Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1622 - 857: Victory (Part 2)

Prior to commencing his strike, Li Yuanba briefed the late-stage Golden Corpse on the established protocols.

Possessing high intelligence, the late-stage Golden Corpse ceased its aggression the moment the Great Cultivator ordered it to pull back.

"Retreat!"

"Retreat!"

"I am withdrawing as well!"

Amidst the chorus of calls to pull back, every Great Cultivator engaged with the late-stage Golden Corpse disengaged from the conflict, excluding one soul who had collapsed and was unable to speak.

The seven Great Cultivators currently confronting Li Yuanba directly observed the late-stage Golden Corpse shifting its orientation, ready to assault them instead.

In that instant, the Xingyi Sword materialized once more; yet, rather than lunging with speed, it merely drifted forward slowly, exerting immense pressure upon the seven Great Cultivators.

Among those seven stood three members of the Infinite Sect. They exchanged nervous glances, their faces twisted in expressions of helpless frustration.

"We are retreating too!" the seven Great Cultivators declared in unison.

The hostilities had concluded, though Li Yuanba felt somewhat unfulfilled, as he had barely broken a sweat.

Still, they were not mortal enemies; this was merely a dispute over resource allocation.

As he emerged from the corridor, no Great Cultivator dared to make another move.

With the Great Cultivators abandoning the contest, the ripening resources were now Li Yuanba's alone. Without competition, the impetus for further violence vanished.

Li Yuanba stepped toward the critically wounded Great Cultivator and released a streak of white radiance from his palm; the Innate Wood Divine Skill hummed to life, bathing the injured man in a rejuvenating aura.

The Great Cultivator, hovering between life and death, felt the curative light from Li Yuanba descend and permeate his physical form.

His grievous wounds began mending at a staggering pace, narrowing down to minor scrapes within mere heartbeats.

Li Yuanba’s eyes shifted with a flicker of realization—his Innate Wood Divine Skill seemed to have undergone a significant power boost since he reached the Great Cultivator stage.

This was undoubtedly tied to the Innate Jianmu Tree Heart, as the restorative strength of the technique he wielded far eclipsed that of Li Shiming’s.

Given the severity of the victim's near-fatal wounds, Li Shiming could have saved him, but it would have necessitated multiple, sustained applications of the Innate Wood Divine Skill to replicate what Li Yuanba achieved in a single moment.

One should not underestimate this disparity. In the heat of combat, should Li Yuanba ever suffer severe damage, a solitary usage of the Innate Wood Divine Skill would suffice to restore his peak fighting potential.

"I am in your debt, Mr. Li, for sparing my life!" the rescued Great Cultivator stated, offering a solemn bow to Li Yuanba while disregarding his remaining minor injuries.

"It was my blade that inflicted those wounds in the first place!" Li Yuanba remarked, signaling for the man to forgo the formalities.

"Taking damage was a result of my own choices, yet I cannot overlook such a display of mercy!" the Great Cultivator insisted stubbornly.

Li Yuanba said nothing further, remaining largely indifferent to the man's show of gratitude.

He vanished in a blur of motion, reappearing beside the golden silk green spirit grass to await its final maturation.

While the actual cultivation of the spirit grass required nearly an hour, the skirmish outside had extinguished in less than thirty minutes.

The Great Cultivators traded looks and shook their heads in resignation.

Chagrined by their failure, some of them turned away and ascended into the heavens.

A few others lingered at a safe distance; they kept their spacing deliberate to avoid offending Li Yuanba.

The trio from the Infinite Sect appeared the most dismayed, remaining near the resource point to ensure no further complications would arise.

The rescued Great Cultivator cast one final, lingering gaze toward Li Yuanba, bowed deeply once more, and departed.

Every Great Cultivator there reached the same conclusion: from this day forward, they would all be viewed as mere stepping stones for Li Yuanba’s legend.

By securing a victory against a fifteen-to-one disadvantage, Li Yuanba’s prestige among the Great Cultivators was destined to soar.

Before today, no matter his acclaim, he was merely the apex of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, possessing power that happened to rival a Great Cultivator.

However, from this moment on, Li Yuanba had graduated from being a notable Nascent Soul cultivator to a truly formidable figure among the Great Cultivators.

Given this victory, his combat ranking would surely ascend to a position just shy of the Peak Great Cultivators.

Finally, the golden silk green spirit grass reached full maturity. Li Yuanba carefully harvested two bundles and secured them within a jade box.

With these duties fulfilled, he triggered his 'one-step arrival' and blinked out of existence.

The three members of the Infinite Sect felt Li Yuanba’s aura completely dissolve, leaving them in a state of bewilderment and shock at their inability to track his movements.

They understood that for any Space Divine Skill, regardless of speed, some vestige of aura typically lingers during a spatial jump.

They were unaware that Li Yuanba’s spatial agility permitted a jump of eight thousand miles, far exceeding their sensory range and rendering it impossible for them to monitor his departure.

They proceeded into the resource point, performed a sweep of the perimeter, and restored the Formation.

Observing that the drama had concluded, the remaining Great Cultivators abandoned the site as well.

The once-active battlefield returned to profound silence, though tales of the event were soon destined to permeate every corner of the Cultivation World.

While trekking back to the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, Li Yuanba reflected on his own martial capabilities.

The preeminent merit of a Sword Cultivator lies in their lopsided advantage over foes who cannot withstand their Sword Intent.

Conversely, should an opponent find a way to neutralize that intent, the struggle becomes significantly more grueling.

Fortunately, the Chaos Sword Intent he had mastered remained the most potent, even within the ranks of the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

Furthermore, the Chaos Sword Intent continued to evolve, bolstered by Li Shiming’s deep research into the Sword Intent Stele, which consistently refined its power.

Perhaps one day, his Chaos Sword Intent would reach the absolute peak reflected in that Stele—that was the standard to which he aspired.

He could hardly be faulted for such lofty goals; having witnessed the grandeur of the Sword Elder and the manifestations of the Sword Intent Stele, his grasp of the art far exceeded that of his peers.

"When will I finally encounter an adversary worthy of a true duel!" Li Yuanba mused, yearning for a challenge that would demand his full potential.

Today’s conflict offered little in terms of self-improvement; it had merely served to calibrate his status within the Cultivation World.

He began to set his sights on the near-peak Great Cultivators; they were likely the only ones capable of providing the friction he needed to grow.

By the time he returned to the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, he had already relayed a message to his mentor, Jian Wuwei.

Entering the pavilion, he immediately found Jian Wuwei waiting for his return.

"Master!" Li Yuanba announced, extending the jade box, "The objective has been secured."

"Facing fifteen and emerging victorious—your prowess has shattered everyone’s expectations!" Jian Wuwei accepted the box, shaking his head with an amused smile.

Li Yuanba was not surprised that news of his victory had reached his master so swiftly.

Even though the battle was restricted to Great Cultivators, there were always spectators observing from the shadows.

Agents from the major factions often deployed advanced Pupil Skills and Far Listening techniques to monitor such high-level movements.

"I simply utilized the constraints of the terrain, which happened to favor a Sword Cultivator!" Li Yuanba clarified modestly.

"You will find your next missions far less troublesome; many Great Cultivators will likely choose to concede the moment they spot you," Jian Wuwei remarked.

Considering the Great Cultivators who had fled even before the fighting began, Li Yuanba realized the sheer weight of his newly established reputation.

"I have finalized the mission submission for you. Take a few days to recover, and we shall see what challenges await next. I am registering the golden silk green spirit grass now, and I will have the box returned to you in a moment!" Jian Wuwei glanced briefly at the contents before closing the box and handing it back to his student.

For matters involving Alchemy, it was Li Yuanba who handled the processing. Once the mission rewards were confirmed, the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion had its own internal system for distributing merit.