With the help of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, Zhang Xuan swiftly raised his cultivation with the help of the Earth Vein Spirit Essence.
Due to the high concentration of spiritual energy in the Earth Vein Spirit Essence, the rate at which he could absorb it was much faster than using spirit stones.
However, even though he had advanced swiftly from Ethereal Treading realm to Chrysalis realm, the demand for spiritual energy was simply too great.
He had obtained a huge amount of Earth Vein Spirit Essence from the Cloudmist Ridge, but he had already depleted nearly a third of it!
"The higher my cultivation, the greater the demand for spiritual energy. Even though the Earth Vein Spirit Essence is rich in spiritual energy, its purity is still lacking …"
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
The Earth Vein Spirit Essence was a rare treasure, but its purity was lacking. It might not be much for saint beasts or other cultivators, but it would be a waste for him to use it.
The Heaven's Path Divine Art had a high requirement on the purity of spiritual energy.
If he were to use the Earth Vein Spirit Essence to raise his cultivation, he might not even be able to utilize a tenth of it, and the remaining ninety percent would be wasted!
"It seems like I won't be able to use the Earth Vein Spirit Essence for my cultivation anymore. If it comes down to it, I should sell it …"
Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.
The effectiveness of the Earth Vein Spirit Essence was already starting to wane. If he were to continue using it, it would only be a waste. Since that was the case, the saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge wouldn't have gone to such lengths to protect it.
It might be useless to him, but to others, it was an invaluable treasure. Otherwise, the saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge wouldn't have gone to such lengths to protect it.
Thus, Zhang Xuan began to analyze his newfound strength.
Thus, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to studying his newfound strength.
From Ethereal Treading realm primary stage to Chrysalis realm primary stage, the strength of his zhenqi had increased by nearly twofold, rising from 17,000,000 ding to 29,000,000 ding!
(Chrysalis realm primary stage 25,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 28,000,000 ding, advanced stage 31,000,000 ding, pinnacle 34,000,000 ding!) Factoring in the 20,000,000 ding from his soul cultivation and 16,000,000 ding from his physical body, his strength was already on par with a Chrysalis realm advanced stage expert!
(Nascent Saint primary stage 60,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 65,000,000 ding, advanced stage 70,000,000 ding, pinnacle 35,000,000 ding!) (Nascent Saint primary stage 60,000,000 ding, intermediate stage 65,000,000 ding, advanced stage 70,000,000 ding, pinnacle 75,000,000 ding!)
In other words, even though he was only at Chrysalis realm primary stage, his fighting prowess was already on par with a Nascent Saint intermediate stage expert!
"That fellow probably won't be a match for me anymore!"
He chuckled softly.
Although Brother Lu wasn't weak, he was no match for him.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Zhang Xuan began reinforcing his cultivation and pushing his aura to its peak. Only then did he open his eyes and look at the other party.
Brother Lu's injuries were more or less healed, and his aura was sharper than before, giving off a strong sense of oppression.
It seemed that the other party had also used some kind of powerful secret technique to restore his body to its peak state and prepare for battle.
"This fellow … isn't easy to deal with!"
Zhang Xuan sighed.
Under normal circumstances, given how much weaker he was, the other party should not have paid any heed to him at all. Yet, the other party had actually adjusted his state of mind, not daring to underestimate him in the slightest … Just this state of mind alone was something that most cultivators were incapable of.
He clearly had the strength, but he was still able to maintain his composure. That was the most commendable thing.
"I'm done recovering. Friend, are you ready?"
After an unknown period of time, Brother Lu exhaled deeply, raised his eyebrows, and shot to his feet.
Although his face was still a little pale, his essence, energy and spirit had reached its peak, much stronger than before.
"Of course!"
With a smile, Zhang Xuan stood up.
"Let's begin. Take out your weapon …"
With a flick of his wrist, Brother Lu whipped out another sword.
As an expert of his caliber, there was no doubt that he would have more than one sword in his possession.
"Alright …" Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan whipped out a sword.
Glacier Rain Sword!
"A Half-Saint artifact?"
Seeing the sword being unsheathed and a surge of cold air gushing toward him, Brother Lu's lips twitched, and he nearly failed to hold back his zhenqi.
Yet another Half-Saint artifact that fellow casually whipped out … Does your family own a weapon shop?
Why do you have so many good items?
With a reddened face, Brother Lu asked, "Your sword is too sharp … Can you change to another one?"
The sword in his hand was only a Spirit pinnacle artifact, so there was a huge difference between it and the other party's Half-Saint artifact. If they were to fight, just the sharpness of the sword would be able to raise the other party's fighting prowess by at least fifty percent.
"You want to change to another one?" Zhang Xuan frowned.
When he asked the Byzantium Helios Beast to go up against him, he said that beast tamers were no match for him. When he asked Jin Yuan Ding to go up against him, he said that Saint-tier artifacts were no match for him. Now, the other party was going to take out a Half-Saint artifact and be so picky.
"You have just been injured. You will surely feel indignant if I use a Half-Saint artifact on you …"
Even though Brother Lu felt a little stifled, he still nodded in agreement. He scanned his surroundings before reaching forward to pluck an object. With a light chuckle, he said, "I will use this to fight you!"
"Foxtail grass?"
Hu Yaoyao and the others staggered.
The object that Zhang Xuan had just plucked was a slender foxtail grass.
You want to use this as a duel?
The other party is a Half-Saint, and no ordinary Half-Saint at that! Even if you have achieved a breakthrough, surely you don't have to resort to such means?
This is really a huge blow!
Seeing through their worries, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly as he placed the foxtail grass between his index and middle fingers. With a drive of his zhenqi, the curved foxtail grass immediately straightened, reminiscent of a sword.
"Once one's swordsmanship reaches a profound level, even grass, wood, bamboo, and stone can be used as a sword. It's true that this is a foxtail grass, but if I use it well, it will be able to wield strength far beyond that of a mere weed!"
With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan's foxtail grass sliced the tree trunk that the Byzantium Helios Beast had tossed away earlier, and the thick tree trunk was immediately sliced into two.
"What pure zhenqi …"
Brother Lu narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
Even though the other party was wielding a foxtail grass, he was actually using his zhenqi as the edge of a sword. To make his zhenqi as sharp as a real sword … how pure must it be?
At the very least, Brother Lu was unable to do so!
"Let's begin!"
Knowing that the other party's strength wouldn't be reduced by much even if he were to use a foxtail grass, Brother Lu roared furiously as he charged forward.
Weng!
Sword qi burst forth from his body as he exerted his full strength. He didn't underestimate the other party just because he was weaker than the other party and had only used a foxtail grass.
"Good!"
With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan didn't bother dodging. Instead, the foxtail grass in his hand morphed into a sword qi and pierced toward the other party's armpit.
This time, he was aiming for the other party's empty spot.
Most swordsmen would find their armpit empty once they drew their sword. It was just a matter of how fast or slow they were. This was also the reason why this spot was often used to deal with expert swordsmen. Many experts had already trained this empty spot to be the most heavily guarded spot.
Brother Lu was no exception.
Huala!
Even though he was perplexed as to why the other party would use such a basic move against him, he didn't dare to underestimate the other party. With a light flick of his wrist, he sealed the other party's sword qi, and at the same time, he sent a burst of sword qi toward Zhang Xuan's glabella.
It was a move of defense and counterattack, turning passivity into initiative!
"Not bad, it's not too bad, but … it's still a little lacking!"
With a frown, Zhang Xuan flicked the foxtail grass in his hand, and the situation abruptly changed. As if a rope, the foxtail grass was bent at a ninety-degree angle.
"What?"
Brother Lu's eyes narrowed, and his face paled.
Putting aside the fact that his defense was rendered useless, more importantly, the tip of the foxtail grass was aimed at a major acupoint on his chest. If he were to be struck by it without dodging, there was a good chance that he would sustain severe injuries on the spot!
After all, the other party had used the foxtail grass to easily chop apart the log on the ground.
"Retreat!"
Not daring to hesitate, Brother Lu hurriedly retreated several steps.
"Hehe!"
Seeing Brother Lu retreat, Zhang Xuan seemed to have expected this. He took a step forward, and with a flick of his foxtail grass, the foxtail grass abruptly changed from left to right, and the tip of the foxtail grass pierced toward Brother Lu's throat.
There wasn't the slightest hindrance in this maneuver. It was a smooth and beautiful maneuver.
It might seem carefree to others, but in Brother Lu's eyes, it was no different from the King of Hell. If he didn't retreat, his throat would surely be pierced.
Brother Lu's face paled, and he continued retreating.
Zhang Xuan continued advancing, and the foxtail grass in his palm danced once more. This time, it wasn't aimed at Brother Lu's throat but the Shanzhong acupoint on his chest.
Brother Lu retreated once more.
Like a flexible sword, the foxtail grass in Zhang Xuan's hand danced around casually, slowly finding the flaws in the Half-Saint swordsmanship. Frightened, Brother Lu was forced to retreat step by step, unable to retaliate at all.
From the start until now, the foxtail grass and the sword hadn't collided even once.
"How powerful …"
Hu Yaoyao, Dong Xin, and the others glanced at one another, and they felt their throats turning dry.
They had thought that Brother Lu was already a formidable opponent, such that even ordinary Nascent Saints wouldn't be a match for him. However, after seeing Zhang Shi's actions, they realized that he was the true expert.
Not only was he able to withstand the other party's Spirit pinnacle with a foxtail grass, he was even able to force the other party to retreat. Just how deep must one's understanding of swordsmanship be in order to achieve such a feat?
"It seems like … Brother Lu is going to lose for sure …"
Xue Zhenyang clenched his fists tightly.
All along, he had thought that the other party wouldn't be a match for him in terms of weapons, but at this very moment, he realized that the gap between the two of them could no longer be measured in kilometers.
They were on completely different levels.
It was fortunate that he had acknowledged Zheng Yang as his teacher back then, thus becoming his grandstudent. Otherwise, if he had really gone to provoke the other party, he would surely have been pummeled to the point where even his own father wouldn't be able to recognize him.
This was too fearsome!
Peng!
While everyone was still in shock, they saw Brother Lu retreating until he reached the wall. His back was against the wall, and he had nowhere else to go.
Hu!
Unable to retreat anymore, the foxtail grass in Zhang Xuan's hand finally stopped just above Brother Lu's heart, and it seemed as if it would pierce through his heart at any moment.
"I have lost …"
Brother Lu's face turned as pale as a sheet of paper. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he knew that he had been utterly defeated.
"Thank you for going easy on me!"
With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and the foxtail grass in his hand finally succumbed to the pressure. It broke into eight pieces and fell to the ground.
Watching the battle between the two, Wu Xu's lips quivered, and his vision darkened. "132 swords, but he didn't even manage to clash with the other party once! Brother Lu was forced to retreat 77 steps before abandoning his sword and admitting defeat … "
"Is that … still a human?"
(Cheering for Alliance Leader [Enchanting Smile]! Everyone, you are amazing! You are already in eighth place, and we will continue tomorrow. Are there any monthly votes left? There are still nine alliance leaders who haven't added their chapters yet. Laoya said that he would definitely finish adding their chapters by the end of this month, so don't give me a break! Hahaha!!)
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