On the second day in the Cyan Prison Spirit Realm, the colors of the world suddenly changed.
The original dark cyan sky was replaced by a thick layer of red clouds, like solidified blood clots.
Dark red bolts of lightning occasionally streaked through the clouds, accompanied by dull rumbles of thunder.
The cool, refreshing fragrance of plants had long since vanished, replaced by scorching, dry Fire Spiritual Qi and a pungent, burnt-smelling gray smoke.
Chu Bai sat behind a charred rock, feeling a searing sensation in his lungs.
’The fluctuations of the Law Net have grown stronger... or rather, a Great Cultivator is interfering.’ Chu Bai muttered to himself. He extended his hand, and a wisp of Water Qi condensed on his fingertip.
The watery glow, which should have formed instantly, now trembled slightly and rapidly dissipated in the rising heatwave.
In this extreme fire-aspected environment, the speed at which Water Element Techniques could be formed was at least thirty percent slower, and their power was severely suppressed. Meanwhile, the consumption of Magical Power was even faster than during an intense battle.
At that moment, in the void of his Sea of Consciousness displayed by the Lingxi Mark, the rankings had changed again.
[Current Points: 480]
[Current Rank: 15th]
After a full day of frequent hunting, Chu Bai had firmly secured his place in the top tier.
At this stage, it was difficult to make any significant leaps in the rankings just by hunting Low-Tier Demon Beasts, because the point scores of the top twenty were all extremely close.
Most of the students who had lasted this long either possessed powerful treasures or had special Cultivation Techniques. Ordinary Qi-Introducing Level Demon Beasts were no longer their main source of points.
Chu Bai took a deep breath and began circulating his Mastery Level Guiyuan Technique.
If he had been someone practicing a pure Water Element Technique, he would likely be busy looking for a shady spot to escape the heat and prevent his Spiritual Power from spiraling out of control.
Chu Bai closed his eyes, almost able to see the rampaging, chaotic Fire Spiritual Qi around him being forcibly tamed within his meridians.
Although the conversion process was several times more painful than usual, his pool of Magical Power remained in a state of slow but steady replenishment.
’This fire... something’s not right. It’s not just hot; it carries a poisonous, smoky miasma.’
Chu Bai noticed something was off. When this smoke entered the body, it would constantly wear away a Cultivator’s Dao Heart, making them frenzied and irritable.
He stood up and walked toward the lava lake in the core region of the Spirit Realm. It was the area most densely populated with Mutated Demon Beasts and also the place where points were most abundant.
On the shores of the lava lake, crimson waves churned.
Dark red lava flowed through ravines, making bubbling sounds. The heatwaves in the air distorted vision, making distant scenery appear blurry and overlapping.
On a massive crimson rock by the lake, a towering, iron-like figure was brandishing a broadsword.
"HAH!"
A thunderous roar erupted.
Tao Mingzhi was bare-chested, his originally bronze skin glowing an eerie dark red under the reflection of the flames.
His Heavy Sword was currently enveloped in a layer of Red Sun Fire Gang so dense it was almost tangible. Every swing cleaved the pouncing Earth Fire Lizards in two.
His aura was incredibly ferocious, as if he had merged as one with the lava lake.
As the prodigy of Class Three, Tao Mingzhi specialized in the Fire Heavy Sword. Here in this "Flame Melting Furnace," his strength hadn’t diminished but had actually increased, faintly exuding the might of the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation Second Layer.
"Who’s there? Get out!"
Tao Mingzhi whipped his head around. His Heavy Sword swept out horizontally, and a crescent-shaped wave of fire over ten feet long sliced clean through a stone pillar behind him.
Chu Bai slowly emerged from the shadows behind the pillar. His cyan robes fluttered in the hot wind, and his eyes remained cold and clear, a stark contrast to the scorching surroundings.
"It’s you, Chu Bai."
The frenzy in Tao Mingzhi’s eyes receded slightly, replaced by an incomparably intense battle lust.
He leaned on his Heavy Sword, panting heavily. Sweat slid down his spine, instantly evaporating into white mist. "In the monthly practical exam, you beat me. I, Tao Mingzhi, accept that. But for the past month, the Tao Family has spared no expense to provide me with resources, and I hold every Geographical Advantage here..."
He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his smile a bit crazed. "The points for the semi-annual competition are important, sure, but what I really want to know is, under these flames, how much power will your Water Needle have left!"
"Then as you wish."
Chu Bai raised his right hand and made a grasping motion in the air.
The [Guardian Shield] materialized instantly. Unlike its usual translucence, the round shield now seemed to emanate a chill akin to Profound Ice from within, to counter the Geographical Advantage.
"Good! Take this! Sunburst Mountain Shattering Slash!"
Tao Mingzhi roared, and the crimson rock beneath his feet shattered from his powerful stomp.
He transformed into a red afterimage, his Heavy Sword chopping down from above with the power to sunder mountains and crack stone.
This strike condensed all of his Spirit, Essence, and Qi. Aided by the momentum of the Earth Fire, its power was terrifying.
Facing this unavoidable and seemingly unstoppable blow, Chu Bai finally used the most central insight he had gained over the past month.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, his left hand forming a claw shape and flicking gently forward.
[Formless Cloud Hand]—Cloud Silk Entwined.
In the wave of fire, the normally pliable Cloud Hand no longer seemed soft. Instead, it was like a mass of extremely sticky spider silk.
When the Heavy Sword chopped into the range of the Cloud Hand’s Magical Power, Tao Mingzhi discovered to his horror that his incomparably domineering force felt as if it had plunged into a swirling quagmire.
Chu Bai’s hands moved in a blur of afterimages, his Magical Power transforming into a Soft Force that stuck to the Heavy Sword and guided its trajectory.
Tao Mingzhi felt his Heavy Sword veer uncontrollably to the right. Not only that, but the surging wave of fire from his strike was guided by Chu Bai into a bizarre arc, slapping back toward his own flank!
"What?!"
Tao Mingzhi’s face fell in shock, but it was too late to retract his power.
This was the true killing move of the [Formless Cloud Hand] after reaching the Mastery Realm and being supported by the Magical Power of the Qi Cultivation Second Layer—a guided backlash!
Tao Mingzhi was forced to take the aftershock of his own fiery wave with his left arm, and his body staggered.
At that very moment, Chu Bai’s right hand thrust the [Guardian Shield] forward.
In that instant, as the pale gray shield made contact with the flames on Tao Mingzhi’s Heavy Sword, it automatically transformed into a crystal-clear water form.
’It seems the Purifying Spirit Flow inside my body can be put to use...’
The collision of water and fire kicked up a huge cloud of steam on the shore of the lava lake.
Within the white mist, Tao Mingzhi retreated seven steps, each step leaving a deep crater in the black rock.
Chu Bai, however, remained standing in his original spot. Though there were a few charred marks on his sleeves, his aura was terrifyingly steady.
"Again!"
Tao Mingzhi’s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a crazed demon.
He continuously unleashed his body’s potential, his Heavy Sword Technique becoming a sky full of afterimages, each strike kicking up towering flames.
However, Chu Bai was like a lone skiff navigating through a stormy sea.
He no longer used any ranged attacks, relying solely on his pair of Cloud Hands and the round shield to weave through the flames.
A quarter of an hour passed.
Half an hour passed.
Tao Mingzhi’s attacks grew slower and slower. The sweat on his forehead was mixed with gray, poisonous fire dust. His Magical Power was not infinite, after all, and after such a high-intensity burst of attacks, his Qi Sea was nearly empty.
In contrast, while Chu Bai’s Guiyuan Magical Power was also being consumed, its extremely high-frequency absorption and conversion allowed him to maintain a safe reserve.
"I’ve lost..."
Tao Mingzhi suddenly stopped, planting his broadsword into the rock. He laughed loudly, a hint of desolation in his voice, but more so a frank acceptance. "Brother Chu, your Guiyuan Technique is just ridiculous. I had every Geographical Advantage, and my Magical Power output far surpassed yours, yet I couldn’t even touch the hem of your clothes. This war of attrition... I can’t afford to play."
His Spiritual Power was now completely depleted. If he were to encounter a Demon Beast, he would surely die.
"Take these points! I hope I’ll see you in the Spirit Pavilion!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Tao Mingzhi brought out his Lingxi Mark and transferred half of his points to Chu Bai.
Then, with a casual flourish, he crushed his Teleportation Talisman.
A flash of white light later, the tough guy from Class Three vanished from the spot.
Chu Bai looked at the new ranking that appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
[Current Points: 1,260]
[Current Rank: 8th]
He had officially broken into the top ten!
Chu Bai looked at the increasingly sinister and scorching red clouds around him, but he felt no joy in his heart.
’The environment has changed too drastically. The difficulty is bound to increase as well.’
’Of course the assessment wouldn’t only test one thing. I need to adapt as quickly as possible...’

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