As the drums of war sounded, Xin Changfu held a golden wedge in his left hand and a golden hammer in his right.
He struck the golden hammer with the golden wedge, “Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!”
He struck five times consecutively.
Five bolts of lightning instantly struck Qian Duoduo.
Xin Changfu was originally a Golden Core Middle Stage cultivator. The golden wedge and golden hammer in his hands were both middle-tier Dan artifacts. With the Heavenly Thunder Daoist Robe's enhancement, they formed a lightning artifact set, boosting the lightning bolts' power to that of a Golden Core Late Stage.
Xin Changfu held nothing back, unleashing all his moves in one go, whether it was three or four strikes.
His eyesight was extremely sharp; he could tell which Spirit Sea you primarily cultivated at a glance.
The lightning specifically targeted your primary Spirit Sea. If you could endure it, you survived; if not, you died or were injured.
Protectors struck by him often had no choice but to admit their bad Luck.
In front of Qian Duoduo, he had also placed three Foundation Establishment Great Perfection corpse puppets.
However, Xin Changfu's movements were too fast, and the lightning's speed was even faster. It found the gaps between the corpse puppets and solidly struck Qian Duoduo's left shoulder.
As five bolts of lightning entered his body, Qian Duoduo's left half immediately became numb.
Each bolt of lightning was several times stronger than Gong Dian's final strike in the lightning array.
After the numbness, this time Qian Duoduo didn't have to fake it; his body began to twitch uncontrollably.
The lightning, like a vast silver torrent, violently expanded Qian Duoduo's Spiritual Veins. Fortunately, he was numb; otherwise, it would have been excruciating pain.
“Buzz!”
The torrent rushed into the Upper Spirit Sea.
The water level in the Upper Spirit Sea instantly rose, with surging waves, as if a tornado had formed.
Qian Duoduo swayed uncontrollably on the Martial Arts Stage. At this point, if someone lightly kicked Qian Duoduo's backside, they could send him flying off the Martial Arts Stage.
Just then, the Purple Eyes in the Lower Spirit Sea moved.
The two Purple Eyes, like two purple fish, eagerly swam up, rushed through the Middle Spirit Sea, and plunged into the Upper Spirit Sea.
The Purple Eyes devoured the silver lightning in the Upper Spirit Sea mouthful by mouthful.
Within a few breaths, the Purple Eyes consumed most of the lightning. Seemingly full, they ignored the remaining lightning and returned directly to the abyss of the Lower Spirit Sea to rest.
Qian Duoduo knew the danger had passed, but he still had to put on a show.
“Ouch…”
Qian Duoduo fell straight to the ground, rolling his eyes and frothing at the mouth.
These reactions were all seen on the Protectors who had been killed or injured by Xin Changfu previously.
Underneath, Qian Duoduo rapidly circulated his Spiritual Qi, directing the Spiritual Qi converted from the residual lightning in the Upper Spirit Sea to various parts of his body.
These great tonics, once fully digested, would give Qian Duoduo the confidence to advance to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
The turbulent waves in the Upper Spirit Sea finally subsided. Qian Duoduo opened his eyes and stood up.
He passed!
In this round, Qian Duoduo, Guan Xuansheng, and Ming Huanhuan made it through.
Pang Yunhan didn't make it through, but he exhausted his corpse puppets and, by enduring for a long time on the Martial Arts Stage, surprisingly broke into the top ten.
Qian Duoduo, Guan Xuansheng, and Ming Huanhuan all belonged to Nose Peak.
Among the top ten, Nose Peak actually occupied three spots.
This exceeded everyone's expectations.
Zeng Zifang's gaze towards Qian Duoduo was even more thoughtful.
She knew that Qian Duoduo and the other two lived in the same courtyard, and Guan Xuansheng and Ming Huanhuan even called Qian Duoduo Senior Brother.
Perhaps she was thinking that she had underestimated Qian Duoduo, this Little Peddler from the Upper Road.
However, no matter what, so far, Nose Peak was the biggest winner.
Ancestor Zeng stood up, “The top ten of the Feng Fan Battle have been determined. They are awarded two million gold coins, granted the Golden Token Protector title, bestowed three high-tier artisan artifacts, and ranked after the Elders of each peak but before the Protectors.”
With a wave of his hand, a Storage Pouch appeared before the ten people left on the stone platform in front of Qian Duoduo.
Without looking, the pouch contained exactly the rewards the Old Ancestor had mentioned.
Qian Duoduo held the Storage Pouch, thinking, “Now I am a Golden Token Protector, no longer an ordinary Disciple who just entered. Zeng Zifang can't secretly kill me anymore, right?”
“Now, the climax of the Feng Fan Battle begins: the competition for the top three. Those who enter the top three will be awarded five million gold coins, bestowed three basic Dan artifacts, become Elders of their respective peaks, enter Zongshi Ridge, and comprehend the Refining Saint Wall. You ten, begin drawing lots. Two by two matchups: one against ten, two against nine, and so on. The winners will enter the top five.”
After Ancestor Zeng explained the competition rules, a bamboo tube appeared before Qian Duoduo and the others. Inside the bamboo tube were ten bamboo slips.
The Top Ten Competition began!