Chapter 305: Tao Yao Ye's Golden Core

On the training ground, Lu Yang stood with his hands behind his back, the red tassel on his sword hilt swaying gently in the wind. A faint smile played on his lips, as if he had already fully grasped the outcome and direction of the battle.

In stark contrast to Lu Yang, Tao Yao Ye appeared to be facing a formidable foe.

Her Golden Core gave her the confidence to challenge Lu Yang, but it was merely confidence; she wasn't sure herself if her Golden Core could defeat him.

"Invincible Pill, how do I defeat Tao Yao Ye?" Lu Yang felt it was necessary for Tao Yao Ye to understand the power of his Golden Core.

The Invincible Pill quickly provided a concise and effective answer.

"Use Arhat Fist."

Lu Yang had a sudden realization, remembering he possessed such a formidable technique. Lu's Arhat Fist, which caused baldness with every strike, was especially effective against women.

Upon seeing Lu Yang's confident smile of assured victory, Tao Yao Ye seemed to realize something, and her face suddenly turned pale.

"Senior Brother Lu, we are fellow disciples. Please, you absolutely must not use Arhat Fist!"

"...Alright," Lu Yang considered it and agreed; they were fellow disciples, no need to be so extreme.

"Arhat Fist? Is it the Buddhist Arhat Fist that, when cultivated to mastery, allows one to embody an Arhat?" Beneath the stage, the senior disciples whispered amongst themselves, puzzled as to why Tao Yao Ye was so afraid of it.

"It must be. As far as I know, there's no other Arhat Fist in the world."

"Although Arhat Fist is incredibly powerful, with Junior Sister Tao's talent, she shouldn't be so terrified, should she?"

"I'm not sure."

Even the most well-informed senior disciples remained unaware of the full reason behind her fear.

Qin Yan Yan likewise didn't understand, so she asked the Elder Sister, "Sister, do you know why?"

She and Li Hao Ran had been father and daughter in a previous life. Since her mother hadn't yet married Li Hao Ran, she and Li Hao Ran were of the same generation. As Yun Zhi was Li Hao Ran's senior, calling her "sister" seemed appropriate.

Perhaps it was just a feeling, but Qin Yan Yan sensed a faint, almost imperceptible smile cross Yun Zhi's lips. "Compared to an ordinary Arhat Fist, Lu Yang's Arhat Fist makes people lose their hair."

"What?" Qin Yan Yan was startled, thinking she had misheard. She had never heard of such a fist technique. Was this the talent of the current generation's strongest individual?

On the arena stage, Lu Yang wielded his longsword, its light shimmering like flowing starlight. Tao Yao Ye unfurled her red paper umbrella, which spun gently, sending ripples through space.

Lu Yang was surprised to find that the surrounding audience had vanished, and the arena floor beneath his feet had expanded infinitely, with no discernible boundaries. A chill ran down his spine. He realized he had fallen into Tao Yao Ye's illusion. If he were to assume the arena was truly boundless and fought without caution, he could easily accidentally step out of bounds and lose the match.

Lu Yang pressed his sword towards Tao Yao Ye, simultaneously activating his Mind-Illuminating and Nature-Perceiving Art to break through the illusion. The red paper umbrella closed, holding firm before Tao Yao Ye. Feeling the power transmitted by Lu Yang's Azure Edge Sword, Tao Yao Ye knew she couldn't clash head-on with Senior Brother Lu. She moved her steps gracefully, retreating backward.

Lu Yang would not let this opportunity slip by, pursuing her relentlessly. The red paper umbrella was made of an unknown material, capable of blocking the continuous attacks from the Azure Edge Sword. Tao Yao Ye tried every means to maneuver around Lu Yang, hoping to trick him into stepping out of the arena. Yet, no matter how she tried, Lu Yang hovered at the very edge of the stage, never taking a single step beyond it.

"You've seen through my illusion again!" Tao Yao Ye said bitterly. She was very confident in her illusions; even Golden Core cultivators, once caught in them, usually couldn't see through them. Only Lu Yang managed to perceive the truth instantly.

"That was quite good, Junior Sister Tao. Before, my cultivation art would automatically break your illusions. This time, I had to actively use it to break through." While Lu Yang praised her, his sword strikes grew even fiercer. Even with the special material of the red paper umbrella, Tao Yao Ye's own body couldn't withstand such high-intensity combat; with every collision, her arms were left numb from the impact.

"Slash!" The sword's light contracted, then burst forth in an arc through the air. Tao Yao Ye couldn't withstand the strike and was sent flying.

Tao Yao Ye seized the chance to create distance from Lu Yang. She opened her red paper umbrella, shook it in front of her, and another Tao Yao Ye appeared. Now there were two Tao Yao Yes on the stage, both holding red paper umbrellas and smiling charmingly, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.

"Senior Brother Lu, if you want to know what kind of Golden Core I formed, then please don't use your cultivation art." Tao Yao Ye said helplessly. This technique should have given her an advantage against anyone, but Lu Yang's cultivation art naturally countered her abilities. Her sophisticated illusion techniques were like child's play to him.

"Then I won't!" Lu Yang kept his word. He took out twin lotus seeds, used Shrinking Ground to cast the Tree-Planting Art, and the twin lotuses bloomed, causing two Lu Yangs to appear.

A commotion erupted among the spectators; the senior disciples had never seen such a clone technique before. Lu Yang's junior disciples looked on with eyes full of admiration. As expected of Senior Brother Lu, even his spells were unlike those of ordinary people.

The two Lu Yangs simultaneously attacked the two Tao Yao Yes. One of these Tao Yao Yes had to be an illusionary clone, which could use spells but couldn't engage in physical combat. Therefore, Lu Yang should have known immediately which Tao Yao Ye was real and which was the illusion the moment they clashed.

"Bang—" "Bang—" Two collision sounds echoed. Lu Yang was slightly stunned; both Tao Yao Yes were actually capable of close-quarters combat. Could Junior Sister Tao have learned a true cloning technique? No, Junior Sister Tao must be using an illusion; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked him not to activate his cultivation art. But if they were illusions, how could these two Junior Sister Tao clones, who could engage in physical combat, be explained?

The Elder Sister, who had been observing the entire time, nodded slightly, finding Tao Yao Ye's Golden Core truly fascinating. This was another unprecedented Golden Core in history.

"One of them must be fake!" Lu Yang made a judgment. His longsword danced, its light like a dragon, piercing towards one of the Tao Yao Yes. Lu Yang's clone also made a move, attacking the other Tao Yao Ye.

"Break!" Lu Yang roared, unleashing his Shattering Art. Both Tao Yao Yes saw a flash of white light before their necks felt a cold touch. The Azure Edge Sword was held to their throats.

Lu Yang frowned. Even after the battle ended, he couldn't distinguish which one was the real Tao Yao Ye. With no other choice, he had to use absolute strength to defeat both of them. Lu Yang held a bold guess forming in his mind.

"Well, Senior Brother Lu, did you guess?" Tao Yao Ye wasn't upset about losing; with Lu Yang's cultivation art, she couldn't have won against him anyway.

"A Golden Core with real-illusory transformation capabilities?"

Tao Yao Ye's small mouth slightly agape, not expecting Lu Yang to have guessed the general idea. "Close enough. It's an entirely new type of Golden Core."

"When I cast illusions, the biggest problem is people trying to test which one is real and which is an illusion."

"My Golden Core avoids this issue."

"For example, just now, both clones could have been real, or both could have been fake. The key lies in how the opponent perceives them."

"If you believe both are real, then both are real. If you believe both are fake, then both are fake."

"Senior Brother Lu, you were constantly unsure which was real and which was fake, repeatedly testing. You had no firm judgment, so both of them were the real me."

"The only way to break the illusion is if you firmly decide that one is real and the other is fake, and then fully attack the one you believe is the real me. Only then will the illusion break."

"This is my Golden Core: the Reality-Illusion As-You-Wish Pill."

"Little Junior Brother."

Lu Yang looked up, only then noticing that the Elder Sister was also observing the match.

Lu Yang jumped off the stage and stood dutifully before the Elder Sister, a fawning smile on his face. "Elder Sister, you're back."

Qin Yan Yan was surprised; it was the first time she had seen Lu Yang so docile.