Chapter 217: Attitude Change

After Mok Yuan used the Jade Spirit Pearl to block the Purple Fire Sword Qi, he seized the opportunity. His spiritual sense erupted, and the Heavenly Wood Spiritual Light condensed between his ten fingers into a crescent-shaped arc.

This was his most powerful killing move, the one with which he had defeated Yuan Chizhi in the previous round: the Heavenly Wood Spiritual Light Blade!

In response, Chen Mobai unleashed his strongest sword strike! This was the Rainbow Sword Qi, lauded by Zhou Wangshen and others as the pinnacle of Qi Refinement cultivation.

Two slender, fair fingers extended and gently stroked the pure-green flying sword. After a drop of liquid spiritual power was injected into the ordinary Divine Wood Sword, it seemed to achieve its full potential, drawing forth an overwhelming surge of pure spiritual energy.

Like the nascent morning glow, it began as a mere speck, but unnoticed, it had already spread across the entire sky, transforming into boundless, radiant clouds of rainbow light, overwhelming and dazzling.

Mok Yuan's proud "Heavenly Wood Spiritual Light Blade" lasted only a single breath against the surging Rainbow Sword Qi, disintegrating into a large cluster of green light threads, which were then instantly dissolved by the sword qi.

"How can it be this strong?!" Mok Yuan was in disbelief, but he still wanted to struggle. Such powerful sword qi must be his opponent's ultimate move; there's no way he could unleash a second strike. If he could just endure, he would have hope of turning the tables.

Mok Yuan dared not hold back any longer. After swallowing a pill, he opened his mouth and expelled most of his spiritual power, injecting it into the Jade Spirit Pearl. He pushed the defensive light screen of this second-tier magical artifact to its absolute limit. Then he took out a talisman, which transformed into a golden shield enveloping his entire body. Finally, he reached out and patted the tottering Azure Sun Spirit Tree beside him, muttering incantations to cast a powerful defensive spell. The once vibrant, cloud-like towering tree instantly began to wither and shrink. All its wood spirit energy condensed into a single emerald spiritual leaf, forming another layer of defense behind the Jade Spirit Pearl's light screen.

However, neither the Jade Spirit Pearl, nor the golden shield, nor even the Spirit Leaf technique could withstand it! When faced with Chen Mobai's brilliant sword strike, they were like waves crashing on the shore, stirring up spray, producing foam, and rippling outwards. But ultimately, under the powerful Rainbow Sword Qi, they dissipated into calm.

Mok Yuan coughed up blood. After his triple defenses were shattered, his body could no longer withstand the impact and was sent flying off the arena, crashing heavily onto the ground.

At that moment, Mok Yuan finally understood why his Sect Master had said those words: "Your opponent today is quite formidable. If you feel you can't hold on, just concede."

"Is 'quite formidable' even the right description?" he thought. "This guy is an absolute monster! Allowing such a monster to participate in the Sect Grand Competition was completely unfair to Qi Refinement cultivators like us."

But at this point, it was too late for Mok Yuan to regret. He struggled to his feet, feeling the emptiness in his Dantian and Qi Sea, but realizing his body was unharmed, he knew his opponent had held back. He looked up and saw the delicate young man who had seemed so weak last year, now on the arena. The youth smiled faintly, formed a sword-finger gesture with his right hand, and retrieved the Divine Wood Sword, which had returned to its unremarkable appearance, into his storage bag.

If he hadn't experienced it himself, Mok Yuan would never have believed that this person, in the Qi Refinement realm, could unleash such a terrifying, earth-shattering sword strike. At this moment, he also recalled the sword cultivation realms described in the sword-practice manual he had first encountered. Comparing it to the text in his memory, Mok Yuan recognized it. This was the third realm of sword cultivation: Sword Qi Like a Rainbow!

"So, they had recognized it all along. I was just too arrogant..." At this realization, Mok Yuan's pride, which had stemmed from defeating Yuan Chizhi, vanished completely. Compared to Chen Mobai, who had comprehended Sword Qi Like a Rainbow in the Qi Refinement realm, all of them were a joke.

"I concede!" Mok Yuan formally conceded to him with a serious expression as Chen Mobai was about to leave.

"I know you lost," Chen Mobai replied.

"From now on, you will be the second opponent I strive to surpass," Mok Yuan declared. After saying this, he bowed to Chen Mobai and turned to leave, his face pale.

"This guy, at least he knows how to lose gracefully," Chen Mobai mused, raising an eyebrow and watching Mok Yuan's retreating back. He thought that perhaps this utter defeat might actually be a good thing for Mok Yuan. However, even if Mok Yuan advanced further after this battle, he would still just be an ordinary person to Chen Mobai. After all, Chen Mobai was about to become the top true disciple and acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill. Once he successfully established his foundation, he would be at the elder level in the Divine Wood Sect. Only one more round remained. At this thought, even Chen Mobai, with his cultivation level, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

That evening, they were at the same restaurant again. This time, however, Yuan Chizhi was also present.

"I truly didn't expect you to grow so powerful in less than four years," Yuan Chizhi sighed, raising his wine cup.

"I remember Senior Brother Yuan's kindness in guiding me," Chen Mobai said, raising his cup to Yuan Chizhi. Compared to his usual carefree demeanor a few days prior, Yuan Chizhi now seemed a bit reserved. After all, the delicate young man before him was practically guaranteed to achieve Foundation Establishment. Even if the batch of pills refined by Uncle Master Zeng didn't help him establish his foundation, with his unrivaled Qi Refinement cultivation, he could continue to hold the position of top true disciple until he succeeded in Foundation Establishment or surpassed the age limit of sixty. But it was widely believed that, with his exceptional comprehension and near-dual-attribute top-tier spiritual root talent, he would most likely succeed in Foundation Establishment on his first attempt. After all, rumors were spreading throughout the Divine Wood Sect: Chen Guixian's unparalleled talent surpassed even Hong He, who had dominated the previous generation of true disciples for a decade.

"Uncle Master E Yun said that regarding your meeting, you can decide the date when you're free." Yuan Chizhi's words surprised Chen Mobai. Was a Foundation Establishment elder of the Divine Wood Sect showing such deference to the top true disciple? They were even speaking in a consultative tone about meeting?

However, Chen Mobai was still clear about his own position. "I've always wanted to personally thank Uncle Master E Yun. As we agreed before, meeting after the Sect Grand Competition will be fine."

"Very well, very well. I'll go report this to Uncle Master E Yun right away," Yuan Chizhi said. After relaying the message somewhat awkwardly, he put down his wine cup and stood up. He gestured for Liu Wenbo to continue drinking with Chen Mobai, then excused himself.

"Is Uncle Master E Yun very frightening? Why was Senior Brother Yuan so constrained just delivering a message?" Chen Mobai asked Liu Wenbo, feeling a bit strange. The latter didn't know how to answer and could only give a stiff smile, then took a drink to cover his discomfort.

Sitting nearby, Xi Jinghu rolled his eyes. However, after two years of interaction, he knew this was simply Chen Mobai's nature. He was incredibly oblivious to things he didn't particularly care about. But perhaps it was precisely this pure character that allowed him to cultivate such a terrifying sword dao realm in the Qi Refinement stage!