Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Fuya's words silenced Ronan.

Lancelot spent eight years in arduous training in the inner courtyard, experiencing countless life-and-death battles.

However, Celen was hospitalized for less than a year.

If the two can only draw today, the real loser is already quite clear.

On the other hand, Elena wasn't too surprised.

She had seen Xilen slay Black King's Palace assassins underwater, witnessed him withstand three giant turtles, and even watched him kill Luca in the Spider Nest, forcing Samuel to crush his identity card to escape.

Compared to those battles with no bottom line, the current contest is more like a normal exchange of skills.

Lancelot is very strong.

However, they are not strong enough to force Xilun to reveal all their cards.

On the field, the two figures collided once again.

Lancelot suddenly let out a low shout, his chest bulging out as he exhaled a visible plume of chilling white air.

A chilling aura enveloped the long sword.

A blurry ice tiger slowly emerged from the blade's body, its eyes a deep blue and its fangs menacing.

The air temperature dropped sharply.

Tiny ice crystals formed on the tips of Xilun's hair, and her fingers gripping the gun felt stiff.

"Mystic Ice Tiger Soul".

Lancelot gripped the knife with both hands, his powerful energy surging into his arms.

"Watch out!"

Before he finished speaking, the Ice Tiger pounced forward, following the blade.

The roar of the tiger echoed through the mountains and forests.

Several Black Soul Beasts wandering nearby were startled and approached the area, but they instinctively stopped upon encountering the Ice Tiger's imposing aura and dared not advance easily.

Xilun's breathing changed.

The Great Thunder Breathing Technique resounded within his body.

The three golden lightning patterns on his left wrist, right arm, and through the large tendon lit up in turn, and the pale golden lightning surged along his flesh and blood, instantly dispelling the chill that had invaded his body.

His blood and energy surged rapidly.

A dense rumble of thunder emanated from between the muscles and bones.

Xilun did not retreat.

He twisted his waist and thrust his shoulder forward, the Thunder Spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, crashing head-on into the ice tiger.

Just as the spear tip pierced through, the Thunder Eye between his brows suddenly lit up.

A golden eagle's shadow spread its wings from behind his shoulder.

The Thunder Eagle swept past the spearhead, merging with the lightning on the Thunder Spear. The phantom, which was originally only a few feet long, swelled in the wind, its sharp beak tearing through the cold air, and its claws reaching straight for the Ice Tiger's head!

boom!

Thunder Eagle and Ice Tiger collided in mid-air.

The frigid white current and the golden lightning exploded simultaneously.

The earth trembled violently, and large cracks appeared on the stone walls on both sides.

""

Fuya raised her short blade to block in front of her, but was still forced back a step by the oncoming shockwave.

She stared at the thunder eagle circling in mid-air, her expression filled with surprise and uncertainty.

"What is that?"

Ronan also looked puzzled.

"It's not a manifestation of energy."

"There's also no feeling of blood and qi solidifying."

Fuya frowned and said, "The spirit of a weapon cannot be this far away from the weapon, and the Azure Thunder Spear has just been integrated with the Spirit Transformation Gold, so it is absolutely impossible for it to develop a complete spirituality."

Both of them possessed the strength of the top 100 in the inner academy, and their knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary extraordinary individuals.

But they couldn't understand that thunder eagle.

It's neither like a cultivation technique nor a secret art; rather, it's closer to the innate supernatural abilities of powerful sea beasts.

Elena gazed thoughtfully at Siron.

When she first met Xilen, he only showed an extraordinary affinity for water.

Later came the Xuan Yin Coldness, the Heart of the Thunder Dragon, and the Affinity of Molten Fire, and now there is also a strange Thunder Eagle.

This man is like a bottomless deep sea.

Just when she thought she knew him well enough, a new shadow would always rise from beneath the surface.

mystery.

Danger.

Yet, it makes people irresistibly want to get closer.

In the arena, both Ice Tiger and Thunder Eagle collapsed simultaneously.

Xilun took half a step back, the butt of his gun leaving a shallow mark on the ground.

Lancelot also took a step back, his broadsword trembling violently, with large patches of frost flakes falling off the blade.

He glanced at his numb hands and suddenly burst into laughter.

"good!"

"With your Azure Thunder Spear Technique combined with this Thunder Eagle, its power is not much worse than the top ten in the Inner Court."

Xilun raised his gun again.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Your swordsmanship is not bad either."

Lancelot's smile paused slightly.

These words sounded rather strange coming from a newcomer who had only recently entered the inner courtyard.

However, Xilun remained calm, clearly stating the facts without a hint of sarcasm.

"In that case, take another blow from me."

Lancelot took a deep breath.

His hands were quickly covered with frost.

The frost didn't stay on the skin's surface; instead, it spread along the wrists and arms, instantly condensing into a thick suit of ice armor.

The armor has a tiger's head on its chest, roaring towards the sky.

Pale blue energy rose from the gaps in the armor plates like fireworks.

Lancelot's aura rose again.

He shattered the ground with a single step, dragging his blade forward as he charged, the broad blade slicing through the rocky ground, leaving a frozen trench.

Xilun Lei's eyes flashed slightly as he clearly saw the trajectory of the blade.

This cut was faster and heavier than before.

A head-on collision is not the best option.

Xilun stepped out to the side.

The Canglang Step allowed his body to drift like a leaf floating downstream, dodging most of the blade the moment it was about to strike.

scoff!

The blade grazed his left shoulder.

A dark red glow appeared on the surface of the Sea Demon Blood Cotton Coat, and the fine fibers contracted like living things, removing the remaining sword energy layer by layer.

Only a very faint white mark remained on Xilun's shoulder.

The joy that had just appeared in Lancelot's eyes froze instantly.

"Sea Demon Blood Cotton Coat?"

He recognized the defensive artifact.

"It can suppress frost, neutralize blade energy, and even weaken impact... No wonder Tinos has always wanted it."

This cotton coat is already precious.

It is even more troublesome for those who are skilled in swords and blades.

Klancelot paused for only a moment.

What truly alarmed him was not that the Sea Demon Blood Cotton Clothes had blocked the blade, but rather Xilun's dodge just now.

That step was too fast.

In a life-or-death struggle, Xilun could easily avoid the blade and then use the tip of his spear to strike his throat.

Xilun has turned around.

He didn't give Lancelot a chance to catch his breath.

His innate talent of having tendons like dragons was fully unleashed, with his spine, waist, abdomen, shoulders, arms, and wrists forming a perfect whole.

The Thunder Spear transformed into a dense, impenetrable barrage of spear shadows, raining down upon Lancelot.

Each shot was faster than the last.

Each shot was heavier than the last!

Lancelot gripped the knife with both hands, parrying continuously.

The spear tip and the blade collided violently.

Mars connects the two of them.

The first shot was just a test.

The fifth shot had already caused cracks to appear in the Xuanbing Armor.

As the ninth shot landed, nine layers of surging energy flowed along the blade, causing Lancelot's arms to go numb and his chest to churn with blood and qi.

With the thirteenth shot, Thunder Eagle once again leaped from the tip of the spear.

Lancelot gritted his teeth and met the attack head-on with his Ice Tiger Blade Stance.

Golden lightning tore through the frost.

The immense force pierced his chest along the blade, shattering the Xuanbing Armor. Lancelot lost his footing and staggered back five steps.

As he landed on the fifth step, his heel had already hit a broken rock.

Xilun's gun stopped three inches in front of his forehead.

Lightning crackled at the tip of the spear.

A drop of sweat slid down Lancelot's nose, but before it hit the ground, it was evaporated into white mist by the lightning.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Lancelot stared at the gun barrel so close to him, his chest heaving violently.

A moment later, he released the long sword.

"I lost."

Xilun put away his gun and retreated.

"The Perfect Black Crystal is ours."

Lancelot exhaled a breath of stale air, his expression inevitably somewhat depressed.

He had been in the inner court for eight years, and although he had always ranked twenty-second, he always believed that he was no weaker than the top twenty.

I never expected to be defeated by a newcomer who had just been admitted to the hospital.

Moreover, he knew in his heart that Xilun still had other tricks up his sleeve.

The eerie breath of the Styx River, and the dark red and black aura that had supposedly deterred many powerful figures from approaching the lake, were all rendered useless by Xilun.

There are no excuses for this defeat.

"You will take 70% of the black crystals from the outer beast herds."

"Siren suddenly said."

Lancelot looked up.

"Not 60%?"

"You are very strong."

Xilun sheathed the Thunder Spear back behind his back.

"We'll need your help when we deal with the Beast King later. The three on the outside will be under even more pressure, so this extra 10% is compensation."

Lancelot paused for a moment, his gloomy expression slowly fading away.

He bent down to pick up the long knife and brushed off the ice shards from its blade.

"You're not as difficult to talk to as the rumors say."

Elena approached and said casually, "Is he rumored to be difficult to talk to?"

"He is described as cold-hearted, greedy, vengeful, and ruthless when he takes action."

Lancelot grinned.

"Now it seems that we were only half right."

Xilun didn't pay attention.

"First, recover your strength."

"Make your move in one hour."

Lancelot nodded.

The battle just now may have seemed short, but both sides used a considerable amount of their strength.

The five people each found a seat and sat down.

Xilun took out a small bottle of Blue Soul Potion, drank half of it, and closed his eyes to enter deep meditation.

His breathing gradually became long and deep.

The Moon Recollection Meditation Method is like the cool moonlight spreading out, quickly relieving mental fatigue.

The Overturning Sea Technique automatically propels the circulation of Qi, which flows through the meridians of the whole body again and again.

His breathing stabilized in a short while.

Ronan couldn't help but look at Fuya.

"Is he asleep?"

"It doesn't look like it."

After a moment of perception, Fuya's eyes showed surprise.

"His spirits are recovering rapidly."

Lancelot also opened his eyes and looked at Xilen, who was sitting cross-legged.

Deep meditation is no secret.

However, those who are ordinary yet extraordinary need an absolutely quiet environment and need one or two hours to gradually enter a meditative state.

The place is filled with Black Soul Beasts and the eerie whispers of Black Coral; Xilun was able to enter this state in just a few breaths.

This control over his own mind is even more intimidating than his marksmanship.

Lancelot paused for a moment, then closed his eyes again.

He originally thought that Xilun was just a lucky person who rose rapidly due to a number of opportunities.

It wasn't until they actually fought that he realized that the opportunities that remained in Xilun's hands were not just due to luck.

Two hours later, the five of them got up at the same time.

Lancelot's condition has mostly recovered.

Xilun returned to his peak. The wound on his left shoulder was only slightly numb and itchy under the nourishment of the Thunder Dragon Heart. His internal energy was as calm as the sea, ready to unleash a huge wave at any moment.

The group gathered around the map to finalize their tactics.

"Foya and Ronan will make their move from the west."

Lancelot pointed to several narrow crevices in the rocks at the foot of the mountain.

"Elena will create a disturbance from the east side, and once the herd has dispersed, she will bring both sides back into the valley."

Elena glanced at the terrain.

"The valley has only two exits. The silver-gray rope can block one side, but it can only hold for a quarter of an hour at most."

That's enough.

Xiren looked at Lancelot.

"Let's go straight up the mountain."

"If the Beast King chases after us, we'll deal with it halfway up the mountain. If it stays in the cave, we'll go in and kill it."

Lancelot put away the map.

"In case of an emergency, use the three clangs of a blade as a signal to retreat immediately."

No one objected.

The five people split up and acted separately.

Siren and Lancelot hid behind a protruding rock formation at the foot of the mountain, watching the other three disappear into the gray fog.

Before long, a dull thud echoed from the west as a round shield struck the rock wall.

The two lizard-like black soul beasts were the first to turn their heads.

Immediately afterwards, Fuya's short blade flew out of the mist, arcing through the air and precisely slicing open the back of a Black Soul Beast.

Black mist billowed out.

The black soul beast raised its head and let out a sharp screech.

More than ten of their kind nearby were startled and rushed westward along the foot of the mountain.

On the other side, Elena also moved.

The silver-gray rope became entangled in three huge rocks and was suddenly dragged down the hillside.

Amidst the deafening roar of falling rocks, several sword energies swept into the beast horde, leading seven or eight Black Soul Beasts to the east.

The once dense herd of beasts quickly split apart.

"Walk."

A flash of lightning appeared beneath Xilun's feet.

He did not use the Lightning Step, which he had not yet fully mastered, but instead used the Three-Turn Lightning Pattern to propel the Azure Wave Step, and his speed was still astonishing.

Lancelot followed closely behind.

The two climbed upwards, clinging to the mountainside.

Occasionally, a Black Soul Beast that hadn't been lured away would pounce, but Xilun didn't even stop. He would sweep out his Thunder Spear and smash it off the cliff.

The higher you go, the clearer the exposed dark purple mineral veins on the mountain become.

Those ores contained a very faint trace of lightning energy, and the Golden Lightning Vortex generated a slight response from them.

A thoughtful look flashed in Xilun's eyes.

This is no ordinary mountain.

It's more like an ancient mine that has sunk into a wonderland.

Traces of human excavation can still be seen on the mountainside, but after a long period of erosion, most of the chisel marks have become blurred.

He suddenly remembered the gray-black ore he had bought at the camp earlier.

Xilun took it out of his bag and held it in his palm.

Three hundred pounds.

For him at the time, it was already a considerable expense.

Aside from being able to sense the lightning patterns, he still didn't know how to use this ore.

He first infused a trace of the Overturning Sea Technique's power.

The ore showed no reaction.

The water-based energy dispersed quickly, as if it had hit an ordinary rock.

After a moment's thought, Xilun drew out the pale golden lightning power within the heart of the Thunder Dragon.

The moment Lei Li touched the ore, fine lines suddenly lit up on the gray-black surface.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of pure lightning energy flowed into his body through his palm!

His brow and the light between his eyes shone slightly.

The Thunder Eagle, hovering within the mental perception, suddenly let out a long cry and pounced on that force, swallowing it whole.

Xilun paused slightly.

Lancelot turned to look.

"What's wrong?"

"This ore can nourish the Thunder Spirit."

Xilun looked down at his palm.

The once hard, grayish-black ore was now covered in cracks. As he lightly clenched his fist, it instantly crumbled into powder, which drifted out from between his fingers.

The Thunderhawk reappeared.

Its body was still only a few feet long, but its wings had become noticeably more solid.

A pale gold feather has appeared among the original blue and white feathers.

Lancelot stared at Thunder Eagle for a moment.

"This reminds me of a rumor."

"What?"

"Heaven and Earth Profound Thunder".

Lancelot stepped onto a protrusion on the mountainside and leaped onto a higher stone platform.

"Thunder is not all inanimate. In the deepest part of the North Sea and in some forbidden areas of the Southern Continent where thunderstorms never dissipate, thunder with spirituality is occasionally born."

"They can absorb and release the power of heaven and earth on their own, and can also be subdued by powerful lightning-type extraordinary beings and driven by their strength."

"Some of these Heavenly Thunder can temper the physical body, while others excel at killing; a single wisp can destroy the qi defense of a third-tier extraordinary being."

Xilun then leaped onto the stone platform.

"You believe the Thunder Eagle is the source of the Heavenly Thunder?"

"It's just somewhat similar."

Lancelot shook his head.

"True Heaven and Earth Profound Thunder is extremely difficult to subdue. If you truly possess a mature Profound Thunder within you, I fear I wouldn't have lasted even twenty moves in that battle just now."

He paused, then added seriously, "Your Thunder Eagle is currently just icing on the cake. It can make your marksmanship faster and sharper, but it can't determine the outcome of a battle."

Xilun did not refute.

Lancelot's judgment was very accurate.

Thunder Eagle's talent comes from the talent he gained after hunting alien species, not from the Heavenly Thunder.

At least for now, it is only a means of improving marksmanship.

During the battle against Lancelot, Xiren had already used his physical strength, third-level lightning pattern, Great Thunder Breathing Technique, Azure Thunder Spear Technique, and Thunder Eagle.

Apart from the Breath of the Styx and the remains of the evil god, almost all other conventional methods were used.

The Breath of the Styx relies on surprise.

If the opponent is prepared in advance, or has means to resist mental pollution, the effect will be greatly reduced.

As for the remains of the evil god, while their power is terrifying, they come with the risk of going out of control.

Xilun will not be used lightly unless it is a matter of life and death.

The same applies to the return of life.

He has already understood most of the technique he obtained from "Life Forms and Flesh Reconstruction," and can even clearly present the circulation route of each part of the Qi and blood through the Moon Memory Meditation Method.

To truly unleash its power, one needs to actively break free from the body's limitations on vitality.

Within fifteen minutes, one's physique, speed, and strength will all experience an astonishing boost.

The price is the rapid depletion of the body's life force.

He would never attempt something unless it was a certain death situation.

Excluding these desperate measures, his current strength is probably enough to secure a place in the top twenty of the inner academy.

As for the top ten, we're still a bit short.

Xilun let out a breath.

The gray fog ahead was blown away by breaths, revealing a rugged mine wall.

His progress has been fast enough.

From fleeing the southern continent to entering the monastery, it was only a few years at most.

But not enough.

Duke Storm will not stand still and wait for him.

Aldrich, Tinos, Allah, and others are also constantly progressing.

Only by refining the power of the Overturning Sea Technique to 40% or 50%, or even to a state of complete perfection, and by cultivating the Golden Thunder Vortex Scripture to the fourth stage, could he have the confidence to directly overpower the top ten in the inner court.

The two continued upwards.

The mountain road gradually became steeper, and the dark purple ore became increasingly dense.

A thunder lizard, only half the height of a person, emerged from a crevice in the rock.

It is not a Black Soul Beast.

Its body was semi-transparent, yet it retained a faint scent of flesh and blood. Purple arcs of electricity crawled all over its back, and it held a small piece of gray-black ore in its arms.

Upon seeing the two, the Thunder Lizard immediately opened its mouth and spat out a bolt of lightning.

Xilun sidestepped.

The lightning struck the stone wall behind them, blasting out a small, charred crater.

Just as Lancelot was about to swing his sword, Siron had already stepped in front of the Thunder Lizard.

The butt of the gun was pressed down.

boom!

The Thunder Lizard's head shattered, and its body turned into black mist and dissipated, leaving only that piece of gray-black ore.

There is no flesh and blood.

There was no sign that the talent had been absorbed.

Slightly disappointed, Xilun bent down to pick up the ore.

Lei Ling actively conveyed her desire.

He probed the lightning bolt into it.

A few breaths later, the ore turned into fragments again, and another half-golden feather appeared between the Thunder Eagle's wings.

Lancelot watched with awe.

"I originally thought this ore could only be used to set up a field or as an auxiliary material for refining weapons."

"You were actually able to absorb it directly."