Chapter 1236: Sharpening Stone

Seeing Lu Ye endure his lightning strike with seemingly no significant harm, the spellcaster frowned slightly. He saw clearly that the moment his lightning power attacked, the swordsman had somehow managed to form a thick layer of protection where the strike landed, neutralizing most of the lightning's force. This was the crucial point.

The spellcaster wasn't overly concerned. The confrontation had only just begun, and since he could gain an advantage, he could quickly turn it into a decisive victory!

Seeing the swordsman charge at him again, undeterred, the spellcaster calmly waved his fan, unleashing lightning bolts.

Lu Ye dashed like a wolf and boar, swinging his long blade to unleash arcs of sword light that met the wind blades and fireballs mid-air. He weaved and dodged, constantly closing in on his opponent.

Explosions continuously erupted as sword light clashed with wind blades and fireballs, creating a chaotic surge of spiritual energy.

However, each time he neared the spellcaster's defensive perimeter, a lightning strike would suddenly assault him from the front, without warning, blasting him back and nullifying all his efforts.

The scene looked as if Lu Ye was pushing against a relentless tide of spells, moving against the flow, only to be repeatedly knocked away.

His opponent's lightning strikes were key. Without them, Lu Ye felt he could easily break through the spellcaster's fan-based blockade. Once he closed the distance, he could control the pace of the battle.

But dealing with lightning strikes was a truly vexing problem. Lightning spells were notoriously fast; by the time you saw one, it had already reached you, leaving no room for advance evasion.

Therefore, the only option was to target the spellcaster himself, the one casting the lightning!

Lightning spells were indeed incredibly fast, but everything had its pros and cons; it was impossible to have all advantages. Lightning spells had one undeniable drawback: they were difficult to control.

Unlike wind blades or fireballs, which the spellcaster could still manipulate after casting, lightning was a purely linear attack once unleashed. Even the caster couldn't guide it.

In other words, it couldn't turn corners!

Lu Ye had encountered spellcasters capable of lightning spells in Kyushu before. Of course, their power and mastery of magic couldn't compare to this corpulent spellcaster in front of him, but the principle remained the same.

So, as long as he found the right method, he would eventually find a way to counter it.

Time and again, he charged forward, only to be repelled by lightning. Finally, Lu Ye began to discern a pattern.

When the spellcaster again unleashed a lightning strike to push him back, Lu Ye abruptly shifted direction preemptively. However, the anticipated lightning didn't arrive. Looking at the spellcaster, a meaningful smile played on his lips. The moment Lu Ye's movement briefly paused, the lightning burst forth.

This scoundrel... was truly cunning!

Lu Ye thought he had found a pattern, but in reality, it was merely a pattern the spellcaster had allowed him to find. In other words, it was a deliberately exposed weakness, a long-planned trap!

He wondered how many people the spellcaster had deceived with such tactics.

This lightning strike was more powerful than all the previous ones; the energy it contained was far beyond what a few hastily constructed defensive spirit patterns could withstand.

While Lu Ye was searching for a way to counter the spellcaster's lightning, the spellcaster was also observing Lu Ye. He was confident that this long-prepared lightning strike would severely wound the swordsman, and then it would be time to reap the fruits of victory.

This was no simple Divine Sea eighth-level cultivator; it was clear he possessed extensive combat experience, but seemed to lack encounters with truly top-tier experts.

Throughout his growth, Lu Ye had engaged in numerous battles, yet his cultivation level wasn't exceptionally high. The opponents he encountered rarely managed to exchange blows with him effectively; he generally resolved conflicts swiftly and decisively. While many strong individuals emerged in his realm, their training and guidance ultimately differed from true life-or-death combat.

A cultivator's growth is not a path of uninterrupted triumph; encountering occasional setbacks is not a bad thing.

From another perspective, it is precisely the accumulation of numerous setbacks that forges a cultivator's invincibility!

Lu Ye himself realized this issue and was naturally trying to address this weakness. The Divine Sea conflict under the Reincarnation Tree presented an excellent opportunity. It brought together top-tier prodigies from thousands of realms, each possessing remarkable abilities, and with ample time, they could serve as his whetstones.

Otherwise, he'd have to be insane to fight the spellcaster in such a foolish manner. When facing an opponent of similar strength, if he couldn't close the distance immediately, he should have retreated at once to seek another opportunity, instead of blindly charging forward.

Nevertheless, his previous observations weren't entirely meaningless. Especially when confronted with a power threatening to severely injure him, Lu Ye's heart instinctively sent a warning. Thus, the moment the alarm arose, though he didn't understand what would happen, he instinctively shifted his body.

A thick bolt of lightning grazed past his body and shot into the distance, exploding with a distant rumble. A black scorch mark appeared in the void, and the smell of burning permeated the air.

The smile on the spellcaster's face turned to astonishment. He never imagined Lu Ye could do that. He was certain his strategy was flawless; in the previous Realm Grand Competition, his strongest opponent had been taken down exactly this way.

The strategy was sound, yet it failed to achieve its intended effect. Ultimately, there was only one reason: the swordsman possessed an instinctive foresight, allowing him to dodge even as the attack was launched, rendering the lightning strike ineffective.

"Remarkable!" the spellcaster marveled inwardly. "Such an opponent can no longer be measured by the eighth level of Divine Sea; this is a formidable expert whose strength is completely on par with my own."

The spellcaster felt a twinge of vexation. Honestly, he had expected an easy opponent, but instead, he had kicked an iron plate. The Divine Sea conflict had just begun, and clashing with such a powerful adversary was unwise. Excessive consumption of energy would be detrimental to his subsequent actions.

But as things stood, both sides had no retreat; it wasn't a matter of simply shaking hands and calling a truce. The spellcaster hardened his resolve. This was his first opponent. If he couldn't deal with him, what would be the point of anything else? He had to cut him down, no matter what!

The fierce battle continued, and the spellcaster soon noticed something amiss.

The swordsman's perception of lightning strikes seemed to be growing sharper. Previously, every time he cast a lightning spell, the opponent was forced to activate defensive powers and endure it. But after that one perfect dodge, the swordsman seemed to have grasped something. Now, he was preemptively evading almost half of the lightning strikes!

The spellcaster couldn't help but sigh. Lightning spells were indeed untraceable and arrived instantly, but the person casting them had weaknesses. Smart individuals wouldn't target the lightning spells themselves, but rather the caster.

He had hidden his weaknesses well before, even deliberately exposing another flaw to mask his true vulnerability. But the swordsman's perception was too keen, his eyes too sharp; he had already noticed.

This was why he could evade them in advance.

If this continued, the situation would undoubtedly worsen for him!

Indeed, the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the spellcaster. Since the lightning strikes weren't always effective, Lu Ye's advances became easier. In the initial stages of the fight, the spellcaster had remained calm and stationary, but now, he was forced to retreat constantly.

He had no choice but to retreat; otherwise, the swordsman would soon be right in his face.

Yet, he still had no intention of stopping, for his most powerful killing move was brewing. Once it fully materialized, it wouldn't be about deciding a victor, but life or death!

With the situation having escalated this far, he had to go all in. Before the swordsman could break through his spell blockade and close in, he needed to fully prepare his ultimate killing move. To achieve this, he had to accelerate the casting of his lightning spells!

Originally, he shouldn't have done this, as it made the flaws in his lightning spell casting too obvious. But since his opponent had already seen through them, there was no need to hide anymore; he might as well proceed openly.

The only outcome was that Lu Ye evaded all the lightning power!

However, he felt no joy. As his opponent continuously cast lightning spells, a huge sense of danger enveloped him. It was unclear at first, but grew increasingly intense with time, like a sharp sword hanging precariously over his head.

He quickly discovered the problem: for some reason, wisps of lightning power were clinging to him, and no matter how he moved, he couldn't shake them off.

Moreover, these lightning energies were constantly strengthening as the spellcaster continued to cast, appearing as if they could explode at any moment.

Lu Ye's heart stirred uneasily. If these lightning energies were to detonate, it would be like falling into a lightning pool. Even with his strong physique, he feared it would result in severe injury.

This corpulent spellcaster had too many tricks up his sleeve. Lu Ye had thought he had him cornered, only for him to pull another unexpected stunt.

However, it also broadened his experience. In the future, should he encounter such an enemy again, he would be prepared in advance.

In the current situation, he actually had an option for a quick resolution, a method he had prepared long ago to deal with spellcasters. But if he were to use it, it might force his opponent to prematurely unleash the power of the lightning pool, leading to a mutual destruction. This was because he couldn't shake off the lightning energy clinging to him; it was like maggots, impossible to shake off.

So he could only endure for now, lulling his opponent into a false sense of security. On the surface, his offensive became even more ferocious, as if he couldn't wait to finish off his opponent.

The distance between them was rapidly closing. When the spellcaster's lightning strikes could no longer significantly hinder Lu Ye, this outcome was already inevitable.