Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Chapter 2177 A Standoff

Faced with this dark flame fireball that was enough to threaten the life of a late-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivator, Cao Feiyu finally took a half-step back for the first time. However, there was no fear in her eyes; instead, a sharp, sword-like glint flashed within them.

She no longer parried with her sword, but instead held the Autumn Water Sword upright in front of her, her left hand forming a sword shape with her fingers together, gently brushing the cold blade.

Heavenly Sword Technique: Annihilation Slash!

Time stood still for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, the dark red fireball, which contained terrifying destructive power, vanished silently from its center, inch by inch, like a bubble that had been punctured.

There was no explosion, no fire, only streams of pure yet chaotic fire elemental energy, which were completely reduced to nothingness by the annihilating intent at the tip of the sword.

"What?!" Yan Jin's pupils shrank, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face. One of his strongest killing moves had been so easily countered?

However, Cao Feiyu's sword did not stop.

After the fireball was shattered, the sword intent, carrying the Daoist essence of annihilation, followed the mysterious connection and the trajectory of the flames blasted out by Yan Jin, and surged upwards, directly targeting its main body.

Yan Jin was terrified and frantically channeled his Yuan Power. The glazed flames around him surged, creating one fire barrier after another in front of him, while he retreated rapidly.

But it was useless.

Cao Feiyu's sword locked onto everything about him. Wherever the sword intent passed, the fiery barrier was pierced and annihilated like paper, and the tip of the sword stopped steadily three inches in front of Yan Jin's throat.

The chilling sword intent sent shivers down Yan Jin's spine. All his movements came to an abrupt halt. The raging flames around him extinguished instantly, as if doused with ice water.

The training ground was deathly silent.

Only Cao Feiyu's clear, cold voice rang out, like pearls falling onto a jade plate: "Senior Brother Yan, you flatter me."

Yan Jin stood frozen, staring at the sword tip gleaming coldly before his throat, then at Cao Feiyu, whose expression remained calm. His face turned pale and then flushed. Finally, he sighed dejectedly, his aura completely dissipating, and said in a hoarse voice, "I... lost."

"The victor is Cao Feiyu of Cuiping Peak!"

Elder Qingxu's calm voice rang out at the opportune moment, breaking the silence in the room.

Cao Feiyu secured the first victory, and in a near-crushing fashion, defeated Yan Jin, the direct descendant of Xuanhuo Peak, known for his ferocious attacks. Her strength once again earned everyone's recognition and awe.

Cao Feiyu sheathed her sword, nodded slightly to Yan Jin, then turned and stepped back into the waiting area, standing beside Chen Fei once more. Her breathing was steady; the fierce battle hadn't drained her much energy.

Chen Fei smiled slightly at her and nodded. Cao Feiyu returned the smile, her eyes sparkling with a triumphant light, but it quickly subsided as she turned her gaze to the next battlefield that was about to begin.

However, before everyone could fully recover from the shock caused by Cao Feiyu, Elder Qingxu's voice rang out again, announcing the next duel:

"Class B Martial Arts Arena: Chen Fei vs. Ji Siqi!"

Upon hearing this, the spectators who were originally scattered across the three training grounds instantly surged towards the area around the training ground where Chen Fei and Ji Siqi were about to duel, as if drawn by an invisible magnet.

The crowd surged, and a cacophony of voices rose into the air.

"Chen Fei, it's Senior Brother Chen Fei's turn to go on stage."

"His opponent is Senior Brother Ji Siqi."

"Yesterday, Chen Fei defeated Wu Nianjiao with two punches. I wonder what will happen when he faces Senior Brother Ji Siqi today?"

"That was amazing! This was a true clash of titans."

Almost everyone's attention was focused on the figure in blue robes who was slowly walking towards the Bingzi Martial Arts Arena, and on his opponent, Ji Siqi, whose expression was solemn.

While the duel between Cao Feiyu and Yan Jin was certainly exciting, Chen Fei, this prodigy who appeared out of nowhere and whose physical body and array skills had reached an astonishing level, was the biggest focus of the entire arena at this moment.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating what astonishing methods this prodigy would display.

Just as the discussion was in full swing, a tall figure quietly appeared out of nowhere in the shadow of an ancient, gnarled pine tree near the edge of the cliff, on the outskirts of the crowd.

This person, dressed in a moon-white robe, stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly out of place amidst the surrounding clamor, yet possessing an aura that was impossible to ignore.

He stood there quietly, his gaze calmly fixed on the training ground.

However, when a sharp-eyed disciple inadvertently caught a glimpse of this figure, he was first stunned, and then couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice: "Feng... Senior Brother Feng? It's Senior Brother Feng Butong."

This soft exclamation instantly triggered a chain reaction among the nearby crowd.

"What? Senior Brother Feng is here?"

"Where is he? It really is Senior Brother Feng."

"Hiss... Even the top disciple has been alerted?"

More and more disciples followed the gaze and, after confirming the identity of the moon-white figure, their faces showed expressions of shock and excitement.

Feng Butong, the current chief disciple of the Dan Chen Sect, is an unparalleled genius who has never fallen from the top of the True Disciple Ranking since he ascended to the top. He is a terrifying existence at the half-step Heavenly Monarch Realm. In the hearts of countless Dan Chen Sect disciples, he is a legend, a benchmark, and an insurmountable peak.

Although today's final round brought together twenty prodigies, including many renowned figures, and the crowd of onlookers included many disciples rarely seen on ordinary days, Feng Butong's appearance carried a completely different weight and significance.

His presence itself represents an attitude, a concern for this showdown.

"Why would Senior Brother Feng come? With his cultivation level, he shouldn't be very interested in a duel of this level," a disciple whispered in confusion.

Someone nearby immediately realized and whispered, "You forgot? Senior Brother Chen Fei cultivates the Dao Xu Gui Zhen Jue. Senior Brother Feng also studied this technique in his early years. Now that Junior Brother Chen Fei has emerged out of nowhere and cultivated this notoriously difficult technique to such an astonishing level, it's only natural that Senior Brother Feng would come to watch the battle and find out what's going on."

"I see." The surrounding disciples all showed expressions of sudden realization.

Yes, back then, Senior Brother Feng became the number one disciple of the true lineage using the Dao Xu Gui Zhen Body.

"This is going to be even more interesting. With Senior Brother Feng watching the battle in person, won't Junior Brother Chen Fei feel even more pressure?"

"Pressure? I don't think so. How domineering were those two punches from Junior Brother Chen Fei yesterday? His willpower is probably far beyond our imagination."

Whispers quickly spread through the crowd, and everyone's gaze toward the C-character martial arts arena burned even brighter.

Feng Butong ignored the countless gazes directed at him from all around. His gaze calmly fell on the figure in blue robes in the training ground, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Only in the deepest recesses of his eyes did a fleeting glimmer of light appear, as if he had seen something interesting.

Inside the Bing-character martial arts arena, the surface paved with black jade and ebony gleamed, reflecting the sky and the surrounding crowd. A massive energy barrier had risen, isolating the inside from the outside and filtering out most of the noise.

Chen Fei stood quietly in the center of the field, his blue robe fluttering. His gaze swept over the crowd of onlookers with their varied expressions. Then, his eyes met the gaze of the pale-faced figure calmly cast from under the shadow of the ancient pine tree.

Seal it differently!

Although they had never met in person, Chen Fei recognized the other person almost immediately.

The faint, emanating Daoist aura that subtly resonated with the Dao Ruins Returning to Truth Technique... all clearly pointed to the same person, Feng Butong, the leading contemporary disciple of the Danchen Sect.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Feng Butong's face didn't show much expression; he simply nodded very slightly to Chen Fei in the room.

Chen Fei's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent, meeting Feng Butong's gaze with a gentle nod in return.

The silent communication was completed in an instant.

Chen Fei withdrew his gaze and looked back at his opponent in this battle, Ji Siqi.

Ji Siqi stood ten miles away opposite him, his sky-blue Taoist robe spotless, his eyes, which usually held a gentle smile, were now filled with solemnity.

Last night, Senior Brother Feng's assessment that "even if you and Ouyang Rui join forces, you still can't beat Chen Fei" still rings in my ears.

Ji Siqi was not an arrogant person, so for Senior Brother Feng to give such an evaluation, Chen Fei's strength must be terrifyingly greater than he had previously estimated.

Should we admit defeat?

The thought lingered in Ji Siqi's mind for only a moment before he ruthlessly extinguished it.

Do not!

Ji Siqi's success today is not solely due to talent, but also to an unwavering dedication to his path. Fear before the battle is simply not his style.

Do we lack even the courage to fight a powerful enemy?

"Whether we can win or not, we'll only know after we fight!"

A powerful fighting spirit surged within Ji Siqi. He took a deep breath, suppressing all distracting thoughts. At that moment, his eyes were fixed solely on Chen Fei opposite him.

"Junior Brother Chen Fei, please enlighten me." Ji Siqi bowed to Chen Fei from afar, his voice clear and neither humble nor arrogant.

Seeing the burning fighting spirit in Ji Siqi's eyes, Chen Fei nodded slightly and returned the greeting: "Senior Brother Ji, please."

An invisible aura began to clash and compress between the two. Although they hadn't yet made a move, the tense atmosphere had already made all the spectators outside the arena hold their breath.

Feng Butong remained standing quietly under the ancient pine tree, his gaze slowly sweeping over Chen Fei and Ji Siqi, finally settling on Ji Siqi's hands with slightly white knuckles.

Knowing they are no match, they still choose to draw their swords. That kind of spirit is not bad.

"The duel begins!"

Elder Qingxu's voice instantly shattered the tense silence within the Bingzi Martial Arts Arena.

Almost the instant the voice fell, Ji Siqi moved.

He knew that he could not hesitate in the slightest when facing a formidable enemy like Chen Fei. Therefore, he went all out from the start, holding nothing back.

Ji Siqi gave a low shout and swept his right hand across the air in front of him.

hum!

The space rippled like water, and a colossal object appeared out of thin air, crashing down on the ground in front of Ji Siqi with a dull thud, causing even the ground paved with black jade to tremble slightly.

It was a huge bronze cauldron with a dark gold color all over.

The bronze cauldron is about three zhang tall, with three legs and two handles. Countless complex and mysterious runes are engraved on its body, faintly emitting a heavy, strange medicinal fragrance and a scorching aura.

"The Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron is Senior Brother Ji's natal divine weapon."

"This cauldron is said to be able to contain earth fire, refine elixirs, and even set up arrays with elixir fire, making it incredibly powerful."

Ji Siqi's expression was solemn as he slammed his palm heavily onto the massive cauldron.

"Buzz!"

A strange, resonant sound suddenly spread out from the bronze cauldron, making the eardrums of the surrounding disciples buzz. The enormous Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron, with this palm strike, flipped in mid-air, its mouth turning from facing upwards to facing forwards, directly towards Chen Fei.

In the next instant, boundless crimson flames surged forth from the mouth of the inverted Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron, instantly filling half of the training ground. With a power that could scorch the heavens and boil the seas, they swept towards Chen Fei in an overwhelming manner.

This flame was a source of primordial earth fire, collected and nurtured by Ji Siqi over many years using special methods. Wherever the flame passed, the space was scorched and violently distorted.

As the raging inferno erupted, Ji Siqi continued his actions without pause, his right hand forming a sword-like gesture as he swiftly struck his own acupoint between his eyebrows.

"Duh!"

With a soft shout, a dazzling golden light suddenly shone between his brows, as if something had been stirred. At the same time, nine golden streams of light shot out from inside the inverted, flame-spitting Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron, along with the surging flames.

There were nine pills, each the size of a longan. The surface of the pills was naturally covered with mysterious pill patterns, and a rich, pungent medicinal fragrance instantly filled the air, even temporarily overpowering the scorching smell of the flames.

"It's a Nine-Turn Golden Core puppet refined by Senior Brother Ji."

"Based on the Golden Core and incorporating puppetry techniques, each one is equivalent to a battle puppet at the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm."

Sure enough, the nine golden pills that shot out spun around in the air, emitting a bright golden light.

Countless fine lines simultaneously cracked on the surface of the nine golden pills, and a surge of powerful golden energy and medicinal power erupted out, instantly transforming into nine humanoid figures.

"kill!"

Two crimson lights simultaneously shone from the empty eye sockets of the nine golden core puppets, locking onto the area engulfed by the sea of ​​fire, and their golden fire weapons pierced out from all directions.

Flames engulf the sky as the nine puppets launch their attack!

In the heart of the inferno, the figure in the green robe stood silently, completely unaware of the impending deadly crisis.

However, just as the tip of the first golden fire sword was about to touch his clothes, an aura that suppressed all heavens and returned all laws to nothingness suddenly erupted from the center of the sea of ​​fire.

"Buzz!"

A buzzing sound, seemingly emanating from the depths of the endless void, like the sigh of ancient gods and demons, instantly swept across the entire training ground. The crimson sea of ​​fire was forcibly repelled and suppressed by a force, swirling back.

In the center of the inferno, Chen Fei's figure finally became clear.

His body did not become particularly tall or imposing, but in everyone's perception, it filled the entire world.

Dao Xu's True Form!

Without a word, the four words naturally came to mind for everyone who witnessed this scene: Impervious to all laws, every gesture possesses the power of returning to nothingness.

Ji Siqi's pupils contracted sharply. Although he was mentally prepared, personally experiencing the desolate aura that made his soul feel oppressed still caused a storm of emotions to surge within him.

This aura, this power, was far more terrifying than he had anticipated.

However, the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released; the attack of the nine Golden Core puppets was already imminent.

Chen Fei raised his right hand, clenching his five fingers into a fist.

Then, facing forward, he threw a seemingly ordinary punch.

"Boom!"

As if in the beginning of chaos, when heaven and earth shattered, a terrifying force erupted from in front of his seemingly ordinary fist.

Wherever the fist struck, the space in front of it, like a shattered glass mirror, suddenly revealed countless fine spatial cracks.

The nine Golden Core puppets that charged forward had their golden fire weapons shatter and melt away the moment they came into contact with that invisible, immense force.

Their sturdy bodies, forged from golden cores and special materials, were thrown backward with screams at an even greater speed than when they charged.

Their bodies were covered with fine cracks, and their golden light was dim.

By merely manifesting his true form as Dao Xu and then delivering a seemingly ordinary punch, Ji Siqi's meticulously planned attack was utterly and irrevocably thwarted.

All eyes were fixed on the surging torrent of crimson flames and on Ji Siqi, whose face was pale within the torrent.

Beneath the ancient pine tree, a noticeable ripple finally appeared in Feng Butong's usually calm eyes.

"Ho!"

A low growl, squeezed from the deepest part of his chest, burst forth from Ji Siqi's throat.

Suddenly, an unnatural flush appeared on Ji Siqi's pale face. His eyes widened, and countless fine runes flashed in his pupils.

Instead of retreating, he took a step forward and grabbed one of the handles of the Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron in front of him, whose light had dimmed slightly due to the erupting flames.

Heaven and earth reverse, all laws return to their origin!

The veins on the back of Ji Siqi's hand bulged as he yanked the Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron towards himself, turning the cauldron's mouth so that it was no longer facing Chen Fei, but rather the surging torrent of flames and the puppet.

Buzz!

The Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron emitted a violent hum, and an incomparably powerful suction force surged out from the mouth of the cauldron, transforming into a vortex visible to the naked eye.

The torrent of crimson flames that surged back was pulled by this terrifying suction force and rushed wildly into the mouth of the huge cauldron.

Next came the nine Golden Core puppets, which had been blasted by the immense force and were now covered in cracks. They too transformed into nine streams of dark golden light and disappeared into the mouth of the cauldron one after another.

The Golden Elixir Returns to Oneness, Heaven and Earth Forge My Body!

Ji Siqi roared and slammed his hands down on the violently trembling Qiankun Medicine King Cauldron.

"Boom!"

A resounding, grand sound, like the grandest bell, emanated from the cauldron.

All the lit runes on the cauldron suddenly detached from the cauldron at this moment, turning into countless streams of light that rushed madly towards Ji Siqi's body, drilling into his pores and orifices.

The crimson earth vein fire that had been retrieved into the cauldron, as well as the nine shattered golden core puppets, were also summoned, transforming into nine streams of crimson and gold light, like nine angry dragons, roaring as they rushed out of the cauldron's mouth and plunged into Ji Siqi's body.

Ji Siqi trembled violently, his skin instantly turned blood red, and countless fine cracks appeared, as if magma and golden light were about to burst out from his body.

His muscles were bulging, stretching his Taoist robe taut. His skin was a mixture of dark gold and crimson. His eyes were crimson like lava in the left eye and brilliant gold like stars in the right. His hair stood on end and turned crimson gold as well.

A violent aura, a mixture of the power of alchemy, metal, medicine, and formations, suddenly erupted from Ji Siqi, distorting and causing the surrounding space to crackle and explode.

Judging solely from the sheer force and ferocity of its power, it even showed a hint of being able to rival the true form of Dao Xu. (End of Chapter)