How Can You Not Even Break My Defense, Senior Brother?

Around the arena.

Not many people had originally been watching Lin Yuan.

After all, more than a dozen arenas had opened at the same time this round.

Compared to two more famous disciples of similar realms fighting each other, an Earth Immortal Peak facing an Early Heavenly Immortal had an outcome with little suspense no matter how one looked at it.

Zhou Yuan thought so too.

Although their cultivation levels were separated by only one major realm.

After entering the immortal realms, however, the gap at every step became extremely pronounced.

Earth Immortals refined the qi of the earth veins.

Heavenly Immortals, meanwhile, could further commune with the pure spiritual essence of heaven and earth, transforming both the quality and quantity of their mana.

Under normal circumstances.

An Early Heavenly Immortal would have little trouble fighting three to five Earth Immortal Peaks.

"Be careful, Junior Brother."

Zhou Yuan offered a reminder.

Then he pointed with two fingers.

The sword on his back flew from its sheath with a ringing clang!

Whoosh!

The sword light split into three in midair.

They slashed toward Lin Yuan simultaneously from three directions.

There was no killing intent.

But their power was absolutely not weak.

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

His Innate Spiritual Perception instantly spread out.

The three sword rays that looked lightning-fast to others had exceptionally clear trajectories in his perception.

The one on the left was a feint.

The one on the right was a feint as well.

Only the central strike concealed the true killing move.

Lin Yuan had originally intended to dodge.

But just as he moved his feet, he suddenly stopped.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan frowned slightly.

"Can't react in time?"

The next moment.

The three streams of sword light had already fallen.

Boom!

Dazzling spiritual light exploded in the center of the arena.

Several disciples nearby instinctively turned to look.

"So fast?"

"Senior Brother Zhou Yuan is really something. He's only at Earth Immortal Peak, yet Senior Brother went this hard on the first move."

"Don't worry, the arena formation will protect his life."

Yet before the smoke and dust had dispersed.

A voice already came from within.

"Senior Brother Zhou."

"Is that all?"

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

The smile on Zhou Yuan's face stiffened as well.

The wind blew away the smoke and dust.

Lin Yuan was still standing where he had been.

His Daoist robe fluttered slightly from the sword qi.

There was even a faint sword mark visible over his chest.

But that was all.

No blood.

No injury.

It had not even broken his skin.

"Hm?"

Zhou Yuan's brow truly furrowed now.

Although he had only used fifty percent of his strength in that sword strike, it was definitely not light for an Earth Immortal Peak.

How had it failed to injure him at all?

Lin Yuan, meanwhile, lowered his head and touched his chest.

His impression was even more direct.

The instant the sword qi struck his body, the Blackstone Dao Body activated on its own.

His flesh, blood, and bones seemed to turn into divine stone tempered through countless years.

Most of the force was directly diverted into the arena beneath his feet.

As for the little that remained...

It really was about the same as a scratch.

Lin Yuan's eyes immediately lit up.

This was a Heavenly Immortal.

Even if it had only been fifty percent of his strength.

Lin Yuan had not used any defensive spirit treasures either.

Senior Sister Shiji's reward had truly been worth it.

"Senior Brother Zhou."

Lin Yuan raised his head.

"Did you not eat just now?"

A wave of suppressed laughter immediately rose from outside the arena.

A vein throbbed on Zhou Yuan's forehead.

"Junior Brother."

"That was merely a test."

"It won't be so easy from here on."

"Come on."

Lin Yuan raised a hand.

"I'm young."

"I can take it."

Zhou Yuan: "..."

Why was this brat's mouth so punchable?

Boom!

Heavenly Immortal mana erupted completely.

The long sword traced an arc through the air, and sword qi gathered all across the sky.

This time.

Zhou Yuan used eighty percent of his strength.

"Greenwood Slash!"

A green sword ray dozens of zhang long crashed down.

Lin Yuan still did not dodge.

He even held the Thick Earth Sword in his hand without drawing it.

"Has he gone mad?"

"He's still taking it head-on?"

"Zhou Yuan is serious with this strike already!"

Rumble!

The sword ray smashed straight into Lin Yuan's shoulder.

The arena beneath his feet shook violently.

Lin Yuan's body sank downward.

His feet forcefully stamped two shallow pits into the stone surface of the arena.

The Daoist robe over his shoulder was sliced open.

The skin beneath finally bore a pale mark.

Then...

That was it.

Zhou Yuan's eyes widened bit by bit.

"???"

The people outside the arena fell quiet as well.

This was not right.

The first time, it was still understandable that fifty percent of his strength had failed to break Lin Yuan's defense.

But now he had used eighty percent.

And there was only a pale mark?

"What body-tempering divine art does Junior Brother Lin practice?"

"I can't tell."

"Since when did Senior Sister Jin Ling's lineage have such a powerful body-tempering art?"

On the raised platform.

Duobao was drawn over by the commotion and turned to take a glance.

Then he softly uttered, "Oh?"

Jin Ling sat not far away, her expression calm.

She already knew that Lin Yuan had obtained the Blackstone Dao Body.

But knowing was one thing.

Actually seeing the Blackstone Dao Body in the hands of an Earth Immortal withstand eighty percent of a Heavenly Immortal's strength and leave only a pale mark was another matter entirely.

"This karmic connection with Junior Sister Shiji has brought him quite a bit of Creation Fortune."

The corners of Jin Ling's lips lifted slightly.

On the arena.

Zhou Yuan was already beginning to doubt his life.

"I don't believe it."

As soon as the words fell.

He gripped his sword with both hands.

Heavenly Immortal mana poured into it without reservation.

A faint green glow appeared over the entire arena.

"Junior Brother!"

"I'll control the force of this strike."

"If you cannot withstand it, admit defeat immediately!"

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Senior Brother, you're actually quite a nice guy."

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched again.

"Slash!"

Boom!

This sword light was sharper than either of the previous two.

Lin Yuan finally did not simply stand there and take the blow.

His Innate Spiritual Perception told him.

He could take this strike.

But taking it head-on would genuinely injure him.

In that case.

He might as well try the thing he had just learned.

Lin Yuan took half a step back with his left foot.

His waist sank slightly.

The power of the Blackstone Dao Body traveled from the soles of his feet up through his spine before gathering in his right arm.

This was a method of exerting force he had adjusted for himself after reinterpreting the Basic Shangqing Sword Formula over the past three months.

The Thick Earth Sword left its sheath.

There was no dazzling sword light.

There was only a heavy, almost solid, earth-yellow sword qi.

Bang!

The two attacks collided head-on.

Zhou Yuan's Azure Wood Swordlight halted for a moment.

Then it exploded from the middle!

"What?!"

Zhou Yuan's expression had just changed.

When Lin Yuan had already charged through the lingering spiritual light.

He was not particularly fast.

But the distance between them was too short.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan instinctively raised his sword.

But Lin Yuan did not draw his sword.

He raised his left hand.

One punch!

Bang—!

The dull impact rang across the arena.

Zhou Yuan felt as if a mountain boulder falling from the sky had smashed straight into him.

His protective magic power was instantly scattered.

His body flew dozens of yards away.

In the end, he landed on his backside outside the arena.

The entire venue fell silent.

Zhou Yuan sat on the ground.

His head was still buzzing.

He lowered his head and looked at the distinct fist mark on his chest.

Then he looked up at Lin Yuan on the arena.

For a long while, he could not say a word.

The enforcement disciple was similarly stunned for a moment.

Before finally announcing:

"Lin Yuan wins!"

Whoosh!

The crowd immediately erupted.

"He really won?"

"An Earth Immortal Peak knocked a Heavenly Immortal off the stage with one punch?"

"The key is that Zhou Yuan never even broke through his defense!"

"How is this junior brother an Earth Immortal? He's a damn sentient boulder!"

Lin Yuan's face darkened when he heard that last remark.

Could they even talk properly?

What did they mean, a sentient boulder?

This was the Blackstone Dao Body.

High-end stuff.

He put away the Thick Earth Sword and walked off the arena.

The burly senior brother from earlier was already waiting outside.

His expression was especially complicated.

"Junior Brother."

"You said earlier that you were playing it safe?"

Lin Yuan nodded seriously.

"Yeah."

"I realized I could win, so I didn't surrender."

The burly senior brother opened his mouth.

He suddenly felt that it made perfect sense.

Yet something still seemed strange.

Before he could figure it out.

The results of the second round of drawing had already appeared.

Lin Yuan raised his head.

His name appeared once more.

This time, his opponent was also a Heavenly Immortal.

And his cultivation had already reached—

Mid Heavenly Immortal.

What his opponent was most famous for, however, was not his realm.

It was his escape technique.

The burly senior brother's expression immediately turned serious when he saw the matchup.

"Junior Brother Lin."

"You need to be careful in this match."

"That senior brother might not be much stronger than Zhou Yuan in a direct fight."

"But his Cloud Shadow Escape is extremely fast."

"In past matches, he loved exhausting his opponents' magic power before making his move."

Lin Yuan did not grow nervous after hearing this.

He merely stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Fast runner?

What he feared least right now—

Seemed to be people playing hide-and-seek with him.