Chapter 538: Samadhi True Fire

"Clatter!"

A young general handed the Snake Spear he was holding in his arms to Lidao; he was the newly recruited Thirteenth Taibao, born with divine strength and quite favored by the Candle Dragon. Taking the spear in hand and giving it a light shake, the green eyeballs on the snake-head guard lit up, and the snake-tongue spearhead spat out a cold glint.

"To refine a Demigod into a weapon—what a ruthless method!"

A normal Naga has one pair of arms, and their strength increases accordingly; six arms correspond to the status of a Demigod. Thinking this, the Dwarf and the Dragon walked to the drill ground outside the main hall and took up their stances on the left and right.

"Whoosh!"

Sinuoli raised his hand to beckon, and Lidao did not stand on ceremony; nearly transparent flames surged out, and he leaped over a distance of more than ten meters, swinging the Snake Spear in a full arc to strike straight down.

"Bang!"

The Dwarf King naturally would not show weakness, stabilizing his stance and crossing his hammer and axe to parry upward. Maintaining a human form limited the true Dragon's strength, and with a "thud, thud, thud," they each retreated several steps, fighting to a draw.

"Boom! Bang, bang!"

Suddenly stomping the ground to stir up arc lightning caused Lidao's figure to stall. Sinuoli activated the runes on his war boots to close the distance quickly, his hammer and axe flying as a storm-like barrage of attacks made it quite difficult for the giant wielding the long weapon to parry.

"Hoo-ah!"

Lidao frowned slightly, taking a deep breath to spit a ball of scorching flame in front of him. After all, it was a sparring match intended to stop at a touch; the Dwarf stepped back to open the distance, and the hammer head tapped lightly, counting as having the upper hand in this round of martial arts competition.

"Please!"

Two sparks of fire lit up in the Candle Dragon's eyes, and the flames surrounding his body gathered in the center to form a suit of fire armor. He stood his spear upright and cupped his hands, signifying that the probing was over; the confrontation between Demigods would have to rely on Authority to reveal the truth.

Lidao's fighting style was unique; he positioned himself as a melee mage. The Five Elements Temple had analyzed this: Weinan Province had many mountains and forests, and the natives familiar with the geography could easily set up ambushes.

Manifesting a dragon body made for too large a target, and relying solely on a layer of dragon scales could not withstand the endless methods aimed at giant beasts. The Fire Authority was inherently superior in lethality, and in human form, his attack range would not shrink much, but his agility would increase dramatically.

"Governor, there is no need to hold back!"

Seeing this, Sinuoli did not act conceited; he shook his body and transformed into a stone statue, the Heart of the Mountains armor expanding along with him, causing Lidao's eyes to fill with envy. The Storm Hammer was thrown to break the stalemate, and he charged forward to catch the deflected war hammer; the Demigods fought together once more.

"Good lad, not fearing my protective dragon flames—but can you withstand this Samadhi True Fire?"

After clashing hard for several rounds, the immense force made Lidao's tiger's mouth numb. After successive great battles, Sinuoli had already leveled up to level nine; not only were his attributes improved in every aspect, but he had also unlocked level two Heavy Strike.

The snake tongue of Lidao's eerie Snake Spear could strangely change direction, but the stabs, lacking force, could only leave a few dents on the stone statue, and the strange poison contained within could not compare to the methods of Plague Father Kugasi.

With a roll of fire and wind, the Candle Dragon leaped backward. He hammered his chest hard, and three clusters of firelight emerged from his eyes, mouth, and nose, converging at his face into a condensed line of fire that headed straight for Sinuoli.

"To be able to make the Father Commander use the Samadhi True Fire, this Dwarf is truly formidable!"

"Changing into a stone body—could it be the same as that demon monkey?"

"Why not!"

Without needing to listen to the discussions of the surrounding generals, Sinuoli knew this flame was extraordinary. He let out a loud shout, and the Word Spirit Spell transformed from the Oath Authority pushed up to meet it. After a brief stalemate, the line of fire pierced through the obstruction; even though he activated the Wealth Authority in time, it was not fully effective, and some sparks splashed onto him.

"This true fire of mine is the Samadhi refined from Essence, Qi, and Spirit, nurturing the Li-Essence; it is naturally different from ordinary fire."

"Indeed extraordinary! What is the meaning of this tingling sensation!"

Lidao did not seize the opportunity to pursue and began to introduce it triumphantly. Suppressing the stinging pain that struck his soul, Sinuoli squeezed out a smile and offered some polite words.

As the elder brother of Yin Yin, Lidao held a high position in his heart. Indeed, the Candle Dragon was not a reckless brute who only knew how to spit fire; he had sublimated his Fire Authority to a higher level.

"Attaining the Samadhi, illuminating the southern sky!"

Lidao gathered his breath again, and more Samadhi True Fire surged out, but this time it did not directly inflict damage; instead, it covered the Snake Spear, as if he were holding a giant candle in his hand. The snake head let out mournful cries from the heat, adding a touch of eeriness. After twirling the spear in the air, he thrust it straight forward.

"The Ancestor Goddess protects me!"

The Valaya Rune was used in battle to evoke the courage of the clansmen and firm their will; Sinuoli utilized it to protect his own mind from being scorched. Successively blessing himself with multiple Rune Magics gave him more peace of mind.

"Ha-ya!"

Twisting his body in a way that seemed slow but was actually fast, he avoided the strike and swung the divine hammer left behind by the Ore Shaper Sidemunier. The runes burst forth, striking squarely on the spear tip, and the immense power directly smashed it into the platform.

The milky-white true fire spread along with the collision of weapons. Sinuoli gritted his teeth, his feet never stopping, and he took a step forward, his left-hand axe heavily slashing at the seven-inch mark of the Snake Spear. Using a pair of short weapons against a long spear, he had to close the distance.

"Wind arises from fire; the superior man has substance in his words and constancy in his actions!"

Suffering repeated heavy blows, Lidao's arms felt sore and weak, and his tiger's mouth bled. He should have parried with the spear to force Sinuoli back, but his strength was spent; he could only retract the flames and form them into wings behind his back to retreat—his armor could not withstand attacks of the same level.

"Where are you going!"

How could Sinuoli let Lidao have his way? The Samadhi True Fire had the ability to burn the heart and erode the bones; if he really let him spit it comfortably, no matter who won in the end, they would have to pay a huge price in a war of attrition.

The Word Spirit escaped his lips, causing Lidao to pause in mid-air. The Storm Hammer caught the brief gap of him breaking free from the restraint and struck the Candle Dragon's face directly. The fire wings behind him gathered in front to form a defense but were immediately pierced through, and with a loud boom, the giant fell back to the ground.

"Whoosh-la-la!"

Striding forward to pounce, he brought his hammer and axe down in a move of Dark Clouds Covering the Peak, and he did not neglect the Wealth Authority, which was softening and rusting Lidao's armor. Just as the Artifact war hammer was about to greet his chest, a true Dragon, black-tinged red, appeared on the drill ground, carrying a monstrous wave of flames.

"There is no false reputation under a great name; this commander has learned a lesson!"

The giant dragon extended a claw to block the war hammer, and he shook his dragon head and sighed aloud. The outcome of the sparring, which forced him to reveal his true form, was self-evident. As for flying into the air and unilaterally outputting downward, the dignified Governor of Weinan Province, Fuhong Shijun, was not a dragon who couldn't afford to lose.

"Pure luck, pure luck!"

Sinuoli dispelled the Avatar of the Gods and took out the Great Goblet to drink deeply. Under the gaze of the silent, awe-struck generals, he stepped back into the hall. That Lidao, who had carved out a resounding reputation as the Lord of Burning Wind by stepping on the corpses of powerful enemies, was so passive in the confrontation exceeded their understanding.

The Demigods knew the reason among themselves: Lidao usually fought low-to-mid-tier matches, cleaning up some peak mortals and those at the Threshold of Demigod. His moves were wide and open, suppressing people with force, and he had many flaws; having been relaxed for too long, it was not something that could be tightened up overnight.

Sinuoli did not have parents or siblings of the "first-class in the world" to stand in front of him; he had grown up by outsmarting powerful enemies between life and death. He had formed a set of tightly connected, simple, and powerful combos.

(End of chapter)