From the moment the Tiger Soul awakened, I became invincible.

Chapter 123 Defending with Blood

The sudden turn of events made everyone in Kunlunxu look rather grim.

After struggling to his feet, the defeated disciple looked back at Taixuzi and noticed that Taixuzi's expression was one of fear.

He never imagined that he would be defeated by Zhou Yan.

From beginning to end, Zhou Yan had only opened one acupoint, yet under such circumstances, he faced such a crushing defeat.

Even though he was the weakest among them, Kunlun Ruins, this battle had already been a loss of face for them. After all, even though Zhou Yan's strength was insufficient, it represented his potential.

He has lost now, but what if Zhou Yan's existence poses a threat to their entire Kunlun Ruins ten or twenty years from now?

He was well aware that his current failure would have a huge impact on Kunlunxu, and might even affect the future strategic direction of the entire Kunlunxu.

After glancing at him, Taixuzi spoke calmly:

"You've already lost, why aren't you coming down?"

Upon hearing this, the disciple dared not say anything more and quickly stepped off the arena. Then, Taixuzi looked at the Tianwu Mountain Master and said with a forced smile:

"I never expected that there would be such a disciple in Tianwu Mountain. He was able to defeat Guo Xun, who had already opened three acupoints, after only opening the first one."

This child clearly has a bright future ahead of him.

The Lord of Tianwu Mountain stroked his already gray beard, then chuckled and said:

"We can't compare to your Kunlun Ruins. This time, the disciples you sent from Kunlun Ruins have seven or eight who have reached the initial stage of True Qi. Your foundation is much stronger than that of my Tianwu Mountain."

Although that's what he said, the smile on the face of the Tianwu Mountain Master was impossible to hide.

Even if Tianwu Mountain is indeed destined to fail this time, so what?

At least it didn't completely crush Tianwu Mountain like they initially predicted, which salvaged some of Tianwu Mountain's reputation.

He said no more about what happened afterward.

After defeating Guo Xun, Zhou Yan did not leave the arena. Instead, he looked at the other disciples of Kunlun Ruins. He had only won one match so far, and that match was a quick victory, so it hadn't taken a heavy toll on his stamina. A fighting spirit flashed in his eyes.

"I wonder if there's any other fellow Daoist willing to come up and offer some guidance?"

He held the black demon sword, his expression solemn.

After hearing these words, Taixuzi looked at the crowd behind him and then said, "Who would like to go and experience the skill level of these Tianwu Mountain disciples?"

His voice was icy, his attitude very clear. They had already failed once; they absolutely could not afford to fail again.

Upon seeing this situation, the other disciples of Kunlun Ruins hesitated.

Defeating your opponent is actually not difficult.

Although Zhou Yan did demonstrate considerable strength, there were many powerful individuals here who could completely overwhelm him, giving him no chance to fight.

But that won't do. The opponent is too strong. Even if we go up, it would just be bullying the weak and wouldn't save much face. If we lose again, it would be even more humiliating.

So for a moment, not many people were willing to make a move. However, faced with Taixuzi's increasingly cold gaze, someone finally gritted their teeth and stepped forward.

This person has already opened five acupoints, which is not considered strong among their group, but he is quite confident in his abilities.

After all, he could see that although Zhou Yan had only opened one acupoint, his swordsmanship was not weak. And he himself was the same. Although he had only opened five acupoints, his swordsmanship was extraordinary. Even some disciples who had opened six or seven acupoints might not be able to compare with him in this respect.

Therefore, he was extremely confident that he could defeat Zhou Yan. He simply didn't want to use his newly opened five acupoints to bully Zhou Yan; for him personally, this battle wouldn't bring much benefit.

But now that the reputation of their Kunlun Ruins had been touched upon, he naturally could not back down any further. After noticing him come out, Taixuzi breathed a slight sigh of relief, and his expression softened somewhat.

"In that case, why don't you go up and experience the skills of this esteemed disciple of Tianwu Mountain?"

The disciple nodded, then leaped onto the arena without hesitation. Looking at Zhou Yan before him, he gripped his sword and calmly said:

"I have already opened five acupoints, so it would be somewhat unfair for me to fight you directly. In that case, you shall make the first move. I will defend against your three moves and give you those three opportunities. If I lose, I will naturally retreat. After three moves, I will retaliate."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan didn't say anything, but simply took a deep breath. The gap between the two of them was indeed significant, so he didn't intend to let go of these three opportunities.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan didn't say anything, but simply took a deep breath. The gap between the two of them was indeed significant, so he didn't intend to let go of these three opportunities.

Almost instantly, Zhou Yan made his move, slashing at his opponent with his sword.

This strike was incredibly fast, representing the pinnacle of his mastery of swordsmanship.

Even so, the Kunlun Ruins disciple, who had already opened five acupoints, reacted quickly and steadily blocked his blade with his sword.

As the swords clashed, Zhou Yan staggered back several steps before finally stopping, his expression turning rather grim.

At the same time, his heart sank. Defeating his opponent was no longer as easy as before. The person before him was far from ordinary in skill and strength. However, even so, he didn't give up and launched another attack.

Even so, he was unable to defeat his opponent after three moves. The moment the three moves were over, the Kunlun Ruins disciple did not hesitate and immediately counterattacked with his sword, forcing Zhou Yan to retreat step by step. Zhou Qiao'er, who was behind him, looked worried.

Cang Xuanwu said helplessly:

"The gap between the two sides is too large; it will be very difficult for them to win this battle."

Just as he thought, even though Zhou Yan had given his all, his cultivation level was ultimately too low. He was constantly restrained when facing his opponent. After dozens of moves, his opponent finally stabbed him in the shoulder with a sword. Although the injury was not serious, it was enough to defeat him.

Zhou Yan looked at the bloodstains on his shoulder, and although he was unwilling, he could only concede defeat.

The representatives of the surrounding forces, seeing this scene, did not underestimate Zhou Yan.

After all, Zhou Yan's ability to hold out against this person for so long with only one acupoint open is already quite remarkable. However, the gap between Tianwu Mountain and Kunlun Ruins is simply too great.

After Zhou Yan left, the other disciples of Tianwu Mountain challenged him one after another, but when facing the disciples of Kunlun Ruins, they still lost more than they won, and the situation became worse and worse.

Taixuzi's face finally regained its smile.

Meanwhile, Qin Wu and his group had already arrived at Tianwu Mountain. At the foot of the mountain, there were significantly more disciples guarding it than usual, and there were also some pedestrians heading towards Tianwu Mountain. Seeing this, Qin Wu frowned.

Zhao Longhu asked the disciple guarding the mountain, "What happened on the mountain?"

"Reporting to Senior Brother Zhao, the disciples from Kunlun Ruins have arrived and are sparring with our Tianwu Mountain disciples."

The disciple guarding the mountain looked respectful.

He naturally didn't know Qin Wu, but he was very familiar with Zhao Longhu, after all, Zhao Longhu was one of the top disciples of their Tianwu Mountain.

With Zhao Longhu around, even if they couldn't defeat Kunlun Ruins, they could at least salvage some face for Tianwu Mountain. Upon hearing this, Qin Wu and Zhao Longhu exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming more serious. Qin Wu frowned; this was different from what he had anticipated.

According to what Cang Xuanwu had said before, Kunlun Ruins should have been a few days away. Clearly, this has been brought forward.

Fortunately, they returned today. If they had been any later, the people of Tianwu Mountain would probably have already left by the time they got up the mountain.

Without hesitation, the two headed straight up the mountain. Zhao Longhu's face was filled with worry, and his tone was brimming with self-reproach:

"If it weren't for me, we would have returned to the mountain long ago. Tianwu Mountain has declined to this day, and there aren't many disciples worth mentioning. Let's hurry over there. Although I'm not very strong, I should be able to help Tianwu Mountain regain some face."

Then he looked at Qin Wu, his face showing a hint of anticipation, and said:

"However, in the end, it all depends on you. With your current strength, even if you are only at the initial stage of True Qi, you might not be unable to put up a fight, right?"

Although we don't know much about Kunlun Ruins, there must be cultivators at the initial stage of True Qi within it. I'm afraid I can't handle such powerful individuals; I can only rely on you."

Qin Wu nodded.

He was ready for the battle. With his current strength, he might indeed be able to fight against a disciple at the initial stage of True Qi. Since this competition was limited to those who had entered the sect within the past three years, even if there were disciples at the initial stage of True Qi in Kunlun Ruins, their cultivation level wouldn't be too high. With his current strength, it shouldn't be difficult for him to fight them.

A hint of anticipation flickered in his eyes.

He had never faced a true Qi beginner level expert before, and now was an excellent opportunity.

When he faced one of the three villains of Qianzhou, the opponent's strength was actually far superior to his own. It took him and Zhao Longhu a desperate fight to defeat him.

But now, his strength has increased again, and he is confident that even if he were to face one of the three fierce men of Qianzhou again, he would be able to fight him head-on and even defeat him.

Before long, the two arrived at the arena. When they got there, a disciple of Tianwu Mountain was being sent flying by a single blow, crashing heavily outside the arena.

The disciple coughed up blood, his aura weakening. Although he struggled to his feet, wanting to fight again, the referee reminded him that he had already fallen off the stage, and he could only retreat with a resentful expression.

"Elder Cang, I have lost."

Cang Xuanwu looked at him calmly:

"It's alright, as long as the injuries weren't too serious."

At this moment, Cang Xuanwu had already resigned himself to his fate and did not believe that they could turn the tide.

Therefore, his greatest hope now is that his disciples will not get injured. After all, most of the disciples who went into battle this time are the elite of Tianwu Mountain. If someone were to die here, it would be a huge blow to the future of Tianwu Mountain.

At this moment, the disciple on the arena arrogantly spoke up:

"Tianwu Mountain is truly devoid of talent. I am merely at the eighth level of the Qi Opening stage, yet not a single person can stand a chance against me in a direct confrontation. I had long heard of Tianwu Mountain's profound strength, but now it seems they are nothing special."

His arrogant words immediately made everyone on Tianwu Mountain look extremely ugly. The Tianwu Mountain Master stared at the disciple with a gloomy expression. Taixuzi suddenly laughed and then said:

"I am truly sorry, Lord Mountain. This boy is ignorant of his place and will certainly be disciplined strictly in the future."

However, despite saying this, Taixuzi showed no anger whatsoever; in fact, there was a faint smile in his eyes. Clearly, although he hadn't instructed this matter, he was happy to see it happen.

Cang Xuanwu's expression was equally grim.

Then he glanced behind him. Of the disciples behind him, apart from those who had already gone up, the highest level they had reached was only five or six acupoints. There was no one who could fight him. Even if he sent someone else up, it would probably only make them a laughing stock.

It can be said that the most elite disciples of Tianwu Mountain have all come out, but for the disciples of Kunlun Ruins, it is just a warm-up.

Just then, a thunderous roar rang out: "Who dares to run wild in my Tianwu Mountain?"

With this roar, everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came, and many disciples of Tianwu Mountain showed expressions of surprise:

"It's Senior Brother Zhao Longhu!"

"Senior Brother Zhao Longhu is finally back."

Aside from the new disciples who joined this year, almost everyone present was familiar with Zhao Longhu. Unlike them, Zhao Longhu was a disciple trained by Tianwu Mountain from a young age.

Although I didn't join Tianwu Mountain in my early years, I still received some of its resources, which is why I've reached this level today.

Moreover, it wasn't just Zhao Longhu; the entire Kunlun Sect was the same. Aside from disciples recruited from outside, there were always some disciples trained from a young age within the sect. However, these disciples wouldn't formally join the sect until they reached a certain age.

Otherwise, how could those disciples have reached the True Qi realm in just three years? Now that Zhao Longhu has returned, it means that Tianwu Mountain finally has an ace up its sleeve.

As for Qin Wu, who was walking with Zhao Longhu, no one paid any attention to him.

Without any hesitation, Zhao Longhu moved swiftly and arrived on the arena. He coldly looked at his opponent and said directly, "You're arrogant enough, but unfortunately, your strength is lacking."

Upon hearing this, the disciple's expression darkened: "This fellow Daoist is quite arrogant. In my opinion, the difference between us isn't that great. Since you dare to step onto the stage today, let's have a friendly spar. I want to see if you truly possess such skills."

After saying that, the eight-aperture disciple of Kunlun Ruins immediately attacked Zhao Longhu.

Although the disciple from Kunlun Ruins was furious, he remained extremely calm, which allowed him to see that Zhao Longhu was different from the others.

While others were far inferior to him in terms of cultivation level, Zhao Longhu was different. The person before him was at least on par with him, and might even be higher, so he naturally wouldn't be careless.

Seeing him rush over, Zhao Longhu remained calm, holding his long sword, and slashed at the other man with it.

……