Chapter 119: Competition

The north wind howled over Yishan City, and the stone gate of the cave dwelling on the mountain subtly vibrated. Chi Jiuyun stood quietly outside the gate, letting the wind billow his robes. His index finger rested lightly on the sword at his waist as he waited silently.

After a moment, Chi Jiuyun frowned, gazing at the fine cracks on the dark grey stone gate. He spoke softly, "Junior brother, there's no need to delay any longer. Three full years have passed; with your talent, you must have broken through by now."

After a few breaths of silence, the stone gate swung open. A young man emerged, dressed in white robes with long hair tied back. A bluish-white longsword hung at his waist, and he held two jade slips in his hands, smiling as he looked at Chi Jiuyun.

"Senior Brother Chi, what can I do for you?"

Chi Jiuyun looked him up and down and said in a low voice, "A task has arrived from the sect. The Old Ancestor specifically requested your participation."

Li Chijing nodded slightly and politely said, "Please wait a moment, Senior Brother. I just need to prepare a few things, and then I'll accompany you."

Seeing Li Chijing so cooperative, Chi Jiuyun felt a sense of relief and turned to leave.

Li Chijing watched him disappear in the distance. Then, he conjured the wind and flew towards another cave dwelling on the mountain.

"Senior Brother Xiao!"

The stone gate of the cave dwelling quickly opened. Li Chijing saw Xiao Yuansi holding two herbs in one hand and writing something with a brush in the other. Upon seeing him, Xiao Yuansi's face first lit up with joy, then quickly clouded over. He spoke, "Jing'er... you've broken through!"

Xiao Yuansi was now over sixty years old, though his appearance remained that of a man in his thirties. He had watched Li Chijing since he first came to the mountain as a ten-year-old child and still called him "Jing'er." Now, as he looked at Li Chijing, a pang of sorrow shot through him.

"That's right." Li Chijing smiled slightly and sat down beside him. He replied, "My six spirit wheels have transformed into a Dao Foundation. The Dao Foundation cultivated from the 'Moon Lake Reflecting Autumn Art' is called 'Autumn Lake Moon.' Its aura is bluish-white, its true essence is clear and pure, it excels at transformations, and it possesses remarkable mystical properties."

Xiao Yuansi's face instantly showed envy. He was still stuck at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage and hadn't yet grasped the opportunity to establish his Foundation. He chuckled, "The wonders of Foundation Establishment naturally far exceed our imagination. I heard my Old Ancestor's Dao Foundation is called 'Elder by the Stream,' and it also possesses many ineffable mystical properties. It's just that I don't know how long I'll remain at the peak of Qi Condensation, or if I'll be able to pass through this life-and-death trial."

The most crucial step in transforming Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment is to dissolve the six spirit wheels and condense them into a Dao Foundation. This process is extremely perilous. Should condensation fail, all of one's cultivation vanishes. Furthermore, one's vital essence scatters, leading to death within a few days. Barely one in ten cultivators succeed; even within the Three Sects and Seven Gates, there is a death rate as high as seventy percent.

"Senior Brother, you'll surely be fine," Li Chijing offered a word of comfort. He handed the two jade slips he held to Xiao Yuansi and explained, "I broke through to Foundation Establishment in the first year. For the remaining time, I recorded my experiences and talisman techniques from these past years. Later, I'll also take this Green Ruler Sword, which I'm holding, back home with me. I've troubled you, Senior Brother."

Xiao Yuansi naturally took the jade slips. A thousand words crowded his mind, but he didn't know where to begin. Then he saw Li Chijing step out of the cave dwelling and ascend into the air, flying above Yishan City, looking down at the bustling crowds below.

His ascent into the air instantly startled everyone. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a dozen Qi Condensation cultivators immediately flew up from the city, all staring at him. Chi Jiuyun hastily flew up from the peak and roared angrily, "Li Chijing! What are you doing!"

Li Chijing was momentarily taken aback. Seeing this group react to his small action as if facing a formidable enemy, he chuckled softly and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, everyone, Chijing will not flee. I merely have a couple of things to ask Senior Brother Chi."

The group below exchanged awkward glances, and one by one, they descended, leaving Chi Jiuyun, whose face was grim, glaring at him. Suppressing his temper, he snapped, "What else do you want?!"

Li Chijing cupped his hands and said softly, "Firstly, if I should die, I ask that the sect return my magical artifacts to my home."

Chi Jiuyun frowned, glancing at the sword at Li Chijing's waist. He replied, "I grant it."

"Secondly, I wish to spar with Senior Brother Chi. Please grant me this!"

At his words, the onlookers below were instantly astonished. A hush fell over them. Chi Jiuyun was stunned for a moment, then laughed in spite of himself. "You've only just reached Foundation Establishment. I've been in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment for over twenty years. Don't make others say that I'm bullying a junior!"

Yet, he felt quite puzzled in his heart. He secretly wondered, "Could this brat be trying to find an opportunity to die on my sword, so that I bear the blame? How could such a crude method deceive the Old Ancestor? Doesn't he fear his entire clan being annihilated?!"

Li Chijing, however, cupped his hands again and stubbornly insisted, "Please grant my request, Senior Brother!"

Chi Jiuyun's heart stirred. He sneered inwardly, "Revered Elemental is watching from within this city. No matter what tricks you pull, they'll be futile before a Purple Mansion cultivator. However, I can teach this brat a lesson and let him know that there are always people stronger than yourself and realms beyond your own."

So he nodded with a cold smile and said, "Very well."

With that, he drew his sword and rose. Crimson sword energy surged forth, pointing directly at Li Chijing. The sword energy, like a torrent of crimson, pierced through the north wind above Yishan City, transforming into dozens of flying sword-birds, carrying a scorching aura and sharp keenness as they flew.

"Sword energy departing the body, akin to a magical art! Senior Brother Chi must have already refined Sword Yuan!" Several people below hovered in the air, watching. Seeing the sword energy resembling birds and phoenixes, exclamations of surprise and admiration immediately rose.

Deng Qiuzhi, however, lifted his head and glared at Chi Jiuyun hatefully, sneering, "It's merely Sword Yuan."

The crimson sword energy in the air cast a fiery red glow everywhere. Yet, Li Chijing simply watched Chi Jiuyun. His left hand rested on the longsword at his waist. He did not draw his sword or cast a spell. Not until the sword energy was almost upon him did he suddenly draw his sword, unleashing a searing white arc of sword energy. It was the Moon Gap Sword Arc.

The Moon Gap Sword Arc unleashed by Li Tongya was like the difference between a firefly and a bright moon compared to Li Chijing's. In Li Chijing's hands, the Moon Gap Sword Arc was like a giant, pristine white sail, illuminating the surroundings with a blinding white light, making it impossible for onlookers to keep their eyes open. It obliterated all the incoming sword energy and surged directly towards Chi Jiuyun's face.

Chi Jiuyun frowned. He swung his sword to block, and dozens of sword energies shot forth, but they only managed to slightly dim the sword arc. He was instantly startled, taking it more seriously. He gathered his strength and raised his sword, which glowed crimson, and forcefully parried the sword arc.

"How is this possible!" Chi Jiuyun's heart was greatly shaken. Before he could speak, he hastily channeled his art to disperse the sword arc before him. Li Chijing had already stepped forward, and dozens of unadorned sword energies flew towards him.

Chi Jiuyun swung his magical sword to strike, but he found that these dozen-plus sword energies were all profound and sharp. He immediately knew that Li Chijing's sword cultivation was superior to his own. Relying on his profound true essence, he freed a hand to conjure over a dozen Foundation Establishment fire spells, hoping only to interrupt Li Chijing's sword moves.

Li Chijing cleaved through the dozen-plus fire spells with a single sword stroke, causing explosions in the air, transforming into a showering rain of fire. It seemed about to ignite Yishan City, but vanished upon reaching the ground.

Deng Qiuzhi watched closely. His heart sank, and he gritted his teeth, muttering to himself, "As expected, there's a Purple Mansion cultivator here! Truly impenetrable! They've already threatened our clans, and they still send a Purple Mansion Master to personally oversee this! Are they truly afraid we won't obey...?"

The sword energies and spells collided repeatedly in the air for over a dozen rounds. Chi Jiuyun's face turned grim. Anyone with discernment could see that his sword cultivation was at a disadvantage. Suppressing his rage, he formed hand seals and unleashed various magic formulas in a furious barrage, attempting to suppress Li Chijing with his cultivation level.

Li Chijing remained composed, letting Chi Jiuyun's myriad magic formulas come and go. He simply used the bluish-white Green Ruler Sword in his hand to break each one with a single stroke. The disparity in their skill became immediately apparent.

Seeing the onlookers below stunned and speechless, Chi Jiuyun was instantly enraged. Ignoring Li Chijing's cultivation level, he slapped his storage pouch, summoning a precious orb adorned with chi-dragon patterns. He formed hand seals with both hands, summoning a crimson light barrier.

Li Chijing glanced at him, then suddenly sheathed his sword. He smiled faintly and spoke, "Senior Brother Chi!"

Chi Jiuyun was momentarily dazed, unsure whether to respond or not. But then he saw Li Chijing step forward and say with a smile, "Take this sword strike from me."

"Clang!"

No sooner had he spoken, a series of clanging metallic sounds echoed throughout Yishan City. The precious sword at Deng Qiuzhi's waist subtly vibrated, and all the sharp blades throughout Yishan City began to leap restlessly, trembling continuously.