Chapter 647: Chapter 259: True Monarch’s Sermon

Just as some mortals are born with Divine Power, some cultivators are born with vigorous Qi Blood. They possess what is known as an Innate Body Refining Saint Body.

If that were the case, it would be easy to understand why Xiao Chen could so easily defeat the clansman he had painstakingly trained.

In the path of Qi Blood, even a slight advantage creates an immense gap in actual combat.

After all, the arena was too small, and rules restricted the use of trump cards above Tier Three.

This allowed the explosive power of a Body Cultivator to be displayed to its fullest potential.

That’s what led to such an overwhelming display in the end.

Although he had figured out the reason, He Ming True Monarch was still displeased. Listening to the Loose Cultivators below, he noted their discussions had been completely swayed by Xiao Chen, a far cry from what he had originally anticipated.

He was especially bothered by the thought that the Taiqing Infant Transformation Glaze Pearl, which he had prepared for his own nephew, was now about to fall into an outsider’s hands.

He couldn’t help but frown slightly.

But no matter how unhappy he was, he couldn’t just renege on his responsibilities.

So many of his Nascent Soul peers were watching, after all.

To avoid losing face for his own sect and, more importantly, to avoid leaving a bad impression on the other major sects, He Ming True Monarch could only reluctantly take out the Taiqing Infant Transformation Glaze Pearl and hand it to a nearby attendant, instructing him to take it down for the award presentation.

Seeing this, the other major sects also presented their promised rewards.

True Monarch Qianshu felt a twinge of regret when he saw that He Ming True Monarch hadn’t tried to make an excuse.

After all, while Chongzhen Temple’s disciples occupied six of the arenas, all the disciples from his Thousand Mechanism Valley had been eliminated.

If He Ming True Monarch had taken the lead in backing out, True Monarch Qianshu could have easily withheld his Spiritual Object as well.

Perhaps because Chongzhen Temple had failed to achieve its original goal, the final award ceremony was exceptionally simple.

After inviting the eight arena masters onto the viewing platform and hastily distributing the items, the officiant gave a brief speech on behalf of everyone, specifically emphasizing that the Eight Directions Arena was a tradition passed down from ancient customs, that Chongzhen Temple had a long and storied history, and so on.

In the middle of it all, neither Xiao Chen nor the Chongzhen Temple disciples were given a single chance to speak.

Then, it was directly announced that this session of the Eight Directions Arena challenge was officially over.

It seemed they were trying to use this method to emphasize that Chongzhen Temple had won the Eight Directions Arena and downplay the impact Xiao Chen had made.

However, judging from the reactions of the Loose Cultivators in the audience, this approach had a very limited effect.

Everyone was still enthusiastically discussing Xiao Chen and Zhang Shouquan; almost no one cared about Chongzhen Temple.

After all, most people weren’t familiar with Chongzhen Temple anyway.

If the sect had truly monopolized the arenas, they might have captured everyone’s attention.

But as things stood, the six Chongzhen Temple disciples, with their uniform identities, had instead faded into an indistinguishable backdrop, completely ignored.

To divert everyone’s attention, Chongzhen Temple played its trump card.

"Fellow Daoists, tomorrow afternoon at 1:45 PM, True Monarch Ziyang will personally host a lecture in the core area!"

The officiant announced loudly from the stage, his voice spreading across the entire island with the help of True Essence. "Starting at noon, the array in the core area will be deactivated."

"Please remember the time and do not miss this opportunity!"

This was indeed an effective method. As it concerned their own cultivation, everyone’s attention was immediately captivated.

Even the disciples from the other major sects couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation.

The topic of discussion on everyone’s lips immediately shifted to all sorts of speculation about the lecture.

Some people even rushed to the outside of the core area to start lining up early, hoping to secure a good spot.

Others chose to return to their temporary residences to rest, preparing to build up their strength so they could focus on comprehending the Dao tomorrow.

Xiao Chen, of course, did not go to line up. He returned to his bamboo house instead.

He first activated the Defensive Array before taking out the Taiqing Infant Transformation Glaze Pearl again.

’So this is the wondrous object that lets one experience the process of Nascent Soul Formation?’

He looked at the Treasure Pearl in his hand, which was almost transparent with just a single wisp of clear energy flowing within it, his heart filled with curiosity.

This Glazed Pearl was truly extraordinary. As Xiao Chen focused his gaze on that wisp of clear, flowing energy, he faintly perceived a mysterious rhythm, like a starving man seeing a feast, or a thirsty man seeing fine wine.

A thought arose in his mind—the desire to begin its Refinement and absorb it on the spot.

From this alone, a genius with extraordinary comprehension might be able to gain something just by observing the Taiqing Infant Transformation Glaze Pearl.

However, Xiao Chen certainly wasn’t going to use it now.

He wasn’t ready to break through yet.

It wouldn’t be too late to use it to experience the Nascent Soul Formation process once all his other preparations were complete.

Any insights gained during the experience would be fresher in his mind that way, preventing him from forgetting them over time.

He took out a Spirit Storage Box specifically for this purpose and carefully put the Glazed Pearl away.

Xiao Chen cultivated for a short while, then went to sleep early.

「The next day at noon.」

A large crowd of cultivators had gathered outside the core area early on, all waiting for the array to be deactivated.

For some unknown reason, Chongzhen Temple had filled the hall, which had been tidied up overnight, with uniform cattail cushions.

They made no distinction in seating between Golden Core Cultivators and Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

When Xiao Chen arrived at 11:45 AM, he saw that most of the cushions inside were already occupied.

However, the first three rows were almost completely empty.

Aside from Zhang Shouquan, who had arrived early and was sitting calmly in the front row, the other Loose Cultivators seemed to not even see the empty seats, consciously squeezing into the rows behind.

Xiao Chen, of course, had no such reservations. He unhurriedly made his way to the first row, sat down cross-legged, and began to wait.

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