Translator: Truth .𝒎
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
In the Outpost’s training chamber, a Circle of Boon and three Gathering Spirits were drawing in World Spiritual Qi like crazy. The entire room was overflowing with Spiritual Qi and wisps of Blood Qi that looked like Spirit Snakes. Both types of Qi were drawn into Lu Ye’s body non-stop by some sort of indescribable power.
Not only that, his stomach was rumbling like thunder. It was his Gluttonous Feast working its magic.
Suddenly, Lu Ye opened his eyes. He looked down at the back of his hand. The Battlefield Imprint was warming up a little, and the power of the Heavens were giving him a sign.
It was time.
He paused his cultivation techniques and took back the dragon scale he had placed on the Circle of Boon. Then, he left the training chamber. Within moments, he was standing in front of the Divine Opportunity Pillar at the Sanctum of Providence.
Hua Ci hadn’t arrived yet. As of late, she and Shui Yuan had stuck to each other like glue doing god knows what. If he had to guess, his senior sister was probably teaching her stuff regarding medicine cultivation. They were both medicine cultivators after all.
While waiting, Lu Ye activated his Battlefield Imprint and inspected his own personal information.
Name: Lu Ye
Identity: Crimson Blood Sect disciple
Cultivation: Eighty Three Spiritual Points
Location: Spirit Creek Battlefield
Contribution Points: Twenty Six
Nearly two months had passed since the battle at Goldentip. Since he recovered from his injuries and restored the Tree of Glyphs’ ability to burn Pill Poison, his cultivation had been improving by leaps and bounds. On the same day he returned from Lady Yun’s residence, he had unlocked his eighty first Spiritual Point and entered the Sixth-Order of Spirit Creek Realm. Today, he had unlocked another two Spiritual Points.
In fact, he would’ve made even greater progress if he hadn’t spent almost two weeks flying to Mount Ying and seeking out the Rogue Wanderer’s Club. It was because the Outpost was a peaceful place, and its cultivation environment was much better than the places he used to cultivate in.
So far, his cultivation progress had met his expectations. His Contribution Points, on the other hand, were a bit of an eyesore to put it mildly. This was after he had killed that Seventh-Order cultivator at Mount Ying too. He would have had 5 Contribution Points instead of 26 otherwise.
In the past, Lu Ye had no idea what Contribution Points were good for, but after he learned of the existence of the Vault of Providence he realized that Contribution Points were an extremely attractive currency to any cultivator.
In his case, he needed to spend Contribution Points to purchase suitable resources for the Tree of Glyphs as well, so he foresaw that his need for Contribution Points would be tremendous.
Accumulating Contribution Points by killing other cultivators alone, unless the targets were of a higher Order, was too slow. This was why the Battle Royale of the Legates was a great place to collect Contribution Points. Since every participating sect would be betting one Blessing in the battle royale, a powerful cultivator could easily amass a tremendous number of Contribution Points.
In fact, Lu Ye had considered bringing Amber with him to the battle royale because he had formed a Bonding Pact with the tiger, meaning that it was his Tamed Beast and a part of his strength. Rule wise, there was nothing stopping him from taking Amber with him.
Shui Yuan and Li Baxian strongly advised against this idea, however. The tremors caused by the battle at Goldentip had just subsided recently, and plenty of people knew that Lu Ye was accompanied by a massive white tiger. If he were to bring Amber into the battle royale, it would be all too easy for fellow cultivators to recognize him. Consequently, the Thousand Demon Ridge could gang up on him if they realized his identity.
To put it simply, the benefits of bringing Amber with him weren’t worth the risk. Without Amber, it would be much easier for him to keep his identity a secret.
It was true that a lot of people had seen Lu Ye at Goldentip, but Spirit Creek Battlefield was a vast place. There were far, far more cultivators who had never seen him before.
It was at this moment a sweet-smelling figure entered into view. Hua Ci had finally arrived.
Lu Ye looked her up and down once before asking in a surprised tone, “New clothes? Are you wearing it for good luck or something?”
Hua Ci was wearing something very different today. It was a tight-fitting white dress with small red flowers adorning the hems of her skirt. The pure colors complemented her soft, fair skin perfectly.
Lu Ye quickly noticed something off, however. It seemed that the beautiful dress wasn’t just a beautiful dress.
“A Spirit Artifact?” Lu Ye raised his eyebrows.
“It’s a gift from Senior Sister Shui Yuan. She used to wear it until her cultivation level outgrew its usefulness.”
Lu Ye thought skeptically, [Is Shui Yuan even big enough to wear something like this? It’s the perfect size for Hua Ci, sure, but Shui Yuan… I can only imagine her wearing this on a Chinese opera stage.]
He also felt a tad neglected and voiced as much. “I’m the one who joined the sect first…”
Hua Ci giggled behind her palm. “Senior Sister Shui Yuan mentioned that combat cultivators like you shouldn’t wear defensive Spiritual Artifacts. Excessive protection will cause you to lose your edge.”
Lu Ye mulled over the explanation and nodded. “That makes sense.” It was what he learned when Senior Brother Li Baxian was still teaching him as well. A combat cultivator who refused to dance on a knife’s edge could not improve themselves. If he kept relying on outside power to win his battles, it was only a matter of time before he became overly dependent on said power.
Suddenly, he felt something touching the top of his head. He immediately turned toward Hua Ci and stared at her with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. “What the hell are you doing?”
The woman was patting his head like he was a child!
Hua Ci smiled kindly like an older sister. “Nothing? I just thought that this wasn’t a bad feeling is all.”
Lu Ye’s eyes became hidden behind his hair. “Did no one ever teach you that a man’s head should not be touched thoughtlessly?”
“Of course not,” replied Hua Ci matter-of-factly. “What will happen if I do it?”
Lu Ye’s eyes suddenly turned sinister, and—
“It’s begun!” Hua Ci abruptly turned serious and pressed a hand against the Divine Opportunity Column.
Lu Ye shot her a look but placed his hand on the pillar as well.
Their surroundings became distorted as the Heavens swirled around them. The vague sound of lapping waves resounded beside their ears.
When their surroundings returned to normal, the duo found themselves standing on an unfamiliar beach. They exchanged a quick glance with one another and watched their surroundings closely. Not a moment too soon, Lu Ye saw two strangers turning around and laying their eyes on them.
Their gazes met. Everyone wore guarded expressions as they channeled their Spiritual Power at the same time.
Lu Ye examined the strangers’ Spiritual Light and quickly identified them as Seventh-Order cultivators. Not only that, the Battlefield Imprint on the back of their hands glowed red instead of Lu Ye and Hua Ci’s blue.
They were members of the Thousand Demon Ridge!
“Looks like we’re off to a great start, partner!” The youngster donning a combat outfit barked out a laugh before charging straight toward Lu Ye and Hua Ci. Clearly, he considered himself and his partner lucky to encounter a pair of Sixth-Order cultivators right from the get go.
The other Seventh-Order cultivator responded with a curt, “Don’t get careless!” before firing a beam of golden light. Both Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators had wasted no time in attacking Lu Ye and Hua Ci.
Hua Ci leaped to the side to dodge the ranged attack. Lu Che crouched lower and charged straight toward his enemies.
The golden light hit no one and blasted a hole in the sand.
Their positions were pretty close to begin with, and in Lu Ye and the youngster’s case they were both charging toward their foes. The distance between them narrowed to nothing in a short time.
Lu Ye’s aggression annoyed the youngster. How dare he, a Sixth-Order cultivator rush him like they were equals! Mind set on teaching Lu Ye a lesson, he unsheathed his sword and launched a piercing strike right away. The Spiritual Light on his sword flickered like the tongue of a Spirit Snake. It was clear that there was a lot of power behind the attack.
Lu Ye unsheathed his own saber and met the youngster’s attack halfway. There was a loud clang of metal, and the youngster’s confident expression morphed into shock. It was because Lu Ye’s saber swing had nearly been powerful enough to wrench his sword out of his grip!
Doubt sprung in the youngster’s head like weeds. [Is he a body tempering cultivator or a combat cultivator?] His hand never stopped moving though. He tightened his grip and attacked Lu Ye with everything he had.
Sparks flew everywhere as metallic clangs echoed throughout the beach. It looked like the duo were evenly matched with one another, but the look on their faces told a different story.
Lu Ye’s expression was calm since the start of the battle, but the youngster’s grew more and more shocked with every passing second. It was because the Sixth-Order cultivator he thought he could manhandle as he pleased was far stronger than he imagined!
In fact, he gradually realized that he was actually the inferior one between the two of them!
Not only was his opponent faster and stronger than him, he had fallen into a complete disadvantage in almost no time at all. Every time he clashed blades with his opponent, his sword would shriek like it was in pain, and his purlicue would sting like hell.
[There’s no way he’s a Sixth-Order cultivator!]
His instincts were screaming that his opponent was a wolf in sheep’s clothing wearing some sort of cultivation-concealing Spirit Artifact, but he was also aware that the rules of the Heavens were immutable. Since his opponents had appeared at the beach, their cultivation level should not exceed theirs.
Another three breaths passed, and the youngster felt like he was tethering on the edge of defeat. Already, his purlicue had begun to rupture and bleed profusely.
Realizing that there was no longer any time to hesitate, the youngster hurriedly pulled out a Golden Body Talisman Paper, channeled his Spiritual Power, and slapped it on his own body. He was trying to save his own life, but the very act actually opened him to greater attacks.
The reason most combat cultivators did not use Spirit Talisman Papers in the middle of combat was because they were effectively disrupting their own combat rhythm.
The Inviolable swung upward, and the youngster’s sword flew out of his grip with a resonant clang. He let out a cry of surprise as he was thrown back. The attack hadn’t just disarmed him, it destroyed his Golden Body Talisman Paper right after it took effect as well.
Lu Ye caught up to him in a flash. He slashed at the youngster without hesitation.
While the youngster was utterly shocked, he wasn’t without one last trick up his sleeves. Eyes glinting with triumphant deceit, he pressed his fingers into a hand seal and channeled his Spiritual Power. “Die!”
The flying sword immediately stopped its trajectory and shot toward Lu Ye like a beam of light. There was no dodging it. It reached Lu Ye’s back in but an instant.
Blood splattered, but the cunning glint in the youngster’s eyes turned into terror. A diagonal wound about a third of a meter long had appeared on his torso at the same time Lu Ye was slammed face first into the sand. However, the youngster had suffered a grave wound, whereas Lu Ye was only somewhat winded. The battle at Mount Ying had taught him to watch out for telekinetic techniques, so the second he noticed that the youngster was controlling his sword remotely, he had immediately cast Protection behind his back.
When a cultivator reached the Seventh-Order, they would be able to learn telekinesis. The technique was both a foundational block for flying and an additional method to kill their opponent.
It also increased the power of one’s Spirit Artifact.
Lu Ye climbed to his feet in a hurry because the youngster wasn’t dead yet. Not taking any chances, he reversed his grip on the Inviolable and stabbed the youngster right through the chest. Blood gushed out like a fountain when he withdrew his saber.
It wasn’t yet time to take a breather though. Feet leaving deep footsteps in the wet sand, Lu Ye took off toward the spell cultivator without a pause.
The spell cultivator was currently launching a barrage of spells against Hua Ci. As a medicine cultivator, there was nothing the young woman could do except endure until Lu Ye came to her rescue. He thought his companion would be able to take out Lu Ye without issues, but the outcome surprised him to say the least.
Somehow, his Seventh-Order companion had managed to get himself killed by a Sixth-Order cultivator!
[That bloody idiot! ] The spell cultivator thought furiously. He was busy with his own fight and so did not really pay attention to the duel between his companion and Lu Ye. Normally, it was impossible for a Seventh-Order cultivator to be outmatched by a Sixth-Order. He thought his companion was defeated because he had severely underestimated his opponent.