Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer

Zhuge Xiang was only at the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer, but today, he got an early taste of the power of the Body Tempering Realm.

Before, whether it was killing a Two-Star Demon Bear or a Two-Star Demonic Moth, it was exceptionally difficult because their defenses were too high. Hitting them did nothing, but one hit from them was almost a one-shot kill. Today, Zhuge Xiang finally experienced the benefits of having strong defense himself.

Like a tiger among sheep, that was Zhuge Xiang now. The Cleaving Blade in his hand turned into a dense flurry of blade light. With the Courage Medal boosting all attributes by 100%, his movement speed, attack speed, attack power, and defense were all doubled. Combined with the Steel Secret Medicine, Zhuge Xiang's combat power at this moment could rival that of a Body Tempering Realm disciple.

Screams rang out continuously. With his ferocious attacks and the Cleaving Blade's special effect, Zhuge Xiang's attacks were simply beyond what these Qi Cultivation Realm disciples could match. After all, the Cleaving Blade's Laceration Effect was a complete killing tool for Qi Cultivation Realm disciples.

System prompts sounded incessantly, music to Zhuge Xiang's ears. The experience on the Character Interface soared rapidly. At the same time, items dropped into his inventory space one after another. Although most were Qi Recovery Pills and Healing Pills, there were some other items too.

One minute wasn't short for a battle, but it wasn't long either. The one-minute duration of the Steel Secret Medicine finally ended. Zhuge Xiang's defense plummeted from over 400 to just over 200. Although this defense was still strong, with dense attacks raining down, injuries began to appear on Zhuge Xiang's body. Small wounds accumulated, and his condition grew increasingly severe...

On the Character Interface, his HP kept dropping. Some attacks from Qi Cultivation Realm Sixth Layer disciples could even cut his skin, making him bleed.

"He's bleeding? He's bleeding!" With over 400 defense, Zhuge Xiang had been nearly invulnerable. But now that he was bleeding, the Green Willow Peak disciples were stunned at first, then ecstatic. "Haha, his defense has dropped! Our attacks can actually hurt him now!"

200 defense was still formidable. Even a Qi Cultivation Realm Sixth Layer disciple could only deal seven or eight points of damage per hit. For Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer disciples, it was just two or three points. This damage was negligible on its own, but with so many disciples, it added up. In the minute Zhuge Xiang had gone all out, nearly half of the Green Willow Peak disciples had lost combat capability. However, the remaining ones were even stronger...

Zhuge Xiang swallowed a Healing Pill, and his HP recovered at a rate of 10 points per second. But this speed couldn't keep up with the rate he was taking damage. Although his speed was still high, enhanced by Explosive Steps, he was surrounded by disciples at the Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer and above. On average, his HP dropped by over fifteen or sixteen points every second. The Healing Pill's recovery couldn't match the damage rate.

"Haha, let's see how many healing pills you have!" Watching Zhuge Xiang down Healing Pill after Healing Pill as his injuries worsened, the Green Willow Peak disciples saw hope of victory and laughed loudly.

Although his defense was still strong and he had many healing pills, there were even more Green Willow Peak disciples. With so many attacks landing, his injuries were getting worse—that was a fact. Defeating him was just a matter of time.

Checking his status, the Courage Medal still had 2 minutes left. Zhuge Xiang felt his injuries worsening, and only 7 Healing Pills remained in his inventory.

His injuries were getting more severe. If this continued, he'd lose combat capability in just over ten seconds. Gritting his teeth, Zhuge Xiang put away the Cleaving Blade, reached to his waist, and the Blood Refinement Saber appeared in his hand...

In a group battle, although the Blood Refinement Saber's attack power was far inferior to the Cleaving Blade, its life-steal effect, combined with Healing Pills, would let him fight longer. Relying on over 200 defense and the Healing Pill's recovery rate, Zhuge Xiang swung the Blood Refinement Saber horizontally...

Without the Laceration Effect, but with double attack power, Zhuge Xiang's offense was still formidable. Plus, Qi Cultivation Realm disciples typically had high attack but low defense. Each slash from Zhuge Xiang dealt at least fifty or sixty damage, and with double attack speed, the Blood Refinement Saber in his hands turned into a blur of blade light.

Although his damage output had decreased, Zhuge Xiang's injuries stabilized and even began to recover slowly.

With the Blood Refinement Saber's 10% life-steal effect and the Healing Pill's recovery, another minute passed. Zhuge Xiang's HP even recovered to a safe range of over 80...

Looking around, after over two minutes of continuous slaughter, more than seventy of the hundred-plus Green Willow Peak disciples had fallen. The remaining forty or fifty were all elites. The seventy-plus disciples had given Zhuge Xiang over 6,000 experience. Combined with what he'd earned before, he needed 10,000 experience to level up to Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer, and he now had 7,000.

With an Explosive Step, Zhuge Xiang retreated and stood still, swallowing his last Healing Pill. The remaining forty-plus Green Willow Peak disciples had fierce fighting spirit in their eyes.

Zhuge Xiang had already consumed no fewer than ten healing pills. One Qi Cultivation Realm Seventh Layer disciple sneered at him. "Heh, looks like you've run out of healing pills, huh?"

"That's right, I've finished them all. But from now on, I won't need healing pills to beat you." Without hiding it, Zhuge Xiang nodded frankly.

"Arrogant!!" Hearing Zhuge Xiang's words—his defense had dropped, his healing pills were gone, and he was still this cocky—the Green Willow Peak disciples roared in anger and charged again.

"You've all lost..." Facing the remaining forty or fifty Green Willow Peak disciples, all elites, Zhuge Xiang wore a confident smile. The disciples rushing at him looked like nothing but experience points.

Putting away the Blood Refinement Saber, Zhuge Xiang took out the Cleaving Blade again, his killing weapon, and muttered inwardly: Bloodthirsty Technique.

A blood-red Qi Energy emerged from Zhuge Xiang's body, transforming into ghostly faces—some ferocious, some wailing in pain, some bloodthirsty and manic...

"Bloodthirsty Technique!? He actually learned Bloodthirsty Technique? And reached the Proficient Level?" In the midst of battle, Zhuge Xiang activating Bloodthirsty Technique stunned both the Green Willow Peak disciples and the onlookers. They hadn't expected him to still have this trump card hidden.

"No wonder. Bloodthirsty Technique—only a madman like him could learn it." Amid the shock, many people smiled bitterly.

The Courage Medal doubled all attributes. Now, with Bloodthirsty Technique activated, all attributes increased by another 50%. Just how strong was Zhuge Xiang now?

Without the Steel Secret Medicine, his defense was indeed weaker than before. But over 200 defense, boosted by 50%, reached over 300—not far off from before. More importantly, compared to before, Zhuge Xiang's attack power, speed, and attack speed had all been greatly enhanced.

Kill!!!

With a low shout in his heart, Zhuge Xiang's speed became a blood-red lightning bolt. Even without using Explosive Steps, his speed was nearly four times normal. In terms of pure movement speed, Zhuge Xiang was essentially using Explosive Steps continuously...

Normal speed, doubled by the Courage Medal, increased by 50% from Bloodthirsty Technique—that was three times normal speed. Plus the Star Chasing Boots' 30% boost, it was almost four times speed. Zhuge Xiang's usual Explosive Steps were no better than this.

The Cleaving Blade swung, attack power and attack speed increased by 50%. If before Zhuge Xiang was a tiger among sheep, now he was a demon tiger. Screams, blood-curdling screams. A crimson figure, a dense storm of blade light, one-sided suppression. Blood flew through the air, never falling...

With speed equivalent to infinite Explosive Steps, and terrifying triple attack power and triple attack speed, the Green Willow Peak disciples who had been shouting in anger now felt fear. In his Bloodthirsty Technique state, Zhuge Xiang was even stronger than at the start. They couldn't even touch his shadow, but his attacks could one-shot most of them.

"No... impossible... Is this really a New Disciple? This strength would make him outstanding even among Body Tempering Realm disciples..." The Green Willow Peak disciples at Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer and above had no power to fight back. A group of them was being suppressed by one person. Behind them, the disciples below Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing. Those once hailed as geniuses were being unilaterally crushed by the new disciple.

"So... so strong..." As for Niu Geng and his group behind, they too stared wide-eyed. Compared to the strength Zhuge Xiang had shown in the Grand Tournament, he was like a completely different person in terms of speed, attack power, and defense.

"Is this really a newcomer? How did he do it?" The onlookers all had their mouths hanging open. Even the Body Tempering Realm disciples had lost their earlier composure. The strength Zhuge Xiang was displaying now put immense pressure on them.

The remaining forty or fifty disciples fell under Zhuge Xiang's assault like wheat being scythed. In one minute, Zhuge Xiang became an Asura. Even Qi Cultivation Realm Seventh Layer disciples were taken down in two slashes of the Cleaving Blade...

"Ding, defeated a Qi Cultivation Realm Seventh Layer disciple above your level. Gained 282 experience. Obtained Clone Phantom Scroll."

"Ding, level up. Gained 1 Skill Point. Current level: Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer."

As the last Green Willow Peak disciple was sent flying by Zhuge Xiang, consecutive system prompts rang out.