Lightning Spirit Root

Fang Xiao could now cultivate for four hours each day. By the time he finished, it was already past midnight.

Yet he was not the least bit sleepy. His usual meditation and breath regulation had essentially replaced nighttime sleep. With nothing else to do for the moment, he took out the Intelligence Jade Slip Fatty Han had given him and began reviewing it. Most groups had one or several Strength Seeds, and Fang Xiao first looked at the opponent he would be facing.

Yi Chen Group: Lei Ming

Spirit Root: Lightning Spirit Root

Cultivation Method: True Thunder Control Art

Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage, Sixth Layer

Arts: Palm Lightning, Lightning Ring

Magic Tools: Top-grade magic tool Thunder Gathering Banner, High-grade magic tool Five Spirits Umbrella

His opponent was actually a Lightning Spirit Root cultivator. Moreover, his cultivation method was likely like Fang Xiao's Soaring Sword Art—a simplified version of some Deity Transformation Cultivation Method. His arts offered both offense and defense, while his magic tools could only be called lavish.

Fang Xiao understood that just because the intelligence listed this much did not mean that was all there was to Lei Ming. After all, who in the Cultivation World did not prepare a few hidden trump cards?

More than half the participants had already been eliminated on the first day of matches, so today would directly determine the first place in each group.

Just as expected, most of the disciples Fang Xiao encountered surrendered on the spot. The rest also raised their hands in surrender within a few exchanges. Fang Xiao smoothly advanced from his group.

By the third day of the minor competition, more than ten thousand disciples had dwindled to only one hundred and twenty. Of course, some had simply been unlucky. Their strength was not weak, but they had encountered opponents who were even stronger.

As usual, Fang Xiao arrived at the plaza, where voices surged like a boiling sea. Ninety-nine percent of the crowd had come to watch the matches. Fang Xiao noticed that several Dueling Platforms had already begun their battles, so he headed toward his own. Lei Ming was already standing atop it.

"Who do you think has the better chance between those two?"

"One is a lightning cultivator and the other a Sword Cultivator. Both are known for their offensive power. But Lei Ming's strength is beyond doubt—we've all seen it. Fang Xiao is harder to judge. Besides, judging by their ages, Fang Xiao has cultivated for less time. I think Lei Ming has the better odds."

"Mm, I think so too."

The clash between Fang Xiao and Lei Ming, a Sword Cultivator against a lightning cultivator, was an especially popular one. The disciples gathered around the Dueling Platform to watch generally believed Fang Xiao suffered from his young age, and that Lei Ming had better odds.

The discussions below the platform naturally did not affect either of them. Seeing that both were ready, the sect's Foundation Establishment Cultivator announced the start of the match.

"Fang Xiao."

"Lei Ming."

After exchanging names, Lei Ming struck first. What he used was not the lightning arts he excelled at, but a Spirit Talisman—a First-tier High-grade Spirit Talisman, Flame Rocket. A blazing orange-red fire arrow shot forth instantly. His hands did not pause as he formed a Thunder Art seal, rapidly shaping Palm Lightning. A crackling purple lightning sphere followed close behind the fire arrow as it flew toward Fang Xiao.

Fang Xiao circulated the metal qi of his lungs and chest. Spitting Breath into Sword struck after the attack had been launched, yet arrived first. Though it lacked the spectacle of the two spells, its power was even greater. The fire arrow was pierced straight through, its momentum undiminished, and it collided with the Palm Lightning behind it. Both exploded at once, their lingering force slowly fading into the air.

Fang Xiao's spell had also taken shape. It was the exceedingly common Great Sword Technique. The Silver Edge Sword swelled with the wind, no slower in speed as it descended upon Lei Ming with the force of ten thousand tons. The three layers of Lightning Rings that had just formed around Lei Ming instantly burst apart, and he took the opportunity to evade the Silver Edge Sword's blow.

Fang Xiao controlled the Silver Edge Sword to dispel the Great Sword Technique. In an instant, it changed from a thrust into a slash. Lei Ming had no time to dodge and could only open the Five Spirits Umbrella. Five-colored radiance spread around its canopy, and the Silver Edge Sword's heavy, forceful slash was like falling into a mire, its power then completely diverted and dissipated.

Lei Ming counterattacked at once, activating the Thunder Gathering Banner. Dozens of lightning spheres instantly condensed into being, turning into streaks of light that charged directly at Fang Xiao. Fang Xiao drew another Fire-attributed High-grade Flying Sword and used the Sword Qi Differentiation Method to meet the lightning spheres head-on. But the Thunder Gathering Banner was, after all, a Top-grade magic tool. After several breaths of deadlock, the Sword Qi destroyed several lightning spheres before all dispersing. Fang Xiao recalled his flying sword and waved it, forming a Sword Qi Barrier before him that steadily blocked the remaining lightning spheres.

At that moment, a Lightning Chain shot from the Thunder Gathering Banner and locked directly onto Fang Xiao. There was no longer time to block it with a Sword Art, so Fang Xiao directly brought forth the Spirit Bewildering Bell. The Lightning Chain wound around the bell protecting Fang Xiao and gradually tightened, as though it intended to tear it apart. The Spirit Bewildering Bell gave a slight tremor, and the terrifying Lightning Chain scattered without a trace as if it had been made of paper.

Lei Ming's expression changed. He raised the Thunder Gathering Banner and pointed it straight at Fang Xiao, pouring spiritual power into it frantically. Spirit runes emerged across the banner's surface. A thick, dazzling Lightning Pillar shot straight from the banner, while invisible thunder entered Fang Xiao's sea of consciousness. His Sword Heart issued a warning—it was a Mind Attack. Within his sea of consciousness, sword cries and thunderclaps intertwined. In the end, the thunder lacked the strength to continue and gradually weakened. Outside his sea of consciousness, however, the Lightning Pillar had already struck the Spirit Bewildering Bell. The bell rang thunderously across the Dueling Platform. Fang Xiao retaliated with a Mind Attack of his own, silently striking Lei Ming. Lei Ming's gaze immediately turned vacant. Seizing the rare opportunity, Fang Xiao drove the Silver Edge Sword at full force toward his opponent's brow.

Just as the Silver Edge Sword was about to pierce his skull, it was seized by an enormous force, unable to advance or retreat. At that moment, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator entered the arena.

"This match goes to Fang Xiao."

The Silver Edge Sword regained its freedom, and Fang Xiao immediately recalled it. Lei Ming also came to his senses at this time and was about to attack again when he noticed the Foundation Establishment Cultivator standing on the platform. His expression changed as realization dawned—he had lost. Had this been a fight outside the sect, he would already have lost his life.

Discussions erupted around the Dueling Platform as well.

"Was that a Golden Core Ancestor who stepped in to protect Lei Ming just now?"

"Who knows? But is this really strength the middle Qi Condensation Stage should have? Compared to them, I feel like a mere mortal."

The two had traded blows back and forth, leaving the spectators spellbound and filled with yearning.

Lei Ming had simply been unlucky to encounter Fang Xiao. Otherwise, with his strength, entering the top ten should not have been a problem.

Of course, Fang Xiao had not yet used all his methods either. Apart from the Light Condensing Mirror, which could immobilize an opponent, he had also not used the Sword Nurturing Gourd to enhance the Silver Edge Sword's power.

Fang Xiao estimated that while his true strength might not match a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's, he was still among the very best in the Qi Condensation Stage. This level of strength was only enough to show off at the Sect Minor Competition. It was said that in the Sect Grand Competition, every one of the top ten disciples of Mingxuan Outer Court possessed strength comparable to Foundation Establishment, while the top three even had astonishing records of slaying Foundation Establishment Cultivators. His road was still long.

Ignoring Lei Ming's resentful gaze and completely disregarding the blazing looks of the many disciples below the platform, Fang Xiao directly mounted his sword and flew from the Dueling Platform, fleeing toward his residence.

He had something important to do. His Spirit Wine had finished brewing, and today was the day to unseal it. Unfortunately, there was no Spirit Milk Wine. No matter what kind of spirit milk it was, it was difficult to find on the market; alchemists had essentially bought it all up.

Still, he had Azure Origin Wine, Tiger Blood Wine, and Tiger Bone Wine. That would suffice for now, especially since he had not even finished the Spirit Wine he had seized.

This battle had also revealed where his weaknesses lay. He had to prioritize establishing defenses within his sea of consciousness. Whether through an art or a magic tool, either would do. Relying solely on the Sword Heart was not enough. The Sword Heart was merely passive defense. If he encountered a Mind Attack that exceeded its limits, injury to his sea of consciousness and soul would be one matter, but if the Sword Heart itself were damaged, that would be no laughing matter.

There was, in fact, a solution to this—the Sword Nurturing Gourd. Once his cultivation broke through to the late Qi Condensation Stage, the Sword Nurturing Gourd offered two possible paths.

The first was to keep the Sword Nurturing Gourd in the Dantian and use a Secret Art to refine the Essence of Five Metals into it. This would nurture a strand of Great White Gold Essence Qi. On the day it took form, the Sword Nurturing Gourd would give birth to a Sword Pellet. This Great White Sword Pellet had been renowned in ancient times, and there was even a saying: when Great White emerged, nothing went uncut.

The other path differed from the first. It required cultivating a soul Secret Art called the Upper Elixir Condensing Spirit Refining Method. The Sword Nurturing Gourd had to be moved from the Dantian into the sea of consciousness, where this secret art would gradually refine the soul into the gourd. The Primordial Spirit became the sword, and the gourd became its sheath, transforming it into a Soul Nurturing Gourd.

The gourd would nourish and refine the soul in ordinary times, while also protecting it from attack at critical moments. Furthermore, once this secret art was cultivated, every strand of Spiritual Sense emitted by the soul would carry formidable offensive power. However, as one's cultivation realm rose, one would need to fuse heavenly treasures and earthly materials into the gourd to elevate it. If one had the opportunity, a Nascent Soul Dao Sword could be nurtured within the soul. Once the Dao Sword emerged, it would almost ignore ordinary defenses and strike directly at the opponent's soul.

After pondering for a long time, Fang Xiao finally made his choice. He would take the second path. Once he broke through to the late Qi Condensation Stage, he would begin cultivating the Upper Elixir Condensing Spirit Refining Method, using the Sword Nurturing Gourd to protect his soul. As for the Great White Sword Pellet, he could only give it up.