"Are you crazy?!"
Lie Hua came to her senses and shouted at Li Yun, her expression shifting as she tried to hide her flustered and embarrassed look.
"You know what? I don't need the core anymore. I'll just eliminate you, and the points I get from you will be enough for me."
She positioned her sword, ready to attack and eliminate Li Yun. She had never met someone so frustrating and annoying in her life. Just thinking about how much time he had wasted spouting nonsense made her blood boil in anger.
"I'll eliminate you in one strike." She took her stance, ready to attack, when she noticed Li Yun standing up.
"Hehe, Fairy Lie, it's too late now." Li Yun smirked as he patted the dust off his clothes.
"What do you mean, too late? It'll take me just one strike to eliminate you." Lie Hua taunted, showing her sword to Li Yun.
"Is that so?" Li Yun drew his sword and silently activated the first stage of the Heaven Raging Chaos Art—Raging Heaven.
A burst of uncontrollable energy erupted from Li Yun, surprising Lie Hua, though her expression remained unchanged. "Do you really think that using a half-baked cultivation technique will close the power gap between a 1st-level Qi Training Realm martial artist and a 4th-level Qi Training Realm martial artist?"
Li Yun sneered. "I don't plan to. I just need to survive a few of your moves, and I have complete confidence that I can."
"Survive a few moves? Are you under the delusion that I'd let you go after that?" Lie Hua mocked, finding his thinking naïve.
Li Yun smiled. "It's not a delusion, it's a given. And the best part? You'll leave here willingly, or should I say, you'll run away without me lifting a finger."
"Hehe," Lie Hua giggled but then, realizing something, her expression shifted to mocking. "You're such a braggart. First, you waste my time, and now you're bragging too much. I don't know what to say. I'll just eliminate you for both of us." She shook her head in pity.
"Moonlit Tides Sword Art – Crescent Wave Slash!"
Lie Hua swung her sword in a crescent arc, drawing a half-moon in the air toward Li Yun.
Li Yun was ready. As she attacked, he activated his Purple Divine Eye, causing his right eye to glow with a purple hue.
"Thunderclap Dragon Sword."
Seeing the weakness in her attack, Li Yun seized the opportunity and thrust his sword forward. Rather than attempting to block her powerful strike—knowing her superior cultivation would overpower him—he aimed directly at the flaw in her technique. His eyes sharpened with focus as he went for the gap, hoping to turn her strength against her.
Their swords collided with a deafening clang, the impact sending vibrations through his arm. For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze, the two figures locked in a deadly exchange.
But the power behind her strike was too much.
The next thing Li Yun knew, he was airborne, his body flung backward from the sheer force of the clash. He hit the ground hard, skidding painfully across the barren earth, leaving deep gashes in the dirt as his momentum dragged him along. Dust rose in his wake, and when he finally came to a stop, his body ached, but his grip on his sword remained firm.
Looking at her with an excited expression, he said, "You're very strong!"
Li Yun had known that the jump in strength from the 3rd to 4th level of the Qi Training Realm was significant, but the reality of it hit him harder than expected. The sheer difference in power was staggering, far beyond what he had anticipated.
He had miscalculated—badly—underestimating how much of a boost even a single level could bring.
In their last exchange, he had pushed himself to the limit, channeling everything he had. He'd unleashed the 6th layer of his Thunderclap Dragon Sword technique infused with the force of the Chaos Seed brewing inside him.
Coupled with his Purple Divine Eye, he had pinpointed the flaw in Lie Hua's sword art with precision, aiming for that weakness with surgical accuracy. And yet, it wasn't enough. Despite his best efforts, he had been utterly overpowered, his technique shattered like glass under her overwhelming strength.
"You're still standing after taking my attack head-on?" Lie Hua was surprised, but recalling how Li Yun had reached the 4th floor when she couldn't, she found the situation more understandable.
"You're strong for a 1st-level Qi Training Realm cultivator, but this ends here. You can only withstand my attacks for so long." Lie Hua readied her sword for another attack.
At that moment, Li Yun took out a jade bottle containing a white root, catching her curiosity.
Opening the bottle, Li Yun pulled out the root and showed it to Lie Hua. "Want some? I hear it tastes like a mix of salt and sugar."
"Ew, what is that?" Lie Hua asked in disgust.
"Something that'll change everything." Li Yun smiled and put the root in his mouth, chewing it down.
Lie Hua was flabbergasted. "Why am I even wasting my time here watching you do stupid things?"
Clutching her head in frustration, she prepared to attack again. Her sword began to glow with silver moonlight, and she readied herself for a decisive strike.
Seeing the moonlit glow, Li Yun began to sweat. It was already difficult to withstand her normal attack, and a Qi-condensed strike would be far worse. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if he took that head-on.
Suddenly, his expression changed from one of despair to one of excitement.
"Hahahaha!"
Ignoring her impending attack, Li Yun began to laugh wantonly.
Lie Hua, noticing his strange behavior, paused. "What? Have you gone mad?"
"No, it's just that I've already won," Li Yun said, his voice calm and relaxed.
"You've really lost it," Lie Hua muttered, shaking her head. "There's no hope for you." She prepared to strike him down.
Li Yun smiled. "You don't understand. Let me help you. Just calm yourself and listen carefully for a few seconds, and everything will become clear."