Chapter 83

As the other party made this move, it immediately thwarted Ye Qingxuan's plan to use the [Golden Goose Technique] to create distance. Chang Jingfan had already leaped into the air, securing an absolute positional advantage. If Ye Qingxuan were to leap up now, it would undoubtedly give Chang Jingfan a chance to strike a powerful blow.

Ye Qingxuan could not retreat and had no choice but to muster all his strength to parry the sword. The [Complete Heart Technique] instantly converged at a single point, and he horizontally slashed with a move called "Stone Shattering Heaven," preparing to deflect the tip of Chang Jingfan's sword.

However, the moment their long swords clashed with a "ding," Chang Jingfan's sword flew out. It turned out that Chang Jingfan had used a feint, making a seemingly fierce sword move without using full strength. Ye Qingxuan misjudged the situation, exerting too much force, and the green steel sword's move became old, making it difficult to retract, leaving his chest wide open. Chang Jingfan sneered and transformed his hand into a palm, striking toward Ye Qingxuan's chest.

Ye Qingxuan could not avoid it and could only raise his left hand to harden the blow.

With a loud "boom," the sound of the clash of energy exploded.

Ye Qingxuan felt a massive and overwhelming internal force surge into his body from the other party's palm. This highly destructive internal force would certainly damage his meridians as soon as it passed through them. Once the other party's internal force entered his body, his internal organs would immediately suffer severe damage.

But as Chang Jingfan's internal force broke into his body, Ye Qingxuan's "Laogong" acupoint in his palm suddenly felt hot. The long-dormant [Little Non-Phase Technique] was stimulated to automatically activate. The internal force that broke into his body did not immediately invade his meridians but was instead drawn into the "Laogong" acupoint, causing it to swell and ache, similar to when he first opened the "Twelve Heavenly Palaces."

In that instant, Ye Qingxuan realized that the "Little Heavenly Palace" in his palm, which the other party's internal force had invaded, automatically triggered the protective function of the [Little Non-Phase Technique]. Each "Little Heavenly Palace" not only stored internal force but also served as a strong fortress to resist external force invasions.

However, the situation was still not optimistic. Although he temporarily resisted Chang Jingfan's palm, the other party did not stop but instead forcefully sent over an even more violent internal force, turning the sword duel into a contest of internal force.

Ye Qingxuan was unwilling to engage in such a contest. Given his cultivation, he would surely lose in a contest of internal force.

Holding the sword in his right hand, he swung it with all his might toward Chang Jingfan's wrist. Unfortunately, Ye Qingxuan's internal force was already being used to resist the other party's internal force, and the sword in his right hand, without the support of internal force, became a mere action, with limited power. Chang Jingfan, who was already prepared, struck with a palm, knocking the sword away, and then followed up with another palm. Ye Qingxuan had no choice but to use his right hand to block the incoming palm.

At this moment, both parties were in a stance of two palms opposing each other, fully engaged in a contest of internal force.

Although it was a brief clash, this straightforward contest left no room for maneuver.

Ye Qingxuan used the "Little Heavenly Palace" of the [Little Non-Phase Technique] to resist the other party's internal force invasion, but he could not absorb this foreign true qi. He also had no means to counterattack with these internal forces. He could only continuously absorb the other party's internal force, like two bulls locking horns, using his own internal force to push the foreign true qi back into the other party's body. For a moment, the "Laogong" acupoint swelled and ached, and if this continued, the acupoint would surely be destroyed.

With no other choice, Ye Qingxuan gathered all his internal force to force the invading internal force back into the other party's body, engaging in a hard battle.

Chang Jingfan landed on the ground but did not withdraw his palm from the clash with Ye Qingxuan. He laughed and poured all his internal force into the contest. The situation was exactly as he had hoped: in a contest of internal force, how could Ye Qingxuan be his match?

"Ha—"

With a loud shout, Chang Jingfan's internal force surged, increasing dramatically.

The "Laogong" acupoint's "Little Heavenly Palace" could no longer withstand the invasion of the other party's internal force and was about to collapse. Ye Qingxuan would not sit idly by and wait for his "Laogong" acupoint to be destroyed. He slightly adjusted his breathing and directed the invading true qi to the "Shanzhong" acupoint in his chest, the second line of defense.

When the "Shanzhong" acupoint was struck, Ye Qingxuan felt a heavy blow to his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood, sliding back a few feet. However, his breath suddenly became clear, and he managed to expel most of the invading internal force with the spurt of blood.

Chang Jingfan would not miss such a good opportunity and continued to output internal force with a mad shout.

At this moment, a subtle change occurred within Ye Qingxuan's body.

Under the pressure of the external force invasion, the internal force in Ye Qingxuan's dantian flowed, making a gurgling sound, squeezing every bit of internal force in his body. When Ye Qingxuan was about to be drained of all his internal force, the residual essence of the "Rejuvenating Grass" in the twelve main meridians awakened once again.

Ye Qingxuan felt a loud boom in his ears as the residual but still massive essence of the "Rejuvenating Grass" rushed into his meridians, gathering along the major acupoints throughout his body and converging in the dantian. It transformed into pure internal force. With sufficient internal force support, the [Little Non-Phase Technique] automatically activated again. The internal force in the dantian mixed and rotated, and when the rotational force reached its peak, it suddenly shot out millions of qi arrows, spreading throughout his body like lightning.

"Boom—"

Ye Qingxuan felt something rupture in his meridians, and both his internal breath and the strength of his meridians rose to a new level.

The long-unbroken realm finally broke through due to the pressure brought by Chang Jingfan.

The first level of the "Strong Essence Realm" was achieved.

At the same time, the two "Jiquan" acupoints under Ye Qingxuan's armpits successfully condensed, opening two more "Twelve Heavenly Palaces" of the [Little Non-Phase Technique].

Ye Qingxuan's breath suddenly became stronger, and Chang Jingfan finally sensed something was wrong. Ye Qingxuan, who should have been drained of internal force and injured, closed his eyes, appearing to start cultivating internal skills.

This process repeated, and each time, the true qi in his body increased slightly. His vision became clearer, the sounds he heard became louder, and his skin's sensitivity to the air became more profound and subtle. Everything was different.

"Ha ha ha, good boy, you actually broke through your martial arts realm under the pressure of the other party's internal force during the battle. Truly remarkable..." "Golden Eagle" Huo Dong praised excitedly.

"Indeed remarkable, but also extremely dangerous. Now this little Taoist's realm is unstable. If he cannot correctly guide his internal breath, there is a high chance he will suffer from a mental breakdown." Eunuch Liu He disagreed.

"Mental breakdown? Ha ha, if it were someone else, it would indeed be so, but look at this little guy. Despite the danger of the battle, he closed his eyes to adjust his breathing. He must have taken some kind of pill before, which is why he has such a massive amount of essence..."

Now it was Chang Jingfan's turn to desperately try to stop the internal force contest.

But how could Ye Qingxuan let him off? It was precisely because of the "external force stimulation" and the "level advancement" that the condensed essence in the twelve main meridians could be dissolved. If he let go now, the remaining essence might re-solidify. He had to take this opportunity to accelerate the absorption. If he waited for another similar opportunity, it might take a long time.

Just as Chang Jingfan was about to stop, Ye Qingxuan took advantage of the situation and suddenly released a burst of force. This time, it was Chang Jingfan who spat out a large mouthful of blood.

Chang Jingfan looked bitter and confused. Even if the other party had broken through his realm, it was impossible for him to still have such a massive amount of internal force. If it were someone else, after advancing to a new level, they would be drained of internal force and gasping for breath. How could this little Taoist be the opposite, becoming stronger the more internal force he consumed?

Monster, monster...

It was no wonder Chang Jingfan was thinking wildly. No one could have guessed that Ye Qingxuan's body would store so much "Rejuvenating Grass" essence. Ordinary people who consumed similar heavenly treasures would either be unable to bear it and die, or they would have already absorbed all the medicinal power and converted it into internal force. Who would store the essence in their body, leaving it for no reason?

Chang Jingfan was in a difficult position. If this continued, it would not be long before he was drained of all his internal force. At that time, the other party's internal force would invade his body, and internal injuries would be the least of his worries. The most likely outcome would be that his internal organs would be shattered, and he would die.

Chang Jingfan was not willing to sit and wait for death. He gritted his teeth and gathered a massive amount of internal force, several times more than before, and forcefully struck Ye Qingxuan. At the point where their palms met, there was a loud "bang," and their palms finally exploded.

Ye Qingxuan snapped back to his senses.

On the opposite side, Chang Jingfan crossed his arms behind his back, his face pale and full of malice. He said in a dark tone, "Little Daoist Ye Qingxuan, you have a good strategy. You must have calculated that I would engage in a contest of internal force and took a pill to boost your internal force beforehand. Even the heavens' calculations have been outdone by human calculations. I admit defeat—"

Ye Qingxuan was furious and was about to scold his opponent for his shamelessness, but he suddenly thought: If viewed from another angle, taking the "Rejuvenating Grass" could indeed be considered taking a pill to boost internal force beforehand, but... this was not for this particular battle...

Ye Qingxuan's lips curled into a mocking smile as he said to Chang Jingfan, "You're wrong. I did take some pills a long time ago, but there's one thing you got wrong—"

"What did I get wrong?"

"Dealing with scum like you doesn't even deserve me to waste any pills," Ye Qingxuan said with a rather displeased expression, coldly mocking, "I had some digestive issues recently, and some of the medicinal power wasn't absorbed. Today, after a few moves with you, my intestines became smooth, and my bowel movements improved, and the accumulated medicinal power in my body was also dispersed... This can't be called devious; it's just your bad luck!"

"You—!" Chang Jingfan was so angry that he almost died on the spot.

According to his usual temper, he would have attacked again, but his hands, which he had crossed behind his back, were trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't even clench his fists, let alone attack.

The desperate strike just now, although it had forcefully ended the contest of internal force, had not only caused him internal injuries but also severely damaged the meridians in both his arms. Without several days of rest, he would not be able to engage in any more battles.

Although he was unwilling and resentful, Chang Jingfan was not stupid enough to continue the fight.

Losing was better than losing his life. Qingyun Temple, Ye Qingxuan... This grudge would be settled another day.

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