Corpse Master's attention toward Wei Tu went completely unnoticed by Wei Tu, who sat among the Ying Ding Tribe's seats.
Once he finished reviewing the information in the jade slip, the Sword Trial Competition began in full force.
The rules of the contest were straightforward.
Each participant from the three tribes drew a silver slip, matched their number with an opponent's, and fought to determine the winner.
Out of the eighteen participants, nine would win in the first round. The nine who lost would then compete again, and one victor among them would move forward to the second round.
This continued in turn, until the final winner was determined.
Unlike cultivators in the Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment stages, Golden Core cultivators had a vast range of techniques. Even without using trump cards, their secret arts alone were dazzling to watch.
There were rogue cultivators wielding magical treasures and artifacts.
There were also priests and mages from the three tribes displaying a variety of spiritual techniques.
All of these became highlights of the competition.
Yuan Jie and Fairy Baohua stood out, thanks to their dual cultivation in Immortal Dao and Spiritual Dao. They merged the strengths of both paths and emerged as shining stars in the tournament.
"Bìfēng Fan!" On the arena stage, Yuan Jie flicked his sleeve and released a dark green feather fan, fanning it toward the fire qilin he had conjured using spiritual techniques just moments earlier.
Wind fueled fire.
In an instant, the fire qilin surged from several zhang to over a dozen zhang tall, nearly filling the entire stage. As its two front hooves stomped down, the female cultivator from the Feng Wu Tribe fighting him was blasted off the stage.
Fairy Baohua performed just as impressively.
Unlike Yuan Jie, however, the Spiritual Dao she cultivated wasn't based on the Five Elements. Instead, she had developed her own path derived from wood: the Path of Hundred Blossoms.
As blossoms bloomed across the stage, her opponent unknowingly fell under an incurable spiritual toxin. Forced to surrender, they admitted defeat.
"Yuan Jie, Fairy Baohua…" After watching the two battle, Wei Tu's expression grew more serious.
Only now did he fully understand why the Second Prince of the Right Virtuous King's estate was so wary of Yuan Jie.
It was simple—they were far too dazzling.
Wei Tu silently admitted that, if he were to face Yuan Jie or Fairy Baohua without using high-grade talismans, relying solely on his regular strength, it would be difficult to predict the outcome.
And yet, he cultivated both body and qi.
Among cultivators of the same realm, he was nearly unmatched.
"One path perfected doesn't necessarily lose to someone who dabbles in two," Wei Tu thought to himself.
To put it plainly, he had earned top marks in both body refining and qi refining. Yuan Jie and Fairy Baohua, on the other hand, had achieved top grades in qi refining alone.
It might seem like two paths combined would win.
But in truth, those two scored top grades because there was nothing beyond "top."
In terms of spiritual technique mastery, Wei Tu suspected that Yuan Jie and Fairy Baohua were already on par with late-stage Golden Core cultivators—truly exceptional talents.
Still, fortune didn't favor the Ying Ding Tribe alone. The She Ri Tribe and Feng Wu Tribe also had several participants who displayed exceptional combat prowess.
Among them—
Was none other than Corpse Master, who had caught Wei Tu's attention from the start.
This rogue Golden Core cultivator with a legacy of corpse arts seemed to have refined his body into a living corpse. It was nearly indestructible. Combined with his strange and sinister corpse path secret arts, he was even stronger than most dual cultivators of body and qi.
As for Yuan Ping, Yue Qian, and the others—
They were stronger than ordinary Golden Core cultivators, but within this competition, they appeared rather mediocre.
They were quickly eliminated.
But aside from Yue Qian's slight frustration, Yuan Ping and the pair of twin brothers looked calm. They showed no signs of mental imbalance over their defeat.
Wei Tu gave it a brief thought and understood why.
Combat talent and cultivation aptitude were two different things. They shouldn't be conflated.
Even the three Divine Masters of the Ying Ding Tribe weren't necessarily brilliant in combat when they were young. Some of them might have been rather unremarkable—or at least, they appeared so.
Of course, "unremarkable" didn't always mean truly lacking talent.
Some may have simply chosen to stay low-key.
After all, the tallest tree catches the wind.
…
As the Sword Trial Competition progressed into its final stages—
Fairy Baohua narrowly lost and placed fifth.
Yuan Jie, Corpse Master, the She Ri Tribe's Yu Wencheng, and a rogue cultivator named Gong Yun made it into the top four and advanced to the second-to-last round.
Soon after—
Yuan Jie and Yu Wencheng engaged in a fierce battle that lasted half a day. After exchanging several hundred moves, Yuan Jie was defeated by a single blow. His magical defense barrier shattered, and he was blasted off the arena.
As for Corpse Master versus Gong Yun, the victory came much easier.
With just over a dozen moves, he used his refined physical strength to locate Gong Yun's weak point and won in a single strike.
In the final round—
Yu Wencheng faced Corpse Master. At the critical moment, he brought out a thunder spike magical treasure, which happened to directly counter Corpse Master's corpse path techniques. With it, he barely scraped out a win and secured first place.
But even then, the Sword Trial Competition wasn't officially over.
The current rankings were only provisional.
If any contestant was dissatisfied with their ranking, they could challenge one of the higher-ranked cultivators to another duel.
Only after three days—when the defenders successfully held their rank—would the final standings be confirmed.
Although the rules allowed challenges over the next three days, few cultivators dared to step up. After all, the higher-ranked contestants had already shown overwhelming strength on the arena—far from being mere empty titles.
Three days passed.
The final rankings were confirmed.
Ying Ding Tribe, with Yuan Jie's placement as its top result, ended up ranked third among the three tribes—last place.
"The first-place rewards this time included 'Huajin Divine Mud' and the 'Sun-Guarding Pill'…"
Yuan Jie clicked his tongue, sighing with deep regret.
Huajin Divine Mud was an all-purpose material for crafting magical treasures—a rare Tier Three spiritual item in the cultivation world.
By simply placing spiritual materials inside it, over time, the Divine Mud would gradually assimilate and transform into a replica of the material, becoming part of it.
The Sun-Guarding Pill was a high-grade Tier Three pill that purified a cultivator's foundation and aided breakthroughs.
"Fellow Daoist Yuan's reward isn't bad either—he got a mid-grade Tier Three artifact."
Wei Tu smiled and clasped his hands in congratulations.
The Sword Trial Competition rewards were just the public portion of what Yuan Jie would receive for winning third place. The real rewards would come from within the Ying Ding Tribe.
Prestige, authority, and cultivation resources.
After this competition, the tribe would certainly funnel resources toward Yuan Jie, the deputy leader of the Cangkun Alliance.
Yuan Jie had proven through real combat that he was indeed the top young Golden Core cultivator of the Ying Ding Tribe.
"True enough." Yuan Jie nodded slightly, showing a faint smile.
"When I return to the tribe, I'll report to the Three Divine Masters and propose the founding of an academy in Hujie Immortal City—to teach the improved Spiritual Dao developed by the Cangkun Alliance…"
His eyes were firm.
Through this duel, he had already shown the priests and mages of the tribe the results of fusing Immortal Dao and Spiritual Dao.
Now, it was time to spread it.
He spoke without much thought, but the listener took note.
Upon hearing this, Wei Tu deliberately used his divine sense to observe the reaction of the Second Prince.
As expected, the Second Prince's expression changed slightly, and his gaze turned cold and sharp.
Perhaps Yuan Jie saw the promotion of the "improved Spiritual Dao" as benefiting the tribe.
But from the standpoint of the Right Virtuous King's estate, this was something else entirely—Yuan Jie was clearly building momentum for the upcoming Golden Tent elections.
"When we leave Falling Sun City, I'll have to give Yuan Jie a little reminder."
Wei Tu rubbed his chin.
After the matter with Wolfslayer, things might have appeared peaceful between him and the Right Virtuous King's estate, but Wei Tu didn't believe for a second that true reconciliation was possible.
The estate had hidden agendas, and Wolfslayer didn't know when to quit. If they ever got the chance, they'd likely strike while he was down—to erase him once and for all.
…
A few days later.
Wei Tu, along with the cultivators of the Ying Ding Tribe, entered the inner city of Falling Sun City. After activating a teleportation formation, they arrived at the underground "Falling Sun Spring."
It was a damp, mist-filled underground cavern. The walls were etched with layers of restrictive spells and formation patterns.
Wei Tu released his divine sense briefly, only for it to be blocked completely by the surrounding mist. It couldn't extend at all.
"This really is one of the core sacred grounds of the three tribes." A hint of awe flashed in Wei Tu's eyes as he thought quietly to himself.
Falling Sun Spring was essentially the root of the three tribes' foundation. It was thanks to this spiritual spring that the tribes had lasted for tens of thousands of years, passing down their legacies without interruption.
In terms of value, Falling Sun Spring was even more precious than the Great Void Realm left behind by the Stone Demon Sect.
"This time, since our Ying Ding Tribe placed third, our designated spot for bathing in the sacred spring will be more remote—less favorable than those given to the She Ri and Feng Wu Tribes."
Divine Master Donglai stood at the front. He turned to look at the gathered priests and mages and spoke solemnly.
"Those priests and mages who believe their path is hopeless, I hope you will give up this rare opportunity to the younger members of the tribe."
As his words fell, many priests and mages looked around at each other.
The younger generation, including Wei Tu, didn't care much. In fact, some even felt a bit pleased. But some of the older priests and mages wore worried expressions.
Judging whether one's path had reached its limit was difficult for anyone.
Perhaps in the future, they might stumble upon some rare treasure and make a lucky breakthrough.
Such things happened often in the cultivation world.
There was no reason why fortune couldn't fall on them one day.
But such thoughts—
They could only keep to themselves.
Before Divine Master Donglai, whether they still had potential or any hope in their cultivation path was something he could see at a glance. He wouldn't gamble the future of an entire faction on the slim odds of an individual's lucky break.
Under the pressure from Divine Master Donglai, several priests and mages of the Ying Ding Tribe were forced to concede, giving up this opportunity and passing it on to the younger cultivators.
High Priestess Ti Ya was among them.
Once everyone had made their statements, Divine Master Donglai, the grey-robed elder, nodded slightly and said, "This master isn't forcing you. If there are empty spots after the young ones enter, they'll be yours. If not, the royal court will compensate you for the loss."
Hearing this, the older priests and mages looked a bit more at ease. Their resistance softened considerably.
"You younger ones must remember, this chance to bathe in the sacred spring was earned for you by the tribe. It was handed to you by the older priests and mages…"
Divine Master Donglai's words were rousing. Soon, the young cultivators of the Ying Ding Tribe were moved, filled with a sense of duty and a willingness to sacrifice for the tribe.
After speaking, Divine Master Donglai turned again and cast a spell toward the mist in front of him.
In an instant, the mist scattered, revealing a large blue stone gate within the cavern.
The gate opened to reveal a spacious stone hall. At the center of the hall stood a tiered jade platform carved with steps.
Inside the platform flowed a small pool, only a few feet wide, of golden spring water.
Around the spring, spiritual energy had condensed into liquid form—like little droplets that formed spiritual mist—drifting gently throughout the hall with the breeze.
"This is the Falling Sun Spring?" Wei Tu was astonished.
The actual size of the Falling Sun Spring was far smaller than he had imagined.
After all, this sacred spring bathing session included nearly one hundred priests and mages from all three tribes.
Following Divine Master Donglai, they stepped into the stone hall.
The view became clearer.
Looking around, Wei Tu saw that the four walls of the hall were lined with densely packed caves.
Some of these caves were already occupied, with cultivators sitting cross-legged inside.
Apart from those inside the caves, there were also cultivators seated on the floor within the mist-covered hall itself, silently breathing in spiritual energy.
The closer one was to the sacred spring, the denser the aura.
Clearly, those seated here had some sort of privilege.
Among them, Wei Tu saw familiar figures from the Sword Trial Competition—Yu Wencheng, Gong Yun, and the old monster of the Corpse Dao.
"Tier Three Talisman Master? Alchemist? That's considerable talent. Like Yuan Jie and the others, you'll be seated in the hall. Just be sure not to take in too much sacred spring water."
The voice boomed in Wei Tu's ears.
It was Divine Master Donglai speaking.
"Thank you, Divine Master." Wei Tu returned to his senses and quickly bowed in thanks, a grateful look on his face.
Had things gone as usual, he would have ended up in one of those caves—nowhere near close enough to sit within the main hall by the Falling Sun Spring.
After assigning seats for all priests and mages of the Ying Ding Tribe, Divine Master Donglai exited the stone hall. Before he left, his voice rang out once again through divine transmission: "A divine sense restriction has been placed here. You can cultivate freely without concern for others. Let go, and fully absorb what you can."
Divine sense restriction?
Wei Tu raised an eyebrow slightly.
He doubted any such restriction, capable of blocking Golden Core cultivators' divine sense, could actually fool Nascent Soul cultivators.
At best, it would keep out others on the same level. The three Divine Masters outside? Not a chance.
…
Although Wei Tu had been favored by Divine Master Donglai and granted a place in the main hall, his position was not central—it was in a more remote corner.
Still, Wei Tu was very satisfied with it.
Back when he first snuck into the Zha Ma Tribe from Zheng Kingdom, he never imagined he'd have the chance to take part in the "Sacred Spring Gathering" of the three tribes.
Time passed slowly.
Several days later, the Falling Sun Spring was activated by a restriction, releasing surging waves of energy. Drops of golden liquid mixed with the surrounding spiritual mist and began to spread throughout the stone hall.
The cultivators closest to the spring were the first to capture the water. The rest could only take whatever remained.
Wei Tu got lucky.
Seated ahead of him were Yuan Jie and Fairy Baohua. Both, seeing him as a fellow cultivator of the Cangkun Alliance, made sure to share some with him.
By the time the spring water reached his side, it was still relatively abundant.
"So this is sacred spring water?"
As soon as Wei Tu absorbed the first drop of spring water using his magic power, he felt its overwhelming potency.
Just one drop equaled several days of his usual cultivation.
And this spiritual liquid was completely pure—unlike enhancement pills, which always carried residual toxin.
At the same time, after just a single drop bathed his body, his flesh instinctively craved more of the golden spiritual liquid.
Every part of his body—every organ, every inch—seemed to awaken in joy.