Chapter 1700: Sparring

Han Li merely smiled at the remark, dismissing his abilities as minor and unworthy of praise, then slowly descended towards the small island.

Liu Shuier's eyebrows furrowed, and the questions she had intended to ask remained unspoken. She, too, transformed into a dazzling blue streak and descended.

Meanwhile, Shi Kun had already been waiting for a while at the center of the small island.

He had personally witnessed Han Li's recent display of magic in melting the ice wall, yet his expression remained remarkably calm, a stark contrast to his frenzied state during their earlier confrontation.

Han Li felt a jolt in his heart upon seeing the other's composure.

"We don't have much time," Shi Kun said with a grin as soon as Han Li and the other landed nearby. "Let's begin practicing the combined secret technique now."

Liu Shuier nodded and said, "Of course. However, this secret technique requires a primary and secondary role in its coordination. The specific roles will depend on the power of each person's Primordial Magnetic Divine Light. It's best for the person with the greatest power to lead this technique, as that will allow this divine ability to be utilized to its fullest. Let's each demonstrate the power of our Primordial Magnetic Divine Light first, then decide who leads and who assists."

"No problem, I had the same idea," Shi Kun replied, his eyes lighting up with a hint of excitement. "I've heard that Fairy Liu possesses an innate Primordial Magnetic Body, but I wonder who is stronger, compared to my acquired Primordial Magnetic Body."

"Perhaps each has its strengths," Liu Shuier calmly replied. "Although an innate Primordial Magnetic Body allows for effortless manipulation, it is extremely difficult to cultivate. It's not as advantageous as the acquired type you possess, which can easily become incredibly powerful with external aid."

"But an innate Primordial Magnetic Body holds the potential for further cultivation and advancement; how can an acquired one compare?" Shi Kun chuckled, turning to Han Li. "Moreover, I truly endured many hardships to cultivate this body. Fellow Daoist Han, I heard you're somewhat different from us. Is it true that you can only unleash this divine light by relying on a Primordial Magnetic treasure?"

"That's right," Han Li said with a light chuckle, dismissing the matter. "My Primordial Magnetic Divine Light certainly cannot compare to yours, so I won't participate in the comparison."

"Since Brother Han puts it that way, I won't insist," Shi Kun replied. After gazing at Han Li for a moment, he finally showed no intention of forcing the issue. "Fairy Liu, perhaps you and I should spar a bit."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuier moved without a word, slowly ascending and hovering about twenty feet above the ground.

It was unclear what her thoughts were, but she seemed particularly interested in Shi Kun's acquired Primordial Magnetic Body.

With a low shout, Shi Kun's body flashed with yellow light, and with a whoosh, he flew into mid-air, directly opposite the cloaked woman.

Han Li's figure blurred slightly, then he abruptly moved, leaving a series of afterimages as he reappeared over a hundred zhang away. He then looked expressionlessly towards the distant sky.

Although he had no interest in competing for the leading role in the combined secret technique, he was quite curious about the power of the other two's Primordial Magnetic Divine Light.

At that moment, Shi Kun, still airborne, let out a loud shout. His skin rapidly turned black, transforming him into a dark "stone man." As he formed a hand seal, the yellow light on his body instantly changed into a hazy gray glow.

This was the telltale sign of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light being unleashed.

"Fairy Liu, get ready!" Shi Kun exclaimed. Without forming any hand seals, he simply raised an arm, spread his five fingers, and made a grabbing motion at the empty space opposite him.

A loud whooshing sound filled the air!

A gray beam of light erupted from his palm, but as soon as it shot forth, it dispersed into thousands of fine gray threads.

A pervasive hissing sound filled the entire sky.

Witnessing this from below, Han Li slightly narrowed his eyes.

Seeing this, Liu Shuier unhurriedly formed a hand seal with one hand. Behind her graceful figure, a brilliant light suddenly erupted, and a similar gray glow shot skyward, forming a massive, slowly rotating light wheel, three to four zhang in diameter.

The center of the light wheel merely flickered, and then a swath of gray light surged forth, directly meeting the opposing light threads.

In an instant, the two collided and exploded.

Since both relied on the same fundamental power of Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, their various miraculous properties could not be fully utilized. Their strength could only be determined by a direct comparison of raw power.

However, as Han Li and the other two observed, after the explosion in the air, both the light threads and the gray glow simultaneously vanished, indicating a perfectly even match.

"Good, very good! Try to take my next move!" Shi Kun exclaimed with a hearty laugh, suddenly clapping his hands together in front of his chest.

Instantly, his dark body trembled, and the gray light on his surface became dazzlingly bright. He seemed to transform into a radiant gray sun, gleaming in the air, too brilliant to look at directly.

Facing him, Liu Shuier witnessed the scene, and her expression beneath the cloak became resolute. For the first time, she appeared serious. Without a word, she rapidly formed an unknown hand seal with both hands while simultaneously muttering incantations.

As a result, the gray light wheel behind her blurred slightly, then began to spin at an incredible speed. Countless runes surged forth from the wheel, rapidly shattering and reconfiguring.

In the blink of an eye, a massive, unknown rune gradually took shape at the center of the light wheel.

"Go!"

With a low shout, Shi Kun's two arms moved simultaneously, becoming a blur of countless phantom strikes aimed forward, as if hundreds of fists were thrown at once. Each fist's shadow, with a tremor, transformed into a head-sized gray orb of light that shot forward.

In an instant, hundreds of dazzling gray orbs of light surged overwhelmingly towards the cloaked woman. A loud whistling sound filled the air, and their momentum was astounding.

Faced with such a formidable attack, Liu Shuier merely let out a cold snort. With a finger as translucent as white jade, she lightly pointed towards her opponent.

The gray light wheel behind her suddenly hummed. With a tremor, it ceased rotating, and the massive rune shot forth from its center.

A peculiar scene unfolded.

As soon as the rune shot forth, it rapidly expanded in the wind, emitting a brilliant gray light. In just a few flashes, it transformed into a massive entity dozens of zhang in size, nearly obscuring a portion of the sky, before directly confronting the opposing gray orbs of light.

There was no sound.

The hundreds of gray orbs, upon striking the rune, simply flashed and vanished into it, as if swallowed by the sea, leaving no trace.

At this, Shi Kun, whose hands still flashed with gray light, and who had been prepared to launch a second wave of attack, immediately froze, stunned. After a long moment, he managed a wry smile.

"I give up," he said. "As expected of an innate Primordial Magnetic Body, it's simply beyond comparison to our acquired ones. With just this single move, you've already proven yourself invincible."

Shi Kun was quite direct. As soon as he realized he had no chance of winning, he immediately ceased his futile efforts, promptly conceded, and with a swift movement, returned to the ground.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, there's no need to be discouraged," Liu Shuier replied with a soft laugh. "Had your previous attack not been so astonishing, I wouldn't have unleashed this newly comprehended divine ability. In truth, regarding the fundamental power of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, your last strike was not much inferior to mine." She then pointed her finger again at the massive rune.

The rune, flashing with gray light, shattered piece by piece, finally rolling back as specks of spiritual light. It transformed into a stream of gray glow that re-entered the gray light wheel.

Then, with a gentle wave of her arm, the light wheel behind her mysteriously vanished in a flash. She, too, slowly drifted back down.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Liu, there's no need to flatter me," Shi Kun said frankly, unconcerned. "How could I not be clear about my own affairs? Just now, I exerted my full strength, while Fellow Daoist Liu's Primordial Magnetic Divine Light probably only used six or seven tenths of its power at most. It's hard to say for Fellow Daoist Han, but I, Shi, am far inferior to the fairy in this divine ability alone."

"Since Brother Shi himself admits he's no match for Fairy Liu, my Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, which relies on a mere external object, is naturally even less worth mentioning in terms of power," Han Li said with a half-smile after hearing Shi Kun's words.

Liu Shuier and Shi Kun naturally could not fully believe Han Li's words. However, if his Primordial Magnetic Divine Ability truly relied on a mere treasure, they reasoned it couldn't possibly compare to their own.

The two immediately exchanged a few more polite remarks and showed no further intention of testing Han Li.

What they didn't know, however, was that Han Li's "treasure" was actually an entire Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain; otherwise, they would never have thought such a thing.

Following this exchange, the roles for the combined secret technique were naturally decided: Liu Shuier would take the lead, with Han Li and Shi Kun assisting.

The three immediately set up a large illusion array nearby. After subtly concealing the island's desolate state and making it appear normal, they began practicing their coordination.

Over ten days passed in a flash.

During this period, no other people or sea beasts passed near the small island, and no accidents occurred.

After another three or four days, the illusion array covering the small island suddenly dispersed. Three figures then rose from the island, instantly appearing high in the sky.

These three figures were, of course, Han Li and his companions.

The cloaked woman's eyes subtly conveyed joy, Han Li's expression was calm, and Shi Kun looked indifferent.

It appeared their cultivation on the island had progressed very smoothly.

"I didn't expect that cultivating this combined technique of Primordial Magnetic Divine Light would be so smooth," Liu Shuier remarked with some emotion. "The three of us can already control it perfectly in just over ten days."

"Hehe, this is primarily due to Fellow Daoist Liu's exceptional comprehension of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, which far surpasses ours," Shi Kun chuckled. "This cooperative cultivation of the technique has greatly benefited both me and Fellow Daoist Han."

"Indeed," Han Li added with a smile. "I also didn't expect this Primordial Magnetic Divine Light to have so many variations. I truly must thank Fairy Liu for her generous teachings."

"You two fellow daoists are too polite," Liu Shuier replied with a light chuckle. "I was only able to achieve these insights due to possessing an innate Primordial Magnetic Body. I'm sure if you two also had such conditions, you would comprehend far more than I have."

"The three of us don't need to be so polite anymore," Shi Kun said casually. "Let's quickly go find that forbidden ruins. On this sea surface, we can't determine our current location; we must first reach land to figure out our next itinerary."

Hearing Shi Kun's suggestion, Han Li and Liu Shuier naturally had no objections.

Immediately, the three activated their escape lights and set off in a chosen direction, soaring through the air.