Choice
Offspring born from a woman's transcendent birth possess extraordinary flesh and blood, and their souls are nurtured by transcendent magical energy. Although this energy is diluted during their growth, they remain powerful and are more likely to cultivate a Longevity Body than other martial arts practitioners.
Li Weiyi watched the fierce battle on the stage, secretly comparing the two of them to those Sheng Wulian and Si Wuyan.
The battle platform was about ten feet high, made of huge stones, with Formation Script array patterns emerging and rays of light rising from it.
"Boom!"
Yuan Zhen's armor was thick and heavy, and the magical energy beneath his feet was like a sea. He looked like a young man of only about twenty years old, and his palm techniques were wide and powerful.
With the blessing of the transcendent scriptures within his bones and skin, his combat power was in no way inferior to the two wielders of the <Life North Sea Map> and <Death South Mountain Scripture>. His energy and spirit were vigorous, and although he was at a disadvantage, he was able to withstand the attacks of Chang Yujian without being defeated.
Li Weiyi judged that even if his physical body hadn't reached 99% of the level of Longevity Body, it wouldn't be far off.
"Both are at the Ninth Heaven, yet their combat strength is worlds apart. These two are not much different from the Longevity Realm Giants!"
"I think even the Demon Child would lose more often than he wins against them."
Cao Shisan and Chen Huang were once among the top Dao Seed Realm experts in Lingxiao City. After absorbing the Six-clawed Immortal Dragon Qi and the Immortal Dao Scriptures in the East Sea, they were full of vigor and planned to hone their skills at Dongxu Camp, break through to the Longevity Realm, and then return to Lingxiao Shengjing and the East Sea as Longevity Realm Giants to create their own era of glory.
However, upon arriving at Dongxu Camp, he suffered repeated setbacks, failing to even make it into the top 100 of the new recruit assessment.
Without the trip to the East China Sea, I probably would have fallen to the 200th or even 300th place.
Now, they have given up on the idea of returning to Lingxiao Shengjing and only want to break into the top 100 in the Quarterly Exam.
On the battle platform.
Knowing that his strength was inferior to Chang Yujian, Yuanzhen quickly changed his tactics, summoning three magical weapons and using Daoist magic to avoid direct confrontation and instead seek out his opponent's weaknesses while maintaining a defensive stance.
"Is this the end of the skill? Then let's end the battle."
Chang Yujian let out a long laugh, and from the ancestral field, a thousand Sword Qi were released, the sword shadows immediately enveloping the entire battle platform, like an unparalleled sword immortal.
If not for the array blocking his attacks, the entire Martial Field Wilderness would be within his attack range.
After withstanding eight powerful strikes from Chang Yujian, Yuanzhen was sent flying backward with a loud bang, crashing off the battle platform and sliding backward.
Yuanzhen steadied himself, his face pale, and looked down at the dent in his chest armor, forcing back the mouthful of blood in his throat.
He was just sent flying by a horizontal slash from Chang Yujian.
Without this armor, and if that sword hadn't struck but instead cleaved, his body would have been severed in two.
"I've long heard that martial artists who cultivate the Longevity Body become 10-20% stronger than others in the Longevity Realm. I see that your improvement is more than just 10-20%!"
Yuanzhen's eyes remained defiant as she stared intently at the dashing figure on the platform, a strong sense of defeat welling up inside her.
For decades, he had been invincible among his peers and was known as the "Young Master" by everyone. Although he was in the Du'e Realm, he disdained to become a disciple of the Du'e Temple and never took the so-called Young Son of Heaven seriously. At the age of ten, he set his sights on becoming the Emperor of Martial Path Son of Heaven.
The feeling of defeat quickly dissipated, transforming into intense fighting spirit.
Chang Yujian gracefully sheathed his sword and returned to the ancestral field, laughing, "Because we are both at the Dao Seed Realm now! Once you break through to the Longevity Realm, with your physical strength, you might be able to cultivate the Longevity Body within a few days, and we will no longer be separated. The claim of a ten or twenty percent difference is very subtle. I will wait for you in the Longevity Realm, and then we can explore it slowly."
In Chang Yujian's view, after this battle, Yuanzhen will definitely fight to the death against the Longevity Body, while she will immediately break through her realm and leave her opponent far behind in terms of cultivation level.
Saying those words was entirely a psychological battle.
With its imposing presence and graceful bearing, coupled with the triumphant spirit of victory, Chang Yujian naturally drew admiring, envious, and respectful glances from countless martial artists around the battle arena.
The nearly one hundred sentries of the Jade Sword Guard roared with cheers.
The valiant guards were proud of their victory, and their sense of belonging grew even stronger.
"After this battle, Chang Yujian has secured first place in all Quarterly Exam and Annual Exam exams during the three-year New Recruit Period. It will most likely receive all the Merit Points and resource rewards, and its advantage will only grow stronger," a Second-Class Sentinel from the Ninth Heaven remarked.
Lu Qing, Tong Yanxue, Yu Zheng, and others who ranked in the top ten of the new recruit assessment did not think so.
That so-called 10% or 20% advantage is merely a rough assessment made by some ancient sects based on the performance of disciples who have cultivated the Longevity Body throughout history. It does not mean that they are unbeatable or invincible.
They will not obsess over achieving Longevity Body, but rather strive to break through to the next level of immortality as quickly as possible, and seek an opportunity in the Netherworld of the Departed to surpass the Chang Yujian.
The Netherworld of the Departed has buried too many ancestral sites, cities, sects, and ancient kingdoms. Many martial arts practitioners have come here because of this, and have learned some secret information from some veteran sentinels.
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Chang Yujian turned around and looked at Li Weiyi below the battle platform. "Brother Weiyi, how do I compare to the true master of the Dao Palace's life and death?"
The crowd was initially puzzled, not understanding why Chang Yujian would suddenly ask such a question to a martial arts practitioner.
A moment later, someone reacted and exclaimed, "Could he be Li Weiyi, number one on the Merit List? It's said that he defeated Dao Palace Shinden Sei Sheng Wulian in the East Sea!"
"Defeated Dao Palace Shinichi? How come there are so many Celestial Person among our new recruits?"
"The one with 30,000 Merit Points?"
All eyes were on Li Weiyi, filled with confusion, curiosity, and surprise.
There was no way around it; the person ranked first on the Merit List had caused a huge uproar in the recruit camp a month ago, sparking all sorts of speculation. Li Weiyi's identity and background had already been found out by some martial arts practitioners with extensive connections.
Defeating Sheng Wulian is undoubtedly a glorious achievement, but most people are actually skeptical. People always like to praise the powerful and criticize the weak, and most of the rumors they hear are distorted.
Li Weiyi commented truthfully. "Sheng Wulian."
Chang Yujian asked, "When shall we spar a bit? No challenge, just a private spar?"
He knew Li Weiyi's background very well and intended to befriend him, or even recruit him. The Chang family's power and strength far exceeded that of the Jiu Li Tribe and the Zuoqiu Courtyard.
In public duels, regardless of who wins or loses, there will inevitably be comments from the spectators, which can damage the harmony of the duel.
Li Weiyi sensed Chang Yujian's goodwill and also saw that Chang Yujian was exceptionally intelligent, remaining humble and unassuming even in her most triumphant moments.
However, the other martial arts practitioners present did not possess this level of self-restraint.
Countless eager eyes fell on Li Weiyi. They were full of fighting spirit, eager to challenge any strong opponent, even if they lost, it would be a chance to hone their skills.
Li Weiyi didn't want to be challenged by countless people; it would be too much of a waste of time and would make her appear overly aggressive.
Most importantly, he's not short of money right now. Otherwise, he would definitely charge fees, accept challenges from everyone, and make a fortune.
"My path to cultivation in the Feng family is uncertain, and I have no interest in martial arts sparring for the time being," Li Weiyi said with a wry smile. Then he looked at the crowd and said, "I really envy you all, you can try to break through to the Longevity Realm. No matter how strong you are in the Dao Seed Realm, you can't possibly be a match for Longevity Realm Martial Cultivator."
The mention of "Fengfu Seed Path" caused another sensation in the martial arts arena.
Many martial arts practitioners whispered among themselves, finding it unbelievable.
"The Feng family's cultivation method could defeat the true disciple of the Dao Palace? They must have used special methods. I always said, you can't believe rumors even a little bit."
"For Chang Yujian to utter the words 'sparring,' its strength must be absolutely formidable."
"Just as he himself said, no matter how strong someone is in the Dao Seed Realm, as long as we break through to the next realm, we can leave him far behind."
Tu Nanfeng, who had been watching from a distance, strode over, his muscular physique exuding a powerful aura. He roared, "What are you all watching for? Has your magical energy fully recovered? The mountain formation is complete; the training intensity this afternoon will be twice that of this morning!"
"In the Netherworld of the Departed, one cannot Breathing and Exhaling the Heaven and Earth Mana Qi; one can only rely on the Nine Springs within one's body. Everyone must learn to use every wisp of spiritual energy wisely and strengthen their Nine Springs through training."
"Li Weiyi, have you reported to the Imperial Guard? Which guard have you joined?"
Lu Qing, Yu Zheng, Tong Yanxue all turned their gazes toward the matter, paying close attention.
If Li Weiyi chooses to join their unit, it will be a very troublesome situation.
Even if he was a cultivator of the Feng family's cultivation path and his martial arts path was severed, the mere fact that he was ranked first on the Merit List was still a difficult thing for them to bear.
Each sentinel is exceptionally talented, and the probability of them reaching the Longevity Realm is not small.
A guard with a hundred sentries—what an enormous force that is!
The elite guards and Deputy Commander regarded these sentinels as their own core group and would not allow anyone else to interfere. Outside the Sentinel Spirit Army, they each had extraordinary identities: some were Young Master of sects, some were nobles of the imperial court, and some were the eldest sons of Mega-clan. In their respective realms, they had their own futures.
The Sentinel Spirit Army is not a sect; their free time and service time are split 50/50.
How could we not seize this opportunity to recruit them?
Chang Yujian extended an olive branch to Li Weiyi, stepped off the battle platform, and strode over. "Brother Weiyi, of course you should join my Jade Sword Guard."
Tu Nanfeng looked at Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi had already made up his mind. He bowed to Tu Nanfeng, then cupped his hands towards Chang Yujian: "Thank you for your kind invitation, Brother Chang, but... for the next period of time, I will probably focus on cultivating my mental power, striving to achieve something on another path."
Upon hearing this, many martial arts practitioners who had been secretly observing the situation relaxed, understanding his choice.
Chang Yujian narrowed her eyes, not quite believing he was the type to easily accept his fate. Not wanting to speak too frankly with someone she didn't know well, she smiled and said, "With your talent in mental power, becoming Saint Mind Master is just around the corner. Saint Mind Master's combat strength at the same level isn't necessarily weaker than a martial arts cultivator. The spells of that valiant guard in the Mind Master Guard are quite formidable."
Li Weiyi and Taishi Yu left the Martial Field Wilderness and walked into the mountains shrouded in clouds.
We followed the stone path through the mountains toward Yan Jue Mountain, where the Mind Master Guard recruit camp was located. The two mountains were steep cliffs with waterfalls that could cascade down thousands of feet, as well as various buildings hidden among the ancient trees and forests.
It is said that the spirits who have reached the Longevity Realm and the realm of Saint Mind Master reside in these ancient palaces and caves.