Water Screen.

Within the Water Screen.

Bing Tianxiao had no idea what was happening outside.

He toyed with the Essence radiating a violent thunderous power, a trace of admiration flashing through his eyes.

If he absorbed this thing, it would definitely help him break through to the Fourth-level Spirit Body. However...

He turned to look at the girl beside him, who was wiping her sword blade.

"Here."

Bing Tianxiao did not hesitate in the slightest and flicked his wrist.

The Essence that Ji Xuan had coveted so desperately flew toward Luo Li.

Luo Li instinctively reached out and caught it.

The instant it landed in her hand, a tingling electric current instantly spread throughout her body, making her pause slightly.

She lowered her head and looked at the Essence sparkling with lightning in her hand, surprise flashing through her eyes.

Then she raised her head and looked at Bing Tianxiao in confusion.

"What are you giving this to me for?"

"To improve your strength, of course."

Bing Tianxiao shrugged and said as if it were only natural:

"Didn't you say you were going to protect me? Your strength isn't even as great as mine right now. How am I supposed to feel comfortable entrusting my back to you?"

Luo Li's hand tightened slightly around the Essence.

A complicated emotion flashed through the girl's glasslike eyes.

There was gratitude, confusion, and also a trace of... warmth that could not be described or explained.

But in the next second, she flipped her wrist.

"Whoosh!"

The Thunder Kylin Beast Essence flew back into Bing Tianxiao's hand at an even greater speed than before.

Bing Tianxiao stared at Luo Li in astonishment.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Luo Li sheathed the Luoshen Sword, tidied her silver hair tousled by the wind, and said calmly and indifferently:

"I don't need it."

She raised her head, her eyes as clear as snowmelt from a mountaintop, and a proud air showing through them.

"If I want it, I'll take it myself!"

Bing Tianxiao froze for a moment, then shook his head helplessly and put the Essence back into his robes.

"Fine, fine, fine. You're right about everything. What a stubborn girl..."

"Since you don't want it, I'll take it without hesitation."

Over the next few days.

Bing Tianxiao found a secluded cave and began closed-door cultivation to absorb the Thunder Kylin Beast Essence.

The violent thunderous power rampaged through his body, tempering his flesh and bones.

The pain was as if his entire body were being dismantled and reassembled, enough to drive an ordinary person to the brink of collapse.

But Bing Tianxiao's expression remained unchanged, and he did not make a sound.

Only his constantly trembling body and the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead revealed the tempering he was undergoing.

Luo Li guarded the cave entrance, dressed in white that outshone snow, the Luoshen Sword laid across her knees.

For the past few days, she had not left his side.

Aside from occasionally going out to hunt a few Spirit Beasts foolish enough to provoke her for food, she spent the rest of her time sitting quietly there, protecting the boy inside the cave as he cultivated.

Finally, on the morning of the third day.

"Boom!"

A powerful aura erupted from deep within the cave, instantly scattering the snow piled at the entrance.

Immediately afterward, a tall, slender figure slowly walked out.

Bing Tianxiao was bare-chested, faint arcs of lightning flowing across his originally fair skin.

Fourth-level Spirit Body!

"How do you feel?"

Luo Li stood up, her gaze sweeping across the lightning flowing over his body as the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

"Better than ever."

Bing Tianxiao clenched his fist, feeling the power surging through him like a river, and a confident smile appeared on his face.

"Now, I could casually twist that brat Ji Xuan's head off and kick it around like a ball."

Just then, a melodious, ancient peal of bells suddenly rang out across the entire Spirit Road.

"Boom—boom—boom—"

The bell tolls were vast and mighty, echoing across the sky as if striking the depths of everyone's soul.

Immediately afterward, a grand voice rang through the heavens like a decree from a celestial god.

"The Spirit Crown Battle begins!"

Then, an incomparably clear image appeared in everyone's consciousness.

It was a towering mountain peak that pierced the clouds.

Mist swirled around the summit, while fierce winds howled.

And atop the highest precipice, a golden flag fluttered in the wind with a loud snap.

The emblems of the Five Great Academies were embroidered on the flag.

That was the Spirit Flag!

The symbol of claiming the Crown of the Spirit Road!

At the same time, an explanation of the rules appeared.

"The final chapter of the Spirit Road—the battle at the summit."

"Whoever claims the Spirit Flag shall become the Crown of the Spirit Road!"

Simple and straightforward, yet cruel to the extreme.

There was no unnecessary embellishment.

This meant that everyone who wanted to compete for this highest honor had to gather beneath that mountain.

Then they would have to step over the corpses of countless competitors and climb upward one step at a time.

That mountain was destined to become a hellish battlefield flowing with blood!

"Tsk, that's certainly simple and clear."

Bing Tianxiao slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

He rolled his neck, producing a series of crisp cracks.

"Looks like we don't have to rack our brains looking for Ji Xuan anymore. As long as we head in that direction, we'll run into him sooner or later."

Luo Li stood quietly to one side, her gaze fixed in the direction of the towering mountain that had appeared in their consciousness.

"Let's go."

The girl's voice was calm.

"Mm."

Bing Tianxiao nodded, casually picking up the clothes placed beside him and throwing them over his shoulders to cover his well-built upper body.

He picked up his longbow and slung the quiver over his back.

The figures of the two vanished from the spot, racing toward the towering mountain.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Spirit Road.

Mu Chen led Zhan Xiong swiftly through the jungle.

"Brother Mu, do you think we can snatch that thing called the 'Crown of the Spirit Road' this time?"

A flash of excitement shone in Zhan Xiong's eyes.

Hearing this, Mu Chen looked toward the distant mountain peak concealed in the mist, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

"We won't know whether we can take it until we fight for it."

He and Zhan Xiong appeared somewhat outnumbered, but Mu Chen had never been someone who would admit defeat easily.

And in a valley closer to Spirit Crown Mountain.

The atmosphere was especially oppressive.

Ji Xuan sat gloomily on a massive rock.

His original refined, scholarly bearing, as warm as jade, had long since vanished, replaced by savagery and gloom.

After learning the rules of the Spirit Crown Battle, his resentment toward Bing Tianxiao resurfaced once more.

If not for Bing Tianxiao and those others, with the sixty or seventy people he had originally gathered, the Spirit Crown would have been his and his alone!

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Ji Xuan suddenly punched the rock beside him, smashing the hard stone into pieces.

"Bing Tianxiao! Luo Li! I'll tear you both to pieces!"

"Brother Ji Xuan..."

Ge Hai spoke cautiously from the side.

"Now isn't the time to be angry. The Spirit Crown Battle has already begun. Although we've suffered heavy losses, we still have the strength to compete!"

Ji Xuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury in his heart as his gaze gradually turned cold and vicious.

"You're right."

He slowly rose to his feet, staring fixedly in the direction of Spirit Crown Mountain, a feral smile curling across his lips.

"Spirit Crown Mountain... That will be where they are buried!"

"Let's go! Even if only a few of us remain, the Crown of the Spirit Road will belong to me, Ji Xuan!"