Chapter 42 (continued)

With Shen Duheng not home and no one supervising him, he even skipped sleep.

His cultivation progressed quite well.

Shan Heyuan could clearly feel that his meridians were more resilient, his Spiritual Power was more abundant, and even the foundation in his Dantian had become more solid. The Illusionless Tree and the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout in his Dantian were also growing well.

As he diligently cultivated, the day arrived for his second major competition with Lin Ji.

Lin Ji was so famous that disciples from all the academies came to see him.

As a teaching assistant in the Planting Institute, Shan Heyuan was not exactly an unknown figure, and many disciples came to encourage him.

As a result of their fame, the practice area for their matches was surrounded by crowds, three or four deep.

In other words, Shan Heyuan doesn't have the problem of getting nervous in front of people; otherwise, with so many people watching, he probably wouldn't even be able to use his moves.

Looking at the crowd, Shan Heyuan took a deep breath and whispered to Jiang Zhi and Li Jian beside him, "I'll go in first."

Jiang Zhi patted him on the shoulder. "Compete well, try to show our true level."

Shan Heyuan smiled and nodded.

The disciples made way for Shan Heyuan, who calmly entered the training ground.

Lin Ji also came in from the other side.

The training ground was extremely spacious; a person standing inside would be like a sesame seed on a large plate.

Shan Heyuan and Lin Ji exchanged greetings.

The three referees checked the formation and the two men's condition, and after confirming that everything was in order, the chief referee gave the order, and the competition officially began.

Knowing he was at a disadvantage, Shan Heyuan completely ignored what Lin Ji was doing. As soon as the competition started, he threw out Golden Silk Dense Moss from his storage bracelet, followed by a large pile of Law Artifact, talismans, and Spirit Plant seeds.

In the blink of an eye, the area where he was located was surrounded by a thick fog emitted by the Spirit Plant.

Law Artifact, talismans, and Spirit Plant tightly surrounded him, enveloping him in a thick "shell."

He threw the Spirit Plant so fast that the onlookers, who initially thought the fight would be uninteresting, were surprised to find he had such skill.

Instantly, gasps of surprise erupted from the audience.

Shan Heyuan faintly heard the voices below, and felt a slight sense of relief. He thought with a touch of smugness, "If I can't beat him, hiding for a while shouldn't be a problem, right?"

With so many Law Artifacts, talismans, and Spirit Plant, even Core Formation Cultivator might need some time to decipher them.

In this hack, he can manipulate Spirit Plant to launch effective attacks.

Although the chances of beating Lin Ji are slim, a close and even match is a victory in itself.

His use of all his methods might intimidate other opponents and reduce trouble in the chaotic battle.

The fog in the training ground was too thick, and Shan Heyuan was engrossed in frantically stimulating the growth of Spirit Plant, completely ignoring the situation on Lin Ji's side.

Therefore, he was unaware of Lin Ji's actions.

Until that sword—

That earth-shattering sword strike slashed horizontally towards Shan Heyuan.

Even the dense fog couldn't block the gleaming sword light.

One sword can shatter all laws.

Shan Heyuan had racked his brains and prepared various methods for several days, but they were as fragile as paper under this sword strike, easily cut in half horizontally.

Even the fog was cut through.

Shan Heyuan's face appeared before everyone.

The Spiritual Qi that nurtures the Spirit Plant continues to overflow due to inertia.

Lin Ji's sword strike was extremely fierce, yet it stopped in front of Shan Heyuan without even cutting a single hair.

This demonstrates the exquisite control over this sword strike.

After the sword stopped,

President

The battle on the field has been decided.

Lin Ji won.

It only took two breaths.

A commotion erupted from the audience, with cheers and applause pouring into Shan Heyuan's ears.

Not to mention the disciples from other academies, even the disciples from the Planting Institute couldn't help but cheer for Lin Ji.

That was fantastic!

Lin Ji, a sword cultivator at the Core Formation Stage, was able to control his sword with such precision.

Shan Heyuan belatedly withdrew his Spiritual Power and glanced around.

The magical Law Artifact, talismans, and Spirit Plant he bought at great expense were all severed by this sword strike.

Not to mention that Law Artifact and talismans are unusable, even Spirit Plant were shattered by the Sword Intent, completely devoid of life. No matter how skilled the planter was, he couldn't save them.

One force can overcome ten techniques; such is the terror of it.

Lin Ji smiled gently at Shan Heyuan: "Assistant Instructor Shan, you flatter me."

This person has a refined and elegant appearance; his smile is like spring flowers in full bloom.

Even though Shan Heyuan suffered a crushing defeat, his composure prevented him from getting angry. "You're too strong."

The two bowed again and then left the stage.

Jiang Zhi and Li Jian were waiting for him in the audience.

Jiang Zhi comforted him, "Your fighting rhythm is much better than before. You might not be able to beat Lin Ji, but you'll definitely be fine in the free-for-all. I watched more than ten matches today, and the winners weren't even as good as you."

Li Jian also said, "It'll be easier after this. Let's go back and review the game, and then win back in the free-for-all."

Shan Heyuan smiled, "I'm fine."

Jiang Zhi rubbed his back. "We're finally done fighting, let's go get a good meal. It's on me."

Shan Heyuan said he was fine, but after finishing his meal, he rode the big orange cat home, looking dejected.

Seeing him like this, the big orange cat couldn't help but turn around and rub its head against him several times. "Fellow Daoist Shan, don't be sad, go back and get a good night's sleep, meow."

Shan Heyuan hugged the cat's neck. "I'm not sad, I'm just a little unwilling."

The orange cat blinked. "If you're not satisfied, then get your revenge?"

Shan Heyuan: "Hmm."

The orange cat comforted him. When they got home, Shan Heyuan gave the cat a tip, which made the orange cat shrink and rub against his legs several times.

The shrunken orange cat saw no difference between cats on Earth and those on Earth. Shan Heyuan squatted down, scratched the cat's chin, and rubbed its head. The orange cat purred contentedly and lay on its back, rubbing against the ground.

Shan Heyuan was having a great time when the door creaked open, and Shen Duheng stood by the door. "I thought I misheard; it wasn't your footsteps."

"No, I was just playing with Fellow Daoist Cat for a while." Shan Heyuan smiled at Shen Duheng, "You're back?"

"Yes, I know you have a competition. Come back and see how the results are?"

Shan Heyuan's face immediately fell. "Complete defeat."

"Such a dramatic defeat?"

"Yes. In front of my opponent, I'm like a child in front of an adult. I'm all ready to fight, but a single, light sweep of their sword completely renders me powerless."

Your opponent is quite strong.

"I've told you before, Lin Ji, currently the top expert at the Sword Reverence Academy."

It's normal to lose.

"Yes," Shan Heyuan nodded, sighing, "But I'm not reconciled."

Shen Duheng patted his back, a sighing smile in his eyes, "Why are you so competitive?"

Shan Heyuan stood up. "As a cultivator, I don't even submit to the heavens, how could I submit to one person?"

The two returned home.

Shen Duheng looked at the courtyard full of spiritual herbs. "You've planted quite a few new spiritual herbs these past few days."

"I wanted to put it in my Dantian before, but it wasn't ready yet, so I decided to wait. Brother Shen, my Dantian has expanded again."

How big is it now?

Shan Heyuan used his Divine Sense to examine himself, then pointed to the water vat under the eaves. "It's about that big."

"That's quite a lot." Shen Duheng looked at him, tried to sense his Dantian but couldn't detect anything, and frowned, saying, "I've never seen anything like this before."

"I've consulted many ancient texts, but they don't mention it either. However, it should be fine. You see, my Spiritual Power is flowing smoothly, and my aura is pure; it hasn't become impure, which means my cultivation is currently without problems."

"Keep observing."

"Alright, Brother Shen, are you free next time? I'd like to burn another batch of Fertilizer Pill."

Shan Heyuan has been frantically cultivating Spirit Plant these past few days.