The Azure Wood Sword appeared before his eyes. The middle-aged cultivator had no time for anything else and could only shift his small flag to the side, barely blocking the sword tip. Yet, the quicksand and water beneath his feet surged up even faster.
Mo Tiange did not pause for a moment, sending out another talisman.
With a heavy thud, the cultivator collapsed onto the platform.
At this moment, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator serving as referee stepped forward, examined the cultivator, then stood up and nodded. "Ye Xiaotian wins."
Mo Tiange's expression relaxed. Seeing her second uncle's gratified smile from below the platform, she hurriedly sat down to recover her Spiritual Qi. To deplete her opponent's Spiritual Qi, she had also taken Spirit-Replenishing Pills herself. Having barely managed to hold on, she was utterly exhausted.
With her Spiritual Qi no longer sustaining it, the formation had already dissipated. The thorns withered one after another, finally allowing the middle-aged cultivator to see outside the formation. His face ashen, he stood up and jumped off the platform. His flag's defense was truly formidable; even after Mo Tiange exerted all her strength, she hadn't inflicted serious injuries on him. However, losing to a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator had likely dealt a heavy blow to his confidence. Moreover, losing this round meant he could only try another platform. The injuries sustained and pills consumed this time would affect his next attempt, greatly increasing the difficulty of achieving victory.
Mo Tiange wasn't feeling well either. This was the eighth match. She still needed to defeat two more people to qualify for the next round, but she was truly exhausted now. If she faced another opponent like the middle-aged cultivator just now, it would be very difficult for her to hold on. However, given her cultivation level, fighting against a bunch of equally desperate Level 9 and Level 10 opponents in the final stage to win ten consecutive matches would be extremely challenging. Besides, she was nearly drained of energy, had used talismans, pills, and Spirit Stones, and could hardly afford another platform fight. So, she could only give it her all. After all, with her second uncle present, as long as she didn't seek death, her life wouldn't be in danger.
What a pity. If she were from a cultivation family, the family would have sent disciples to occupy slots, allowing her to fill the ten-person quota. Unlike now, where she could only fight tooth and nail.
However, after recovering her Spiritual Qi, she noticed no one had yet come onto the platform.
The referee cultivator called out again, "Those wishing to challenge the platform master, please come up quickly. If no one comes up within a quarter of an hour, the platform master will win by default."
After a moment, someone finally stepped up. It was a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator.
Mo Tiange found it strange. Opponents in the competition generally grew progressively stronger. Having watched the previous Dharma Combat, those without some skill wouldn't dare to take the stage; only those confident in their ability to contend with the opponent would. Could this Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator, like herself, possess something special?
She steeled herself and began the Dharma Combat. Yet, this cultivator was quite ordinary. With an Azure Wood Technique, the cultivator conceded defeat in no time.
Mo Tiange was greatly puzzled. Why did this cultivator seem to be giving her a free win?
Little did she know, her battle with the Qi Refining Level 10 cultivator had already made the crowd hesitant to challenge her. A Level 7 cultivator defeating a Level 10 cultivator commanded more awe than a Level 10 cultivator defeating a peer, as the latter wasn't rare, but the former was uncommon and always indicated a formidable opponent. Moreover, everyone had seen her proficiency with formations, against which most were helpless. Those without confidence to defeat her naturally wouldn't try. Even those with some confidence feared being drained of Spiritual Qi like that cultivator, which would affect their subsequent fights. Since it was still early, waiting a bit longer didn't matter. Thus, almost everyone tacitly agreed to let her win this round to expedite the start of the next. The cultivator who stepped up, after watching so many matches and realizing he had little hope, had merely come to experience her strength firsthand, aiming to use it as a benchmark for his next attempt.
This time, it took even longer before someone else came up. Their cultivation was worse, only at Level 6, and they quickly lost to her and left the stage.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator referee called her aside, returned her token—now marked—and told her to come back after it was all over. Then he announced the start of the next round.
Overwhelmed with joy, Mo Tiange stepped off the platform on unsteady feet, nearly stumbling. Fortunately, Ye Jiang stepped forward to support her.
"Second Uncle, I... I succeeded!"
Ye Jiang smiled, helping her out of the crowd. "Rest for a while first. Having won is good enough."
Mo Tiange nodded, sitting cross-legged to meditate until her Spiritual Qi recovered. When she stopped meditating and opened her eyes, she looked at her second uncle with delight. "Second Uncle, I really succeeded, right?"
Ye Jiang smiled and nodded. "You really did. If you focus on the opponent, success naturally follows." This wasn't mere consolation. She merely lacked experience in life-or-death struggles; in such competitions, she wasn't weak.
Mo Tiange then showed worry again. "The first round was already this difficult. How will the next round..."
Thinking of this, Ye Jiang also sighed. "If it doesn't work out, forget it. We won't force it." Indeed, her victory was already fortunate. In the next round, every opponent would be tough to deal with. Even if she defeated one, defeating two would be difficult.
After comforting each other, uncle and niece steeled themselves to watch the competition.
During Mo Tiange's rest period, victors gradually emerged from various platforms. Most were Level 9 or Level 10 cultivators, with only one Level 8 cultivator and another Level 7 cultivator. From others' discussions, the other Level 7 cultivator was a young man in his twenties, seemingly a disciple from a cultivation family, who possessed a Magical Treasure that made him unbeatable, allowing him to smoothly defeat ten opponents and win.
It was already afternoon. The platform battles grew increasingly fierce. Most participants had already taken the stage, and now some were practically fighting for their lives. Injuries occurred frequently and grew more severe.
The more Mo Tiange watched, the more she couldn't bear to continue. This was her first time participating in the Immortal Platform Meet. Although she had mentally prepared herself, she hadn't expected it to be so brutal. She couldn't help but feel sorrowful. The path of immortality was elusive, and for rogue cultivators, it was even more arduous. For a sliver of hope, they were willing to risk their lives. This path was truly heartbreaking.
Finally, as the sun set, all competitions concluded, and the referee cultivators announced the end.
In this Immortal Platform Meet, two people died from severe injuries, with countless others wounded.
Mo Tiange breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward with the other victors.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the ten platforms gathered together, sweeping their gazes over the victors and frowning as they discussed something.
This made the victors uneasy, unsure what about them was unsatisfactory.
Mo Tiange couldn't help but scan the group but found no issues. There were only slightly over twenty victors, about half of whom bore injuries. Excluding herself, there were only four women. Young men made up about half, likely because reaching such cultivation levels in one's twenties usually indicated a cultivation family background, which naturally increased the chances of victory.
It was unclear what these Foundation Establishment Cultivators discussed. Soon after, the leader sent a Message Talisman flying into the main hall. After waiting a moment, the talisman flew back. The leader received it, and several gathered to listen. After some discussion, they faced the victors.
Clearly, they were about to announce the next round. Mo Tiange couldn't help but feel nervous, worried something might go wrong.
The leader was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with half-gray hair and beard. His gaze swept over them sternly as he spoke, "Everyone, only twenty-four people emerged victorious in the first round of this Immortal Platform Meet. Therefore, the Sect Master has instructed that no further competition is needed. All twenty-four of you will be admitted into the sect. Please return to handle your worldly affairs first. Tomorrow at dusk, report to the sect gate."
The crowd erupted in murmurs, both shocked and delighted.
Mo Tiange was especially so. She had originally worried about not passing the second round and hadn't expected such a turn of events. Overwhelmed with joy, she could directly enter the Yunwu Sect!