Martial Arts to Supremacy

Inside the wooden house, spiritual energy flowed freely. Li An sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, a faint golden light slowly swirling around him.

The warm golden light of the wordless jade book traveled along the meridians, repeatedly washing and tempering the body and spiritual energy that had just broken through to the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm.

He completely healed the minor internal injuries left from the battle with Chu Xinghe, and allowed the surge of power to gradually settle down, no longer so restless and outward.

About an hour later, the golden light around Li An completely subsided, and his aura became calm and restrained, without any trace of the post-battle drowsiness. Clearly, he had completely stabilized his mid-stage Transformation Realm cultivation.

He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them, and the power surging around him intensified his fighting spirit.

Turning to look at Su Qingyue, who had also finished her meditation, Li An stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Your Highness, in the battle with Senior Brother Chu just now, although I broke through my realm, I still don't know the extent of my strength."

"Right now, I'd like to have a match with you. Please don't suppress your own strength; go all out so I can see the limits of my power and clarify my future cultivation path."

Upon hearing this, Su Qingyue's cool and aloof brows twitched slightly. Her gaze fell on Li An, and seeing his resolute eyes, devoid of any fear, she hesitated for a moment before nodding gently. Her voice remained cool and aloof, yet carried a hint of solemnity.

"Since you insist on this, I will comply. However, the difference between the Condensation Realm and the Transformation Realm is vast, so you must be careful."

The two moved to a clearing in the woods of Xiaozhu Peak, surrounded by towering green bamboos, whose leaves rustled in the breeze.

Su Qingyue stood in the center of the open space, and her aura suddenly changed. Her original cool and gentle temperament vanished instantly, replaced by the powerful pressure unique to a True Condensation Realm expert, spreading outwards like a mountain.

She lightly raised her jade hand, and a cluster of dancing red flames ignited at her fingertips. The flames shot into the sky and instantly transformed into a towering flame dharma image!

The Dharma Image was surrounded by raging flames, with rolling fire waves emanating a terrifying aura capable of burning mountains and boiling seas. The pressure of the high-grade Earth Rank Dharma Image swept across the entire mountain forest, and the surrounding green bamboo was slightly curled by the heat wave, and the moisture in the air evaporated instantly.

Seeing this, Li An dared not be careless in the slightest. He shouted loudly, and the golden light around his body surged again as he fully activated the Heaven and Earth Transformation Divine Power.

His body suddenly grew taller, his physical strength was pushed to the limit, every inch of his muscles contained the power to shatter mountains, and the spiritual energy around him condensed into a thick golden shield, desperately resisting the terrifying pressure from the Fire Emperor's Holy Spirit Dharma Image.

"Watch out!"

Su Qingyue gave a soft reminder, but before she could finish speaking, the Fire Emperor's Holy Spirit Dharma Image raised its hand and struck out with a palm. The raging flames condensed into a huge fire palm, carrying the power to burn everything, and crashed down on Li An.

Wherever the fiery palm passed, the air was scorched and distorted, and the heat wave hit him so hard that even Ang Lee felt suffocated.

"drink!"

Li An roared, his fists condensing golden light as he slammed them towards the fiery palm with all his might.

However, the difference in their strength was too great. As soon as his fist touched the fiery palm, he was forced to retreat by the immense power of the flames. His feet carved two deep furrows in the ground, and his arms were wracked with pain. Cracks appeared instantly in the golden shield.

Before he could catch his breath, Su Qingyue's offensive had already begun.

The Fire Emperor's Holy Spirit Dharma Image flicked out countless fiery blades from its fingertips, densely packed like a torrential rain, shooting towards Li An. Each blade contained the pure fire-attribute spiritual energy of the Condensation Realm, its power terrifying.

Li An used all his skills, relying on his powerful physical body to dodge and withstand attacks, but the huge gap in their realms was something that physical supernatural powers could not bridge.

The fiery blades grazed his body, leaving painful burn marks even with the golden spiritual energy protecting him. The shockwaves repeatedly sent him flying, but he gritted his teeth, steadied himself, and charged forward again.

There was no suspense whatsoever; the competition was one-sided from the very beginning.

Li An tried his best to activate his spiritual energy and use his supernatural powers, but he couldn't even get close to Su Qingyue's side. He was suppressed by the Fire Emperor's Holy Spirit Dharma Form's attacks throughout and could only passively take the beating.

The excruciating pain of being burned by flames and the shockwaves from the collision of spiritual energy continued to engulf his entire body. His clothes were torn again, and blood gradually seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he still held on desperately, wanting to endure for as long as possible so that he could gain a better understanding of his own strength.

Time passed slowly, and a full half hour went by. Li An was already covered in wounds, his breathing was disordered, and he used all his strength to defend himself every time. His legs began to tremble slightly, and his spiritual energy was almost completely exhausted. The repair speed of the wordless jade book could not keep up with the speed at which his injuries were worsening.

Finally, after being blasted away by the fire wave and slammed heavily to the ground once again, Ang Lee could no longer hold on. Clutching his aching chest, he hurriedly shouted with all his might.

"Stop! Stop! We're not playing anymore!"

He struggled to get up, but as soon as he moved, a piercing pain shot through his chest. He simply lay down on the ground, panting heavily, and said with a mixture of helplessness and admiration.

"Your Highness's cultivation is unparalleled; I humbly admit defeat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surging blood and qi within him could no longer be suppressed, and several mouthfuls of scalding blood gushed out, splattering onto the grass, a stark and glaring sight. He then collapsed, completely exhausted, lying motionless on the spot, breathing heavily.

Upon seeing this, Su Qingyue froze on the spot, staring at Li An lying on the ground with astonishment and a hint of confusion in her eyes.

It was as if it was saying, "You clearly told me not to suppress my power and to go all out, to see where your limit is. How come you couldn't hold on so quickly?"

However, she quickly regained her composure, a sudden surge of panic washing over her. She hastily raised her hand to retract the Fire Emperor Holy Spirit Dharma Image, and the immense pressure emanating from her body instantly dissipated, transforming into a graceful figure. She rushed to Li An's side, crouching down and anxiously speaking.

"Are you alright? I... I didn't know you were so fragile..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Su Qingyue realized she had misspoke. A rare blush of panic appeared on her pretty face as she hurriedly waved her hands and offered a rambling explanation.

"Pah, pah, pah, that's not what I meant! I meant I didn't know I was this strong. Oh, no, that's not right! I meant are you alright? Are you badly injured? You, you should understand what I mean, right?"

The saintess, who was usually aloof, cold, and unsmiling, was now at a loss, her words becoming slurred and incoherent, completely lacking her usual composure.

As Li An lay on the ground, listening to her flustered and clumsy explanation, he couldn't help but chuckle softly, shaking his head gently. His voice was weak but carried a hint of warmth.

"I'm fine, Holy Maiden, there's no need to blame yourself."

He knew very well that although Su Qingyue claimed to be going all out, her attack, though seemingly fierce, was actually a calculated move.

After just being relentlessly beaten, Li An finally understood. If it were a true mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm expert who had awakened a high-grade Earth Rank Dharma Avatar and unleashed a full-force attack, his mid-stage Transformation Realm cultivation would likely not last more than a few rounds.

Despite the beating he endured for the past half hour, which appeared to be a sorry state, the wordless jade book within his body had been rapidly circulating throughout his limbs and bones, continuously repairing his injuries.

At the same time, under the influence of the fiery spiritual energy and powerful force, his meridians were widened, the spiritual energy became more refined and abundant, and his physical strength was also quietly improved. His strength was even greater than when he first broke through.

This is also the real reason why he was able to withstand Su Qingyue's attacks for so long, and even when he was exhausted and vomited blood, he was not seriously injured.

Seeing that he was indeed out of danger, Su Qingyue finally felt relieved. Her cool face still showed some self-blame and worry as she carefully helped Li An up.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know my limits when I acted."

After saying that, she gently helped Li An and slowly walked towards the wooden house on Xiaozhu Peak.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, falling on the two of them and elongating their shadows. The usually aloof bamboo peak now exuded an indescribable gentle warmth.

Back in the cabin, Su Qingyue helped Li An to the bedside, took out some healing pills made by the sect and handed them to him, then stood guard by his side.

Li An sat down cross-legged and began to circulate his internal energy again, using the power of the wordless jade book to regulate his breathing and heal his injuries.

The cabin was completely quiet, with only Li An's gentle breathing. Su Qingyue sat beside him, watching him quietly, her eyes filled with a concern and tenderness that she herself was unaware of.

As she watched the golden light slowly swirling around Li An, she thought to herself, "With his resilient character and exceptional talent, even with such a vast difference in cultivation level, he can still persevere. Given time, he will surely become a top powerhouse who can shake the entire Divine Martial Continent."

Li An was immersed in meditation, and the golden light of the wordless jade book became increasingly warm and gentle. His injuries were repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his consumed spiritual energy was rapidly restored, even becoming more abundant than before.

He could clearly feel that his own strength had quietly reached a new level in this seemingly one-sided match, and he seemed to be a little closer to the threshold of the late stage of the Transformation Realm.