Eternal Life through Drawing Lots

"Insolent!"

Sen Wei’s eyes flashed as she roared in fury.

Her voice was like the roar of a true dragon, a soul-shaking sound that turned the faces of the crowd outside the palace pale with fright.

Immediately, she lunged forward. Cyan lotuses formed of sword intent bloomed one after another at her feet, transforming the hall into a world of blades.

Cyan Lotus Sword Song!

But Fang Yang refused to be outdone. He moved with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger as his Carp Eagle spirit sublimated, manifesting the Kunpeng.

The immense blood-qi within him surged. It coiled inside the hall, gathering momentum, then burst through the roof, a crimson pillar rocketing toward the heavens.

Golden Tai Chi Diagram!

The great four-legged cauldron between them began to transform wildly, suffused entirely with the intertwining auras of Fang Yang and Sen Wei.

Outside the palace, a searing thunderclap suddenly ripped through the sky, followed by a torrent of rolling thunder that came crashing down.

A sharp, bright cracking sound surged like a tidal wave, piercing the muffled thunder like a sharp awl and bursting forth.

The two forces vied for dominance, clashing and overlapping. Along with the pillar of blood-red light, they painted a magnificent and tumultuous scene across the heavens.

The spectacle shocked the crowd outside into a stunned silence. They could only stare at one another in disbelief.

They had no idea what was happening inside!

Inside the palace, the proud and aloof Sen Wei was competing against Fang Yang using only her mastery of their respective Dao Schools.

Because of this, Fang Yang was able to unleash a burst of power. Relying on the signature advantage of the Thunder and Fire Dao Schools—their explosive force—he shoved the great cauldron forward.

He even advanced to within five paces of Sen Wei, his oppressive power forcing her to take three steps back. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

For Fang Yang to do this was an act of utter insubordination—a grave offense!

Seeing Sen Wei’s expression darken, Fang Yang felt a thrill as refreshing as an iced drink on a summer day. Overcome with glee, he let out a long, triumphant cry.

"Hmph."

A cold snort escaped Sen Wei’s lips.

Once she regained her footing, she leveraged the primary advantage of her Wood Dao School—its stamina—to counter-press Fang Yang.

The great cauldron shuddered. A tremor ran through Fang Yang as he was forcibly pushed back.

Anger flickered within Sen Wei. She wanted to shove Fang Yang all the way to the wall and ruthlessly pin him there.

Never in her life had she been so humiliated.

Aside from an accident when she was eight, no one had ever caused her even this small amount of humiliation.

No matter how lofty her status, how proud and aloof her demeanor, how could she not feel a spark of anger ignite within her?

But to her surprise, while Fang Yang was indeed retreating...

...he stubbornly dug in his heels somewhere between his second and third step, gritting his teeth and refusing to yield another inch.

At this, Sen Wei’s long black hair whipped about wildly.

In that instant, their respective auras and Dao rhythms coiled around the great cauldron like a cyan serpent and a crimson serpent, locked in a frantic struggle.

The sight made Sen Hui, who was watching from outside, break out in a cold sweat.

Sen Hui could never have imagined that Fang Yang could actually hold his own against her sister.

She was even more shocked that he had managed to hand her sister a minor defeat.

"No."

A sudden light flashed in Sen Hui’s eyes.

But then, a realization dawned. The reason she had been so curious about Fang Yang in the first place was that she saw a similarity between him and her sister, and she had hoped he might one day be able to challenge her.

She just never expected that day to arrive so soon.

A moment later, however, she grew worried again, concerned that this clash would create a serious rift between Sen Wei and Fang Yang.

...

"By Longevity Heaven, what in the world is happening in there?"

"I’m still in a daze. How is Fang Yang also a master of two Dao Schools...?"

"The Thunder Dao School and the Fire Dao School are both known for their destructive power. Maybe Fang Yang actually has a chance to pull off an upset?"

"You’ve got to be kidding. The fact that he can hold his own against her at all is already a testament to his incredible talent. How could he possibly pull off an upset against her...?"

Outside the palace, the crowd gazed at the thrumming array and murmured amongst themselves.

Frankly, they neither dared nor wanted to believe that Fang Yang possessed the talent to equal, let alone defeat, Sen Wei.

Therefore, the most they could bring themselves to accept was that Fang Yang’s talent might, at best, be on par with hers.

Fang Xuan stood in the crowd, listening to everyone praise his cousin, Fang Yang. He felt a shared sense of honor and immediately puffed out his chest with pride.

Le Shiyu lightly bit her lip, her gaze fixed on the magnificent palace.

Dongfang Xuezhi’s eyes were filled with shock. She kept shaking her head, muttering to herself how absurdly powerful Fang Yang was.

As for Minghai Nanyu, Dongfang Moran, Cyan Aura, Lin Tianxue, and the others, they each stood apart.

They attempted to use various ocular techniques to peer inside the palace, but all their efforts were in vain.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

The roaring ceased, and the light from the array enveloping the magnificent palace gradually faded away.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Fang Yang and Sen Wei emerged, one after the other.

Their expressions were calm, and their robes were pristine. It was impossible to tell who had won and who had lost.

This result prompted a variety of expressions from the onlookers.

Because in a way, the lack of a clear winner was an answer in itself.

"Cuz, were you the last one standing?" Fang Xuan whispered, causing many nearby to prick up their ears.

Fang Yang glanced around, rapped Fang Xuan on the head, and replied, "It was nothing. Don’t ask so many questions..."

Hearing his reply, a collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd.

Even Sen Wei, standing at the very front, shot Fang Yang an imperceptible glance.

In truth, the situation had been far more complex; it was impossible to say who truly had the upper hand.

After all, Fang Yang had initially used the explosive power of his Thunder and Fire Daos to gain a slight advantage over Sen Wei.

But then Sen Wei had countered, leveraging the endurance of the Wood Dao and the sharpness of the Sword Dao to push him back forcefully.

Finally, when they reached a complete stalemate, it was Sen Hui’s arrival that broke the deadlock.

At that moment, Fang Yang stood before the plum blossoms, gazing up at Sen Wei on the high platform.

On the platform, Sen Wei was instructing her handmaidens to distribute various Tokens to everyone.

Fang Yang mused to himself:

’A Sword Dao Master and a Wood Dao Master... but more than that, Sen Wei is a Tier Four Great Cultivator.’

’And once she enters the Thunder Saint Academy, her impressive family background, combined with her innate talent, will allow her to advance her mastery of the Dao Schools at an astonishing rate.’

’*Sigh*... It seems my greatest advantage still lies in the dream realm...’

A thousand thoughts raced through Fang Yang’s mind.

Suddenly, he looked up, his attention caught by something she said.

’These Tokens... they’ll be of great use in the upcoming Saint Ascension Conference?’

The final days in the Xuan Yu Blessed Land were usually when the Dao Seed Level prodigies would undergo their tribulations and ascend to Sainthood.

Of course, cultivators who weren’t at the Dao Seed Level, such as Tier Five Peak Great Cultivators, could also undergo the tribulation to attain Sainthood.

Over time, various traditions and customs had given rise to the Saint Ascension Conference.

’Ascending to Sainthood...’ Fang Yang thought wistfully.

The most fundamental benefit of becoming a Saint was an increase in one’s lifespan by a thousand years.

How could he not yearn for that?

Of course, his goal wasn’t merely to become a Saint, but a Great Saint, a Venerable One, and ultimately, to achieve true, everlasting immortality.

That was why he was so obsessed with transforming his Carp Eagle Spirit Body into the Kunpeng Saint Body and perfecting his cultivation foundation.

Before long, all the Tokens had been distributed.

And, to no one’s surprise, Fang Yang received the only white jade crane Token in the entire crowd.

This signified that his status was equal to that of Sen Wei and Sen Hui!

In an instant, he once again drew the envious gazes of all the young prodigies, including Lin Tianxue, Cyan Aura, Dongfang Moran, and Minghai Nanyu.

After all, who didn’t know that the higher the grade of one’s Token, the greater the benefits at the Saint Ascension Conference?

But no matter how resentful the other young prodigies felt, they had no choice but to accept this reality.

Because in the confrontation inside the palace, the only one left standing with Sen Wei at the end had been Fang Yang.

WHOOSH~

Snowflakes drifted down as a cold wind began to howl.

Everyone looked up to see Fang Yang dressed in a black and white Daoist robe. With his handsome features, he stood as proud and straight as a spear, radiating a heroic and dashing aura!