Chapter 40: Mom, I Saw an Immortal?

The next day at noon.

Outside the outer courtyard of Tian Sang Ling Gong, the scene was as lively as ever for the annual event because today, the champion of the Fengyun Zhengba would be decided.

Not only were disciples and elders from the outer courtyard in attendance, but even some inner courtyard disciples with free time had come to watch.

The audience's excitement was soaring, almost lifting them off the ground.

Some had arrived early in the morning to claim their spots, and right in front of them were some of the most renowned figures from Tian Sang Ling Gong.

Glancing to the left: elders from Ling Shi Ge, Ling Yao Ge, Ling Bing Ge...

And others who were mysterious, rarely seen, seeming like elders but not quite—elusive figures.

Then to the right: the top hundred, top ten, top five from the Fengyun Bang...

Those who had once dominated the arena with unmatched presence were now sitting quietly below, waiting for the competition to begin.

One female disciple had come the night before to secure her seat, with Chao Qing Teng on her left and Zhou Tian Can on her right.

She cupped her face and looked around, overcome with happiness and fainting on the spot.

The people nearby were green with envy.

"Wow, she's fainted—quick, get her some medical help. I'll hold her seat for her."

"Oh my gosh, who are all these people? Du Shixiong, Ling Shijie... they're all in the top ten of the Fengyun Bang!"

"Look, that's from the inner courtyard... Su Qianqian?"

"Where, where?"

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn by the exclamation. Su Qianqian from the inner courtyard was a legendary figure in Tian Sang Ling Gong.

The most talented genius of the contemporary Su family in Tian Sang County, she broke through to Xian Tian at thirteen, mastered Xian Tian sword intent at fourteen, wielded the famous continental sword "Mu Ming Cheng Xue" as the twenty-first, and was the personal disciple of Xiao Qi Xiu from Ling Fa Ge...

Any one of these titles would shock the world, yet here she was, sitting right in front of them!

Su Qianqian was dressed in a white fitted outfit, with her massive snow-colored sword resting across her lap, her little feet swinging back and forth on the chair, as if she were completely unfazed by the spectacle.

She glanced around, but ultimately pouted in disappointment, not spotting the little beast brother she was looking for.

"What a shame, we didn't get to see the inner courtyard's senior sister. I heard she really likes Su Qianqian and is always by her side."

"Yeah, yeah, Rao Shijie is my goddess—stunning looks, amazing figure, and strength that tops the inner courtyard. Too bad we couldn't see her in person, sigh!"

"Hey, I think I've seen the one you're talking about. She was here during the group stages..."

"Oh, come on, how could Rao Shijie have time to wander around the outer courtyard? You must have dreamed it!"

"I really saw her!"

"Hmph."

The audience gathered in groups, gossiping and pointing out the inner courtyard celebrities around them in hushed tones.

For them, such a sight was rare even in previous years.

It was only this year, with the outer courtyard producing four Xian Tian experts plus Xu Xiao Shou, that so many from the inner courtyard had shown up to watch.

"Holy crap, Zhang Xin Xiong! One of the thirty-three in the inner courtyard, a living legend!"

"The inner courtyard's thirty-three? Where, where?!"

Everyone quickly looked over in the direction the speaker indicated and spotted an imposing man not far away.

Zhang Xin Xiong was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a full beard that made him incredibly rugged.

He was very tall, even when seated, towering a head above most people.

His attire was simple—just a light-colored linen robe with a shoulder cape.

Yet, even so, under the sunlight, everyone could see the impressive muscle contours hidden beneath his clothes.

"Oh my god, he's so handsome—now that's a real man!"

"I'm in love!"

This inner courtyard celebrity wasn't sitting in the front row but in the middle, with Liu Zhen, who had severely injured Xu Xiao Shou earlier, beside him.

Liu Zhen was also quite burly, but next to him, he somehow seemed delicate and dependent.

"That Xu Xiao Shou who killed A Chong—which one is he?" Zhang Xin Xiong asked.

"Let me check..."

Liu Zhen replied respectfully, his eyes scanning the waiting areas, then he shook his head. "He doesn't seem to be here yet."

"Hah, he's pretty calm, saving his grand entrance for last..."

Zhang Xin Xiong chuckled lightly, his tone revealing no emotion, but those around him could sense something off.

A Chong...

Was that how you'd address someone you were just casually acquainted with?

"I heard Wen Laoda knows people in the inner courtyard—could it be this Zhang Xin Xiong?"

"Probably, in that case, Xu Xiao Shou is done for—he killed Wen Chong, after all!"

"Oh my god, I think I'm witnessing Xu Xiao Shou's downfall..."

Just that one sentence stirred up a wave of discussion among the crowd, with everyone whispering.

"But we can't say that—Zhang Xin Xiong is one of the inner courtyard's thirty-three. There's no way he'd go after someone at Lian Ling eight realms; that would be beneath him."

"Still, if he's got a grudge, it's not going to be easy for Xu Xiao Shou."

"You're overthinking it. Even if Xu Xiao Shou wins the championship, whether he can enter the inner courtyard is up in the air with his current cultivation."

"Besides, with Mu Zi Xi ahead and Mo Shijie behind, he'd be lucky to make the top three."

"But he has a Xian Tian physical body!"

"So what about a Xian Tian physical body? Does it have a future? Have you ever seen a Xian Tian physical body reach Zong Shi level? Or even a master-level physical cultivator?"

Everyone fell silent.

Above Xian Tian was Zong Shi, and while Lian Ling offered a slim chance of reaching that realm of founding sects, as for physical cultivation...

That was nearly impossible!

No one had even heard of it, let alone seen it.

At the referee stand.

Xiao Qi Xiu drained his cup and leaped onto the arena, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

"The time has come—semifinals, begin!"

With Ling Yuan activating the array token, the light screen shifted, and two bright red names appeared in the air.

"Xu Xiao Shou!"

"Mu Zi Xi!"

A roar erupted as the audience boiled over with excitement.

The semifinals featured Xian Tian-level battles, exactly what everyone had been waiting for.

One of them had broken through to Xian Tian in just a year at Tian Sang Ling Gong, with talent rivaling inner disciple Su Qianqian.

The other not only had a Xian Tian physical body but had also decisively defeated Chao Qing Teng yesterday, proving his strength could stand against Xian Tian!

The door to the waiting area opened, and Mu Zi Xi, in a light green outfit, bounded toward the arena with hops and skips, showing no worry about the upcoming fight.

Every step she took radiated youthful energy, delighting everyone who watched.

"As expected of Mu Shimei—Xian Tian level, so steady!"

The crowd turned their eyes to the other side—that was Xu Xiao Shou's waiting area.

Smack!

The door opened.

Two staff members stepped out hesitantly, shrugging to indicate that Xu Xiao Shou wasn't there.

The crowd: "???"

"Why are these two here? Where's Xu Xiao Shou?"

"What the heck, how is this guy missing again!"

"At this crucial moment in the semifinals, he always drops the ball—can he just show up already..."

"You over there, where's Xu Xiao Shou?"

The two staff members looked baffled—who should we ask? They had been waiting in the area all morning, but the participant never arrived.

They had even sent people to check Xu Xiao Shou's residence, only to find sword marks everywhere and no sign of him.

Where on earth was Xu Xiao Shou?

Xiao Qi Xiu's face darkened—he was about to lose his temper again.

Suddenly, the sword on his back trembled, and he whipped around, gazing toward the horizon.

Everyone in the audience felt it too and looked up.

A sword light streaked in from afar, like an immortal sword descending, with a figure in flowing robes atop it.

This ethereal aura, this otherworldly poise...

Goodness, was that an immortal?

Wait, no...

Everyone focused and their eyes bulged.

What the—!

Xu Xiao Shou???