Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Qjngyan Sacred Land, in its early stages, saw Shen Huawen subtly adjust his stance, arriving at the central area among the three factions. Here, governed by the rules of the Boundless Sea, a vast domain was established.

Contained within, spanning a hundred miles in all directions, it had defined boundaries from which none could escape once inside.

Decisions of Mortal Combat were final; one could only exit by perishing within, with no option to surrender—a rule of utmost severity.

In pairs they battled; the victor chose the next combatant, either rotating or challenging another faction.

Alternatively, they could remain, challenging the third faction directly.

Ultimately, the goal was to eliminate all members of the other two factions until none remained.

Below the arena, one could concede before entering, but once conceded, they could not participate in any future rounds.

Shen Huawen turned to look at the faction of the Black Divine. According to the established rules, they would engage in the first bout.

A shadow flickered, and another figure appeared within the arena.

The entire body of the shadow dispersed into black mist, which swiftly receded into the figure, revealing its true face.

“The Overlord’s Technique? So Qingyan Sacred Land still exists. How fortunate.” You Ziyi sized up Shen Huawen with a faint, raspy voice, chuckling softly.

You Ziyi’s voice sounded hoarse, and the first word was particularly indistinct, as if he hadn’t spoken in countless years.

Shen Huawen frowned slightly at You Ziyi’s words but didn’t reply. He swiftly moved, wielding the Golden Cicada Blade, and appeared before You Ziyi in a single step, slashing down.

A sound resembling the chirping of a cicada echoed as the blade swept through, layers of energy swirling and transforming into cicada wings, enveloping You Ziyi directly.

Once the cicada wings surrounded You Ziyi, the ensuing attacks would be earth-shattering.

“The Overlord’s Technique and Golden Cicada Energy shouldn’t be used like this.”

You Ziyi shook his head slightly. With a casual step back, he narrowly evaded the encirclement of cicada wings.

In the next instant, You Ziyi stepped forward again. In the interval of Shen Huawen’s elemental power circulation, he used his hand as a blade and slashed towards Shen Huawen’s chest.

The elemental power covering Shen Huawen’s body was as fragile as a thread, unable to hinder You Ziyi’s blade, easily being split open.

In the next moment, Shen Huawen would be gravely injured.

“Clang!”

The clash of metal and iron echoed loudly. At a critical moment, Shen Huawen blocked You Ziyi’s blade with the Golden Cicada Blade, swiftly flipped, and retreated a mile away.

You Ziyi made no pursuit, merely smiling as he watched Shen Huawen.

In that brief exchange, lightning-fast and fiery, it appeared evenly matched to the untrained eye. Yet, to the discerning, Shen Huawen seemed to have fallen into a disadvantage.

“You Ziyi?”

Outside the arena, Zhuo Xiansheng, the Lord of Qingyan Sacred Land, raised an eyebrow, seeming to recognize the figure in the arena.

“Are you a former disciple of Qingyan Sacred Land?” asked Zhan Xuming in a low voice.

Ever since members of the faction of the Black Divine appeared, all those of the Sun Moon Realm and the Monster Emperor could tell that the Black Divine had once again used their reincarnation secret technique to gather the remnants of the proud souls lost in the Boundless Sea over many years.

Just as the Black Divine had previously reincarnated Song Shangke of the Sun Moon Realm.

By merging part of themselves into the rules of the Boundless Sea, the Black Divine possessed a unique advantage in gathering these remnants.

Although the members of the Sun Moon Realm and the Monster Emperor knew the Black Divine would employ this tactic, they were powerless to stop it.

Song Shangke’s remnants—they had his physical body and could use the Soul Calling Altar to resist, preventing the Black Divine from reincarnating Song Shangke again.

However, over the many years in the Boundless Sea, numerous geniuses had risen, each leading their own splendid eras for centuries.

There were simply too many of them, and they had no capability to gather every single remnant soul. Without the means, it was impossible.

“A disciple who passed away hundreds of years ago had already reached the pinnacle of the Mountain Sea Realm at that time, but failed and perished while attempting to breakthrough to the Sun Moon Realm,” Zhuo Xiansheng said solemnly.

Breaking through from the Mountain Sea Realm to the Sun Moon Realm carried enormous risks; lightly, one could suffer severe injuries or a decline in cultivation. Heavily, it could lead directly to death.

Zhan Xuming nodded, watching You Ziyi in the arena.

Hundreds of years ago, at the pinnacle of the Mountain Sea Realm, what stood before him now was just a composition of remnants. Naturally, its true realm couldn’t possibly match that of years past.

Nevertheless, certain things were already deeply imprinted in the soul. Therefore, even though You Ziyi now was only at the early stage of the Mountain Sea Realm, he was far stronger than the average early-stage Mountain Sea Realm practitioner.

In this tripartite Mortal Combat, there was actually another rule: participants were not allowed to dissipate their original sources to suppress their realm and join the battle. Otherwise, if you were originally at the fifth stage but suppressed yourself to the fourth stage, how could other fourth-stage opponents withstand you?

And the Black Divine’s current actions, not violating the rules of the planes, indicate they are accepted.

Clearly, in the eyes of the dimensional rules, You Ziyi composed of remnants like this is no longer the same person as the peak Mountain Sea Realm You Ziyi from before.

“You can’t defeat me. Every move you make, I see it coming before you even lift a finger. Being the first to face me just means you have bad luck!”

Inside the arena, You Ziyi looked at Shen Huawen earnestly.

“Is that so? So I should just surrender to you right now?”

Shen Huawen slowly swung the Golden Cicada Blade, and tiny cicada wings appeared around him. They served both as defense and, crucially, could cut through opponents freely when needed.

“In this Mortal Combat, surrender isn’t an option. I seem to have forgotten that.”

Shen Huawen remarked, tapping his own head lightly, the smile fading from his face.

“In that case, I guess I’ll just have to end you!”

You Ziyi’s voice dropped as countless cicada wings appeared around him. These wings broke through the resistance of space, allowing You Ziyi to appear in front of Shen Huawen in an instant.

You Ziyi raised his right arm and slashed forward through the air.

As You Ziyi moved, the cicada wings around him instantly converged, forming a transparent, immense blade that slashed towards Shen Huawen.

Shen Huawen let out a low shout as the cicada wings around him moved with his will, slashing towards You Ziyi in retaliation.

“Boom!”

A thunderous explosion resounded, sending Shen Huawen sliding back several steps, channeling his force, while You Ziyi similarly retreated a few steps.

Upon observation, this time both sides seemed evenly matched, neither gaining an advantage.

Watching the scene unfold, Chen Fei furrowed his brows slightly after a moment. It seemed likely that Shen Huawen would lose.

Shen Huawen’s understanding of the Overlord’s Technique and Golden Cicada Energy was actually very profound.

With the help of Enlightenment Stones and Fairy Sound Grass, he had already achieved a state of Great Completion.

The intense month of intensive training had depleted the Enlightenment Stones to exhaustion, taking who knows how many years to recover, indicating remarkable achievements.

Yet, even with all this, facing You Ziyi, who wielded the same techniques, Shen Huawen had unwittingly fallen into his opponent’s rhythm.

If in the first exchange You Ziyi had caught Shen Huawen off guard and gained the upper hand, now as the skirmish continued, such factors had been neutralized.

Clearly, both sides possessed similar levels of comprehension in their techniques, but when employing identical moves, You Ziyi appeared noticeably more adept and composed.

Such natural mastery was deeply engraved in You Ziyi’s soul.

Due to his fragmented soul, in some ways, You Ziyi had actually forgotten certain details of his techniques long ago.

However, as the battle between the two progressed, those forgotten details were constantly recalled. You Ziyi’s suppression over Shen Huawen became increasingly evident.

Natural talent!

Some individuals naturally comprehend techniques faster and utilize them better. It’s a gift that others envy but cannot attain. You Ziyi belonged to this category.

Chen Fei could see this, and so could the members of the Sun Moon Realm and the Monster Emperor.

This was a kind of combat capability where a high level of comprehension in techniques could compensate for many shortcomings, but not all.

Especially when facing an opponent who possesses techniques of the same level and similar comprehension, this becomes even more apparent.

Fifteen minutes later, as Shen Huawen cleaved through half of You Ziyi’s body, You Ziyi in turn split Shen Huawen’s head with a single slash.

“You handle your techniques decently, but not well enough!”

You Ziyi stepped back, pushing the fractured body aside, and looked at the dying Shen Huawen, continuing:

“Not well enough. That’s why you’re going to die!”

Shen Huawen’s life faded away, and You Ziyi’s gaze deepened. It wasn’t clear whether his words were meant for Shen Huawen to hear or for the him of years past who had failed to break through to the Sun Moon Realm.

With Shen Huawen’s death, the momentum on the Boundless Sea side waned, and even those in the central hall of the Sacred City fell silent.

The people of Qingyan Sacred Land wore particularly solemn expressions.

Despite knowing that in the Mortal Combat someone had to die, witnessing a disciple actually perish on the battlefield was still difficult to accept.

As You Ziyi stepped down, another from the Black Divine faction replaced him, while someone from the Shadow Island faction leaped into the arena.

The people from Qianyan City couldn’t help but look to Chen Fei. Shen Huawen, such a genius, had died like this.

This Mortal Combat was too brutal. Chen Fei was extraordinarily talented, but could he survive this trial?

Amidst the concern, chaos ensued!

The duel continued, and the identity of the new contestant from the Black Divine’s side was soon recognized.

A thousand years ago, Lu Wenbin, a disciple of the Purple Cloud Sacred Land, had also cultivated to the pinnacle of the Mountain Sea Realm and attempted to break through to the Sun Moon Realm.

However, he too had ultimately failed, never taking that final step.

However, unlike You Ziyi, Lu Wenbin did not perish directly; instead, his cultivation regressed to the late stages of the Mountain Sea Realm.

Lu Wenbin possessed an extremely resilient temperament. Relying on the foundation of the Purple Cloud Sacred Land, he healed his injuries and forcefully cultivated back to the pinnacle of the Mountain Sea Realm.

He even made a second attempt to break through to the Sun Moon Realm!

But crossing from the Mountain Sea Realm to the Sun Moon Realm was truly arduous. Despite his efforts, he failed again, and his cultivation regressed to the middle stages of the Mountain Sea Realm.

Two failed breakthroughs thoroughly undermined his foundation, making recovery impossible and preventing him from reaching the peak of the Mountain Sea Realm again.

Ultimately, Lu Wenbin passed away within the confines of the Purple Cloud Sacred Land.

In contrast to You Ziyi’s familiarity with Shen Huawen’s techniques, this figure from the Purple Cloud Sacred Land a thousand years ago naturally would not be familiar with the techniques of Shadow Island.

Therefore, both sides could only display their full strength in this confrontation!

Chen Fei observed Lu Wenbin for a moment before focusing his attention entirely on the representative from Shadow Island.

Upon observing for a while, Chen Fei noticed that the techniques practiced by Shadow Island were vastly different from those cultivated in the Boundless Sea.

However, there was one aspect that remained unchanged.

That was the use of the natural energy of the heavens and earth, albeit in different methods of manipulation.

Just as with the Human Race and the Monster Race, their methods of cultivation were different, and their ways of handling the arcane were completely distinct.

When it came down to real combat, it ultimately boiled down to essence, energy, and spirit, unchanging despite all variations.

Two hours later, the representative from Shadow Island shattered Lu Wenbin’s body with a single sword strike. Shadow Island emerged victorious!

Both the Black Divine faction and Shadow Island turned their gaze towards the Boundless Sea side, where eventually a figure leaped out.

Three hours later.

With a furious roar from You Ziyi, the body of the Shadow Island representative exploded into a mist of blood, life extinguished!

Shadow Island, at the early stage of the fourth tier, wiped out!

Boundless Sea, at the early stage of the fourth tier, wiped out!

On the side of the Black Divine, only two remained, claiming victory in this round of the early fourth-tier competition!

The Black Divine’s eyes glowed red, and black mist violently surged around their body.

On the Boundless Sea side, there was profound silence. It wasn’t that they hadn’t had opportunities, but whether it was by a small margin or a significant one, a loss was still a loss!

The Sun Moon Realm experts and Monster Emperors couldn’t help but turn their gaze towards Chen Fei and the others.

“I’ll go first!”

Zhu Xiaowen took a deep breath, speaking in a deep voice as if about to leap into the arena.

However, before he could move, a hand rested on Zhu Xiaowen’s shoulder, keeping him in place.

Zhu Xiaowen looked at Chen Fei with some confusion. The order of appearance had been decided beforehand—Zhu Xiaowen was supposed to go first, with Chen Fei as the final act.

“Let me handle this!”

Chen Fei spoke quietly as he leaped onto the stage.