Woman, You Are Strong, Fight a Thrilling Battle with Me!

At the spectator stand of Liusen Studio. The expressions of the three Late Foundation Establishment cultivators turned exceedingly grim. The questioning and disdainful looks cast from their surroundings made them squirm in their seats. Surrendering without a fight! No matter where one went, this was an utterly humiliating matter. Finally, the highest-ranking among the trio could endure it no longer and stepped up to the upper platform. Nalan Feng had been conversing pleasantly with a female Golden Core cultivator when his expression shifted slightly. "Fellow Daoist, a moment, please!" The enchantingly alluring female cultivator offered a seemingly indifferent, faint smile. "Think nothing of it. Tend to your sect's affairs first!" Nalan Feng grunted in acknowledgment and waved his hand, immediately dispelling the restrictive ward enveloping the box. The disciple's hesitant and bewildered expression was exposed before him. Drooping his eyelids, Nalan Feng asked, "What is it?" The disciple gritted his teeth. "Elder, why did you forbid us from taking the stage?" Nalan Feng did not answer directly. Instead, he countered, "You feel it is shameful?" The disciple started, his face flushing crimson. Ultimately, he nodded. At this, Nalan Feng offered a hollow, skin-deep smile. "Losing face right now is still better than going up there and being beaten half to death. *That* would be true disgrace." The Liusen Studio disciple remained unconvinced. He forced himself to argue, "Without exchanging blows, who can say who would emerge victorious?" "And what if you won? Winning a three-on-one battle of attrition—would that really bring glory to our Liusen Studio?" Nalan Feng retorted once more. The disciple froze. For a moment, he had no idea how to reply. Seeing this, Nalan Feng curled his lip. "Life in the sect has pampered you all too much, turning you so conceited that you cannot even gauge an opponent's true strength. Do you honestly think Wang Yuan is someone easy to deal with?" "His body refinement realm is virtually on par with a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. His combat instincts and talent were forged through blood and fire." "Where did you muster the confidence to believe you could defeat him?" These words left the ninth-layer Foundation Establishment true disciple alternating between flushed red and pale white. Deep down, he felt utter disbelief. A body refinement realm comparable to the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection? No wonder Elder Nalan had forbidden them from stepping forward. Cultivators at such an echelon would typically be in deep seclusion striving to break through to the Golden Core stage, rarely showing themselves in public. Given the foundation and reserves of such an individual, a so-called war of attrition was nothing more than a joke! As the elder had said, fighting yielded no substantial benefit if they won, while losing would mean an even greater humiliation, only serving to elevate the opponent's renown. Viewed from this angle, staying off the stage was indeed the wiser choice. Rather, it was they who had allowed external gazes to sway them, showing a lack of mental fortitude. Nalan Feng stared at him, the corner of his mouth twitching faintly. These Golden Core sects appeared grand and imposing, but when it came to nurturing disciples, their results were hardly stellar. There was no helping it; it was the nature of their environment! Back in their native domain, social hierarchies were rigid, leaving Golden Core sects stuck awkwardly in the middle. They could posture and throw their weight around before low-tier rogue cultivators, yet they dared not offend the true disciples of the superior sects. Pampered by a comfortable life, they lacked the ruthless disposition for bloody brawls. How could they compare to the cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Domain, who lingered near the untamed mountain ranges and spent their days steeped in slaughter? Not to mention, Wang Yuan was distinctly an outstanding talent among them! Taking the stage would be nothing more than throwing an egg against a boulder! "Enough. Step down!" Nalan Feng waved his hand listlessly, leaving the disciple no choice but to depart with a beet-red face. Only after he left did Nalan Feng turn back toward the female cultivator. "I have shown Master Shixiang something disgraceful." The alluring woman, whose every gesture carried a soul-snatching charm, blinked her lovely eyes. "Far from disgraceful. In fact, Fellow Daoist Nalan's magnanimity in disregarding temporary gains and losses earns my humble admiration." "Haha... disregarding temporary gains and losses?" Nalan Feng let out an involuntary, self-deprecating chuckle. He sighed helplessly. "My sect's juniors are simply incompetent, and I did not wish to make a massive spectacle of ourselves before a hundred thousand onlookers like Huanzhu Pavilion did. It was an act of pure necessity. Your words flatter me far too much, Fellow Daoist." Master Shixiang pursed her moist crimson lips. "It is no flattery. In my eyes, Fellow Daoist is truly an individual of great wisdom. With your insight and vision, you surely understand the magnitude of the spoils if you cooperate with my Hundred Blossoms Palace to conquer the Great Snow Mountain." Nalan Feng's lips twitched, unsure of how to answer. In the eyes of low-tier cultivators, this Expansion War was merely forced into motion by the Luoyun Sect, with its sole objective being the Howling Moon Mountain Range. But well-informed Golden Core Masters who had dwelled long in the older domains had known the inside truth for some time. With so many sects participating, the Howling Moon Mountain Range alone was not enough to divide among them. The original objective had been to open three domains simultaneously! Guyuan, Howling Moon, and the Great Snow Mountain! However, the fellow daoist from the Ice Fort had failed in his Nascent Soul breakthrough, resulting in a deficit of top-tier combat strength at the True Person level. It was precisely then that the Hehuan Sect made its move. True Person Yunhe and his Dao companion severed ties with their sect, intending to seize the momentum to seek a fourth-tier spirit land of their own, with their target set squarely on the Great Snow Mountain. And that was far more formidable than a single Nascent Soul True Person alone. Yunhe's Dao companion was a fourth-tier Demon Emperor—a transformed demon beast on par with the Nascent Soul stage! They intended to establish a new sect, and had long since brought the Hundred Blossoms Palace, a branch of the Hehuan Sect, under their banner. Currently, the three Golden Core Masters of the Hundred Blossoms Palace were acting as lobbyists on behalf of True Person Yunhe, inviting various allies to join their illicit, unsanctioned 'Great Snow Mountain Expansion War.' As for why they had to seek external allies rather than borrowing strength from the Hehuan Sect, that inevitably traced back to the covenant between the human and demon races. Expansion Wars could be waged. However, no Soul Formation entity could intervene, and each campaign had to proceed strictly under the model of one sect against one domain. Moreover, veteran Nascent Soul superior sects could not enter the fray in person; at most, they could dispatch disciples below the Nascent Soul realm to participate. True Person Yunhe and his companion were playing a dangerous game on the margins. They wanted to use the Luoyun Sect's official Expansion War as cover to secretly open an additional domain of their own. This fundamentally violated the terms of the covenant. Yet the other Nascent Soul superior sects did not intervene, instead choosing to turn a blind eye and tacitly permitting the Yunhe couple's gambit. In Nalan Feng's estimation, those venerable superior sects likely wished to use the Yunhe couple as a pathfinder. After all, within the oldest domains opened in the Eastern Desolation, individual sects had long possessed more than just one or two Nascent Soul True Persons. Having monopolized a single domain, they still found the resources insufficient, having harbored ambitions to initiate far grander expansion campaigns for some time. If the Yunhe couple succeeded this time, who was to say whether Nascent Soul True Persons from Tianfan City, the Five Elements Divine Sect, or even more ancient sects might break away to establish branches in new domains in the future? Now, only a single hurdle stood before the Yunhe couple. Insufficient strength! They satisfied the requirement for Nascent Soul-level combat power, but their forces below that echelon were utterly barren. Even with the Hundred Blossoms Palace as a foundation, it fell far short. The reason for this predicament was simple. True Person Yunhe had risen too swiftly, ascending to the Nascent Soul stage before reaching three hundred years of age. Over the subsequent century, he had spent most of his time in seclusion engaged in dual cultivation with his partner, never bothering to foster any personal factions or trusted lineages. Consequently, they sought to borrow troops from among the diverse sects gathered under the Luoyun Sect's call. Nalan Feng was deeply hesitant. His hesitation was not over whether the spoils of claiming the Great Snow Mountain were substantial enough, but rather out of concern that secretly breaching the Human-Demon Covenant might stir up disaster. He was merely an ordinary elder, not the Supreme Elder of Liusen Studio. Yet Master Shixiang repeatedly used True Person Yunhe's prestige to pressure him into making a swift decision. Amidst his indecision, a thunderous cheer suddenly erupted in his ears. Wave upon wave of roars soared straight into the clouds. Averting his gaze from Master Shixiang's pressing stare, he barked, "What happened?" A Liusen Studio disciple below the stage immediately replied, "That Wang Yuan has gone mad—he wants to take on three at once!" Nalan Feng's eyes lit up. "Master Shixiang, this matter is of grave consequence. I truly cannot decide on my own; it requires the consent of our sect's Supreme Elder. For now, why not watch the bouts between these Foundation Establishment juniors first, and rekindle a bit of the sentiment from our own sect tournaments back in the day?" Master Shixiang's blooming smile froze instantly. Rumor had it that Nalan Feng of Liusen Studio was lazy by nature and easily swayed. She had assumed that persuading him today would be an effortless task. Yet even after she detailed the prospective gains and presented him with a stunning Foundation Establishment female cultivator as a gift, he still refused to commit. Time and again, he talked about everything else except the main topic! He was even willing to chat with an ordinary disciple for half a day, yet evaded talking with her. And now he wanted to reminisce about tournament sentiments? Sweeping her gaze across his face as he stared intently at the Dao Discussion Platform, she said slowly, "Then let us watch and see!" *** Up on the elevated platform. The moment Luo Chen heard the words, "The three of you, come at once," his expression shifted. He was not the only one. Fu Jiusheng, Diwu Qi, and the others were caught equally off guard. "Could he not fight them one by one?" "Wang Yuan usually appears so steady. Why has he lost his composure at such a critical juncture?" "To be so conceited! If a mishap occurs, sustaining injuries or dying is one thing, but failing to secure Storefront Number Eight would be an immense loss!" "Hm?" Luo Chen whipped his head around, fixing a piercing glare onto Diwu Qi. Diwu Qi's face froze, realizing he had misspoken in his agitation. Wang Yuan shared deep ties of camaraderie with Luo Chen; these words had struck directly at his friend's sore spot. He offered an awkward smile. "I did not mean it that way, Danchenzi. Forgive me." "Hmph!" Luo Chen snorted coldly, his demeanor remaining hostile. Jiang Yu attempted to ease the tension from the side. "Fellow Daoist Luo, why not speak up and urge the match back to a one-on-one format? Even if it is a battle of attrition, we believe Wang Yuan can still prevail. Taking on three simultaneously right off the bat is simply far too reckless." "Indeed!" Cen Qiusheng stroked his beard. "Even setting aside the storefront matter, one ought to be cautious regarding Wang Yuan's personal safety." Faced with their persuasion, Luo Chen fell silent instead. Had this been at the start, he would have intervened immediately. But having observed several matches, he had gradually come to understand Wang Yuan's thoughts. The martial path differed from the steady accumulation of immortal cultivation; it prioritized practical application above all else. Tempering oneself on the precipice of life and death far surpassed decades of working behind closed doors. Moreover, Wang Yuan had dedicated decades to meditating on body refinement methods, reaching a point where his theoretical mastery could advance no further. He was presently stranded at the bottleneck of the Dan Jin Great Success stage. Unable to break through relying on theory alone, Wang Yuan had conceived the notion of leveraging a life-or-death battle to force a breakthrough. And he was indeed acting upon it right now. Under such circumstances, if Luo Chen were to intervene and stop him... Pondering for a moment, Luo Chen shook his head slowly. "Let him be!" "With the Sword Sect's Golden Core elder watching over the ring, and with me ready to step in at any critical juncture, he certainly will not die." Fu Jiusheng said worriedly, "But if he gets injured, won't we be down a formidable general for the upcoming Expansion War?" Without realizing it, Wang Yuan's strength had earned the recognition of every Golden Core cultivator in the Luotian Alliance. Even if he had not claimed the title of Jade Cauldron's Number One Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Luo Chen once had, he was at least one of the supreme combatants beneath the Golden Core realm! Within the Luotian Alliance, he could well be called the foremost warrior beneath the five Golden Cores! It would truly be a pity if such a figure were crippled. Luo Chen shot them a sidelong glance. "Earlier, you were scrambling over each other to have him fight, and now you are the ones panicking. Hmph!" Ignoring the strained smiles on the faces of Diwu Qi and the others, he scoffed softly, "If he gets injured, so be it. I will simply nurse him back to health." Internally, however, he muttered to himself, *Compared to the allure of breaking through to the next realm, Wang Yuan surely cares nothing for the risk of minor injuries.* *This time, I must not hinder him. Instead, I shall serve as his Dao protector.* *** Under the gaze of a hundred thousand onlookers! Upon the Dao Discussion Platform! Wang Yuan stood opposite the three cultivators, his hands clasped loosely before him, his lips parting and closing in a distinct, rhythmic breathing pattern. An aura as profound as deep waters and towering as majestic peaks steadily ascended. At this moment, the three Mengquan Cave cultivators felt as though they faced a mortal enemy. "What is there to fear from him? He is merely one man!" "Indeed. The three of us are all at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. Joining forces, we could contest even an Early Golden Core Master!" "Today, he shall pay the price for his insolence!" The three spoke to bolster their own courage. Yet Wang Yuan merely uttered a low growl. "Noisy!" With those words, he struck boldly. A vast surge of vitality and blood erupted from his frame, condensing into thick, corded tendrils of inner force. Stepping forward, he lunged straight for the female cultivator whose spiritual energy fluctuations were relatively the weakest among the three. Even in this situation, he instinctively adhered to the combat principles of fighting against superior numbers. *Boom!* A single stride! In the blink of an eye, Wang Yuan closed the distance before the female cultivator, their pores practically visible to one another. As his fist surged forth, the thick inner force swirling around his body coiled relentlessly down his arm. "Junior Sister, watch out!" "Fall back!" The female cultivator paled in terror, retreating frantically. At that razor-thin instant, the other two had already unleashed their flying swords to intercept him. Two blades bore down upon him. Wang Yuan did not dodge or parry. Instead, he hammered straight into them. *Clang! Clang!* The screech of colliding metal rang out. Those two flying swords were battered backward through sheer brute force, while he remained completely unscathed! Thick red tendrils of Dan Jin wrapped around both his arms and fists like creeping vines, presenting an utterly terrifying sight. This spectacle left the hundred thousand spectators outside the ring struck dumb with astonishment. Resisting magic treasure-grade flying swords with flesh and bone alone? What kind of monster was this? Luo Chen's eyelids twitched, feeling a hint of shock rise within him. *Is this the Dan Jin Great Success stage?* To be able to withstand the might of a magic treasure head-on! Even if these treasures were wielded by Foundation Establishment cultivators and possessed power far inferior to those used by Golden Core Masters, this was still absurdly formidable! He knew that back when he was at the Foundation Establishment stage, he would never have dared to take the strike of a magic treasure head-on without deploying the transformation of his Heavenly Roc True Form. And this was merely Dan Jin. If Wang Yuan truly succeeded in consolidating his Dan, ascending to the Smelting Furnace Realm and birthing Astral Qi, wouldn't his might explode to the point where magic treasures were treated as mere trifles? *No wonder body cultivators only experience a qualitative metamorphosis upon reaching the Smelting Furnace Realm, obtaining an extension to their lifespan. When he is merely a single step away, he is already this ferocious. Once he crosses that threshold...* Luo Chen exhaled a breath of turbid air, growing increasingly eager to see Wang Yuan achieve his breakthrough. Under his watchful eyes, the battle within the arena grew white-hot. Having weathered Wang Yuan's initial onslaught, the three senior cultivators of Mengquan Cave manipulated their flying swords to assail Wang Yuan from every conceivable angle. Yet no matter how treacherous their angles were, they could never inflict a grievous wound upon him. It was as though Wang Yuan possessed eyes covering every inch of his body. Even when a flying sword struck an angle his limbs could not cover and his torso could not evade in time, the dragon-like coils of Dan Jin across his body would spontaneously defend him. It was qi perception! Luo Chen saw it clearly. Wang Yuan had evidently integrated this technique into his combat style, growing increasingly proficient with it. At the very beginning, he had suffered a scrape or two. But later on, even with the three flying swords wheeling about and conjuring countless illusory sword silhouettes, they failed to graze him in the slightest. Dan Jin, qi perception, will... *Are you trying to use this to fuse all three into one, giving birth to Astral Qi?* *Manifesting Astral Qi first before consolidating the Dan—this is taking a shortcut!* Inexplicably, Luo Chen was reminded of his own creation, the *Micromote Origin Art*, which posited the theory of a Foundation Establishment cultivator acquiring magical power first to possess embryonic Golden Core traits before forming the core. What Wang Yuan was doing now bore striking similarities! *If that is the case, the offensive pressure these three are exerting will likely prove insufficient.* Luo Chen pursed his lips, feeling a dry sensation in his throat. Mengquan Cave would not disappoint, would they? Indeed, Mengquan Cave did not disappoint! As a renowned Golden Core sect formerly of the Fenghua Domain, their spirit spring business had rendered their cultivators extraordinarily wealthy. Their combat methods might be unpolished, but the sheer destructive power of their arsenal was by no means lacking. With three working in concert, their lack of battle experience was just barely covered. Thus, the lead male cultivator suddenly bellowed upon the platform, "Ordinary means cannot bring him down—form the Three Pools Merging into the Sea Formation!" At these words, the trio scattered to three distinct points. A Pure Jade Bottle materialized in each of their hands. With the bottles suspended before them, the three continuously formed hand seals, their lips moving in rapid incantations. Moments later, just as Wang Yuan swept away the coordinated barrage of the three flying swords, he was met by three cascading torrents of water resembling roaring waterfalls. Ordinary currents were naturally beneath his concern. Yet when the moisture grazed his flesh, a ripple passed over his otherwise tranquil expression. Heavy Mystic Nether Water, said to carry the weight of thirty thousand jin in a single drop! Gui Water Essence, endlessly supple and capable of absorbing colossal impacts, the premier material for water-attribute defensive treasures! And... Xiangliu Poison Water! Up on the stands, Luo Chen rose abruptly to his feet, his magical power surging as he stood prepared to strike at any moment. The first two were manageable—merely third-tier materials centered on suppression, deceleration, and binding. But the moment the Xiangliu Poison Water appeared, he knew this battle would not be settled easily. This was the poisonous bile spat by the legendary nine-headed, serpent-bodied prehistoric beast Xiangliu, which had devoured countless humans in antiquity! The moment it made contact, it would taint all matter in creation, corroding it to utter nothingness. Even if the Xiangliu Poison Water poured out by the Mengquan Cave male cultivator was of low purity and infinitely diluted, Wang Yuan was only at the second realm of body refinement! In his vision, the three figures hung suspended in the air, their robes fluttering and their expressions solemn as each held a pure white jade bottle. One hand cradled the bottle while the other formed seals. Amidst the surging spiritual power, three waterfalls plummeted from the sky, converging into a boundless ocean that crashed down toward Wang Yuan with overwhelming might. The area of effect was so vast that there was virtually nowhere to evade. The corded inner force across Wang Yuan's body erupted continuously. When the two forces collided, a chilling, gruesome sizzling echoed through the air. A massive plume of white smoke billowed from the Dao Discussion Platform, caused by the corrosion of materials durable enough to withstand the strikes of any Foundation Establishment cultivator. Before long, the pervasive white smoke and steaming vapor thoroughly swallowed Wang Yuan's figure. At this point, save for Golden Core Masters possessing keen divine senses, the low-tier cultivators could no longer see what was transpiring within. Given this brief respite, the clamor in the stands erupted into an uproar. "What sort of technique is that?" "Didn't you hear? The Three Pools Merging into the Sea Formation! It is Mengquan Cave's most renowned three-person combination array. When executed together, it practically allows them to fight across a major realm! Now that three ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivators are deploying it, even an ordinary Foundation Establishment Great Perfection expert would suffer a bitter defeat. They could even contest an expert who has just entered the Golden Core stage!" "*Hiss*, Heavy Mystic Nether Water, Gui Water Essence, and diluted Xiangliu Poison Water. For the sake of this Expansion War, Mengquan Cave has truly brought out all their sect's heritage, arming their disciples to the teeth!" "Blood Demon Wang Yuan overreached!" "He held such unstoppable momentum before, invincible in the preliminaries, sweeping through three fighters from Huanzhu Pavilion, and even forcing Liusen Studio's three to forfeit without a fight. Had he continued methodically, he might have followed in the footsteps of the Luotian Sect's Supreme Elder, forging a reputation as an invincible figure and the number one cultivator of his stage. What a pity..." "What is there to pity? The victor hasn't even been decided!" "You don't honestly think Wang Yuan still stands a chance, do you? Can't you see that even the Luotian Sect's Supreme Elder stood up in nervous agitation?" "Er..." "Yet he still hasn't stepped in to stop the fight! Surely he wouldn't just watch an elite of his sect die!" "Could there be a turnaround?" "Silence! Keep watching..." Calls for silence were not from one person alone. As the combined array of the three Mengquan Cave cultivators pressed on, the flow of rare waters from the jade bottles grew increasingly sluggish. Meanwhile, the platform was inundated with floodwaters, veiled by persistent clouds of smoke and vapor. And the Sword Sect's Golden Core elder still made no move to halt the contest. Everyone came to realize that perhaps the scales of victory had not yet tipped. Did Wang Yuan truly possess a means to retaliate? Amidst the anticipation of countless onlookers, the clamor gradually died down, and the colossal colosseum of cultivators grew increasingly hushed. Until— *Roar!* A muffled bellow, resembling both dragon and tiger, resonated from within the surging waters. In the next instant, a towering, indistinct figure rose abruptly from the endless smoke and white mist! With a broad sweep of a colossal hand, he churned the vast expanse of Gui Water without the slightest hint of sluggishness. As his deep roar echoed, boundless physical might surged, forcing the Heavy Mystic Nether Water—said to weigh thirty thousand jin a drop—to surge upward in reverse! Just as the three Mengquan Cave cultivators gaped in sheer disbelief, the Xiangliu Poison Water abruptly turned crimson. In a flash, it transformed into a vast ocean of blood. Within that split second, they completely lost control over the Xiangliu Poison Water! "Something is wrong!" "I cannot control the Xiangliu Poison Water! What demonic art did Wang Yuan use to sever my connection?" "Fall back, quickly!" Just as the male cultivator realized the danger and attempted to retreat, a gargantuan hand tore through the mist and clouds, hurtling forward with a deafening rumble. Everywhere it passed, the air shrieked and gale-force currents raged. The male cultivator attempted to dodge, only to inexplicably sense that he was locked in place. It felt as though no matter how he twisted or fled, he could not escape this grasp. Despair! Fear! In that split second, his soul nearly departed his body. "My life is forfeit!" Right at this moment— "Show mercy!" A crisp, delicate shout rang out. Hearing this, the Golden Core elder of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect raised his eyelids slightly, then shook his head. Cultivators from these old-line sects had lived in peace for far too long; they were utterly brittle! If a disciple of his Sword Sect were here... Even as he thought this, he opened the formation's restriction. A graceful silhouette leaped over the tens of thousands in the crowd, dropping down onto the Dao Discussion Platform. Facing Wang Yuan's towering hand, she thrust out a palm strike. The colossal hand and the massive palm collided in an instant. *Boom!* A terrifying shockwave exploded like claps of thunder. At the center of the Dao Discussion Platform, the dust and smoke dispersed, leaving only a giant standing tall within the clearing. A deep, muffled voice rumbled from his throat. "Shallow experience, crude spellcraft, disjointed coordination, and not even the resolve to fight to the death. The three of you have disappointed me far too much!" When the dust and smoke cleared entirely, the giant—standing a full thirty feet tall—was exposed completely before the eyes of the world. His lower legs were immensely thick, resembling the pillar-like legs of ancient mammoths. His upper body was armored in pitch-black scales that looked like plate armor, yet also bore the texture of crocodile hide, tortoise shell, dragon scales, and serpent slough! His exposed arms, neck, shoulders, and back bulged with dense layers of muscle, coiled like sinuous dragons that inspired sheer dread. At his wrists, one bracer coiled like a dragon's tail while the other clamped like a tiger's jaws—two magic treasure-grade bracers. And upon that neck, as thick as a barrel, a bloody maw stood agape, exposing gleaming white teeth as it uttered words of lament. His eyes burned like lanterns, his black hair whipped like maddened serpents, and his face was wrought with dissatisfaction. He lamented that he could not cross that final threshold. He was dissatisfied that even taking on three at once had failed to force him into a desperate, life-or-death battle. At this moment, his ferocious gaze locked onto the petite, dainty figure that had intruded onto the platform. "I can feel it—you are strong!" "Fight a thrilling battle with Wang!"