Chapter 458: Xuanbian Heaven, Du Yunfei in Danger |
"Randomly matchmaking with everyone in Lingxiao's history..."
Su Chen's gaze swept across the virtual screen in front of him. This was exactly what he came for, and he immediately clicked "Start Martial Proof."
In the next instant, the surrounding clouds and mist receded like water ripples, slowly at first, then increasingly howling.
When his surroundings became clear again, Su Chen found himself landing on a green mountain. Dense mountain forests, great rivers, and plains surrounded him, and he could even see strange creatures one by one.
"It's not entirely without progress. The combat environment has at least become more realistic. But isn't this disgusting? What if someone truly has a heavy moral burden..." Su Chen was quite speechless, his gaze looking into the distance.
Several thousand meters away, there was a mountain peak of similar height. A figure could be faintly seen, thin and small, with an indifferent expression, their purple robes fluttering loudly.
The overall space here wasn't small; it was even larger than the trial room in the Tower of Spirit, and more realistic. The edges weren't blurred void, but an expanse of land stretching extremely far; he couldn't see the end of it at a glance.
[First Battle: Xuanbian Heaven—Yu Shan, Divine Dawn Dual 8th-Tier, Highest Ranking on Lingxiao Hidden Star Ranking—134]
"Xuanbian Heaven?"
Aside from the screen in front of him, there was also a holographic projection beside him, upon which various weapons could be materialized. Su Chen roughly figured it out.
In this Martial Proof Hall battle, aside from the weapons, Star Beasts, plants, and even other messy things brought in because they were related to one's profession, one could also have the Martial Proof Hall mimic weapons out of thin air. There were weapons of all styles, those that amplified Psionic Power, those that amplified elemental power, but they similarly couldn't exceed one's own tier.
"8th-Tier weapons have no benefit to me." Su Chen shook his head, then waved away the virtual screen, waiting for the countdown to end.
Projections had no emotions or thoughts. The moment the countdown ended, Su Chen heard an explosive thunderclap.
"Boom!"
A boom rang out from afar. Su Chen looked toward the sound, only to see fierce thunder suddenly rising on that barren mountain. The figure actually transformed into a giant Thunder Dragon, fully near a thousand meters long, its entire body devoid of any feathers.
Its entire body was covered in scales, and it possessed three claws that gleamed sharply like refined iron. It rushed straight into the firmament. As light and shadow intertwined, it reflected a scene of fierce winds and thunderclouds.
"This is... a Mimicry Transformation class?" Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He had almost read through all of Taoist Wood's paid articles and had quite a bit of insight into this.
This kind of professional category seemed very similar to Zhong Yue transforming into a fierce beast, but in reality, these were two completely different types of professions.
The core of the Beast Class was the beast; one's Main Profession and Holy Classes all had to adapt to the Star Beast category as much as possible, strengthening it before letting it feed back to oneself.
The physical constitution of Star Beasts was unquestionable, and some abilities were uniquely endowed by nature. During battle, it was equivalent to fighting with superior numbers. However, not only did rapid induction require resources, but cultivating Star Beasts also required a massive amount of resources.
Ordinary people simply couldn't afford to support them.
But this kind of Mimicry Transformation profession was different; the focus was on oneself, on the transformation.
It could roughly be divided into two categories: selecting one mimicry form and continuously strengthening around it, or dispersing into multiple mimicry forms to deal with various different situations.
And the greatest advantage of this professional category was that the mimicry form was almost unrestricted; one could even say they could transform into a planet, transform into Starfire, or even transform into another person.
And this Yu Shan obviously focused on a single mimicry form.
"Chh!"
Thunderclouds boiled, and the entire world howled because of it. That Thunder Dragon's speed was extremely fast. Even before its form arrived, tens of thousands of lightning blades came slicing through.
Every single one was fully a meter long, extremely solid, crackling with arcs of lightning.
"Doesn't seem like an ordinary attack; it's probably a Holy Class too..."
Su Chen muttered in a low voice. Although there were quite a few professional categories in the Dust Star Sea, at the level of Holy Classes, they were extremely scarce.
Other professional categories found it hard to form a system; they used Physical Augmentation for themselves, while the Mental-Type mostly strengthened various elements. Even forming a Talisman Array was considered rare; there weren't many flashy tricks.
The first time he felt a bit of novelty was when he first saw an Ascension Refining method in the Flare Realm. Later, Kong Ming, whose path was similar to his, was also a brute.
This guy's Transformation Holy Class in front of him was quite interesting.
Thoughts turning in his mind, Su Chen stepped out unhurriedly. His figure turned into a gray shadow and dissipated, already appearing several thousand meters away.
With a few 'chh chh' sounds, the area where he was just located had already split open. The lightning blades covering the sky smashed into the ground, actually not dispersing, but submerging into the earth instead.
"Boom!"
Amidst the fierce wind, the Thunder Dragon rolled, its speed extremely fast. Almost at the instant Su Chen appeared, it arrived wrapped in violent thunderclaps. Its body straightened, as if turning into a thunder spear that pierced the heavens and earth!
"Strengthening the mimicry form to serve as an attack..." Su Chen looked up. With a thought, he was about to use the Flash-Shadow Body to leave.
But a cold and severe voice echoed—'Lock!'
Instantly, Su Chen was slightly taken aback, but couldn't help looking down. The opposite ground below suddenly split open. The lightning blades that had originally submerged into it outlined and intertwined, actually forming a chain cage around him.
"Tsk... When the lightning blade attack fails, it can lay dormant and turn to mobilize another Holy Class with sealing properties, and then coordinate with the mimicry form's attack..."
In the cage, Su Chen looked up. The head of that Thunder Dragon was already right before his eyes. His gaze flickered, and he merely raised his hand and delivered a punch.
Boom!
Unrivaled immense force tore apart the lightning cage. The dragon's head seemed to hit a wall, exploding with a loud bang.
Crackling, the lightning light was like a sea, rolling away in all directions.
But then, an invisible force descended, and everything around vanished. He was once again wreathed in white clouds and mist.
Even more, a green pillar of light fell on him. Su Chen could clearly feel every cell in his body rejoicing, draining power from it and replenishing the slight consumption from just now.
[Winner: Bronze Heaven—Su Chen]
[Victory Accumulation: 1]
[Win Rate: Unknown (Please complete one hundred matches)]
[Do you wish to continue Martial Proof?]
"So simple..." Su Chen retracted his hand, somewhat surprised in his heart. He thought he would be able to see an Ascension Refining method or something, but this guy seemed to not have cultivated one.
"His Holy Classes should include Thunder Dragon, Lightning Blade, Suppression/Lock, and Strengthening the Thunder Dragon into a Thunder Spear. That's already four kinds; there should be a fifth. I estimate he should be able to gather a High-Level Cultivation Technique."
"But he seems not to have one..." Su Chen pondered briefly. "I estimate this Xuanbian Heaven must be a heaven that existed tens of thousands of years ago."
According to what Taoist Wood pointed out in the article "The Evolution of Ascension Refining and the Increasingly Intensely Competitive Abyssal Domain," one of the main functions of an Ascension Refining method—Tempering Morning Flames—would only reveal its effect upon reaching Morning Star.
For a very long period in the Abyssal Domain, it was also only after reaching Morning Star that one would harmonize with an Ascension Refining method.
After all, harmonizing with an Ascension Refining method in advance also required time. And for young people, their talent would decline as their vitality dried up; time was the upper limit.
But later, people gradually discovered that there were benefits to harmonizing with an Ascension Refining method in advance at the 8th-Tier.
Because after advancing to Morning Star, the strength of Holy Classes soared. The difficulty and time required for them to harmonize with each other would instead increase exponentially compared to the 8th-Tier. Later, this became the standard for various top seeds.
Since this guy didn't pursue harmonizing with an Ascension Refining method at the 8th-Tier, it was probably because this trend hadn't yet become popular in his era.
"However, the Seven Treasures Refinement relies on the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree. Once the Holy Classes are harmonized into the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree, it's equivalent to harmonizing with an Ascension Refining method..."
Su Chen's thoughts wandered, then pulled back to the present. He couldn't help but praise, "This Martial Proof Hall is truly formidable. With Lingxiao's long accumulation over time, I'm afraid every professional category that can be seen, or even those that have disappeared, can be encountered here. If one is tempered in here, they would probably have experience dealing with any profession..."
"Since I can recover after battles, then I have no worries."
Su Chen took a deep breath, only feeling his heartbeat speed up a bit. "Let's see how fast I can complete a hundred matches."
Continue!
The clouds rolled in and out, transforming into a battlefield once again.
.........
At the same time, exclamations of surprise echoed continuously in the outside world. On the holographic projection around the Martial Proof Hall, there was a brilliant expanse of light and shadow; only nearby high-tier professionals could see clearly.
Two continuously intersecting figures could faintly be seen in Qi You's pupils. Du Yunfei held an Azure Gold Longsword, dominating like a dragon, appearing and disappearing abruptly.
"The Dragon Soar Sword, a top-tier Holy Class that requires Sumeru Iron to be inducted. Raising a sharp sword that can grow with one's own tier; its killing might far exceeds weapons of the same tier."
"Dharma-Born Sword, Holy Sword Body, Imperial Nine Swords... all are top-tier Holy Classes, with astonishing might, but..."
His brow furrowed slightly. Du Yunfei's sword might was astonishing, but under his sword was a strange creature covered in feathers and scales, with red wings on its back. Its form was robust, and although it had a hairy face, it possessed an elephant trunk and elephant legs.
It was calm and composed. Letting all kinds of sword light surge and crash, rolling like a torrent, it remained rock-solid and unmoving.
"Eternal Dragon Heaven's top-tier Cultivation Technique, 'Myriad Beast Form.' Zhong Yue hid much deeper than I imagined; he actually already harmonized with a Cultivation Technique..." Qi You's heart sank. Harmonizing with a Cultivation Technique and not harmonizing were almost two different levels of combat power.
Once a Cultivation Technique was initially harmonized, Holy Classes could amplify and link with each other.
And because the categories were different, even for Cultivation Techniques of the same tier and grade, the augmentations were not entirely the same.
Like this Zhong Yue, he raised the Golden-Eyed Crimson Ape, Winged Phoenix, and Flood Elephant. These three kinds of Star Beasts were all categories that Eternal Dragon Heaven had carefully nurtured over many years, their bloodlines constantly purified, with their upper limit at the Bright Moon level.
Under normal circumstances, it would be absolutely impossible for Zhong Yue to integrate all three of these Star Beasts into himself, but with the top-tier Cultivation Technique "Myriad Beast Form," he could achieve it.
"Eternal Dragon Heaven..." The eyes of the Morning Stars from other heavens who came to observe the battle flickered. Especially that brawny man in heavy armor, his face was full of envy.
Why was Eternal Dragon Heaven so powerful, second only to the Upper Three Heavens, and even becoming increasingly powerful?
It was precisely because they grasped a unique method of cultivating Star Beasts.
Although after Star Beasts grew up, because they didn't follow the professional path and had no Holy Class augmentations, they were somewhat inferior to professionals of the same level.
But if coordinated with a Beast Class, it would be a completely different scene. Setting aside the fact that the Eternal Dragon Heaven Lord himself was a Bright Moon, he also kept two Bright Moon-tier Star Beasts.
"Du Yunfei seems a bit anxious," Qi You's gaze drifted toward the brawny man beside him, who was exactly the Morning Star of Eternal Dragon Heaven, Jiang Yue. Full of smiles, he commented.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi You saw in the holographic screen that Zhong Yue finally moved.
Seemingly finding Du Yunfei's flaw, his figure hadn't moved, but the surrounding void was already faintly distorting, showing how powerful the force contained within his body at this moment was.
Phoenix wings surfaced behind him. His robust body smashed through the torrent of sword light rushing toward his face. In just a flash, he arrived before Du Yunfei.
Du Yunfei's reaction wasn't slow either. In the spark of a flint, sword energy erupted around him. But with Zhong Yue closing in, he had already lost the initiative and could only barely use the Azure Gold Sword in his hand to block the opponent's arm covered in red hair.
Boom!
Though there was no sound, Qi You could vividly imagine it, the corner of his eye twitching violently.
Du Yunfei flew backward, blood at the corner of his mouth, his face full of shock and fury.
Below, the crowd immediately became noisy, everyone showing a strange look in their eyes.
"He won, he won!" Jiang Fan shouted excitedly. Meng Yusen's face sank, and he cast a cold glance over. Little Jiang Fan jumped in fright, staggering backward.
"Brother, why get angry with a child," Jiang Ce showed displeasure.
Meng Yusen was silent for a moment and apologized. Jiang Ce also reprimanded Jiang Fan, "The battle isn't over yet. Don't speak nonsense."
Jiang Fan nodded, feeling somewhat wronged, but still couldn't help asking, "If he wins, does that mean Star Seed Zhong has made history?"
"Children shouldn't speak wildly," Jiang Ce glanced at Meng Yusen, who wanted to speak but stopped, and explained, "In our Lingxiao's history, a True Radiance defeating an Azure Deity has occurred more than once, almost reaching double digits."
"Oh..." Little Jiang Fan was clearly disappointed. A youth's nature was naturally interested in these unprecedented things.
"Making history, let's talk about it after he defeats Your Excellency Tong Zhuo," Meng Yusen said blandly. "Oh, almost forgot. With Zhong Yue's talent, if he doesn't undergo metamorphosis into an Azure Deity, there's probably no hope at all."
"Even if his metamorphosis is successful and he defeats Your Excellency Tong Zhuo by a small chance, it still wouldn't be considered unprecedented."
How long was Lingxiao's history? Azure Deity talents had appeared in the Outer Heavens before, and they had also topped the Lingxiao Hidden Star Ranking.
Little Jiang Fan was clearly dealt a blow, looking depressed. Jiang Ce sighed but didn't refute.
"Is he really going to win?" Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an looked at each other, secretly astonished.
"Maybe Old Su could do it too," Wei Zhenghong couldn't help but say. Although these two guys were fighting fiercely and were far stronger than them.
But Su Chen could take a strike from Qin Yun head-on at the 7th-Tier, and even had spare strength to counterattack. Although Qin Yun was severely injured at the time and her setup was worse than theirs.
The strength after advancing to Morning Star was estimated to be at the bottom in this Abyssal Domain, but it was still a Morning Star after all. The strength brought by advancing was more than just a leap; it was a change in Life Essence Tier.
With the strength of these two guys, they could probably also exchange a move or two with Qin Yun.
But Su Chen was at the 7th-Tier back then! Now his talent had also undergone metamorphosis. Advancing to the 8th-Tier, it wasn't impossible for him to strike against the heavens like Zhong Yue.
Shen Yi'an didn't speak, but his heart also boiled slightly.
Jiang Ce, however, looked over with a somewhat odd expression. Old Su? Speaking of Su Chen, what could he do?
It couldn't be that he could act like Zhong Yue... As his thoughts flew, he scared himself and then chuckled involuntarily at himself.
Right at this moment, another change occurred in the firmament.
Du Yunfei's hair flew wildly, his pupils completely silver-white. A storm surged around him, and the sword light was so dense it almost turned into a tide.
Even through the screen, everyone could feel that Du Yunfei had undergone an earth-shattering change. At this moment, he was like a descending god.
With just a point of his finger, a bloody gash suddenly shot out on Zhong Yue's ferocious body, which had previously stood undamaged in the sword light.
But the crowd didn't see any attack trajectory.
At this time, the battle between the two instead appeared unadorned. Du Yunfei merely extended his hand, and bloody gashes surfaced on Zhong Yue's body.
Through the holographic screen, the crowd naturally couldn't feel the killing intent, but they still felt a chill.
During this period, Zhong Yue had raised his hand attempting to block it. The crimson barrier he condensed shattered in just an instant. If he hadn't dodged in time, the bone-deep wound wouldn't have appeared on his cheek, but right between his eyebrows.
Zhong Yue's expression was grave. His phoenix wings surfaced as he dodged at extreme speed, while Du Yunfei merely pointed into the air.
The vast and mighty sword light instantly filled the entire battlefield, running rampant, then dispersing respectively, transforming into sword shadows, chains, or hiding in the void.
In just an instant, the holographic screen became unviewable again.