Proving Immortality Starting with Hextech Runes

Although the intense pain was brief, it was incredibly real, leaving Chen Xu deeply shaken.

The next moment, Qingyi's figure gradually disappeared.

After a moment, Chen Xu's consciousness reformed on the spot.

"What's going on?" Chen Xu's chest heaved violently as his brain raced, analyzing the situation before him.

"Could it be... that this jade slip space can conjure up illusory images of other cultivators to fight against me?"

Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

If that's the case, then this jade slip will be extremely useful!

An absolutely safe training ground that can simulate real combat against any formidable enemy.

Here, he doesn't need to worry about life and death, consumption, or the risk of revealing his hand in reality.

You can freely try out various tactics and hone your combat skills.

They even challenge powerful enemies far beyond their own level, learning from their combat experience and lessons!

For a cultivator like Chen Xu who lacks real life-and-death experience, this is an incredible opportunity.

To verify his conjecture, Chen Xu took a deep breath, concentrated, and focused his mind.

Immediately afterwards, a lean man with a somewhat gloomy face appeared in front of them.

It was Zhang Erniu, who had reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

As soon as Zhang Erniu appeared, he roared and pounced on Chen Xu!

"Just as I thought!" This confirmed his suspicions, which thrilled him.

Facing the charging phantom of Zhang Erniu, Chen Xu raised his hand and unleashed a Spirit-Concentrating Thrust.

"Ugh!" Zhang Erniu's movements suddenly froze, and he clutched his hair and began to scream in agony.

Then Chen Xu thought of something, and with a flick of his wrist, he released a Thunderclap Talisman.

With a flash of lightning, Zhang Erniu's phantom image shattered and vanished.

After eliminating Zhang Erniu's illusory form, Chen Xu did not show much joy on his face.

He recalled the scene when he was instantly killed by the "Qing Yi" phantom, and his expression became somewhat solemn.

"It seems I underestimated a true Foundation Establishment cultivator..."

He was confident that his escape techniques and movement skills were almost invincible during the Qi Refining stage, and he even felt that his speed was comparable to that of a cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

But faced with Qing Yi's overwhelming array of talismans, his pride and joy, speed, proved utterly inadequate.

Then Chen Xu took a deep breath and summoned Qing Yi's phantom again.

This time, Chen Xu was prepared. The moment Qing Yi unleashed the talisman, he activated the Lightness Talisman and Spirit Shield Talisman on his body.

Next, he pushed the Shadow Step to its limit, dodging the Qingyi Talisman while simultaneously activating the Qingyuan Technique.

Then, he joined his two fingers together and released the Concentration Thrust towards Qing Yi.

Faced with this Soul-Concentrating Thorn that specifically targets the soul, "Qing Yi" reacted extremely quickly, immediately summoning a golden talisman to protect his soul.

Then he instantly defeated Chen Xu again...

A day later, in the dimly lit cave, Chen Xu slowly opened his eyes.

A wave of intense fatigue washed over him, causing his temples to throb and his mind to throb with pain.

These are typical symptoms of excessive consumption of spiritual energy.

During this period, Chen Xu only went out once.

After confirming that the jade slip space would not consume external items, they stayed in the jade slip space and engaged in high-intensity battles.

"Phew..." Chen Xu rubbed his temples and exhaled a breath of stale air.

In the jade slip space, he fought no less than a hundred battles with Qingyi's illusory figure.

Despite his rapid progress, he was never able to last three minutes against Qingyi.

However... this cannot be said to mean that Chen Xu was too weak. After all, it was a battle between people of different levels, and Qing Yi's strength was definitely top-notch among people of the same level.

That masterful manipulation of talismans reached a level that was utterly despair-inducing.

Hundreds of second-tier talismans intertwined to form a net that could not be changed no matter how Chen Xu altered his tactics.

Along the way, Chen Xu also fought with several other Foundation Establishment elders from the Cold Pine Sect.

Among them, Elder Zhao of the Sutra Repository is the weakest.

Not only was its speed inferior to Chen Xu's full-force Shadow Step, but it also lacked the means to resist soul attacks. After a few focused thrusts from Chen Xu, its illusory form dissipated.

However, Elder Zhao is a rare example of such a waste; he is probably at the bottom among those of the same level.

The elder phantoms that Chen Xu subsequently challenged were all beings who could easily crush him.

These elders may not have as many tricks up their sleeves as Qing Yi, but they each have their own strengths and can always find his weaknesses within a few moves.

These battles also served as a reminder to Chen Xu.

Don't be so naive as to think you can compete with a real Foundation Establishment cultivator just because you have speed and spiritual sense comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

After all, he had only reached the threshold of Foundation Establishment in certain aspects.

However, Foundation Establishment cultivators are strong in every aspect.

To fight someone of a higher level is extremely difficult unless you encounter a piece of trash like Elder Zhao.

However, although this hard-fought battle was exhausting, it significantly improved my practical experience.

"It's time to leave..." Chen Xu slowly got up and stretched his limbs.

The task of clearing the rat infestation in the gate has been completed, and they have also unexpectedly obtained a precious yellow crystal and a heaven-defying jade slip.

He planned to return to his sect to submit his mission, take a short rest, and then officially embark on his travels.

Moreover, Xiao Jin has been cooped up in the Beast Taming Ring for so long, he must be feeling really restless.

Although the Beast Taming Ring can meet Xiao Jin's survival needs, it still needs to be allowed to breathe.

……

A few days later, Chen Xu returned to Hansong Sect and went straight to the Mission Hall.

Upon reaching the registration desk, he took out the pair of teeth and placed them on the table.

"Senior brother, I'm here to submit the task of clearing the rat infestation."

The disciple in charge was stunned when his gaze swept over the pair of teeth that were far larger than those of an ordinary red-blooded rat.

He then looked up at Chen Xu, his tone surprised, "Junior Brother Chen, what is the cultivation level of this Rat King?"

Chen Xu remained calm and answered truthfully: "The Rat King resides in a cave deep within Black Stone Valley, and its cultivation has reached the late stage of Qi Refining."

"His swarm of rats numbered in the thousands. It took some effort for me to kill them and clear out the swarm."

"A rat king at the late stage of Qi Refining? A swarm of thousands of rats?!" The disciple in charge gasped, his face filled with disbelief.

He then quickly said, "I will immediately report this matter to the Hall of Deacons for verification."

"If the situation is true, you will definitely be compensated with the corresponding contribution points. Please rest assured, junior brother!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother." Chen Xu bowed and thanked him, his tone still calm.

For him, the amount of contribution points was just icing on the cake; the real gains from this trip far exceeded his expectations.

Afterwards, Chen Xu did not linger in the mission hall, turned around and left, returning to his cave.

He walked quickly to the spirit spring, and with a thought, released Xiao Jin from the beast-taming ring.

"Thump!"

A golden figure eagerly leaped into the spiritual spring, splashing up a large spray of water.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Jin leaped halfway out of the water, stared at Chen Xu with wide eyes, and immediately began a frenzied barrage of words:

"Glug! Glug! Glug! Glug!!!"

"You two-legged fish! How dare you let me stay in that wrecked place for so long! You've really gone too far!!"