Upon the commencement of the skirmish before the Inner Treasury, the entirety of the Arsenal’s defense corps sprang into action, converging upon the Inner Treasury from all directions, a tide of bodies flowing forth.

Against this torrent, Wei Yan, blade in hand, charged outward, like a lone ship against a raging current.

To prevent any whisper of their stratagem from escaping, none of the Arsenal guards were privy to the details of this operation, and only Wei Yan was stationed here in ambush.

He alone was sufficient.

A greater number of masters were, in fact, dispersed throughout the city. Wei Quji, as the City Lord, though using the Nether Candle as bait, would never place the citizens of Fenglin City in peril.

Fortunately, the Three City Discourse had drawn a large portion of the populace to spectate, and the safety of the Martial Arts Arena was beyond question. This greatly alleviated the pressure on their defenses.

The city guards who encountered Wei Yan turned and followed him without a word. Wei Yan merely instructed casually, “Guard this place. Do not leave your posts.”

Though the Nether Candle had been taken, the Arsenal remained of paramount importance.

Two city guards still stood watch at the main entrance of the Arsenal. They had, of course, heard the commotion within, but until given orders, their post at the gate was where they would remain.

They were on full alert, yet when a crimson light snaked out along the wall, they remained completely oblivious.

At this moment, a young master, richly attired, strolled past, fanning himself with a folding fan. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, as if dusting away the wind, the crimson serpent vanished.

The young master continued his walk, reaching the end of the street. He passed a tailor’s shop and, at the corner, brushed shoulders with a peddler carrying goods on a shoulder pole.

Striding along Xuanwu Street, he appeared relaxed, even humming a tune.

Two city guard masters swept past him, and just behind him, they cut down a revealed unorthodox cultivator with a flurry of blades.

The young master seemed utterly unaware, gradually fading into the distance.

“Halt!” one of the city guard masters shouted.

The young master’s excessive composure had aroused his suspicion.

With his back to the two wary city guard masters, the young master’s lips slowly curled into a chilling sneer.

He was just about to unleash his madness upon the street when suddenly, the whistling shriek of a long blade rending the air echoed out.

“Swift Snow!” His eyes widened in disbelief, and he lowered his gaze to the long, slender, and straight blade as it slowly withdrew from his chest, having passed through him.

The blade was named Swift Snow, the man was named Wei Yan.

Perhaps having grasped the inevitability of death, he did not ask how he had been discovered, how he had been overtaken.

The fear in his eyes receded, gradually replaced by a kind of fervor, and he smiled triumphantly, “The item… it’s not on me!”

Wei Yan sheathed his blade and departed.

By now, the peddler with the shoulder pole was walking along Qingmu Avenue. The two bamboo baskets, containing assorted goods, were covered with coarse cloth, swaying gently on his shoulder.

Within one of the baskets, among the various wares, lay a peculiar object. It was a small, jet-black candle stub.

…

On the spectator stands, both Dong A and Wei Quji were watching the ongoing battles within the arena, yet none knew that their attention was not solely focused there.

For Wei Quji, he was more concerned with the stratagem he had laid out within the city that day. It was a very simple bait-and-switch trap, but due to its flawless execution, its effectiveness was paramount.

As for Dong A, on one hand, compared to the outcome of the Three City Discourse, he was more concerned with the safety of the entire Fenglin City. On the other hand, he had a certain degree of confidence in Zhang Linchuan, a confidence that remained unshaken even after Lin Zhenren had displayed the strength of a sixth-rank cultivator.

The voices of the two great figures standing at the pinnacle of Fenglin City traveled only between their ears.

Wei Quji sneered, “Like dogs seeing a bone, those fellows, they are indeed the demon practitioners of the White Bone Path!”

The Nether Candle was a treasure of the Netherworld, and it was precisely an item left behind by the White Bone Path in years past. Wei Quji had specifically produced the Nether Candle to verify his suspicions.

Dong A furrowed his brow, “The White Bone Path’s legacy was extinguished two hundred years ago. The Great Ancestor cleansed them for nine years back then, leaving not a single trace. Could there truly be remnants surviving to this day?”

“A centipede, though dead, is not yet stiff.”

…

Lin Zhenren defeated Fu Baosong, seemingly without much effort. The next battle would be his confrontation with Zhang Linchuan.

Zhang Linchuan did not lower the hand covering his mouth, and with a frown, said, “Could you clean this up before we fight?”

Earlier, his victory over his opponent was a complete rout, so the quick resolution was acceptable. However, in facing Lin Zhenren now, he would inevitably be unable to consider anything else.

Within the Daoist Academy, there were indeed dedicated sparring grounds, but Fenglin City’s Daoist Academy itself could not accommodate the sheer number of spectators present. And the plaza outside the City Lord’s Mansion had no array formations inscribed upon it.

The ground where they had fought was already in a terrible state, the paving stones shattered, mud mixed with water, numerous potholes, and the scattered blood of some, creating a truly ravaged landscape.

Zhang Linchuan’s brow was deeply furrowed, “This combat environment is really dirty.”

Dong A did not even lift an eyelid, “If you utter one more word of nonsense, I will throw you into a cesspool for three days.”

Zhang Linchuan immediately put away his handkerchief and, facing the referee, offered a very polite, and very perfunctory smile, “We may begin.”

With the referee’s signal, Lin Zhenren stepped forward with large strides.

And thus, thunder exploded.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

Lin Zhenren’s body surged like waves, three layers of crashing water.

Behind him, three scorched, deep pits remained.

Zhang Linchuan had many flaws. You could say he was a germaphobe, excessively particular, afraid of trouble, and acted as he pleased.

But you could not deny his strength.

Everyone knew that lightning spells were formidable, but how many could truly control them with such mastery?

Lin Zhenren’s two instant-cast Daoist spells inscribed within his Tongtian Palace were Three Layered Waves and Entangling Vine Serpent. He did not choose defense in the first instance, but instead chose movement, naturally for the purpose of… offense!

A seed burst forth from the soil, a bud opened, its sharp teeth like hooks. It bit down in one gulp!

Grade B Lower Grade Daoist spell, Devouring Flower.

Zhang Linchuan glided past lightly, and with a flick of his hand, tossed a lightning orb into the flower’s mouth, then leaped up, forming a hand seal and pointing towards the sky above the charred remains of the Devouring Flower.

Dark clouds gathered in waves, and thunder rumbled faintly.

Roar!

A wave of water dragon energy roared forth, but it did not attack Zhang Linchuan. Instead, with a flick of its tail, it directly scattered the dark clouds.

Water mist exploded in the sky, lightning flashed repeatedly, then dissipated.

This scene possessed an extreme beauty, drawing gasps of admiration from the spectators.

But Zhang Linchuan’s carefully prepared Daoist spell was thus dispersed.

If one were to say that the most significant difference between a strong practitioner who has opened the Heavenly Gate and cultivators below the seventh rank is the ability to begin mastering Grade A Daoist spells.

And for some individuals with extraordinary talent, who have mastered a certain Grade A Daoist spell before reaching the sixth rank, such as Wang Changxiang and Zhang Linchuan, does this mean the gap can be closed? Where does the difference lie between them and those who have opened the Heavenly Gate?

Lin Zhenren provided the answer.

A strong practitioner who has opened the Heavenly Gate is nearly fused with heaven and earth, capable of discerning the flow of heaven and earth Yuan Qi and instantly detecting flaws in Daoist spells.

Reflected in battle, this meant destroying Zhang Linchuan’s still-preparing powerful Daoist spell.

But it was not just that.

In nearly the blink of an eye, Lin Zhenren appeared before Zhang Linchuan.

It was only then that the crowd noticed that he was still standing on a wave of water dragon energy. He had actually completed his close-quarters approach by stepping on this attacking Daoist spell!

After opening the Heavenly Gate, he had a completely new understanding of all Daoist spells, greatly shortening the time required for forming hand seals and rapidly developing other variations.

Zhang Linchuan was still in mid-air, and Lin Zhenren’s hand was already touching him.

Victory and defeat seemed about to be determined.