The Challenge (Part 1)

Zhan Qing bowed and walked out of the secret chamber. Wu Yunhe then said to Yan Chihuo, "In terms of artifact refining, I have nothing left to teach you; all you lack is experience. The deal between your master and me is finally concluded, so you need not come here again starting tomorrow."

Yan Chihuo looked at the Soul-Breaking Sword in his hand, now inscribed with twelve restrictions, and bowed to Wu Yunhe, saying, "Many thanks for your guidance, Elder Wu." He meant these words sincerely; although Wu Yunhe had remained as cold as midwinter ice toward him for the past year and a half, he had truly expended a great deal of effort in teaching him the craft, bound by his promise.

After Yan Chihuo left, Wu Yunhe shook his head and muttered to himself, "This Yan Chihuo is truly a natural-born artifact refiner. Even if I were to attempt these twelve restrictions, I could do no better. It is a pity that he is a disciple of Ping Qi."

Yan Chihuo left the Artifact Refining Pavilion in high spirits. As he walked along the path, three disciples of the Cloud Soaring Sect suddenly appeared before him. One of them was the recently departed Zhan Qing, and he recognized the other two as fellow disciples of Wu Yunhe, named Zhong Yun and Hong Lie. Zhong Yun was at the Body Forging Late Stage, while the other two were at the Body Tempering Middle Stage.

These three usually had no interaction with Yan Chihuo, but Zhan Qing felt quite sullen after losing to Yan Chihuo in the inscription of restrictions earlier. As the most skilled refiner among Wu Yunhe's disciples, Zhan Qing had a small reputation in the Artifact Refining Pavilion and had always been arrogant.

Yan Chihuo did not want to provoke them and was about to walk around them when Zhan Qing stretched out a hand and said, "Junior Brother Yan, please stay a moment."

Yan Chihuo asked, "Senior Brother Zhan, what can I do for you?"

Zhan Qing replied, "Junior Brother Yan's heaven-sent talent has resonated throughout our sect. My two fellow disciples and I would like to spar with you."

Yan Chihuo knew that Zhan Qing was resentful about losing the refining contest earlier. Since it was Wu Yunhe who had made the assessment, Zhan Qing could not possibly doubt his own master, so he had come to find him instead.

He smiled slightly and said, "This humble one is of dull talent; how could I compare to the three of you? Let us skip the sparring."

Zhong Yun interjected, "One who can slay the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon is considered a figure of note in our sect, so do not be overly modest, Junior Brother. Besides, Uncle-Master Ping was once a prominent figure in our sect; would your actions not cause him to lose face?"

Yan Chihuo replied, "I have been in the sect for less than two years, have never learned any Daoist magic before this, and my cultivation is far inferior. To fight the three of you would be a certain defeat. That is no shame, nor would it diminish my master's reputation."

Zhan Qing said, "There is no need to decline, Junior Brother. Senior Brother Zhong's cultivation is a level higher than yours, but this is a spar, so it is impossible to fight to a draw; you shall compete with him for the duration of one incense stick. As for Hong and me, our cultivation is only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage, no different from yours, so no one needs to hold back. We are just fellow disciples testing our skills, stopping at the point of contact."

Yan Chihuo knew this battle was unavoidable and said, "Since that is the case, I ask that the three Senior Brothers show mercy."

The four found a flat area several dozen feet across. Hong Lie stepped out first, holding a curved blade, and took a stance, saying, "Junior Brother Yan, please."

Yan Chihuo replied, "Senior Brother Hong, please go first." In the Cloud Soaring Sect, it was the rule that the elder should strike first during sparring between disciples. Yan Chihuo did not want to give the other party any excuse.

Hong Lie let out a loud shout and slashed down. As the blade fell, a stone the size of a millstone dropped from the air—this was the Falling Rock Art. Yan Chihuo drifted to the side. He saw Hong Lie shift his blade horizontally, and the large stones in the air followed suit.

The Falling Rock Art usually involved dropping stones from above, but Hong Lie could change the direction of the stones at will, showing he had put significant effort into the technique.

Yan Chihuo kicked his toe against a stone, using the force to leap into the air. No matter how strong Hong Lie's Falling Rock Art was, it was difficult to strike from below.

Hong Lie swung his giant blade upward, but Yan Chihuo's long sword was already out. He tapped the giant blade, slid down the length of it, and thrust toward Hong Lie's flank.

Hong Lie was about to turn and dodge, but his foot caught in the sand. Realizing he was in trouble, he tried to cast a spell, but felt a slight pain in his flank and heard Yan Chihuo say, "Senior Brother Hong, I concede the victory to you."

Hong Lie knew he had lost; he lowered his head in silence and turned back. He had been quite conceited, thinking that although his cultivation was on par with Yan Chihuo's, his years of practice would ensure he wouldn't lose a spar. He never expected to be defeated so quickly. He was so dejected that he didn't even offer a polite closing remark.

Seeing this, Zhan Qing gave a dry laugh and said, "Junior Brother Yan is truly remarkable; your Imprisoning Earth technique has reached such a level." It turned out that Yan Chihuo had used the Imprisoning Earth spell in that strike.

The Imprisoning Earth spell was an earth-attribute binding technique. Once cast, it would cause the opponent to sink into shifting sand and also provided a certain degree of restraint against the Earth Shrinking Step. The twelve restrictions on Yan Chihuo's Soul-Breaking Sword were precisely this Imprisoning Earth spell.

Zhan Qing said, "It is my turn now, Junior Brother Yan. You must be careful." As he finished speaking, his figure suddenly vanished and immediately reappeared in front of Yan Chihuo, his large axe swinging down.

Earth Shrinking Step! Zhan Qing could also use this technique. Yan Chihuo was slightly startled, swinging his Soul-Breaking Sword to parry while retreating. He was no longer the person he had been a year and a half ago, when he could only use a suicidal tactic to counter the Earth Shrinking Step—though this was also because Zhan Qing's mastery of the technique was not yet perfect.

Before Yan Chihuo could steady himself, a hundred or so giant stones fell from the sky. The Falling Rock Art again! As an artifact refiner, Zhan Qing possessed many Talisman Artifacts, allowing him to cast these two spells not only instantly but in a seemingly seamless combination.

Yan Chihuo twisted his body like a slippery fish, weaving through the gaps between the stones without being struck by a single one. Over the past year and a half, his mastery of spells had deepened; although he had not mastered the Earth Shrinking Step, his footwork had become much faster, and his senses were far sharper.

Although Zhan Qing had many Talisman Artifacts and could cast multiple spells instantly, the sheer variety meant he lacked focus—a case of being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. If this Falling Rock Art had been cast by Hong Lie, Yan Chihuo would not have been confident in escaping unscathed.

Yan Chihuo swung his sword, and Zhan Qing felt his feet go soft. Realizing the opponent had used Imprisoning Earth again, he hurriedly attempted the Earth Shrinking Step. Imprisoning Earth not only turned the ground into quicksand to trap an opponent but also acted as a restraint against cultivators using the Earth Shrinking Step with earth-attribute energy. However, if the cultivator using Imprisoning Earth had lower cultivation or less refined technique than their opponent, it would be ineffective.