99: Practical training

In Japan, amidst the ruins of an ancient shrine.

Tengchuan Chong lay sprawled in the rubble, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs, completely limp.

The divine statue had exploded.

Tian Yu Zhong Main God, whom he regarded as everything and had devoted half his life's effort to worship, was simply gone.

He could clearly feel the immense Divine Power that had once allowed him to look down upon all beings rapidly draining from his body, returning to the heavens and earth.

It was over.

Everything was over.

Without the favor of the divine, what was he, Tengchuan Chong?

Just a useless person, barely stronger than an ordinary ninth-rank Onmyoji!

Faces of his old rivals in the country flashed in his mind; each of those individuals had been respectful and fearful of the divine being behind him.

But now?

Once they knew that the divine statue of Tian Yu Zhong Main God was destroyed and he was reduced to his former self, those people would tear him to shreds!

"Why... why did this happen..."

Tengchuan Chong's face was filled with remorse and despair.

He shouldn't have provoked that Chinese 術士!

He shouldn't have been so arrogant, thinking the Divine Descent Ritual was foolproof!

...Meanwhile.

In another remote deep mountain in Japan.

Inside an inconspicuous ancient temple, an old man with a kind face, dressed in worn monk robes, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.

Suddenly, his body trembled violently, and his tightly closed eyes snapped open.

In those eyes, there was no turbidity of old age; instead, they were filled with ferocity and alarm.

"That was close..."

The old man murmured, still shaken.

He raised his withered hand and quickly formed several profound hand Seals, completely severing the trace of Divine Thought that was mysteriously connected to him.

After doing all this, he let out a long sigh of relief.

What kind of monster was that young man from China!

Just the destruction of a Divine Thought Clone, and that destructive power nearly traced directly back to his true body along the Karma line!

Fortunately, he made a decisive decision and actively cut off the connection before the Clone was completely annihilated.

Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The old man, who was the true body of Tian Yu Zhong Main God, looked out the window.

The Spiritual Qi in this world was not yet dense enough.

It was not yet time for him to emerge.

Going out now to confront that young man would likely lead to an unpredictable outcome of life and death.

He must wait!

He must wait until the Spiritual Qi fully recovered, until this planet returned to its ancient state, only then could he truly rule the world!

...Kunlun Cultivation Academy, Sword Cultivation Department teaching building, Martial Arts Training Ground.

Li Heng had no interest in what was happening a thousand miles away.

He was currently standing on the podium with his hands behind his back, watching the practical combat class below.

"Liu Lian."

Li Heng spoke calmly.

In the center of the Martial Arts Training Ground, Liu Lian was holding a spiritual sword, fiercely clashing with a constantly twisting mass of black Qi.

That black Qi was precisely the Tian Yu Zhong Main God Clone sealed by Li Heng.

Hearing the Dean's voice, Liu Lian, while awkwardly dodging a black energy whip, responded loudly.

"Dean, yes!"

"Your sword is too flashy."

Li Heng's critique was incisive.

"You're always thinking about how to look cool, how to make your sword light appear more dazzling, and the result is severe waste of spiritual power and a thirty percent reduction in sword speed."

"Also, you are facing a demon, not a human!"

Li Heng pointed at the black Qi.

"Its vital point is not in its heart, nor its throat, but in its most unstable core! What's the use of hacking at its humanoid illusion for so long? Are you trying to tickle it?"

Liu Lian's face flushed at the scolding.

He had indeed harbored thoughts of making a good impression in front of his classmates.

But this ghostly thing was slippery and didn't follow any rules!

"Understood, Dean!"

He replied verbally, and his sword moves changed, attempting to strike directly at the core of the black Qi.

However, the black Qi seemed to see through his intention, exploding abruptly into dozens of small black shadows, attacking from all directions.

Liu Lian was flustered, struggling to parry.

"Bang!"

Carelessly, he was struck in the back by a black shadow, and he flew backward, falling heavily to the ground.

"Damn it!"

Liu Lian clutched his chest, grimacing as he cursed.

"This thing is too cheap!"

Around the Martial Arts Training Ground, hundreds of Sword Cultivator students watching the battle burst into laughter.

"Haha, Liu Lian, you're no good!"

"You're down in just five minutes? That's even shorter than last time by a minute!"

"This Clone is too fierce; even with its cultivation suppressed by the Dean, it's still so difficult to deal with."

Liu Lian got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and walked off the field with a dejected look.

His loss was not unjust.

The Dean's comments were piercing, yet every word was true.

His combat experience was still too limited.

Li Heng ignored the commotion below, simply looking calmly at the students.

"Next, who's going?"

The students looked at each other, and for a moment, no one dared to step forward.

This ghostly thing was too bizarre; going up meant being abused, which was too embarrassing.

Just then, a clear, cold voice rang out.

"Dean, I'll go."

Everyone looked over in unison.

In the corner of the crowd, a young man holding a long sword, who had been silently observing, slowly stood up.

Lin Xiao!

The undisputed number one in the Sword Cultivation Department!

In an instant, the entire Martial Arts Training Ground fell silent.

Everyone's expressions became excited.

"Holy crap! Lin Xiao is making a move!"

"Now we'll see a good show! I wonder how long Lin Xiao can last!"

"Last? You're thinking too small! Maybe Lin Xiao can win!"

Lin Xiao ignored the discussions around him.

From the beginning, he had been observing every attack, every change of the black Qi.

In his mind, he had already simulated it hundreds of times.

This Clone's attack method was without any pattern, purely driven by the instinct for slaughter.

But precisely because of this, it was even more lethal.

It had no flaws.

Or rather, it was full of flaws everywhere, and also traps everywhere.

Against such an enemy, he had to kill it in one strike.

Lin Xiao silently calculated in his mind.

If he were to act, using his full strength, the chance of hitting its core within the first three moves... would not exceed sixty percent.

Once it dragged into a war of attrition, he would undoubtedly lose.

But he still stepped forward.

Because he was Lin Xiao.

Because he was a Sword Cultivator.

A Sword Cultivator must always press forward.

Li Heng looked at Lin Xiao, a hint of approval on his face.

"Go."

Lin Xiao nodded, holding his sword, and walked steadily onto the Martial Arts Training Ground, step by step.

His pace was not fast, but with each step, the Aura on his body intensified.

The previously noisy Martial Arts Training Ground fell silent once more.

All the students held their breath, staring intently at the center of the field.

Liu Lian also widened his eyes; he wanted to see just how strong this usually quiet guy truly was.

In the field, the black Qi also seemed to sense the threat.

It stopped its aimless wandering, re-condensing into a humanoid form, "staring" fixedly at the approaching Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao stopped ten meters from the black Qi.

He released his grip on the sword, and his right hand slowly grasped the hilt.

"Om––"

A faint sword hum echoed throughout the entire Martial Arts Training Ground.

All the students' swords resonated at that moment.

A great battle was about to erupt.