Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 229 - 193: You Were the Ones Who Started This Arms Race (Double-Length) (2)

Lu Feiyu gave a wry smile, "Fang Chen, you're happy so early, I have a feeling it's a bad omen."

"Hahaha, Brother Feiyu, don't believe in that mysticism. Besides, even if something unexpected happens, like Shen Qingming has some unknown secret weapon that can even break through my turret sea tactics, then at worst, after the match, I'll trade my Suffering Hammer with her. It's not like I'd lose too much, haha!"

——

On the morning of the 30th.

The number of spectators arriving at Aozora Martial Arts Arena increased even further. Even cultivators from faraway Heaven-Reaching City traveled miles to witness the contest. Although tickets were long sold out, and even the scalpers' extra tickets were snatched up, people preferred standing outside to watch the public broadcast, unwilling to miss such a rare opportunity.

In previous years, the overall level and specifications of the Cyan Cloud Competition were lower compared to other major cities' cultivator competitions. But this year, since the Saint Sect enhanced the reward specifications, various families and cultivators have brought out their treasured hidden cards, elevating this year's competition to a level far beyond the norm.

From the quarter-finals onward, it already reached the level of past finals. This competition's semi-finalists would even be strong contenders in the Saint Sect's grand competition in Heaven-Reaching City. Such a match should not be missed by any enthusiast.

So, outside Aozora Martial Arts Arena, it was truly like a sea of people, packed shoulder to shoulder. Some skinny and weak vendors simply gave up on business today for fear of being crushed in the crowd.

And with such high attention, naturally, there was immense psychological pressure on the contestants.

——

Standing in the arena, feeling the gazes coming from all directions, Lu Fangchen exerted all his Divine Sense to suppress the tension in his heart and breathe steadily.

Although he left home assuring his elders that he would surely win this battle with ease and confidence, standing on the field now, he found it nearly impossible to curb his nervousness.

This match meant too much to him.

If he won this match, he would prove that his conjectures and calculations were correct, overcoming the shadows left from the day he watched the recording of Wang Jiu. Henceforth, the awakening of his Yin Yang Pupils would face no further obstacles.

If he won, he would have a substantial chance at winning the championship trophy. Whether he faced Li Wanqing or Qian Ye afterward, he had a comprehensive counter-strategy. The outside world only focused on his Yin Yang Pupils, habitually forgetting that he was a genius cultivator nearly unmatched by Li Wanqing even before awakening his special pupils, possessing considerable talents.

If he won, the Lu Family would receive gifts from the Saint Sect, elevating the family's status another notch and bringing them closer to the main family, a familial aspiration that had persisted for thousands of years.

If he won, the turret tactics would become truly memorable. Even if banned in later competitions, becoming a fleeting phenomenon, at least this match would imprint the Lu Family's portable architectural mechanical techniques in people's memories, remembering the young man who first used it in actual combat. Remembering Lu Feiyu, who was habitually overlooked, and allowing him to receive the treatment he deserved.

Everything... depended on him winning this match! Using the 33 defense turrets in his hand to block Shen Qingming's path to victory!

Looking at the petite girl on the other side, with her still-childish face, Lu Fangchen couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. Even as a competitor, he was impressed by her opportunity and perseverance.

An abandoned daughter of the Li Family, an Immortal Cultivation wastrel... At the beginning of the year, such rumors still surrounded her. Who would have thought that in less than a year, at just 14 years old, she would stand before him. Although everyone knew that her main backing came from some mysterious Immortal Treasure, equipment is a part of one's strength, and the opportunity to obtain such treasure was something others could only envy.

In earlier matches, each was fought fiercely, verging on self-destruction, to the point where even a divine organization like the Parents' Council protested... yet she remained unfazed, entirely unaffected. The astonishing perseverance she showed far exceeded that of cultivators four or five years her senior.

Her place in the semi-finals was well-earned.

However, it ends here. He would not allow her to take even half a step forward.

——

"Now, let the match commence!"

Mere moments later, the referee swung down his arm, signaling the start of the fierce battle. Lu Fangchen had awaited this moment for a long time, and almost simultaneously, he unleashed his well-prepared Divine Sense and True Essence.

The thirty-three mechanical defense towers were instantly activated, radiating brilliant light.

Unlike Lu Feiyu's previous tentative trial, Lu Fangchen had spent a full day refining this tower defense strategy, and the effect was entirely different.

Thirty-three jade-like high towers, arranged in tiers and distributed like stars in a celestial sphere, resonated and connected to each other. Not only could they mutually amplify firepower, but also share damage. With Lu Fangchen, who mastered the Yin Yang Pupils, at the core, it was practically a cultivator army.

Witnessing such defensive force firsthand, everyone momentarily felt a bit breathless.

"Oh my god, what is this monstrosity!?"

"1, 2, 3... 33 towers, he actually brought out 33 towers identical to those from yesterday!"

"Heavens, and some are even flying in mid-air!? Is this even possible!?"

At the same moment, in the commentary booth, Li Jinglun also felt his jaw slightly dislocated. The commentary script he had prepared earlier was casually crumpled up and tossed into the trash can!