Chapter 76

"Ha ha, your character is off the charts?" The old man with the pipe tapped his pipe, his small eyes almost squinting into slits as he laughed. He had just tested Hu Gao, and didn't expect this kid to have some real skills.

As an old hand, he naturally could see that although Yun Feng appeared relaxed, in terms of controlling his power, he was far from perfect. Moreover, this guy clearly knew this himself. To dare use fire poison to test his skills was really risking his life.

Young people these days are really becoming more and more incomprehensible!

To ordinary martial artists, cultivation is all about quickly reaching high ranks and realms, gaining an advantage, and demonstrating strength. After all, it's common for higher ranks and realms to overwhelm lower levels.

Some martial artists, while cultivating their primordial energy, learn how to build momentum, borrow momentum, and凝聚 a kind of aura to enhance their strength. The legendary "Tiger's Body Tremble" is what such martial artists strive for. In the battles Hu Gao has had, Guo Dewen's spear technique was just a show, only Qi Hong had凝聚 the "Tiger's Aura," and this Yun Feng's sword techniques and sword intent had a certain feel to them.

There is another realm that the old man with the pipe mentioned, which is the pursuit of perfect control over power, to the point where "spreading your hands creates a world." This is something that high-realm martial artists must explore.

The realms of Shadow Condensation, Primordial Energy Burst, and Form Transformation are not just about the level of primordial energy.

Primordial energy, totems, and primordial techniques, as well as the martial artist themselves, are all manifestations of power.

Therefore, martial artists are divided into four realms: those who cannot cultivate are waste, those whose primordial energy improves quickly are geniuses, those who can凝聚 an aura are experts, and those who can control power are accomplished.

Hu Gao, who had previously experienced the power of fire poison, naturally knew that at their current cultivation level, even with the most exquisite control over power, it would be difficult to truly mobilize fire poison. Unless their cultivation broke through to the Primordial Energy Burst realm, where they could control more powerful forces, it would be impossible.

This was the main reason Hu Gao guessed that Yun Feng would likely fail.

"You, little kid, are different from others. I, this old pipe, have a deep understanding of your sword." The old man with the pipe touched his pipe, took a small sip, and smiled. "At your level, you naturally see some of Yun Feng's shortcomings, right?"

Hu Gao glanced at the old man with the pipe, understanding that this old man had seen through his fusion of two powers. That pipe blocking the sword, upon closer reflection, was also a perfect control of power.

This old man with the pipe is not simple; he must be hiding a lot of strength!

Fortunately, the old man hasn't shown any hostility toward him yet.

Yun Feng must have comprehended a very powerful sword aura and sword intent, and his sword cultivation is quite high, allowing him to execute his sword techniques with precision and accuracy, dispersing the elusive fire poison. However, Yun Feng's control over power is not perfect, and the dispersed fire poison cannot be easily deflected. Any mistake would result in it landing on him.

"His sword techniques are very powerful, and it seems they have been improved, but even the most powerful sword storms have their weak points. If Yun Feng gets even a hint of fire poison on him, all his efforts will be in vain, and he might even be consumed by the fire poison."

Hu Gao looked up at Yun Feng's figure in the sky and shared his thoughts with the old man with the pipe.

The old man with the pipe nodded in agreement, saying, "Yun Feng is a pretty good sword genius, but his sword storm lacks control over power, and when his strength wanes, mistakes are inevitable."

Inherent weakness?

Hu Gao, hearing the old man's comments, couldn't help but worry about the sword genius.

"The possibility of him being killed by fire poison is too high. Should I save him? If I do, it might draw a lot of attention... Will this old man with the pipe save him?"

After much contemplation, Hu Gao looked up at Yun Feng in the sky again.

The latter had already entered the central area where the fire poison was rampant. He looked impressive and was admired by many, but Hu Gao keenly noticed that his sword techniques were no longer as smooth as they were at the beginning.

Yun Feng must have realized this too.

The nearest black fire lotus was only five wind tunnels away, but Hu Gao felt that he might not be able to make it.

Hu Gao's eyes showed a hint of painful struggle. He looked at the Shadowless Sword in his hand and immediately rejected the idea. Even if he were to save him, he couldn't waste his weapon.

"Little kid, aren't you going to help? Helping might earn you a black fire lotus," the old man with the pipe encouraged Hu Gao.

"Old man with the pipe, can I borrow your pipe?" Hu Gao looked at the long pipe and gave a reason, "I'm a bit nervous, I need to smoke to calm down."

"No way!" The old man, who was as shrewd as a fox, saw through Hu Gao's trick.

"You're letting him die!" Hu Gao threw a hat at him.

"The pipe is more important than my life!" The old man with the pipe looked resolute, "If you keep thinking about my pipe, I'll throw you up there!"

Damn! Hu Gao glared at the old man angrily.

At this moment, Yun Feng was already showing signs of strain, but the ordinary Shadow Condensation Realm martial artists below didn't notice.

He thrust his sword with a sharp and precise move, dispersing a cloud of fire poison, and suddenly accelerated, about to cross the wind tunnel. It was clear that to cross this wind tunnel, he was using all his remaining energy, as his internal energy was almost depleted.

The finish line was in sight!

As long as he crossed this wind tunnel, he could safely pick the black fire lotus without any danger. Then, after a brief rest to recover his strength, he could jump down directly without having to return the same way and face the fire poison again.

Thinking about how he was about to pick the black fire lotus, a gentle smile appeared on Yun Feng's lips. "Yun Sheng, your brother promised to collect enough black fire lotuses for you, to help you advance further in body cultivation. Even if others don't support you, your brother does."

"Huh? What...?"

At this moment, Yun Feng suddenly felt a strong sense of danger, as if someone was about to stab him from behind. Life and death hung by a thread, and he quickly turned around, only to see a thin black gas flying toward him.

"Fire poison!"

Yun Feng's hair stood on end.

At this moment, he was at the entrance of the wind tunnel. Even a small strand of fire poison could be fatal.

Faced with this drop of fire poison, he had no way to deal with it. He had no spare energy left, and he needed to stabilize his body quickly. If he failed, he would fall to the ground and be consumed by other fire poisons, with no chance of survival.

This thin strand of fire poison might not kill him directly, but it would severely injure him, indirectly leading to his death.

If he jumped down now and gave up his previous efforts, he could save his life.

But...

"This time, I've come this far relying on willpower. If I give up, I'll never get this black fire lotus. And as a sword cultivator, how can I easily retreat when I'm about to succeed?"

In this moment, Yun Feng's aura became incredibly sharp, like a heavenly tornado, radiating an unstoppable momentum.

Yun Feng's left hand swept backward, using it as a sword to cut through the strand of fire poison. His right hand, holding the sword, stabbed into the rock wall to stabilize his body.

At this critical moment, he suddenly understood a technique similar to "left round, right square" or "left line, right point." However, he felt no joy, as he was about to sacrifice his left arm to save his brother.

Yun Sheng, your brother will lose an arm, but he can still use a sword with his right hand. But if you lose a black fire lotus, you lose a chance.

Yun Sheng, for you, your brother is willing to make this sacrifice!

Yun Feng's two hands moved quickly and smoothly, sacrificing one to save the other, protecting himself and that chance.

At this critical moment, a white light suddenly shot through the air, accurately intercepting the fire poison just before it reached Yun Feng's fingertips.

Yun Feng felt a cool sensation at his fingertips, and with his last bit of strength, he placed his right hand on the sword hilt, leaping into the air and safely landing at the entrance of the black fire lotus cave.

"Close call!"

Yun Feng took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He had overestimated his own strength. If not for someone's help, he would have lost his life.

He turned around and looked in the direction the white light had come from. Not far away, a long sword was firmly embedded in the cliff wall, still humming.

This was the long sword Hu Gao had thrown! The old man with the pipe, who didn't let Yun Feng die, had taken a sword from another martial artist, albeit reluctantly, and given it to Hu Gao.

At this moment, Hu Gao, who was surprised by Yun Feng's last move, saw something even more shocking.

"Sizzle!"

The thin strand of black gas on the sword seemed to be the most terrifying strong acid, slowly corroding the sword, causing it to break and fall to the ground. The corrosion spread rapidly, and in less than two breaths, the entire sword turned into a pile of black water, emitting a terrifying heat.

"Whoa!"

Seeing this, Yun Feng drew a sharp breath.

If the fire poison had landed on him, the consequences would have been far worse than just losing an arm!

Yun Feng subconsciously looked in the direction the sword had been thrown and saw Hu Gao standing there calmly, but his expression...

I don't owe him any money, do I?

After confirming that he and Hu Gao were indeed strangers, Yun Feng felt a sense of gratitude and nodded to him, though he was a bit puzzled by the look in the old man's eyes. It was a bit strange.

He retracted his gaze, picked the black fire lotus, and then flew down from the sky.