380: Daoyuan is the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Liu family.

No nonsense, no testing the waters, Eldest Son swung the spirit sun staff and smashed it down.

A golden pillar of light appeared almost solid, the dense runes flowing on its surface clearly visible. The extremely thick Earth-element aura pressed down on Lu Guihong until he could barely breathe.

"How can he be... so strong!"

Liu Daoyuan had been avoiding the fight, so Lu Guihong thought his strength was lacking. Only once they started did he realize he was even thirty percent stronger than the rumors suggested.

Moreover, he saw excitement and fanaticism in Liu Daoyuan's eyes; where was there even a hint of avoiding the battle?

Lu Guihong didn't know that Eldest Son was a super martial arts fanatic. Normally, he would only be satisfied after fighting with Big Black Ox and the two black bears, Big Mountain and Big Stone, every two or three days.

If Xiao Ran hadn't stepped in to stop him, Eldest Son would have come to pummel him long ago and wouldn't have waited until now.

Had he chosen a different approach and gone directly to the City Lord's Manor to spar with Liu Daoyuan, he likely would have gotten his wish right then and there.

*Clang!!*

The massive golden staff collided with layers upon layers of deep blue sword light, sending out a massive sound wave that swept across like a physical force.

Had Xiao Ran not been controlling the City Defense Formation to intercept it, the sound wave alone could have shaken a group of early-stage Qi Refining Cultivators to death.

Being ranked twenty-first on the Sword Pavilion's Earth Rankings, Lu Guihong's strength was not to be underestimated.

He cultivated the Weak Water Profound Technique and the Vast Ocean Sword Manual. This sword manual was divided into three Realms: Overlapping Waves, Thousand Surges, and Vast Ocean.

In the first layer, the Overlapping Waves Realm, multiple layers of Sword Qi stack upon each other when attacking, doubling its power and making it difficult for ordinary Cultivators to resist.

The second layer, Thousand Surges, creates a barrier like a thousand layers of waves when attacking, enough to fight those at a higher level.

The final layer, Vast Ocean, draws upon the water Qi of heaven and earth. The Sword Qi is like the vast sea pouring backward, having already ascended from the level of 'Intent' to 'Dao'.

Upgrading Sword Intent to the Sword Dao is something that, aside from top-tier geniuses, is generally only done after one has advanced to a Golden Core True Person.

Relying on the second layer's Thousand Surges Sword Intent, Lu Guihong had defeated several Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators above his level, including an older generation Late Foundation Establishment Stage Sword Cultivator from the Heavenly Sword Sect with average Comprehension Ability.

*Boom!*

*Boom!*

*Boom!*

..."Exhilarating!!"

Eldest Son grew more excited as he fought. When he fought Big Black Ox before, it wouldn't hit back, which wasn't satisfying at all. Big Mountain and Big Stone had grown annoyed with him; now they would just use their full strength to pin him down from the start, which also wasn't fun.

This time was perfect; Lu Guihong's strength wasn't much lower than his, and the Thousand Surges Sword Intent was a technique that stacked power, which was exactly what he needed to go all out.

The massive golden staff smashed down in a frenzy, striking Lu Guihong continuously like a blacksmith hammering iron.

Lu Guihong only handled the first few strikes with ease, but after taking dozens of blows head-on, he was left somewhat dazed.

His hands were shaken soft and painful, and the mana in his Dantian's dao foundation was draining rapidly. If this continued, he would soon be defeated, and might even be beaten to death.

Having no time to wonder why Liu Daoyuan, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had only recently advanced, was so strong, a blue bead within his dao foundation suddenly shone brightly, and a dense burst of water-attribute mana erupted.

*Buzz~*

A deep blue sword light condensed, more than ten times brighter than before. Water vapor gathered behind Lu Guihong, dyeing a large area of space deep blue, as if he were backed by a Vast Ocean.

Vast Ocean Sword Dao!

"To be able to force me to use my trump card, Liu Daoyuan, you can be proud of yourself!"

In a flash of sword light, the thick Earth-element Spiritual Qi on the massive golden staff was instantly pierced. In the blink of an eye, the three-foot-long deep blue natal flying sword itself stabbed into Liu Daoyuan's right chest, piercing straight through.

The entire audience fell silent. Some Cultivators who saw the situation clearly were filled with panic; if the Eldest Young Master of the Liu Family died, there was no telling how much turmoil it would cause!

"Big Brother!"

"Big Brother!"

...Ling Hui, Ninth Son, Dao Ming, and the other siblings shouted in panic, wanting to rush forward through the Formation.

Xiao Ran was the most panicked. She knew how much importance Liu Xuan placed on his Eldest Son; if he really died, she would be held responsible as well.

'The opponent was clearly prepared; I shouldn't have agreed to let Eldest Son accept any challenge!!'

Xiao Ran hadn't intended to let Eldest Son accept the challenge from the start. The more impatient Lu Guihong was, the more she felt something was wrong.

But she couldn't control Eldest Son. When Lu Guihong offered two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, she could still use her status as his aunt to suppress it, but once the offer reached a million Spirit Stones, Eldest Son wouldn't listen to her at all.

Just as she was about to control the power of the grand Formation to end the match and go up to check on Eldest Son's injuries, she saw him wave her off, then reach out and pull the Flying Sword out of his own body.

The deep blue Flying Sword was stained red with blood, buzzing and trembling in Eldest Son's hand, kicking up a large mist of blood.

"Satisfying! This is truly satisfying!!"

He grinned, suddenly throwing the trembling Flying Sword back at Lu Guihong. Then, ignoring the bleeding wound on his chest, he swung the spirit sun staff and began another round of fierce smashing.

With every swing, the bloodstain on the black robe on his right chest spread a bit further, but this minor injury did not affect his combat power. In fact, because it triggered his ferocity, his strength was even greater than before.

Without his natal flying sword to block, Lu Guihong spat out blood from the very first strike, his protective spiritual light teetering on the verge of collapse.

With the second strike, his mana flowed backward through his Meridians, and he spat out a mist of blood, his gaze becoming dazed.

With the third strike, his protective spiritual light shattered completely, and even the Dharma Robe he was wearing exploded into fragments.

Eldest Son held back his strength on the fourth strike, not killing him outright but leaving him with a final breath.

Eldest Son put away the spirit sun staff and flew down from mid-air with a smile on his face—not a smile of happiness, but one of excitement and satisfaction from releasing suppressed energy.

"Are you alright!" Xiao Ran flew over hurriedly, her expression anxious. "I'll take you to an Alchemist to treat your wound."

"Don't worry, Auntie Xiao, I'm fine!" Eldest Son patted the hole in his black robe over his chest and laughed. "It's just a small injury, it's already healed!"

"It really is healed!"

"Big Brother is awesome!"

"Big Brother is truly awesome!"

...A group of siblings gathered around Eldest Son and praised him. Especially the younger ones who had only recently started cultivating; their eyes were full of stars as they looked at their big brother.

Some of the little ones had no concept of what a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was. They only knew that watching through the Formation barrier had been very exciting—one moment there was golden light, the next blue light; it looked very cool!

Seeing that Eldest Son was full of energy and indeed didn't look seriously injured, Xiao Ran didn't insist. She looked at the unconscious Lu Guihong on the ground and said:

"I'll take care of interrogating him. Go report the whole process to your father yourself, and come back and let me know when you're done."

This duel had not only shocked the onlookers but had also quite surprised Xiao Ran.

She had originally thought that even if Eldest Son had extraordinary talent, he would at most be comparable to a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Seeing him today, she feared that an ordinary Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator would be no match for him.

Aside from Liu Xuan, the strongest among the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Liu Family was the Three Poisons Ancestor, Zi Ling. She had broken through to Foundation Establishment two years ago, and even Su Wan was no match for her.

But now, Xiao Ran suddenly realized that Eldest Son was the strongest Foundation Establishment combatant in the Liu Family besides Liu Xuan. She wasn't even sure which of the two, father or son, was stronger.

"Just what level is my husband's spiritual body? It's one thing for his children to have an exaggeratedly high chance of having Spiritual Roots, but why is even the eldest, who has no Spiritual Root, such a Prodigy?!!"

The value of the Stud Horse Spiritual Body was still rising, gradually reaching a level that Xiao Ran could no longer fathom.