FIMA Ch76: The Final Battle

“Looks like this year, the Special Control Bureau is relying on this person to break through the siege and fight against the Four Great Aristocratic Families?”

“The Special Control Bureau is truly a joke. Although the participants in the last tournament were mostly of mediocre aptitude, at least they had the Northern Heavenly Wolf to uphold their face. This time, did they just grab some random piece of trash off the street?”

Someone coughed lightly: “This person is Gu Beilin’s biological younger brother.”

“…” The person who just spoke paused, taking a long while before saying: “A tiger of an older brother but a dog of a younger brother. It’s quite common.”

A friend beside him really didn’t want to see him get slapped in the face again, so he explained: “Although this person isn’t an orthodox Profound Gate disciple, he really can’t be called trash. His name is Gu Siyuan. Rumor has it that he once joined forces with the Han family’s Eldest Young Master to kill a half-Ghost King at Luojun Mountain. The fact that the Special Control Bureau can mass-produce talismans now is also thanks to him. Not long ago, he even solved a major supernatural case in Lingnan…”

That person fell silent for a long moment before murmuring softly: “Oh… let’s just watch the match!”

The people sitting nearby couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

There were also people who hadn’t known of Gu Siyuan before and now took a slight interest in him. They secretly thought, As the younger brother of the Northern Heavenly Wolf, he must have some real skills.
Smashing talismans so crazily right now might just be a method to confuse people, making the other competitors unable to gauge his true strength.

However, the consecutive matches that followed slapped them all fiercely in the face.

Facts proved that Gu Siyuan was simply a wealthy tycoon who only knew how to frantically spam talismans. Relying stubbornly on throwing money via talismans, he smashed his way straight into the Top 8.

Within the Top 8, he was the only one from the Special Control Bureau. Of the remaining seven, six were from the Four Great Aristocratic Families—Han Mingye naturally being among them—and the very last person was a rogue cultivator with a remarkable master.

By this time, the morning’s combat matches had basically concluded. The crowd began to disperse, some going to the restroom, others going to rest.

In a private box on the eastern side of the arena sat the members of the Han family, the head of the Four Great Aristocratic Families.

The leader sat in a wheelchair, wearing a loose hemp robe, his hair and beard entirely white. He said faintly: “Looking solely at this child’s physiognomy, his nobility is unspeakable, bringing benefit to both host and guest. But when trying to look deeper, I cannot see anything more. I’m afraid his karmic luck is extraordinary. It’s no wonder he has repeatedly clashed with Ye-er and Chen-er.”

Han Mingye’s expression changed slightly, and he said coldly: “Please rest assured, Old Ancestor. In the Top 8 matches this afternoon, if this person is lucky enough not to be eliminated beforehand, your grandson will definitely wipe out our past humiliation.”

Xie Yuchen also nodded: “Rest assured, Old Ancestor. Chen-er will also definitely not disappoint your expectations.”

The Han Family Old Ancestor’s expression was kind, and he said warmly: “Karmic luck can be plundered. If you defeat this person, you will also win a portion of his luck. This might even add a few more points to our odds of success for the grand event tonight. But if you lose, your luck will be snatched away by him. Therefore, no matter what, you can only win; you cannot lose. This is extremely crucial.”

The two men’s expressions turned solemn, and they replied in unison: “Yes.”

“Let’s go!”

The audience in the venue had basically all left. Gu Siyuan and Xie Xuanxing walked out together with the last wave of people.
As for his great brother and sister-in-law, they claimed they were hungry and hurried off to eat, but in reality, they were just saving face—too embarrassed to be associated with an infamous “talisman-smashing prodigal” like Gu Siyuan, so they fled early.

Xie Xuanxing complained in a small voice: “We’re never going on a double date with them again. So disloyal!”

Gu Siyuan nodded lightly: “I’ll listen to you.”
My little lackey is standing up for my grievances, naturally I must indulge him in everything.

The corners of Xie Xuanxing’s mouth curved up, and he continued: “Next time Big Brother looks for you to fight, don’t keep him company either.”

Gu Siyuan nodded: “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Xie Xuanxing grew even more smug: “Then next time Brother Luo Chuan argues with me, you have to help me team up against him.”

Gu Siyuan: “I’ll listen to you.”

…

Xie Xuanxing’s eyes darted around, and he said softly: “Then later this afternoon when I’m competing, you have to stand offstage and yell, ‘Go get ’em, Gege (Older Brother)!’ “

Gu Siyuan stopped in his tracks and gave him an indifferent look: “…”

“…” Xie Xuanxing.
Alright, I’ve been exposed. How can Boss Gu’s brain stay so clear-headed at all times? Not even a conditioned reflex response.

Gu Siyuan raised his hand and pinched his slightly puffed-out, soft cheek, saying in a low, deep voice: “Sure, I can satisfy you. Not just during the match, but I can also do it in bed tonight.”
Since my little lackey wants to move on his own (ride on top), it’s fine to give him a little sweet incentive.
I just hope… my little lackey won’t end up crying too pitifully when the time comes!

“…” Xie Xuanxing blinked blankly.
I feel so much pressure.

He imagined Gu Siyuan’s large frame lying beneath him, pitifully and adorably trying to shout: Gege… go get ’em. Gege, use a little more strength…

Xie Xuanxing rubbed his own kidneys. Maybe after the competition, I should go buy some sheep whips or something to nourish myself.
It’ll be my first time being a fierce Top (a 1), I can’t let the person underneath me down!

The brief noon break passed quickly. At 1:00 PM, the new competitions began.

However, it was no longer arena combat, but the Hundred Arts of Metaphysics competitions. The final Top 8 of the combat tournament had been scheduled as the grand finale.

In this Dharma-ending Age, there weren’t many cultivators to begin with, and even fewer who could master any of these crafts.
Therefore, the total number of participants for the Talisman, Pill, and Artifact competitions combined was only about a hundred people.

The advancement method for these was also different from the combat tournament.
The Metaphysics Alliance determined the competition category and a unified test subject. Then, all competitors would go on stage together. Within a fixed time, whoever produced the best talismans or refined the best pills would successfully advance to the next round.
Like this, through several repetitive rounds, the candidates were continuously filtered.

In the first round, the test was crafting the Shocking Thunder Talisman.
After the time ended, the judges directly activated the works the participants had just drawn, judging the rankings based on the magnitude of the talisman’s power.
Some people didn’t even successfully finish drawing theirs, resulting in un-activatable talismans and direct elimination.

Xie Xuanxing naturally advanced successfully.
Among them, the effects of his and Xie Yuchen’s talismans were the best, reaching the flawless level, almost indistinguishable in quality.

Then came the second round, the third round… The types of talismans tested became increasingly difficult and complex, and people continuously stepped down from the stage.

By the end of the fifth round, there were only a mere seven people left on the talisman-making stage. However, the scores of Xie Xuanxing and Xie Yuchen remained perfectly stable, tied for first place.

Xie Yuchen cast a deep look at Xie Xuanxing.
The talisman tested in this fifth round was the Spirit-Concealing Talisman, which could hide a cultivator’s spiritual energy cultivation. Not only was it difficult, but it was also quite an obscure branch. If he hadn’t had the methods from the Nine Profound Talisman Methods, even he might not have been able to perform so flawlessly.

But on what basis could Xie Xuanxing…

Xie Xuanxing naturally felt this gaze, but acted as if he hadn’t noticed. Instead, he shot a tender look toward Gu Siyuan in the spectator stands.

Thanks to the Han family setting up that trap at Hongtan Villa, Gu Siyuan had learned the method of spiritual sense attacks. And Gu Siyuan was always someone who could infer three things from one fact and dared to innovate; his development of spiritual sense was naturally no exception.

Afterward, he taught this method to Xie Xuanxing. Every aspect of the Hundred Arts of cultivation relied heavily on spiritual sense. Consequently, Xie Xuanxing’s mastery in the path of talisman making had progressed more than tenfold compared to before.

Gu Siyuan sat in his seat, his aura cold and sharp, proud like a green pine on a cliff peak.
Lifting his eyes slightly, he saw that his little lackey actually didn’t forget to make eyes at him even during a competition. Feeling momentarily speechless and helpless, but also quite warmed by it, he gave a slight nod in return.

Xie Xuanxing thought secretly: I will definitely win the championship. Then, when we go back tonight, I will properly dote on Boss Gu. He has a share of the credit in this too!

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Another short period of time passed.

The Pill-refining and Artifact-refining competitions, which had been taking place simultaneously, had both produced their final results. After all, the resources required for pills and artifacts were many times higher than for talismans. Besides the disciples of wealthy families, others simply couldn’t endure the consumption, so the number of participants was even smaller.

The final first place in Pill-refining went to a disciple of the Chen family, one of the Four Great Aristocratic Families. As for the champion of Artifact-refining, it unexpectedly went to someone from the Special Control Bureau named Mu Lin.

It was said that the Mu family was once an artifact-refining family as well. However, because others coveted their ancestral artifact-refining methods, it eventually led to the family’s destruction. Left with no choice, Mu Lin fled to the Special Control Bureau and handed the artifact-refining methods over to the state.
This time, representing the Special Control Bureau at the Grand Tournament, Mu Lin swept his way to become the final champion.

He Pan was overjoyed by this result. Now, as long as either Gu Siyuan or Xie Xuanxing casually won a championship next, the Special Control Bureau’s results would be even better than the last tournament!

Right at this moment, the Talisman competition also reached its final showdown.
The two people in the finals were naturally Xie Xuanxing and Xie Yuchen.

“Both of these people are surnamed Xie. Rumor has it they originally came from the same family?”
“Hmph, that family sure had some blessings…”
“However, a place with weak influence can’t retain its people. In the end, didn’t one of them end up representing the Han family and the other the Special Control Bureau?”
“Hahaha…”

On the competition stage.

Xie Yuchen looked at Xie Xuanxing, a shallow smile on his face: “Doesn’t this scene look exactly like four months ago in S City? It was also a talisman competition, also the two of us, also the finals…”

Hearing these words.
Xie Xuanxing, who had been ignoring him since the start of the competition, finally cast a sidelong glance at him and said leisurely: “Are you trying to say that the final result will also be exactly the same as back then?”

Xie Yuchen stared at him: “It definitely will.”

Xie Xuanxing’s expression remained unchanged, and he said faintly: “Then let’s wait and see.”

“Starting now, the final round of the Talisman competition will commence. The test talisman for the finals is the Boundary-Breaking Talisman.”

Following the judge’s order, the entire venue boiled over.
The crowd fell into an uproar.

“Boundary-Breaking Talisman? How could it be the Boundary-Breaking Talisman?!”
“Hey, hasn’t the structural method for the Boundary-Breaking Talisman been lost for a long time?”
“Many people haven’t even seen it before! Even those Talisman Masters probably can’t draw it. How could it appear in the Grand Tournament finals?”
“Yeah! Is this meant to wipe out both competitors entirely?”

Right at this moment, the judge raised his hands high: “Quiet down! The decision to test the Boundary-Breaking Talisman in the final round was a unanimous decision by several elders of the Metaphysics Alliance. It is because both young friends possess deep foundations and extraordinary talent, remaining evenly matched all the way to the finals.”

“Therefore, the Alliance is willing to bring out a recently acquired manual of the Boundary-Breaking Talisman’s structure for the two of you to reference and review. After the time of one incense stick, it is not required for the talisman to be successfully activated. Whoever draws a talisman with the fewest errors and the most stable structure will be the winner of this year’s Talisman Grand Tournament!”

“So that’s how it is…”
“Watching them all the way here, these two are indeed neck and neck.”
“This way, it perfectly tests their respective aptitudes. It makes sense.”
“These two have good luck. Talisman inheritances are extremely rare to come by. The Metaphysics Alliance is willing to bring out the Boundary-Breaking Talisman structure for testing, and afterward, it will become their own inheritance.”
“Indeed…”

“Boundary-Breaking Talisman.” Gu Siyuan leaned lazily against the back of his chair and muttered faintly: “What a coincidence.”

On the test stage, Xie Yuchen looked at Xie Xuanxing, fully satisfied with himself: “I told you the result wouldn’t change.”

Back during the S City Talisman Convention, a highly obscure talisman was also tested in the finals. In the end, he used the methods from the Nine Profound Talisman Methods to slightly alter the talisman’s structure, causing it to unleash twice the power of the original, narrowly defeating Xie Xuanxing.

This Boundary-Breaking Talisman was even more obscure than the last one; Xie Xuanxing had definitely never seen it.
But with the Nine Profound Talisman Methods in hand, he could once again simplify the complex.
This was also why the Han family elders had heavily pushed for this specific test in the finals.

Xie Xuanxing shot him a cold glance, stepped up to the desk, and said faintly: “Do you remember the phrase you loved saying the most back when you were a piece of trash? Something about ‘Twenty years east of the river, twenty years west of the river’?” (A proverb meaning fortunes change over time).

Xie Yuchen’s face instantly darkened.
Trash? That word had been far removed from his world for a long time.

Xie Xuanxing continued: “Did you think that phrase only applied to you? Let’s begin. Stop talking nonsense!”

The judge placed the talisman manual between the two and said indifferently: “The timer starts now. You only have the time of one incense stick, which includes reviewing the manual and drawing the talisman.”

During the time of one incense stick, the spectators offstage couldn’t help but start dozing off.
But for the people on stage, it passed in the blink of an eye.

The judge tapped a small bronze bell: “Stop.”

After speaking, he brought two Talisman Masters to stand in front of Xie Xuanxing and Xie Yuchen.

They inspected Xie Xuanxing’s talisman first. The two masters exchanged a glance and nodded: “Not bad. The overall structure of the talisman is very stable, and there are only four errors.”
This was a result that even they couldn’t have achieved in their youth.

Xie Xuanxing immediately nodded in acknowledgment.

A cold sneer hooked onto the corner of Xie Yuchen’s mouth.

The two Talisman Masters then walked over to Xie Yuchen’s desk. A long moment later, the smiles on their faces grew even wider: “Extremely excellent. There are only two errors.”

The venue was in an uproar.

“Amazing, too incredible! Only two errors?!”
“In just the short time of one incense stick, to only have two errors on an obscure and difficult talisman like the Boundary-Breaking Talisman!”
“With only two errors, if they aren’t on crucial points, this talisman might even be able to activate normally!”

Xie Yuchen immediately beamed with joy and said: “Judge, please activate it to see the effect.”

Spiritual energy surfaced in the judge’s hand. The Boundary-Breaking Talisman flew forward and suddenly exploded halfway.
Consequently, the space in front of it seemed to ripple, as if it was about to tear apart.
Of course, in the end, it didn’t, and everything quickly settled down. But the effect of this talisman had already greatly astonished everyone.

The judge nodded, stepped to the very front of the stage, and announced loudly to the audience before and behind the curtains: “I now announce, the final victor of this year’s Talisman competition is…”

Xie Yuchen clenched his fingers, his originally smug and joyful expression slowly returning to a calm normality.
Next was his moment of glory. He needed to appear more composed, calm, perfect, and poised, making everyone submit to his temperament.

However, just as the judge was about to say his name, a clear, clean voice rang out: “My talisman hasn’t been activated yet, has it?”

Everyone’s eyes looked over.

Xie Xuanxing looked back without changing his expression.

The judge’s face turned extremely ugly, and he said coldly: “Young friend, there are four structural errors in your talisman. Since you were able to make it this far, don’t you know that once there are more than three structural errors, a talisman cannot be activated?”

Xie Xuanxing remained calm: “Are they four errors, or are they just four places where it differs from the original Boundary-Breaking Talisman’s structure?”

The judge’s expression changed: “Are you saying… you modified the talisman’s structure yourself, and there is no problem with the talisman itself?”

Xie Xuanxing nodded slightly: “Judge, please activate the talisman.”

The people offstage—whether they just wanted to watch the fun or were looking forward to Xie Xuanxing getting slapped in the face—immediately echoed loudly.

“Aiya, Judge, just activate the talisman and give it a try!”
“Yeah, it won’t delay much time anyway.”

With a livid face, the judge said coldly: “Then let’s try it. This old man would like to see what kind of trick you can pull off at your young age.”

A flash of white light passed, the talisman rose against the wind, and then exploded with a bang.

A moment later, sizzle… rrrrip…

An ear-piercing tearing sound continuously echoed in everyone’s ears.
In mid-air, a clear, slender, diamond-shaped rift had appeared out of nowhere. Furthermore, it was slowly expanding—sharp and terrifying, as if it wanted to swallow people whole, as if it wanted to slice space open.

It wasn’t until several breaths later that the rift slowly closed back up.

“My God…” The crowd in the venue was greatly shocked.

“That… is truly a Boundary-Breaking Talisman!”
“My heavens, it really tore through space!”

The judge’s face alternated between green and white.
However, at a time like this, with the crowd boiling over, he could only step forward again and announce loudly: “The champion of this Talisman Grand Tournament is Xie Xuanxing from the Special Control Bureau!”

In the private box, the expressions of the Han family members sank to the absolute extreme.

Xie Yuchen looked at the calm-faced Xie Xuanxing in utter disbelief, shaking his head frantically: “How is this possible… Just relying on you, how is it possible…”

Xie Xuanxing narrowed his eyes and, very rarely, revealed a sweet smile to him: “Everything is thanks to the Han family.”

Because they had been tormented by that trapping array at Hongtan Villa, both Gu Siyuan and he had been very unresigned.
Gu Siyuan had been thinking of creating a new type of technological weapon to shoot straight through it.
Meanwhile, Xie Xuanxing had been pondering if there was some sort of array-breaking talisman.

The usual effect of an array-breaking talisman was that, upon activation, it would track the flow of spiritual energy to find a few weak points in the array, allowing everyone to focus their attacks there.
However, after Gu Siyuan heard this, he felt the method was too inefficient. He asked him if he could just directly open a hole at a weak point and pass straight through, ignoring the light barrier entirely.

At the time, Xie Xuanxing wanted to beat him up. Isn’t that just spatial traversal? It’s exactly like the Boundary-Breaking Talisman!
Even if space was unstable in the current Dharma-ending Age, it was still no easy feat!

But afterward, he did subconsciously start pondering in this direction.
Before the Grand Tournament started, it actually yielded some results.
Right now, he was simply pushing the boat along with the current.

Having finished his thoughts, he no longer cared about Xie Yuchen’s reaction. Instead, he looked proudly at Gu Siyuan offstage.
Mm-hm. After we go back tonight, I will no longer be the person who can only lie on the bottom without moving. I am a fierce Top!
Gu Siyuan can just quietly wait for my reward!

“…” Still sitting perfectly still offstage like an immovable mountain, Gu Siyuan couldn’t help but pat his own neck. Why does it feel a bit chilly?
My little lackey must be thinking about me again.
It’s just a competition, and the stage is so close to the audience, yet he’s still this clingy. I really can’t do anything about him.
A trace of helplessness surfaced on Gu Siyuan’s cold, handsome face.

As the Talisman, Pill, and Artifact competitions all came to an end, the most heated moment of the entire Grand Tournament arrived.

The final Top 8 battles of the martial arts combat were about to begin.

The eight competitors would engage in a round-robin tournament, fighting each other one-on-one to determine the final Top 4 and the ultimate champion.
In other words, everyone had to fight at least seven matches, and the one who remained undefeated would be the final champion.

Match after match.
People continuously conceded and stepped down, while others stepped up. Someone was always fighting on stage.

“Damn, this is too unreasonable! Did this guy really just smash talismans all the way into the Top 4?! This damn, depraved world!”
“Hey, no, haven’t you guys noticed the problem? Talismans actually require spiritual energy and spiritual sense to activate! He throws over a hundred talismans in every single match, yet his expression never changes, showing no reaction at all. Haven’t you noticed something wrong?”
“Sigh… now that you mention it, even if you gave me that many talismans, I might not be able to activate them all instantly. If you can’t activate them instantly, the lethality isn’t enough, and you’d quickly be counter-killed by your opponent…”
“Hmph, I told you this guy was hiding his strength. I’ve never seen anyone able to just throw money and buy a championship.”
“The opponents in the Top 4 are all people from the Four Great Aristocratic Families, all with abundant wealth. Smashing talismans probably won’t work anymore. His true colors are about to be revealed.”

Thus, nearly an hour passed, and several intense battles concluded.
The sky gradually darkened, the setting sun hanging on the western horizon. The cold wind of late autumn blew into the hearts of everyone in the venue.

“Ah… I concede!” A miserable scream rang out.

A young figure collapsed onto the arena, clutching his head and rolling around endlessly.

Gu Siyuan had used his spiritual sense attack method for the first time.

His opponent was someone from the Xu family, one of the Four Great Aristocratic Families. The Xu family was a talisman-making family, so naturally, they didn’t lack talismans to use either. After getting on stage, the two had engaged in a fierce talisman-smashing duel.
In the end, this guy’s spiritual sense couldn’t hold on anymore, so he activated an extremely badass defensive artifact on his body and tried to sneak attack Gu Siyuan with hidden weapons.

Left with no choice, Gu Siyuan could only resort to this measure.

He quietly waited for the judge to announce the result of the match, then calmly walked off the stage.
He happened to cross paths with Han Mingye, who was heading up for the next Top 4 match.

Han Mingye’s gaze was icy cold: “So you actually know the method of spiritual sense attacks too.”

Gu Siyuan’s expression was stern and cold, and he said faintly: “Thanks to you.”

A moment later, the commotion on stage ended.
Gu Siyuan slowly opened his eyes.
It’s here. The final championship match.

The two people in the finals were, naturally, Gu Siyuan and Han Mingye.

In the private box, the Han Family Old Ancestor looked at Han Mingye: “Ye-er, you know what to do.”

Han Mingye glanced at Xie Yuchen beside him and nodded deeply: “Old Ancestor, there will absolutely be no accidents.”

The Han Family Old Ancestor moved his palm slightly, and an object appeared in his hand: “Try not to use this unless it is the absolute final moment.”

Han Mingye’s pupils shrank slightly, and he reached out to take it: “Yes.”

On the other side.

Gu Beilin held his broadsword, looked down at his younger brother from a superior angle, and said coldly: “You’d better not get a worse result than me.”

Gu Siyuan shot him a glance: “Rest assured. By the time I step down from that stage again, the prestige of your ‘Northern Heavenly Wolf’ name will be nothing but fleeting clouds.”

“…” Gu Beilin.
This younger brother is really begging for a beating.

Xie Xuanxing squeezed his Boss Gu’s hand tightly: “Lending you my good luck.”

Gu Siyuan scratched his palm, his expression calm.

Xie Xuanxing leaned in close and whispered: “Since you can’t be the ‘1’ (Top) in bed tonight, you can’t fail to be ‘Number 1’ on stage.”

Gu Siyuan nodded, not minding at all.
However, halfway through his steps, he suddenly narrowed his eyes. “…”

Did my little lackey… misunderstand something?

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