The Yuan'an on the beach paid no attention to the onlookers around him. He put his palms together and silently chanted a mantra. The spiritual Heart Lamp of his mind shone like a wheel, illuminating his entire being.
He had just performed the Vajra Incantation on himself. The mantra transformed into invisible spiritual light that blessed his entire body from the outside in, making his body as hard as steel.
Golden Leaf Temple is a branch of Great Forest Temple, and its most important aspect is the complete transmission of Vajra Palm combined with Vajra Incantation.
It is precisely because of this tradition that Golden Leaf Temple has been able to establish itself firmly in Yunyang Prefecture.
The Vajra Palm is incredibly powerful and fierce; when combined with the Vajra Incantation, it can unleash the supreme and unbreakable power of Vajra.
Yuan'an knew that Zhou Wuji was skilled in Swordsmanship. Although he had never seen Zhou Wuji fight, he knew that Swordsmanship must emphasize changes in Movement Method.
Although the battle was confined to a specific location, he wouldn't underestimate Zhou Wuji, after all, the opponent's formidable reputation was earned through fighting.
With so many outsiders watching, if he loses, it means Golden Leaf Temple has lost. That carries a lot of weight.
Yuan'an then added the Divine Foot Incantation to his own power. Originally one of the six Divine Ability in Buddhism, it was simplified and adjusted by eminent monks throughout the ages, making it a mantra that even a Seventh Rank monk could use.
The Divine Foot Incantation increased his speed by at least 50%, but the dual spells doubled the Law Power consumption, making him unsuitable for prolonged battles.
Yuan'an had already devised a strategy, and immediately took action to force Zhou Wuji into a corner, giving him no chance to maneuver.
In such a small area, he could definitely send Zhou Wuji flying within ten or twenty moves.
Zhou Wuji stepped into the circle and bowed to Yuan'an, saying, "Please."
Looking down on monks is one thing, but being rude to their faces is what makes you lose face.
Yuan'an returned the greeting with his palms pressed together. "May Buddha have mercy, please."
Zhou Wuji didn't stand on ceremony anymore; without a sword, the martial arts he could use were very limited.
His Five Tigers Fist is very powerful, but it is not suitable for public display.
Strictly speaking, Heavenly Pivot Hand cannot be considered a martial art, but rather a method for training the fingers and palms.
With the variations of the Xiaoxiang Sword, it wouldn't be impossible to exchange a few blows with Yuan'an, but there's no need.
Zhou Wuji circulated True Qi through the Divine Aperture between his eyebrows, and simultaneously exhaled and inhaled True Qi through all nine orifices. The Mind Mirror hung high in the depths of his sea of consciousness, reflecting all the subtle changes inside and outside him.
Through the Mind Mirror, Zhou Wuji could perceive his own state as well as the state of Yuan'an seven steps away.
He could sense the magical energy and spiritual light attached to Yuan'an's body. This energy penetrated deep into Yuan'an's body and connected with his inner True Qi, making his body increasingly strong and resilient.
Over the past few days, Zhou Wuji has been observing this group of monks and has gained some understanding of their spells and martial arts.
Facing Yuan'an directly allowed him to see more clearly the changes in the Golden Leaf Temple's incantations and martial arts.
Zhou Wuji thought the monk's combination of magic and martial arts was very impressive. His spells were simple, his martial arts were powerful, and when combined, they could destroy evil spirits and ghosts, and also fight against martial artists head-on.
The problem with practicing both is that one's methods are inferior to those of Daoism, and one's martial arts are inferior to those of martial artists.
Of course, there are a few geniuses who can master multiple skills and become even more powerful than others who specialize in a single area.
Yuan'an was clearly not that kind of genius, at least not in Zhou Wuji's eyes.
Zhou Wuji's method of killing Chen Dalu was extremely skillful, but it relied on his personal strength, and there was not much trickery involved.
Although Yuan'an was tall and had strong Qi and Blood, he was far inferior to Chen Dalu, and he didn't feel any pressure at all.
Although Yuan'an possessed Heart Lamp, it could only illuminate himself, not Zhou Wuji.
Seeing that Zhou Wuji stood firmly, he immediately stepped forward with both palms and attacked Zhou Wuji.
With one palm forward and one back, one feint and one solid, he was using the Vajra Pushes the Mountain from the Vajra Palm.
Before Yuan'an even arrived, the surging palm force from his hands had already reached him.
The beach was empty, yet the deep, booming sound of the palm strike still clearly reached everyone's ears.
Those who can stand here to watch the battle, even if they are not martial artists, are at least proficient in combat techniques.
Even from a distance, they could see the immense power of that palm strike.
Everyone was amazed. They all knew that the monks of Golden Leaf Temple were fierce and powerful, and they knew how strong they were from fighting zombies in the past. Today, this monk was even more powerful and domineering, making them feel a lot of pressure.
The people in the Lower Court all looked solemn, feeling that this kind of battle was very disadvantageous for Zhou Wuji.
Regardless of their opinions of Zhou Wuji, they all hoped Zhou Wuji would win.
Seeing how fierce the monk was, everyone was a little worried.
To the surprise of the onlookers, Zhou Wuji did not dodge or retreat, but instead raised his hand and struck Yuan'an with his palm.
The Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot True Qi is pure and peaceful. Zhou Wuji transforms the True Qi into an invisible palm force through the Heavenly Pivot Hand, which does not have the power of the Vajra Palm.
However, his total True Qi reached 2,400, which is considered a very high level even among those at the Sixth Rank rank. His Divine Sense level was even higher.
The concentrated palm force, like an invisible, heavy hammer, slammed straight towards Yuan'an.
Yuan'an can see the changes in the invisible True Qi through his Heart Lamp, and he can also sense the powerful and profound True Qi that is bombarding him.
He was also greatly surprised; could Seventh Rank cultivator possess such powerful True Qi?
Without time to think, Yuan'an unleashed both palms simultaneously, exchanging a blow with Zhou Wuji from a distance.
The two palm strikes produced a loud boom. Yuan'an was forced back three steps by the force of the palm strike before he could barely steady himself, but his bronze-like face was already flushed.
The powerful and direct clash of palms left his arms numb and his legs weak, and his eyes turned bloodshot from the pressure of the force.
The aftershocks of their palm strikes spread out, blasting a large crater about ten feet in diameter into the beach. Sand even flew dozens of feet away, covering many spectators in the face and head.
Everyone was shocked. Zhou Wuji wasn't a Daoist priest, so how could he use his True Qi to attack without using Law Technique, and how could his palm strikes be so powerful that Yuan'an was forced to retreat repeatedly?
Even those without much insight could see that both sides had suffered a great loss against Zhang Yuan'an.
Monk Xinjue remained outwardly calm, but inwardly Xinjue a sense of foreboding. No wonder Zhou Wuji was so arrogant; this man's True Qi cultivation was so profound... it didn't seem like he was only at the Seventh Rank rank...
Zhou Wuji did not rush to make a move. He used half of his True Qi in this palm strike. Although it was crude and direct, it was enough to deal with Yuan'an.
Once Yuan'an caught his breath, Zhou Wuji cast another Vajra Incantation on himself, then gracefully took three steps forward before raising his palm in a feint strike once more.
The two sides were only seven steps apart, leaving no room for Yuan'an to retreat or dodge.
Yuan'an unleashed his True Qi with both palms, unleashing the Vajra Pushes the Mountain once more. This time, there was no feint or real attack; both palms unleashed their full power with fierce force.
The two palms clashed again, and with a loud bang, the ground exploded into a large crater once more. Yuan'an staggered back three steps.
This time, blood trickled from the corner of Yuan'an's mouth, and his dark complexion turned pale. His knees were so weak that he could barely support his body, and he had to bend over to adjust his posture before he could stand up.
Seeing Yuan'an's miserable state, Zhou Wuji asked softly, "Shall we continue?"
Yuan'an, however, Qi Ingestion. He didn't believe that Zhou Wuji could continuously unleash his True Qi.
He formed Law Seals and cast the Sweet Dew Incantation on himself. A flash of azure light appeared, and the stagnant Qi and Blood in his body were immediately cleared by the azure light. He also regained control of his muscles and bones and sensed the strong Qi and Blood in his body.
Yuan'an straightened his body and shouted loudly, "Again!"
This time, Zhou Wuji did not advance further; instead, he raised his palm again in a feint.
Yuan'an glared and raised both palms to retaliate.
The distance between the two increased by three steps this time, but Zhou Wuji's palm force was as mighty as a surging river, and it did not weaken despite the increased distance.
Even Yuan'an couldn't withstand the release of his True Qi in this way, and the force he exerted with his palms was less than 80% of what it had been before. Zhou Wuji's palm force, however, was vast and surging, immediately suppressing Yuan'an's palm force and causing it to collapse.
The remaining palm force struck Yuan'an directly, causing him to stagger back seven steps. When he finally managed to regain his footing, his heels were just inches away from stepping into the circle he had drawn.
Fearing he would be forced out of the group, Yuan'an pushed off with both feet, sinking more than half a foot into the sand before managing to stand still.
With such forceful exertion, Yuan'an was already bleeding from all seven orifices, his breath was weak, and most importantly, his internal organs had been severely injured by the blow. Yet, he forced himself to straighten his body and silently chanted incantations to regulate his breathing.
Seeing that Yuan'an was still fighting so stubbornly, Zhou Wuji had to admit that the monk was indeed brave and fierce, even though he didn't like him.
The opponent still had the will to fight, but unfortunately, they no longer had the strength to fight.
He looked at the abbot, Xinjue, who was surrounded by a group of monks, and asked him what he meant.
Let's see if the old monk is willing to gamble on his inability to continue circulating his True Qi, or if he wants his disciple to decisively admit defeat.
The old monk, Xinjue he couldn't see through Zhou Wuji's state, hesitated for a moment before speaking up, " Wuji, your cultivation is truly profound. We have lost this match."
The old monk couldn't bear to see his disciple fight so desperately; he was already seriously injured, and if the fight continued, he might die.
A bet that has no real significance isn't worth it.
When Yuan'an heard the host concede defeat, his fighting spirit vanished, and he fainted instantly.
Many monks rushed forward to help Yuan'an, some casting spells, others feeding him water and medicine, all working together in a flurry of activity.
Yuanjing walked up to Zhou Wuji and shouted, "Golden Leaf Temple has always been on good terms with Cloud Dragon Lower Court. Why did you use such force during our sparring?!"
Yuanjing is one of the Four Vajra of Golden Leaf Temple. He is shorter than Yuan'an but more agile, and his martial arts and magical skills surpass Yuan'an's.
He confronted Zhou Wuji, partly out of anger and partly because he had witnessed Zhou Wuji unleashing his True Qi in succession.
If Zhou Wuji was not Qi Ingestion, he could challenge him on the spot and save face for his junior brother.
Zhou Wuji saw Yuanjing Yuan Jing's little scheme; this monk was petty and cunning, but he didn't care at all.
He asked softly, "Are you sore losers?"
One sentence made Yuanjing's face turn red. He was about to challenge him Xinjue the old monk snort, " Yuanjing, why aren't you back yet?"
The old monk Xinjue clasped his Xinjue together in a gesture of respect to Zhou Wuji from afar and chanted a Buddhist prayer, but said nothing.
The old monk, mindful of his status, didn't want to argue with Zhou Wuji.
Besides, this battle was lost decisively; if we were to drag it out any longer, we simply couldn't afford to lose...
Wuming rushed over, her face beaming with joy, and said, "Senior brother is amazing!"
She glanced at the monks of Golden Leaf Temple, then lowered her voice and said, "These monks are so arrogant..."
Zhou Wuji laughed. With so many people around, he couldn't get Wuming. He had wanted to hold her hand, but he had to force himself to restrain himself.
After winning the bet, everyone in Cloud Dragon Lower Court cheered with joy, not only to celebrate their victory, but also because they could finally return to the Lower Court to rest...
After several days of running around on Old Dragon Island, everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
That is why everyone was very grateful to Zhou Wuji.
Even Wuai came over and said a few flattering words to Zhou Wuji, behaving very politely, even somewhat respectfully.
Before Wuai, he was not Qi Ingestion Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship, and even after a match, he was still not entirely Qi Ingestion.
Until that day, when Cloud River Tower witnessed Zhou Wuji wielding a sword and killing people like cutting grass, he was truly shocked and even frightened.
Seeing Zhou Wuji defeat Yuan'an with three palm strikes today, he realized that the gap between them was too great. He had completely lost the will to compare with Zhou Wuji, so his attitude was very respectful.
Zhou Wuji never actually considered Wuai an enemy; he simply hadn't paid much attention to this person. Wu'ai was initially arrogant but later became obsequious, but Zhou Wuji didn't take it seriously, only exchanging a few polite words with him.
The group had barely returned to the Lower Court when Zhou Wuji heard some bad news: Zhiyuan was leaving, and the new abbot had arrived...
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