Chapter 502: Chapter 374: Nine-Star Celestial Vault Sword, Battle for the Top, and a Huge Gamble

Rumble—

In an instant, the strongest Immortal Techniques of both Giant Sects collided on the combat platform, unleashing an earth-shattering explosion.

Countless weaker disciples were shaken deaf on the spot.

A dazzling light burst from the combat platform, making it impossible for many to see what was happening inside.

When the deafening roar finally faded, only one person remained atop the platform.

This person was fair-skinned, clothes a bit disheveled.

But there was no mistaking it—he’d won this match.

This was none other than Wang Huisheng from Immortal Palace.

Meanwhile, Li Hu from Heaven-Suppressing Sect had been blasted right off the platform.

He was covered in blood; even though the Sword Aura hadn’t struck any vital points, he was wounded in multiple places.

"Never thought the power of the Nine-Star Celestial Vault Sword was this terrifying?"

Li Hu said, unwilling to accept defeat.

He even seemed to want a rematch.

But a loss is a loss—he could only stop short at the quarter-finals.

"I concede!"

Wang Huisheng threw out those words and returned to his seat.

The last match only had Yang Huaizhen from Immortal Martial Hall and Yang Ao from Heaven-Suppressing Sect left.

So the two had no choice but to get on the combat platform and fight straightaway.

Because of the gap in cultivation, with Yang Huaizhen being at the Late Stage of Void Refining, and Yang Ao only at the Middle Stage, it only took three moves for Yang Huaizhen to knock Yang Ao off the platform in defeat.

Yang Huaizhen easily claimed victory.

Tough break for the Heaven-Suppressing Sect; they thought they might have a shot at first place.

Even getting second would’ve been fine, right?

But in the end, they didn’t even make top four—which made a lot of people sigh with regret.

But the elders of Heaven-Suppressing Sect didn’t show any discouragement; as long as their disciples were unharmed, that was enough.

Your current accomplishments don’t determine your future.

After all, "the shot hits the bird that sticks its head out"; too much talent isn’t always a good thing—you never know when you’ll draw deadly enemies.

As the competition went on, it advanced to the semi-finals.

The four were: Yang Huaizhen from Immortal Martial Hall.

Wang Huisheng from Immortal Palace.

Zhou Qibai from Piaomiao Sect.

And the independent Lin Chang’sheng.

Maybe even Elder Wu Kui of Piaomiao Sect didn’t expect that their disciple would end up making it to the top four this year.

At this point, even if they lost, the sect’s name would already be known far and wide.

After all, even Heaven-Suppressing Sect, the second-ranked Giant Sect in the Immortal Realm, didn’t have a disciple make the top four.

This time, without waiting for Zhou Qibai to go up, Lin Chang’sheng was first to leap onto the platform.

He didn’t want Zhou Qibai to choose Wang Huisheng, which would leave Lin Chang’sheng going up against Yang Huaizhen.

Lin Chang’sheng really didn’t want to face Yang Huaizhen yet—not that he was scared, but because the main event should be saved for last.

"Brother Zhou, how about we have a friendly bout on stage?"

As soon as Lin Chang’sheng got on stage, his eyes fell on Zhou Qibai.

Zhou Qibai knew he wasn’t a match for Lin Chang’sheng; after all, Lin had defeated even the Immortal Martial Hall prodigies in just two moves. How could Zhou possibly hold up?

Getting on now was just asking for a beating!

"I forfeit!"

Zhou Qibai was clever enough to immediately yield.

Which left Lin Chang’sheng with nothing he could do about it.

"That Zhou Qibai’s really shameless—just picks on pushovers, and surrenders the second he meets a stronger opponent! I was looking forward to watching him get demolished!"

"You think he’s stupid? Lin Chang’sheng’s not just a little stronger than him—if they went toe-to-toe, he might leave crippled, if not dead!"

"Guys like Zhou Qibai only bully those weaker than them. He wouldn’t dare fight the strong ones."

"What a disgrace for Piaomiao Sect, raising such a loser!"

...

Nearby disciples erupted with anger after Zhou Qibai’s immediate surrender.

A lot of people had been waiting to watch him get his ass kicked, but instead he surrendered, leaving everyone with nowhere to vent their pent-up frustration.

With Zhou Qibai’s surrender, Lin Chang’sheng advanced directly, securing a place to compete for the championship.

That left only Yang Huaizhen of Immortal Martial Hall and Wang Huisheng of Immortal Palace.

Wang Huisheng, at least, had some backbone—he knew he probably wasn’t a match for Yang Huaizhen, but he still got on stage for a real fight.

Unfortunately, even after using both Celestial Immortal Star Fist and Nine-Star Celestial Vault Sword, he still couldn’t even put a scratch on Yang Huaizhen.

Yang Huaizhen didn’t even use his Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure—he beat Wang Huisheng off the platform in just three moves. Total defeat.

After watching their fight, Lin Chang’sheng had learned even more about Yang Huaizhen.

This guy wasn’t just strong with fists and kicks; even his body technique was top-notch—lightning-fast, able to dodge even the densest Sword Aura with ease.

He was definitely a formidable opponent.

With Wang Huisheng’s defeat, the Celestial Pride List finals had finally arrived.

It would be Yang Huaizhen from Immortal Martial Hall versus Lin Chang’sheng.

Disciples and elders below the stage were buzzing with excitement, wondering who would come out on top.

"Who do you think’s gonna win this one? Wanna bet? I’m putting down a thousand Immortal Crystals on Yang Huaizhen!"

"Me too—a thousand Immortal Crystals on Yang Huaizhen!"

"I’ll bet five hundred on Lin Chang’sheng."

"Are you crazy? Lin Chang’sheng’s strong, but they’re a whole small realm apart. I think Yang Huaizhen’s got a way better chance—eight hundred on him!"

"Three hundred on Yang Huaizhen for me—"

...

The fight hadn’t even started, but a giant gambling ring had already formed below.

Even the elders from the major sects were placing bets.

Lin Chang’sheng couldn’t help but grin. Look at all these people just giving him free Immortal Crystals.

"Shuang’Er, put ten thousand Immortal Crystals down for me!"

Lin Chang’sheng handed a storage bag to Zhao Shuang’Er.

He’d gotten this storage bag from the Hou Family and hadn’t touched a single Immortal Crystal from it yet.

"Huh? Ten thousand Immortal Crystals?"

Even Zhao Shuang’Er was surprised.

That’s no small sum!

Could it be that Brother Chang’sheng was absolutely confident he’d win?

Seeing Lin Chang’sheng nodded, Zhao Shuang’Er went ahead to place the bet.

"What? Ten thousand Immortal Crystals on Lin Chang’sheng? Does he have more crystals than he knows what to do with?"

"Yeah, putting that much down on Lin Chang’sheng is just gifting crystals to the rest of us!"

"Hey, if he wants to give away Immortal Crystals, what’s not to like? The more the merrier!"

Word spread fast that someone had put ten thousand on Lin Chang’sheng, and everyone nearby was shocked.

Is this girl dumb or does she really think Lin Chang’sheng can win?

But now the odds were ten-to-one. If Lin Chang’sheng actually won, those ten thousand would turn into a hundred thousand.

The profit was huge.

"Man, this is getting wild. I gotta get in on this!"

Not far off, Gu Shan saw the bets stacking up and couldn’t resist joining the fun—he put twenty thousand Immortal Crystals on Lin Chang’sheng.

From his perspective, Lin Chang’sheng’s victory was as good as guaranteed.

If you didn’t cash in, you were just leaving money on the table.

This kid was the reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor—if he couldn’t handle these disciples, he might as well bash his head in right here.

A good number of disciples and elders began hesitating when they saw Gu Shan backing Lin Chang’sheng. Soon, more people followed, putting their chips on Lin Chang’sheng.

After a short rest—about half a stick of incense—the championship match began.

Lin Chang’sheng and Yang Huaizhen leapt onto the platform together.

"Brother Lin, have you really thought this through? If you agree to join my Immortal Martial Hall, our elders promise you the best cultivation resources, and anything else you need—we’ll take care of it all!"

Before the match started, Yang Huaizhen tried to recruit him again.

He hoped Lin Chang’sheng would join Immortal Martial Hall. It would be a huge loss if such talent went to another sect.

"I appreciate the Immortal Martial Hall’s offer, but I already have a sect in mind."

Lin Chang’sheng replied.

"Oh?"

This surprised Yang Huaizhen a bit—could Lin Chang’sheng have picked Immortal Palace?

Because last time Heaven-Suppressing Sect invited Lin Chang’sheng, he said no as well.

So that just leaves Immortal Palace.

No way he’d pick anything below the top three, right?

Yang Huaizhen didn’t think Lin Chang’sheng was that dumb.

"If that’s the case, I won’t press further—please!"

Seeing that, Yang Huaizhen didn’t try to persuade him anymore. Maybe only a fight would be enough to change his mind.

"Please!"

Lin Chang’sheng also got into a defensive stance.

On the combat platform, both hadn’t even started, but a fierce gale was already whipping up around them.

Their fighting auras were already clashing in full force.