Swish!
Sheng Tian lurched forward when it seemed like he was going to jump back and swung his sword. Wu Di was slightly surprised by the move, but he merely snorted and blocked with his sword.
Clang!
With their swords in a bind, Sheng Tian tried to return the kick he received from earlier but was blocked by Wu Di's foot.
Taking advantage of that moment, Sheng Tian quickly stepped back and out of their bind.
Swish!
Clank!
Wu Di had blocked again, and despite looking casual, he was actually impressed that Sheng Tian was able to last several exchanges. The last few rounds were a one sided slaughter, with Sheng Tian not being able to exchange more than 2 moves.
Swish!
Sheng Tian swung his sword horizontally, and at the same time, he kicked a rock on the ground at Wu Di's face.
Wu Di casually tilted his head to the side and locked swords with Sheng Tian again. Sheng Tian immediately backed out of the bind and tried to thrust his sword at Wu Di's chest.
"Finally"
Wu Di twisted his body and dodged the sword, "A mistake," before slashing his sword.
However, just as he said that, he looked down at the young man's face and saw a determined expression and felt a chilling sensation in his heart.
Whoosh!
"Ack!"
Feng Wu Di jumped backwards to avoid Sheng Tian's sword while taking the young man's eye. He felt a slight breeze and touched his chest. There, a cut was made in his simple gray robes.
Sheng Tian stumbled due to losing half his vision and Wu Di threw his sword at him.
Splash!
"Gasp!"
Sheng Tian died for the 28th time and was brought back to the same grassland that will haunt him every time he closes his eyes.
He was just about to pick up his sword again when Wu Di's voice resounded across the grassland.
"Stop"
Sheng Tian looked at the old man who was now seated on the ground.
He closed his eyes, "We'll take a short break before continuing"
Sheng Tian let out a sigh and dropped his sword to the ground before falling over himself. Never in his life would Sheng Tian have thought he would be so mentally exhausted.
"It's your eyes"
"Huh?"
Sheng Tian propped himself up slightly. He looked at Wu Di, who spoke while still having his eyes closed.
"It's obvious what your next moves are going to be. Your opponent merely has to follow where your eyes go. Experienced fighters will lock eyes often times, then, you will have to be able to read what the other party will do"
Sheng Tian threw his head back down and took some more deep breaths. He went over what Wu Di said and thought about his previous battles. He never really thought about what an opponent would do, as he would simply respond to it properly.
Now, he was aware that an older and more experienced cultivator would definitely be able to read his actions before he even did them. Thus, he would need to gain more experience in fighting other people, analyzing their actions and determining the best course of action.
And the best way to gain combat experience is to...
"Fight powerful opponents"
"Huh?"
Wu Di opened his eyes when he heard Sheng Tian speak.
Sheng Tian sat up the next moment and Wu Di was surprised to see that the light in his eyes had changed. What was filled with exhaustion before was now filled with excitement and resolve.
"What else can you do with this mental world?"
Wu Di stroked his beard, "That will depend on what you want to do"
Sheng Tian smiled, "Can you replicate other cultivators and their abilities?"
"You... want to fight against an image of another cultivator"
"I guess you can call it that. So? Can you do it?"
He thought about it for a moment before nodding, "I can to an extent. I can only recreate those that you have actively fought or witness a battle. This way, they will be more accurate to the originals"
Sheng Tian nodded, "Can you recreate the Lotus Fairy Master?"
He nodded with a slight smile, "You mean Yue Ling'er though, right?"
"Uh, yeah"
With a thought, the scene changed to match the one where Sheng Tian and Yue Ling'er had fought before. Sheng Tian clenched his fist and felt his strength coming back.
Wu Di started to fade away, but before he fully disappeared, he left Sheng Tian a warning.
"Oh, and I almost forgot"
Sheng Tian looked at the recreation of Yue Ling'er and was horrified to feel the boundless qi emitted from her figure.
"The replicas have an infinite amount of energy. They'll throw all their strongest attacks at you without care"
It was at this moment that Yue Ling'er stepped forward with cold eyes and raised her sword, "Holy Goddess's Sword!"
"Heavenly Asura Sword Slash!"
Sheng Tian immediately countered with the same attack that had blocked her Holy Goddess's Sword before.
Boom!
The shockwaves sent Sheng Tian flying back, however it only made the replica stumble a bit.
He frowned, the replica had eyes akin to that of a puppet. However, if it could truly replicate Yue Ling'er's fighting style, then he would be in big trouble. Staring into dead eyes isn't going to tell him what his opponent will do.
"If that's the case..."
Golden scales enveloped Sheng Tian's body as his nails elongated into claws and his eyes turned into slits. A pair of horns protruded from his head as Sheng Tian readied the Devouring Sword.
"Then a battle of attrition won't do me any good"
Whoosh!
Sheng Tian dodged a wood stake that was thrown at him with ease before dashing forward with all his strength.
Boom!
This was Sheng Tian's first time being fully dragonified and the result did not disappoint. In an instant, he closed the gap between him and the replica.
The replica tried to create distance and used Overgrowth Domain before activating On With Nature. This time however, Sheng Tian wouldn't fall for the same trick.
"Go!"
The Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame shot out and rapidly expanded to erase the surrounding trees. In moments, the replica became visible again and Sheng Tian opened his mouth to shoot out a flame of his own.
Sheng Tian had discovered that the Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame and the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning are his source flame and lightning. The only difference they have from other people's sources is that they have intelligence and are separate entities.
So while others need to use massive amounts of qi to utilize their source power, Sheng Tian can do it without any because both the Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame and the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning are independent and born from his will.
The only time he would need to use qi is when using his own flames and lightning, which are the same as the Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame and the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning but without intelligence.
Fwoom!
The replica was hit directly with the flames, causing severe burns on its skin.
Sheng Tian smiled triumphantly and dashed forward once more with his sword raised.
"Heavenly Asura Sword Slash!"
"Nature God's Wrath!"
BOOM!