Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 533 Hiding Cultivation Level? The Unlucky Shangyun Sect!

Chen Fan sheathed his sword, turned around, and walked off the stage.

Behind him, Han Tieyi still stood on the platform, his hand holding the golden longsword trembling slightly. Blood from the cut on his hand dripped down the hilt onto the dark blue stone floor with a soft "tap-tap" sound. He stared at Chen Fan's back, his lips moved a few times, but in the end, he said nothing.

On the viewing platform, the eyes of cultivators from all sects fell on that bluish-gray figure.

On the other side of the Golden Sword Sect, Wu Daozi's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. Han Tieyi was one of the best sword cultivators in the mid-stage of Core Formation in his Golden Sword Sect, yet he was defeated by a single sword strike from a disciple of the Shangyun Sect who was at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. This was an utter disgrace.

"Where did this Chen Mu come from?" A Golden Sword Sect elder beside Wu Daozi asked in a low voice.

Wu Daozi did not answer, but stared at Chen Fan as he sat back down in his seat at Shangyun Sect, a cold glint in his eyes.

In the direction of Hundred Herbs Valley, several elders were also discussing in hushed tones. Chen Fan's method of dispelling Liu Qingqing's poisonous mist with a wave of his hand was already astonishing enough, but now he had defeated Han Tieyi with a single sword strike. This level of strength was far beyond what a Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection cultivator should possess.

"This person is either hiding his true cultivation level or has obtained some kind of ancient inheritance," a white-haired elder from Hundred Herbs Valley said slowly. "Whether it is or not, he should not be underestimated."

The elders of Iron Sword Manor, Wind and Thunder Pavilion, Yellow Sand Sect, and Spirit Ruins Sect exchanged glances, silently memorizing the name "Chen Mu".

Master Feihe sat in his seat at the Shangyun Sect, his aged face expressionless, but a deeper meaning had crept into his gaze as he looked at Chen Fan. He had lived for hundreds of years and seen countless genius cultivators, but he had never seen anyone like Chen Mu, who could crush a Core Formation cultivator with Foundation Establishment cultivation. Such a person was either a person of great fortune or a person of great calamity.

Under the watchful gaze of Master Feihe, Chen Fan sat down with a calm expression, his eyes slightly closed, as if the battle just now was nothing more than a trivial matter.

Li Changhe smiled broadly and thanked him repeatedly, but Chen Fan only nodded slightly and didn't say a word more.

The competition continued.

The stench of blood on the training ground grew stronger. After each round of duels, the disciples would carry buckets of water to wash the ground, but as soon as the dark red blood was washed away, a new layer of bloodstains would cover it.

It seems that Shangyun Sect's luck ran out in the two victories on the first day.

In the following rounds of battle, two of Mo Hanshan's Foundation Establishment Great Perfection disciples faced off against Core Formation cultivators from the Golden Sword Sect and the Yellow Sand Sect. Despite their best efforts, they were ultimately unable to create a miracle.

One of them was pierced through the heart by a sword from a disciple of the Golden Sword Sect and died on the spot!

Another body was shattered by a punch from a Huangsha Sect cultivator, and his nascent soul was destroyed before he could escape.

Next, it was Lu Xiong's turn to compete. His opponent was a Core Formation stage cultivator from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion who practiced lightning-attribute techniques and was extremely fast.

Lu Xiong unleashed his Blood Armor to withstand three attacks, but the Blood Armor shattered on the fourth. He was struck by a bolt of lightning, his entire body charred black, and he rolled off the arena. Although he miraculously survived, most of his meridians were burned by the lightning, and he would not recover for at least a year or two.

Another late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator under Li Changhe was also struck by a poisonous palm strike from a disciple of Baicaogu in the following round. He died on the spot from the poison, his body turning black and dark green pus flowing from his seven orifices, a truly gruesome sight.

At this point, only two disciples from Shangyun Sect remained to enter the top 32.

One of them was Zhou Tieshan, a middle-aged cultivator at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage under Mo Hanshan. He was taciturn and rarely spoke, but his attacks were extremely ruthless. In the first and second rounds, he fought to the death and narrowly won against his opponents. He was covered in injuries but stubbornly refused to retreat.

The other one is Chen Fan.

At the edge of the training ground, Wu Daozi of the Golden Sword Sect glanced in the direction of the Upper Cloud Sect, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and deliberately raised his voice:

"Shangyun Sect is stronger this year than in previous years, actually managing to hold on until now with two people still. But that's about it. With Zhou Tieshan's injuries, he'll be sent to his death no matter who he faces in the next round. As for that Chen Mu, hehe, no matter how strong he is, he's just a Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection cultivator. If one isn't enough, bring two, if two aren't enough, bring three. There will come a time when he can't hold on."

The Golden Sword Sect disciples behind him burst into laughter.

"Elder Wu is right! No matter how powerful a Foundation Establishment cultivator is, their spiritual energy reserves are limited; they can be worn down and killed!"

"Exactly! He got lucky in the first few rounds, running into weaklings. Let's see how long he can keep going when he encounters some real tough opponents!"

A female disciple from Baicao Valley, who had just reached the Core Formation stage, chimed in with a cold laugh: "That Chen Mu does have some tricks up his sleeve, but I've noticed he needs to recuperate for half a day after each match. I'm afraid his spiritual energy is already running out. If he runs into me in the next round, I'd like to see how many more times he can use that grayish-white light."

Chen Fan sat on the viewing platform, listening to every single word of the taunts.

He didn't turn around or say anything; he just sat there quietly, his gaze fixed on the blood-stained arena in the center of the training ground.

His clean-shaven face was expressionless, as if those people weren't mocking him.

This level of mockery didn't even warrant a frown from him.

The third round of drawing lots began soon.

This time, Chen Fan drew his opponent!

Huangshazong, Duan Heng.

When the name appeared on the jade tablet, a chorus of gloating noise erupted from the viewing platform.

Duan Heng, the chief disciple of the Huangsha Sect's inner sect, is a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator who practices the Huangsha Sect's signature technique, the "Great Desert Golden Body Technique."

This man was nine feet tall, with muscles all over his body like cast iron, and his bronze skin had a faint metallic sheen.

In the first two rounds of the competition, he killed his opponents with a single punch. One of his opponents was smashed into a pulp, and the other had half of his body shattered, both dying in extremely gruesome ways.

Among the younger generation of the Seven Sects of the Desolate State, Duan Heng's strength is enough to rank him in the top five.

"Hahaha! Chen Mu's good luck has run out!" Someone from the Golden Sword Sect burst into laughter.

"Duan Heng is not Han Tieyi. Body cultivators are naturally superior to sword cultivators. Moreover, Duan Heng's 'Great Desert Golden Body Technique' makes him impervious to blades and spears. Ordinary magic weapons cannot break through his physical defenses, let alone a broken iron sword!"

"Chen Mu has been recuperating since he finished fighting Han Tieyi, so his spiritual energy probably hasn't recovered yet. He's doomed in this fight."

On the Shangyun Sect's side, Li Changhe's face instantly turned deathly pale. He quickly walked to Chen Fan's side and lowered his voice, saying, "Fellow Daoist Chen Mu, Duan Heng's strength is far beyond Han Tieyi's. If you're not confident..."

Chen Fan opened his eyes, glanced at him, and said calmly, "Elder Li, I have already fought your substitute battle. I will take on this one myself."