Chapter 194: Not Acting Anymore

Qin Changfeng elegantly took out a blood crystal and placed it into the wooden box. "This blood crystal is worth a thousand Yongquan coins!" he declared. "Brother Lin, I've paid your challenge fee for you!"

Lin Yi chuckled, "I'm just worried you'll win all the Yongquan coins and blood crystals in one battle, leaving me no chance to even step onto the platform."

After verification, Qi Wangshu gestured for Qin Changfeng to proceed.

"Qin Changfeng, from Fuzhou."

As he stepped onto the platform, Qin Changfeng cupped his hands in a respectful salute, aiming to make a name for himself.

Li Weiyi rose, returned the salute, and announced with a clear, strong voice, "Brother Qin, you may use a magical artifact!"

"Any kind of artifact?"

"Certainly! I, Li, dare to set up this arena in the street precisely because I'm confident I can meet any challenge and emerge victorious."

"Impressive spirit! However, you possess a mortal body; it would be unfair to defeat you using a magical artifact."

Qin Changfeng did not truly underestimate Li Weiyi. In an instant, the spiritual energy within him surged, subtly emanating from his pores. His battle intent materialized behind him, a two-zhang tall projection glowing with brilliant light.

"Mountain-Moving Torrent Palm!"

The seven-zhang square platform felt incredibly cramped for a martial cultivator at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm; with barely a step, he was already upon his opponent.

As he thrust his palm forward, spiritual energy surged through Qin Changfeng's right arm like a torrent, as if it could displace the very space around them.

Li Weiyi's expression turned grim, as if facing a powerful adversary. He swiftly employed his movement technique to evade, clearly unwilling to meet the attack directly.

"Where do you think you're going, Brother Weiyi? Get down!"

Qin Changfeng let out a hearty laugh, his wide sleeves billowing. His left palm struck downwards in an incredibly profound manner, while his battle intent simultaneously locked completely onto Li Weiyi.

Left with no alternative, Li Weiyi had to clash with him head-on.

"Boom!"

The two were equally matched, both rapidly retreating backward after the clash.

"What formidable power. It's certainly not as simple as it seemed; he must be a Nine Springs Grandmaster."

Qin Changfeng's expression grew serious. He fully unleashed his movement speed, appearing as six figures scattered across the platform. Torrents of palm strikes weaved through all directions, trapping Li Weiyi in the center.

Li Weiyi's footwork flickered. After absorbing three of his palm strikes head-on, he pinpointed an opportunity.

With two fingers of his right hand like a sword, he struck out like a streak of light.

"Cihang Enlightenment!"

"Whoosh!"

A beam of finger energy, as thick as a wine cup, shot out directly, piercing through Qin Changfeng's battle intent and protective spiritual energy, sending him tumbling off the platform.

This move would be the fifth battle intent Li Weiyi aimed to cultivate next, and he resolved to refine it thoroughly.

Even wearing his artifact battle suit, Qin Changfeng sustained minor injuries. He barely managed to channel his spiritual energy to the ground, landing on his feet, though his face was visibly pale.

His gaze was fixed on Li Weiyi on the platform. He couldn't accept that a dignified Pure Immortal Body would be defeated so swiftly by a mere mortal.

"Qin Changfeng of Fuzhou, defeated in six moves." Qi Wangshu announced.

Li Weiyi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his spine straight as a spear, looking down. "Brother Qin," he said, "you shouldn't have underestimated me. Had you used a battle weapon, I assure you, I wouldn't have defeated you so easily."

"I want to challenge again."

Qin Changfeng was unconvinced and unwilling to accept defeat, secretly regretting his underestimation of Li Weiyi.

Fortunately, this wasn't a duel to the death, leaving him a chance to try again.

Qi Wangshu stated, "Challenges require queuing. Just now, three more individuals paid their challenge fees. And a reminder to everyone: Young Master Li is only holding this arena for two hours today; his time is quite limited."

More than ten martial cultivators quickly departed, intending to summon masters from their respective clans.

"This person is very strong; absolutely do not underestimate him. His finger technique is extremely surprising and powerful; handle it with caution."

Qin Changfeng grabbed Lin Yi's wrist, giving him this earnest advice, then immediately went to pay his second challenge fee.

Lin Yi, understanding Qin Changfeng's strength, knew that even if Qin had underestimated his opponent, for Li Weiyi to knock him off the platform in six moves was absolutely no small feat.

Thus, upon entering the arena, he didn't hold back. He drew a high-tier artifact battle sword inscribed with scriptures and asked, "Brother Weiyi, what artifact will you use?"

"My finger technique has been cultivated to an unparalleled level; it's no exaggeration to call it supreme. It's enough to overcome stronger opponents, so why would I need to use an artifact?"

With one hand behind his back, Li Weiyi looked at ease, gesturing as if surveying the land. "Allow me to be frank," he began, "at the same cultivation stage, physical constitution is not the critical factor determining one's combat power. More important are personal martial arts mastery, combat wisdom, the application of spiritual energy, and one's mental state and spirit..."

As a Pure Immortal Body martial cultivator, Lin Yi wasn't swayed by such words. He interrupted, "Let's just begin!"

Li Weiyi shook his head with a sigh. "Very well!"

"Boom!"

Eight moves later, Li Weiyi once again unleashed "Cihang Enlightenment," one of the Twelve Loose Hand Techniques of Chanmen. His finger strike, akin to a sneak attack, came from an unconventional angle, piercing Lin Yi's protective spiritual energy and sending him off the platform.

"Lin Yi of Fuzhou, defeated in nine moves," Qi Wangshu announced.

Li Weiyi gazed at the Immortal Forest suspended in mid-air, speaking with a tone of regret. "Lin Yi, Lin Yi," he said, "in a platform duel, your mental state is far less serene than mine. You're simply aiming to win Yongquan coins, not genuinely engaging in martial arts exchange. With such a mindset, how could you possibly be my opponent?"

Lin Yi replied coldly, "While Brother Weiyi is lecturing me, why doesn't he check his sleeve?"

Li Weiyi raised his arm, his expression subtly changing as he saw the sword-torn sleeve. "You..."

"Just three more inches, and that hand of yours would be gone!"

Lin Yi let out a low snort, then immediately went to pay his second challenge fee, confident he now knew how to defeat Li Weiyi.

Sitting in his chair, Qi Xiao nodded faintly. Defeating Qin Changfeng and Lin Yi within ten moves certainly demonstrated Li Weiyi's skill. However, neither Qin nor Lin were Nine Springs Grandmasters, and Qi Xiao was confident he could defeat them both within ten moves at the same stage.

What exactly did the First Inheritor intend to do?

Yin Shi-yi sat on the second floor of a nearby tavern, a smile plastered across his face. "Is making money truly this easy?" he mused. "There are so many fools in this world, eager to be sparring partners, rushing to hand over money."

Li Weiyi's primary concern was a reappearance by Zang Jin, followed by worries that Yang Qingxi might cause disruption, and finally, fear that someone might try to seize the Yongquan coins. This was why he had Yin Shi-yi conceal himself nearby.

These Yongquan coins and blood crystals were acquired by exchanging all his low-tier artifacts; losing them was not an option.

"Qi Qian, defeated in four moves."

"Li Jiuzhong, defeated in five moves."

"Sijia Bai, defeated in six moves."

Qin Changfeng had been closely observing the duels on the platform, meticulously pondering. Now, it was finally his turn once more.

"Whoosh!"

Stepping onto the platform, he donned a pair of high-tier artifact gauntlets, each weighing eight hundred *jin*, forged from exceptionally dense metal. As he advanced towards Li Weiyi, his battle intent materialized behind him, and he ascended to his peak state.

"Brother Weiyi, this time I will not underestimate you!" Qin Changfeng declared. "I know you are very strong, with exceptional martial arts mastery, but I am no pushover either."

The duel began.

"Rumble!"

Li Weiyi avoided a direct clash, instead utilizing his speed advantage to engage him.

Only at the eighth move did he unleash Cihang Enlightenment, knocking Qin Changfeng off the platform with a single finger.

"Qin Changfeng, defeated in nine moves."

To encourage them to continue paying challenge fees, Li Weiyi offered a martial arts critique to each defeated challenger: "Your strength is considerable, and your fist and palm techniques are masterful. Unfortunately, your movement speed is too slow."

"A top master should not have such a glaring weakness."

His standard martial arts commentary, however, sounded exceptionally grating to the defeated.

They would have preferred outright mockery and ridicule.

Just a little more, just a tiny bit...

Qin Changfeng trembled, his gaze sweeping over the pointing fingers of the surrounding young martial cultivators. "For a Fourth Stage Five Seas Realm confrontation, he only set up a seven-zhang square platform," he fumed. "Of course it's easy to fall off! Yes, the platform is too small! Change to a larger venue, and he wouldn't be able to do anything to me."

"Not only is the platform small, but the ground is also very slippery," murmured Li Jiuzhong, who had been knocked off earlier.

Zuoqiu Baiyuan sneered, "It snowed this morning, so of course the ground is slippery. Why are you the only ones slipping? Did Young Master Li somehow sprout roots on it?"

"If you can't handle losing, then don't fight!" Qi Wangshu said with a shrug and an open palm.

"Fight, keep fighting! I refuse to believe I can't withstand even ten moves from him."

Li Jiuzhong paid another challenge fee.

Qin Changfeng followed closely, determined to reclaim the honor he had lost today, no matter the cost.

He had also realized the true cause: his mindset. He shouldn't have been so focused on winning.

If he had only aimed to withstand ten moves, enduring them and winning ten thousand Yongquan coins, how could that be difficult?

Those blinded by defeat lose all reason.

The news spread rapidly. From the four cities—east, south, west, and north—an increasing number of Fourth Stage Five Seas Realm martial cultivators gathered beneath the platform.

Even from within the Immortal Forest, various Pure Immortal Body cultivators of the Fourth Stage Five Seas Realm, both male and female, emerged in succession, ready to display their prowess.

Most of them had accompanied top experts from their clans, either to partake in the excitement of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, to lend support in fights, or to network with other talented individuals of their generation.

"He's still incredibly strong! I just found out that Li Weiyi has already fought nearly twenty matches, defeating every opponent within ten moves," said Luo Zhan, a young martial cultivator from the Leixiao Sect, at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm.

Lu Wensheng, a Pure Immortal Body at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm, was the elder brother of Lu Cangsheng, the Leixiao Sect's inheritor. In his youth, the sect elders had at one point considered his talent to be superior to Lu Cangsheng's.

Unfortunately, in just a few short years, his younger brother had risen swiftly, leaving him far behind.

Lu Wensheng wondered, "Could it be that he's not even at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm at all?"

"Unlikely," Luo Zhan replied. "For Zuoqiu Ting to dare to write that sign is equivalent to staking his own reputation on it. Besides, that young man's spiritual energy truly is only Tier 3."

There were seven or eight young disciples from the Leixiao Sect who had accompanied Lu Wensheng and Luo Zhan to gain experience. One of them remarked, "He's only defeated a handful of ragtag individuals. The true strength at this stage lies with the disciples of the Ten-Million Sects."

"The 'unparalleled first person at the same stage'... it's utterly laughable. Southern Realm martial cultivators are far too arrogant. Senior Brother Wensheng, are you confident you can defeat him?"

Lu Wensheng had watched both of Li Weiyi's matches from start to finish. "He's very strong, and he's holding back," he assessed. "He hasn't even used his battle intent yet. He should be on par with me."

"What? Isn't he only a Tier 3 practitioner?" asked one of the Leixiao Sect disciples, unable to accept this assessment. "Senior Brother Wensheng, you're Tier 4, and your mastery of thunder magic is exceptional!"

Lu Wensheng smiled. "You're just like those martial cultivators who blindly stepped onto the platform to challenge him; you're only seeing his spiritual energy mastery. I dare say, this person has already achieved a considerable level in physical body cultivation."

"He won using physical strength? Wouldn't it be incredibly unfair then to set his cultivation level at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm?" asked a Leixiao Sect disciple.

"There's nothing unfair about it," Luo Zhan countered. "Among the outstanding talents of the Ten-Million Lineages, the Ten-Million Sects, and even many Million-Power Clans, who isn't cultivating both spiritual energy and the physical body simultaneously? Take Senior Brother, for instance; he has already cultivated a Dao Body."

Lu Wensheng nodded. "Not a single one of those individuals on the First and Second Ranks isn't incredibly strong physically, having compensated for all their weaknesses. It's just that Golden Bones are difficult to cultivate and Golden Springs are rare to find, so not many have managed to cultivate a Dao Body. Junior Brother Luo, would you like to try first?"

"Haha, I was just thinking that. I can definitely withstand ten moves. I'll force him to reveal his true capabilities."

Luo Zhan quickly strode towards the platform, paying a thousand Yongquan coins, and even covered Lu Wensheng's challenge fee!

Qi Xiao glanced at him, sensing the distinct aura of a Leixiao Sect disciple. He then looked towards a man in the distance who bore a slight resemblance to Lu Cangsheng, pondered for a moment, and a smile touched his lips.

Given his cultivation, he could clearly see that Li Weiyi had not been using his full strength.

But with the Leixiao Sect disciples now present, they should be able to draw out Li Weiyi's true combat power. A faint sense of anticipation stirred within Qi Xiao.

Li Weiyi fought nine more matches, knocking Qin Changfeng off the platform for the fifth time.

This crushing defeat utterly broke Qin Changfeng's spirit. He lay on the ground, unable to rise for a long time, his eyes vacant.

Li Weiyi, no longer able to bear lecturing him, spoke frankly with a sigh. "Brother Qin," he said, "you are no match for me within ten moves. Stop wasting your money; you've already paid plenty! I, Li Weiyi, am truly the unparalleled first person at this stage; ordinary martial cultivators like yourselves simply cannot withstand ten moves from me."

"He's not even bothering to pretend anymore?" Qi Xiao, seated in his chair, raised an eyebrow.

Luo Zhan, the next challenger, cast a disdainful glance at Qin Changfeng lying in the snow. "Is this the standard for imperial martial cultivators?" he sneered. "If below this platform were a forest of blades... hmph, hmph..."

"Roar!"

Qin Changfeng couldn't endure the provocation. He let out a howl, first glaring fiercely at Luo Zhan through gritted teeth, then looking at Li Weiyi on the platform, before frantically rushing out of the crowd.

Meanwhile, his companion Lin Yi had silently departed after losing four matches.

Luo Zhan, clad in a lightning artifact battle suit woven with shimmering purple patterns, ascended the platform. With every breath, wisps of electric light arced through the seven-zhang space around him.

"I heard that challengers can use artifacts of any grade?" he asked.

Li Weiyi recognized him as a disciple of the Leixiao Sect, understanding that his true major client and intended target had finally arrived.

When it came to wealth, the people from the Ten-Million Lineages and Ten-Million Sects were truly unparalleled.

While imperial martial cultivators also had money, it varied by individual. If he could attract top aristocratic offspring like Jiang Ning, he could make a fortune multiple times over.

Li Weiyi smiled. "If you can produce a hundred-character scripture artifact, I, Li, will certainly acknowledge its use."

"Can I use Thunder Law Profound Ice?" Luo Zhan inquired.

"Of course!" Li Weiyi replied. "But I can guarantee that within seven *zhang*, even if you manage to retrieve your Thunder Law Profound Ice, you won't be able to unleash it. Your hands will surely break first!"

"Haha, just kidding. This is merely a duel, not a fight to the death."

Luo Zhan formed a hand seal, and a serpent-like streak of lightning appeared in his palm, arcing outwards to over ten *zhang* in length. He then announced his name, "Luo Zhan of the Leixiao Sect, here to witness Young Master Li's formidable skills."