Chapter 41: The Spirit-Burning Art, the Origin Pill Realm!

The impact of spiritual energy erupted with a deafening roar. A single figure was sent flying backward.

"Is it over?"
"Who won?"
"Do you even have to ask? It must be Senior Brother Chen!"

The crowd below narrowed their eyes, peering through the dazzling brilliance that engulfed the arena. Just as the light began to dissipate, everyone present fell silent, their eyes wide and fixed intently on the stage. Their expressions were filled with disbelief.

The figure that had been sent flying crashed heavily onto the ground. Blood drenched his body, staining the surrounding arena red. It was Chen Fan. His clothes were shredded, not a single piece left intact, and the long sword in his hand had lost its luster.

"Lu Changfeng!"

He struggled to climb to his feet, his eyes brimming with fury. Chen Fan’s cultivation was at the peak of the ninth stage of the Zhoutian realm; he was only one step away from becoming a Yuandan cultivator! Yet, he was now in such a wretched state, and having been forcefully struck down in front of all the disciples, he seemed to have lost his sanity.

In the next moment, he let out a beast-like roar, his gaze locked onto Lu Changfeng with murderous intent. Only one thought remained in his mind: Lu Changfeng must die!

"Spirit Burning Art!"

Chen Fan, whose spiritual energy had already been depleted, let out a low, thunderous shout. Suddenly, it was as if a layer of spiritual flames ignited around his body. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation began to climb once more.

The Spirit Burning Art was a technique that reversed the flow of spiritual energy within the body to forcibly boost one’s cultivation. It allowed a cultivator to gain immense power in a short period, but the drawbacks were obvious. Once the effect wore off, the user’s cultivation would regress, and in severe cases, their very foundation could be destroyed.

Chen Fan no longer cared. He only wanted to trample Lu Changfeng beneath his feet.

Boom!

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to be guided by an invisible force, rushing frantically into Chen Fan’s body. Within a single breath, the energy surrounding him exceeded his previous peak, yet it did not stop there.

Rumble!

The heavens and earth groaned. Driven by the Spirit Burning Art, Chen Fan’s cultivation was forced through the threshold, breaking into the Yuandan realm!

...

A gasp of astonishment rippled through the disciples of the Daoyan Sect. High above, the various Peak Masters frowned, casting cold, sharp glances toward Cang Wufeng.

Yue Qingshuang stood up, her long sword pointing directly at him as she spoke in a cold, biting tone: "The Spirit Burning Art? Don't tell me your disciple decided to use this on his own! This inter-peak competition is meant to assess the progress of the disciples' cultivation! You have gone too far!"

Anyone could see that a mere disciple under an elder could not possibly possess the Spirit Burning Art. Such a cultivation technique, which defied the natural order, was not something an ordinary elder would teach.

"Sect Master, we must stop this match immediately! If anything happens to Lu Changfeng, I will make the Daoyan Sect pay the price!" Yue Qingshuang turned her icy gaze toward Ying Xuanji, her words heavy with threat.

Ying Xuanji’s expression was grave. Cang Wufeng’s face was equally dark. It was true that he had tampered with the drawing of lots. The Hidden Sword Valley was the property of Heavenly Sword Peak, and he had to ensure Lu Changfeng did not reach the top three. However, even Cang Wufeng had not expected Chen Fan to resort to the Spirit Burning Art just to fulfill his orders! He truly had not taught him that.

Now that the truth was laid bare, no matter how he argued, the fact that Chen Fan had used the forbidden art would lead everyone to believe it was his doing.

"Yue Qingshuang! There has never been a precedent for stopping an inter-peak match halfway through!" Cang Wufeng snorted, deciding to push forward without hesitation. Since things had reached this point, he had no choice but to continue the charade. "And you saw it yourself—Lu Changfeng, a cultivator at the eighth stage of the Zhoutian realm, was actually able to defeat a peak-stage Zhoutian cultivator! Who is to say you didn't teach him some underhanded tricks?"

"Peak Master Yue, calm down," Ying Xuanji interjected. "There is indeed no precedent for stopping a match midway. I can guarantee that I will intervene to protect Lu Changfeng’s safety if necessary. Let us watch—I want to see exactly where Lu Changfeng’s limits lie."

Having said this, his eyes flickered, and he began forming hand seals, prepared to act at any moment. He had witnessed everything Lu Changfeng had done, and he was truly unwilling to see such a talented disciple perish.

Hearing this, the anger on Yue Qingshuang’s face softened slightly. She knew the match could not be stopped now, and secretly, she shared the same curiosity as Ying Xuanji—she wanted to see just how far Lu Changfeng could go. Her initial outburst had merely been a tactic to set terms for the future.

On the arena floor, Chen Fan roared like a wild beast. His eyes, already bloodshot, were now consumed by a crimson haze.

"I had planned to wait until I entered the Hidden Sword Valley to ascend to the Yuandan realm! It is because of you, you animal, that I am forced to use the Spirit Burning Art! Today is the day you die!"

As he finished speaking, Chen Fan stomped forward. The solid arena cracked instantly, sending clouds of dust surging into the air. A massive, crushing pressure of a true Yuandan-stage cultivator bore down on Lu Changfeng, and spiderweb-like fissures appeared across the stage.

"The Yuandan realm! Lu Changfeng is finished this time!"
"Look closer, this Yuandan state is just a flash in the pan. Who wins and who loses is still up in the air!"
"Does that even need to be said? A Yuandan cultivator can crush a Zhoutian cultivator with a single finger!"

The disciples whispered among themselves, many feeling a sense of pity. If Chen Fan hadn't lost his mind, he would have naturally achieved the Yuandan realm before long, without the need to force it now and potentially destroy his own foundation.

Lu Changfeng’s body shuddered. The pressure exerted by such a major breakthrough was indeed formidable.

"A breakthrough? I can do that too!"

Lu Changfeng did not hesitate. At that moment, he released the restraints on his own cultivation.

Boom!

A thunderous sound echoed from within his body, and his aura surged violently upward.

"Open!"

Lu Changfeng let out a long cry toward the heavens. The surrounding spiritual energy transformed into layers of waves, rippling outward in all directions. In the next moment, an aura belonging to the ninth stage of the Zhoutian realm erupted from his body.

"The ninth stage of the Zhoutian realm!"
"This... he broke through just like that? What a prodigy!"
"Why does Lu Changfeng’s aura feel so overwhelming? It’s even more intense than that of the Yuandan cultivator!"

The disciples gasped, staring transfixed at Lu Changfeng as he broke through on the stage. None of them had expected that both fighters would achieve a breakthrough at this very moment.

"Even if you have broken through, you are still only at the Zhoutian realm!" Chen Fan stared at Lu Changfeng, his voice cold. "I am already at the Yuandan realm. No matter what, you must die!"

With those words, he stomped against the ground and lunged toward Lu Changfeng.

"Die!"