Life-and-Death Battle

Wang Hong arrived at the Life and Death Stage. The stage was ten feet high, built from earth and stone, and reinforced with formations. A spiritual energy shield, like a curtain of light, covered it, preventing spiritual energy from scattering and harming innocents during combat.

Around the stage were seats, sparsely occupied by twenty to thirty spectators.

Wang Hong leaped onto the high platform, where another cultivator was already waiting. He appeared to be in his thirties or forties, suggesting his aptitude wasn't particularly impressive.

After exchanging names, Wang Hong didn't hold back. He slapped two Golden Light Talismans onto himself and, without summoning his Magic Artifacts, directly brandished his Spear, activated the Wind Riding Technique, and charged at Lin Dong.

Lin Dong slapped a defensive talisman onto himself and was channeling spiritual energy into his Flying Sword, preparing to unleash it.

Suddenly, Wang Hong thrust his spear directly at his chest. In his haste, he added another layer of Golden Light Talismans to himself.

Lin Dong neither dodged nor evaded, taking the spear thrust head-on. Simultaneously, he unleashed his Flying Sword, which sped towards Wang Hong's face.

Wang Hong tilted his head, and the Flying Sword grazed past the Golden Light Talismans.

The Flying Sword curved around and slashed towards the back of Wang Hong's head. As Wang Hong dodged the Flying Sword, he simultaneously thrust his Spear towards Lin Dong.

Typically, Cultivators would engage in combat from ten feet away, or even further, then exchange spells, Magic Artifacts, and talismans.

Close-quarters combat was rare. Wang Hong, having honed his skills through years of battlefield experience, was already an expert. This was the strategy he had devised before taking the stage, fully leveraging his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses.

"Close combat? Is this kid a body cultivator?" a young man with a round face wondered from the stands.

An elder beside him shook his head and said, "I don't think so. He's using mortal combat techniques, and his strength is only a few thousand jin. Body cultivators specifically temper their physical bodies, possess immense strength, and are powerful in close combat. Some powerful body cultivators can even withstand magic treasures with their bare bodies."

"If body cultivators are so powerful, why are there so few of them? I've never seen one," the youth asked again.

"The path of a body cultivator is too arduous, and their cultivation progress is slow. Body cultivators need to consume vast amounts of heavenly treasures, demonic beast flesh, and blood to supplement their bodies; otherwise, their progress will be extremely slow," the elder explained slowly.

While the elder was speaking, the two had already exchanged blows more than ten times. Lin Dong pursued Wang Hong with his Flying Sword, while Wang Hong dodged around Lin Dong, seizing any opportunity to stab him with his Spear.

Lin Dong's face gradually turned pale because his spiritual energy was nearing depletion. He had tried to consume Spirit Wine several times to replenish his spiritual energy, but Wang Hong had interrupted him each time.

Finally, with a "clang," the Flying Sword dropped to the ground.

With the Flying Sword no longer a distraction, Wang Hong's Spear thrust rapidly. In just a few moves, he shattered the Golden Light Talismans, then swept his Spear horizontally, and Lin Dong's head flew several feet away.

Wang Hong collected Lin Dong's discarded Magic Artifacts, the Flying Sword, and his storage bag, then left triumphantly.

The next day, the Lin family sent another cultivator at Qi Refining Layer Four to challenge him. Wang Hong slapped several layers of defensive talismans onto himself and, enduring the opponent's Magic Artifact and talisman attacks, charged forward to engage in close-quarters combat. He ultimately killed the challenger.

After a few days of quiet, the Lin family sent another cultivator named Hu Qing to challenge him on the fifth day.

Hu Qing was a burly, dark-faced man in his thirties.

Hu Qing stood on the stage and said brazenly, "Kid, it's just bad luck for you. The Lin family is paying me five hundred Spirit Stones to take your head."

A cultivator watching from below sighed, "The Lin family is certainly willing to spend money. My annual earnings are only a little over a hundred Spirit Stones."

Another cultivator remarked, "It's likely that this Hu Qing has some skill, which is why the Lin family is paying this price."

Wang Hong hadn't expected his head to be so cheap. He could easily earn more than five hundred Spirit Stones by picking a few Spirit Herbs from his Mysterious Space. He said, "What if I offer more Spirit Stones? Can you help me kill a Lin family cultivator?"

"Hahaha! No need. Once I kill you, all your Spirit Stones will be mine! Before you die, I'll let you witness true close-quarters combat." Saying this, he put on a pair of gauntlets and strode towards Wang Hong.

Seeing that the opponent was formidable, Wang Hong slapped several layers of Golden Light Talismans onto himself. Then, he brandished his Spear and thrust it towards Hu Qing.

Hu Qing neither dodged nor evaded. He smashed his left fist against the shaft of the Spear. Wang Hong felt a tremendous force surge through him, causing the Spear shaft to vibrate violently, almost flying out of his hand.

He then swung his right fist towards Wang Hong's chest and abdomen. Wang Hong hastily blocked with his Spear, and another immense force struck him, sending him flying backward.

Wang Hong managed to steady himself, feeling his arms ache and his chest churning.

He added two more layers of defense to himself and charged at Hu Qing. After only three exchanges, he was sent flying again.

Hu Qing wasn't in a hurry. He watched with a look of mockery, waiting for Wang Hong to get up and charge at him again. After only a few more exchanges, he sent Wang Hong flying once more.

This time, Wang Hong managed to pierce Hu Qing with his Spear, but it was like stabbing an iron plate, only scraping off a layer of skin without causing any damage.

"See? This is a true body cultivator, with strength reaching tens of thousands of jin, capable of withstanding Magic Artifact attacks with their physical body. Invincible in close combat," an elder told the youth beside him from the stands.

"Aren't body cultivators then invincible among those of the same level?" the youth asked with some envy.

"More or less, but they aren't without their flaws. Most body cultivators don't cultivate spells and can only fight in close quarters. If the opponent doesn't give them a chance to get close, no matter how powerful a body cultivator is, they're useless and become targets, only able to take hits," the elder explained.

"Then why don't they cultivate spiritual energy and spells as well?"

The elder rapped the youth on the head and said, "Do you think it's that easy? Body cultivators already have extremely slow cultivation progress and consume vast amounts of resources. If they were to also cultivate spiritual energy and spells, who could afford the expenditure of time and resources?"

Meanwhile, Hu Qing's punch directly shattered the two layers of Golden Light Talismans, causing Wang Hong to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Wang Hong struggled to get up from the ground and added two more layers of defensive talismans to himself. He brandished his Spear again and charged at Hu Qing.

He was sent flying again, his Spear flying out of his hand, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

At this point, Wang Hong felt pain all over his body, his limbs trembling slightly from exhaustion.

The reason he was still persisting was twofold: firstly, he wanted to test the gap in strength between himself and his opponent.

More importantly, he had made a new discovery. Due to his long-term consumption of numerous elixirs, his body contained a large amount of residual medicinal energy that he couldn't absorb.

Under the opponent's continuous heavy blows, this residual medicinal energy was gradually seeping into his muscles and bones, steadily strengthening his physical body.

Wang Hong slowly got up, popped a White Jade Life-Extending Pill into his mouth.

He picked up his Spear, added two layers of Golden Light Talismans for defense, and limped towards Hu Qing.

After being sent flying once again, Wang Hong sat on the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Facts have proven that no matter what, I can't gain any advantage fighting you in close combat."

"Kid, are you done playing? Since you've played with me for so long, I won't torment you anymore. I'll give you a quick end." With that, he walked towards Wang Hong with a ferocious expression.

Wang Hong chuckled, "Yeah, I'm done playing. I can't beat you. It seems I can only smash you to death with Spirit Stones!" At the same time, a large handful of talismans appeared in his hand, at least several dozen, and he hurled them at Hu Qing.

Wang Hong truly disliked the feeling of having to resort to smashing people with Spirit Stones in every fight. But currently, besides Spirit Stones, he didn't seem to possess any other commendable skills.

Hu Qing was greatly alarmed as countless talismans rained down on him, covering an area of two zhang around him. There was no way to dodge or escape. He watched helplessly as he was engulfed in a sea of fire.

A moment later, Wang Hong found a storage bag and a pair of gauntlets from a pile of ashes.

After leaping off the life-and-death stage, Zhang Chunfeng and the others quickly came to support him.

In this battle, Wang Hong suffered multiple muscle tears, over ten bone fractures, and internal organ damage. Wang Hong took a full month to recover.

The White Jade Life-Extending Pill was merely a sacred medicine of the mortal world, and its production method was rather crude. It was no longer very suitable for cultivators at this level. He would need to find some better healing medicine in the future.

During this month, the Lin family did not send any more challenge letters. Wang Hong enjoyed the peace, entering the Mysterious Space every day to read and study various techniques. Wang Hong felt that once his injuries healed, he could begin making talismans.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Yun, the direct descendant of the Lin family, gritted his teeth in anger. He was not the only direct descendant of the Lin family. The deaths of two Lin family members would still invite criticism from others.

The five hundred Spirit Stones paid to Hu Qing were almost his entire year's savings.

This Wang Hong was too detestable, making such bold threats. He refused challenges if the opponent was only slightly stronger than him.

Helplessly, Lin Yun arranged for people to keep an eye on Wang Hong. As soon as Wang Hong left the city, they were to hunt him down. He refused to believe Wang Hong could hide in Qingxu City for his entire life.