Chapter 355: Fangcun Book

After the sparring session for the day ended, Qi Huanzhi was about to lead the Kunpeng Academy group away.

“Do you have a moment?” Luo Fengcheng’s voice suddenly reached his ears. Qi Huanzhi expressionlessly looked towards the platform where Butian Academy was located, and Luo Fengcheng gave him a slight smile.

Qi Huanzhi thought for a moment, then looked at Taishi Shu, who seemed a bit lost beside him, and couldn't help but nod.

That night, Great Leaf Island, where Kunpeng Academy was located, welcomed Luo Fengcheng and Instructor Ling.

“What is it?” Standing atop the highest island on Great Leaf Island, Qi Huanzhi calmly asked the two who had flown up.

“Please wait a moment, I’ve also invited others,” Luo Fengcheng said cryptically. Qi Huanzhi said nothing more, closed his eyes, and waited.

*This person’s state of mind truly lives up to his reputation; no wonder he was able to master the Bright Division of the Six Emperors Scripture.*

This was Instructor Ling’s first interaction with Qi Huanzhi. Qi Huanzhi was Kunpeng Academy’s most renowned chief disciple after Lan Haitian, a genius only one step away from mastering the Golden Core Domain. Although Luo Fengcheng was five years younger than Qi Huanzhi, they were roughly of the same generation. It was only after Qi Huanzhi graduated that Luo Fengcheng emerged, sweeping through the other three academies.

Soon, another spiritual light glowed, descending from the lake surface in front of the three of them.

“My apologies for being late,” Tao Mingqing of Taiyuan Academy said with an apologetic expression.

“Not at all, we arrived early.” Taiyuan Academy and Butian Academy had an excellent relationship; the current principal, Master Qingping, was even transferred from Butian Academy.

Tao Mingqing was in the same cohort as Qi Huanzhi, but he was unremarkable in the early stages of Foundation Establishment. He only began to flourish after graduation, and now he ranked even higher than Luo Fengcheng on the Foundation List.

“Who else is coming?” Qi Huanzhi had already guessed Luo Fengcheng’s intention in gathering them, so he asked directly.

“I’ve invited everyone I could, except for those from Wuqi Academy.”

“Aren’t you afraid Wuqi Academy will find out?” A loud voice, accompanied by the sound of a fierce beast treading on waves, rang out. Lu Qiulong, riding his Grand Savage Tiger, landed on the cliff, holding a piece of roasted meat and gnawing on it, his mouth greasy.

“Given that person’s personality, he might even be happy for us to gather and discuss how to deal with him,” Luo Fengcheng said. He explained that he had called this group together today to brainstorm ideas on how to suppress Chen Mobai, who had already achieved an invincible momentum.

“The next match is your academy’s chief disciple. What are your plans?” Lu Qiulong stuffed the half-eaten roasted meat into the mouth of his mount, then wiped the grease from his hands on the Grand Savage Tiger’s soft fur before jumping down beside Qi Huanzhi.

Zhenling Academy had branched off from Kunpeng Academy. After Lan Haitian's retirement, Kunpeng Academy also pushed for Lu Qiulong to take over his position in the Heaven-Mending Team.

“Junior Brother Ling is definitely not that person’s match, but tomorrow’s fight absolutely cannot be like today, where he was defeated in one move without probing anything,” Luo Fengcheng said, no longer hiding his intentions, directly answering Lu Qiulong's question and revealing his plan.

“Aren’t we waiting for others from the other academies and schools?” Qi Huanzhi suddenly asked. Since everyone except those from Wuqi Academy had been invited, Wenren Xuewei, Pei Qingshuang, and Xiahou Weihuan should also be present. Compared to those present, these three might be even more important.

“Wenren Xuewei of Jumang Academy subtly declined, and Pei Qingshuang did the same. Both of them were too confident in themselves,” Luo Fengcheng said, shaking his head with a regretful expression. Sometimes women valued face more than men.

“What about Xiahou Weihuan? He should be the one who wants to defeat that person the most,” Tao Mingqing asked, looking puzzled. At some point, they had even stopped calling Chen Mobai by his name, instead referring to him as ‘that person’.

“He’s healing Sima Xingyu, but he fully supports our actions,” Luo Fengcheng said. As he spoke, he took out his phone and initiated a video call. Soon, Xiahou Weihuan appeared on the screen. He was seen sitting behind Sima Xingyu, one hand pressing against his back, with gentle, pure Yang spiritual energy flowing in, suppressing the lightning power remaining in Sima Xingyu’s body. No wonder he couldn't leave.

“How are Brother Sima’s injuries?” Luo Fengcheng asked, seemingly concerned. Xiahou Weihuan nodded slightly, indicating that he had the situation under control. Furthermore, during the healing process, he had deduced that Chen Mobai’s lightning technique was the Divine Wood Lightning.

“His lightning technique has undoubtedly reached the third-tier level. Wood is Yin, so to counter it, it’s best to prepare a third-tier magic artifact with a Metal (Geng Metal) attribute.” Geng Metal is Yang Metal, which precisely counters Yin Wood. After Xiahou Weihuan finished his assessment, everyone fell silent.

“I’ve already asked Teacher Liu, who is with our team, to communicate with the academy headquarters. But even if we dispatch a flying artifact tonight, it would still take at least two days to transport it from Xixuan Cave Heaven to this Linwu Cave Heaven,” Luo Fengcheng said with a sigh. If Instructor Ling had a third-tier magic artifact tomorrow, he might be able to force out Chen Mobai’s renowned sword light, allowing them to gather more intelligence for their subsequent attempts.

“Are you eyeing my Grand Bright Shield?” At this point, Qi Huanzhi finally realized why Luo Fengcheng had sought him out and specifically chosen his location.

“Brother Qi’s Grand Bright Shield is a third-tier defensive magic artifact. While not the most suitable, if Junior Brother Ling has it tomorrow, it could at least force that person to reveal more of his abilities and allow us to understand the limits of his lightning technique. This would also lay a good foundation for Brother Lu’s subsequent sparring session with that person.” Luo Fengcheng’s words caused a slight flicker in Qi Huanzhi’s eyes.

“Don’t worry about me. My old companion here has the bloodline of the Grand White Golden Tiger, which happens to counter that lightning technique. If he wants to defeat me, he’ll definitely have to use his sword,” Lu Qiulong said, seemingly unconcerned. However, he specifically spoke to avoid influencing Qi Huanzhi.

“My Grand Bright Shield will not be touched by mediocrities,” Qi Huanzhi said, his words causing Luo Fengcheng and Instructor Ling’s expressions to change slightly. Just as they thought the meeting would end badly, Qi Huanzhi suddenly opened the five fingers of his right hand. A circle of light glowed in his palm like a sun, instantly illuminating the nocturnal lake surface and dispelling the surrounding darkness and cold.

“Attack me with all your might. I want to see your strength,” Qi Huanzhi calmly told Instructor Ling. The latter was slightly startled, then his eyes suddenly brightened, and his aura surged, breaking through the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment in a short period.

“Tsk, truly worthy of Butian’s chief disciple,” Lu Qiulong muttered, feeling a touch of sourness as he sensed Instructor Ling’s spiritual energy fluctuations at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment. He had graduated nearly ten years ago and only recently, in the past two years, broken through to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment. Although he was regarded as being at the peak of Foundation Establishment due to his companion spirit beast, he hadn’t actually entered the circle of true Foundation Establishment Completion. The upper echelons of the Immortal Sect didn’t care about one’s combat power. What good was being skilled in combat? Could one challenge those of higher cultivation levels? Although the Immortal Sect emphasized equality among all living beings, in reality, all cultivators knew that each major cultivation realm represented a different class of existence. Higher cultivation was everything. It was precisely for this reason that Lu Qiulong didn’t even consider the Heaven-Mending Team before achieving Foundation Establishment Completion.

“Did you not invite Ding Chunzhi?” While Qi Huanzhi and Instructor Ling were sparring, Tao Mingqing suddenly asked Luo Fengcheng this question.

“He said he didn’t want to get involved and politely declined me.” Hearing this, Lu Qiulong couldn’t help but curl his lip. He felt a bit disdainful towards this person, the only one on the Foundation List who had avoided battle and conceded defeat.

“This is a great opportunity. If you team up with Luo Fengcheng and the others, no matter how strong that person is, he will surely lose when targeted by all the top Foundation Establishment cultivators from the academies and schools.” In the lakeside pavilion on Wood God Island, Ding Chunzhi, drinking tea brewed by Wenren Xuewei, offered an unclear piece of advice.

“You should know that our Jumang Academy and Wuqi Academy have been brotherly allies since their inception. Furthermore, that person’s teacher is Director Che, and the eighteen Aniconic Puppets of our Jumang Academy were gifts from Director Che himself,” Wenren Xuewei said, gently shaking her head and pouring a cup for Pei Qingshuang next to her.

“Then Senior Sister Pei can go,” Ding Chunzhi asked again. Jumang and Wuqi had a good relationship, but Jumang had no ties with Shanhai Academy.

“I can defeat him honorably,” Pei Qingshuang said with a cold, proud expression. As a sword cultivator whom even Lan Haitian was reluctant to face, her combat ability was considered the pinnacle among Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal Sect.

“You seem to really want to see that person defeated?” Wenren Xuewei asked, looking meaningfully at Ding Chunzhi.

“After all, he was injured by the backlash from his divination, so I’m a little annoyed,” Ding Chunzhi said frankly, pointing to the almost healed sword mark near his eye. The one left by Pei Qingshuang was already gone; now only Chen Mobai’s remained.

“You undertook divination on behalf of my Jumang Academy. Leave this matter to me; I will give you a satisfactory explanation,” Wenren Xuewei said with a smile, the confidence in her words making Ding Chunzhi glance sideways. It was a pity he couldn’t perform divination for her.

“Not at all, I’ve already received the Grand Toon flower. Your academy and Senior Sister Wenren don’t owe me anything. We can just spar as usual,” Ding Chunzhi replied, not daring to accept, lest Chen Mobai misunderstand that he sought Wenren Xuewei’s help.

“You, sir, are just too timid,” Pei Qingshuang scoffed, seeing Ding Chunzhi’s reaction. In response, Ding Chunzhi simply smiled, offered no rebuttal, and continued to drink his tea.

“Then I’ll be off.”

On the third day, Chen Mobai once again bid farewell to Qing Nü and left the alchemy room.

“When you come back, bring me some vegetable meatballs. They sell them at the small cafeteria on East Street of Wood God Island,” Qing Nü called out to Chen Mobai’s retreating back, as if suddenly remembering something while doing alchemy.

“Alright!” Chen Mobai waved his right hand, turned the corner at the end of the path without looking back, and disappeared from Qing Nü’s sight. The greyish-blue bird saw this scene and immediately grabbed the little black snake, flying after him.

Lake Island. Upon arriving this time, Chen Mobai first went to Wuqi Academy’s platform.

“What’s the current score situation?”

“Our academy is at the top of the leaderboards, the only one with a two-digit score,” Bian Jingchun said with pride. Although earning points seemed easy, in reality, points were deducted when teammates lost. Therefore, only the four major academies and the two great schools, Taiyuan and Chunyang, had positive scores, relying on the overall high quality of their Foundation Establishment cultivators. Lingbao Academy and Shanhai Academy had zero points. The other six major schools all had negative scores, which embarrassed some of the invited graduates who were supposed to bolster their presence. But even for them, earning points was difficult. Because, besides Bian Jingchun and other ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivators, chief disciples from various academies like Taishi Shu could also overpower them. Even Zhongli Tianyu had won four consecutive matches in the past two days of sparring, successfully earning the titles ‘Little Thunder Emperor’ and ‘Wuqi’s Next Chief Disciple’. The reason Lingbao Academy and Shanhai Academy didn't have negative scores was primarily because, before Lingbao Academy's members arrived, each person had received a top-tier second-tier magic artifact to make an impression. As for Shanhai Academy, all its members were sword cultivators; even with lower cultivation levels, their combat power was truly astonishing.

Currently, in team scores, Wuqi Academy led the other thirteen institutions with 10 points. Below them were Kunpeng Academy with 7 points, and Butian and Jumang with 5 points each. Taiyuan Academy had 3 points, and Chunyang Academy had 2 points, which was also quite good.

“They all know that they can’t possibly compete with our Wuqi Academy for team points, so they haven’t specifically chosen weaker opponents just for points. Instead, they’ve tried to spar with those of similar cultivation levels, which can be considered a proper achievement and meaning of this offline exchange,” Bian Jingchun said. At this moment, on the lake arena below, the last pair of opponents also determined their victor.

After Chen Mobai arrived, no other Foundation Establishment cultivators descended to the arena; everyone was waiting for his match against Instructor Ling today. After all ten lake arenas were cleared, Instructor Ling surprisingly took the initiative to descend first.

“I’ll go get another point,” Chen Mobai told the people of Wuqi Academy, then lightly descended onto the lake surface.

“Zongzi and Taishi Shu are not my match,” Instructor Ling stated first, indicating that he was the strongest chief disciple among the other three great academies.

“Is there a difference?” Chen Mobai asked, looking puzzled. When it comes to chief disciples, one must consider the four great ones. As long as he was present, the strongest could only be him.

“Then, let me show you the difference between me and them!” As Instructor Ling spoke, he extended his right hand towards Chen Mobai. Golden lines outlined in his palm, instantly forming a phantom image of Chen Mobai, which he then tightly grasped.

“Inch-Realm Scroll!” On the Wuqi Academy platform, Bian Jingchun and the other two who witnessed this scene had slightly grave expressions. It was the Immortal Sect’s most mysterious Soul Transformation technique, known as ‘evolving the universe within the palm of one’s hand’.

“I recall this technique is used in combat to find the opponent’s weaknesses. So, have you found mine?” Chen Mobai asked, looking curious as he watched his own phantom image evolve in Instructor Ling’s palm. Chen Mobai was naturally familiar with the Immortal Sect’s seven great Soul Transformation techniques.

“You’ll know if you try.” As he spoke, golden lines suddenly appeared in Instructor Ling’s right eye, and a phantom image of Chen Mobai emerged in his pupils, seemingly converting all the opponent’s information into 3D model data. A brilliant green flash of lightning erupted from Chen Mobai’s right index finger, like a laser beam striking Instructor Ling’s left shoulder.

Amidst sizzling sounds, a gleaming golden shield appeared, blocking the Divine Wood Lightning. The lightning energy continuously dissipated with the power of light, flickering with dazzling brilliance.

“Oh, a third-tier defensive magic artifact.” Chen Mobai didn’t know that this Grand Bright Shield belonged to Qi Huanzhi, but he knew that activating a third-tier magic artifact with a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual energy was extremely draining. Even with his perfected Foundation Establishment longevity spiritual energy, he could only activate the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror a dozen times at most. So, although his record of defeating an enemy in one strike was broken, Chen Mobai’s expression remained calm. He raised his left hand, fingers pointing towards the sky.

Rumble! Thunderclaps echoed from a clear sky. Brilliant green lightning bolts flickered and converged at his fingertips, forming a thick, arm-sized pillar of lightning that was about to strike Instructor Ling.

Whoosh! Instructor Ling’s body suddenly streaked, leaving an afterimage, and in the blink of an eye, he surged from a distance to stand before Chen Mobai.

“So fast!” Even Lu Qiulong was surprised by this speed. Last night, after Instructor Ling passed Qi Huanzhi’s test, he also recounted his experience fighting Chen Mobai in the Lesser Scarlet Heaven, stating that the latter’s speed and physical strength were weaknesses. If they could attack from these two aspects, they might be able to create a miracle. And last night, Lu Qiulong had also tentatively sparred with Instructor Ling, whose speed had not been this fast then. Unexpectedly, Instructor Ling had improved so much in just one night. Truly worthy of Butian Academy’s chief disciple. If not for Chen Mobai, he might have become the strongest of his generation, just like Qi Huanzhi and Luo Fengcheng.

Chen Mobai was also a little surprised. His right hand was raised, and the lightning was fully condensed, but he couldn’t execute the downward strike, because Instructor Ling’s left hand, formed into a palm, had already landed on his neck. The Scarlet Cloud Smoke Robe on Chen Mobai’s wrist spread out, transforming into a wisp of misty cloud-like energy that cut like a soft sword between his neck and Instructor Ling’s palm blade. At the same time, he flicked his right wrist, and the thick pillar of lightning struck down hard towards Instructor Ling in front of him.

Amidst a thunderous roar, the Grand Bright Shield radiated a golden glow, miraculously blocking the full power of the lightning technique once again. Simultaneously, the lines of Chen Mobai’s 3D phantom in Instructor Ling’s right eye became slightly more detailed than their initial simple sketch, seemingly having acquired some important information during this exchange. The power of the Inch-Realm Scroll grew stronger as the battle progressed. However, it severely tested a cultivator’s spiritual sense and computational ability. Instructor Ling had been sparing no effort from the start to gather enough intelligence to deal with Chen Mobai. It was precisely because of this that Qi Huanzhi and Lu Qiulong had changed their attitudes last night.

Chen Mobai’s eyes also became crystalline in an instant; he saw through Instructor Ling’s state. His spiritual sense was being strained by the Inch-Realm Scroll, and his spiritual energy was continuously being drained by the Grand Bright Shield, maintaining a state of full power. Furthermore, all the power within his body was perfectly integrated under the coordination of the Inch-Realm Scroll, unleashing a super-limit state where one plus one was greater than two. Although he was only at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, if Instructor Ling, in this state, were to face Bian Jingchun and the other two (without considering the True Dragon Cauldron), he would likely have over a fifty percent chance of winning.

“Oh, so you want information about me?” As his Insightful Eyes saw through Instructor Ling’s reality, Chen Mobai also understood why he was fighting so desperately, and a look of realization appeared on his face. *Paving the way for the subsequent opponents?*

Amidst a sudden whoosh, the air was also shattered by Instructor Ling, who was in a super-limit state. He suddenly transformed into three figures, attacking Chen Mobai from three directions.

“Compared to him, my speed is indeed a weakness.” Although Chen Mobai’s Insightful Eyes could keep up with Instructor Ling’s movements, his body could not. However, for him, being able to follow with his eyes was enough. Within his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, two leaves from the Jade Phoenix Tree fell, transforming into two invisible and formless Spirit Slashes that shot out from his eyes.

Ding Chunzhi’s eyes suddenly widened as he carefully watched this scene. Instructor Ling’s three figures trembled suddenly, then the two on the left and right dissipated into nothingness. Chen Mobai’s gaze moved again, and two more Spirit Slashes shot from his eyes. The Grand Bright Shield could not defend against spiritual sense attacks. However, Instructor Ling seemed to possess a magic artifact that protected his mind. Although the Spirit Slashes entered his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, they were suppressed in an instant. But Chen Mobai had already taken advantage of Instructor Ling’s momentary stiffness, condensing a fist-sized lightning ball in his palm, circumventing the Grand Bright Shield, and pressing it onto his right shoulder.

With a loud boom, Instructor Ling was sent flying. However, under the power of the Inch-Realm Scroll, he seemed to have discarded all emotions except for fighting, acting as if he felt no pain. Without even looking at his mangled shoulder, he unleashed all his remaining spiritual sense and energy, even discarding the Grand Bright Shield, just to gather enough spiritual energy for one final strike against Chen Mobai. Instructor Ling, flying in mid-air, suddenly transformed into five figures, each performing a different set of palm techniques: like surging waves, flames, hurricanes, saber gleams, and sword glints – five different elemental powers – plummeting towards Chen Mobai.

“Using the power of the five elements for a final test, to see which attribute truly counters him.” The golden lines in Instructor Ling’s right eye began to become even more detailed; he seemed to have spotted Chen Mobai’s weakness.

“Very well, I admit you are different from the other two chief disciples.” Seeing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but show a look of appreciation towards Instructor Ling. Then, to everyone’s disbelief, he stretched his right hand, with fingers outstretched, towards the sky. Five different colored sword lights—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth—burst forth from Chen Mobai’s fingertips. Each corresponded to and countered one of the five elements, destroying the Five-Direction Earth-Shattering Palm that Instructor Ling had manifested with the Inch-Realm Scroll!

After the final palm strike was defeated, Instructor Ling was completely spent by the Inch-Realm Scroll. He fell powerlessly, his face blank, sinking into the bottom of the lake.

*This guy is a monster!*