Over the past thousand years, the South Bank had always been suppressed by the North Bank. In every outer sect Genius Battle, most of the top ten came from the North Bank, leaving the South Bank with its head lowered in shame. As for first place, it had been taken by the North Bank for a thousand years without exception.
There were reasons for this—one being that the North Bank had four peaks while the South Bank had only three mountains. But a thousand years ago, the South Bank with its three mountains had been entirely different. Whether it was spirit refining or alchemy, the South Bank could stand as a pillar of the sect, and no one dared provoke them. Among them, the sword cultivation peak, Qingfeng Mountain, was even known as the strongest combat force of the entire Lingxi Sect.
But now, for various reasons, things had completely reversed. The North Bank had grown dominant and, with each victory, gained more resources and favor, making its overall strength stronger and stronger. On top of that, the North Bank's cultivation methods differed entirely from the South's. From the perspective of many other sects and cultivation families, the Lingxi Sect's North Bank was the clear ruler.
In Lingxi Sect, the South Bank specialized in artifact control, while the North Bank specialized in beast taming!
When Bai Xiaochun first joined, what he learned was the Purple Qi Cauldron Manipulation Art, but a new disciple on the North Bank would learn the Heavenly Elephant Taming Art instead!
That's why Xiangyun Mountain's Myriad Medicine Pavilion didn't just have the Five Chapters of Flora, but also the Five Chapters of Spirit Beasts!
Over the past thousand years of these internal clashes, the South Bank had lost repeatedly. Thirty years ago, it was so bad that only one South Bank disciple even made the top ten. That disgrace infuriated the three South Bank mountain lords and elders, who personally went out to recruit fresh talent—this is how Shangguan Tianyou and the others came to be.
Shangguan Tianyou, Lü Tianlei, and Zhou Xinqi were the secret weapons the South Bank prepared for this time's showdown. Each of them was accepted as a personal disciple by their respective mountain lords and carefully nurtured. Now, all three had reached Qi Condensation Tier 8 and were powerful enough to defeat many inner sect disciples.
Especially Shangguan Tianyou—his mastery of void techniques was astonishing, and he was hailed as the number one outer sect genius of the South Bank.
Then there was Lü Tianlei, who specialized in the Dao of Thunder. His lightning arts were extraordinary—even his master, Xu Meixiang, praised him highly and was certain he'd place in the top ten of the Genius Battle.
And then Zhou Xinqi, who seemed known mainly for her herbal mastery, but her real strength was her spell arts, personally taught to her by Li Qinghou himself. She was equally formidable.
Bai Xiaochun learned all this from Xu Baocai and felt indignant. He thought the North Bank was just too arrogant.
"When I reach Foundation Establishment, I'll definitely go over to the North Bank's outer sect and show them who's boss!" Bai Xiaochun vowed proudly to himself. As for the upcoming Qualification Battle and the Genius Battle itself, he wasn't interested at all.
"Fighting and killing isn't my thing. I'm the honor disciple, the Sect Leader's junior brother. My status is completely different—I shouldn't be fighting over places with these juniors."
"What if I lose? Wouldn't that embarrass my Sect Leader senior brother? Forget it—I won't go." Bai Xiaochun coughed dryly, convincing himself he should just visit his master's shrine and complain a bit about his "sacrifice" for the sect.
Feeling quite pleased with himself, Bai Xiaochun didn't take any of this seriously. For the next two months, he constantly went to Zhang Dapang, having him refine spirit infusions for him. Each time, Bai Xiaochun would wait until Zhang Dapang wasn't looking, use his Turtle Pattern Pot to complete the infusion, then pull out the finished sword in front of Zhang Dapang while acting overjoyed.
At first, Zhang Dapang was bewildered, but soon he was ecstatic. Over time, his confidence swelled, and eventually he just took it for granted—he became utterly convinced he was a born spirit-refining genius.
Under this growing confidence, a real spirit force began to take shape inside him, getting stronger day by day.
Time passed quickly. Three days before the Qualification Battle, Bai Xiaochun received an order from the sect: any disciple who had reached Qi Condensation Tier 8 must participate—no exceptions.
Bai Xiaochun glanced at the jade slip, yawned, and went back to refining pills.
Three days later, at dawn, the bells of the South Bank echoed far and wide. Bai Xiaochun yawned, stretching lazily as he walked through the mountain paths. All around him, countless outer sect disciples looked solemn as they marched forward. Bai Xiaochun perked up a bit and followed the crowd.
Before long, he arrived at a vast valley behind the South Bank's three mountains. The area was huge, with roads paved in white jade forming a giant square plaza. Around it rose towering dragon columns that seemed to pierce the sky.
Between each pair of dragon pillars stood a statue—each one a fierce beast, so lifelike that they radiated a savage aura that filled the whole valley with an air of solemn killing intent.
High on the surrounding cliffs, there was a raised platform with dozens of seats. Sitting there were not only Li Qinghou, Xu Meixiang, and the other mountain lords, but even Lingxi Sect's leader, Zheng Yuandong, had come in person.
The South and North Bank Qualification Battles were held separately. The South went first, then the North. As Sect Leader, Zheng Yuandong couldn't show favoritism, so he came here first and would later head to the North Bank.
Li Qinghou and the other mountain lords sat next to him, chatting and laughing quietly.
Behind them stood elders of the three mountains, including Elder Zhou—some sat with eyes closed, some whispered among themselves, and some gazed down at the endless stream of arriving disciples.
Bai Xiaochun stood among the crowd with his usual lazy look. After arriving at the square, he wandered off to the side, curiously inspecting the surroundings. He'd never been here before, and the statues fascinated him. He strolled right up to one and studied it carefully, even clicking his tongue in awe.
"These beasts look so real—how interesting!" Bai Xiaochun even noticed that the hair on one statue seemed to flutter in the wind, which amazed him.
Just then, cries of surprise spread through the crowd.
"Senior Sister Zhou is here!"
"Senior Sister Zhou reached Tier 8 ages ago—she's guaranteed to be in the top ten, maybe even the top three!"
A streak of blue silk came whooshing through the sky. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Xinqi landed gracefully. She clasped her hands in a respectful salute to the high platform, then stepped aside and closed her eyes to meditate. On the surface she seemed calm, but inside she was tense—years of cultivation all led to this moment, and she had to win.
On the platform, Li Qinghou looked at Zhou Xinqi and smiled faintly, his eyes showing approval.
"Qinghou, this Zhou Xinqi of yours isn't just good with plants—her spells are also remarkable. I'm sure she'll bring honor to your South Bank this time," Zheng Yuandong said with a smile.
"Overpraise, Sect Leader. My disciple still has much to temper, but her resolve is indeed rare among her peers. She's worth training," Li Qinghou said humbly.
While the crowd murmured and stared at Zhou Xinqi in envy, Bai Xiaochun gave her a quick glance, coughed lightly, and mimicked Li Qinghou's posture—hands behind his back, looking pleased and full of approval, as if he were her senior.
The chatter hadn't died down when suddenly another uproar swept the plaza. Everyone looked up.
A clap of thunder boomed as a figure in green robes stepped through the air—surrounded by crackling lightning. He was actually standing on a bolt of lightning, descending like a thunder god.
Countless arcs of lightning danced behind him, thunder rumbled, and his aura was even stronger than Zhou Xinqi's. As he stepped onto the square, a ten-foot radius around him turned into a thunder pool, sending currents of electricity surging outward.
Arcs of lightning coiled around him like living snakes.
"It's Lü Tianlei from Ziding Mountain! Senior Brother Lü has a rare lightning vein—he's been in seclusion ever since he joined, and now look at him!"
"How does he control thunder and lightning so easily—what kind of cultivation art is that?!" The crowd gasped in awe as Lü Tianlei, looking proud and aloof, saluted the high platform, then stepped aside. His eyes swept across the other disciples—only Zhou Xinqi caught his attention as a worthy rival. The rest weren't worth mentioning.
On the platform, Xu Meixiang smiled lightly, her eyes full of satisfaction.
"Sect Leader, my disciple cultivates the Extreme Lightning Manipulation Art. What do you think of his progress?" she asked.
"He already carries a hint of true lightning intent. To have reached this level in Tier 8 Qi Condensation—he's already a genius under Foundation Establishment." Zheng Yuandong's eyes glimmered as he gave Lü Tianlei a second, closer look.
Just then, the master of Qingfeng Mountain—a thin old man who gave off a sharp, sword-like presence—looked up and smiled faintly as he gazed into the distance.
Zheng Yuandong's eyes narrowed. He too looked skyward. Around the square, all the other elders also turned to stare far away.
A sword light tore through the sky, scattering clouds like rippling waves. Inside the rolling clouds, one could glimpse a cyan ancient sword streaking forward like a green rainbow. It pierced all obstacles, as if cutting through the void, shooting straight toward them.
This sword was ancient and simple, forged from bronze and exuding a sense of age. It radiated an extraordinary aura.
Atop the flying sword stood a young man wearing the outer sect disciple's robe. His black hair flowed behind him, his features were strikingly handsome, and he stood with hands clasped behind his back, radiating an imposing presence. A faint golden glow surrounded him. Behind him, the cyan rainbow transformed into blooming lotus flowers—an otherworldly phenomenon.
Behind that, a beast with a dragon's head and a fish's body, over ten feet long, swam through the air as if the sky were an ocean, scattering rain as it went.
Before he even landed, a breeze of wind and rain washed over the square, causing countless disciples to look up and gasp.
"It's Senior Brother Shangguan!"
"South Bank's number one outer sect genius—Shangguan Tianyou!"
"They say he has the body of a sword spirit—a reincarnation of a great sword cultivator. Because of karmic reasons, even the heavens pity him. His life is full of fortune. When he was three, he found an ancient broken sword while walking; at seven, a red cloud beast cub fell from the sky and became his pet; at thirteen, he gained the golden light body shield—thus his name, Tianyou, Heaven's Blessing!"
Zhou Xinqi's eyes snapped open as she looked up, her gaze heavy with seriousness.
Not far away, Lü Tianlei raised his head sharply. A flicker of lightning flashed in his eyes, arcs of electricity danced over his body, and his aura surged. His look was full of challenge.
"Shangguan Tianyou, greets the Sect Leader, Masters, Mountain Lords, and Elders." The cyan rainbow descended. Shangguan Tianyou clasped his hands in salute to the platform and landed gracefully. He nodded calmly to the outer sect disciples, his expression gentle.
His warm gaze and nods drew endless cheers—many female disciples even blushed with shyness at the sight.
"Good! Good! Good!" On the platform, Sect Leader Zheng Yuandong's eyes sparkled with admiration, and he laughed heartily.
"To grasp the Sword Qi Lotus Transformation Realm in Tier 8 Qi Condensation—whether he's truly a reincarnated great cultivator or simply blessed with a sword spirit body—this is nearly unheard of!"
"You South Bank folks have really given me a surprise!" Zheng Yuandong turned and laughed at the Qingfeng Mountain master.
Li Qinghou and the other two mountain lords all smiled, as did the elders behind them. Their eyes shone with an eagerness to reclaim their honor against the North Bank.
Zheng Yuandong was just about to say more when he suddenly spotted Bai Xiaochun below, standing next to a statue, hands clasped behind his back, mimicking the posture of an old master.
"That Bai Xiaochun… acting all pretentious again." Zheng Yuandong couldn't help but chuckle.