Is There a Possibility

Dugu Fang and the elders in the sky were likewise watching the battle on the arena.

A plump old man looked at Lu Yi below and praised, "This little fellow truly is a genius. With merely Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation, he can actually unleash such tremendous power. Elder Dugu, the outer sect has produced quite an extraordinary figure this time."

A middle-aged man beside him nodded slightly and looked at Lu Yi. "If he can maintain this strength in the future, perhaps he may have a chance of making it onto Azure Province's Talent Ranking?"

The other elders were all taken aback. One elder said, "Elder Lin, that assessment is a bit exaggerated. Which of the geniuses on the Talent Ranking does not possess peerless cultivation talent? Although Lu Yi's comprehension is exceptional, his cultivation talent does not seem particularly strong. He only reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer at sixteen; the gap is still considerable."

The other elders also nodded slightly in agreement.

The middle-aged man smiled faintly. "Strong comprehension means his speed in grasping cultivation techniques will not be poor either. If this little fellow has a powerful cultivation art, along with some cultivation resources, his cultivation will eventually rise. On the other hand, one cannot overcome bottlenecks without comprehension. I think highly of this little fellow."

His words made the other elders' eyes flicker, and they largely agreed as well.

"No matter what, it is always a good thing for our White Cloud Sect to gain another genius."

On the arena.

After the booming clash, Lu Yi and Tie Man both retreated. Lu Yi shook his hand, feeling it go a little numb.

It had to be said that Tie Man was the strongest opponent Lu Yi had encountered since awakening his Golden Finger. His White Cloud Swordplay was already unleashing the full power of the Returning to Purity Realm, yet he still could not completely suppress Tie Man.

Tie Man's physical strength was even so great that Lu Yi's hand felt somewhat numb after their collision.

But that was what made it interesting.

Lu Yi smiled. Then Spiritual Qi circulated within him, and he increased his output somewhat. The intensity of Spiritual Qi he had used before was basically equivalent to that of an ordinary Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator. His White Cloud Qi Guiding Art had already reached Lv. 8. The Spiritual Qi within his body was nearly mist-like, likely on the verge of condensing into Spiritual Liquid. Its quality was not something ordinary Qi Refining Tenth Layer cultivators could compare to.

Lu Yi felt that the quality of his Spiritual Qi was now nearly comparable to that of a cultivator who had just entered Foundation Establishment.

Even if he only increased his Spiritual Qi output a little, the power he unleashed through White Cloud Swordplay would rise considerably.

As Lu Yi's Spiritual Qi erupted, his presence grew much stronger. Looking at Tie Man, he smiled. "Senior Brother Tie Man, the warm-up is about over. How about using a bit more strength?"

Sensing the surging Spiritual Qi fluctuations around Lu Yi, Tie Man's pupils contracted slightly. He felt considerable pressure, but he grinned, his expression turning more solemn. "Junior Brother Lu Yi, it seems we all underestimated you a little... To possess such strength at Qi Refining Seventh Layer truly puts this senior brother to shame. But... this senior brother will not go easy on you."

As he spoke, Tie Man's Spiritual Qi surged. He let out a low shout, and in the next moment, the roar of a fierce tiger rose from his fist wind.

A Qi Refining Realm technique, Fierce Tiger Fist.

Like Fierce Tiger Saber, Fierce Tiger Fist was a Basic Technique of the White Cloud Sect, derived from the true intent of a fierce tiger.

The Fierce Tiger Saber Lin Gang had used when Lu Yi encountered him before had not been particularly powerful, but Tie Man was different. His body was inherently powerful, his blood and vitality like those of a savage beast. Now that he wielded Fierce Tiger Fist, its tiger roar carried an incomparably terrifying presence.

The waves of air around him nearly turned into a gale, spreading in every direction. The fierce tiger's overwhelming aura pressed down on the chests of the weaker outer sect disciples nearby.

These disciples were all shocked, staring at the arena in fear.

Feeling that powerful pressure, Lu Yi smiled faintly. "Senior Brother, just give it your all. This junior brother will not go easy on you either."

Hmm... Senior Brother Tie Man was a little stronger than I imagined. I'll have to use Lv. 6 White Cloud Footwork.

As Lu Yi considered this, Tie Man stamped his foot against the ground. The floor cracked, and his body charged toward Lu Yi like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, carrying a savage momentum.

For an instant, Lu Yi seemed to see a massive vicious tiger pouncing straight at him.

A flash of sword light passed through his eyes. Then an even more vast Sword Cloud than before swept forth to meet Tie Man.

Boom!!

Amid the thunderous crash, tiny wounds appeared across Tie Man's skin, cut open by Sword Qi.

Yet the blood only made Tie Man more excited. He roared furiously and actually forced his way through the Sword Cloud with his powerful body, charging toward Lu Yi.

Lu Yi smiled helplessly and tapped the ground with his toe, his figure abruptly vanishing from where he stood.

Boom!!

Tie Man's fist struck the floor. Then he felt an incomparably sharp sword intent coming from behind him. The hairs on his back stood on end. He instinctively turned his head, only to see a sheet of Sword Cloud filling his vision.

Tie Man's pupils shrank. He had no time to counterattack and could only roar as his Spiritual Qi erupted, crossing both arms before his chest.

Boom!!

Tie Man's clothes tore apart. Sword Cloud carved one sword wound after another across his body, blood streaming freely as he was sent flying backward.

However, Tie Man's body was exceptionally strong, and such injuries were not serious to him. The instant he landed, he flipped back to his feet.

Just then, a longsword came to rest against Tie Man's neck, and his body immediately stiffened.

Lu Yi stood before Tie Man and smiled. "Senior Brother Tie Man, thank you for letting me win."

The air on and around the arena became utterly silent.

Then the disciples below erupted into an uproar.

"What just happened?!"

"How did Senior Brother Lu Yi's speed suddenly become so fast??"

"Yeah, that speed was like night and day compared to before! I couldn't even see Senior Brother Lu Yi's figure!"

"...Is there a possibility that Senior Brother Lu Yi's White Cloud Footwork has also reached the Returning to Purity Realm?"

Those words made everyone around them freeze. Then, when they looked at Lu Yi, their eyes were filled with shock.

"...Isn't that a little too impossible? Senior Brother Lu Yi has cultivated two Basic Techniques to the Returning to Purity Realm? How powerful would his comprehension have to be?"

"That joke is a bit too much, isn't it? I would rather believe Junior Brother Lu Yi hid his cultivation and is actually at Qi Refining Eighth Layer..."

Lin Wan'er, Jiang Fan, and the others beneath the arena were also looking up at it. Bai Yulong, Lin Wan'er, and several Qi Refining Tenth Layer disciples all wore grave expressions.

Jiang Fan watched Lu Yi intently, then chuckled. "This Junior Brother Lu really is impressive. White Cloud Swordplay and White Cloud Footwork, both have returned to purity. Could this fellow still be hiding something? Could it be that his White Cloud Footwork has reached its limit too?"

The others glanced at Jiang Fan speechlessly.

The cold, stern youth carrying twin sabers spoke up. "Jiang Fan, don't be such a crow's beak!"

Lin Wan'er nodded. "Exactly! What if you really guessed right? Then things will be difficult. I don't want to lose to a junior brother who's younger than me and has lower cultivation than me—and he's so handsome too. That would be far too embarrassing."

Bai Yulong drew a deep breath and said slowly, "Have you considered something? Outer sect disciples cultivate one cultivation art and two Basic Techniques. Is there a possibility that this fellow's cultivation art has also reached the Return to Simplicity Realm?"

"??????"

Jiang Fan's smile froze, and Lin Wan'er and the others stiffened as well.

"...Probably not, right?"

Meanwhile, the trio at Qi Refining Ninth Layer who had already lain flat were cheerfully watching the show. None of them could beat anyone anyway. Whoever wanted it could have it—what did it have to do with them? They were merely passersby eating melons.