A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 47

Chapter 47 I Admit Defeat

The finals were approaching.

A clash was inevitable.

However,

until the fifth match, Han Li hadn’t been called up.

This match was another fierce battle,

a contest between a ruthless Qi Refining Level 10 expert and a Qi Refining Level 11 master.

Ultimately, despite using all his skills, the former was no match for the more powerful Level 11 master, suffering a narrow defeat and sustaining injuries.

But the loser wasn’t without a chance.

There were still three spots in the loser’s bracket to compete for.

In the sixth match,

finally,

Han Li clashed with a Qi Refining Level 11 master.

From then on, the whispers of doubt about Han Li’s identity and suspicions of manipulation by Huangfeng Valley… disappeared.

Because if Huangfeng Valley’s Foundation Establishment manager truly wanted to guarantee a Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator a top-ten spot, they wouldn’t have dropped the ball by arranging an Level 11 master as their opponent. If they truly wanted to ensure a spot, they would have chosen the initially injured Level 10 Qi Refining cultivator, not an outsider.

The Foundation Establishment stage managers of Huangfeng Valley didn’t do that, their attitude was quite “obvious,” wasn’t it?

“A tough battle indeed…!”

Han Li, who had been conserving his energy for a long time, didn’t hesitate and took out two more leopard puppets.

At the same time: his left hand held a string of talismans, ready to be used at any moment; his right hand held a mid-grade spirit stone, quickly restoring his lost mana.

“Come on!”

He couldn’t lose in terms of momentum.

Actually, a better approach would be to go to the loser’s bracket and compete with the other six for the remaining three spots. Of those six, one was already dead, and two were seriously injured, not a threat. In other words, he could simply pick the weakest of the remaining three.

He had indeed prepared himself for this.

He didn’t intend to fight to the death with the eleventh-level Qi Refining cultivator in front of him.

He wasn’t stupid.

Hidden in the shadows, the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Huangfeng Valley, who had been observing the scene, frowned in unison:

“Is this kid missing a screw? Our arrangement was meant to make him back down and go to the loser’s bracket to pick up the scraps, right? It also preserves our reputation, preventing outsiders from accusing us of rigged dealings…”

“Yeah, this kid insists on going head-to-head with a Qi Refining eleventh-level cultivator! Was it really necessary?”

“If he loses, he’ll lose two puppets and a handful of talismans, and might even be injured. How will he face the loser’s bracket then?”

A seemingly easy target might not be so easy after all.

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators were furious with Han Li’s choice.

The loser’s bracket members, however, had bright eyes, desperately hoping the two on stage would fight to the death, ideally resulting in mutual destruction.

On the other side,

the Qi Refining eleventh-level cultivator held a different view.

Despite his confident and even eager demeanor, he was actually conflicted. He

shared the same dilemma as Han Li,

even a deeper and more intense one:

“Why am I so unlucky? How did I end up with this strange guy?”

Against other cultivators, as long as they were below the eleventh level of Qi Refining, he was fearless in battle.

Even if his opponent was at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, he could easily retreat and go to the losers’ bracket to pick up the scraps.

The logic was simple:

the more victors at the eleventh level of Qi Refining on stage, the fewer formidable opponents there would be in the losers’ bracket.

But now, he was facing Han Li, this strange youth whose cultivation was clearly only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, yet whose background was terrifyingly rich, and whose overall strength was in no way inferior to a top tenth-level cultivator.

“I didn’t expend too much energy in the previous arena matches, but facing this person will inevitably be a tough battle. The probability of winning is about 70%, but there’s also a high chance of being seriously injured and forced to retreat…”

Going to fight in the losers’ bracket while injured is completely different from going to pick up scraps in the losers’ bracket in his current good condition.

“Should I face the challenge head-on, or go to the loser’s bracket?”

Winning would guarantee a spot in the top ten, and a Foundation Establishment Pill was assured.

The temptation was immense.

Therefore, he was very conflicted, extremely conflicted.

It was at this moment

that Han Li made a new move.

First, he changed his puppet set.

The two new puppets weren’t the original two, but two spares.

Second, he had four more high-level beginner talismans, bringing his total to an astonishing nine! This meant he now possessed six high-level offensive talismans and two defensive ones, all of which could be stacked.

Made by Hong Fu, they were always top-quality.

Adding a high-level “flying talisman,” Han Li could temporarily possess the aerial ability and speed comparable to a typical early Foundation Establishment cultivator flying on a sword.

Even his mid-level beginner talismans had increased several times, reaching seventeen or eighteen! And without exception, they were all offensive!

If all of these were thrown at him at once, the entire arena would be finished.

Upon witnessing this scene, not only was the Qi Refining eleventh level cultivator stunned, but even the numerous spectators outside the arena couldn’t help but gasp.

Then…

Without further hesitation, the eleventh-level Qi Refining expert decisively declared,

“I concede! I concede this arena match. I’ll go to the loser’s bracket.”

He brazenly chose the “less challenging” loser’s bracket.

“What?” “

Concedes?”

Many participants were astonished.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators from Huangfeng Valley were also speechless.

Other spectators felt great regret.

How could he not fight? They promised a fierce battle.

That expert, how could you back down? You still have a chance.

Show your trump cards!

Especially the loser’s bracket members: they were all unwilling to accept defeat.

“Why not fight?”

Next, it would be their turn to face danger.

Regarding the various reactions of the other cultivators, the eleventh-level expert said he wasn’t stupid.

Putting aside whether he could beat Han Li, even if he could, shouldn’t he consider the family behind him? To arm his clan members to such an exaggerated degree, the family behind him couldn’t be an ordinary cultivation family. Even

if he were foolish, he would know how to make choices.

Besides, with his resources and methods, his chances of winning had already dropped to less than 20%. Even if he managed to win by sheer luck, it would be a Pyrrhic victory that severely depleted his strength.

He wasn’t stubborn; he wouldn’t be headstrong.

Going to the loser’s bracket to collect loot was a completely different story.

Facing a few weaklings who were either severely injured or had exhausted their resources of pills, talismans, and spirit stones, or even had damaged magic artifacts, competing with a few unlucky souls who were half-crippled and whose cultivation was lower than his for ascension spots, was definitely countless times easier than going head-to-head with this opponent.

A smart person should choose… Is it that hard to decide?

“Is that all?”

Han Li, who was prepared to go to the loser’s bracket to grab a spot, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Don’t be fooled by the number of talismans he pulled out at once; if he really had to use them all, how could he bear to?

It would cost at least several hundred spirit stones.

Besides, it was much easier to pick up the scraps in the loser’s bracket. Under these circumstances, he wouldn’t go to his death fighting an eleventh-level cultivator.

Unexpectedly, the expert opposite him was also quite cowardly, actually intimidated by his tough attitude.

“Looks like he’s a sensible person.”

Luckily, he’s sensible, otherwise, there would inevitably be losses later.

Wasting any low-level high-grade talisman would be painful for him.

Only those who have experienced poverty know the value represented by such a talisman.

…

Then,

a burst of ecstatic joy followed.

“I won! I won! I won!”

The second Foundation Establishment Pill… was secured.

At this moment, an abstract “little man” laughed in Han Li’s heart, but his face remained calm. Cultivators are very wary of extreme joy or sorrow; they must be able to remain calm to go further.

What’s this compared to what’s to come?

Just a mere Foundation Establishment Pill.

…

“Good, good, good, as expected of the young man favored by Senior Uncle Hong Fu, truly composed…” This composure made the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Huangfeng Valley in the shadows look at him with new respect.

“Indeed, it wasn’t in vain for our painstaking efforts…”

Their underhanded operations were also very well-intentioned.

“Hopefully, this kid can reach our level and walk alongside us.”

“Hard to say, one Foundation Establishment Pill isn’t enough of a guarantee.”

“…”

Using only one Foundation Establishment Pill to attempt Foundation Establishment is indeed not enough of a guarantee, but Han Li already has a new plan.

Or rather, he can implement his earlier follow-up plan.

“Should I use this Foundation Establishment Pill to exchange for another batch of Qi Refining pills and top-tier magic artifacts, or should I consume it directly after reaching the tenth level of Qi Refining to raise my cultivation by one or two levels?”

Both options have their advantages.

The former is undoubtedly more cost-effective.

The latter, although a bit extravagant, can save him a lot of time in arduous cultivation.

Which one to choose? We’ll decide later.

In short, the chances of success in the Crimson Forbidden Land have increased several times over.

(End of Chapter)