Rain successfully defended the ninth fighting field, defeating all challengers who came his way. However, he realized he had not yet faced every participant. Out of the 30 contestants, he had only fought 17, leaving 12 opponents still to be challenged.
Following Elder Yasha's instructions, the remaining contestants were directed to select opponents they had not yet faced. This ensured everyone had an equal chance to prove themselves and compete for the coveted spots.
Rain approached his next fights with steady determination. The first three were straightforward, and he secured swift victories. Rain's fourth match presented a formidable challenge—Zhan Mie, a Seventh Rank Refining Energy cultivator known for his tactical fighting style.
Rain had observed Zhan Mie's earlier battles and knew he preferred to maintain distance, utilizing a flight weapon or his natural agility to stay out of reach while bombarding his opponents with Fire, Water, and Wind spells.
As the fight began, Rain's expression hardened with focus. The moment Zhan Mie unleashed his first salvo, Rain formed an energy dome around himself, deflecting the initial wave of attacks. Explosions rang out as Zhan Mie's 'Wind Blades', 'Fire Snakes', 'Fire Balls', and other spells from the three elements collided with the dome, testing its limits.
Rain retaliated, sending fiery weapons formed from his superior understanding of the fire element arcing through the air. Flaming swords, spears, and shurikens rained down on Zhan Mie, forcing him to stay mobile and summon a 'Water Shield' to deflect the attacks.
The battlefield became a chaotic dance of offense and defense. Zhan Mie alternated his spells with precision, casting 'Water Whips' and 'Wind Blades' to pressure Rain. Each time three consecutive hits landed on Rain's dome, it shattered under the force. However, Rain was quick to react, using his fire attacks to intercept incoming spells while reforming the dome.
Rain's attacks were singular and focused, contrasting with Zhan Mie's wide-ranging bombardments. Despite the variety of Zhan Mie's spells, Rain's superior mastery of the fire element began to tip the scales. His fiery weapons became sharper, faster, and more relentless, cutting through Zhan Mie's defenses with increasing ease.
Fifteen grueling minutes passed, both combatants visibly straining. Zhan Mie's flight and agility prevented him from direct hits, but Rain's precision wore him down. The turning point came when a swarm of fiery shurikens, spinning with deadly accuracy, breached Zhan Mie's defenses. One cut deeply into his arm, causing him to falter.
Clutching his injured arm and realizing he could no longer maintain the fight's pace, Zhan Mie raised his hand in surrender. The crowd cheered and gasped as the referee declared Rain the victor.
Rain stood amidst the fading embers of his fire spells, his breathing steady while his mind delved into analyzing the battle. He knew that without his deeper understanding of fire rules, Zhan Mie's versatile elemental attacks would have made victory far more difficult.
This realization reinforced a growing resolve: to contend with more powerful immortal cultivators, he needed to expand his mastery beyond fire. He didn't have to learn attack runes for every element—control runes like the First Rank Fire Control Rune he had fully comprehended would suffice, granting him versatility and precision.
The next five battles further tested Rain's resolve and adaptability. Among his opponents were two Seventh Rank Refining Energy cultivators who challenged him as fiercely as Zhan Mie.
The first wielded a whip in one hand, which he used with extraordinary precision to pressure Rain. From his other hand, he launched Earth and Wood arrows in rapid succession, while an Earth Armor spell bolstered his defense, making him a formidable opponent. Rain found himself forced to adjust his strategy, carefully timing his fire attacks to break through the Earth's Armor and counter the relentless assaults.
The second was a singular element specialist, much like Rain, but instead of fire, she commanded the water element with exceptional proficiency. Her fluid and adaptive combat style mirrored Rain's own, as her water spells countered his fire-based attacks in a continuous back-and-forth struggle. Each move demanded meticulous calculation, as her understanding of water made her attacks both versatile and difficult to overcome.
Despite the difficulty, Rain managed to defeat both of these challenging opponents. Their slower reactions created openings, and Rain capitalized on them with precision. His sword found its mark repeatedly, inflicting multiple injuries that forced his adversaries to surrender.
However, the next battle proved even more formidable. This time, Rain faced an Eighth Rank Refining Energy cultivator—not Liang Ji, but Shi Tian from the Tian Sect. Shi Tian was renowned for his mastery of the sect's famous palm technique, the 'Heavenly Palm.'
Acknowledging the uniqueness of his opponent's skill, Rain chose to meet the challenge on equal terms, relying on his palm techniques instead of his sword.
Within moments of the fight beginning, Rain quickly realized that Shi Tian's palm techniques and overall fighting ability were inferior to his own. Moreover, he noticed that Shi Tian's energy was not as solid as it should be for an Eighth Rank Refining Energy cultivator, indicating that his attacks lacked the full power of someone in that realm.
Rain deduced that Shi Tian had likely relied on medicinal enhancements to reach the Eighth Rank, which resulted in his energy being unstable and weaker than that of other cultivators at the same level. Shi Tian had used this temporary boost to overpower most of his opponents, with only two defeats—against Liang Ji and Lu Yan—denting his record.
Rain saw an opportunity. He quickly realized that, although Shi Tian's raw strength was lacking, his mastery of the 'Heavenly Palm' was still formidable.
Determined to steal this technique for himself, Rain allowed the fight to drag on just long enough for the soul chip to analyze the moves. Once the chip had fully comprehended the Heavenly Palm, Rain swiftly defeated Shi Tian.
With that victory, Rain continued his path through the competition. After four more hours of intense battling, the fight ended with Rain securing third place overall. He had only lost two matches—one to Liang Ji and one to Lu Yan. However, there was no second-place rank, as Liang Ji and Lu Yan were unable to defeat each other, each remaining undefeated in the rest of their matches.
Now, only the top 20 participants remained in the arena. Rain stood among them, his posture relaxed but his focus sharp. Beside him was Yu Lie, who had begun following him closely after their second battle.
Rain had defeated Yu Lie decisively, and during the fight, Yu Lie realized that Rain's sword moves incorporated elements of his techniques—but with greater mastery. Rain had not only adopted Yu Lie's sword style but had elevated it, wielding it with more precision and skill than its original user.
Impressed and eager to improve, Yu Lie decided to stay close to Rain, hoping to learn from him and possibly practice together after the reward ceremony concluded. Rain, though slightly surprised by Yu Lie's persistence, did not discourage him, recognizing the potential benefits of having a talented swordsman to spar with.
The reward ceremony marked the culmination of the competition. Beyond the opportunity to enter the secret realm in a week, the participants were also awarded techniques or spells based on their ranking.
The top three competitors could choose 'half-human rank' techniques or spells, a tier considered halfway into the second realm of cultivation, or C-rank.
Competitors ranked 4th to 10th were entitled to select 'peak mortal rank' techniques or spells, while those ranked 11th to 20th could choose 'late mortal rank' techniques.
These techniques were crafted specifically for Great Warriors or Refining Energy cultivators, offering valuable growth opportunities.
Rain noticed Yu Lie's excitement as the rewards were being discussed. Curiosity piqued, he asked, "You're the young master of the Jade Sword Sect. Why are you so excited about late mortal rank techniques?" Rain's tone was calm but genuinely intrigued. Yu Lie was ranked 12th, placing him in the group eligible for late mortal rank selections.
Yu Lie smiled and replied, "I might be the young master of the Jade Sword Sect, but these techniques aren't from my sect. They're from the Tyrant Blade Gate, Cloud City, and Xuan Life Palace. It's a rare chance to gain access to techniques from sects of this caliber."
Rain absorbed the information, also learning from Yu Lie that the highest-ranking cultivator of the Jade Sword Sect was only at the 'Earth Pillar Realm', firmly placing them as a second-rate sect.
The sect lacked the resources or connections to rival the more prominent powers present at the competition.
The elder from the Jade Sword Sect, who attended the event on behalf of Xuan Life Palace, did so under direct orders from the larger sect. This arrangement highlighted their subordinate status and limited influence.
Participants were provided with jade slips containing detailed descriptions of the available techniques or spells.
After carefully reviewing the options, Rain selected the 'Thunder Sword Technique'.
Unlike conventional techniques that drew on the spiritual energy of the world, the Thunder Sword Technique harnessed the body's 'bioelectricity' to generate the thunder element.
For this internal electricity to become a weapon capable of harming opponents, the practitioner's physical strength had to reach an exceptional level. Thus, the technique also included a 'body-refining method' to enhance the body's resilience and power.
Although the Thunder Sword Technique was classified as an 'immortal technique', Rain understood that as a warrior, he couldn't use it directly in its current form.
To make it viable, he would need to extract its principles and adapt them to suit his cultivation level. The idea that bioelectricity originated within the body intrigued him, and he suspected it might have some connection to the 'Vitality Flame', a method he was already cultivating.
With the jade slip in hand, Rain quickly returned to his room. Settling in, he began meticulously studying the Thunder Sword Technique while continuing his comprehension of the Vitality Flame. He knew that the Vitality Flame, combined with the new body-refining exercises, could propel his strength to an entirely new level.