Chapter 47

The divine power of the Body Refining Technique through the transformation of weapons allowed Gu Fei to possess a temporarily insane and powerful body capable of withstanding the precious Golden Moon Wheel of the Biyun Peak. However, this state of spreading a certain characteristic of the divine weapon integrated into his body throughout his entire body could not last long.

Moreover, the exotic essence energy transformed from the divine weapon had not yet fully merged with the blood and qi within his body. Desperately stimulating the power of the divine weapon would inevitably cause his body to be unable to withstand it.

Gu Fei was now suffering from the aftereffects of overusing the Body Refining Technique. Every inch of his body felt as if it were being pierced by sharp needles. After sitting cross-legged under a large tree for a while, his tattered clothes were drenched in sweat.

The sweat had a bloody smell, staining his tattered clothes dark black, which was the result of the blood stasis being forced out of his body.

Gu Fei's blood, flesh, tendons, and bones trembled slightly, and a faint rumbling sound of heavenly drums and thunder could be heard from within his body. The vigorous blood and qi within him washed over his body in waves, gradually reducing the pain of being pierced by ten thousand needles.

The Body Refining Technique and martial arts techniques made Gu Fei's body strength comparable to that of ordinary magical treasures of cultivators, and his recovery ability was astonishing. Waves of blood and qi containing the essence energy of the five elements washed over his body, and the injuries in his flesh and blood quickly healed.

"Hmm! The path of martial arts is a road of strength derived for battle. Progress is made in life-and-death struggles, advancing by stepping on the corpses of opponents." Gu Fei felt that after the intense battle with Dongfang Chen, his skills seemed to have improved slightly. Life-and-death battles were beneficial for breaking through one's cultivation.

This was Gu Fei's post-battle insight. It seemed that the path taken by his predecessors was wrong. His master, Wan Xiancheng, never easily left the Cui Ling Peak, always burying himself in mountain cultivation. He did not realize that this ancient Body Refining Technique was a killing technique created for battle, where a powerful body corresponded to unparalleled combat power.

Buried in hard cultivation, progress was limited. Life-and-death battles were a shortcut. Understanding and transcending in battle was a path completely opposite to the Daoist techniques of tranquility and non-action.

Daoist cultivators emphasized static cultivation, moving the heavenly qi to nourish the primordial spirit and refine magical power. The path of martial cultivation, however, emphasized dynamic cultivation, refining the entire body's tendons, bones, blood, and flesh, generating primordial power from the blood and qi.

Therefore, excessive static cultivation often constrained the breakthrough of one's cultivation. For hundreds of years, the Cui Ling Peak lineage had not produced a single Extraordinary Realm martial artist, perhaps for this reason.

When encountering a cultivation bottleneck, cultivators would retreat into seclusion. This was a habitual mindset of cultivators, but it was not suitable for martial artists. For martial artists, it was better to leave the seclusion and challenge other cultivators, understanding the true essence of martial arts in battle.

Gu Fei seemed to see a glimmer of light in the fog. He seemed to have grasped a new cultivation path, a path belonging to martial artists—battle!

Gu Fei was unmoved by everything outside. On the nine platforms in the square, the disciples participating in the competition continued to come and go. The clashes of Daoist techniques occasionally burst into bright flashes of light and loud explosions, shaking the mountains.

The remaining matches, though not as intense as the battle between Gu Fei and Dongfang Chen, still attracted the attention of the thousands of disciples in the square.

This Nine Lineage Competition was different from previous ones. The top ten disciples, besides receiving rewards, also had the opportunity to enter the Xutian Realm.

The Xutian Realm was a blessed land for the three major Daoist sects, but also a dangerous place. For those who entered, it was also an opportunity. In the world, nothing could be obtained without effort. Danger held the opportunity to change one's fate. Seizing this fleeting opportunity could lead to a meteoric rise, but failing to seize it could be life-threatening.

The eldest disciple of the Tai Xuan Peak lineage, Li Lingfeng, and his junior brother Ziyu, easily defeated their opponents and advanced to the second round with two victories.

However, Zhao Xuerou of the Zizhu Peak encountered the outstanding disciple of the Tongtian Peak lineage, Song Ruochen, in the second match. This Song Ruochen had the cultivation of the seventh level of the Awakening Realm. Even with the Zizhu Peak's supreme treasure, the Water Elemental Black Tortoise Seal, Zhao Xuerou found it difficult to match Song Ruochen and was defeated.

However, with one win and one loss, Zhao Xuerou still advanced to the second round. In fact, the reason for her defeat was largely due to the enormous consumption of magical power from activating the Black Tortoise Seal in the morning match. Even after resting for two hours, she could not fully recover, giving Song Ruochen an opportunity.

By nightfall, all the matches were over. The Daoist Xuanfa, with a blank expression, walked out and announced that the second round of matches would take place the next day. Soon, a list was posted, which was the list of those who advanced to the second round.

When the Daoist Xuanfa announced the end of today's matches, Gu Fei, who was sitting cross-legged under a tree beside the square, opened his eyes. With a thought, a golden light flashed and disappeared from his body. The tattered, dark black shirt he was wearing turned into fragments and fell to the ground, revealing his bronze-colored, muscular body.

His shirt was torn, and Gu Fei only wore a pair of tattered, hole-filled long pants. However, the important parts of the pants were still intact, ensuring he would not expose himself.

Gu Fei stood up, and immediately heard a light sound of footsteps nearby. He turned his head and saw a woman in a white dress walking over lightly. In the night, she seemed to be stepping on a cloud, floating over.

Her beautiful face, long flowing hair, and icy skin made her look like a fairy descending from the heavens.

"Junior Sister Zhao?" Gu Fei was taken aback. His eyes fixed on the girl's face, and a new, unfamiliar feeling arose in his heart. This feeling made his heart beat faster and his blood flow quicker.

Zhao Xuerou, light as a swallow, came to Gu Fei's side. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Gu, for showing your might and defeating Dongfang Chen. Ha ha! It was really unexpected!"

The shock caused by Gu Fei's defeat of Dongfang Chen among the younger generation of disciples was immense. The disciples of the Cui Ling Peak lineage were known for their low cultivation but tough bodies, able to withstand a lot of hits. However, the combat power Gu Fei displayed today was astonishing, purely through martial arts, which was terrifying.

Even the older generation of disciples were surprised. The previous generation of Cui Ling Peak disciples, Wan Xiancheng, usually stayed in his cave, rarely showing his combat skills in public.

Therefore, even the disciples of Wan Xiancheng's generation knew little about the power of the Cui Ling Peak's combat techniques. Gu Fei's performance today not only shocked them but also made them uneasy, as it suggested that the Tai Xuan Sect might no longer be peaceful in the future.

"Hmph! If Dongfang Chen didn't have the Golden Moon Wheel of the Biyun Peak, he would have lost even worse," Gu Fei said disdainfully. Defeating Dongfang Chen was not a big deal.

The disciples of the Cui Ling Peak lineage were originally stronger than those of the other eight lineages at the same cultivation level. Even when facing disciples one level higher, they could still hold their own.

Moreover, this was not as noticeable below the fifth level of the Awakening Realm. After surpassing the fifth level, the advantages of martial artists became more apparent among cultivators of the same level.

Gu Fei's deceased master, Wan Xiancheng, had once forced a cultivator of the Extraordinary Realm to retreat with his ninth-level Awakening Realm cultivation.

Now, Gu Fei had cultivated the Body Refining Technique through the transformation of weapons, making his combat power even more astonishing, and challenging higher levels was no longer impossible.

"Senior Brother Gu, don't be too complacent. With Dongfang Chen's Daoist cultivation, he only unleashed a fraction of the Golden Moon Wheel's power," Zhao Xuerou said.

The Golden Moon Wheel, as a precious treasure of the Biyun Peak lineage, had much more power. However, with Dongfang Chen's cultivation, being able to drive the Golden Moon Wheel to display the moon shadow division technique was already his limit.

"Um!" Gu Fei nodded. He knew that if he had not cultivated the Body Refining Technique and integrated the seemingly sword hilt-like short rod passed down from his sect into his body, the outcome of today's battle with Dongfang Chen would have been different.

The Golden Moon Wheel, as a metal elemental treasure, was as sharp as a divine weapon. The circle of blades could cut hair and split gold, which was not surprising.

Ordinary swords and ordinary treasures, Gu Fei could withstand with his physical body, but he could not withstand the Golden Moon Wheel's slashes. With the power of the Golden Moon Wheel, even a person made of iron would be split in half.

Unless Gu Fei could cultivate this ancient Body Refining Technique to its great completion, his physical body would not be able to ignore the attacks of any divine weapon or treasure.

"Senior Brother Gu, let's go see the posted list," Zhao Xuerou said.

"Okay!" Gu Fei's response was straightforward and decisive. He seemed to never drag his feet, always maintaining his true heart and doing what he could.

As Gu Fei and Zhao Xuerou walked towards the steps in front of the square, a pair of vicious and fierce eyes were staring at them from the trees on the opposite side of the square.

"Gu Fei..." Under the tree, the man's face was dark, his teeth clenched, and he spat out these two words so weakly that they were almost inaudible.

At this moment, a disciple in white walked towards the man who harbored hatred for Gu Fei. "Junior Brother Wang, it's you. Senior Brother Li Lingfeng has asked you to come over."

"Hmm? Why does Li Lingfeng want to see me?" The man frowned, a hint of surprise and suspicion flashing in his eyes. Then he said to the white-robed disciple, "Please lead the way, Senior Brother."

In the Tai Xuan Sect, the only person who had a grudge against Gu Fei was Wang Yuanzhi, who hated Gu Fei so much that he wanted to tear him apart. The white-robed disciple was from the lineage of the sect leader, and Wang Yuanzhi did not dare to be disrespectful. He immediately changed his expression and followed the white-robed disciple to the back of Tai Xuan Peak.

Wang Yuanzhi had hoped to humiliate Gu Fei through Dongfang Chen, but unfortunately, Dongfang Chen was defeated by Gu Fei, which not only humiliated Dongfang Chen but also made the disciples of the Biyun Peak lineage lose face.

With new and old grudges combined, Wang Yuanzhi was almost driven mad, hating Gu Fei so much that he gnashed his teeth. However, he could do nothing to Gu Fei, and this feeling of being unable to vent his anger almost drove the narrow-minded Wang Yuanzhi crazy.

However, what could he do? It was his own fault for being weak, and he could only swallow his anger and the blood together.

At this time, the people in the square were gradually dispersing. Those who had advanced to the second round of tomorrow's matches had already returned to their cultivation places to recover their magical power and physical strength, preparing for the next day's matches.

Those who had been eliminated were dejected and sighed repeatedly, either discussing today's matches with others, watching the posted list, or simply standing aside in a daze.

When Gu Fei and Zhao Xuerou walked over, the circle of young disciples around the list quickly moved aside to make way for them.