On the left stood Long Ao.

On the right stood Shui Wuhen.

The two faced each other, their gazes meeting in the air. Both could feel the intense fighting spirit emanating from the other.

Long Ao, the number one formal disciple of Beast Mountain. Ranked first on the pre-tournament leaderboard. Not yet thirty years old, already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He possessed dual Spirit Roots of Water and Wood, and they were mutually enhancing. Most importantly, he had been recognized as master by a thousand-year-old spirit beast, [Storm Crane 7].

His opponent on the other side was no less formidable.

Shui Wuhen, the number one formal disciple of Rain Pavilion. Formerly ranked first on the pre-tournament leaderboard, now holding second place. Also not yet thirty, already at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Only a Water Spirit Root had awakened. Yet his innate talent was strong and his comprehension high; even with a single Spirit Root, he was exceptionally powerful. Moreover, he possessed a growth-type spirit artifact, the [Autumn Water Sword]. It was said this spirit artifact would evolve into a Dharma treasure, which made many wary of him.

The duel between these two might not have caused an uproar, but it certainly attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

After all, everyone wanted to see what trump cards such genius cultivators possessed. If one could learn even a little technique from their battle, it would be of great help.

“Long Ao definitely won’t lose; he has a thousand-year-old spirit beast after all!”

“That’s not necessarily true; that [Autumn Water Sword] is terrifying!”

This anticipation even affected Jiang Chen’s trio’s stall. The number of customers buying things decreased significantly.

Jin Fugui craned his neck, looking curiously into the distance while unable to resist asking, “Old Mo, you’re also a formal disciple of [Rain Pavilion]. Who do you think will win?”

Mo Yu pondered upon hearing this. “I don’t know much about Long Ao, but Shui Wuhen appears gentle on the surface yet is incredibly arrogant deep down. Since he dares to issue this challenge, he must have confidence.”

Jin Fugui asked again, “What do you think, Old Jiang?”

Mo Yu also looked at him with curiosity.

Jiang Chen spread his hands, somewhat helplessly saying, “Me? A mere Qi Condensation stage Spirit Farmer? You want me to analyze two Foundation Establishment stage genius cultivators?”

His own combat experience wasn’t rich to begin with. Moreover, whether it was Long Ao or Shui Wuhen, he had only met them once each. His knowledge of their methods and trump cards almost entirely came from hearsay.

Therefore, how could he possibly analyze who was stronger or who would win?

“True,” Jin Fugui and Mo Yu nodded in deep agreement.

Yet for some reason, they always instinctively sought Jiang Chen’s opinion. As if he were actually the most capable person among the three of them.

Then, Jiang Chen said seriously, “We’ll know who’s stronger after they finish fighting.”

The only thing that puzzled him was, why hadn’t that thousand-year-old spirit beast [Storm Crane 7] appeared?

Both the people on the arena and the surrounding spectators simultaneously looked up towards the sky above.

They saw a massive black pleasure boat flying over, hovering directly above everyone. A golden banner fluttered in the wind, embroidered with a black-and-gold character “Qiu” shaped like dragons and snakes.

“The Feng Clan?” Jiang Chen’s trio quickly exchanged glances.

The matter with Feng Xiao hadn’t passed long ago; no one would forget it easily.

But that wasn’t all.

Soon, an enormous green leaf flew in from another direction. It emanated a rich Wood Spirit Qi, as if ready to spur the growth of all things.

Not just that, several more flying artifacts emerged one after another.

A black leopard with a lightning mark on its forehead and a pair of fleshy wings on its back, its entire body radiating an intimidating aura of killing intent, and seated on its back was a burly man covered in scars.

There was also a seven-story crystal pagoda, each floor displaying various fresh fruits and vegetables: oranges, pears, grapes, lotus roots, kiwis, persimmons, mangoes…

From the four corners of the crystal pagoda hung dreamlike cascades of seven-colored light, within which one could vaguely see a mysterious veiled woman sitting cross-legged.

“Have core disciples also come to watch this battle?”

“Feng Lie, Ying Sha, Mo Yuan, Lady Tantai… these are geniuses among geniuses!”

The appearance of these few people momentarily captured everyone’s attention.

And Zhao Feng, Shi Yan, Huo Ling, and Jian Chen—the four closest to Arena No. 1—now felt unprecedented pressure.

Ordinary sect disciples were fine; they didn’t have that sense of competition, as everyone’s cultivation realm and combat strength were middling at best. But these few were top-ranked on the pre-tournament leaderboard, even number ones for certain Spirit Roots, and they could constantly feel scrutinizing gazes projected down from above them now.

Shui Wuhen smiled slightly. “It seems everyone wants to see who will win.”

Long Ao asked expressionlessly, “You with just a single Spirit Root are sure you want to fight me?”

The smile on Shui Wuhen’s face stiffened slightly before he said solemnly, “I’ve defeated many opponents with multiple Spirit Roots. You’ll become one of them.”

“Then let’s begin,” Long Ao said.

Wasting no more words, the entire square fell silent instantly. Everyone watched Arena No. 1 intently.

Swoosh!

The sound of flowing water rang out again. Shui Wuhen flicked his right hand, and a sword shimmering with pure flowing water materialized in his palm. The blade itself was formed from water, which amazed everyone greatly.

Simultaneously, the surrounding Water Spirit Qi grew denser.

“The growth-type spirit artifact [Autumn Water Sword]?” Long Ao narrowed his eyes.

Shui Wuhen stood holding his sword and loudly demanded, “Where is your thousand-year-old spirit beast?!”

Long Ao shrugged. “You’re not worthy of making Lord [Storm Crane 7] take action.”

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Shui Wuhen on the arena but even the spectators below changed their expressions one by one. The lofty core disciples above wore even more amused expressions.

Whether it was a sound made by Shui Wuhen or a resonant hum produced by the [Autumn Water Sword] was unclear, but in an instant, the one-meter-long blade swelled to three meters. Deep blue light flickered faintly within it, pregnant with profound and icy coldness.

Seeing this, Long Ao’s right hand manifested a [Wood] character spirit seal. With a light flick, a large cluster of melon seed-shaped seeds shot out.

Upon sensing the dense Water Spirit Qi around them, they rapidly grew, quickly transforming into soft aquatic plants, each about one meter long. Upon closer observation, one could see their edges were extremely sharp; with just slight movement, clear scratch marks immediately appeared on the hard arena surface.

“Sword Water Grass?” Shui Wuhen raised an eyebrow upon seeing this, an ominous premonition rising in his heart.

“It’s not over yet!” Long Ao suddenly curled the corner of his mouth, revealing an odd smile.

His left hand flicked, similarly manifesting a [Water] character.

The next moment, an incredibly dense surge of Water Spirit Qi gushed forth, madly irrigating the [Sword Water Grass] ahead.

Originally only one meter long, in the blink of an eye they swelled to five meters. Like emerald green pythons occupying most of the arena, they aimed at the target opposite, rolling forward like cutting machines.

Sizzling sounds rang out incessantly. The entire sturdy arena began swaying left and right.

Seeing such a scene, Shui Wuhen, who had been relatively calm, widened his eyes, revealing an expression of disbelief. He was unable to stop himself from exclaiming in shock:

“You actually cultivate both Water and Wood Spirit Roots simultaneously!!!”