Helplessly, I called out to Tong Tong a few times, but there was no response from the jade bracelet. There was also no response from Tong Tong in my mind.
I heaved a sigh of relief. Tong Tong should still be in the process of advancing. As for when it would end, and whether he would succeed or fail in his advancement, everything was unknown.
I sat cross-legged and pondered for a long time. Finally, I sat down quietly and continued to cultivate the Dao energy in my body.
After losing the first match, the difficulty of the competition had suddenly increased by a few levels. At the same time, the importance of the competition had also increased by a lot.
Previously, no one had considered the problem of failure, but now, this problem had been placed in front of everyone.
After five matches, if we were to lose, it couldn't be said that the Xuan sects of the central plains would be suppressed by the Nanyang sects. However, once the news spread, the Guangdong branch would probably be despised and spurned by the entire country's Xuan world. It might even cause the Guangdong branch to be unable to recover from this setback.
To me, this wasn't just about honor, it was also about my own safety.
Although Liang Tianxin had said that he wouldn't pursue this matter, once these people from Hong Kong took me away, there was a high chance that I wouldn't even be able to see Liang Tianxin before being dealt with by them.
In an instant, the situation had become so grim that it was almost oppressive. I had no other choice but to increase my power as much as possible and fight with my life on the line.
Of course, even if I were to lose in the end, it wasn't certain if the Guangdong branch would really hand me over. Even if they agreed to hand me over, I wouldn't just sit and wait for death. Even if I had to run away with my tail between my legs, I definitely wouldn't risk my life.
However, in a situation where I had a choice, I wouldn't choose such a humiliating method to live on no matter what.
After a night of arduous cultivation, I called out to Tong Tong again the next morning, but there was still no response. I could only eat breakfast by myself before rushing to the Shenzhen branch.
According to the list of names that had been drawn up earlier, the one to fight today was Zhang Wenfei's senior, Zhang Kanwen.
In this competition, Zhang Kanwen could be said to be our biggest reliance. He had a cultivation that was close to the late stages of Glorious Memory. Not only was he well-known in the Guangdong branch, but he was also well-known in the entire country's Xuan world.
On top of that, the Guest family had a long history, so their power wasn't to be underestimated.
Speaking of him, we were somewhat glad. He was the director of the headquarters. Logically speaking, he wasn't considered a member of the Guangdong branch. During the exchange competition, no one had agreed to let him represent the Meizhou branch. If the Nanyang Taoist Faction's people were to receive the news after their defeat, they might use it as an excuse to not admit their defeat. In the end, Zhang Kanwen had acted unreasonable and shamelessly demanded this opportunity.
In the end, it was Tong Tong Tong Tong Tong Tong that had become the hope of the entire Guangdong branch. and
After everyone met up, I was surprised to see that Chen Shuhe had also come today. He seemed to be in low spirits. As soon as we met, he lowered his head and apologized to everyone. He said that he was too complacent yesterday, which led to his defeat in the first round.
When he said this, Chen Shuhe's remorseful expression was not fake. He no longer had the appearance of taking advantage of his seniority.
Looking at his white-haired appearance, I felt a wave of sadness in my heart. This friendly competition wasn't just about personal glory, it was also about the glory of the nation. Everyone had a scale in their hearts. Even with Chen Shuhe's prestige, he couldn't bear such an outcome. What if it was me?
What's more, this matter started because of me. If I lose, I'm afraid that my reputation will be ruined in the entire Guangdong branch, or even the entire Metaphysics world.
It would be fine if I was taken away and killed by these Nanyang people, but I would never accept such an outcome. In the end, I would most likely have to run away by myself. At that time, I would probably be labeled as a 'sinner of the nation' or something.
I smiled wryly and shook my head, throwing this thought to the side. In this situation, I could only do my best and leave the rest to fate. Thinking too much about it would be useless.
President Xu and Zhang Kanwen went to comfort Chen Shuhe for a long time. Then, Zhang Kanwen said that he had to win today to take revenge for Grandpa Chen.
Chen Shuhe didn't care about taking revenge. He kept telling Zhang Kanwen how he had felt when he had faced the ghost cultivator yesterday. He wanted Zhang Kanwen to do his homework so that he could increase his chance of winning.
The white-haired Grandpa Chen had been defeated and injured, but he was still able to do that. I couldn't blame him.
Something like national glory was engraved in everyone's blood. Perhaps young people nowadays had come into contact with many things and felt that they weren't important anymore. However, to the older generation, these things were more important than their own lives.
Looking at him, I felt a little ashamed. However, I pursed my lips and didn't waver.
After explaining a lot, Chen Shuhe had to stop talking as the time was almost up. He excused himself and left.
After yesterday's defeat, it wasn't easy for him to do what he had done. However, we couldn't force him to face those annoying Nanyang people.
At this moment, the members of the Nanyang Daoist Faction had arrived at the Shenzhen Branch. As usual, they stayed outside for a long time. All of them were interviewed, and they didn't shy away from announcing that they would continue their winning streak today.
We stood aside and listened to them, feeling wronged. We decided to go to the venue and wait for them.
Half an hour later, they finally arrived. It was the dark-skinned fatty, Lin Zhong. He was the first one to step forward. "I want to fight the second round."
We knew the result yesterday, so we weren't surprised or angry. Zhang Kanwen stepped forward. He didn't say anything and clasped his hands. Then, he took out his magical weapon and started to fight.
Zhang Kanwen's magical weapon looked familiar to me. It was a handful of five copper coins.
Each copper coin was very large, far larger than the copper coins that had been passed down from ancient times. Moreover, there was a jade-colored light lingering on the surface of the copper coins, making them look slightly strange.
Copper coins weren't rare in the world of Metaphysics. However, their most common use wasn't in making magic tools, but in divination. For example, Fatty had used three copper coins to divine the secrets of the heavens.
Of course, there were some that could be used as magical weapons. For example, Yang Shilong's sword was made of copper coins.
However, it was rare to see someone like Zhang Kanwen, who used a fist-sized copper coin as a magical weapon.
As for Lin Zhong, he didn't change much. He took out the small incense burner we saw yesterday and read some complicated incantations. Gray energy flowed out of the burner, and the ghost cultivator appeared in front of us one more time.
However, it was different from the day before. This ghost cultivator didn't have a dim color like it had when it first appeared. This time, its body was solid, and its head was sticky and black. The white teeth that had crushed Chen Shuhe's life magic tool were still there.
We didn't know what the black liquid Lin Zhong had thrown out of the incense burner yesterday was. However, we could confirm that the ghost cultivator's transformation was irreversible.
It meant that Zhang Kanwen would have to face more pressure from the beginning.
After summoning the Ghost Cultivator, Lin Zhong seemed to want to say something, but Zhang Kanwen was obviously holding back his anger and didn't give him the chance. He directly threw out the huge copper coin in his hand, then formed a seal with his hands and chanted an incantation. From the very beginning, he exerted all the energy!
After the five copper coins were thrown out, they lined up in the air and formed the shape of a plum blossom. Then, they directly aimed at the ghost cultivator's five acupuncture points.
Although the ghost cultivator was an otherworldly item, its soul was no different from a human's. Once the acupuncture points were nailed, its soul would vanish instantly.
If a human's soul vanished, they would still have a body. However, if the soul of an otherworldly item vanished, it would have nothing left. Naturally, it wouldn't be able to fight anymore.
As the Elder of the Ghost Raising Sect, Lin Zhong's energy was all concentrated on the ghost cultivator. If the ghost cultivator's soul vanished, it would lose half of its fighting capacity. Even if Zhang Kanwen didn't have much fighting capacity left, he could still defeat it easily.
However, the ghost cultivator wasn't afraid. It opened its big mouth one more time, and its white teeth brazenly bit Zhang Kanwen's five copper coins.