Ji Ning’s group of threended at the gates to the Dao Debate Pce. As they looked inwards, they saw that although it was night, the insides of the Dao Debate Pce were brightly lit, and the sound of calmughter rang out from within.


    “Senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus, I’ll ept these hundred ck-white pellets and five kilograms of liquefied elemental essence.” The speaker was a white-robed man, who had a blood-drop pattern atop his white robes. It was Bloodrinker dask. dask had a hint of delight on his face; clearly, he was quite happy at having won a victory in the Dao Debate.


    In front of him, seated in the lotus position, was a long-haired maiden dressed in water-blue robes. She arose and flew over,nding nearby and shaking her head. “Three years ago, I was able to beat you by a hair, junior apprentice-brother dask. I didn’t expect that this time, I’d be defeated by you.”


    “Your junior apprentice-brother had to work very hard to just barely eke out a victory.” dask, normally quite prideful, was currently quite humble.


    “Senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus, when sparring, it’s all about that hint of a chance at victory. You and junior apprentice-brother dask areparable; only, junior apprentice-brother dask’s attacks are just a hair sharper than yours.”


    “Senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus...” The various men and women were chatting amongst themselves. At this moment, Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Bu Ying entered the Dao Debate Hall, and they all turned to look towards them.


    “Ninelotus?” Ning’s gaze instantly turned towards that woman who had been referred to everyone as ‘Ninelotus’. She was dressed in casual, water-blue robes, and had long, ck hair. Although her face could be considered beautiful, she was slightly less attractive than even Meng Xin. Only, this senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus had a certain graceful aura about her. She was like a fairy lotus, causing the fellow male disciples around her to unconsciously be drawn to her.


    “Given her aura and demeanor, I imagine she must have an extraordinary background,” Ning mused to himself.


    “Senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus.” Upon seeing Ninelotus, Bu Ying’s voice went slightly higher. A smile on his face, he hurriedly said, “These two are the new disciples that just joined our ck-White College. This is Mu Northson, and this is Ji Ning.”


    Ninelotus turned her gaze towards them, a hint of a smile on her lips. “I heard that during the day, junior apprentice-brother Mu Northson was defeated twice while sparring here at the Dao Debate Pce, and was so angry that he left.”


    Northson was rather bashful to begin with. A hint of awkwardness immediately appeared on his face. “That’s only because he just entered the school, and has never before suffered a setback like that,” Ning spoke out.


    Ninelotus looked towards Ning. “So you are Ji Ning, who Patriarch Diancai took on as his senior apprentice.” Ning nodded. “I am.”


    The nearby Pu Yinig hurriedly said, “Junior apprentice-brother Darknorth, you are the disciple of Immortal Diancai. Senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus, however, is the disciple of Immortal Fivecraze.”


    “The disciple of Immortal Fivecraze?” Ning was surprised. “I just arrived back at the College tonight, and so I wasn’t able to attend the grand ceremony earlier,” Ninelotus said softly. “Now that you’ve arrived, junior apprentice-brother, are you willing to begin a Dao Debate?”


    Laughing, Ning nodded. “I would very much like to spar against my senior fellow disciples.” Ninelotusughed. “Then you have to be careful. I just lost a round myself, just now.”


    “Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning!” A cold voice rang out. Ning turned to look. The speaker was the white-robed Bloodrinker dask. dask’s purpose foring was to defeat Ning, and thus vent the anger in his heart. He hadn’t expected to encounter Ninelotus, whom he had always admired very much. He had gone all out to defeat Ninelotus, in the hopes that this senior apprentice-sister would remember him in the future. Who would have imagined that after Ning arrived, he would immediately get into such an involved conversation with senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus.


    “Senior apprentice-brother dask,” Ningughed. dask responded in a cold voice, “Do you remember our battle at the cave?” Ning nodded. “I do. That time, I wished to tell you my name, but you, senior apprentice-brother dask, refused to let me do so. You said that we’d never meet again.”


    The look on dask’s face changed as he heard this. Ningughed and continued, “I didn’t even tell you my name, but it appears you already know it, senior apprentice-brother. Might I ask why you are calling for me?”


    dask’s gaze was filled with a cold light. “Dare you go onto the dais and debate the Dao with me?” Ning turned his head to look towards the giant Dao Debate Pce. “Go onto the dais and debate the Dao?” The giant pce was quite simr to a giant dining room from his past life. There were quite a few seats nearby, and in the center, there was an enormous battle arena. At the same time, at each side of the arena, there was a tall stone pir. The Dao debaters would seat themselves atop the stone pirs and rely on golems to engage in a battle!


    Ninelotus, standing to the side, said, “Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, you must be careful. The person I just lost to was junior apprentice-brother dask.” dask, hearing this, felt all the more jealous, and the cold light in his eyes grew increasingly sharp. “Dare you, or dare you not?”


    “I’vee here precisely to spar with my fellow disciples. Why wouldn’t I dare?” Ning shook his head andughed. “It’s just a hundred ck-white pellets and five kilograms of liquefied elemental essence.”


    “Haha, a hundred ck-white pellets and five kilograms of liquefied elemental essence is just the smallest wager possible.” daskughed coldly. “ck-white pellets are gifted to us by the College and are extremely rare. I’m willing to wager fifty kilograms of liquefied elemental essence. Do you dare ept?”


    Ning frowned. dask continued in his cold voice, “Oh, right. As a new disciple, you only have fifty kilograms of liquefied elemental essence. I imagine that you probably wouldn’t be able to produce so much, junior apprentice-brother.” As he spoke, he waved his hand and produced an insignia. “This is an elemental mark from the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. It represents a thousand taels of liquefied elemental essence, which is to say, fifty kilograms. If you take it to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, you can trade it for fifty kilograms!”


    “Dare you ept my wager?” dask looked towards Ning.


    ........


    The atmosphere instantly turned stiff. The other disciples immediately understood that there was something not quite right between dask and Ning. Previously, when they had battled Northson, they had only made the smallest of wagers; after all, nobody wanted to generate enmity and strife amongst their fellow disciples. For dask to increase the wager was a clear sign that he wanted to mistreat Ning.


    If a new disciple were forced to take out fifty kilograms of liquefied elemental essence, wouldn’t that mean they wouldn’t have anything to train with?


    But of course, they had no idea....that although dask originally did want to fight against Ning, he hadn’t nned on being so nasty. Only, he had noticed how engaged Ninelotus had been in her conversation with Ning. Ninelotus normally would say just a few meaningless phrases to him when he spoke to her, but towards Ning, she voluntarily spoke out to him. This made dask feel quite mistreated.


    “How am I inferior to this Ji Ning? Why is it that senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus seems to treat him differently, from the very moment they met each other? In terms of treasures, family heritage, power, or n, this Ji Ning is inferior to me!” The look in dask’s eyes grew still colder.


    “Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning,” Ninelotus said. “You just joined the school. Let me lend you fifty kilograms of liquefied elemental essence.” When he heard these words, the angry aura emanating from dask grew only more terrifying.


    But Ning onlyughed. “No need. Since senior apprentice-brother dask wishes to wager fifty kilograms, then I will ept.” Ning waved his hand, and several insignias appeared as well. “These are elemental marks of the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. They can be traded for a thousand taels as well.”


    “Eh?” “Elemental marks of the Heavenly Treasures Mountain?” All of them stared at the elemental marks. dask had entered the school long ago, and had gone adventuring in the outside world; it was normal for him to have acquired some treasures and traded them to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain for elemental marks! But Ji Ning had just entered the school, and yet he was able to casually bring out a thousand taels as well...this was quite extraordinary. What none of them realized was that Ning had won these marks at the duel at the Carefree Caverns.


    Although news regarding the battle at the Carefree Caverns had spread out, these disciples of the ck-White College knew very little about it. Of the Primal Daoists, only Wu Xiu knew a bit more about these matters.


    ......


    “A hundred ck-white pellets and fifty kilograms of liquefied elemental essences.” An old voice rang out. A white-haired old man who stood at the side of the Dao Debate Pce had spoken out. “Since you both ept, then let this be the wager.”


    “Now, I’m going to ask the two disciples to each select their golem.” The white-haired elder continued to speak. He was a golem as well; he was responsible for some of the matters here in the Dao Debate Pce.


    Ning and dask both immediately headed towards a side door; there were many golems ced within this side door to the Dao Debate Pce.


    They entered a small hall. The white-haired elder pointed to the many golems; there were at least hundreds of them present. These golems were ck, and looked like stone sculptures. “These golems have identical elemental ki cores. The energy they release will all be at the early Wanxiang Adept level. That way, those reincarnated Immortals who are within our school who are in possession of a divine sense won’t be able to use it to influence the battle significantly.”


    Ning nodded. Divine sense was slightly superior to peak Zifu level power, but roughly the same as the early Wanxiang level. Even if it was used to control weapons, it wouldn’t impact the battle too much.


    “These golems alle with their own weapons,” the white-haired elder continued. “They include flying swords, flying needles, giant warhammers...in short, all types of magic treasures are present! Choose a golem based on the type of weapon you prefer.”


    dask was very quick to make his choice. He immediately walked towards a golem, cing it on the golem’s body and quickly binding it.


    “I’ll go now. You can take your time in choosing.” dask gave Ning a nce, then immediately left. As for that golem, it transformed into a blur as it followed after him.


    .......


    The spectating disciples within the Dao Debate Pce, Northson and Ninelotus included, numbered eight.


    “The wager is actually thisrge. A hundred ck-white pellets is one thing, but fifty kilograms of liquefied elemental essence! Junior apprentice-brother dask is going a bit too far. Hazing the new disciples is one thing, but you can’t do it like this.”


    “It is a bit much, I agree.” The fellow disciples were all chatting amongst themselves. Right at this moment, dask walked back from the side door, then leapt directly forward by more than three hundred meters beforending atop a stone pir that was thirty meters tall. He took a seat atop the stone pir. Swoosh! That golem also leapt up andnded within the battle arena, then quietly waited there.


    “He chose the Pris Golem.”


    “Senior apprentice-brother dask really is being quite vicious; he actually chose the Pris Golem which he is the most proficient with.”


    “I wonder which golem junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning will choose.”


    There were no differences in quality in the golems; the only question was whether or not one was ustomed to using them. If, for example, Ning were to choose a golem that used a giant warhammer, he wouldn’t be able to unleash much of his power.


    “He’sing out.”


    “Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning ising out.” They all looked over. Northson’s eyes were filled with worry. As for Ninelotus, she stared carefully at Ning, her eyes filled with curiosity.


    Ning walked out, a golem following him. Swoosh! Swoosh! Ning and the golem, in quick session, leapt up thennded; Ningnded atop a stone pir, sitting down, while the golemnded in the battle arena below, causing the arena to shudder slightly.


    The two sat on their stone pirs, staring at each other from afar. Ning and dask’s gazes crossed. They were roughly three hundred meters away from each other. The golems below them were roughly three hundred meters away from each other as well.


    “Begin!” The white-haired old man barked.


    Rumble...instantly, a barrier of clear water immediately appeared. It was an enormous, barrier-type grand sealing formation thatpletely sealed the entire arena. Northson and the others were all outside of it, while Ning and dask were within it.


    “The Thousandswords Golem!” dask, seated in the lotus position on the distant stone pir, gave it a nce, then snorted coldly. “He doesn’t know his own limits.”


    “I’d like to ask you for some guidance, senior apprentice-brother,” Ning called out in a high voice.


    “Please.” dask shouted back.


    The surrounding disciples all watched with bated breath. The neer who had been epted by Immortal Diancai as his disciple, Ji Ning. Senior apprentice-brother dask, who had entered the school many years ago. Which of the two was the stronger?