260: Chapter 260: At the Twenty-Fifth Level of Qi Refining, Proving One's Strength in Actual Combat

In front of the tower, a hazy, constantly shifting silver light mass floated, emitting faint spiritual fluctuations. It was presumably the Tower Spirit.

"Trial-taker, report your name and cultivation level." The Tower Spirit emitted a mechanical and ancient voice.

"Xu Ruyu, Qi Refinement Stage." Xu Ruyu said in a deep voice.

The Tower Spirit flickered slightly, seemingly scanning and recording.

A moment later, the voice sounded again: "Record saved. Qi Refinement Stage trial-taker, Xu Ruyu. Matching opponent... Match complete. Entering the first floor of the War Soul Tower."

The pitch-black gate at the base of the tower opened silently, revealing a deep darkness inside.

Xu Ruyu steadied his mind and stepped inside.

The first floor of the tower was a circular plaza about a hundred zhang in radius. The surrounding walls and the floor were equally pitch-black, with faint blood-colored patterns flowing on them.

The dome was high and distant, embedded with unknown glowing crystals that provided dim light.

In the center of the plaza, a translucent phantom of a middle-aged man had already solidified.

The aura of the phantom was not strong, comparable to the fluctuations of an ordinary Peak Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator that Xu Ruyu had sensed, but the condensed Sword Intent and the indifference in its eyes were by no means comparable to an ordinary Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator.

This was clearly a battle imprint left behind by a Sword Cultivator expert when he was young.

"Qi Refinement Stage, Sword Cultivator 'Qingfengzi' imprint, activate."

The Tower Spirit's voice echoed in the space.

The Qingfengzi phantom didn't waste any words. A cold light flashed in its eyes, and the long sword in its hand left its sheath with a 'clang', turning into a green stream of light that stabbed directly at Xu Ruyu's face!

The sword speed was extremely fast, the angle tricky, carrying a sharp, indomitable intent!

Xu Ruyu's eyes narrowed, his footsteps shifted slightly, and he dodged to the side by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, he curled the five fingers of his right hand together. Without using any Magic Treasure, he merely condensed the "Haotian True Qi" cultivated from the "Haotian True Qi Chapter" at his fingertips and flicked his finger against the side of the sword blade that was brushing past him!

"Ding—!"

A crisp sound of metal clashing rang through the tower!

This seemingly casual flick contained highly compressed and condensed kinetic energy of air!

The long sword in the Qingfengzi phantom's hand actually trembled violently from this finger flick, the sword momentum scattered instantly, and the phantom itself stumbled due to the sudden impact of the immense force, revealing a flaw!

How could Xu Ruyu let such an opportunity slip? His body followed his heart, closing in like a ghost. His left hand turned into a palm blade, the edge of the palm wrapped in another, more condensed "Haotian True Qi" with tearing characteristics, silently slicing towards the phantom's neck!

"Chi la—!"

Like the sound of tearing silk, the phantom's neck was slashed by the palm blade. The entire figure flickered violently a few times, then shattered like foam, dissipating into specks of green light.

One-hit kill!

From Qingfengzi drawing his sword to Xu Ruyu dodging, flicking his finger, cutting in, and defeating the phantom, the whole process took no more than two or three breaths!

Clean and efficient, without any unnecessary movements!

The tower was silent for a moment.

"First floor challenge, passed. Evaluation: Excellent."

The Tower Spirit's voice sounded, still mechanical, but it seemed... a little faster?

"Do you wish to continue to the second floor? The opponent for the second floor is a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator imprint."

"Continue."

Xu Ruyu did not hesitate. He needed to get used to this actual combat feeling as soon as possible, and he also needed to further verify the true combat power of his "Qi Refining Level 25".

On the second floor, the opponent was a Body Cultivator phantom at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, possessing immense strength and astonishing defense.

Xu Ruyu still did not use any flashy Spells or Magic Treasures, merely pushing the characteristics of "Haotian True Qi" to the limit.

Sometimes he condensed it into his fists and feet, forming a terrifying kinetic impact to clash head-on with the Body Cultivator, not falling behind in the slightest!

Sometimes it turned into invisible Qi blades, specializing in attacking the opponent's joints, acupoints, and other weak points to break their defense.

Relying on finer control over "air kinetic energy" and a massive reserve of "True Qi" far exceeding that of the Qi Refinement Stage, he again found a flaw within ten breaths and used a "Haotian True Qi Fist" containing vibrational force to shatter the core of the Body Cultivator phantom.

Third floor, Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, an imprint of a Cultivator skilled in fire-type Spells.

Xu Ruyu used his micro-control of the environment with "Haotian True Qi" to form an invisible, high-speed flowing wall of air around him, deflecting and weakening most of the Fireball Spells. At the same time, he used "Qi-Dynamic Finger" for long-range sniping, interfering with the opponent's casting rhythm. After closing the distance, he used the prototype of the "Heat Death Palm" to locally calm the opponent's protective spirit flames and defeated it in one fell swoop.

Fourth floor, Late Stage Foundation Establishment, a tricky assassin imprint using double hooks.

Xu Ruyu channeled "Haotian True Qi" into his ears and skin to enhance his perception, capturing the air fluctuations caused by the opponent's stealth and high-speed movement. He predicted the attacks, fought speed with speed, and finally "cut" the phantom in half with a highly compressed air blade.

Advancing irresistibly!

Fifth floor, Golden Core Initial Stage, a Buddhist Cultivator imprint with a formidable Golden Bell Shield defense.

Xu Ruyu could not break through after a long attack. Finally, a flash of inspiration struck him. He compressed a large amount of "Haotian True Qi" and caused it to erupt suddenly from the ground beneath the opponent, forming an upward impact and vibration that interfered with its stance and mana circulation, seizing the opportunity to break the defense.

Sixth floor, Mid-stage Golden Core, a Sword Cultivator imprint controlling three Flying Swords, with fierce attacks and a difficult-to-deal-with sword formation.

Xu Ruyu simulated the prototype of "electromagnetic force" with "Haotian True Qi" to interfere with the trajectories of the Flying Swords. He himself shuttled through the gaps in the sword formation like a swimming fish, engaging in close-quarters combat. He defeated it by exploiting the gap where the main body is relatively fragile while controlling the Flying Swords.

Seventh floor, Late Golden Core Stage, an imprint of a Demon Cultivator proficient in illusions and poison arts, extremely difficult to deal with.

Xu Ruyu kept his mind clear and operated the "Hunyuan Electromagnetic Method" meditation technique initially involved in the "True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy", forming a weak but stable bio-electromagnetic field on the surface of his body. This interfered with low-level illusion perception to a certain extent. At the same time, he simulated "high-pressure airflow" with "Haotian True Qi" to blow away most of the poisonous mist, and won with great difficulty.