Chapter 16

The Bloodlust Technique had already reached a level of mastery, and once activated, it increased all attributes by 50%. With Zhuge Xiang's abilities, activating the Bloodlust Technique to slay Zhao Feiyun would have been effortless. However, one must not forget that the Bloodlust Technique has a weakness, and Zhao Feiyun was a practitioner of the Phantom Step. To kill him, time would have to be wasted.

Therefore, in the early stages, Zhuge Xiang deliberately showed weakness, aiming to deliver a fatal blow and save the time needed to activate the Bloodlust Technique. In the grand competition, although there was time to recover during breaks, if the Bloodlust Technique caused a significant decrease in combat power during the weakened period, it would be counterproductive.

"Ding, slaying a Second Stage Qi Cultivation practitioner, gained 55 experience points, obtained an Ice Frost Headband."

As Zhao Feiyun was slain, the system's prompt arrived as expected. 55 experience points did not disappoint Zhuge Xiang, as there was no bonus for killing a higher-level opponent. However, the fact that an item dropped was a pleasant surprise. For Zhuge Xiang, obtaining an item would significantly boost his strength.

However, Zhuge Xiang did not rush to examine the Ice Frost Headband. Seeing the host and staff approach to clear Zhao Feiyun's body, Zhuge Xiang hurried over and took the Blood Spirit Fruit from Zhao Feiyun's chest, saying to the host, "This Blood Spirit Fruit was the stake of our duel. Can I take it?"

In an intra-sect duel, the belongings of the deceased are usually reclaimed by the sect. However, before the duel, Zhuge Xiang and Zhao Feiyun had agreed that the Blood Spirit Fruit would be the stake, so according to the rules, the sect would not confiscate it.

The host did not make things difficult for Zhuge Xiang, nodding to indicate that he could take it. However, the boots and short sword, which were magical artifacts, had to be surrendered to the sect and could not be considered Zhuge Xiang's spoils of war.

Holding the Blood Spirit Fruit, Zhuge Xiang descended from the duel platform. Amid the envious gazes of many disciples, he handed the Blood Spirit Fruit to Niu Geng. Among the nearly 200,000 disciples, most had not yet grasped Qi. The value of a Blood Spirit Fruit was clear to them, and thus, they envied Niu Geng even more.

"Alright, we are friends. Being too polite makes us seem distant. Eat it quickly; grasping Qi is the most important thing," Zhuge Xiang preemptively interrupted Niu Geng, who was about to thank him.

Since Zhuge Xiang had spoken, Niu Geng did not say more, nodding and sitting down in a secluded area of the training ground. He then placed the blood-red Blood Spirit Fruit in his mouth. Zhuge Xiang, carrying the Blood Refinement Blade, stood beside Niu Geng to protect him, while also watching the duels on the 30 platforms.

Among the more than 5,000 disciples who had grasped Qi, most were at the First Stage of Qi Cultivation, with only a few hundred at the Second Stage. One in ten. As for the Third Stage? Apart from Lu Yuling, Zhuge Xiang had not seen anyone reach it yet, though he imagined that a few geniuses must have.

The 5,000 disciples who had grasped Qi were evenly distributed among the 32 duel platforms, with each platform having about 170 to 180 disciples. To advance from the group, one would need to win seven or eight consecutive matches.

There were no geniuses to focus on, so Zhuge Xiang quickly turned his attention back to Niu Geng, whose face was flushed, a sign of the essence blood boiling. Clearly, he was at a critical moment in grasping Qi. Zhuge Xiang could not help, so he looked down at the sky-blue headband in his hand. The sky-blue headband seemed to be made of fine silk, with intricate ice patterns, making it look very luxurious. As Zhuge Xiang examined it, the information about the Ice Frost Headband appeared before his eyes.

Ice Frost Headband (One-star Artifact): Defense 8-10, Unique Active: Reduces the movement speed of enemy targets within a 10-meter radius by 20% for 10 seconds, with a cooldown of 600 seconds.

What a good item! Zhuge Xiang could not hide his delight at seeing the Ice Frost Headband's stats.

What kind of opponent did Zhuge Xiang fear the most? An opponent who practiced the Phantom Step. Their ghostly form and speed made them difficult to handle. If Zhao Feiyun had practiced a different martial art, Zhuge Xiang would not have needed to feign weakness; a Blood Thunder Slash would have ended the fight.

The effect lasted only 10 seconds, which was indeed short, but in battle, where things change in an instant, 10 seconds was already quite good. With the enemy's speed reduced by 20% and his own speed increased by 30% from the magical artifact boots, the balance would shift, and even against the Phantom Step, he might be able to catch up.

For the current Zhuge Xiang, the Ice Frost Headband was exactly what he needed. Its value exceeded that of a two-star or even a three-star artifact.

Tying the Ice Frost Headband around his forehead, Zhuge Xiang felt a cool sensation, making his mind seem clearer. A faint breeze circled his body, barely noticeable to others.

Zhuge Xiang knew this was the defensive effect of the headband. All attacks that passed through this invisible defense would be weakened. This defensive effect, like the blood-colored aura from the Bloodlust Technique, enhanced his defense.

Just as Zhuge Xiang tied the Ice Frost Headband around his forehead, a faint Qi appeared without warning. Turning his head, he saw Niu Geng open his eyes and smiled genuinely, "Congratulations, Niu Geng. You have finally grasped Qi."

"Yes, I owe it all to your Blood Spirit Fruit," Niu Geng said sincerely, looking at Zhuge Xiang with gratitude.

What was the purpose of coming to the Asura Sect? To gain powerful strength and hope to return to the Tang Sect in glory. Zhuge Xiang's Blood Spirit Fruit had given him the qualification to stay in the Asura Sect and become a formal disciple. Such gratitude, with Niu Geng's honest nature, could not be expressed in words but was firmly etched in his heart.

Niu Geng, having grasped Qi, went to the relevant staff for testing and registration. As for the grand competition? Niu Geng had no intention of participating. Although he was much better than ordinary people, he had not practiced any combat techniques and would be completely outmatched.

Soon, all the disciples on Zhuge Xiang's duel platform had fought, and more than half had been eliminated. It was finally Zhuge Xiang's turn to fight again. Why say "eliminated more than half"? Because in the Asura Sect's competitions, only the victors remain. A draw means both fail.

The previous activation of the Bloodlust Technique had not greatly affected Zhuge Xiang. Moreover, his opponent this time was a First Stage Qi Cultivation disciple who practiced a sword technique. With his level advantage, the magical artifact boots, and the Blood Refinement Blade, Zhuge Xiang easily won. He even won the third and fourth matches with ease, as he faced First Stage Qi Cultivation disciples, which posed no challenge.

Although most were First Stage Qi Cultivation disciples, after four consecutive matches, only about 300 disciples remained on the 32 duel platforms. Many people thought Zhuge Xiang's luck was indeed good, but he was not happy about it.

The level advantage meant that defeating a First Stage Qi Cultivation disciple gave only 10 experience points. After three consecutive matches, he had gained only 30 experience points. It seemed that breaking through to the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation in the grand competition was even more unlikely.

However, the further the competition progressed, the stronger the remaining disciples became. Finally, in the fifth match, Zhuge Xiang faced a formidable opponent.

Ji Wuxue, a hotshot genius among the 100,000 disciples, a strong contender for the top spot on this duel platform, and a genius who had grasped Qi five months ago, was not much inferior to Lu Yuling. Carrying a black longsword, he stood on the duel platform like an unsheathed sword.

"Your strength is impressive, but unfortunately, you are not my match," Ji Wuxue said with a cold expression, a perfect swordsman, showing no contempt, no joy, no sorrow. His words were like a simple statement of fact.

Before Zhuge Xiang could respond, Ji Wuxue's black longsword leaped into his hand, and a blood-red aura enveloped him. His eyes turned a terrifying and eerie crimson, as if possessed by a blood demon. His aura became even more bizarre and powerful, clearly the effect of the Bloodlust Technique.

"Your Bloodlust Technique has reached a high level, and I cannot match you. However, my cultivation broke through to the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation a month ago. In terms of cultivation, you are inferior to me..." With the Bloodlust Technique activated, Ji Wuxue's eyes locked onto Zhuge Xiang, and his black longsword transformed into a black lightning bolt, striking with a sharp angle that made it seem impossible to dodge. It was clearly a sword technique, but not the one from the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Although the Asura Sect stipulated that one could not practice a second martial art until breaking through to the Fifth Stage of Qi Cultivation, if one obtained a martial art technique through external training, the sect would not interfere. Clearly, after mastering the Bloodlust Technique, Ji Wuxue had obtained a sharp sword technique elsewhere.

With the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation, a sharp sword technique, and the Bloodlust Technique, facing Ji Wuxue, Zhuge Xiang's expression became serious. This was a far superior opponent to Zhao Feiyun. However, Zhuge Xiang was more excited. The stronger the opponent, the more experience he would gain, and the higher the drop rate of items. Risk and reward were proportional...