Chapter 346: Sword Fiend First Displays Power

Sun Daoji and the others were utterly confused after hearing Chen Mobai's confident words.

"Junior," Bian Jingchun reminded him kindly, "although you've been on a rampage in Little Scarlet Heaven, sword light alone won't be enough against late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, especially those who have reached the ninth level of perfection. Many of them have even advanced further than you in the realm of sword light." She cited Xiahou Weihuan from Chunyang Academy as an example. Xiahou Weihuan's Origin Yang Sword Light had already reached its pinnacle, and only Lan Haitian's intervention could reliably suppress him.

"Indeed, Junior," Sun Daoji also chimed in, advising him, "for this offline exchange, just participate casually. If you encounter challenges from late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, there's no shame in conceding. Your talent is the strongest the Daoist Academy has seen in nearly a century, and your future is promising. You can absolutely wait ten or twenty years to win."

The current chief of the Daoist Academy, though only at the third level of Foundation Establishment, possessed such immense combat talent that it was known throughout the entire Immortal Sect. Most people believed that, given time to grow, Chen Mobai would be invincible within the same cultivation realm.

The most intensely debated post on the Immortal Sect forum in the past two years was titled: "If Chen Mobai and Lan Haitian were both at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, and the latter did not use his Core Formation domain, who would win?" Over the past two years, this post had accumulated thousands of replies in its debate. Thirty percent of people believed Chen Mobai would win, fifty percent thought Lan Haitian was invincible, and twenty percent believed it would be a draw. This result also surprised many in the Immortal Sect.

It was widely known that Lan Haitian had a formidable reputation as the undisputed top Foundation Establishment cultivator. Yet, Chen Mobai was currently only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and still, thirty percent of people believed he could win if they were in the same realm! However, these thirty percent had valid reasons. Many had analyzed hundreds of Chen Mobai's combat videos from his rampage in Little Scarlet Heaven, all of which were available online. It was generally believed that this chief of the Wuqi Daoist Academy, while primarily relying on his invincible sword light to sweep through opponents, had comfortably defeated many opponents at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment. This demonstrated a combat skill and awareness several notches above the average. His two battles against Lu Qiulong and Nangong Xiu were even hailed as peak confrontations. Despite not having a cultivation advantage, he defeated these two top combat talents from the Immortal Sect. The sword arts, magical techniques, decision-making, and on-the-spot judgment he displayed were all brilliant, making it no wonder he was called "Combat Victor."

"Although there's a saying, 'Thirty years in the east of the river, thirty years in the west; never bully a young man for being poor,' I don't want to wait that long. This year, I will restore the Daoist Academy's glory."

As Chen Mobai spoke, he chuckled slightly. Then, just as Sun Daoji and the others frowned, about to persuade him again, he opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of cinnabar-green light towards the window.

The moment the stream of light flashed, everyone present felt their scalps tingle. The terrifying, scorching aura made their blood boil the instant they looked directly at the cinnabar-green light, as if their entire bodies had fallen into a high-temperature furnace, leaving them drenched in sweat.

"This is—Sword Fiend!" Chi Shicheng was the first to recognize it. He cried out in surprise and stood up.

Chen Mobai smiled faintly and withdrew his Azure Flame Sword Fiend. "As you know, I come from Danxia City," Chen Mobai explained. "There, jade phoenix trees form a forest, and there's an Azure Wood Fiend Vein that was jointly revived by the Immortal Sect's resource department and Chixia Academy. Although the price was steep, they still sold me a strand of Azure Wood Fiend out of consideration for me being a student of the Wuqi Daoist Academy."

Of the seven types of Earth Fiend Qi that the Immortal Sect was permitted to extract, five were precisely the fiend qis representing the Five Elements. Because the Five Elements essence is the origin of all things, it is easiest to decompose and revive the Five Elements Earth Fiends. This is precisely why Zuo Gong chose to cultivate Geng Metal Sword Fiend: because this type of fiend qi could be purchased, eliminating the need to condense Five Elements essence artificially. Due to its unique advantageous conditions, Chixia Academy, with that fourth-tier jade phoenix tree as its core, indeed had Azure Wood Fiend available for collection. From time to time, the flagship store of Chixia Academy on the Immortal Sect's online platform would also stock Azure Wood Fiend. It was precisely for this reason that Chen Mobai dared to expose his Azure Flame Sword Fiend.

"Judging by Junior's Sword Fiend," Chi Shicheng asked, his eyes gleaming, "could it be the Azure Yang Sword Art, evolved from the Pure Yang Scroll?" Normally, only Core Formation sword cultivators could achieve Sword Fiend; in the past millennium, only a handful of two or three individuals had managed to do so at the Foundation Establishment realm. Chi Shicheng considered Chen Mobai an excellent research subject.

"That's right, it is the Azure Yang Sword Art," Chen Mobai confirmed. "However, I felt this sword art was slightly misaligned with my inherent nature, so I used the Formless Puppet to re-deduce the art, making it perfectly suit my will. Therefore, in actual practice, my Sword Fiend differs slightly from the orthodox Azure Yang Sword Fiend."

Chen Mobai's Azure Flame Sword Fiend looked similar to the Azure Yang Sword Fiend, but in reality, they were completely different paths. He had already thought of an excuse.

"Junior is indeed incredibly talented and brilliant," Sun Daoji exclaimed, "His talent in sword arts is probably even higher than Pei Qingshuang's from Shanhai Academy!" Sun Daoji listened to Chen Mobai's words and believed them completely, without a trace of doubt. Not just him, but Bian Jingchun and Chi Shicheng also nodded, each praising Chen Mobai's extraordinary talent in sword arts.

Huazi Jing, Zhuang Jialan, and Zhongli Tianyu, of course, needed no convincing. The first two had watched Chen Mobai rampage through Little Scarlet Heaven over the past two years. Although they had some complaints about him being a hands-off chairman, often disappearing, they had blind faith in their president's combat and sword art talents. Zhongli Tianyu, however, was slightly puzzled. He wondered, wasn't Chen Mobai proficient in lightning arts? How could his sword arts be even stronger than his lightning arts! He mused that during their last encounter, Chen Mobai must have used lightning arts, which he wasn't particularly skilled at, perhaps to avoid a too swift or brutal victory.

Chen Mobai, of course, had no idea Zhongli Tianyu was marveling in his heart at how powerful yet gentle he was. Facing the praises of the three senior graduates, Chen Mobai looked humble, stating that the merit points he used to purchase the Azure Wood Fiend were acquired by mortgaging his own factory. However, for the Daoist Academy's reputation, such a sacrifice was only natural.

"After Junior's Sword Fiend was successfully cultivated," Bian Jingchun suddenly said with a faint smile, "I presume you haven't tested it against an opponent yet?"

"Senior student, do you mean..."

"Coincidentally, my Taiyin Dragon Transformation Scripture has also improved under the True Dragon Cauldron, and I'd like a suitable opponent to test my moves."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai looked troubled. "The power of my Sword Fiend is difficult to control," he said, "What if I accidentally hurt you, Senior student..."

"President," Zhuang Jialan, who had been helping with tea, offered an excellent suggestion, "you can open a custom battle room in Little Scarlet Heaven. That way, you can fully enjoy the feeling of fighting with all your might, without worrying about harming each other."

"Right, right, right, I completely forgot about that," Chen Mobai said. Chen Mobai was so used to rampaging through ranked matches in Little Scarlet Heaven that he had forgotten about this new feature, which was introduced after the Yuan Yang Sword was put into play.

"Junior, please don't hold back," Bian Jingchun said. When Bian Jingchun said this, she was full of fighting spirit. She felt that if she fully unleashed her Taiyin Dragon Transformation Scripture, she would still be able to dodge and maneuver under the Sword Fiend's assault.

Inside Little Scarlet Heaven.

Chen Mobai's projected avatar slowly solidified. Across from him, the tall Bian Jingchun bowed slightly, then her entire body suddenly glowed white, and in an instant, transformed into a white dragon, soaring into the sky. At the same time, Huazi Jing and others, who knew the room password, also entered to watch the battle.

"I never thought," Chi Shicheng exclaimed, "Junior Sister Bian hasn't even formed her Core yet, but she already has the appearance of a transformed dragon! The True Dragon Cauldron truly lives up to its reputation!" Chi Shicheng specialized in ancient biology, and dragons were a major research topic for his department. Seeing Bian Jingchun's white dragon form, he couldn't help but marvel. Generally, for Foundation Establishment cultivators practicing the Dragon Transformation Scripture, most would only grow two horns. If the spirit beast's essence blood used for cultivation was of a higher grade, they might also grow two dragon whiskers. But someone like Bian Jingchun, who had a white dragon form almost identical to a flood dragon, was extremely rare.

"I remember when she was at the Daoist Academy," Sun Daoji said, "besides the Dragon Transformation Scripture, she also cultivated Jade Bone Celestial Meridian, Jade Muscle Immortal Body, and Jade Dragon Divine Sense Chart concurrently. With the foundation of these three cultivation methods, she was able to manifest this white dragon form under the impregnation of the True Dragon Cauldron's dragon aura." When Sun Daoji was the student council president at Wuqi Daoist Academy, Bian Jingchun happened to join the council. The Dragon Transformation Scripture was truly too profound and mysterious, so he had paid special attention to it. It was precisely because she divided her attention among two body-tempering methods and one divine sense technique that Bian Jingchun was only barely at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment when she graduated. However, she could be considered someone who accumulated steadily and then burst forth. Now that her Dragon Transformation Scripture had reached a significant stage, she could rank among the top twenty of ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivators. If she were to borrow the power of the True Dragon Cauldron, it was estimated that no one, except Lan Haitian, could reliably defeat her.

"It's starting," Huazi Jing called out.

In the center of the battlefield, the swift and slender white dragon opened its mouth and exhaled a stream of jade-white air, like a frosty cold tide, instantly making all five spectators shiver involuntarily. But facing such an attack, Chen Mobai, who didn't need to worry about casualties or spiritual power depletion, felt a heartfelt sense of unbound freedom. Even he himself didn't know how strong he truly was when fighting with all his might. Today was the perfect day to test it out. He hoped Bian Jingchun could hold on for a bit longer.

Chen Mobai laughed loudly and opened his mouth to exhale. A cinnabar-green stream of light, like a flashing mountain fire, instantly transformed into a blazing celestial fire that swept across the plains. Wherever the Azure Flame Sword Fiend passed, the jade-white cold tide was as if cleaved open, sweeping away to both sides. Soon after, the terrain to Chen Mobai's left and right was covered with a thin layer of frost and snow. But at this moment, the Azure Flame Sword Fiend also struck before the white dragon's eyes.

Bian Jingchun seemed intent on testing the power of this Sword Fiend, and she did not dodge. Her eyes shone with a crystalline jade light, and her entire body suddenly began to turn transparent, like a dragon statue carved entirely from white jade crystal. Each jade-colored scale was lifelike and clearly visible.

"After transforming into a dragon, the strongest dragon scale defense," Zhongli Tianyu, who understood the Dragon Transformation Scripture best, exclaimed, "its defensive power is easily comparable to a third-tier defense!" He thought, *The True Dragon Cauldron's dragon vein power could actually achieve this level!*

"Sword Fiend is a genuine third-tier power, and it's a technique of a sword cultivator, meaning its attack is immensely powerful," Sun Daoji commented, his eyes gleaming, while not missing any detail of their exchange. "I'm afraid even dragon scales might not be able to block it."

At this moment, the Azure Flame Sword Fiend had already struck between the white dragon's eyes. Diamond-shaped dragon scales lit up, one after another. Golden lines illuminated the gaps between the scales, outlining a network of scales that covered the entire body. This was the Dragon Scale Defense; no matter where the opponent's attack landed, it was contending against all the dragon scales. Only by breaking through the defense of all the dragon scales could Bian Jingchun be harmed. But it was clear that the power of the Sword Fiend far exceeded Bian Jingchun's estimation.

A stinging pain came from between her brows. Bian Jingchun felt that although her dragon scale defense barely fended off the sharpness of the Azure Flame Sword Fiend, as time passed, her dragon scales' defensive power was continuously being weakened under the Sword Fiend's attacks. Moreover, an invisible burning heat penetrated the superficial dragon scales, directly assaulting her true body, making her feel incredibly hot.

Soon after, Bian Jingchun felt as if the blood throughout her body was boiling. At the same time, the stinging pain between her brows also began to turn scorching.

Chen Mobai extended the index and middle fingers of his right hand and unleashed the Sun-Ascending Art, which increased the power of flames. Instantly, the power of the Azure Flame Sword Fiend was unleashed to its absolute peak. The Azure Flame Sword Fiend's three powers—scorching, armor-shredding, and blood-burning—all erupted simultaneously, and the white dragon formed by Bian Jingchun could no longer hold on. Dragon scales protecting her body began to shatter, piece by piece, and the golden network of scales began to dim and retract. When the network of scales retracted to her brow, it would signify Bian Jingchun's complete defeat.

But at this moment, Chen Mobai remembered this was in Little Scarlet Heaven. That is to say, he could disregard any damage to his opponent and also not worry about his own losses. Thus, he unleashed the "Flame Burst Art." The Pure Yang Scroll recorded a desperate technique that involved igniting flames to unleash a destructive art that surpassed one's own limits. If this were outside Little Scarlet Heaven, he would definitely be reluctant to use the Flame Burst Art, because it would completely obliterate the strand of Azure Flame Sword Fiend he had painstakingly cultivated, rendering it unrecoverable. But here, Bian Jingchun's Dragon Scale Defense was quite resilient, and Chen Mobai wanted to see what level of power his Azure Flame Sword Fiend could reach when he went all out.

Therefore, under the wide-eyed, disbelieving gazes of Huazi Jing and the other five spectators, the white dragon, which had been struggling to stay aloft and soar in mid-air, was, amidst an extremely blinding fiery light, as if mirrored, and in an instant, was cleaved into two halves. Subsequently, the two halves of the white dragon, cleaved by the Sword Fiend, began to burn with Azure Flames at their wounds. Within two or three breaths, their blood was evaporated, and their flesh, skin, and scales turned to ash, leaving only long, skeletal dragon frames that fell to the ground.

With a "thud," the dragon-shaped skeleton, burning with Azure Flames, scattered. Amidst the myriad spiritual lights, the faintly illusory form of Bian Jingchun, with a shocked expression, appeared.

Immediately, the scene before everyone's eyes changed, and they were already back in the office. After the victor was determined, the custom room in Little Scarlet Heaven would disappear, and the spectators would naturally return.

"Ugh..."

Just as they returned, everyone heard a painful groan. They saw Bian Jingchun's skin was flushed red all over, as if she had overheated, and she collapsed onto the sofa.

"Oh no," Sun Daoji exclaimed, his expression changing, "Junior was too ruthless. The sensation of being defeated and 'dying' in Little Scarlet Heaven followed her out." Just as Huazi Jing was about to call for the school medic, Chen Mobai also emerged from his meditative state. Seeing Bian Jingchun's condition, he was also a bit at a loss. He had never imagined that the fully unleashed Azure Flame Sword Fiend's power would be so immense, and that it seemed to have caused damage to her divine sense as well.

"Don't worry," Bian Jingchun gasped, calling out to Huazi Jing, "my mind was simply overwhelmed, and I haven't fully recovered yet. I'll be fine in a moment." Then she closed her eyes, and a faint image of a four-sided azure cauldron appeared over her heart. An invisible, vast, and majestic power spread, slowly suppressing her body's stress response.

A quarter of an hour later, Bian Jingchun, though her face was still flushed, had recovered to normal. She opened her eyes and said with a slight huff, "Junior, I am a girl after all. Couldn't you have gone a little easier?"

"Didn't you say not to hold back?" Chen Mobai retorted.