t help but laugh.

Others might not know how terrifying Xian’er’s morning temper could be, but he knew it all too well.

Normally, she had Xiaobai by her side to soothe her. That soft fur acted like a magic balm—one touch and she’d settle down.

But now? Without Xiaobai’s calming influence, Xian’er had gone full demon mode.

“Domain!” Yun Yangzi suddenly shot to his feet, visibly shaken.

Hongniang and the other peak lords also noticed it—those dishes Xian’er was hurling weren’t just explosive food or spirit charms. They were real domains.

They all turned to look at Wudao.

Wudao had opened his eyes and was watching the food-flinging Xian’er unleash her rage in the center of the arena.

“As you guessed,” he said calmly, neither confirming nor denying.

“Eighth spirit tempering...” Lei Xing’s voice trembled with disbelief.

No one had expected this.

Xian’er never trained seriously. Her daily routine involved nothing but eating, drinking, and playing. And yet… she had completed the eighth spirit tempering.

It was absurd.

They thought back to their own youth—endless days and nights of brutal cultivation, hundreds of years of perseverance just to reach their current level.

But Xian’er? She’d casually outpaced them all while enjoying snacks.

“There must be divine favor upon our Luo Xian Sect to birth such a monstrous genius,” Yun Yangzi declared proudly.

As the sect master, he dreamed of one day elevating their sect into an immortal dynasty. Now, Xian’er had given him hope.

“Senior brother, with Xian’er’s talent, she’s bound to attract danger,” Yun Ding warned, his voice tense. “The tragedy at Moon Sect is still fresh in my memory. I don’t want to see another massacre here.”

“Don’t worry,” Yun Yangzi said coldly, all traces of his usual elegance gone. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

“If any great immortal dynasty dares to come for her, let them come. I’ll drag them down with us if I have to. Our Luo Xian Twin Swords aren’t just for show.”

The name “Luo Xian Sect” came from these legendary blades—innate spiritual treasures that had guarded the sect for centuries.

Once, a powerful figure claimed that Luo Xian Sect didn’t deserve even one of them, let alone two, and attempted to seize them.

The result? He was instantly slain by the Twin Swords.

But the swords contained spirits of their own. Only those they recognized could wield them. Anyone else would be devoured and turned into part of the sword itself.

That was why Luo Xian Sect remained a mid-tier sect despite possessing two such treasures—no one had ever been able to truly master even one of them.

Meaning, while the swords could defend the sect, they could not yet be used offensively outside its borders—unless someone earned their acknowledgment.

“Senior brother’s right,” Yun Qianren added. “As long as Xian’er stays inside Luo Xian Sect, she’s safe. No dynasty would dare make a direct move. And even if they did, the price they’d pay would be unimaginable. If they anger the swords, they might bring about their own destruction.”

Innate spiritual treasures were at the pinnacle of power in the Eastern Region. Luo Xian Sect had two of them.

Any would-be aggressor would have to think twice.

Still, the worry didn’t fade from their eyes. They’d seen firsthand how cruel the cultivation world could be.

Only true power could protect the sect from outside threats and allow it to thrive.

But the Twin Swords were too unstable. That made the future feel thorny, even to those who had witnessed countless storms.

As the elders discussed the fate of the sect—

“Uh-oh. This is bad!” came Han Luo’s voice from the audience.

He held his forehead, already sensing trouble brewing.