Defeating Hidden Nine, Facing Yang Shen Realm

"And what about the rest? What is the point of their existence? To keep fighting for a spot they're destined to never get?" Li Weiyi asked.

"Entering the Hidden Gate is like entering hell. Without this mental preparation, they are not qualified to appear here."

Suddenly, a thought popped into Hidden Twenty-Four's mind, and he laughed, "If you're so compassionate, then go and comprehend the God of Jiu Li's Combat Intent, and defeat the three people in the mural of mental power. You'll directly become Hidden Person, Hidden Twenty-Six's spot will naturally become vacant."

Becoming Hidden Person directly is no easy feat.

The Jiu Li Hidden Gate hasn't produced such a figure in over a decade.

She felt that Li Weiyi said those words because of Yao Yin. His actions—not killing in the Spider Cave, and then intercepting Li Qing to save him—revealed his true intentions.

It's not surprising that Pure Immortal Body possesses such allure.

Which hero doesn't love a beautiful woman?

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

Li Weiyi strode towards the Mind Power Stone Wall, eager to test his skills against the three men.

Hidden Twenty-Four quickly followed, his mind filled with curiosity: who was stronger, this unfathomable eccentric or Hidden Nine?

Li Weiyi has always had an indomitable spirit and is full of fighting spirit in the face of all challenges.

Arriving at the base of the Mind Power Stone Wall, he slowly pressed his palm against it.

"Whoosh!"

The stone wall trembled slightly, and the spiritual light, magical energy, and scriptures inside quickly converged and solidified into a human-shaped mural.

Thirteen-year-old Hidden Nine stepped out of the mural, holding a giant axe, and asked, "Are you ready?"

Li Weiyi sensed an aura emanating from him that was far more powerful than Li Qing's, much like when she faced the Four-Winged Spider King: "Let me go first!"

"Boom!"

With a stomp of his foot, magical energy surged forth from beneath his feet.

Li Weiyi soared several meters into the air, his feet treading on the void. His first sword strike was a full-force attack, unleashing the Universe Ruyi Sword, a Heavenly Dao Mana Fusion level technique, to test Hidden Nine's strength.

Hidden Nine slightly raised his head, and hundreds of sword shadows appeared in his half-real pupils.

"The Heaven and Earth Split Open!"

The first of the Thirty-Six Axes of the Heavenly Demon.

"Bang bang."

The clash of swords and axes was like the violent impact of metal against stone, sparking a shower of sparks.

A powerful aura emanated from within a radius of several dozen feet.

Hidden Nine was forced to take a step back before he could deflect Li Weiyi's aggressive sword strike.

The next instant, the two collided violently again.

"Hidden Nine then retired!" Hidden Twenty-Four exclaimed incredulously.

None of these reclusive individuals had ever been able to force Hidden Nine to retreat even half a step in the Nine Springs Ancestral Field.

Inside the medicinal cuisine room, the two elderly people who were about to play chess stopped and looked towards the two figures fiercely clashing in the square in the distance.

The Cooking Elder said, "Could it be that yet another mortal has reached the pinnacle of their abilities?"

"It's hard to say, hard to say... At least in terms of physical strength, he's no weaker than Hidden Nine," said the old gatekeeper.

Even among those Perfected Person have attained enlightenment, some have only eighty or so Trace Meridians in their bodies, while others have more than ninety.

The number of Trace Meridians is not much different between ordinary people and Deformed Race, both falling within the range of eighty-one to ninety-nine. One hundred Trace Meridians is almost the limit recorded.

However, those with Pure Immortal Body have a significant advantage over mortals and Deformed Race. After opening the Nine Springs, they can almost all reach more than ninety Trace Meridians. Among them, the most amazing ones can exceed one hundred.

Each additional advantage adds another layer of strength.

The Cooking Elder said, "It seems they are evenly matched. It looks like it depends on who has cultivated more Heavenly Dao Mana Fusion and moves, whose Breathing Technique is stronger, and whose use of magical energy is more exquisite... Hidden Nine's situation is not good..."

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Li Weiyi's favorite strategy is to gain the upper hand by attacking quickly, constantly expanding his advantage, and finally crushing his opponent with overwhelming force.

After taking that step back, Hidden Nine never took another step forward.

Suddenly!

Hidden Nine's body shone brightly, his form became much more solid, and he swung an axe with powerful magical energy.

Clearly, the Mind Power Stone Wall is simulating the combat power level when Hidden Nine mobilizes the massive amount of magical energy in his ancestral field.

Li Weiyi has opened up the Wind Mansion, but the Wind Mansion is only Qi Sea, which can only unleash a powerful attack. This attack should not be used lightly, but only at the most critical moment.

"Let's test how strong you can become after activating your ancestral field."

Li Weiyi grew increasingly excited as the battle progressed, his spirits soaring. He neither dodged nor evaded, but instead met Hidden Nine's battle axe head-on.

"Boom!"

Swords and axes clashed.

The stone slabs beneath their feet shattered, and a wave of magical energy suddenly spread outwards.

The leaves of the purple trees in the distance rustled in the wind.

Li Weiyi finally couldn't withstand it and flew backward two zhang away. The moment his toes touched the ground, he shot out again, wielding his sword to split the sea, directly clashing with Hidden Nine's ancestral field magic power. His sharp eyes revealed an invincible spirit of "I am the number one in the world".

Hidden Twenty-Four had already involuntarily held his breath. "He... he doesn't seem to have mobilized the ancestral energy to enhance his combat power, yet he can still fight Hidden Nine head-on? He's seriously underestimating Hidden Nine!"

In a True Person duel, this would be blatant disrespect.

She couldn't believe it; Li Weiyi actually only had the cultivation level of the Eighth Spring and had no ancestral field energy to draw upon.

The Cooking Elder, asked anxiously, "How many rounds have they fought?"

The old gatekeeper, without counting, said, "The Hidden Nine Ancestor's field energy is almost depleted; he will surely be defeated within five moves."

The Cooking Elder felt a bit parched. "This kid hasn't even used the ancestral energy yet. Could he really be the first Hidden Person in more than ten cycles of sixty years?"

"Cut!"

"Slay again!"

"The third strike!"

Li Weiyi unleashed three consecutive Taiyi Opens the Sea sword strikes, each at the level of Heavenly Dao Mana Fusion. The momentum of each strike was stronger than the last. With the third strike, he actually increased the power of his sword technique by one or two tenths simply through sheer momentum and fighting spirit.

"Bang!"

Hidden Nine's light and shadow shattered, turning into specks of light that flew back to the Mind Power Stone Wall.

Hidden Twenty-Four, who was almost suffocating, finally took a long breath and then slowly exhaled.

Hidden Twenty-Three and Hidden Twenty-Five were startled by the huge commotion and rushed over, their eyes wide as they stared at the figure in the square.

"What have we missed?" asked Hidden Twenty-Three.

After a long silence, Hidden Twenty-Four said, "I missed the chance to slay the god."

In the eyes of these hermits, Hidden Nine of the Nine Springs Realm was like a god, bringing them a sense of despondency that they could never overcome.

Hidden Twenty-Five said, "Hidden Nine is at the Spring Realm, possessing the ultimate physique of a mortal. For him to defeat it with his mortal body is indeed tantamount to slaying a god. If he becomes Hidden Twenty-Six, he will undoubtedly be a top contender for the Hidden Person.'"

Hidden Twenty-Four laughed, "Haven't you realized yet? He doesn't want to compete for Hidden Twenty-Six; he wants to become the Hidden Person directly and become our leader."

Hidden Twenty-Three and Hidden Twenty-Five were startled.

"No, he didn't have a chance. Hidden Nine was at the limit of mortals, with Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver. In terms of physique alone, he could challenge Pure Immortal Body with Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver at the silver level. But he was only thirteen years old at that time, and his body had not yet fully developed. His combat skills and the number of Heavenly Dao Mana Fusion he had cultivated were limited, so his combat power was significantly different from that of a Pure Immortal Body with Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver." Hidden Twenty-Three analyzed it this way.

Li Weiyi felt excruciating pain in both arms, and his internal energy was churning. He quickly sat down cross-legged and practiced Breathing Technique to recover.

He wants to fight again!

"Although I haven't cultivated an ancestral field and can't borrow a large amount of magical energy to enhance my combat power, my Jade Void Breathing Technique allows me to mobilize magical energy faster and more continuously, which can make up for some of the gap to a certain extent."

Half an hour later.

Li Weiyi, having recovered to his peak condition, once again pressed his palm against the Mind Power Stone Wall.

"Whoosh!"

Inside the stone wall, even brighter spiritual light, magical energy, and scriptures converged like countless threads.

A brand new mural appears, depicting a tall and imposing figure, much taller than the thirteen-year-old Hidden Nine, holding a spear over ten feet long, stepping out of the stone wall.

With a flick of his wrist, ripples of magical energy erupted from the tip of his spear.

In the distance, inside the medicinal cuisine room, the Cooking Elder reminded, "It's the Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver Pure Immortal Body, Yang Shen Realm."

Li Weiyi exclaimed in surprise, "The strongest expert in Lizhou, Sui Sect leader of the Yang Shen Realm?"

"It's him. This mural of spiritual power was bought many years ago. Yang Shen Realm has just cultivated one hundred Trace Meridians, which is considered the threshold for Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver Pure Immortal Body with a hundred meridians in the Spring Realm. Defeating him will allow you to pass the second test," said the Cooking Elder.

The old gatekeeper said, "Don't mislead that kid! The number of Trace Meridians does affect a martial artist's combat strength, but having more or fewer meridians will never be the decisive factor in winning or losing. When Yang Shen Realm was young, he swept through the entire Southern Region without a single opponent, and his combat techniques were already very sophisticated when he was in the Spring Realm."

Yang Shen Realm had a brilliant record of defeating six clan leaders of the Jiu Li Tribe in succession, so how could Li Weiyi dare to underestimate him?

He struck first with a single sword!

Yang Shen Realm as steady as a mountain, and flicked his spear.

The spear tip pointed directly at Li Weiyi, sealing off all his attack angles and maximizing the weapon's advantage of being inch longer and stronger.

The next instant, the spear was swung out like an iron rod, and a sky full of staff shadows enveloped Li Weiyi.

"Boom!"

Li Weiyi launched a direct attack to test his strength.

The moment the sword touched the staff's shadow, Li Weiyi immediately sensed the fundamental difference between Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver Pure Immortal Body and Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver Mortal. Yang Shen Realm power was too strong, surpassing Hidden Nine by a significant margin.

He is absolutely capable of lifting the Five Seas Pillar in the Spring Realm.

"We can't fight head-on."

Li Weiyi's arm was in pain and numb, so he quickly used his movement technique to retreat and create distance.

However, the increased distance made it more suitable for attacks with the spear. Yang Shen Realm pressed his advantage, his ten-foot-long weapon swirling like a dragon, creating a vortex of magical energy that completely enveloped Li Weiyi in front of him.

Knowing he couldn't escape, Li Weiyi immediately mobilized the magical energy within the Feng Mansion, turned around, and thrust out with his sword.

At the same time, he stepped out with the Clear Void Cicada Evasion Step.

"Sizzle!"

After breaking through the vortex of magical energy, the sword's edge sliced through the spear shaft, sparks of spiritual light flying everywhere.

Li Weiyi's sword strike had a very clear purpose: to pierce Yang Shen Realm's brow.

But all his calculations seemed to have been seen through by the other party. Yang Shen Realm's body suddenly became incredibly bright. He mobilized the ancestral field's magical energy and unleashed a massive Mana Qi Great Hand Seal with a palm strike that was as powerful as the heavens and earth pressing down.

"Bang!"

The Yellow Dragon Sword was struck and lost its direction, almost flying out of his hand.

Li Weiyi had no choice but to grit his teeth, mobilize the magical energy in his Trace Meridians, and hastily form a palm seal to clash head-on with the Yang Shen Realm.

His body slid back five zhang, his entire arm went numb, and a trace of blood clung to the corner of his mouth. When the spear thrust at him again, he could only shout the words "I surrender."

Yang Shen Realm turned and walked into the Mind Power Stone Wall.

The Cooking Elder was more indignant than anyone else, slamming his hand heavily on the railing. "Oh dear... why didn't you use the Ancestral Field Qi to fight him? Yang Shen Realm is very strong, but not so strong that he is invincible. Hidden Nine could fight him to a standstill before the Ancestral Field Qi was exhausted."

The old gatekeeper murmured, "Perhaps he hasn't cultivated his ancestral field yet."

The Cooking Elder turned his head and stared at him, then jumped out of the medicinal food room. After a few leaps, he appeared next to Li Weiyi and pointed to the location of his ancestral field.

He stumbled back three steps, staring at Li Weiyi as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Little Twenty-Four, protect him during the trial."

After saying this, the Cooking Elder and the old man who guarded the gate walked towards the mountain gate, no longer in the mood to play chess.

The three hermits were still processing their shock. Could he really only be at the Eighth Spring level of cultivation?

On the other side, Li Weiyi left dejectedly, feeling extremely depressed, as if a mountain was pressing down on her chest.

Yao Yin, who was waiting by the Blood Tree Forest, finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him return safely. She stepped forward and asked, "How did it go?"

"We lost... a complete defeat, with absolutely no chance of winning. Our opponent seemed to have no weaknesses or openings..."

Li Weiyi muttered to herself, as if she couldn't see Yao Yin at all, passing by her and walking alone towards the cave.

Yao Yin had never seen him so distressed before, and her heart ached as well. Seeing Hidden Twenty-Four following behind him into the Blood Forest, she asked, "What's wrong with him? He seems to have suffered a severe blow."

"Was he devastated?"

Hidden Twenty-Four was furious, wondering who had been truly hurt. He said, "You didn't see how he displayed his might and defeated Hidden Nine earlier."

Yao Yin's crescent-shaped eyes were filled with astonishment, for even an ordinary Nine Springs Perfected Person would not survive a single move from Hidden Nine Jiu.

"Then he still said he lost?" Yao Yin couldn't understand.

Hidden Twenty-Four said, "He lost to the Yang Shen Realm, who possesses the Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver Pure Immortal Body."

Yao Yin found it even harder to understand, and said, "It's perfectly normal for mortals to lose to Pure Immortal Body when they are at the same cultivation level. What's more, that's Pure Immortal Body with Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver, the pinnacle of Pure Immortal Body, and the number one person in Lizhou, Yang Shen Realm. What's so distressing about that?"

Hidden Twenty-Four stared intently at Yao Yin. "Pure Immortal Body are indeed all arrogant, but... you've underestimated me this time!"

Too lazy to explain further, Hidden Twenty-Four arrived outside Li Weiyi's cave and knocked on the Stone Gate: "May I come in?"

The door was open.

Hidden Twenty-Four had just stepped inside.

Li Weiyi burst out and appeared before her, his eyes now brimming with renewed fighting spirit. "I've only just broken through to the next realm, I can still cultivate more Heavenly Dao Mana Fusion, and I can eat Cordyceps Sinensis and medicinal cuisine to strengthen my body. I think, given a month, I can definitely defeat him. Oh, and I can also refine my Golden Meridian Lines!"

"You can even break through to the Ninth Spring!" Hidden Twenty-Four said with a dark face.

Li Weiyi said, "There's also the legendary Tenth Spring."

"You're really pushing your luck!" Hidden Twenty-Four said, "I'm here to teach you the Disguise Art! Once you enter the Hidden Gate, you can no longer easily show your former face and identity. You will no longer be the person you once were, and you will no longer have your former name."

Li Weiyi asked, "Hidden Person aren't allowed?"

"The Hidden Person certainly have a greater degree of freedom," said Hidden Twenty-Four.

Li Weiyi said, "Then why are you telling me all this?"

If Hidden Twenty-Four hadn't known that the other party might actually be able to become Hidden Person through special circumstances, he would have already retorted. But now he could only hold back, gritting his teeth and saying in a calm tone, "You're not... not Hidden Person yet, so we have to follow the rules."

Li Weiyi asked, "Is there a time limit for the trial?"

"It can be completed within a month," said Hidden Twenty-Four.

"I am still no match for the Nine Hundred Meridian Lines All Silver Pure Immortal Body, while the Changlin Gang has two Five Seas Realm and a large number of Seven Springs Realm experts. This will be a fierce battle," Li Weiyi said.

Hidden Twenty-Four said, "I will go to Jiu Li City with you; we are merely two people from the Seven Springs Five Seas Realm."

"What I mean is, I need to go into seclusion and cultivate for a while first. At least I need to take up the Five Seas Pillar, practice a few moves of the Heavenly Dao Mana Fusion, and also cultivate my mental power..." Li Weiyi was immersed in planning and thinking, very focused, wanting to improve his strength as much as possible.

Jiu Li City is fraught with danger, as the Changlin Gang is backed by the Yang Clan and the Sui Sect.

Hidden Twenty-Four drifted away, closing the Stone Gate behind him. "I'll come back tomorrow to teach you the Disguise Art!"

Nine thousand words, please vote with monthly tickets!