CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 375: BATTLE FOR POSITION (PART 5) _1

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

On this day, the entire Riverside Sect became incredibly lively and boisterous.

Especially at the mountain gate, a large number of Sect Disciples streamed out. One after another, they initiated their Flying Swords or used Lightness magic and talismans, rushing towards the Linjiang Mountain Range.

For inner disciples who could fly on swords, it did not take long to reach the Linjiang Mountain Range. However, Body Tempering Realm disciples who wanted to join the excitement but could not fly had to travel at least half a day to reach the site where the two Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses were competing!

As for the higher-ups of the Sect, many people came.

The only Supreme Elder who was still stationed at the mountain gate had also come out of the Vacuous Realm and chosen a cloud to sit on.

On a cloud slightly below him, quite a few Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses were also standing.

Riverside Sect’s Law Master Yuan Qingshi, Stars Peak Master Zhou Shili, Rising Sun Peak Master Tang Lv, Bright Moon Peak Master Yuan Jing, Affairs Hall Master Tian Zhaoquan, the Enforcement Hall Master, the Deacon Hall Master...

Elders from the various Peaks and Halls also attended. As long as they had no urgent matters at hand, they all came to watch the battle.

Additionally, of the nine Core Disciples and four Core Candidates, all except Shen Mo and Tian Zhiyu—who had not yet arrived—appeared above the battle arena. This included Third Seat Yu Yan, Sixth Seat Guo Xun, the Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth Seats, and the remaining three Core Candidates.

Only the figures of the First, Second, and Fifth Seats were nowhere to be seen!

Furthermore, many inner disciples and Inner and Outer Deacons came to watch the battle. They either hovered in mid-air on their Flying Swords or found a nearby mountain peak to land on.

Among them were Shen Mo’s friends and acquaintances, including Lu Ming, Guo Zhao, Li Zhong, Yao Ting, Shi Xiaoqian, and Liu Qing.

Chen Mengze, who was stationed at the Wolf Howling Ridge demonic cave, had also finished her tasks. After requesting permission from the Sect, she had specifically hurried back.

As for Chen An, he had already returned from Tianshan City some time ago.

He and Chen Mengze found a mountaintop and landed.

"Daughter, in your opinion, with Mo’er’s talent, can he beat that brat from the Tian Family and win the position of Core Disciple?" Chen An looked quite well and spoke energetically.

After he stepped into the middle-stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, his cultivation progress had stagnated. The cultivation resources he earned later were almost all used to help Chen Mengze and Shen Mo!

In recent years, as Shen Mo’s strength, status, and Alchemy skills steadily climbed, Shen Mo had, in turn, given him many elixirs and herbs.

Moreover, after Chen Mengze obtained the Yin-Yang jade disk, she shared some of its fine wine with him. This allowed Chen An to nourish himself with abundant elixirs and Spiritual Liquid. Although his cultivation still progressed extremely slowly, his soul and body were obviously much stronger than they had been two years prior.

However, with Chen An’s cultivation level, he was unable to determine who was stronger: Shen Mo or the Core Disciple ranked ninth.

Chen Mengze, who had a better understanding of Shen Mo’s true strength, replied to Chen An, "Father, don’t worry. With Shen Mo’s abilities, defeating Tian Zhiyu will be as easy as turning over his hand!"

"I’m just worried that Tian..."

Chen Mengze paused slightly. Seeing Affairs Hall Master Tian Zhaoquan standing among the clouds, she switched to using Divine Sense to communicate.

"I’m just worried that this Tian Family patriarch might have given him some potent trump card, or that some unforeseen variable might arise."

「Among the clouds.」

Zhou Shili, Tang Lv, and Yuan Jing, the three Peak Masters, were also discussing this matter.

However, there was a clear tension, a sense of rivalry, between Zhou Shili and Tang Lv.

After all, Shen Mo was from Stars Peak, while Tian Zhiyu was a Core Disciple from Rising Sun Peak. Yuan Jing, meanwhile, was merely an amused spectator, occasionally fanning the flames between the two.

"Peak Master Tang," Yuan Jing chimed in, "if that young fellow Shen Mo defeats Tian Zhiyu in this battle... your Rising Sun Peak will be down to only four Core Disciples! On the contrary, Stars Peak is about to occupy three seats. I’m afraid the good old days of Rising Sun Peak’s sole dominance are likely over for good."

Tang Lv’s brows furrowed slightly. He snorted lightly and said, "Who could have predicted that one of the two promising disciples that old Zhou managed to snag all those years ago would possess such talent?"

"However, don’t you overlook Tian Zhiyu!"

"He opened his Spirit Sea many years ago, and his cultivation, vitality, magic, and magic artifacts are all superb. When they clash, who will emerge victorious is still anyone’s guess!"

Stars Peak Master Zhou Shili stroked his beard, an utterly relaxed expression on his face. "That Tian Family junior," he said, "would have struggled just to secure a Core Disciple seat without Hall Master Tian’s support."

"In these past few years, didn’t he slowly decline to the ninth seat anyway?"

"A mediocre talent like him, even with many more years of cultivation—how could he possibly bridge the gap with true geniuses?"

"Peak Master Tang, just you watch!"

Seeing Zhou Shili’s attitude, Tang Lv was not to be outdone and began to argue heatedly with him.

Similar discussions were unfolding among the Qi Gathering Realm and Body Tempering Realm cultivators below.

Some of the more gambling-inclined individuals even set up betting pools on the spot.

"Ever since Senior Brother Shen Mo made a name for himself at the Tianshan Grand Ceremony, his achievements have been incredibly dazzling. While his Realm might be lower than Senior Brother Tian’s, Shen Mo far surpasses him in every other aspect. I’m betting on Senior Brother Shen!"

"Senior Brother Tian isn’t as incompetent as you suggest. He previously joined forces with other Core Disciples to seal the Heavenly Demon pathway in the Void Sky Mountain Range of the far north. He also wiped out a demonic cave, slaying numerous Evil Demons. His accomplishments are not lacking."

"Exactly. And don’t forget, the Tian Family’s patriarch is the Affairs Hall Master. Would he just stand by and watch Senior Brother Tian be defeated?"

"Even if Hall Master Tian grants him some powerful trump card, its effectiveness still depends on the user! Senior Brother Shen dared to challenge Tian Zhiyu; he must have considered such external factors. Anyway, I refuse to believe Senior Brother Shen will be defeated."

...

Limited by their cultivation and perspective, disciples below the Spirit Sea Realm couldn’t produce conclusive arguments to persuade one another.

They could only judge the possible outcome by assessing Shen Mo’s and Tian Zhiyu’s past achievements.

Of course, unless they actually clashed, not even Shen Mo himself would dare to guarantee an absolutely flawless victory over Tian Zhiyu without any unexpected incidents.

Fundamentally, too many factors influenced a cultivator’s combat strength!

Otherwise, the competition for Core Disciple seats in the Riverside Sect wouldn’t need to involve actual, bloody combat; simply comparing cultivation Realms would suffice.

By the Hour of the Snake, Tian Zhiyu, the Core Disciple ranked ninth, was the first to arrive at the dueling grounds, streaking in on his escaping light.

A quarter of an hour later, a pale golden beam of light streaked from the Riverside Sect’s mountain gate, landing on another mountain peak within the dueling grounds, directly opposite Tian Zhiyu.

"Shen Mo is here!"

"He seems to have advanced to Spirit Sea Realm Layer II! Although that’s still two Minor Realms lower than Senior Brother Tian, the gap between them has undeniably narrowed."

"May Senior Brother Shen display his formidable might and win another Core Disciple seat for our Stars Peak..."

This battle was overseen by Yuan Jing, the neutral Peak Master of Bright Moon Peak.

Seeing that both combatants had arrived, he signaled to Zhou Shili and Tang Lv before flying to a position between the two.

"In the summer of the twenty-first year of the Qian Yuan era. Core Disciple Candidate Shen Mo challenges Core Disciple Tian Zhiyu to a duel..."

Yuan Jing first followed protocol, announcing the pertinent details of the battle.

These included the reason for the duel, the witnesses, the rules of engagement, and other such matters.

After confirming that both Shen Mo and Tian Zhiyu understood and agreed, Yuan Jing produced a Daoist bell. He struck it decisively, and the word "Begin!" resonated outwards with the clear ring of the bell.