Chapter 363: Sword Fiend Strikes

Hearing Wenren Xuewei’s words, Chen Mobai smiled a bit awkwardly. "It's just a family legacy," he said.

"By the way, do you know that Butian and Kunpeng have teamed up with many experts from various academies, seemingly targeting you?" Wenren Xuewei then brought up Lou Fengcheng's previous invitation. While its purpose hadn't been explicitly stated, it became clear upon reflection.

"It's nothing worth mentioning," Chen Mobai replied with a faint smile. After drinking his tea and chatting with the two senior female students for a while, he excused himself. It was their first meeting, and they had gotten acquainted. If they met again in the future, this acquaintance could develop into something more valuable. Of course, Chen Mobai didn't forget to add both women's contact information.

"How do you feel about him?" Wenren Xuewei suddenly asked Yan Qiongzhi after Chen Mobai left.

"A promising junior," Yan Qiongzhi nodded slightly, indicating her approval.

"If you were to fight him, could you defeat him?"

"I'd have to fight him to know, but I've watched two of his duels these past two days. I can only say he has a chance to win against me." These words made Wenren Xuewei's expression slightly solemn. Others might not know the terrifying power of the Golden Core Domain, but she knew it best, having personally experienced it against both Lan Haitain and Yan Qiongzhi. Although she managed to endure with the help of the Everspring Art, she could only maintain an undefeated stance.

"The waves of the Yangtze River push forward the waves in front. With such an outstanding junior, I can now freely pursue forming my Golden Core," Wenren Xuewei sighed, making a decision.

Hearing her words, envy appeared in Yan Qiongzhi's eyes. "Congratulations on your upcoming Golden Core formation."

The Everspring Art, known as the most difficult Spirit Transformation technique to master in the Immortal Sect, isn't primarily for combat. Its true power lies in using stable energy to repeatedly explore breakthroughs to higher cultivation realms. Other Foundation Establishment cultivators, when attempting to form a Golden Core, not only need to adjust their essence, qi, and spirit to their peak, but also search for a compatible spiritual vein suitable for their cultivation method's breakthrough, and prepare Golden Core spiritual medicines before daring to take this cautious step. Even then, success is rare, with most attempts ending in failure.

The consequences of a failed Golden Core formation are far more severe than a failed Foundation Establishment. Typically, the nascent core disperses. Minor injuries lead to a drop back to the late Foundation Establishment stage, while severe injuries can result in broken meridians, shattered Dantian, and critical condition, even near death. Even those with minor injuries would need at least two or three decades to recover from the physical damage.

However, cultivators of the Everspring Art do not face such worries. As long as they maintain a stable, unharmed state before attempting a breakthrough, even if the Golden Core formation fails, their physical body will suffer no damage whatsoever; at most, their cultivation realm will drop. For Immortal Sect cultivators, re-cultivating spiritual energy is the simplest task, provided they have abundant Qi-replenishing spiritual water.

The Everspring Art is akin to a boundary-crossing technique for Foundation Establishment. However, unlike boundary-crossing techniques that only apply to Foundation Establishment, the Everspring Art can be used for any breakthrough, whether minor or major, ensuring the physical body remains unharmed even if the breakthrough fails. It is precisely for this reason that after Wenren Xuewei mastered the Everspring Art, everyone considered her formation of a Nascent Soul to be guaranteed.

While Yan Qiongzhi had to meticulously plan her Golden Core formation, even needing to borrow the powerful water veins of Jumang Daoist Academy, Wenren Xuewei could even form her Golden Core in any random location. Nevertheless, those who have mastered the Everspring Art always strive for perfection when attempting a breakthrough. A failed breakthrough this time is not an issue, as long as the cause of the failure can be identified. After all, without the fear of death, repeated attempts and accumulated experience can lead to a natural success in Golden Core formation, similar to a "Dao Comprehension Foundation," ultimately achieving the highest-grade Golden Core.

Wenren Xuewei had already attempted Golden Core formation twice before, but both times she failed. Originally, she planned to wait another ten years for the sect's chosen one to mature and take over her role as the face of Jumang Daoist Academy's Foundation Establishment realm. But now, seeing an anomaly like Chen Mobai, she felt there was no point in refining herself further at this realm. Anyway, Jumang and Wuqi are closely linked, so Chen Mobai could be considered half the face of Jumang.

"I've estimated that I'll probably need one or two more attempts to successfully form my Golden Core." Hearing this, Yan Qiongzhi looked at Wenren Xuewei with a hint of resentment. The latter then realized she might have been showing off a bit to her good friend. She couldn't help but stick out her tongue playfully, then offered a small suggestion. "You could ask Ding Chunzhi for a divination to see the success rate of this Golden Core formation. Although he's timid, his fortune-telling skills are truly inherited from the Stargazing Academy."

Yan Qiongzhi thought for a moment, then nodded. Even a prodigy like her, who had mastered the Golden Core Domain, felt a subtle lack of confidence when facing the formidable hurdle of Golden Core formation. In such circumstances, seeking divination is a common choice for many cultivators in the Immortal Sect.

The next day, when Chen Mobai arrived at the island in the lake, he found the ten arenas still empty.

"You did well yesterday," Chen Mobai praised Zhuang Jialan from the platform of the Wuqi Daoist Academy, then pointed to the empty lake below, looking puzzled.

"Ever since your duel with Wenren Xuewei, now every day, if you don't fight your match first, no one dares to step into the arena," Bian Jingchun shrugged, revealing something Chen Mobai was unaware of.

"That's unnecessary. I might be a few hours late some days, and there's only so much time in a day. It's not good to just wait for me." Chen Mobai's words made the people from Wuqi Daoist Academy look at each other in surprise. It was truly rare to see someone so openly slack off. However, Zhuang Jialan was used to it. In the student council, the president was rarely seen throughout the year.

"Lou Fengcheng is watching you," Sun Daoji spoke up to remind him. Chen Mobai nodded, then met Lou Fengcheng's gaze. The two simultaneously flew down from the platform, landing on the surface of the lake.

With a rumbling sound, Chen Mobai didn't bother with courtesies or greetings, directly unleashing a Tier 3 Wood Divine Thunder towards Lou Fengcheng's face. Facing such an attack, Lou Fengcheng activated his "Square Inch Tome." Golden lines lit up in his left eye, instantly sketching out Chen Mobai's 3D image. Then, he gently waved his Colorful Cloud Sleeve with his left hand. A five-colored cloud light drifted up, like a radiant morning glow, resisting the dazzling green lightning and deflecting it into the air.

"Oh, a Tier 3 magic robe!" Chen Mobai observed Lou Fengcheng's Heaven-Mending Colorful Cloud Robe; the colorful clouds on its cuffs and collar seemed real, floating out from the white long robe and leisurely swirling around Lou Fengcheng, forming a powerful protective barrier.

"First, block his lightning spells, then try to see if I can break his sword light!" After activating the "Square Inch Tome," all of Lou Fengcheng's distracting thoughts and emotions completely vanished. He began to advance towards his pre-set goal for the duel with the calmest demeanor: to defeat the opponent before him!

The Tier 3 Heaven-Mending Colorful Cloud Robe remained in a pre-activated state. Lou Fengcheng drew a slender, flexible long saber from his sleeve. The saber light was like a cleanse, instantly slashing out an invisible saber force over ten meters long, descending towards Chen Mobai's head. After his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye discerned it was a metal-attribute saber light, Chen Mobai flicked his finger, sending out a streak of Azure Sun Fire Sword Light. Fire counters metal; the instant the saber light met the sword light, it began to shatter inch by inch. However, Lou Fengcheng, holding his saber, had already rushed incredibly fast to Chen Mobai's front. His saber slashed horizontally, drawing a brilliant, snowy arc across the lake surface, its cold gleam intimidating.

A *ding* sound! Chen Mobai, holding the tip of the Flying Sparrow Hairpin, tapped it against the long saber's blade, causing dazzling sparks to fly. Both figures simultaneously recoiled in that instant. Lou Fengcheng's body seemed to have no recoil. Before Chen Mobai could adjust his posture, Lou Fengcheng had already raised his saber and rapidly slashed again.

With a *chi* sound, Chen Mobai's Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye tracked Lou Fengcheng's advance. The Flying Sparrow Hairpin shot out from his fingertips, and the power of the Azure Sun Fire Sword Light surged, shattering the saber light and simultaneously piercing his opponent's shoulder. But the Lou Fengcheng who was pierced by the Flying Sparrow Hairpin split into four at that instant, just like Master Ling Dao's final move against Chen Mobai last time. Four figures, holding sabers, crisscrossed their slashes from all directions, rushing towards Chen Mobai who stood in the center. Moreover, these four saber lights had different attributes.

Chen Mobai frowned slightly. Knowing his realm of sword light manifestation, and with the profundity of the "Square Inch Tome," Lou Fengcheng shouldn't be making such useless probes. And they were just saber lights. He felt something was off and didn't use his usual Five-Element Sword Light. Instead, he activated the Wood Divine Thunder again. This time, however, he didn't raise its power to Tier 3. But such a move might deceive Wenren Xuewei, it couldn't fool Lou Fengcheng, who was operating with the "Square Inch Tome." Just as the latter's four figures raised their sabers, intending to shatter the Tier 2 Wood Divine Thunder, Chen Mobai smiled faintly.

Before the thunder roared, the 3D outline of Chen Mobai in Lou Fengcheng's left eye suddenly glowed. The "Square Inch Tome" had captured and deduced this crucial point. The power of the Wood Divine Thunder increased from Tier 2 to Tier 3. Lou Fengcheng's emotions showed no fluctuation, his expression remained unchanged. His figures immediately stopped, the four merging into one. The Tier 3 Heaven-Mending Colorful Cloud Robe activated, once again blocking all of Chen Mobai's suddenly intensified dazzling green lightning. At the same time, Lou Fengcheng swung his saber-holding right hand to his side and back.

A crisp *ding* sound! The Flying Sparrow Hairpin, imbued with Azure Sun Fire, was knocked away by that saber strike, arcing gracefully like a spark in mid-air before landing back in front of Chen Mobai.

"So this is the 'Flawless Square Inch Tome'!" Amidst his reflections, Chen Mobai compared Lou Fengcheng to his previous opponents. Perhaps his strength wasn't as great as Lu Qiulong's, and his realm wasn't as high as Wenren Xuewei's, but he handled Chen Mobai better than either of them. It could even be said that for the first time, Chen Mobai felt a sense of troublesome difficulty. Master Ling Dao had been similar when he used the "Square Inch Tome," but his realm and power were far inferior to Chen Mobai's, leading to him being forcibly overwhelmed. But Lou Fengcheng was already at the perfected Foundation Establishment realm. While his strength and realm might be slightly inferior to figures like Lu Qiulong and Wenren Xuewei, he was still higher than Chen Mobai. After activating the "Square Inch Tome," Lou Fengcheng, relying on the data he collected from previous battles regarding Wood Divine Thunder and Five-Element Sword Light, truly achieved a flawless, impenetrable defense.

Should I use my Sword煞? Chen Mobai pondered this question. At that moment, under the absolute focus of the "Square Inch Tome," Lou Fengcheng once again raised his saber and attacked, this time employing a different saber art. The saber light swept across the lake, transforming into countless water blades that covered the entire arena where they fought. Facing such a wide-range attack, Chen Mobai unfurled the Scarlet Cloud Smoke Silk on his wrist, enveloping his entire body. At the same time, Lou Fengcheng had split into five figures, using extremely fast footwork to slash out dazzling saber lights from five directions—front, back, left, right, and from beneath the lake—towards Chen Mobai's body. Fortunately, although Chen Mobai's movement technique wasn't his strong suit, the flexibility of his five fingers, imbued with five drops of Longevity Tree sap, was even faster than Lou Fengcheng's saber light. Five-Element Sword Light erupted, precisely shattering the five saber lights before piercing into Lou Fengcheng's five illusory figures.

But at that moment, Chen Mobai suddenly looked up. He saw a sixth Lou Fengcheng, appearing like a transparent water figure amidst the shimmering water. Under the sunlight in the void, its outline slowly materialized, and the slender, flexible long saber transformed from transparent to sparkling and sharp, carrying a bone-chilling coldness as it thrust towards Chen Mobai's glabella and Sea of Consciousness.

"Good heavens, in the 'Square Inch Tome' state, his combat awareness is entirely geared towards the fastest way to kill and win." This was Chen Mobai's first time encountering an opponent who attacked his Violet Palace Sea of Consciousness during a sparring match. Before, he had only made such probes himself, knowing Wenren Xuewei was unkillable. Compared to the gentleness of other Immortal Sect cultivators, Lou Fengcheng, after using the "Square Inch Tome," had completely transformed into a ruthless combat machine.

This saber strike was fast, precise, and ruthless; there was no time to redirect his sword light. Chen Mobai's eyes suddenly narrowed. He didn't use his strongest technique but instead surged his spiritual sense, unleashing the fastest "Spirit Slaying Slash" with his gaze. As long as the "Spirit Slaying Slash" could slightly stiffen the opponent's spiritual sense for an instant, he would be able to redirect his sword finger and strike the translucent opponent above him with his Five-Colored Sword Light. The Flying Sparrow Hairpin chimed clearly. Under Chen Mobai's spiritual sense control, it glowed with a clear, shimmering line of fire, ready to unleash the next wave of attack. However, for these methods to be effective, the "Spirit Slaying Slash" *had* to work.

Lou Fengcheng's translucent figure was completely visible under Chen Mobai's Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye. Two formless and intangible thought-sabers also slashed into the former's gaze. But just as the "Spirit Slaying Slash" had penetrated halfway, strands of golden lines lit up in Lou Fengcheng's eyes, like a vast net, firmly entangling the formless thought-sabers. Information about the "Spirit Slaying Slash" had also been exposed during previous sparring sessions. Lou Fengcheng, in his "Square Inch Tome" state, had countermeasures prepared for all of Chen Mobai's moves. Since the "Spirit Slaying Slash" could not penetrate Lou Fengcheng's Violet Palace Sea of Consciousness, the subsequent tactics would naturally be futile.

Witnessing Lou Fengcheng's sparkling, transparent long saber reach Chen Mobai's glabella, the spectators suddenly reacted, their mouths agape, faces filled with disbelief. Could it be that this invincible duel champion was truly about to lose?!

Then, they saw a thumb-sized sword core, glowing with a magnificent cyan light, fly out from Chen Mobai's mouth. It was like a sun erupting over the lake, making it impossible for all Foundation Establishment True Cultivators to look directly at it in that instant; they all had to close their eyes. But before closing their eyes, they all saw a beam of brilliant light shoot into the sky. After incinerating Lou Fengcheng's transparent long saber, it pierced through the defenses of the Heaven-Mending Colorful Cloud Robe without any obstruction, burning a fist-sized blood-hole in the shoulder area of Lou Fengcheng's body, which could no longer maintain its transparency.