Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao's foundation in swordsmanship is not bad, but in recent years his energy has been too scattered—collecting resources, improving his cultivation, refining magic weapons, and deducing the law domain...

Lin Zhao didn't have the family background that these people had; he could only rely on his own efforts.

Swordsmanship is only one aspect of his strength, not the whole of it.

Qin Tianjun, however, was completely different. He was single-minded, devoting all his energy to honing his swordsmanship.

Lin Zhao barely managed to parry, and was hit in vital areas several times. He relied entirely on the powerful defense of his magic weapon, the Crimson Feather Golden Robe, to block the powerful sword energy attacks. The robe's spiritual light fluctuated incessantly, as if it were being battered by a torrential rain.

What made him even more worried was that Qin Tianjun hadn't used his full strength at all.

His sword strokes were steady, his breathing was steady, and his gaze was even more steady, showing him complete ease.

After a full-force clash, the two landed side by side on opposite ends of the ring.

Lin Zhao took a slight breath and sheathed his sword.

Qin Tianjun also stopped, and the two looked at each other from a distance of a hundred feet, the aftershocks of sword energy in the air gradually dissipating.

"In the art of swordsmanship, I have lost."

Lin Zhao spoke, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly across the deathly silent arena, heard by everyone present.

Qin Tianjun did not respond, his gaze falling on Lin Zhao's crimson feather and gold robes, and he frowned slightly.

No matter how strong his sword energy was, it couldn't break through this third-tier defensive robe. In a pure swordsmanship contest, it was ultimately impossible to determine a winner.

Since that's the case, there's no need to hold back anymore; let's all use our true abilities.

----

Lin Zhao made the first move.

Five-colored spiritual light burst forth from within his body, and the illusory images of the Five Sacred Mountains occupied the five directions of the arena. The spiritual light of earth, water, fire, and wind intertwined, forming a spiritual net that connected the Five Sacred Mountains into one.

The Dharma Realm of the Four Elements and Five Sacred Mountains is fully underway.

The azure stone of the arena creaked under the immense pressure, its already damaged surface crumbling even more completely.

Qin Tianjun also moved.

An aura of pressure spread out, like a sharp sword being drawn from its sheath, its sharpness cutting painfully into everyone's skin.

The realm of Kendo.

Within the domain, countless pale golden sword energy phantoms materialized out of thin air, dense as a school of fish, trembling slightly and emitting a continuous, low sword hum.

The two divine senses clashed fiercely in mid-air.

Lin Zhao's divine sense had already broken through to the Core Formation stage, as had Qin Tianjun's. The two divine senses, like invisible giant hands, tore and struggled in the center of the arena, vying for control of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

In the end, the arena was divided in two, clearly separated.

On the left, a vast expanse of five-colored spiritual light emanates, and the Five Sacred Mountains stand majestically.

The right side was filled with a dense, menacing aura of sword energy, its sharpness unstoppable.

The two domains clashed fiercely at their boundary, the five-colored spiritual light and golden sword energy constantly eroding and annihilating each other, hissing and crackling like red iron being quenched. The air at the boundary was violently distorted, even the light became blurred.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators on the stands were discussing it animatedly.

"This strength... it's probably already comparable to a Core Formation cultivator, right?"

"Ordinary early-stage Core Formation cultivators are no match for them at all."

"Can the arena's restrictions hold?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the barrier around the arena flashed with a bright light.

The formation automatically sensed the energy impact exceeding the threshold, and its defensive strength increased directly, leaping from resisting the early stage of Core Formation to the mid-stage of Core Formation.

The barrier changed from dark blue to gold, its thickness increased dramatically, and the runes on its surface flowed wildly.

The competition between the two major fields lasted for the entire time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Qin Tianjun's sword domain was extremely aggressive and domineering; his sword energy was like a living thing, constantly tearing apart Lin Zhao's domain.

Lin Zhao's Four Elements and Five Sacred Mountains technique is superior in its solidity and resilience. The illusory images of the Five Sacred Mountains cycle endlessly, and neither of them can defeat the other for the time being.

A sharp glint suddenly appeared in Qin Tianjun's eyes.

He was excited.

He hadn't gone all out in the previous kendo competition because Lin Zhao's kendo performance hadn't really caught his attention.

But now, the clash between the Dharma Domains finally piqued his true interest.

"You're good."

Qin Tianjun's voice was calm, yet it pierced through the roar of the clashing domains.

The next moment, he completely erupted.

The Five Elements Spiritual Body's Innate Divine Power—The Five Elements Divine Ring!

His body radiated a burst of spiritual light, and five primordial spiritual lights shot into the sky, intertwining to form a huge halo, like a five-colored blazing sun.

The five elements flowed endlessly on the divine halo, radiating a terrifying pressure that was impervious to all laws.

The Five Elements Divine Rings swept across with a deafening roar.

Wherever Lin Zhao passed, his domain trembled violently, five illusory mountains collapsed one after another, the four-colored spiritual light was forcibly dispersed, and the power of earth, water, fire and wind was extinguished one by one like a flickering candle.

Lin Zhao's domain was on the verge of collapse.

This is the Five Elements Spiritual Body—a legendary top-tier physique with ten times the magical power of its peers and an incredible speed of spiritual energy recovery.

Lin Zhao remained calm; he hadn't been idle all these years.

He didn't have Qin Tianjun's extraordinary background, nor did he receive the full support and resources his family had poured into nurturing him, but he still forged his own path.

He honed his skills day and night with the True Techniques of a Hundred Beasts, and refined his Five Sacred Mountains Spiritual Body through constant tempering and sublimation, ultimately giving birth to his unique innate divine power—

The Five Sacred Mountains' Divine Ring.

Lin Zhao's body suddenly erupted with spiritual light.

The five elements of green, red, white, black, and yellow, refined to their utmost, surged forth. Compared to the Five Elements Divine Ring, their colors appeared even deeper and heavier, like the power of a mountain compressed a thousand times over. The five colors of power swirled and intertwined, condensing into a majestic divine ring around him.

It is not as dazzling as the Five Elements Divine Ring, but every strand of its power is as heavy as a mountain and as stable as the earth.

The two divine rings collided fiercely in mid-air.

boom--!!

A blinding sphere of light exploded in the center of the arena, sending violent bursts of elemental energy flying in all directions. The shockwave swept in all directions, slamming into the golden barrier, causing it to tremble and roar violently.

A thick layer of the azure stone ground was torn up, sending fragments of rock flying and slamming into the barrier. Simultaneously, the ground beneath their feet collapsed, cracks spreading wildly like a spiderweb.

The stalemate continued.

Qin Tianjun's Five Elements Divine Rings are as blazing as the sun, agile and domineering;

Lin Zhao's Five Sacred Mountains Rings are as solid as the earth, incredibly heavy.

One side is like a blazing sun, the other like a whole world.

No one can defeat anyone. In the end, everything returns to a brief period of calm.

----

Lin Zhao was the first to change tactics.

The Nine Luminaries Thunder Pool trembled violently, the spiritual liquid in the pool was rapidly consumed, and the seven spiritual bodies simultaneously condensed and took shape high in the sky above the arena.

The Azure Dragon stretched for fifty feet, its scales a vibrant green; the White Tiger poised to pounce, its murderous aura condensing into frost; the Vermilion Bird spread its wings, its flames blazing in the sky; the Black Tortoise stood firm on the ground, its tortoise shell patterned with star-like markings.

Sword Dragon, Yinglong, and Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon weaved and leaped among the four spirits, the seven colossal beasts obscuring half the sky above the arena.

The seven spirits roared in unison, the dragon's cry, the tiger's howl, the phoenix's cry, and the tortoise's roar merged into a deafening sound wave, causing even the protective barrier to tremble.

Qin Tianjun looked up and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his sword intent soared into the sky.

Nine Swords Spirit Body, innate divine power activated.

He forcibly extracted all the spiritual energy within the domain, condensing it into nine giant swords, each fifty feet long, above his head.

The swords were solid and tangible, with golden spiritual light flowing across their blades. Nine giant swords hung in mid-air, their tips pointing downwards, slowly rotating like nine inverted pillars of heaven.

Qin Tianjun had no magic weapon to provide energy replenishment, but his Five Elements Spiritual Body possessed ten times the powerful magic power of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, which was enough to support such a huge consumption.

Nine giant swords, carrying the power to suppress everything, crashed down.

The Seven Spirits charged forward head-on, meeting the attack head-on.