I Pick up a Lost Godhood

The Flower Fairy Sect’s second Holy Statue had appeared. It was obviously unreasonable for a Sect ranked sixth in the Star Alliance to have only a single Holy Statue. It seemed the Flower Fairy Sect was another group that wouldn’t play its trump card until a critical moment.

After unleashing her Holy Statue, Duan Ruxue regained her composure. Framed by the Purifying World Lotus Holy Statue, Duan Ruxue looked as magnificent as a Lotus Fairy.

It was an enhancement-type Holy Statue that could simultaneously bolster all of its user’s abilities.

This would be the time for Hu Jing to use her own Holy Statue and instantly crush her opponent.

Hu Jing, however, was forming a dazzling series of Hand Seals. Suddenly, countless flashes of light appeared on the ground and in the air; at some point, the entire Dueling Platform had been covered in Curse Talismans.

A smile of admiration, tinged with a hint of surprise, appeared on Lv Yuantian’s face. ’Those are Talisman Arrays from the Cultivation Academy, but they’ve been combined. The Array of the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits and the Array of the 72 Earthly Fiends... Hu Jing actually merged them to form the Heavenly Spirit and Earthly Fiend Array.’

’...No, that’s not right. Within the eye of the array, she has also hidden an Ice Fire Explosion Array.’

And she had finished setting up all these arrays while Duan Ruxue was relentlessly attacking her.

Once this entire set of arrays activated, it would be time to witness the true power of a Talisman Cultivator.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

She was completely trapped.

Duan Ruxue, who had just summoned her Holy Statue, was suddenly in crisis, forced to defend with all her might.

Bai Yu’s expression was grim.

Amidst the roaring, Duan Ruxue’s movements fell into disarray. After summoning her Holy Statue, she should have been the one on the offensive, dominating the fight from a superior position, or at least forcing Hu Jing to reveal her own Holy Statue. Instead, she suddenly discovered she had walked right into Hu Jing’s trap. It was a complete miscalculation.

In a duel, there was nothing more agonizing than miscalculating at every turn, having every move come to nothing.

This was especially true for a confident and proud Sword Cultivator.

But the World-Purifying White Lotus Holy Statue was truly extraordinary, managing to accurately block the array’s attacks. However, within the array, a ray of light flashed, and the Ice Fire Explosion Array detonated.

A Combined Formation, an array within an array!

Any one of these arrays, taken individually, would be completely harmless to Duan Ruxue. But combined, they produced a completely different effect.

A Combined Formation with an array nested inside—this was extremely difficult for any Talisman Cultivator to achieve, let alone mixing them all together. It required an incredibly powerful Heart Spirit for control and an exceedingly stable output of Elemental Power.

Just practicing it was enough to drive Talisman Cultivators mad, yet Hu Jing had executed it so casually.

BOOM...

When the array-within-an-array exploded, Duan Ruxue was already out of steam. She had completely misjudged her use of Elemental Power, expending too much while dealing with the Heavenly Spirit and Earthly Fiend Array in a futile attempt to shatter it with brute force. By the time the inner array activated, she had no strength left.

Hu Jing didn’t follow up with another attack. After their exchange, she already had a complete understanding of her opponent’s personality and how she would react to being attacked.

This was a psychological attack.

She had seen right through her.

There was an inconspicuous person among the Holy Hall Disciples named Zhang Liang. His Cultivation hadn’t improved much over the years, but his position within the Holy Hall had become more and more important.

Before the battle, he had already gathered firsthand information, even the most minute details. In Hu Jing’s hands, this intelligence was turned into strategies and arrangements.

The entire array exploded like a firework in full bloom, and within that bloom, the White Lotus withered.

Duan Ruxue, who had used her Holy Statue, was eliminated without even a chance to display its power.

’Is this what you call an unorthodox style?’

If this was an unorthodox style, then what could possibly be considered orthodox?

Strategy, control, patience, Insight—every detail was handled with considerable composure.

Almost everyone, including her opponent and even the experts of the older generation, thought Hu Jing would have to rely on a single, explosive strike from her Holy Statue to win. But the reality was the complete opposite.

The Eldest Sister of the Holy Hall had demonstrated her solid foundation as a Talisman Cultivator and her formidable combat experience.

Lv Yuantian smiled. "Sect Leader Bai, this was not an unjust loss."

In terms of on-paper strength, Duan Ruxue should have put up a good fight—it should have been a fierce battle. But in practical application, she was several levels inferior. Duan Ruxue was like a beautiful flower cultivated in a Flower Fairy Sect greenhouse; she was gorgeous but had never weathered a storm. In that, she was far outmatched by Hu Jing, who had been tempered by bitter hardship.

Especially now that Hu Jing had adapted to the rhythm and atmosphere of the Battle for the Other Shore, her control was even stronger.

The battle ended. When Lv Yuantian announced the result, he was met with the cheers of the Holy Hall Disciples.

Starlight City’s first Cultivator to enter the Battle for the Other Shore had been decided: Hu Jing of the Holy Hall!

At this point, the people of the Holy Hall all broke into smiles and offered their congratulations. Hu Jing smiled as well. She was very satisfied with this battle. Though she appeared calm on the surface, she had been quite nervous inside. But passing this trial was another step in her growth.

"Congratulations on your opening victory, Eldest Sister!" Wang Meng also said with a smile.

"Jingjing, come on, give me a hug," Zhang Xiaopang said, squinting as he opened his arms for a warm embrace.

Instead, Zhou Qian was shoved into his arms. Master Zhou felt truly wronged. ’What did I do to deserve this?’

Of course, not everyone was amazed. The Dragon Race’s Purple Dragon and Tiger King Lishan, for instance, had no interest in this duel. ’Such petty tricks and psychological warfare... that’s the sort of thing only weak humans play with.’

Second match: Rongxuan of the Celestial Rainbow Sect versus Zhou Qian of the Holy Hall.

Zhou Qian’s skill and control as a Talisman Cultivator couldn’t compare to Hu Jing’s. After so many fierce battles, his Shield of Sighs had also been more or less figured out. His opponent, Rongxuan, was a powerful Sword Cultivator from the Celestial Rainbow Sect at the Fourth Layer of Minor Perfection. Master Zhou’s only chance at victory lay with his peculiar Holy Statue.

The Soul Balance Holy Statue.

But how exactly this Holy Statue was used and activated was still difficult to determine.

Yang Jian was very familiar with the Holy Hall. In a sense, he himself had cultivated their strength. He just never expected it would come to this. However, this Zhou Qian’s weakness was still obvious. Rongxuan was his prized disciple, and he remained very confident.

Zhou Qian and Rongxuan were now on the Dueling Platform. The atmosphere grew heavy. Due to Hu Jing’s performance in the first match, the Holy Hall’s opponents were already feeling the pressure.

Zhou Qian still wore a humble expression. By this round of the Battle for the Other Shore, basically no Cultivator had any secrets left. Zhou Qian had been labeled as "not aggressive enough," the passive type.

Rongxuan already had a plan: use his own attacks to finish off his opponent.

He wouldn’t clash head-on with the Shield of Sighs and waste his energy. The Defense Array generated by the Defense Shield still had weak points.

The battle began.

Zhou Qian suddenly spread his arms wide. His opponent froze, and so did the crowd.

DING... DONG...

The Soul Balance Holy Statue.

This was the first time in Master Zhou’s life that he had been so simple and direct. He had no intention of trading blows with Rongxuan. He had seen the intelligence from Zhang Liang—he had no chance of winning that way. This was a very strong Sword Cultivator.

His only gamble was on his Holy Statue.

Zhou Qian’s Holy Statue was a pure ability-type, and a soul-based one at that. Unless an opponent’s Elemental Power was strong enough to break free, they had to obey the laws of the Holy Statue.

Clearly, Rongxuan didn’t have that kind of power. And so, he could only watch helplessly as he was hung on one end of the Balance.

Zhou Qian, on the other end of the Balance, was having a bit of a headache himself. His Holy Statue wasn’t the kind that could directly decide a match. He had been able to defeat Feng Jin because, in that situation, his courage had been beyond imagination. ’But competing in courage against Rongxuan now... I’m not so sure I would win.’

Once on the Balance, Rongxuan quickly calmed down. ’A battle of souls? Who’s afraid of who!’

His Balance ability had to weigh something related to the soul. To be honest, Zhou Qian himself wasn’t entirely sure what.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring; he had to release it. Master Zhou frowned and announced the basis of the competition: "The age of our souls!"

’No matter how you look at it, Rongxuan looks younger and more dashing than me. He should be younger, right?’

At these words, Rongxuan nearly choked on his own blood.

He was obviously younger than Zhou Qian—much younger. In a contest of age, Zhou Qian was clearly older. And so, he watched as the Balance slowly tipped. On the other end, Zhou Qian sank down with an apologetic look on his face. He really was a little embarrassed.

Rongxuan felt a power flow into his body, sealing his Sea of Fate.

He felt the urge to find a block of tofu and smash his head into it.

No matter how he tried to activate it, there was no response from his Sea of Fate.

The entire Magic Arena fell silent. ’What kind of heaven-defying, unreasonable Holy Statue is this?’

’How are you supposed to fight this?!’

After so many years of Cultivation, the deciding factor in the end was... age.

Every Cultivator present was probably thinking the same thing: if they were Rongxuan, on such a huge stage, just one step away from the Battle for the Other Shore, and had to leave like this... they would truly be frustrated enough to vomit blood.

Rongxuan didn’t vomit blood, but his heart was bleeding. Across from him, Zhou Qian looked quite embarrassed. But embarrassment was embarrassment; what had to be done still had to be done. And so, Rongxuan was taken out by a single, ordinary Fire Talisman.

This was, arguably, the lowest Elemental Power-level attack since the start of the Battle for the Other Shore.

Zhou Qian didn’t want to use a powerful move either. Being unable to circulate Elemental Power was like being naked, with no resistance. Besides, he had a decent relationship with the Celestial Rainbow Sect, so it wouldn’t be right to go too far.

Yang Jian opened his mouth, but nothing came out. What on earth had just happened?

Lv Yuantian, however, clapped his hands in applause. His status was neutral and noble, so he didn’t care what the Sect Leaders thought. ’This Zhou Qian’s judgment was spot-on, and his Holy Statue is truly extraordinary. Others might see it as opportunistic, but strength is strength. Abundant Elemental Power is one kind of strength, but this kind of power is, in fact, even greater.’

’However,’ he thought, ’one can imagine that life in the Pure Land will definitely not be easy for Zhou Qian. This type of ability-based Cultivator is the easiest to counter, and he’ll basically provoke the shared animosity of the other Cultivators. It’s just too heaven-defying.’

Lv Yuantian announced Zhou Qian’s victory. Master Zhou gave a slightly embarrassed wave; even he felt that his victory was somewhat dishonorable.

But the Holy Hall Disciples didn’t care about any of that. A win was a win.

Numerous Sects were trying to take down the Holy Hall, but the Holy Hall had just scored two consecutive victories right at the start. How magnificent, how spectacular!

The entire Magic Arena was filled with the shouts of the Holy Hall Disciples. Everyone else was truly at a loss for words.

As he walked off the Dueling Platform, Zhou Qian shuddered. He glanced back as if in a dream. ’I, Zhou Qian... back in the Thunderlight Hall, my greatest ambition was to have my own little mountain peak, to drink tea, play chess, and enjoy life. And yet... I’m actually going to the Pure Land. I’m going to participate in that pinnacle battle that so many Cultivators look up to.’

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The Shanda Bambook phone feels great in the hand from the moment you pick it up. After using it for a while, it’s quite stunning. I’ll share a few advantages: 1. The appearance is grand, the body is thin, and the touchscreen is excellent. 2. The screen is big, a great tool for reading. 3. It connects to Cloudary, which is very convenient. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)