Frost Thunder

The "Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique" excelled in sheer speed, and was adept at finding an enemy's openings in battle.

But amid such a raging inferno, ordinary movement techniques were nearly impossible to use. Yet Chu Ning could weave through the flames without a scratch.

Chu Ning's mind remained steady, utterly unaffected by Feng Li's roars.

He did not rush to counterattack. Instead, he continuously circulated the "Rough Stone Hardening Technique," "Hundred Steps Penetrating Willow," and various other techniques, gradually adapting to Feng Li's attacks.

His fist force was like mountains collapsing and peaks splitting apart. Every strike landed with a tremor through the void, reversing the airflow, as though even the air were being squeezed into explosive thunderclaps.

Finger winds shot out, piercing through the blazing flames and bringing with them sharp sonic booms. Like crossbow bolts tearing through the sky, they closed in on Feng Li's vital points with hair's-breadth precision.

However, the techniques themselves were not top-tier. What truly enraged Feng Li was Chu Ning's impossibly fast speed, as if he could never be captured.

"What are you doing, exactly?!" The more Feng Li fought, the angrier he became. He abruptly urged the true qi within his body, and the Li Fire Whip lashed out once more.

Chu Ning lightly tapped the ground with his foot. His entire body swept through the flames like a phantom, without even the hem of his clothes brushing against the firelight.

Feng Li's attack missed. A faint smile rippled across his eyes, seeming both playful and appraising.

"Interesting. Sure enough, actual combat is the best tempering."

At this moment, he was not merely exchanging blows with Feng Li. He was using the battle to temper his own techniques.

Feng Li jolted violently and finally realized the truth: Chu Ning was not seriously fighting him at all. He was using him as a target for his trials.

"Damn it!"

Feng Li's pupils contracted, the veins at his temples standing taut. His fury was like an oil barrel ignited by flames, erupting in an instant. He clenched his teeth hard, his eyes blazing with rage, humiliation, and even a faint trace of unease. He could not believe that he had actually been forced into such a state by someone of the "Tenth Rank Lower Grade"!

"Sky-Burning Violet Flame, emerge!"

In the next instant, a cluster of strange violet flames surged from within Feng Li. The air suddenly crackled with hissing, explosive sounds of burning. The temperature within several yards soared, as if even the void were about to be scorched.

Everyone from Marquis Wu's Estate changed color, and even Xie Mingli's expression darkened slightly.

"Feng Li actually used his Life Fire Seed..."

"That flame can incinerate all things! How can Young Master Chu withstand it?"

Just as everyone stared in shock, Chu Ning finally stopped dodging. His gaze abruptly sharpened like a blade.

"Now that's somewhat interesting... Then I'll let you see—"

He raised a hand and gripped the saber hilt. A thunderous momentum immediately burst from within him, and violent arcs of lightning exploded across the blade.

"Thunderclap Saber Art: Cloud-Splitting Style!" Chu Ning shouted in a low voice. In an instant, lightning erupted between heaven and earth like an Azure Dragon dancing madly, while thunder boomed and burst.

The long saber cleaved downward, its saber aura taking the shape of thunder and carrying the force of ten thousand jun as it hacked toward Feng Li. Lightning exploded along the edge of the blade, and the air instantly formed a vacuum. Deafening thunderclaps rang in every direction, as if the entire world were being torn apart by this single saber strike!

Violet flame and thunder clashed in midair before exploding with a boom. A terrifying shockwave swept in all directions. The buildings within the courtyard collapsed with a roar, and smoke and dust billowed everywhere.

Blood foam spilled from Feng Li's throat. The violet flames churned frantically in his palm, yet could not conceal the panic in his eyes. Before Chu Ning's blade had even arrived, the chill of Frost Thunder had already invaded his meridians, gnawing at his qi sea like a venomous snake.

"Second Form: Awakening of Insects—"

Before the words had even finished, the saber light exploded! The lightning was no longer searing violet electricity, but a colossal azure dragon wrapped in ice crystals. Wherever it passed, the flames froze and the air congealed.

Amid the fierce battle between the two, Xie Mingli's beautiful eyes widened as stormy waves surged through her heart.

"Young Master Chu... can actually fight Feng Li to a draw?!"

"H-He isn't a Tenth Rank Lower Grade? How can he be so powerful?!"

A young guard's saber clattered to the ground.

He did not notice at all, merely staring fixedly at the arcs of electricity leaping along Chu Ning's blade.

The veteran behind him abruptly seized him by the collar and rasped, "Keep your mouth shut! For someone of this caliber... Marquis Wu's Estate cannot bear to hear a second word."

Chu Ning tightened his grip on the Lightning Blade. Violet lightning coiled around his body, leaping through the air like writhing snakes. His aura was steady, his eyes sharp as saber edges, and he kept them locked on Feng Li opposite him.

Feng Li's face was livid, his eyes filled with chilling rage. Crimson flames slowly ignited in his palm. As they roiled, they resembled a roaring vicious beast, frantically devouring the surrounding air.

"Brat, do you really think that relying on a bit of Thunderous Force will let you block me?" Feng Li said in a low voice, his tone laced with a frigid killing intent.

Chu Ning smiled calmly and slowly raised his eyes. "Then use your strongest move."

Feng Li said no more. He abruptly spread both arms, and flames instantly swept across heaven and earth. In the next moment, he stamped his foot down. The entire ground exploded with a roar, and the flames surged toward Chu Ning like a raging tide.

Chu Ning's eyes sharpened. He instantly retreated, lightning exploding around him like ripples. However, Feng Li's attack was like an enraged dragon, giving him not the slightest chance to catch his breath.

"Sky-Burning Karmic Fire!" Feng Li roared and formed hand seals. Using the secret art of Li Fire Palace, he forcibly increased the flames' power. The blazing inferno behind him rapidly condensed into a flame war god. The several-yard-tall giant silhouette hovered in the void, and the temperature around it soared instantly, as if even the air were being scorched and distorted.

The instant the Sky-Burning Karmic Fire rose into the sky, the century-old Chinese scholar tree roots within the grounds of Marquis Wu's Estate shriveled and curled in the soil.

The flame war god's phantom behind Feng Li stood atop the totem of Li Fire Palace—a Three-Legged Golden Crow reborn from fire. Yet at this moment, violent fire serpents twisted it into a hideous ghost face.

Among the watching martial artists, an old man murmured in a trembling voice, "Li Fire Palace's 'Sacred Flame Manifestation'... The last time it appeared in the world was a century ago, during the demon tide that slaughtered an entire city!"

Feng Li's cultivation rose from Middle Ninth Rank to Upper Ninth Rank.

The giant phantom opened its crimson eyes and let out an ear-splitting roar before crashing down to suppress Chu Ning.

Chu Ning slightly furrowed his brows. Thunderous Force surged wildly through him. He raised a hand and swept it out, transforming the lightning into a long rainbow that hacked toward the flame war god. But though the lightning was fierce, it was still swallowed by the scorching flames.

"Thunderous Force can never compare to heavenly flames." Feng Li sneered. He slightly clenched his five fingers, and the flame war god's fist suddenly smashed downward.

The flaming giant fist descended with overwhelming force. Chu Ning abruptly raised his saber to block. In an instant, lightning and flames clashed, and a scorching tide exploded outward.

Yet in the next moment, the Thunderous Force was completely swallowed. The flames surged forth with unstoppable momentum!

Chu Ning's heart sank. The agony wracking his body made him realize that relying on Thunderous Force alone, he could not withstand this world-burning power.

He slowly raised a hand and pinched out a spell. A golden light pattern gradually emerged and imprinted itself between his brows.

The power of the Golden Cudgel Spell circulated through his body. Chu Ning felt as if something deep within his bloodline was awakening.

The lightning began to turn cold and severe. An unprecedented chill surged from the depths of his dantian and swept through his entire body along his meridians.

In an instant, the lightning was no longer pure violet electricity, but carried a chilling gleam of frost—Frost Thunder!

Ice-blue Frost Thunder sprang from his palm, carrying a chilling menace. Lightning and frost intertwined, forming a strange dual force.

Chu Ning slowly raised his head, and a faint, ghostly blue light flashed through his eyes. His sensitivity suddenly increased, and his battle awareness became clearer than ever before.

Feng Li's pupils constricted. He could sense that Chu Ning's aura had become completely different.

"What is this?" he murmured, a trace of unease sweeping through his heart.

Chu Ning did not answer. His figure blurred, and he suddenly closed in.

Feng Li saw only a blur before him. Chu Ning had already teleported to his side, and a fierce Frost Thunder saber ray had ripped through the air toward him.

"Damn it!" Feng Li roared and hurriedly thrust out his palm to block. But the instant his palm touched the Frost Thunder, he felt a bone-deep chill frantically eroding him.

"What kind of power is this?" Feng Li was horrified beyond words.