Chapter 138: Sparring

After an hour-long lecture on Dao scripts, Xu Chen felt his head spinning. The crux of the matter was that he still needed to spend another hour afterwards to comprehend those Dao scripts.

Watching Li Chenghu and Zong Changshou, who both wore enraptured expressions, Xu Chen suddenly felt that attending the lectures alone was actually quite nice.

In a brightly lit study, Xu Chen was transcribing the Dao scripts he had learned today.

Ever since he realized that the higher-grade cultivation techniques and divine abilities were all recorded using Dao scripts, he understood one fundamental truth: there were no slackers on the path of the Great Dao.

Nowadays, cultivation took up only a small fraction of his day, while the rest of the time was dedicated to studying Dao scripts.

As summer transitioned into autumn, the green mountains surrounding the Daoist temple had transformed into autumnal hues.

The autumn breeze was slightly chilly, carrying the first hints of desolation.

Inside the temple grounds, Xu Chen slowly withdrew his cultivation technique.

"As expected of the most difficult qi-and-blood foundation-establishment method, though I am getting close to mastering the basics."

Just as Xu Chen was about to head to the Human Realm for his Dao script lecture, the Junior Patriarch came to visit.

At this moment, with every inhalation and exhalation of the Junior Patriarch, a rhythm seemingly containing the rhyme of the Dao could be sensed.

A faint, dangerous aura emanated from the Junior Patriarch's body.

"Junior Patriarch, have the Nine Transformations of the Candle Dragon reached perfection?" Xu Chen asked.

"They are complete. I am preparing to advance to the Precious Body realm and came to let you know that I might be in closed-door seclusion for a period of time." The Junior Patriarch sat down on a bench in the corner of the courtyard.

"You could have just sent a message about this, Junior Patriarch; there was no need to make a special trip."

"It's like this: in a few days, the Spirit Flower clan, the Tricolored Fox clan, and the Golden-Armored Thunder Ox clan are bringing their most outstanding qi-and-blood realm prodigies over for an exchange."

"There will definitely be sparring matches when the time comes."

"I understand. You go into seclusion, Junior Patriarch, and I'll handle the fights." Xu Chen's expression showed complete understanding. Wasn't it just a fight? How simple could it be?

"I came here specifically to tell you not to wipe them out in a single move; it would look too unseemly."

"For the strongest ones, keep it within ten moves; for the weaker ones, five moves," the Junior Patriarch said with seasoned experience.

"Understood, that's easy." Xu Chen nodded.

"I am about to advance to the Precious Body realm, and seeing how fast your strength has been progressing lately, would you like to have a match in the Human Realm?" The Junior Patriarch smiled slightly.

Hearing this, Xu Chen felt a stirring of interest. With his current strength, it was actually quite difficult to find an evenly matched opponent.

"Alright, I'll use a saber."

"What weapon will you use, Junior Patriarch?"

"Mystic Crystal Hammers." The Junior Patriarch flashed a grin.

The two returned to their respective immortal caves, agreeing to meet in the Human Realm.

The Human Realm, within a small world dedicated exclusively to sparring matches.

"Boom!!"

Wielding a pair of Mystic Crystal Hammers, the Junior Patriarch put Xu Chen in a state of utter frustration and oppression.

Leveraging the impact to retreat dozens of steps, Xu Chen wore a mask of pure agony on his face.

"Junior Patriarch, when did you learn to use hammers? You never used them in the Primordial Ancient Battlefield," Xu Chen asked.

"Before entering the Primordial Ancient Battlefield, these two Mystic Crystal Hammers were too cumbersome, and since I had just started practicing with them, they weren't convenient to use."

"Come, let's continue! Take this hammer of mine!"

The Junior Patriarch churned his qi and blood, conjuring a phantom of the Candle Dragon that roared across the heavens and earth.

Xu Chen swung his saber to continue the fight.

Endless streams of saber light surged toward the Junior Patriarch like a long river, but alas, the pair of Mystic Crystal Hammers broke through cleverness with sheer force.

Even though Xu Chen had pushed his own qi and blood and secret techniques to their absolute limits, he still found no way to counter the Junior Patriarch.

"Bang!!"

Shockwaves rippled outward in expanding rings.

Taking advantage of the moment Xu Chen leaped into the air, the Junior Patriarch erupted with fierce momentum, thrusting a hammer upward with all his might to launch Xu Chen directly into mid-air.

Just as Xu Chen was mid-air trying to dissipate the kinetic force, the Junior Patriarch violently burst forward, his figure appearing directly above Xu Chen.

Charging both hammers with power, they carried the oppressive momentum of a myriad pressing mountains.

"Junior Patriarch, that move is formidable."

"However, it still needs more practice."

Suspended in mid-air, Xu Chen erupted with all his qi-and-blood power in an extremely bizarre posture, slashing a single saber strike downward toward the earth.

Rumble!

A massive shockwave surged up from the ground. Using this ascending wave to steady his posture, Xu Chen stepped through the empty air directly above the Junior Patriarch.

"Myriad-Thunder Devouring Slash!!"

This was the strongest saber technique Xu Chen had learned from watching the second Holy Sun Precious Body avatar. Originally it had no name, which felt lacking in aura, so he had simply made one up on the spot.

Resembling lightning tearing through the void, Xu Chen brought his saber down in a fierce slash.

Right at that moment, the Junior Patriarch in mid-air twisted his body and hurled both Mystic Crystal Hammers directly at Xu Chen.

Xu Chen poured all his remaining strength into his slash, cleaving into the Junior Patriarch, but the two hammers thrown by the Junior Patriarch smashed squarely into his face.

"Bang!!"

Xu Chen's head burst into a mist of blood, and his body plummeted toward the earth below.

The Junior Patriarch was cleaved in two by Xu Chen's saber strike, the violent force causing his body to disintegrate mid-air.

The arena's small world shattered, and the two met inside a small world filled entirely with cascading light screens.

This was the designated space for post-match review and analysis.

At that moment, the final sequence played in a loop on the light screen.

"If you had been just a little more careful, you might have won," the Junior Patriarch said, looking at the headless corpse of Xu Chen falling in the projection.

"This was the best result I could possibly produce."

"For that single slash, I exhausted all my qi and blood as well as my life force; even if I had reacted, I couldn't have blocked it."

The scene repeated, and Xu Chen pointed at the final saber strike he had unleashed.

"Your combat talent is the strongest I have ever seen; even that most monstrous Daoist friend Xiao cannot compare to you," the Junior Patriarch said solemnly, looking at Xu Chen.

"Haha, thank you for the praise, Junior Patriarch," Xu Chen said happily.

Having finished their spar, the Junior Patriarch exited the Human Realm first.

Myriad Dao Mountain, Classroom Small World, Xu Chen continued attending his lectures.

Li Chenghu and Zong Changshou were already in their seats.

Xu Chen found a spot to sit as well and opened the recorded lecture. "Tell me, how many contribution points would it cost to invite a true immortal to lecture in person?" Xu Chen suddenly asked out of curiosity.

"A hundred contribution points per class, and if a Golden Immortal mighty figure is willing to lecture, you can ask questions freely for an hour," Li Chenghu answered swiftly.

"Is that really the going rate?" Zong Changshou asked doubtfully.

"In my younger and more reckless days, I made a slight inquiry," Li Chenghu said somewhat bashfully.

After exchanging these few words, the three of them began to focus intently on the lecture.

Once the class ended, Xu Chen returned to the study in the floating island fairyland to copy the Dao scripts.

Three days passed in this manner.

Until the fourth day, while Xu Chen was cultivating, Butler Bai's figure appeared outside the array formation.

Xu Chen opened the entrance to the formation.

"Sister Bai, long time no see," Xu Chen greeted with a smile.

Being addressed as Sister Bai by Xu Chen caught Butler Bai somewhat off guard and flattered.

"My lord, please just call me Xiao Bai from now on," Butler Bai said respectfully.

"Sister Bai, no need to be so formal. You helped me out in the past, after all."

"Have the prodigies from those three clans arrived?"

Butler Bai nodded.

"The qi-and-blood realm prodigies of the three clans have already begun sparring. The elder asked me to remind you to prepare."

"Then let's go. Who is the strongest among them?" Xu Chen asked casually as he followed Butler Bai.

"From the Spirit Flower clan, a woman named Baihua Yaran, possessed of the strength of nine dragons and five tigers, with unrivaled swordsmanship."

"With a single flower, she suppresses the prodigies of the other two clans."

"I investigated, and the qi-and-blood foundation-establishment method Baihua Yaran practices is..."

Butler Bai was about to spill everything she knew, but Xu Chen stopped her.

"There's no need to go to such trouble."

In the Illusion Valley of the Great Stream Sect, several Mystic Immortal elders of the Great Stream Sect along with Mystic Immortals from the other three clans were chatting and laughing while watching the sparring matches between the qi-and-blood realm prodigies of the four factions.

On a giant light screen, Baihua Yaran, holding a tricolor hundred-flower sword, looked with utter disdain at the Tricolored Fox clan woman kneeling before her.

"You are too weak; your qi-and-blood power is unstable, your every move is scattered and devoid of spirit, completely lacking any murderous intent."

"Did the Tricolored Fox clan bring you out just to act as a joke?"

A faint orchid fragrance permeated the entire battlefield, and the kneeling Tricolored Fox clan maiden tremblingly raised a hand, expending all her remaining strength to shatter her own heart meridian.

The illusionary world shattered, bringing the match to an end.

"As expected of a clan's qi-and-blood realm prodigy, the combat was quite spectacular."

"In our sect, there are only two who could compare to her in strength," a Mystic Immortal elder exclaimed in admiration.

At that moment, Baihua Yaran walked out of the illusion array and bowed toward the Mystic Immortal elders seated on the high platform.

"Though unworthy, this junior wishes to witness the qi-and-blood realm prodigies of the Upper Sect."

"We knew you would say that, and hasn't he arrived?"

Just then, led by Butler Bai, Xu Chen walked into Illusion Valley.

Instantly, the Great Stream Sect disciples watching from the sidelines—whether human or non-human—all erupted in a stir.

They had originally thought the Junior Patriarch would show up, but they hadn't expected it to be Xu Chen.

Upon arriving at Illusion Valley, Xu Chen first bowed to the Mystic Immortal elders seated on the platform.

"Greetings, Elders."

"The Junior Patriarch has already spoken to you, hasn't he?"

"This is Baihua Yaran, the strongest qi-and-blood realm prodigy among the three clans. You may spar and exchange pointers with her," the Mystic Immortal elder seated in the primary position said kindly.

"Understood." Xu Chen lowered his head slightly and bowed respectfully.

"I wish to spar and exchange pointers with the Junior Patriarch." Baihua Yaran glanced arrogantly at Xu Chen before lifting her gaze back to the Mystic Immortal elder.

She knew this person before her had emerged from the Primordial Ancient Battlefield, and the aura emanating from him was comparable to her own.

Although such a prodigy was rare to encounter, she hoped to test herself against an even stronger opponent.

"Very well. If you can defeat my Great Stream Sect's direct disciple, Xu Chen, in a sparring match, I will allow the Junior Patriarch to step forward."

Over on the other side of Illusion Valley, the prodigies of the Tricolored Fox clan and the Golden-Horned Thunder Ox clan had gathered together.

"That guy should be quite strong, possessing at least the qi-and-blood strength of nine dragons; he might actually hold his own against that Baihua Yaran," the Golden-Armored Thunder Ox prodigy muttered heavily.

"That little bitch Baihua is a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy of the Spirit Flower clan, possessed of Saint-grade aptitude."

"She is arrogant and conceited. That handsome man looks very strong, but he might still be no match for that little bitch Baihua."

The stunningly beautiful Tricolored Fox clan prodigy violently wagged her tails behind her, her expression extremely displeased.

Xu Chen glanced at Baihua Yaran. She was very beautiful, and a faint orchid fragrance accented her aloof and cold demeanor.

The human and the flower stepped into the illusion array together.

Moments later, their figures appeared within the illusion world.

On the large screen suspended above Illusion Valley, the figures of Xu Chen and Baihua Yaran also materialized.

Amidst a sea of seven-colored flowers, Baihua Yaran drew her longsword and pointed it straight at Xu Chen.

"Offense taken."

Turning into an illusory blur, Baihua Yaran lunged forward with her sword aimed at Xu Chen.

"She has some skill; no wonder her gaze was so haughty."

Watching Baihua Yaran charge toward him, Xu Chen casually waved a palm outward.

"Clang!!"

A slash of sword light cleaved through the air as Baihua Yaran attempted to shatter Xu Chen's incoming force.

Seeing this sword strike, Xu Chen shook his head slightly.

At this level of skill, even fighting his nine-dragon strength would be a struggle.

"Boom!"

Xu Chen's force deftly bypassed Baihua Yaran's sword strike and sent her flying backward.