Chapter 57

Zhao Zirou's battle with Zi Yu was astounding, as the heavy treasure of the Zizhu Peak lineage, the Black Tortoise Seal, was actually knocked away by Zi Yu using an unknown magical treasure, which was truly surprising.

However, Zi Yu was a disciple of the Tai Xuan Peak lineage, and the successive Tai Xuan Sect leaders managed the sect's treasures, possessing several secret treasures, which was expected.

On the contrary, if a major Daoist sect like the Tai Xuan Sect did not have a few secret treasures, it would be strange.

When the power of the magical treasures was evenly matched, one's own cultivation became crucial. Zi Yu's cultivation was much higher than Zhao Zirou's, which was the key to her defeat.

Zi Yu had already put the spirit branch back into his sleeve and then jumped off the platform. The Tai Xuan Peak lineage disciples immediately came forward to congratulate Zi Yu on his victory.

"Junior Brother Zi Yu, you did a great job!" Li Lingfeng patted Zi Yu on the shoulder and said with a faint smile. Although Zi Yu's battle was impressive, to those with keen eyes, the outcome was already determined.

The spirit branch in Zi Yu's hand was enough to withstand the Black Tortoise Seal, and then it came down to the contest of Dao power. In terms of Daoist magic power, Zhao Zirou was certainly no match for Zi Yu.

"Hehe! Thank you, Senior Brother!" Zi Yu smiled and walked with Li Lingfeng towards the gathering place of the Tai Xuan Sect disciples outside the square.

In another tent set up by the Zizhu Peak lineage disciples outside the square, Zhao Zirou sat on the ground with her eyes tightly closed. Her master, Yan Xingyun, placed his palm on her back, channeling his internal magic power into her body.

When Zhao Zirou's Daoist technique was broken by Zi Yu's spirit branch transforming into a treasure tree and knocking away the Black Tortoise Seal, she suffered a great impact, almost dispersing her Daoist power.

After being carried back by Yan Xingyun, he immediately used his own Daoist power to stabilize Zhao Zirou's foundation, nourish her true essence, and prevent her cultivation from regressing.

After nine cycles of cultivation, the Daoist true essence in Zhao Zirou's dantian, formed by essence, energy, and spirit, began to spread out, nourishing her body and nurturing her spirit.

The fatigue in Zhao Zirou's body was immediately dispelled, and she became energetic again. Daoist cultivation focuses on the path of forming a core and a spirit embryo, using the body as a cauldron and essence, energy, and spirit as the ingredients, refining them to achieve a unity of body, energy, and spirit, forming a Dao core, and then cultivating a spirit embryo within the Dao core.

In Daoist terms, the body is just a cauldron, ultimately to be discarded, so Daoist cultivation emphasizes essence, energy, and spirit, not overly focusing on the physical body as the cauldron.

However, before cultivating a spirit embryo, the "cauldron" is still crucial for cultivators. If the body is damaged, it will definitely affect cultivation.

Therefore, even though Zhao Zirou was already full of energy, she did not stop cultivating but continued to sit on the ground, nurturing the true essence in her dantian formed by essence, energy, and spirit, carefully nourishing her body, the "cauldron."

Her master, Yan Xingyun, seeing that Zhao Zirou was not seriously injured, left the tent and continued to watch the matches on the nine platforms in the square.

From morning to noon, the first matches of the forty-two disciples who won yesterday from the nine lineages were completed. The most notable matches were the battles between Gu Fei and Lei Ao, Zhao Zirou and Zi Yu, and Li Lingfeng's match.

It must be said that although Li Lingfeng was unremarkable in appearance, his cultivation far surpassed his peers, and the strength he displayed was shocking. No one could last more than a moment against him, all being easily defeated without him using any magical treasures.

However, no matter how intense or exciting the matches were, Gu Fei, sitting under a big tree outside the square, remained as if in deep meditation, not even opening his eyes, seemingly cut off from the outside world.

"I have broken through to the eighth level, but why can't I refine the essence of the short rod inside my body?" Gu Fei was adapting to the new strength, but he found that the purple short rod, like a sword hilt, which he had refined into his body using the Body Refining Technique, was still not completely integrated into his blood and qi.

Gu Fei knew that this item left by his master was not as ordinary as it seemed, seemingly a remarkable treasure. With his current cultivation, he could not fully refine it.

The purple essence flowed with his blood and qi, and whenever Gu Fei had a thought, a part of his body could possess the characteristics of the short rod.

This was the power of the Body Refining Technique, transforming the body into a divine weapon, making it invincible. As Gu Fei's cultivation improved, the divine weapon refined into his body would also become more powerful.

Gu Fei used the power of lightning to successfully refine his body, using this extreme method to stimulate his potential, achieving a breakthrough in body refinement and blood transformation.

Through inner vision, Gu Fei could sense that the blood and qi flowing in his body contained a vast amount of essence, radiating a strong life force, constantly nourishing his flesh and bones, making his bones as clear and bright as jade.

The eighth level of the Awakening Realm was the step of shedding mortal bones, making the bones extraordinary. Gu Fei's bones were now harder than steel, capable of withstanding ordinary magical treasures without any problem.

It was no wonder that the Immortal Body in the cave at the bottom of the Cold Water Pond, after countless years, had not decayed and remained as vivid as a living person.

This was because the Immortal Body's flesh and bones were extremely powerful, no longer mortal, and contained a strong force. Although the person was dead, the force within the flesh and bones had not dissipated, being firmly contained within the body, making the flesh and bones immortal and impervious to weapons.

Now, Gu Fei's body was also transforming towards the Immortal Body.

Gu Fei sat under the tree for several hours until it was his turn to fight again in the afternoon. Only then did he open his eyes and stand up from under the tree.

In this Nine Lineage Examination, the biggest dark horse was undoubtedly Gu Fei. Before the examination, no one was optimistic about Gu Fei, all believing he would be eliminated in the first round.

Who knew that not only did Gu Fei not get eliminated, but he also defeated the two outstanding disciples of the Biyun Peak, Dongfang Chen and Lei Ao. Dongfang Chen was even known as the second-best among the younger generation.

Since then, no one doubted Gu Fei's strength, and no one dared to underestimate him. A powerful warrior, one who could withstand the power of lightning, made the younger generation of disciples tremble.

Perhaps only Li Lingfeng, the first among the younger generation, could match him. The battle between Li Lingfeng and Gu Fei would soon come.

Among the young disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect, only one could be the top young talent. Who would claim the title? This was what everyone was curious about.

Originally, the most outstanding disciple of the Biyun Peak lineage, Dongfang Chen, had the qualifications to claim the title, but his qualifications were forcibly taken away by the sudden emergence of Gu Fei, leaving him with no chance of claiming the title.

Now everyone believed that the competition for the top spot would be between two people: Gu Fei, the only successor of the Cuiling Peak lineage, and Li Lingfeng, the eldest disciple of the Tai Xuan Peak lineage.

Although many found it hard to accept, Gu Fei's rise among the younger generation was an undeniable fact.

Gu Fei's second opponent in the second round was not Li Lingfeng but a disciple from another lineage. This was a match with no suspense. In the face of Gu Fei's overwhelming strength, the disciple was quickly defeated, his Daoist technique broken, and he was knocked off the platform, suffering a crushing defeat.

By evening, the second round of matches was over, and another list was posted. Today's matches eliminated twenty-eight people. The top ten young talents would be determined from the fourteen disciples who advanced to the third round.

On the square, the disciples of each lineage gradually dispersed, returning to their respective cultivation places. The most talked-about topic among the disciples was Gu Fei's performance today, which was breathtaking and dazzling.

Gu Fei was destined to become a topic of discussion in the Tai Xuan Sect. His strength, his boldness, and his life-risking body refinement process all became topics of discussion among the disciples.

As night fell, in the cave of the Cuiling Peak, Gu Fei sat on a cushion, motionless, completely immersed in cultivation.

With each breath, the surrounding air currents were affected, and colorful light surrounded him. The bronze-colored skin exposed by his clothes shimmered with a crystalline luster.

The blood and qi flowing beneath the skin washed over his flesh, refining it. As the flesh trembled, it released threads of innate essence, seeping into the tendons and bones, making the bones glow like precious gems.

In his dantian, a colorful light ball the size of an egg, formed by innate essence, flickered. Threads of the five elements' essence generated from the flesh converged into the dantian, refined and filtered by the innate essence, and then dispersed back into the flesh.

This cycle within Gu Fei's body continued endlessly, without end or pause.

The flow of essence and qi in Gu Fei's body was unlike Daoist techniques but seemed to follow some natural law, as if it should be this way.

The transformation of flesh and bones led to the transformation of strength, and in turn, the transformation of strength promoted the transformation of flesh and bones. The two complemented each other, making Gu Fei's divine body even stronger on the path of cultivation.

The human body is like a treasure trove. As one's cultivation realm improves, more treasures are unlocked. After breaking through to the eighth level, Gu Fei's understanding of "martial arts" deepened even further.