This was… A challenge?!
Chu Kuangren looked at Murong Xuan. There were mysterious runes flashing through the depths of his pupils as he activated the Remarkable Eye of Revelation.
"Murong Xuan, Crimson Sun Daoist Physique. Cultivation level, perfect Nascent Soul Realm. He cultivates the Sage Technique, Divine Nine Suns Art and the Supreme Technique, Heavenly Sun Sword Art…"
A string of information flashed across Chu Kuangren's field of sight.
The Crimson Sun Daoist Physique was also one of the 3,000 constitutions.
It couldn't compete with a Supreme Daoist Physique like the Exquisite Nine Orifices Sword Heart, but it was still impressive in its own right. In any orthodoxy, those with this physique would be prodigies.
He even cultivated a Sage and Supreme Technique...
Murong Xuan's combat abilities definitely surpassed other cultivators who were in the same realm.
"Heh, I am merely at the Golden Core Realm now, but you have reached the perfect Nascent Soul Realm. Do you feel no shame challenging me like this? Do you not want to save face?" Chu Kuangren said with a smile.
"You know what my cultivation level is?"
Murong Xuan was a little startled.
However, he did not pay the fact much attention. Some people knew that he had broken through to the perfect Nascent Soul Realm although news of it had yet to spread.
Thus, it was impossible for Chu Kuangren to have heard it from someone.
"If you're afraid, I can suppress my cultivation to fight you."
"
"There's no need for that." Chu Kuangren shook his head. "I'm afraid you'll lose really badly when the time comes, so it's best if you give it your all."
"Humph, such arrogance!" Murong Xuan coldly snorted and placed Crimson Drill to one side.
He had yet to nurture this sword, and based on the attitude this sword had toward Chu Kuangren just now, he reckoned it would not help him in defeating the other party.
There was slight dissatisfaction in heart at not being able to use the sword that he had obtained through so much difficulty.
"Heavenly Sun Sword Art!"
Murong Xuan transferred the spirit energy from the spirit ruins in his body to his finger which he used in place of a sword.
His sword finger slashed downward and a large amount of spirit energy violently surged out. It condensed into a massive ring of fire and shot forward.
Waves of scorching air tumbled and turned. The power of the attack seemed like it could set the world on fire.
Chu Kuangren could tell that the might of his attacker's move was below the level of the Nascent Soul Realm. Evidently, he was consciously suppressing his cultivation.
However, the strength of this attack wasn't one that ordinary Golden Core cultivators could withstand either.
Thankfully, Chu Kuangren wasn't an ordinary cultivator!
He didn't use the sacred sword, Descendant Self, but rather he similarly used his finger in place of a sword.
"One Thousand Sharp Swords Art!"
Streams of purple sword qi exuding an overbearing auras appeared.
A terrifying shockwave of air exploded when the two forces collided and shot back toward the duo, but neither moved an inch.
"One Thousand Sharp Swords Art? Is this the top-tier outer sect technique?"
Murong Xuan looked somewhat bewildered and unsure.
The cultivation techniques in the world were divided into three tiers; lower, middle, and top respectively. The Supreme, Sage, and Emperor's Scripture Techniques were above those three basic levels.
His Heavenly Sun Sword Art was a Supreme Technique, yet Chu Kuangren could actually fight neck and neck with him using the One Thousand Sharp Swords Art which was only a top-tier technique!!!
"That's right, this is certainly the One Thousand Sharp Swords Art," Chu Kuangren calmly said.
The Daoists in the sky were awestruck at this.
"A top-tier technique can go head to head with a Supreme Technique? My eyes aren't playing tricks on me, right? Is this really the One Thousand Sharp Swords Art?"
"It is, he already cultivated it to its perfected state."
"Even so, it's a little terrifying how it can contend with the Heavenly Sun Sword Art. C-could it be due to the Exquisite Nine Orifices Sword Heart?!"
"That's right. Rumour has it that the Exquisite Nine Orifices Sword Heart can easily master a myriad of sword techniques in the world and unleash formidable power far beyond its original means. It appears that this rumor is true."
A top-tier technique and a Supreme Technique were equal in terms of power. What's more, the users were a Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivator respectively. No one would believe it if such news got out.
However, this was really happening right before their eyes today.
The Daoists in the sky were overwhelmed with emotions. In their minds, they began to understand why the higher-ups would make Chu Kuangren a Lead Disciple.
"Again!!!" Murong Xuan raised his eyebrows. He wasn't willing to accept defeat so he continued summoning his spirit energy and sliced rings of fire at Chu Kuangren one after the other.
Chu Kuangren stood motionlessly and acted calmly all the way through. In between the gestures he made, the purple sword qi around him spiraled and hacked away all the rings of fire flying at him.
Even if Chu Kuangren was only at the Golden Core Realm, he possessed incomparably strong combat abilities and was even close to the Nascent Soul realm. This was because of the tyrannical sword qi unique to the Heavenly Crepe-myrtle Sword Art paired with the support of the Exquisite Nine Orifices Sword Heart on top of that.
Chu Kuangren hacked a ring of fire effortlessly before he shook his head and said, "Use all of your power, you aren't a match for me like this."
Boom!!!
Just as he finished speaking, the spirit energy on Murong Xuan's body rose sharply. Crimson flames violently surged and intertwined in the void to form a blazing crimson sun that was gradually rising into the air. The scorching heat made one feel as though their bodies were in a furnace.
"Oh, a transformation, a transformation of a Daoist Physique."
Chu Kuangren was enthralled as he watched the scene before his eyes.
A transformation was one technique amongst the myriad of techniques. The cultivators who could successfully cultivate a transformation were mostly those who had outstanding aptitude. There was another breed of people who possessed unique transformations by nature and they were cultivators with Daoist Physiques!
Murong Xuan had the Crimson Sun Daoist Physique.
This Blazing Crimson Sun was his Crimson Sun Transformation.
Murong Xuan's power rose sharply once he used his Daoist Physique Transformation. When he used the Heavenly Sun Sword Art again, its power was no longer the same as it was before.
The ring of fire that was originally yellow in color was stained with a bright red layer.
It was a level higher, both in temperature and the formidability of its power. The ground would crack wherever the ring of fire went and the earth was charred black.
"Right on time, try this move on for size!"
Chu Kuangren's black hair danced in the breeze as he stood where he was and his white wide-sleeved robes fluttered in the wind. Shortly after that, a peerlessly frightening aura exploded from his body. The aura of a Daoist circulated around him as though a deity was quietly coming back to life.
The pupils of the Daoists in the audience abruptly contracted.
They actually felt some kind of menacing force coming from Chu Kuangren!
One had to know that the other party was only at the Golden Core Realm, whereas not a single one of them wasn't a Nascent Soul cultivator!
They stared unblinkingly at Chu Kuangren.
The other party sucked in a deep breath and a mysterious yellow flow of air all around the region converged toward him, manifesting in the form of a vast aura.
"That's earth qi!!!"
"He's actually invoking earth qi!"
The Daoists in the sky were taken aback.
The spirit energy of the world was also divided based on their attributes like fire, ice, wind, and so forth. Earth qi was also one kind of spirit energy and existed within mountains, rivers, and leylines. It was boundless, but extremely difficult for cultivators to mobilize and use.
Chu Kuangren was actually mobilizing earth qi now!
"What technique is he cultivating?!" one Daoist cried out in alarm as he looked utterly shocked.
Chu Kuangren made a mysterious hand sign and the earth qi condensed into a divine mountain. Just as the ring of fire was about to plunder over him, he pushed both his hands out.
"Human Mountain Stamp!"
The immemorial divine mountain made of earth qi trembled loudly and unleashed a frightening power that was beyond comparison; it was as though it could push everything away, even the earth itself.
The crimson ring of fire was smashed into a file of sparks instantly amidst the loud rumbling.
The divine mountain was like a hot knife cutting through butter as it closed right in on Murong Xuan!
The Crimson Sun Transformation exploded on with a bang. On the other hand, Murong Xuan spat out blood immediately and was sent flying back more than 1000 feet.
The Daoists were dumbfounded.
By contrast, Chu Kuangren stood with his hands behind his back and held a calm gaze.
This scene didn't take him by surprise.
The Human Mountain Stamp was a Starlight grade technique, and when converted into Firmament Star's grading of techniques, it was close to that of an Emperor's Scripture technique.
There were also various grades and rankings within Sage Techniques. The Human Mountain Stamp was a peak Sage Technique and was even more exquisite than the Heavenly Crepe-myrtle Sword Art.
Chu Kuangren's current cultivation of the Human Mountain Stamp was only at the surface, yet he could confront his enemy with earth qi that he used to condense the move into a divine mountain.
When he truly cultivated it to perfection, he would be a divine mountain and suppress everything!
"This is definitely a Sage Technique! It's an all-out offensive Sage Technique! My god, he actually mastered an offensive Sage Technique!"
"I have a feeling that this might not be an ordinary Sage Technique. It's very possible that it's a Great Sage Technique, and even… a Sage Ruler Technique!"
"Sage Ruler Technique? Don't joke around, that's impossible. There are only a few Sage Ruler Techniques in the entirety of Firmament Star. How can he possibly have a Sage Ruler Technique?"
"That's true…"
Once the Daoists came back to their senses, they immediately started discussing amongst each other.