Chapter 148: A Little Scheme

"Begin!"

Following Ling Qinghe's command, dozens of young cultivators immediately ignited their respective protective elemental energies.

Charge!

Seeing the other cultivators starting, Luo Tian refused to be left behind. After his crimson protective elemental energy wrapped around him like a suit of armor, he stepped straight into the pillar of water.

"Splash—"

The sound of surging water echoed in his ears.

Luo Tian carefully sensed how the current interacted with his protective elemental energy, gradually confirming in his heart that Ling Qinghe's comprehension of the Water Avatar True Intent had reached at most the minor accomplishment stage.

Taking the Water Laws as an example, entry, minor accomplishment, enlightenment, major accomplishment, and perfection are the five stages of comprehending True Intent. Once an Avatar True Intent is comprehended to perfection, the externalized elemental energy can transform into true water, entirely indistinguishable from that produced by heaven and earth.

Only upon reaching the absolute perfection of Avatar True Intent, allowing the elemental energy to turn into true water capable of bearing other True Intents, could one unleash the most formidable power.

Yet the current surrounding him still retained, in Luo Tian's view, many traces of elemental energy, lacking pure transformation.

At that moment, the water current suddenly shifted. Upon sensing an intruder, the previously calm water instantly churned into waves, wave after wave surging continuously toward Luo Tian.

Fluctuation True Intent?

Luo Tian nodded slightly. Using such True Intent for attacks might not yield instant kill results, but its unceasing nature—rolling forward layer upon layer like endless waves—undoubtedly made it an extremely tricky True Intent to deal with.

Moreover, using Fluctuation True Intent for defense possessed distinct characteristics and exceptional results. If one layer failed to block, there would be two; if two weren't enough, three. In short, breaching the defense of a water-system cultivator who had comprehended Fluctuation True Intent was no easy task.

As for Control True Intent...

Gently closing his eyes, a faint smile appeared at the corners of Luo Tian's mouth.

Fortunately, Ling Qinghe's Control True Intent was also roughly at the minor accomplishment stage. Since that was the case, it certainly hadn't reached the level of pointing like an arm or acting entirely as one wished; therefore, if he wanted to trip him up during this assessment, it fell somewhat short.

Only by reaching the enlightenment stage could one provide special care while controlling such a massive water pillar. And if it truly reached the perfection level, let alone this large water pillar, even rivers, lakes, and seas could have vast amounts of water instantly drawn from them and shaped into various forms for offense and defense.

Yet at that juncture, the water from rivers, lakes, and seas would certainly not be as effective as water transformed from one's own elemental energy.

Of course, given Ling Qinghe's strength, strengthening the resistance in his specific area was still achievable, meaning he would have to go all out this time.

Taking a step forward, Luo Tian moved his body onward. As he advanced, sensing carefully, he not only felt the obstruction of the water current, but wave-like thrusts also rolled over him in succession.

Very good!

Luo Tian knew that with his current strength, the possibility of clashing with a Primordial Core realm expert like this was exceedingly slim. Ordinary Primordial Core experts would never deign to waste such effort training Meridian-Flow realm cultivators; anyone daring to provoke them would simply be slapped to death on the spot.

Therefore, this current opportunity was exceptionally rare.

The Scorching True Intent and Destruction True Intent had already been fully unleashed by Luo Tian. Outside his protective elemental energy, it seemed as though flames were burning, and even the air appeared to ripple visibly to the naked eye. Regrettably, because this was inside the water transformed by Ling Qinghe's elemental energy, it was not particularly noticeable.

His scorching protective elemental energy collided with the current, emitting a faint sizzling sound. Amid the billowing mist of water vapor, Ling Qinghe's figure became increasingly distinct.

That is the direction!

Luo Tian strode forward. The current level of water resistance was not yet worth mentioning, and the impact he suffered was minimal.

......

Jin Xishan was enveloped entirely by a dense, substantive orange glow, advancing through the current like a ball of light. However, his speed was not fast; he constantly maintained his position at the front of his fellow sect disciples, shielding them from the impact of the water.

"Senior Brother Xishan, with your Sharpness True Intent opening the path, Unbroken True Intent for defense, and your mastery of the Metal-system Avatar True Intent, even if you encounter those fellows from the Hua and Ling families, you shouldn't lose, right?"

A disciple of the Golden Light Pavilion asked with a smile.

"Need you even say that? A talented prodigy like Senior Brother Xishan is in no way inferior to the people of Wanfeng City! It's just that the guy surnamed Jiang is a tier higher than Senior Brother Xishan purely based on age. Hmph, otherwise..."

Another disciple's tone was filled with pride toward Jin Xishan as the pride of their sect.

"Junior brothers must never speak thus!"

Jin Xishan's gaze was like lightning as he looked ahead, saying in a deep voice, "The world is vast and produces countless capable people. Even if one achieves some success, one must never look down upon others! Although within the Golden Light Pavilion, thanks to the concessions of my senior and junior brothers, I have gained some reputation, I am well aware that the path of cultivation is long and fraught with obstacles; one must never take it lightly. Furthermore, you junior brothers must never harbor arrogance due to some meager progress, or you will certainly suffer for it in the future!"

"We will heed Senior Brother's teachings!"

The several Golden Light Pavilion disciples replied in unison.

"Thank you, junior brothers!"

Although Jin Xishan had a robust build, thick eyebrows, and large eyes—giving the appearance of a rough and bold fellow—he was by no means foolish. "Fifty meters ahead lies a distance I must forge through on my own. If I continue to accompany you junior brothers, I fear Commander Ling will discover this, and the consequences would be dire."

"What is Senior Brother saying? Clearly, it is us following you!"

"If Senior Brother weren't leading the way, we could never have reached this place all together. Senior Brother, go ahead, pay us no mind..."

"In this second trial, we Golden Light Pavilion disciples can probably have about six remaining. This result is already quite good, and we still owe it all to Senior Brother Jin..."

The Golden Light Pavilion disciples responded all at once, though their meanings were largely the same.

Jin Xishan nodded slightly and said no more.

......

Hmph, Luo Tian, today I will let you witness the strength of the Jiang family disciples!

Jiang Zihe felt stifled in his heart. If Luo Tian hadn't meddled, his performance in the first stage would have been nothing short of flawless. It was a pity it fell short at the last hurdle; not only had someone else stolen the spotlight, but he had also nearly been trampled down.

This was a humiliation of the highest order!

How could one call oneself a human if this grudge went unavenged?

Investing too heavily in body-tempering secret techniques was simply not worthwhile; as long as one's physical body did not lag too far behind one's elemental energy cultivation, it was enough. Ultimately, a cultivator's strength—whether in the Meridian-Flow realm or even the Primordial Core realm—depended upon True Intent.

Jiang Zihe resolved that once the second stage concluded, he would thoroughly humiliate Luo Tian to vent the hatred in his heart.

......

As for the other participating contestants—whether disciples from various sects or youths from the great families of Wanfeng City—they were all striving fiercely to outdo one another. Those who had passed the first stage hoped to secure an even better result in the second. Meanwhile, those who had stumbled in the first stage viewed the trial of the second as their final straw.

A cold smile gradually emerged at the corner of Ling Qinghe's mouth.

From the looks of it, Jiang Zihe, Jin Xishan, Luo Tian, and the others had already passed the fifty-meter mark and were striving forward toward his location.

As for the rest of the people, Ling Qinghe cared very little about them. The first and second stages merely served a preliminary screening purpose; whether a few more or a few fewer people passed had no bearing on the final outcome.

The third stage was the most crucial. The gatekeepers were all true members of the Wind and Cloud Guard; any pretenders with insufficient strength would reveal their true colors here. Thinking of muddling through was completely out of the question.

Nevertheless, despite this, Ling Qinghe had no intention of letting Luo Tian steal the spotlight once more in the second stage.

If he wanted to severely dent Liu Changtian's face, he naturally could not show mercy.

If anyone was to be blamed, let it be fickle fate and mischievous fortune, poor child named Luo Tian...

With a single thought, the entire water pillar controlled by Ling Qinghe quietly shifted.

Originally, viewed from high above, one could observe that this water pillar was centered around Ling Qinghe, with the ripples around it spreading outward like pebbles dropped onto a calm lake surface.

The closer one got to Ling Qinghe, the greater the force of the ripples.

At this moment, the situation was somewhat different. For reasons unknown, the surface fluctuations in other areas had decreased slightly in magnitude. Yet within the fan-shaped region spanning from Ling Qinghe to Luo Tian, the turbulence of the water pillar suddenly intensified.

Wave after wave rolled in, as if determined to drive Luo Tian out of this place and refusing to stop until success was achieved.

Several youths who were relatively close to Luo Tian now found themselves collateral damage, suddenly feeling a ferocious and violent force erupt from the water waves ahead of them, far stronger than it had been moments before.

The force was fierce and arrived so abruptly that they had zero defense, instantly buffeting those youths backward several meters in succession.

Originally, they had failed to clear the two hundred steps in the first stage, and now having finally neared fifty meters, they were already utterly exhausted. Struck suddenly by this attack, they could no longer hold their ground; their bodies tilted, and they were swept backward by the current. Not only had they failed to cross the line, but they would now have to expend even greater effort just to return to their original positions.

This place was unlike the first stage, which only looked at the best score; one not only had to charge forward with all one's might, but also had to persist until the end of the assessment.

"The impact force of these waves... why has it weakened?"

Hua Zefeng muttered to himself. He had already neared the sixty-meter mark, but for some reason, within the span of a breath, it felt to him as though he were back at the forty-meter position, and continuing to charge forward would save him a considerable amount of strength.

Never mind that; with such good fortune, he naturally had to persevere and charge through!

Without further thought, Hua Zefeng immediately increased his strength and surged forward. Originally, his Earth-system Seismic True Intent and Water-system Fluctuation True Intent shared similarities, and combined with Fossilization True Intent to withstand the current's impact, contending with it now was somewhat easier for him than for others. Furthermore, since Ling Qinghe was currently easing the pressure for everyone except Luo Tian, he naturally had to seize the opportunity well.

So it has come to this?

Luo Tian narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead, seemingly able to discern Ling Qinghe's stern gaze.

The present situation was entirely within his expectations. Although somewhat tricky, the problem wasn't overly massive.

After all, this was an assessment of the Wind and Cloud Guard; Ling Qinghe could at most play some petty tricks, but openly and flagrantly finding fault was something he absolutely could not afford to do.

If that truly was the case, then I'm afraid your calculations will come to nothing!

Luo Tian let out a low roar, the red glow around his body growing increasingly dazzling. At that very moment, the water current surrounding him quietly disintegrated... (To be continued.)