Chapter 162

Inside the Grand Void Illusion,

many examinees had already finished their exams and gathered together to watch the cold weapon battle representing the absolute peak of the Immortal Sect's younger generation.

"A Tier 2 mobile formation!"

"Can he even fight Foundation Establishment cultivators? This is the direct descendant of a Nascent Soul True Person!"

A late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator from Zhongcheng High School said in shock.

Zhongcheng was a city near Rongcheng.

Practical exams might be conducted through regional cooperation, so many examinees from neighboring cities gathered together to socialize and discuss tactics.

"Li Tie, is that fierce guy opposite Xu Jianian from your Rongcheng?"

"Hell, a martial artist—although he shouldn't be able to beat a Nascent Soul True Person's descendant and Tier 2 formation master, I'm a level 9 Qi Condensation cultivator, and I was taken out in seconds without even seeing his face!"

One person asked; he was the most outstanding Qi Condensation student in Zhongcheng, a minor realm higher than Li Tie.

"Don't know him!"

Li Tie's face was dark, still unable to break free from the memory of being shredded into pieces.

"He's from our class."

Hua Bing replied, lingering horror still in her eyes; this was completely different from what her father had said.

"It should be related to the 'Great Sun Sword-Planting and Sword-Refining Method'."

This drew side-glances from the crowd, who immediately logged into the library to search and read.

"A mere flying sword refined from a thousand-year Soul-Nurturing Wood and Gengjin."

High in the sky, Xu Jianian, guarded by layers of stone steles, spoke lightly. With another wave of his hand, eighteen fireballs flew out in succession, forming a formation in the sky, their auras linked, whistling as they fell.

Indeed, these two materials were extremely difficult to obtain for Golden Core cultivators, but for a Nascent Soul descendant, it was just a matter of acting spoiled a few times; they were ordinary items, far inferior to his eighteen magic treasure embryos.

"Not bad."

Jiang Ding had to praise the other party's combat literacy.

Although his tone was arrogant, the eighteen magic treasure embryos were tightly guarding his front, refusing to expose even a fraction; he must have undergone excellent and rigorous combat education.

In the face of such education, most so-called combat geniuses would pale in comparison.

These eighteen chain fireballs were also extraordinary; formation patterns were faintly visible between them, and combined, they were enough to blow up a large group of Qi Condensation cultivators, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators could not take them lightly.

Clang!

There was no strategy.

In fact, at his peak Primordial stage, he had nothing but this flying sword.

The azure sword shadow pierced through the eighteen fireballs and continued to soar in the sky, the sword tip trembling slightly, as if sensing flaws with sword intent, seeking an opportunity to assassinate.

The eighteen fireballs stalled, exploded with a boom, and dissipated.

The fireball spell structure was shattered under a single sword strike!

Having completely lost its original power, the near-Tier 2 formation's momentum could not block the sharpness of the azure flying sword.

"You do have some tricks."

Xu Jianian frowned, and as he pinched a spell, countless spiritual energies of heaven and earth gathered, forming a tiny tide.

In an instant, the heaven and earth within several hundred meters changed color.

Fireballs generated from the void, turning into firebirds that flew toward the front, continuously increasing in number, soon breaking through the dozens, and still growing.

Formation patterns continuously generated among these firebirds, increasingly approaching the limit of a Tier 1 formation and entering the realm of a Tier 2 formation.

Whoosh!

An azure flying sword pierced through the flock of firebirds, slashing and extinguishing seven or eight of them, which was insignificant compared to the flock.

"Can you see the formation nodes I've hidden?"

Xu Jianian paused his spell, suspicious and uncertain.

In the area pierced by the flying sword, more than twenty firebirds dissipated for no reason, and they did not regenerate continuously.

Logically, this shouldn't happen; even if others destroyed one or two, the firebirds would regenerate rapidly.

"No."

Jiang Ding answered simply.

The flying sword soaring in the sky descended again, whistling mournfully as it slashed toward the remaining third of the firebird formation. As the sword light crisscrossed, the formation was slashed to pieces and completely destroyed.

He did not understand Tier 2 formations.

Most sword cultivators did not have the formation attainments of top-tier spell cultivators of the same level, but they remained undefeated.

What they relied on was sword intent.

In the perception of sword intent and unity of heaven and man, this firebird formation had multiple dense energy gathering points; the flying sword then pierced through the largest node, and the sword qi destroyed it—it was that simple.

"I still need to learn formations. If I had formation attainments, I could destroy his formation with one sword."

Jiang Ding whispered.

The azure flying sword pierced through the completely dissipated firebird formation, sword radiance condensed at the tip, and it stabbed fiercely at the heavy eighteen-stele formation!

Ding!

This time, finally taking advantage of the flaw where the opponent was casting an attack formation and had insufficient spiritual energy recovery, he broke through the thick layers of shields and slashed at a gray-white magic treasure embryo.

Blinding sparks lit up, and the flying sword pierced through the layers of shields before the other steles could form an encirclement, then departed once more.

The azure flying sword soared in the sky, seeking an opportunity.

"Turtle shell!"

Jiang Ding frowned.

Eighteen magic treasure embryos, extremely high-quality materials, excellent potential, and they were a set connected into a formation—this was too shameless.

Besides this, he confirmed that the other party was cultivating a 'Fa' grade technique, having reached the peak of Qi Condensation at sixteen.

This was a common cultivation process for Immortal Sect cultivators; a child of eleven or twelve might not even recognize all the characters, so even if their talent was peerless, having them cultivate a 'Jing' grade technique would be too much of a fantasy.

It was best to first cultivate inferior techniques and accumulate enough Immortal Dao knowledge; only then would it be possible.

Although it was just for a child to practice with, it was a goal that many of the most outstanding disciples of Golden Core sects would never reach in their lives.

The two of them launched an earth-shattering slaughter in the vast sea!

Spells like firebirds and fire phoenixes were continuously unleashed, attempting to link into the final Tier 2 formation, but were slashed and extinguished every time they were about to take shape.

Continuous spell explosions shattered the seawater again and again.

"Is Jiang Ding... Foundation Establishment combat power?"

Hua Bing was dumbfounded, feeling it was somewhat dreamlike, and gloated: "I guess you won't be able to get your revenge."

"What does this count as? I once smashed him flat with one move, into a state that didn't look human."

Li Tie's brows relaxed.

"You are courting death!!"

Having had his Tier 2 formation destroyed multiple times just as it was about to take shape, Xu Jianian's patience was exhausted.

He pointed at the stele beside him and shouted sharply:

"Heavy Mountain Stele, go!"

Rumble!

The true Tier 2 formation moved, detaching from the vessel owner and suppressing downward.

The eighteen magic treasure embryo steles rumbled forward, formation pattern phantoms clearly visible in the void, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth fluctuated on a large scale.

Heavy pressure emerged from the void, smoothing out the waves within a radius of several hundred meters, making them as smooth as a mirror.

This kind of power had already reached a terrifying level that would make Foundation Establishment cultivators change color upon seeing it.

"Fall!"

"Die!"

Xu Jianian watched the green-robed youth below with indifference and contempt as eighteen steles, grown to over ten meters in size, suppressed downward; even a Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator could be destroyed in one strike.

"Try interrupting me one more time?"

He said coldly.

Yet he saw the other party reveal a trace of a smile, and his heart instinctively skipped a beat.

"Finally, from your turtle shell..."

Clang!

A sword cry clearly entered his heavily protected sea of consciousness.

In the endless sky, a huge azure ancient tree rose from the ground, towering into the firmament. As its branches and leaves shook, all things perished, and the terrifying aura of the Dharma-Ending era sinking permeated heaven and earth.

In Xu Jianian's eyes, everything was covered by a streak of azure light.

Then, a deep hole appeared on his forehead, bright from front to back.

His eyes fell into a daze, losing all their luster.

(End of chapter)