Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1626 - 859: Victory_2

Shielded by the protection of his Golden Bell, Great Venerable Ming Hai seized the opportunity to focus his efforts on neutralizing Xingyi Sword.

He maneuvered the Magic Vajra Pestle in pursuit of the blade. As the weapon drew near, it shed a brilliant golden radiance and unleashed a sluggish golden beam.

His strategy was sound; Li Yuanba was far too elusive. Utilizing the Divine Foot Skill meant that landing a strike on his true form was nearly impossible.

However, Li Yuanba was a Sword Cultivator. By targeting his Lifebound Flying Sword—either to damage it or outright seize it—he could effectively strangle Li Yuanba’s lifeline.

Yet, just as the viscous golden light converged on its target, Xingyi Sword darted away, outstripping the beam’s reach with effortless grace.

“How does Li Yuanba possess such impeccable combat awareness?” Even Great Venerable Ming Hai was caught off guard by his opponent’s tactical instincts.

He remained unaware that beneath the suppressed quality of the Xingyi Sword—currently mimicking a mere Fourth Grade Top Quality item—the intrinsic Artifact Spirit inherent to a true Spirit Treasure remained entirely unconstrained.

To a significant degree, the Artifact Spirit of the Xingyi Sword was working in perfect harmony with Li Yuanba’s offensive strikes.

Whenever Li Yuanba initiated an attack, he only needed to signal his intent; the complex micro-adjustments were handled intuitively by the Artifact Spirit itself.

This was particularly effective against threats directed at the blade, as the Artifact Spirit navigated around danger automatically.

Given the blinding velocity of Xingyi Sword and the vigilance of its spirit, Great Venerable Ming Hai found it impossible to land a meaningful blow, no matter how he directed his efforts.

Once the sluggish golden light dissipated, Xingyi Sword promptly resumed its assault on Great Venerable Ming Hai.

The sluggish golden light emitted by the Magic Vajra Pestle was not a trivial technique; it could not be summoned at will.

The effort required to cast it meant the Magic Vajra Pestle mandated a period of recovery before it could be utilized again.

Great Venerable Ming Hai began straining to purge the ‘Chaos Sword Intent’ from his injury, while simultaneously bolstering the defenses of his Golden Bell Treasure to prevent the Xingyi Sword from striking its core.

Under the mounting pressure, a fracture finally manifested on the barrier of the Golden Bell Treasure.

Instantly, Li Yuanba capitalized on the opening, using ‘A Step Away from Heaven’ to warp directly into the vicinity of Great Venerable Ming Hai.

Reappearing in a blur, his Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation unleashed a close-quarters Secret Technique drawn from the ‘Nameless Sword Canon’.

With the Magic Vajra Pestle still recharging, the Golden Bell Treasure being relentlessly battered by the Xingyi Sword, and his current struggle to expel the ‘Chaos Sword Intent’, Great Venerable Ming Hai was forced to defend himself with nothing but his fists.

The fists of a master Body Refining Great Cultivator possess the destructive force of a high-tier treasure weapon.

Li Yuanba moved with a fluid, rhythmic grace—a distinctive trait of the melee footwork found deep within the ‘Nameless Sword Canon’.

When it comes to pure close-combat proficiency, the ‘Nameless Sword Canon’ remains unrivaled among sword techniques.

Had the Cultivation World not shifted its focus toward long-range engagements—a trend that nearly led to the total extinction of the close-combat Sword Cultivator path—these warriors would be just as feared as the Flying Sword Cultivators of today.

The Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation narrowly bypassed Great Venerable Ming Hai’s counter-strike, landing a swift and precise blow to his waist.

Taking the hit, Great Venerable Ming Hai realized that engaging Li Yuanba in melee combat was a losing battle.

He immediately resorted to his Thunder Sound Divine Ability, sending a concussive shockwave rippling outward.

Li Yuanba was forced to trigger ‘A Step Away from Heaven’ to retreat from his adversary’s reach, denying the monk the chance to capitalize on the sound wave.

The Thunder Sound Divine Ability was an infuriating technique; paired with the sluggish golden light of the Magic Vajra Pestle, catching a hit from either meant curtains for the average cultivator.

Furthermore, because both techniques were area-of-effect assaults, any standard Great Cultivator lacking the speed of the Divine Foot Skill would be trapped and decimated.

After this tactical failure, Great Venerable Ming Hai looked toward Li Yuanba with a sense of weary resignation.

He found Li Yuanba’s fighting style repulsive and understood clearly that close-quarters engagement was out of the question.

A single exchange allowed him to fathom the bizarre, deadly grace of Li Yuanba’s melee prowess.

He identified it as the signature style of a close-combat Sword Cultivator—a lineage noted in the annals of Da Leiyin Temple as a bunch of maniacs obsessed with the art of blade-to-flesh combat.

As Li Yuanba demonstrated, once a fight turns physical, attempting to trade blows without the overwhelming strength to force them back is nothing short of suicide.

Great Venerable Ming Hai paid the cost of an injury to learn this lesson.

His impressive physique displayed exceptional durability; despite the assault, Li Yuanba’s blade only managed to carve a wound half an inch deep into his waist.

The Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation had pierced the skin but was halted by the dense, hardened muscle beneath.

Great Venerable Ming Hai felt a surge of discomfort as more ‘Chaos Sword Intent’ seeped into his wound, forcing him to divert precious spiritual power to suppress it.

“Amitabha. Let Brother Li take the resources here!” Great Venerable Ming Hai declared, explicitly conceding the territory.

This surrender was absolute. Li Yuanba couldn’t hide a look of disappointment; such a promising opponent was leaving the fray early.

In truth, he had held back, opting not to deploy ‘Ten Thousand Sword Peak’ or summon his late-stage Golden Corpse, simply because he was enjoying the duel.

“I thank you for your generosity, Great Venerable Ming Hai!” Li Yuanba replied with a polite smile.

He followed this by casting a beam of ‘Innate Wood’ divine light toward the monk.

Great Venerable Ming Hai offered a slight smile, seemingly placing his trust in Li Yuanba, and allowed the light to wash over his body.

In reality, he recognized the nature of the ‘Innate Wood’ technique the moment he saw it.

While he was confident he could eventually purge the ‘Chaos Sword Intent’, his internal wounds would normally take days to recover.

As the light faded, the ‘Chaos Sword Intent’ evaporated and his flesh knitted together almost instantly, leaving the monk stunned by the sheer potency of the ability.

He no longer harbored thoughts of malice toward Li Yuanba. Possessing the Divine Foot Skill, melee expertise, long-range blade control, and the ‘Innate Wood’ healing art, Li Yuanba was a terrifyingly versatile Sword Cultivator who could handle any tactical situation.

Even if Great Venerable Ming Hai managed to land a solid strike, Li Yuanba could simply heal through it.

Against such an adversary, even those with superior raw power risked being slowly ground down to defeat.

“Mr. Li, I hope we might one day be friends!” Great Venerable Ming Hai bowed to show his appreciation, then exited the field with grace.

Li Yuanba simply shook his head and smirked; he had no ambition to associate with such a treacherous monk, lest he find a blade in his back.

He resumed his position, sitting cross-legged while concentrating on the resource site.

In the distance, the gathered Great Cultivators watched on in stunned silence, still reeling from the spectacle.

They had just witnessed the impossible: a single Sword Cultivator forcing Great Venerable Ming Hai into a retreat.

While it was clear the monk was far from incapacitated and still held fight in him, his choice to concede was an admission of defeat that none could dispute.

Before this day, Li Yuanba had sat lower in the rankings, nestled among the many aspirants fighting for a spot beneath the Peak Great Cultivators.

But after this, his status would undoubtedly be elevated, placing his combat strength on par with the very best of the Peak Great Cultivators.

The observers looked at Li Yuanba with a mixture of reverence and fear; even those who hadn't stepped forward yet now lacked the nerve to challenge him.

Another middle-stage Great Cultivator arrived on the scene.

He lingered at a distance, spotting Li Yuanba seated calmly at the point of interest.

Seeing over twenty other Great Cultivators watching from the sidelines, he abandoned any thought of a rash approach and silently chose to join the spectators instead.

It was clear to him—if those twenty veterans dared not make a move against Li Yuanba, there was wisdom to be found in playing it safe.