Chapter 451

As a swordsman, Li Li Chengyu transformed his body into a blade, aiming to sever Luo Luo Tianyou, the martial artist, with a single strike; Luo Luo Tianyou, too, radiated his blood qi to the heavens, determined to decide victory or defeat—and even life or death—in one blow. Both were extraordinary warriors, and their clash gripped every onlooker's heart.

Yet before all eyes, a sharp treasure sword slashed through heaven and earth, its icy glow blazing, instantly tearing through Luo Luo Tianyou's fist-light with near-irresistible force, then, its terrifying power undiminished, pierced straight through Luo Luo Tianyou's immensely strong body, cleaving half of it apart.

Sword qi swept across the land, blood splattered the earth.

This supreme martial artist of the Golden Academy, Luo Luo Tianyou, had been defeated by a single sword strike from a Golden Core swordsman—severely wounded and crushed, unable to stabilize his form, he plummeted straight down from midair.

This sight stunned everyone.

"Did Luo Luo Tianyou lose?"

Wu Wu Zuohua, as a peace officer, wore an expression of utter disbelief.

"No way—this martial artist lost? And so utterly? One sword split his body open, nearly killing him on the spot? The opponent didn't even use his true sword."

"Is the gap between cultivators and evolutionists really this vast?"

"It's over—Luo Luo Tianyou lost too. Spiritual Power cultivators simply can't match Golden Core cultivators."

Instantly, every heart sank to the depths.

They had believed that though evolutionists' cultivation system was incomplete, their ability to practice multiple paths gave them an edge—they should at least hold superiority over cultivators. Yet they never imagined a single Golden Core swordsman could crush Luo Luo Tianyou, the top Spiritual Power warrior of the Golden Academy. How could they possibly fight now?

The opponent still had Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation experts unengaged.

"Their evolutionists are truly useless, just as we predicted—they can't stand against a Golden Core swordsman. Even if Li Li Chengyu hadn't fought, Zhang Zhang Yihua could've won just as easily."

"You're right. Natives are natives. This world has only just emerged from the End of the Dao, cultivated for a mere decade—how could it compare to our millennia-long heritage? Had it not been for a god watching over this place, Earth would've long since become an outer battlefield, not worth any exchange."

"How lucky for Li Li Chengyu—he won this duel and claimed that dragon scale. Such fortune is rare."

Other cultivators, upon seeing Li Li Chengyu's victory, each wore smug expressions, yet immediately followed them with envy—he had simply picked up a treasure.

Sun Sun Boxiu, as vice-dean, gazed upon the scene with disappointment. He sighed helplessly, then waved his hand through the air—the defeated, gravely wounded, unconscious Luo Luo Tianyou instantly flew into the Golden Hall.

Fortunately, that sword strike had deliberately avoided vital points, only cleaving half his body; yet Luo Luo Tianyou's formidable vitality still clung to life, and he had not died. Had the opponent truly intended to kill, that strike would've severed his head.

"Cui San, take Luo Luo Tianyou for treatment. Yesterday, the Golden Academy's medical division acquired a Life Restoration Chamber—it should heal Luo Luo Tianyou." Sun Sun Boxiu said at once.

The Spiritual Power expert named Cui San said nothing, immediately carrying Luo Luo Tianyou away swiftly.

"Grand Immortal Tai, your humble disciple has not disgraced your name." At that moment, the swordsman Li Li Chengyu descended, bowing with neither arrogance nor humility.

Grand Immortal Tai stroked his beard and nodded, deeply satisfied with Li Li Chengyu's performance.

He had not used his true sword, had not taken the opponent's life, and the opponent had struck first—his victory was flawless.

And this outcome was precisely what he desired.

Since this was a visit for exchange, they must avoid giving others cause for criticism or appearing brutish. The current situation remained unclear; all actions must remain cautious.

"Dean Sun, I humbly thank you. This disciple hails from the Sword Controlling Sect of the Xuan Immortal Continent, a Golden Core swordsman. Sword cultivators nurture one true sword throughout their lives, cultivating both body and spirit, achieving extraordinary combat power. I regret having injured that young friend. Here, I offer a vial of healing elixirs to aid his recovery."

Grand Immortal Tai then smiled warmly, producing a jade vial containing several translucent, gleaming pills.

Sun Sun Boxiu shook his head. "Your kindness is deeply appreciated, Immortal. This duel has truly opened my eyes—how powerful a Golden Core cultivator truly is. Our Spiritual Power experts are humbled."

Recall: Luo Luo Tianyou had used his full strength, yet this Golden Core swordsman had held back—he had not drawn his true sword, nor used any spirit artifacts, and still concealed further secrets and killing techniques. Had this been a true life-or-death battle, this single Golden Core swordsman could've slaughtered every Spiritual Power expert in the Golden Academy.

This was no exaggeration—it was simply that when power surpasses a certain threshold, teamwork becomes meaningless.

Like twenty kindergarteners, no matter how many, cannot defeat a college student.

The cultivation arts of cultivators are vastly superior to our evolutionists' methods; even dual cultivation cannot bridge this gap—unless evolutionists themselves take up cultivation.

But if evolutionists cultivate, they become only half-baked cultivators—unable to obtain profound spells, unable to forge powerful magic treasures, still falling behind. Even if you received a complete cultivation lineage, starting from scratch, you'd struggle to surpass them, let alone match their millennia, even ten-thousand-year foundations.

Just thinking of it left Sun Sun Boxiu feeling utterly powerless.

Yet, what must be done must be done. He waved his hand, and the dragon scale flew toward the Golden Core swordsman Li Li Chengyu: "You won the duel. Take your prize."

"Thank you, Dean."

Li Li Chengyu bowed politely, then, heart pounding with excitement, stored the dragon scale within his storage spirit artifact.

If he could keep this scale, he could forge it into a treasure-grade true sword—his path as a swordsman would then flow smoothly, and future Tribulation Crossing and Immortal Ascension would be assured.

Grand Immortal Tai glanced at him, smiling silently.

It was worth the effort of bringing out the treasure, the Lustrous Golden Mirror, to squeeze the Golden Academy—this place did yield some fine things. And since such a rare object as a scale existed here, there were likely others. For other cultivators, this was no small opportunity.

He realized this. So did the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators. Their hearts burned with eagerness—they longed to challenge others to duels.

Yet, constrained by decorum, they remained outwardly calm.

Outside the Golden Hall, Li Yi watched as Luo Luo Tianyou, such a formidable martial artist, fell. His chest tightened.

"Luo Luo Tianyou's martial path surpasses mine. Even he, a Spiritual Power expert, couldn't defeat a Golden Core cultivator—how could I possibly win even against a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Now I finally understand what Fan Fan Zhizhou felt—this gap between worlds is utterly despairing."

Li Yi carefully assessed his own strength through this match. He judged he could barely match a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But if the opponent used powerful weapons, he might still lose.

Yet he possessed the Fei Mu Needle—a devastating weapon. He might still have a chance.

Not just he, but other Soul Power evolutionists were also calculating their odds. They refused to believe they couldn't even defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator. More than anything, they were seething with pride, unwilling to admit their inferiority.

"Let's go. Nothing more to see. Better to spend this time cultivating." After watching a while, Li Yi shook his head and prepared to return to his cultivation chamber.

Di Zhu'an said: "Cultivation arts are truly not simple. Previously, the academy's marketplace sold fragments of Qi Refining texts—but they were incomplete, slow to cultivate, and offered minimal combat gains. Yet after this, a cultivation craze will surely erupt. Many will likely take up cultivation alongside their current paths."

If Earth's evolutionists still held any advantage, it was only dual cultivation.

Evolutionists grow stronger in both body and soul simultaneously—their foundation is solid. They can instantly switch to martial arts, cultivation, or even gene warriors without any incompatibility.

This perhaps aligns with humanity's nature: exceptional adaptability.

People born in one world always carry the traits of that world.

Li Yi no longer lingered near the Golden Hall. He quietly slipped away from the crowd and returned to Cultivation Chamber C-64.

This event jolted him—he realized he could not stop. A mere handful of Xuan Immortal Continent Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators had crushed the Golden Academy's morale. If they truly intended to act, no one could stop them.

The law could not restrain these cultivators.

"Attempt to open the eleventh and twelfth major acupoints, perfect the Divine Martial Path. Cultivation arts may be superior, but I cannot obtain them. Even the Golden Academy likely only received ordinary cultivation texts—not refined ones. Better to stick to my own path than scavenge others' leftovers."

Inside the cultivation chamber, Li Yi took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began circulating his blood qi to further open acupoints.

He refused to believe that once he opened all 365 major acupoints and fully activated his Divine Bloodline, he would be inferior to cultivators.

For safety, Li Yi did not bring out the Seven-Colored Stone to enhance the chamber's cosmic energy—he feared such a treasure might attract the cultivators' greed and bring unnecessary trouble.

With the experience of activating the tenth acupoint, he had learned some techniques.

Of course, Li Yi also dared greatly—he injured himself, then used the Life Restoration Chamber to heal. As long as he didn't die, he pushed himself relentlessly.

After three days, he successfully activated and lit the eleventh major acupoint.

Blood qi surged backward, silver radiance gathering like a glowing speck.

Though still dim, as Li Yi's Divine Bloodline continued to grow, these points would one day shine as brilliantly as stars in the heavens.

He rested one day.

After eating well and restoring his blood qi, Li Yi resumed attempting to open the twelfth major acupoint.

He had already prepared for the worst—if this body was ruined, he would let his soul depart and inhabit a new one. After all, another body was already gestating in the Life Cradle. With this safety net, he dared to push so recklessly.

Opening the twelfth major acupoint was significantly harder.

The first eleven acupoints had drained Li Yi of vast amounts of blood qi and blood essence. His body seemed near its limit—the remaining blood qi and divine blood were insufficient to open the twelfth acupoint.

This situation revealed Li Yi's insufficient foundation—he needed time to further nourish his blood qi and strengthen his bloodline.

He decisively abandoned opening acupoints, formed a treasure seal, practiced the White Bone Contemplation, and consumed large quantities of extraordinary creature flesh to replenish his body's depleted blood qi.