Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 496: Removing the Seal!

Long Huo’s mouth was stuffed with several life-saving pills before being carried off by the referee.

Meng Jingzhou emerged victorious.

A cooling sensation spread through Long Huo’s throat as the pills took effect. He gradually regained consciousness, his mind blank for a while before the realization of his defeat hit him.

“You alright? You fought well.” Meng Jingzhou extended a hand and pulled Long Huo to his feet.

Long Huo shook his head with a bitter smile. “A loss is a loss. I’m not one who can’t accept defeat.”

Worried that Long Huo might lose heart after this defeat, Meng Jingzhou kindly said, “I’ll be waiting for you to beat me next time.”

After a moment of silence, Long Huo nodded. “Alright.”

After their brief exchange, Long Huo descended from the arena stage to find the village chief—a stern middle-aged man—waiting for him.

“Village Chief...I’ve failed the village’s expectations.”

The village chief’s lips curved into a faint smile as he patted Long Huo’s shoulder. “You did remarkably well just to hold your own. Meng Jingzhou is no ordinary opponent. He’s both the eldest young master of the Meng Family and a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect. The Meng Family is the number one ancestral clan, and the Dao-Seeking Sect is the number one major sect. These two identities are enough to wipe the floor with all peers.

“Also, look who’s here.”

Long Huo looked up to see the village chief step aside, revealing two beautiful figures—his childhood sweetheart and a godsister who treated him like her own younger brother.

“Long Huo-gege, you already did great!” His childhood sweetheart was a vivacious young girl brimming with energy.

“Long Huo, you fought splendidly. My daily guidance hasn’t gone to waste.” His godsister had a striking figure and a bearing that commanded authority.

“Everyone...” Tears welled up in Long Huo’s eyes as he sobbed uncontrollably, vowing to train even harder upon returning and never let them down again.

Not far away, Meng Jingzhou watched the scene silently. Can we have a rematch? I’d like to hit this fellow with my Single’s Curse Fist.

~~~

Under countless gazes, Young Creed Leader Lu’s second match was about to begin.

“Young Creed Leader, Heavenly Court Creed.”

“Kong Hao, Waterfall Sect.”

The second-class sect, Waterfall Sect, had shallow foundations; its sect leader was only at the Void Refinement Stage. Even among second-class sects, it was an obscure and unremarkable existence.

Bai Ming had researched several opponents beforehand. “This Kong Hao isn’t simple. He appears quiet, like a scholarly cultivator, but fights like an untamed beast. Even before the battle begins, his frenzied demeanor instills some fear in his opponents.”

~~~

The Waterfall Sect Leader stroked his beard, watching Kong Hao with satisfaction. Thanks to Kong Hao, I’m qualified to attend this celebration and meet so many prominent figures.

“This kid Kong Hao has indeed been concealing his strength.”

Kong Hao was reticent and rarely spoke with others, keeping a low profile. However, during sect tournaments, he would always narrowly seize first place, seeming to be only slightly better than the runner-up. Yet, no matter how the second-place cultivator tried, they could never defeat Kong Hao.

The Waterfall Sect Leader had suspected Kong Hao was concealing his ability, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.

~~~

Young Creed Leader Lu drew his treasured sword, temporarily borrowed from the sect’s treasury.

The Qingming Sword and Mingyue Sword had already appeared at the Qing Province Grand Ceremony, so using them again as the young creed leader would reveal his true identity. Hence, Lu Yang leveraged his wide connections, having the Everlasting Immortal Fairy step in to borrow a sword from the treasury.

Facing Kong Hao, Lu Yang’s brow furrowed slightly. This person gives me an unusually dangerous feeling. Even great reforged cultivators haven’t made me feel this way.

“Hidden dragons and crouching tigers—hidden talents huh...”

Kong Hao knew his opponent was formidable. Only by fighting with my full power do I stand a chance.

Placing two fingers to his lips, he exhaled a frigid breath, and the arena’s temperature gradually dropped. Lu Yang lifted his foot slightly, finding his movements sluggish as if he was mired in a swamp.

“Ice cultivation techniques are quite rare...” Lu Yang suddenly noticed something amiss. “Wait, it’s not just cold air. It’s laced with poison!” Mistaking it for mere frigid air and circulating one’s energy to dispel it would only accelerate the poisonous air’s absorption, eventually leaving one vulnerable.

“But it doesn't matter.” As a frequent visitor to Pill Cauldron Peak, Lu Yang had built resistance to common poisons and wouldn’t be affected in a short time. With a light spin of his sword, he cleared the surrounding area of both the frigid air and the poisonous air.

Lu Yang’s various spells and techniques were too distinctive, allowing anyone to recognize him at a glance. Thus, he could only employ sword techniques when he acted as Young Creed Leader Lu. Fortunately, due to his Sword Spirit Root, his swordsmanship was exceptional.

Seizing the moment while Lu Yang cleared the air, Kong Hao growled deeply, his muscles bulging like a frenzied beast. Yet, his eyes remained cold and clear, showing he kept in control. He charged forward, his nails elongating into claws of demon beasts as they clashed against the sword. Surprisingly, they didn’t break.

Lu Yang narrowed his eyes. The solid foundation Kong Hao displays isn’t something a second-class sect could nurture. This can’t be simply explained by extraordinary talent.

The audience gasped softly as the two clashed fiercely on stage. Unlike the first match’s swift conclusion, this battle appeared evenly matched.

Only Fusion cultivators could discern that Young Creed Leader Lu held the upper hand all along. While they seemed to be trading blows for blows, Young Creed Leader Lu had been leading Kong Hao by the nose the entire time.

Lu Yang thought, This alone isn’t enough to threaten me. He decided to unleash his full power.

With a twist of his wrist, his sword tip traced an arc through the air, and sword qi as thin as ox hair erupted from every pore, converging along the blade. Sword qi raged like misty clouds and a vast ocean, sweeping across all directions as if it was devouring heaven and earth.

Kong Hao took this strike head-on. Even blocking with both arms proved futile. His limbs dripped blood as his aura waves instantly withered, and he panted heavily from severe injuries.

“Brat, about to lose?” A voice echoed in his mind. It was deep and slow, hinting at the speaker’s colossal nature.

“None of your business.” That last sword strike made Kong Hao realize the chasm between him and Lu Yang. This is an innate disparity in talent—no amount of effort can bridge the gap.

Through the metal bars in his mind, he stared at the colossal entity.

The colossal entity scoffed at his egotism. “Mind your tone, you conceited brat. Without me, how could you be where you are today?

“I’ve been inside you since you were born. I know exactly how stubborn you are. You act humble, but when have you ever admitted defeat? Your desire to win surpasses anyone’s; otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered with you.”

Long Huo demanded, “What do you want?”

“Power—that’s what you lack. I’ll lend it to you.”

Kong Hao stared at the colossal entity silently. Indeed, even a sliver of this power could let me turn the tide. But I’ll need to break a layer of seal if I want to use that power.

Should I?

The colossal entity grinned, its massive beast-eyes reflecting Kong Hao’s conflicted visage. Once you taste my power and realize how quickly it makes you stronger, you will willingly break seal after seal—until I’m free.

Kong Hao gritted his teeth. This colossal entity is right. I don’t want to lose. I want to be the champion.

One layer. I’ll just remove one layer. I won’t touch the remaining eight layers.

The colossal entity laughed silently. After the first seal came undone, an ominous power seeped through the metal bars and clung to Kong Hao.

“Hmm?”

Outside, Lu Yang watched in astonishment as a sinister power surging with cruelty and bloodlust gushed forth from Kong Hao endlessly.

Kong Hao’s body transformed. His wounds healed at a visible pace, and his gravely wounded body completely recovered in seconds. His pupils slit like a frenzied lion or ferocious tiger, and a layer of beastly fur sprouted across his skin, though it was indistinguishable whether they had grown naturally or were formed from spirit qi.

Kong Hao’s roar shook the heavens.

Lu Yang’s hair stood on end. This was the source of danger I’d sensed!

However, he soon found Kong Hao’s state familiar. It’s like he is temporarily possessed and borrowing a power that doesn’t belong to him.

Watching Kong Hao warily, Lu Yang raised his hand slowly and activated his trump card.

“Referee, I’m reporting him for cheating.”