Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 111 My Best Skill

Chen Ye is used to giving his all when a lion pounces on a rabbit.

Previously, he had the help of formations to defeat the strong when he was weak, but now he could only rely on magic weapons to fight the enemy. Chen Ye did not hesitate at all and released all thirty-six sword energies from the sword box at once, completely enveloping Li Minglu.

These thirty-six sword energies subtly corresponded to the hexagrams, and their combined effect completely sealed off all the directions from which Li Minglu could hide.

As long as he can't fly faster than the sword energy, he can't completely dodge it.

First, force him to use defensive tactics, then unleash your inner spirits and use divine soul techniques to subdue him.

If neither of these methods works, Chen Ye will throw out the Black Whirlwind to attract the opponent's attention, and then try to use talismans to fight back.

……

Everything had been calculated, and Chen Ye had even come up with several contingency plans. Regardless of whether Li Minglu had the advantage in speed or strength, they could manage to hold their own.

But to Chen Ye's utter surprise, after thinking for a long time about how Li Minglu would respond, he found that Li Minglu had no response at all.

Just as Chen Ye unleashed all thirty-six sword energies, Li Minglu's face showed surprise, and he exclaimed, "Qinghe Sword Energy?!"

Then, Li Minglu only had time to raise the giant sword to block in front of him.

Three sword energies struck the giant sword, piercing it straight through. Two more sword energies struck Li Minglu's protective aura, instantly shattering it into pieces.

"clang!"

As the bronze bell rang, Lu Shichang announced expressionlessly, "The contest is over. The winner is Fellow Daoist Chen Ye."

Li Minglu looked at his magical giant sword with heartache and squeezed out two sentences through gritted teeth: "I am no match for your skills, I admit defeat."

Chen Ye: ...

No, it's over already?

The cultivator ranked 100th in the fighting arena couldn't even withstand a single move?
Chen Ye numbly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kind offer."

But Chen Ye didn't seem to react until Li Minglu left the arena.

Lu Shichang walked to Chen Ye's side and said with a smile, "What's wrong with Fellow Daoist Chen? You won so easily, it seems like you're the one who lost."

Chen Ye couldn't help but ask, "Did Li Minglu lose on purpose?"

Lu Shichang asked, "What makes you say that, Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Chen Ye asked in confusion, "But he lost too quickly. He just grabbed a sword and blocked it. Is that considered a duel?"

Lu Shichang said helplessly, "Fellow Daoist Chen, you are a well-fed man who does not know the hunger of an starving man. Not everyone is as lucky as you to be able to befriend the people of the Qinghe Sword Sect. Just the sword box behind you is already a powerful magic weapon that is hard to come by among rogue cultivators."

“I know Li Minglu. His sword looks huge, but it’s just made of poor material. He can only win by sheer quantity. It seems like he can fly on the sword, but its only advantage is its thickness. Li Minglu’s skills are all in the sword. His best skill is the Mountain-Breaking Sword Technique, but it’s just that he’s strong enough to smash large rocks. How can it compare to the Qinghe Sword Qi?”

Chen Ye found it unbelievable and asked, "Then how did he manage to get on the list?"

Lu Shichang laughed and said, "That's because the other cultivators are weaker. Don't be fooled by the fact that Li Minglu couldn't withstand a single move from you. His Mountain-Breaking Sword is quite powerful, and he also has a decent movement technique. If he gets close, an ordinary rogue cultivator might not be able to withstand more than a few of his sword strikes."

"Of course, we are far inferior to you. You don't need to be surprised. Most of us rogue cultivators are at this level, using magic treasures pieced together from various sources, practicing spells we figured out ourselves, without any proper lineage or powerful secret techniques, and we can't even produce any decent talismans or pills."

Upon hearing Lu Shichang's words, Chen Ye fell into a long silence.

Now he understood why the Lord had made him compete for the top three. With the sword box and the Myriad Soul Banner in his hands, ordinary rogue cultivators would have no chance against him unless they were disciples of a prestigious sect.

For the first time, Chen Ye truly felt the gap between himself and others, but he didn't feel particularly happy.

Because the Lord ordered him to deal with the demon lord of the Nirvana Sect, which is currently the number one demonic sect, and also has three experts at the Tongxuan Realm.

With this in mind, Chen Ye asked Lu Shichang, "Can I still take on the challenge?"

Lu Shichang nodded and said, "Of course, I wonder which one you would like to challenge, fellow Daoist?" Chen Ye's gaze shifted to the stone pillar engraved with many names, and his eyes fell on the names of the disciples of the five major sects.

After watching for a long time, Chen Ye said to Lu Shichang, "I want to challenge Qin Ze of the Mirage Sect, who is ranked twentieth."

Upon hearing this, Lu Shichang looked at Chen Ye in surprise.

He originally thought Chen Ye would choose someone ranked in the middle to challenge, but he never expected Chen Ye to be so bold as to directly target the disciples of the five major sects.

Lu Shichang couldn't help but remind him, "Fellow Daoist Chen, have you thought this through? This Qin Ze completed the Gang Sha Body Refinement several years ago, and he may have already entered the Tong Xuan Realm."

Upon hearing that the other party was very likely a Transcendent Realm expert, Chen Ye showed no sign of backing down and said firmly, "My mind is made up, this is the one. Please make the arrangements for me, Fellow Daoist Lu."

Lu Shichang sighed softly and said, "Since that's how it is, fine. It's been a long time since I've seen a rogue cultivator dare to challenge the disciples of the five major sects. If this gets out, tsk tsk..."

Lu Shichang flew several feet up, took off the nameplate of the twentieth place, and said to Chen Ye, "According to the rules, to challenge the top thirty, you need to pay a thousand Azure Pearls first."

Chen Ye felt a slight pang of heartache; these thousand Azure Pearls were indeed a huge sum of money.

In the past few months, Chen Ye has not made any money, but Mo Suixin gave Chen Ye a generous gift before parting, which included a lot of Azure Pearls, and he can afford to pay for it now.

After counting all the thousand Azure Pearls, Lu Shichang rang the bronze bell, and the ranking stone pillars lit up once again.

However, this time, after a long time, the nameplate for twentieth place remained unchanged.

Lu Shichang seemed unfazed, handing Qin Ze's nameplate to Chen Ye and explaining, "Not every cultivator will keep their appointment immediately. If there is no response within ten days, it will be considered a victory without a fight. If there is a response, this nameplate will vibrate, and Fellow Daoist Chen can temporarily return to his cave to await news."

Chen Ye bid farewell to Lu Shichang, then mounted Black Whirlwind and left the dueling arena.

Upon returning to his cave, Chen Ye waved the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and called out to Mo Ci, "Master, I have something to ask you."

Mo Ci's weak voice rang out: "Do you want to ask me what sins I have committed? If you don't want to, I'm too lazy to tell you."

"No, I would like to ask you, Master, to tell me about your combat experience and information about the Mirage Sect. You are, after all, a Transcendent Realm cultivator and have lived for several hundred years. You must have more experience in combat than I do. I need to know myself and my enemy before I can challenge the Mirage Sect's top disciple."

Although Mo Ci didn't know why Chen Ye suddenly wanted to fight someone, fighting was a necessary lesson for those seeking longevity, and one that everyone had to learn.

"Your cultivation level was too low before, and you couldn't even use spells. I didn't teach you combat techniques either, so it's time to make up for it now. As for the Mirage Sect, you need to be careful of their illusion techniques. This sect is most skilled at changing between reality and illusion. As far as I know, each disciple of the Mirage Sect has a Mirage Pearl as a magic weapon, which is refined in different ways, and the illusion techniques that the Mirage Pearl is good at are also different."

"Perhaps it's refraction, perhaps it's fogging, or perhaps it's the art of water mirrors. Different illusions require different methods to break. Since you're skilled in Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, I don't need to waste my breath. Let me tell you about a mirage illusion I once witnessed. That person could conjure hundreds of incredibly lifelike clones, each one so realistic that even a spiritual eye couldn't distinguish the real from the fake..."

Mo Ci carefully explained various combat techniques to Chen Ye, who listened attentively, preparing himself for the upcoming battle.

Since Mo Ci joined the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, the master and disciple had not had such a harmonious teaching and learning session for a long time. This scene reminded Mo Ci of the first time he met Chen Ye.

It has only been a little over a year since Chen Ye became an apprentice, and he has already reached the level of Gang Sha Body Refinement, and can now challenge the disciples of the five major sects.

Mo Ci truly envied this talent and opportunity. If he had half of Mo Ci's luck back then, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

The master and apprentice talked by candlelight for a long time, until Chen Ye had filled a table with drafts of his simulated combat. Only then did Mo Ci ask, "You kid, you've been studying all night, why didn't you write down your own strengths?"

Chen Ye asked in confusion, "Strengths? Master, do you mean my magic weapon?"

At present, Chen Ye's only valuable treasures are the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and the Sword Box, and these are the only two methods he can use to contend with the disciples of the five major sects.

Mo Ci denied it, saying, "No, magic treasures mostly depend on luck. How you use them is up to you. Your Myriad Soul Banner and Sword Box are both powerful treasures, but what I want to ask is, what exactly are your strengths?"

"Some people possess extraordinary swordsmanship, others are as agile as lightning, and still others are adept at seizing their opponent's weaknesses. Only by knowing one's most powerful skill can one utilize it in combat. When you were fighting that rogue cultivator earlier, you were still debating whether to use your sword energy first or the Myriad Soul Banner first. If you clearly knew your most powerful skill, why would you hesitate so much when choosing a magic weapon?"

Mo Ci's words truly stumped Chen Ye.

If we set aside magical artifacts, do I truly possess any special skills when engaging in magical combat?

(End of this chapter)