We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 235 Breaking Limits, Shang Shuo's Rapid Progress (5K)

In terms of divine weapons and martial arts alone, a mid-level divine weapon is definitely no match for a high-level divine weapon.

However, Su Chen does not fully cultivate the Divine Weapon Martial Arts; he also cultivates the Yuan Power Martial Arts and the Annihilation Drawing Sword Technique, which is comparable to the Divine Weapon Martial Arts.

With all three combined, the power is naturally stronger, so it's not surprising that it could break Elder Tian's iron pot.

However, Elder Mo was unaware of this. While he was shocked by his own forging skills, he couldn't help but admire Su Chen's strength.

After killing Elder Tian, ​​Su Chen looted all his belongings without having a chance to examine them closely before leaving with the two of them.

The commotion just now might have already attracted the attention of the Yuanbing Pavilion. It would be best to leave now to avoid being discovered.

The three of them quickly left the blockade zone of Yuanbing Pavilion.

"Elder Mo, Mu'e, I'm preparing to return to the Ziyang Sect. What are your plans for the future?" Su Chen stopped at a fork in the road and asked.

Now that the divine weapon is complete, he plans to return to the Ziyang Sect to purchase the fourth level of the Ziyang Technique in order to break through to the Martial Dao Yuan Shen Realm.

Upon hearing this, Old Mo pondered for a moment and then said, "This old man travels the world; I can go anywhere."

The two turned their gazes to Li Mu'e, who glanced at Su Chen and then said, "I will continue my demon-slaying mission."

"Then let's part ways here." Su Chen cupped his hands in greeting to the two of them and headed towards the direction of the Ziyang Sect.

Only after Su Chen disappeared did Li Mu'e withdraw her gaze, only to be met with Old Mo's ambiguous smile, which made her involuntarily panic.

"What a pity." Old Mo shook his head, stroked his beard, and sighed softly. "This fellow was not bad, but unfortunately, he's a blockhead."

Li Mu'e shook her head and said, "There's nothing to regret. He has his path to follow, and I have mine."

Her eyes flickered, and she looked down at the demon-slaying sword in her hand, her expression resolute, her eyes revealing a calm composure.

"This sword is called the Demon-Slaying Sword. As its master, I naturally have to do what I should do."

Even if it means giving up all worldly emotions and affairs, I will take it upon myself to subdue demons and uphold the righteous path in my heart.

Having embarked on this path, I may end up alone, perhaps even dying alone, but the journey is long and arduous.

Slaying demons and monsters is a thorny path that cannot be accomplished by human effort, but even so, she will not give up.

The fact that it was named the Demon-Slaying Sword reveals her true feelings.

Old Mo had long known of Li Mu'e's feelings, but he never imagined she would be so resolute. This resoluteness even stirred waves in his usually calm heart.

"The true meaning of martial arts!"

Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, staring at Li Mu'e in astonishment. After Li Mu'e finished speaking, an indomitable will emerged from her.

Although it was fleeting, Master Mo clearly recognized that this was the true essence of Li Mu'e's martial arts!

A gentle breeze blew, lifting Li Mu'e's flowing black hair and also dispelling Mo Lao's wavering emotions.

After a long silence, he whispered, "Mu'e, if you really intend to exterminate all the demons, I have a suggestion."

"What advice?"

"Slay the Demon Alliance!"

……

After parting ways with Elder Mo and Li Mu'e, Su Chen found a quiet place to study the control panel.

Since the Heaven-Slaying Blade was upgraded to a mid-level divine weapon, the Annihilation Blade Drawing Technique can be improved.

However, I was too busy leaving at the time to notice or improve myself.

Now that he had some free time, Su Chen didn't waste any. He activated the easy mode, and the panel quickly responded:

[Easy Mode Activated: Swing your sword 500 times to reach level 5 of the Annihilation Sword Drawing Technique.]

After finishing his sword strike, Su Chen channeled his Yuan Power and unleashed the fifth level of the Annihilation Sword Drawing Technique. The Yuan Power sword condensed into shape and slashed out across the sky in an instant.

With a loud bang, a deep trench was left in the ground ahead, a shocking sight.

"Its power is comparable to that of a beginner martial artist in the Nascent Soul Realm!" Su Chen glanced sideways, a hint of joy in his eyes.

The fifth level of the Nirvana Sword Drawing Technique is equivalent to a full-force attack from a beginner-level Nascent Soul Realm martial artist, which is undoubtedly good news for him.

"However, what's the deal with needing four divine weapons to upgrade the sixth level of the Annihilation Sword Drawing Technique?"

Besides the Spirit Essence Pill hanging high on the panel, four divine weapons are also needed to improve the Annihilation Draw Sword Technique.

Su Chen pondered, "Could it be that obtaining four divine weapons would improve my Annihilation Blade Drawing Technique? But I already have two divine weapons, yet my progress hasn't changed. In other words, simply possessing divine weapons isn't enough. What do I need to do to convert the divine weapons I have into progress?"

After much thought, Su Chen finally decided to give it a try.

He took out the iron pot with a broken corner, intending to use it for his experiment. After all, the pot was already damaged, so it wouldn't be a big loss even if it was lost.

Immediately, Su Chen activated his Annihilation Power, but before he could fully unleash it, the iron pot began to change, trembling violently.

Streams of divine weapon power flowed from the shattered body of the iron pot into Su Chen's body as if being pulled, transforming into two torrents. One entered Su Chen's body, and the other flowed into the Heaven-Severing Blade.

The divine weapon power that entered Su Chen's body only circulated for one cycle before quickly disappearing.

It was precisely at the moment when this divine weapon's power disappeared that the progress on the panel, which was originally zero, suddenly turned into one.

Upon noticing the changes on the panel, Su Chen suddenly realized that he indeed needed to absorb the power of the divine weapon within it to advance the progress.

He looked at the iron pot that had been completely drained of the divine weapon's power. It had lost its luster and was covered in rust, resembling a broken pot that hadn't been used for a long time.

With just a slight touch, the iron pot made a cracking sound, then split open with cracks, and finally turned into dust and disappeared.

"Let's try the serpent spear again."

The panel doesn't specify what kind of divine weapon it is; even a broken iron pot can be used, so a serpent spear would naturally be acceptable.

After repeating the process, the divine power within the serpent spear was completely absorbed, eventually turning into dust.

"After absorbing it twice, the power of the Annihilation Sword Drawing Technique reached the power of a full-force strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator at the Lesser Completion stage. The Heaven-Severing Blade also seemed to have been enhanced due to absorbing the power of the divine weapon."

Intermediate-grade divine weapons are actually the limit of divine weapons. This limit is not the limit of the material, but the limit of the weapon itself.

Because if you want to be promoted to a high-level divine weapon, the material alone is no longer enough; the divine weapon needs to give birth to a weapon spirit.

Only when a divine weapon gives birth to a spirit can it further deepen its bond with its master and unleash the weapon's power to a greater extent.

Otherwise, no matter how much the material is improved, without the assistance of the divine weapon spirit, the weapon master will not be able to unleash the true power of the divine weapon.

This is why some martial artists only use divine weapons and martial arts as supplementary tools, because creating the spirit of a divine weapon is no simpler than comprehending the true meaning of martial arts.

Choosing only the Divine Weapon Martial Arts is tantamount to blocking one's own path in martial arts. It would be better to pursue both at the same time and advance both martial arts simultaneously.

Of course, these were not particularly serious problems for Su Chen.

After testing its power, Su Chen stopped thinking about it and set off to return to the Ziyang Sect.

……

Ziyang Sect, a certain secluded courtyard.

A travel-worn figure hurried through the gate, passed through the courtyard, and went straight into the main hall, calling out loudly, "Senior Brother Pang Hao."

"Come in." The hall was empty, but a clear, ethereal voice rang out.

Before the words had even faded, a dashing young man dressed in red strode out; this man was none other than Pang Hao.

Upon seeing the visitor, Pang Hao slowly sat down and asked indifferently, "How did things go?"

The visitor bowed and replied, "Reporting to Senior Brother, we have investigated thoroughly. The inheritance of the Burning Heaven Palace Master is indeed in Ping'an Town of the Great Qian Dynasty, however..."

"But what?" Pang Hao's brows hadn't even relaxed when he froze at these words, and he asked expressionlessly.

The visitor cautiously said, "However, the inheritance of the Burning Heaven Palace Master was obtained by a person named Zhu Yan in the Great Qian Dynasty."

"Zhu Yan?" Pang Hao's expression hardened slightly, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. He had been searching for the inheritance for so long, only to have someone else beat him to it!

He looked at the newcomer and asked, "Who is Zhu Yan?"

"Zhu Yan is a citizen of the Great Qian Dynasty. He accidentally fell off a cliff and obtained the inheritance of the Burning Heaven Palace Master. He then rose to prominence and became famous throughout the Great Qian Dynasty in a short period of time. However, according to the information I have obtained, he left the Great Qian Dynasty with Su Chen a year ago."

"Left the Great Qian? Do you know where you went?" Pang Hao asked after listening to the visitor's account.

The visitor shook his head slightly: "Reporting to Senior Brother, this person disappeared after leaving Daqian. However, I found out about Su Chen. He has a very good relationship with Zhu Yan. As long as we find him, we can find Zhu Yan."

Before Pang Hao could ask any questions, the man continued, "Su Chen joined the Ziyang Sect and in less than five months, he won first place on all three lists, causing a sensation in the sect. He became the disciple who won first place on all three lists in the shortest time in the sect's history, demonstrating extremely high talent."

"Su Chen? Number one on all three lists?" Pang Hao murmured to himself, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He wasn't surprised that Su Chen had achieved first place on all three lists, but rather astonished that he had done so in less than five months.

This speed is even faster than that of Ji Ziyang, the strongest prodigy of the Ziyang Sect.

"Where is this person now?" Upon learning Su Chen's identity, a solemn expression appeared in Pang Hao's eyes.

If Su Chen were just an ordinary disciple of the Ziyang Sect, he would have plenty of ways to get him to reveal Zhu Yan's whereabouts.

However, Su Chen is ranked first on all three lists, which has already attracted the attention of the sect. If he wants to deal with Su Chen, he must think twice and consider the matter very carefully.

At least we can't openly and deliberately target Su Chen.

"Su Chen has gone out to train," the visitor replied with surprise.

Those who can go out for training are at least Qi Gathering Warriors, which means that Su Chen has already broken through to the Qi Gathering stage.

This person joined the Ziyang Sect for less than a year, yet he won first place on all three lists and entered the Gathering Yuan realm. He accomplished what many disciples could not do in their entire lives, making him a legend. Even he himself felt a sense of admiration for him.

"You did very well. Here are ten Yuan Shi Pills." Pang Hao took out Yuan Shi Pills and rewarded the visitor.

Although it was only a basic Yuan Shi Pill, it was still quite expensive. The man who received the pill thanked him and said, "Thank you, senior brother. However, while investigating the inheritance of the Burning Heaven Palace Master, I also encountered a disciple of the Eight Desolations Palace. This person was also investigating the inheritance of the Burning Heaven Palace Master."

He was able to find this information by following the disciples of the Eight Desolations Palace.

"The Hall of Eight Desolations?" Pang Hao exclaimed in surprise.

The newcomer nodded: "That's right, Senior Brother, this person is a subordinate of Duan Hao from the Eight Desolations Palace."

Upon hearing this, Pang Hao's expression darkened slightly. He hadn't expected that the inheritance of the Burning Heaven Palace Master would once again involve the disciples of the Eight Desolate Palace.

He had heard of Duan Hao before. Duan Hao was a leading figure among the younger generation of the Eight Desolations Palace and was expected to compete for a spot in the Unity Secret Realm in the future. His strength and reputation were no less than Duan Hao's.

This person's martial arts cultivation is in the same lineage as the Lord of the Burning Heaven Palace, so it's no wonder he would investigate the Lord of the Burning Heaven Palace's inheritance.

"You can go down now. Keep a close eye on Su Chen's news and let me know when he returns."

A moment later, Pang Hao waved his hand, signaling the person to leave.

"Yes!"

After the man left, only Pang Hao remained in the hall, his handsome face shifting as he fell into deep thought.

……

Wanmiao Cave, within a mountain cave formation.

It sounded like the beating of drums, echoing throughout the entire formation.

The energy surged and churned with the drumbeats, finally pouring into the figure in the center of the formation.

As a continuous stream of Yuan energy poured into his body, the solid barrier within Shang Shuo's body was suddenly shattered. He shuddered violently, greedily absorbing the Yuan energy wandering in the formation to nourish himself, like a thirsty infant.

After a long while, the Yuan energy gradually subsided, and Shang Shuo's aura slowly stabilized. He opened his eyes, a look of joy flashing in them.

"Finally, I've broken through to the Gathering Yuan Realm!"

Shang Shuo murmured to himself, quickly calming himself down. Breaking through to the Gathering Yuan Realm was just the beginning; there was nothing to be proud of.

He knew that Su Chen had reached the Gathering Yuan Realm and gone out to train three months ago. Compared to Su Chen, his speed was still too slow.

In order to break through his cultivation level, he neglected sleep and meals, cultivating day and night without stopping. Even so, it still took him three months.

Compared to Chang Yuan and Teng Gui, he was almost two months behind, not to mention compared to Su Chen.

Since Su Chen won first place on all three lists, Chang Yuan and Teng Gui completely gave up competing for the rankings and instead focused on cultivation. Both of them broke through to the Gathering Yuan Realm in less than a month.

His target is Su Chen, not Chang Yuan and Teng Gui, but before he can catch up with Su Chen, he must first surpass Chang Yuan and Teng Gui.

After all, if they can't even surpass the two of them, how can they catch up with, or even surpass, Su Chen?

"Su Chen, I am now a Qi Gathering Warrior, and like you, I entered the Qi Gathering stage from the Eight Meridians Realm. My strength has improved by leaps and bounds. I just wonder, after so much time has passed, how is your strength now?"

After his breakthrough, his strength increased dramatically, which made Shang Shuo look forward to meeting Su Chen and competing with him.

"I hope you won't disappoint me when we meet, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste that I gave up the chance to win first place on all three lists?"

Stimulated by Su Chen's breakthrough, at least half of the top ten on the three lists chose to break through to the Gathering Yuan Realm, causing significant fluctuations in the rankings and making the competition even fiercer.

After Shang Shuo opened his eighth Xuan Meridian, he only needed to accumulate experience for a few more months to have a chance to enter the top ten of the three rankings, but he gave it up.

After completing his mastery of the Purple Origin Technique, he abandoned the competition for rankings and focused on breaking through to the next level.

Otherwise, given his talent and strength, he might even have a chance to take first place on the list.

After leaving Wanmiao Cave, it was already evening. He returned to his residence and subconsciously looked towards the courtyard next to his house.

In order to find out about Su Chen's return as soon as possible, he found out the courtyard that Su Chen had rented and stayed next to it.

For this reason, he even paid out of his own pocket to renew Su Chen's lease.

"what……"

I only glanced at it out of habit, but I never expected that the tightly closed courtyard gate was now half open.

Upon seeing this, Shang Shuo's heart suddenly began to pound. With a whoosh, he transformed into a wisp of green smoke and arrived at the entrance of Su Chen's courtyard.

Pushing open the door, the familiar figure that had been missing for so long came into view—it was Su Chen.

"Shang Shuo?" Su Chen was slightly surprised and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise upon seeing Shang Shuo.

Shang Shuo forced his heart to calm down, took a deep breath, and nodded, saying, "It's me!"

"How did you know I was back?" Su Chen asked, puzzled.

He concealed his aura upon entering the Ziyang Sect and headed straight for his residence, so no one should be able to spot him.

Upon hearing this, Shang Shuo opened his mouth, but said sparingly, "I live next door to you."

Su Chen said "Oh," but quickly remembered something and asked, "So, you're the one who renewed my lease?"

He didn't consider this when he went out and only rented it for a month. When he came back, he found that the yard had not been taken back, hence his question.

Shang Shuo nodded indifferently.

"Thank you," Su Chen said, which made Shang Shuo a little embarrassed.

He coughed lightly to cover his expression, then said, "You've come back just in time. I challenge you!"

Only then did Su Chen notice the change in Shang Shuo's aura: "You've broken through to the Gathering Yuan Realm?"

Shang Shuo, feeling seen through, uttered a single word: "Hmm."

He then looked Su Chen up and down, but couldn't sense Su Chen's cultivation level. He knew that Su Chen had cultivated techniques such as concealing his aura, so he didn't care.

"I have something to do, maybe we should call it a day?" Perhaps because Shang Shuo had paid his rent, Su Chen hesitated for a while before politely saying this.

Shang Shuo quickly shook his head after hearing this: "We can compete after you finish."

The message is clear: the competition is inevitable.

Alright, Su Chen realized that his opponent wouldn't give up until he fought him.

However, he did not want to fight.

Shang Shuo was only at the initial stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, while Su Chen was at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. The difference in their realms was too great, and Su Chen crushed his opponent with just his Qi power.

"Alright, let's go for one move then," Su Chen said after thinking for a moment, extending his hand to signal Shang Shuo to make the first move.

Seeing this, Shang Shuo didn't stand on ceremony. He mobilized the Yuan Power around him, transforming it into a dazzling sun. The scorching and dazzling Yuan Power flowed within it, overflowing with golden light, making the sun appear almost tangible. With just one glance, it exuded a sense of sacredness and inviolability.

In just a few months, Shang Shuo had cultivated this Yuan Power Sun to the three-dimensional level, a speed that can only be described as fast.

Unfortunately, in Su Chen's eyes, this sun, which was surging with magnificent power, was no different from one made of paper.

"Su Chen, take this!"

With a soft shout from Shang Shuo, the Yuan Power Sun above him emanated a breathtaking sense of oppression, like a mountain.

In an instant, it swept in with a sky full of shadows, and the surrounding air was instantly scorched to boiling point.

This move, imbued with Shang Shuo's full strength and boundless eagerness, descended with overwhelming force under his exquisite control.

(End of this chapter)