When that purple flame flared into existence, a slight stir rippled across the Heavenly Palace.
Several Gold Core Masters from external sects looked on with curious eyes.
Master Shixiang remarked in astonishment, "The domineering might of this sourceless flame is extraordinary—it may well rival the Flame Alliance's Wither-Bloom Fire. How could your Azure Pill Valley bear to bestow such a treasure upon a Foundation Establishment disciple?"
It was common knowledge that the Flame Alliance possessed a sourceless flame.
The singular Wither-Bloom Fire, waxing and waning in turn, could incinerate the passage of autumn and spring.
It was precisely by relying on that Wither-Bloom Fire that the Flame Alliance had laid its foundation as a preeminent artifact-forging sect in the Jade Cauldron Domain.
Qingyunzi smiled faintly. "It was not bestowed by us. Danyang chanced upon it in an ancient grotto-abode; it was his own fortunate encounter.
"Moreover, when he obtained the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire, it was exceedingly feeble, which was the only reason Danyang could subdue it so readily.
"Even after decades of nurturing, its power can barely match a small wisp of Tier 3 earthfire. It holds little use for our Azure Pill Valley, so we let him temper it into his source true fire."
Master Shixiang came to an understanding.
Though sourceless flames were exotic, they were not truly all that rare in the Jade Cauldron Domain.
She knew of several varieties herself.
Most of them were weak and fragile, requiring cultivators to spend hundreds or even thousands of years nurturing them before they could be put to modest use.
Cases like the Flame Alliance, blessed with astounding fortune to obtain a fully formed Wither-Bloom Fire outright, were exceptionally rare.
"No wonder Danyangzi had to time its deployment so precisely earlier. It can only serve as a trump card, not a regular technique!"
Qingyunzi nodded. "Indeed! While beneficial to his alchemy, employing it in battle is rather strenuous for him."
Such were his words.
Whether the others believed him was an entirely different matter.
It was evident he intended to dispel any covetous thoughts in those present.
Naturally, the Gold Core Masters afforded him that courtesy. A mere wisp of a weak sourceless flame was hardly worth their greed.
Luo Chen, however, watched with covetous longing.
If he could assimilate a sourceless flame into his body, concocting pills would become vastly more convenient.
Yet while such natural wonders surfaced periodically in the Jade Cauldron Domain with fluctuating power, most circulated strictly within the major sects.
Securing one for himself would be far from simple.
During the lull in combat below, intermittent exchanges took place among the Gold Core cultivators aboard the Heavenly Palace.
Master Chiding chose this rare moment to voice his discontent to Qingyunzi.
"Danyangzi possesses such immense alchemy talent and has even refined a source true fire. He is far better suited to join my Danyang Peak's Grand Pill Academy and inherit our forebear's mantle.
"Yet your Qingyun Peak is bent on grooming him into the next sect master. You are squandering his natural gifts!"
Qingyunzi gave a wry smile. "Senior Brother, this was not forced upon him by us, but Danyangzi's own choice. Besides, the senior brother from Dragon Head Peak wanted him as well. Why single me out for your complaints?"
Master Chiding curled his lip, plainly dissatisfied with the explanation.
Watching this unfold, Luo Chen pieced together the situation from what he had learned about Azure Pill Valley during his stay.
Azure Pill Valley held dominion over five mountain peaks.
Mount Yuanhua served as the gateway, Mount Luojia was the gathering place for female cultivators, Danyang Peak was the heart of the alchemical heritage, and Dragon Head Peak served as the secluded retreat for those of profound cultivation.
Meanwhile, Qingyun Peak stood as the core of Azure Pill Valley.
Successive sect masters and elders from all quarters held positions tied to Qingyun Peak.
The entire sect's operations were steered from there.
When it came to a prodigy like Danyangzi, three peaks—Danyang Peak, Dragon Head Peak, and Qingyun Peak—were clearly vying for him.
One offered the alchemy lineage, another focused purely on cultivation, and the third held sect authority.
Danyangzi clearly possessed outstanding talent in alchemy and a temperament suited for quiet cultivation, yet he insisted on striving to become a Golden Core Dao Seed and the reserve heir to the sect master.
Thus arose the numerous restrictions imposed upon him in this Dao Seed contest.
No helpers permitted in the first round.
No use of the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire in the second round.
These terms had clearly been set by Dragon Head Peak and Danyang Peak.
So long as he failed to secure the Dao Seed title, the two peaks would have the chance to recruit him under their banners.
Having committed an error yet still yearning to become the Dao Seed, Danyangzi had accepted these harsh conditions and stepped onto the path of the contest once more.
And now, he had reached the final stage.
*He is quite an extraordinary figure!*
Luo Chen knew that had their positions been reversed, he might not have made it this far under the same circumstances.
The gauntlet of the first round alone—taking on opponent after opponent in succession—would have been headache enough.
*Still, by the time I reach the late Foundation Establishment stage, my own methods won't lag behind him.*
*There's no need to belittle myself.*
Although he had no love for fighting and killing, personal might was paramount in the cultivation world, and violence was indisputably the swiftest way to resolve a problem.
Even if it couldn't solve the problem itself, resolving the person causing it was simple enough!
Luo Chen had honed his own combat techniques to a respectable degree.
At the very least, he was no lesser than the ordinary true disciples of the great sects!
……
Down in Pill Valley.
"The final battle is about to begin."
"Indeed. Azure Pill Valley's next Dao Seed will soon be decided. Even though I'm not the one up there fighting, my heart is pounding all the same."
"I wonder whether Eldest Senior Brother will reclaim his Dao Seed position or if Senior Sister Tao will surge from behind to take it. Who are you backing?"
"Need you even ask? Eldest Senior Brother, of course! Even now, the sect hasn't offered any explanation for stripping him of his Dao Seed status out of the blue. He performed admirably over the years, so why replace him?"
"Eldest Senior Brother is certainly powerful, but his exhaustion is plain for all to see. I favor Senior Sister Tao."
"Quite so. Senior Sister Tao hails from a profound family lineage as a descendant of the seventh-generation sect master. Her combat methods are bound to be formidable!"
"In my view, that's far from certain! Eldest Senior Brother still has strength left to fight. If push comes to shove, he can unleash the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire again. How could Senior Sister Tao withstand that?"
"Senior Sister Tao has spent these past years honing her combat techniques upon the Dao Discussion Platforms of various immortal cities. Her cultivation realm might be slightly shallower, but both are at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, and she has conserved her strength. Eldest Senior Brother has revealed too many of his methods; she must have prepared counters long ago. I believe Senior Sister Tao has the better odds!"
Across the valley, tens of thousands of cultivators buzzed with discussion.
Each aired their thoughts on the upcoming battle, holding forth with passionate conviction, each having their favored champion.
Amid the clamor of opinions, time drifted by.
At last, the brief respite granted to Danyangzi drew to a close.
As the Dragon Head Peak elder activated the protective ward, he signaled that the match was about to commence.
"True Disciple Danyangzi, True Disciple Tao Wan, please take the Sword Arena!"
No sooner had the words fallen than two figures flew onto the Sword Arena almost simultaneously.
One possessed a flushed countenance with a purple sigil marked between his brows, looking both eerie and menacing.
The other was breathtakingly graceful, her robes billowing around her. As her sleeves fluttered, an immense, surging battle intent radiated from her well-proportioned figure, commanding the arena!
"Eldest Senior Brother, I am afraid this junior sister must offend today!"
Tao Wan lightly raised her wrists. A pair of soft ribbons wound along her forearms like the flicking tongues of spiritual serpents, half-concealed beneath her cuffs.
Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeves, the ancestral magic treasure of the Tao clan.
Having accompanied Tao Wan since her youth, its refinement had reached an exceptionally deep level!
Short of unleashing ultimate strikes, she could wield it as effortlessly as her own limbs.
Danyangzi gazed at her with a solemn expression as a longsword descended into his grasp.
It was no longer a supreme-grade dharma artifact, but his favored magic treasure flying sword—Zixie.
"Come!"
No idle chatter, no superfluous words!
With that curt utterance, the fierce battle erupted!
In the next instant, Tao Wan adopted a fighting style entirely different from everyone who had faced Danyangzi before.
Rather than retreating, she surged forward, flinging both hands outward as the flying sleeves burst into the air, blotting out the sky.
In that split second, the once-pliant silk turned hard as steel, hurtling toward him like a torrential squall of razor-sharp astral winds!
Danyangzi's gaze grew grave. Without resorting to a magic treasure ultimate strike, he guided the sword with his vital qi, continuously slashing apart the incoming sleeves before they reached his body.
His consummate swordsmanship proved beyond doubt that his reputation as the dual master of pills and swords was well earned.
Had Zuo Song, Hall Master of the Iron Sword Hall, been present, even he would have bowed in concession.
The two traded blows, driving their magic treasures without pause.
Vast reserves of spiritual power poured forth as though free for the taking.
Danyangzi aligned his fingers into a sword-hand, manipulating the Zixie sword from afar. His posture seemed offensive, yet remained anchored in defense.
Given his current state, launching a full-scale assault was out of the question.
Playing defense to set up a counterattack—clinching victory with a single thunderous strike—was his best course.
*An all-out attack will inevitably expose flaws!*
His eyes suddenly gleamed. The Zixie sword split into nine sword-lights, converging from all directions upon Tao Wan, who was less than a hundred feet away.
*Junior Sister, you are still a touch too green!*
Yet just as his strike was about to land, Tao Wan drifted effortlessly through the encroaching ring of sword-lights like a butterfly flitting among blossoms.
Her agile footwork left onlookers slack-jawed.
Truly, she was as swift as a swimming dragon, as graceful as a startled swan!
As the distance widened once more, Danyangzi's fleeting satisfaction receded.
"I almost forgot—you possess a wind spiritual root and cultivate the Startled Swan Art as your core."
He recalled his flying sword.
Gripping the hilt, Danyangzi watched as waves of purple light spilled from the blade, enveloping him completely.
Shrouded in sword-light, he transformed into a flying sword himself, hurtling toward Tao Wan with the swiftness of lightning.
Her movements were simply too elusive.
If he remained stationary, he would become nothing more than a sitting duck.
And against a stationary target, no matter how many flaws she revealed, he would never be able to seize upon them.
Only by matching her extreme speed could he corner her and force an engagement at close quarters.
Seeing his pursuit, Tao Wan remained unhurried.
Using her flying sleeves to harass him, she drifted and spun across the Sword Arena with composure.
Her ethereal, shifting steps dazzled the eye.
For a time, even with Danyangzi fusing his body into the sword-light at blinding speed, closing the distance proved difficult.
The battle ground into a stalemate.
……
Aboard the Heavenly Palace, the assembled Masters nodded in appreciation as they observed the fierce clash reflected in the water mirror.
"Such prowess truly befits the prodigies of our sect!"
"The degree to which these two have refined their magic treasures has reached an exceptionally deep level. Even early Gold Core cultivators might scarcely do better."
"No wonder your sect's Danyangzi is called a dual master of pills and swords. Whether it is his sword-light division technique or fusing his body with the sword, neither pales beside the Foundation Establishment true disciples of the Sword Sect."
"Tsk, tsk. If Danyangzi were in the Sword Sect and learned the sword pill technique, his future achievements would certainly rival Lin Qingxuan!"
"You are mistaken. Powerful though the sword dao may be, the pill dao offers no less a direct road to the supreme Great Dao!"
"Let us keep watching!"
"Let us see how these two break the deadlock and secure their victory!"
……
Amid the barrage of fluttering sleeves, a single beam of sword-light plunged forward like a stone sinking into the sea.
Though it charged ahead relentlessly, Tao Wan's ever-shifting position kept him from closing the distance.
Suddenly, the sword-light burst outward in all directions!
The explosion blew back the dense offensive of the Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeves.
Danyangzi's figure reappeared. Exhaling a sharp breath, he pointed his sword tip toward the heavens.
"Coalesce!"
A halo blending violet and crimson expanded instantly.
Boundless light cascaded outward, like a purple sun rising in the east, bathing the world in brilliance.
"The Blazing Sun Art!"
Tao Wan's expression altered drastically. It was too late to withdraw her flying sleeves.
In haste, she could only summon a supreme-grade defensive dharma artifact.
Scorching heat swept over her in waves.
No matter how she shifted her footing, she remained trapped within the wide-area onslaught, helpless as a piece of duckweed tossed upon turbulent waters.
Up on the Heavenly Palace, Luo Chen's expression shifted slightly.
Was that an ultimate strike of the magic treasure flying sword?
No!
This was plainly the Blazing Sun Art, a Tier 2 fire-element spell.
Yet Danyangzi had not been seen weaving hand seals or channeling qi!
Luo Chen cast his mind back, recalling how Danyangzi had earlier merged with his sword-light and dashed about in erratic strikes.
*So that was it!*
In that moment, Luo Chen felt both astonishment and wild delight!
Spells could actually be cast in such a manner!
How could he have forgotten the method of casting spells through an artifact?
There was an expert of that very craft right by his side!
Once he returned, he would certainly have to study this thoroughly; it might well cause his combat strength to skyrocket!
For now, though, he had to focus on the outcome of the match!
The Blazing Sun Art unleashed, the purple sun hung in the air.
Light and heat illuminated heaven and earth in a blinding flash.
*Boom!*
Following a deafening detonation, a figure drifted unsteadily out of the attack's blast radius like a willow catkin caught in the wind.
Danyangzi caught his breath. Seeing the woman spitting blood midair, a fierce gleam entered his eyes.
He understood full well that although his strike had been mighty, the Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeves served both offense and defense, absorbing the brunt of the impact.
Tao Wan had sustained only light wounds and still had the strength to fight.
Pressing the advantage was the only sensible choice!
Gallantry and manners meant nothing before the seat of the Dao Seed!
With a flick of his wrist, the Zixie sword flew into the sky.
His hands blurred through intricate mudras, ten fingers rapidly discharging one spiritual seal after another.
Vast torrents of spiritual power poured frantically from his sea of qi, surging straight into the treasure sword.
As the endless spiritual energy flooded in, the flying sword began to thrum with intense resonance.
A purple radiance was drawn forth from the depths of the blade, radiating an aura so terrifying it sent chills down the spine.
Seeing this, the Dragon Head Peak Gold Core elder overseeing the arena knitted his brows.
"This is going a bit too far."
One of the elder's hands was already forming an incantation, ready to channel the array's power at a moment's notice to save either disciple.
At that exact instant, Tao Wan, who had drifted several hundred paces away, suddenly arrested her flight.
Her captivating eyes locked with piercing intensity onto Danyangzi, who was mid-incantation preparing his lethal blow.
*Do you think distance will keep me from stopping you?*
The next moment, her battered Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeves shot forth once more, streaking straight toward Danyangzi.
Her toes lightly grazed the white ribbons.
Descending from above like a startled swan skimming across the water, she crossed several hundred paces in a mere two breaths.
Such terrifying speed left trails of afterimages in her wake.
Counted closely, there were exactly nine.
Tumult erupted across Pill Valley.
Discerning cultivators cried out in shock.
"The Nine Gale Transformations!"
"That's the Nine Gale Transformations secret technique from the Startled Swan Art!"
"Eldest Senior Brother is in peril!"
At this moment, the magic treasure's ultimate strike had yet to take full shape.
If interrupted halfway through, the horrific backlash was something no Foundation Establishment cultivator locked in battle could endure.
His fate would be just as wretched as He Yuanqing's had been.
Could Eldest Senior Brother truly be about to lose?
It seemed an eternity, yet for the combatants, barely two breaths had elapsed.
In a flash, the nine afterimages converged as Tao Wan materialized, snapping into one.
A surge of immense force erupted violently from her slender, fair palm.
By now, she stood less than ten feet from Danyangzi.
At such close range, amid the howling gales, she could see every pore on Danyangzi's face with crystal clarity.
And she saw the slight upturn of his lips—a curve brimming with biting mockery!
"Junior Sister, you took the bait after all!"
Danyangzi bared his teeth in a grin as the sword shimmering with purple light slashed down without warning.
He had completed the preparations for his ultimate strike long ago.
Or rather, this strike did not require full cohesion; even at half its intended strength, striking at this distance was more than enough to deal Tao Wan a devastating blow.
The next instant, azure and crimson clashed.
A terrifying shockwave of spiritual energy detonated violently.
Amid that boundless power, a pale Danyangzi actually strode forward.
A heavy blow was still not enough to cement the final outcome; he too was at the end of his tether.
He had to hold on to his final breath!
Aligning his fingers into a sword-hand, he spat forth a wisp of the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire, directing it straight toward Tao Wan as she struggled against the Zixie sword.
Yet at that very moment, he saw Tao Wan's calm, frigid eyes.
*Could she still have a trump card left?*
But the arrow had left the bowstring; there was no turning back.
Before the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire, no Foundation Establishment cultivator could hope to stand their ground!
A cool, soft feminine voice drifted through the air.
"Eldest Senior Brother, forgive me."
In a blur, a realm of ice and snow unfurled. A bone-chilling frost rolled forth in surging waves.
Wherever it passed, the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire was frozen solid instantly.
The frost spread like wildfire, encasing Danyangzi in the blink of an eye.
Upon the Sword Arena, an ice statue abruptly appeared.
*Damn it!*
*That's Ice Fort's Ice Soul Marrow!*
Danyangzi roared in his heart. Shedding all restraint, he unleashed a violent surge of purple flames, shattering the icy seal of the frost marrow in an instant.
Yet the moment he broke free, a slender finger surrounded by howling gales blew aside the purple fire, coming to a halt right between his eyebrows.
"I..." Danyangzi's mouth hung open.
"Thank you for yielding!" Tao Wan said, withdrawing her finger as she staggered backward three paces.
Her face was bloodless, her robes torn to shreds, and startling spots of blood stained her fair skin.
Yet though her breath was faint, her aura had crested to its absolute peak.
The Dragon Head Peak elder descended from the sky. He cast a complicated glance at Danyangzi before turning to Tao Wan with undisguised admiration.
"In this battle, True Disciple Tao Wan is victorious!
"Henceforth, she ascends as the Dao Seed of Azure Pill Valley!"
Chapter 344