Cultivation: But Not a Game-Chapter 41 - 19: Advancing to the Top 8

However, when Zhou Xuan finally unfolded the mountain peak and looked down at the other end of the arena, he was stunned:

"Where is he?"

Immediately, his face changed. The massive arena had unknowingly been submerged in water, with a depth of nearly twenty to thirty meters.

"Whirlpool!"

A voice echoed from somewhere, and the lake at the center of the arena spun into a giant whirlpool.

"Tornado!"

The whirlpool rapidly contracted and ascended, forming a water tornado tens of meters high. Su Yu’s figure emerged from within, and he looked at Zhou Xuan with a slight smile:

"I’ve let you attack for so long; now it’s my turn."

With a virtual grab, countless whirlpools appeared at Zhou Xuan’s feet, and thick water arrows shot into the sky.

"What kind of magic is this?"

Though puzzled, Zhou Xuan didn’t hesitate and pointed his finger. The hundred-meter mountain fully unfolded, crashing down on the water tornado.

"Boom!"

The water tornado collapsed like dried branches, but Su Yu had already vanished, and the concentrated water arrows continued shooting upward.

Zhou Xuan flew in the air, but there were too many water arrows, overwhelming him.

After the wave ended, he saw that the protective treasure light had lost less than two thousand defenses and was surprised:

"Is that it?"

"There’s more."

Su Yu emerged from a corner of the arena, waved his hand, and the water surface again erupted with whirlpools, followed by a barrage of water arrows.

The damage was lower than expected, so Zhou Xuan didn’t bother, attacking with gourd flying swords while retrieving the mountain.

More than twenty gourd flying swords swept in, but Su Yu submerged himself in the water, unaffected, easily knocking away the flying swords. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

When Zhou Xuan retrieved the mountain, he saw only a few gourd flying swords left.

"Wait!"

He suddenly realized that his advantage had unknowingly disappeared.

But Su Yu remained focused, already counterattacking with ice core.

"Too crude!"

The gourd flying swords were not directly controlled by Zhou Xuan; he was merely activating the gourd treasure. The swords relied on the gourd’s inherent spirit, unleashing less than a tenth of their power.

If Su Yu activated them, he would use them far less rigidly.

He could subtly control the flying swords defensively; even if he activated only a few at once, the power would be vastly different.

Zhou Xuan attempted to retrieve the remaining gourd flying swords for defense, but it was too late. The ice core flying swords pursued, disabling them before they could return to the gourd.

Then, Zhou Xuan had only a mountain-shaped suppression treasure left, likely used against bosses, powerful but cumbersome.

Besides, he had no fourth treasure.

Or perhaps he had one unsuitable for a tournament scenario.

Regardless, he was now powerless.

The relentless water arrows gradually wore down his defenses, not high in damage but constant, slowly eroding them.

Ultimately, after half his defense was gone and he couldn’t hit Su Yu with repeated strikes, Zhou Xuan, seeing no hope, conceded defeat.

"Narrow victory!"

Returning to his seat, Su Yu ignored the burning gaze behind him and reviewed the recent battle.

"If they had more battle experience, I might not have won."

Though victorious, it was a close match.

"I must advance further in the next three months, or the small exam might end in failure."

These second-generation cultivators have maximized their magical and treasure equipment; what’s lacking is mindset and battle experience. Any improvement in these aspects would significantly boost their strength.

Refocusing, Su Yu noticed a new message from Gu Zhiqiu:

"Mr. Su, you’ve made it to the top sixteen. One more win, and you’re set."

"I’ll do my best."

Closing communications, Su Yu continued to watch.

The more he watched, the more intense his expression became; this round, every contestant had top-tier skills and flying swords. In terms of cultivation or magical treasures, Su Yu was decidedly at the bottom.

Of course, the Sea-Suppressing Pearl was an exception.

But the Sea-Suppressing Pearl’s class was too high, and Su Yu’s current cultivation couldn’t unleash its deeper power.

On arena three, one contestant took out a red square pot. From it flew thirty-six Level 50 elite template Three-legged Fire Crows, which formed a fire cloud across the arena sky.

Dense fireballs fell like torrential rain, apocalyptic in appearance.

On arena four, a contestant took out a black gourd, pouring out a river. Standing atop the river, he gathered water into thunder for a fierce bombardment.

Their opponents were equally strong, none weaker than prior contestants He Shoucheng and Zhou Xuan, yet faced with stronger adversaries, they were powerless.

This round concluded, with the next round’s contestants similarly strong. One awakened the Flood Dragon Bloodline, transforming into a dragon on the arena.

Another striking contestant wielded a thunder hammer, summoning a massive lightning bolt across the arena and thunderclouds covering the entire space, a mighty display.

"Damn, they’ve brought high-grade magical treasures; it’s absurd!"

Su Yu was speechless, hoping his next opponent wouldn’t be excessively abnormal.

Minutes later, the four arenas determined victory, and after a brief rest, a flash of white light transported him back onto the arena.

Immediately, he looked to the other side, where a young man in a red magical robe held a square pot surrounded by flames.

"Huh..."

"Lucky!"

Su Yu instantly recognized the pot as the Fire Crow Pot and pressed his hand, causing whirlpools and a surge of clear water.

This time, rather than letting the water flow freely, he constrained it around him.

With the thirty-second countdown finished, a water sphere over a hundred meters in diameter formed.

"Water counters fire. If I turn the entire arena into a marsh, can I extinguish the Fire Crow’s flames?"

It proved possible.

When the countdown ended, Cao Ze pointed his finger, fully summoned Fire Crows surged across the arena, transforming into table-sized fireballs crashing down.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions echoed, massive amounts of water blasted into steam, rising across much of the arena space, rapidly evaporated by the high heat, revealing two-thirds of the water sphere, visibly expanding.

The evaporation rate couldn’t compete with the surge from the hundred-meter diameter whirlpool.

"This is secured, perfectly countered!"

In truth, he countered quite a bit, not just the Fire Crow but also the contestant wielding the black gourd summoning rivers.

It’s not that he could seize control of their treasures, but with the Sea-Suppressing Pearl reducing water-related magic damage by 50%, he had a firm counter.

Additionally, among the other fifteen winners in the previous round, several he was confident he could defeat, others were less certain but within reach.

Overall, unless unlucky facing the strongest, advancement seemed possible.

Su Yu self-assessed, believing his comprehensive strength could place him in the top eight.

Once in the top eight, the prize and accolades would quickly boost his strength, further improving in the next small exam for more rewards.

Accumulating through three small exams, by the final grand exam, he’d surely surpass everyone, seizing first place and earning the chance to enter the immortal sect.

"Not bad!"

Wholeheartedly activating the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, an endless surge of water flooded out, turning the arena into a flooded land within minutes, reaching thirty meters deep, no longer needing to cluster, and after the Three-legged Fire Crow’s rain failed, the fiery sun cloud tried evaporating the arena waters.

But that seemed impossible.

The lake water increased, rising deeper.

Thirty meters.

Fifty meters.

Reaching a depth of over a hundred meters, Cao Ze, looking helpless, put away his treasure and conceded.

"Arena two, contestant number 68, Su Yu wins!"

"Yes!"

"35 gold secured."

Su Yu finally relaxed; he could drop out afterward.

Not that he’d concede immediately; at least perform briefly. Otherwise, everyone would know he bet, complicating future bets.