Gaining First Place, Condensing Ancient Characters

Lu Xuan knew that with the arts he currently cultivated, he could not defeat Wei Zhixing.

This was a fellow disciple of extraordinary comprehension and stunning talent.

But Lu Xuan had his own advantages as well.

Spiritual Sense, Heartfire, the Origin Astral Heart Band.

He had opened his Spiritual Sense with a top-grade Class A spiritual item, then consumed the Suspended Heart Millet Pearl Pill. His Heartfire had also received the empowerment of ancient characters. With all these advantages converging, his cultivation in Spiritual Sense far surpassed others at the same realm.

And the Origin Astral Heart Band was an art supported by mental intent, capable of fixing a Demon Cultivator's thoughts and physical body in place.

Yet it could be used against humans as well.

Lu Xuan did not seek any profound mystery from this art. So long as it could condense his Spiritual Sense and Heartfire and strike at Wei Zhixing, that was enough.

His foundations were deep enough. Even if the Origin Astral Heart Band was not a supreme art, he could force it into becoming supreme!

"Clang!"

No sooner said than done.

Heartfire was already incomparably swift, as fast as lightning and sparks from flint.

It was only that Lu Xuan had not gone all out before. This time, however, he held nothing back, so there was no longer any process of burning through arts or magical artifacts.

In but an instant, the Heartfire invaded Wei Zhixing's Consciousness Sea.

Scorching, resplendent, binding.

Had it been an ordinary little demon at the Qi Refining First Layer, its Consciousness Sea would have been bound by the Golden Hoop in a breath, its every thought burned straight to ash, leaving it a walking corpse.

"Boom!"

Even Wei Zhixing felt his thoughts turn incomparably feverish.

Though there was no flame around him, all five senses felt searing hot, making him want to slap at his own face.

"Boom!!"

Yet Wei Zhixing was no ordinary man.

He had gathered Dry Yang True Qi, inherently supremely hard and supremely yang, granting him powerful resistance against arts such as Heartfire. Moreover, it was now noon. The Qi Sea and Spiritual Sense around him abruptly surged, his strength greatly increasing. This was precisely the height of his power.

This bought him an immensely precious moment to catch his breath, preventing his thoughts from being burned to ash in an instant and allowing him to resist.

"—Rustle!"

Within his Consciousness Sea, a phantom feather quietly manifested. Not only that, the feather trembled, carrying brilliant streaming radiance, vaguely gathering into a vision that resembled both bird and phoenix, blocking the incoming Golden Hoop.

A Daoist art: Great Sun Golden Plume.

It was an art of utmost yang and utmost hardness, capable of resisting all manner of external evils, while also turning feathers into swords to assault and kill enemy cultivators.

Exceptionally formidable.

But the Heartfire upon that Golden Hoop was simply too overbearing, as though it sought to burn all creation dry.

Furthermore, the Golden Hoop was like a "rising sun," endlessly drawing in the Spiritual Impetus of the great sun. As time passed, the power of the art did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it grew ever stronger.

"Boom!"

In but a moment, the Great Sun Golden Plume was forcibly burned away, annihilated without a trace.

"—Hiss!"

Wei Zhixing forcibly activated his escape light, attempting to flee from Lu Xuan. At the same time, his hands moved with astonishing speed as he immediately raised a golden lamp.

The instant the lamp lit up, the Spiritual Sense within his Consciousness Sea seemed to receive replenishment and immediately began to surge.

"Boom!!"

But as he raised the golden lamp, the Heartfire upon the Golden Hoop had already flooded forth into a vast river and ocean, like a crimson canopy covering his entire Consciousness Sea.

Had someone been able to enter Wei Zhixing's Consciousness Sea at that moment, they would have seen a crimson sea of fire sweeping across heaven and earth with world-ending momentum, tightly surrounding a dim feather.

"—Clang!"

Amid the roiling Heartfire, the Golden Hoop descended and forcibly settled over that "feather."

Above the great river, Wei Zhixing's body abruptly stiffened, the light vanishing from his eyes.

Moreover, invisible flames began to burn his thoughts.

"Boom!"

Yet just as the Heartfire began to burn, Lu Xuan forcibly activated his art and recalled the boundless Heartfire along with the Golden Hoop.

The moment the Golden Hoop withdrew, Wei Zhixing's thoughts immediately stirred back to life, and his awareness returned.

But his face remained somewhat dazed.

"Senior Brother Wei, are you all right?"

Lu Xuan asked with concern.

His Origin Astral Heart Band, paired with Burning Heart Sunfire, was truly tyrannical and vast. Had he failed to stop in time, Wei Zhixing's thoughts would have been burned away entirely in merely two breaths, turning him into a walking corpse. Yet even though Lu Xuan had withdrawn in time, Wei Zhixing likely could not avoid suffering some minor injury.

But against Wei Zhixing, Lu Xuan could only go all out.

Only after hearing Lu Xuan's words did Wei Zhixing raise his head. A wisp of invisible fire escaped from his mouth and nose, and then he shook his head.

Afterward, he said no more. He merely walked quietly into the crowd, closed his eyes, and remained silent, though his fingertips continued to move, as if deducing something.

Lu Xuan smiled at the sight. He then gave everyone a Daoist salute and asked with a smile,

"Senior Brother Zhan, Senior Sister Ning, fellow junior brothers—if there are no objections, may I take first place in this Sword-Dueling Assembly?"

Zhan Qingyang and the others exchanged glances, then all returned a Daoist salute.

"Greetings, First Place!"

Victory in the sword duel brought the honor of first place, after which they would join forces to slay demons. This had been agreed upon from the start, so naturally no one objected.

Moreover, Lu Xuan had already proven his strength.

One flame suppressed every art.

From beginning to end, Lu Xuan had used only one art.

Yet this single art possessed the tyranny of the rising sun, before which all stars hid away.

Once the mind was set aflame, no matter how many arts one possessed, they were useless.

It was an utterly terrifying crushing advantage in Spiritual Sense, peerless among cultivators of the same generation.

"It was merely a small contest on the island. Senior brothers and sisters, please rise quickly. When we head out to slay demons, we can join forces then."

Lu Xuan gave a soft laugh and hurriedly helped everyone to their feet.

When he had just raised his head to ask the cultivators, it had been to confirm his position as first place, so the Jade Disc could condense its characters.

Now, azure light flowed brilliantly across the Jade Disc, and characters had quietly begun to take shape. Since that was so, there was no need to put on airs as first place.

After all, it was merely a private little contest.

Everyone rose, though inwardly they remained convinced of his superiority.

A private contest was still a contest. A loss was a loss. Lu Xuan had earned this honor, and it was only right.

"Since all senior brothers and sisters are here, why do we not discuss Mystic Master's demon-slaying assessment?"

After everyone had risen, Lu Xuan took the initiative to ask.

The most important reason he had arranged this Sword-Dueling Assembly was naturally to condense the Ancient Characters on the Jade Disc, but it had also been to learn everyone's methods in preparation for venturing out together.

Little remained of the one-year term, and everyone had completed only one assessment.

The remaining demon-slaying and cultivation had to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

Cultivation could not be rushed, but demon-slaying could. And once successful, it could also bring cultivation resources.

Killing two birds with one stone.

"Junior Brother is a man with ideas. If you have something in mind, just say it. You are first place."

Zhan Qingyang said with a smile, allowing Lu Xuan to take charge.

Lu Xuan shook his head. "If we find an evil demon that must be slain, then as first place, I naturally will not shirk my duty. But right now, the demons are nowhere to be found. One man's wisdom is short, so I can only seek the counsel of my many senior brothers and sisters."

This was the most vexing issue in the "slay evil demons" portion.

Where could they find evil demons?

Across the Jade Court Mountain Range, stretching hundreds of thousands of li, they might struggle to find even a single one.

Lu Xuan had begun planning for this matter three months ago, but even now, he had found no clue.

Either there was news of an evil demon, but it was far too distant and the information had long since become outdated.

Or it was utterly baseless, wind from an empty cave.

Or else it was a mighty Violet Palace demon, one they had no way of slaying at all.

Ning Wanqing pondered for a moment before saying, "I do have some information."

"However, there may be some risk. Whether we should go will still depend on the opinions of all senior brothers and junior brothers."