The next day, it was time for the matches which several peoples were eager to watch, including Lin Mu and his companions.
Particularly, Lin Mu's interest was in Su Zian.
He was said to be the son of General Su, who was the second general of the Huiqing Empire. He was of the same status as Steel Horned General Niu Juo and guarded the empire while Niu Juo was gone.
As such, Su Zian had an excellent upbringing and was also a Captain in the Huiqing Empire's army.
"It's starting." Luo Liqin said, bringing everyone's attention to the Formation screen.
He himself held the Betting Pavilions formation plate to enter the bets and was ready.
"Let's see…" Lin Mu muttered while his own Immortal sense was present in the Spatial plane.
Other than Su Zian's match, the other three matches were relatively straightforward with average cultivators for this level. Lin Mu merely needed to sway the bets in the favor of one of the contestants while letting the other win to get the most profits from betting.
And having done this several times now, Lin Mu could both watch the fight and control his immortal sense at the same time. Using the Sutras became rather smooth too, and he felt like he was actually progressing with them.
The matches progressed steadily and Lin Mu began his work.
Su Zian was also fighting and his style could be described in two words, direct and clean. He preferred using a Halberd as a weapon but was also proficient in Fist and palm skills which he used in conjuration to the spear.
And by the time the fight was over, Lin Mu got a good grasp on him.
'He's basically the ideal expert of the Orthodox path.' Lin Mu understood.
Su Zian's proficiency with the Halberd was obtained from rigorous practice as well as thorough comprehension. There were no secrets or mysteries with him.
'It'll be good practice to fight him.' Lin Mu was actually excited to fight the man and hoped that they would get the chance.
Lin Mu reckoned he would be able to use his pure skills more and even be stimulated further. He also hoped to get some insights from the fight as Su Zian used Halberds. They fell into the same category as Spears and both had similar skills.
Lin Mu himself hadn't used spears for a while since the Black Thorn Spear wasn't adequate anymore. As for an Immortal Spear, Lin Mu was yet to find one.
But then again, he was satisfied with the weapons he had currently. Wonder Seeker, Afternoon Pine and Ocean Raker were already enough for him to use for the most part. The rest was complimented by his other skills along with his body cultivation.
Lin Mu thought about it all, while also continuing to interfere in the fights.
An hour passed like this before the cycle of four fights also came to an end.
"That should be it." Lin Mu said, withdrawing his immortal sense.
"That was good work, Brother Mu Lin." Luo Liqin said while putting away the formation plate.
"Mmhmm, now we don't have many fights left." Lin Mu replied.
The cycle of waiting began again, while Lin Mu resumed his lessons. He even added new things that he had observed from Su Zian's fight to the lessons. Qian Wen and Lu Xu were particularly interested as they had similar styles compared to Su Zian.
The next day arrived, and the fights were also announced.
This time both Lu Xu and Ming Aolian had fights in the same cycle. Thankfully they weren't facing each other, but different cultivators.
And when it was time for the fights, it was safe to say that both of them won. But only Ming Aolian actually ended up needing Lin Mu's assistance. Lu Xu had won with his own skills, much to the surprise of everyone.
Of course, he attributed it all to Lin Mu's lessons as he had significantly improved due to them. He was able to figure out the flaws in the opponent's moves and could react faster than before.
Due to the tactics that Lin Mu had taught them, they didn't need to think much and could rapidly adapt themselves in combat. After all, what Lin Mu had taught was just theoretical, but now that they were applying it in practical fights, it was becoming clear to them.
With three of Lin Mu's companions having survived in this stage, the rest of the matches basically became a relaxed time for them.
Days passed in the blink of an eye and the number of contestants had been cut from 64 to just 32.
"The Tournament of the Four Guardian beasts will resume tomorrow!" The elder of the temple announced after the last fight.
"Seems like things will now speed up." Qian Wen spoke.
"Indeed. Now that there are just 32 people left, merely four days is enough for them to finish this stage." Luo Liqin replied. "The betting pavilion seems to be prepared for it too, as the bets have already changed." He added.
"That's good. It just means our goals are coming closer." Lin Mu said as he finished his tea.
Done with that he stood up before speaking, "I'll come back later."
"Sure, Brother Mu Lin." Lu Xu said. "I'll also go check some things out."
"I guess we all can leave for now. We'll gather tomorrow when it is time." Qian Wen suggested.
"Yeah, let's do that." Ming Aolian agreed while Ming Dandan nodded.
With that, the group of companions separated, each doing their own thing for the day.
Lin Mu headed to the Hundred Fruits Courtyard. The familiar scent of fruits and flowers soothed his senses just as he entered it.
And when he saw the Saintess and the twin snakes, he felt even better, as a stream of peaceful joy filled his heart again.
"I'm back, Saintess, Xiao Yin, Xiao Yang." Lin Mu called out.
The Saintess glanced at him before asking, "Are you going to cook?"
"Of course!" Lin Mu said with excitement before calling out Little Shrubby as well. "Let's get to work Little Shrubby!"
