The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 575 - 411 The Defeated Martial Artist

Chapter 575: Chapter 411 The Defeated Martial Artist

As a sword cultivator, Li Chengyu transformed himself into a sword, seeking to sever Luo Tianyou, the martial artist, with a single strike. Luo Tianyou, however, gathered his qi-blood, dazzling the heavens, determined to decide victory or defeat—and even life or death—in one strike. Both were extraordinary in their combat prowess, and the outcome of this clash gripped the hearts of everyone watching.

Yet, amidst everyone’s gaze, a sharp treasure sword, cutting through heaven and earth, gleaming with icy brilliance, tore apart Luo Tianyou’s fist light in an instant with a force as overwhelming as crushing dry weeds. Its terrifying power did not wane but pierced through Luo Tianyou’s exceptionally powerful body, instantly splitting apart half of his torso.

Sword Qi swept through, blood splashed onto the earth.

This supreme martial artist of the Golden Academy, Luo Tianyou, was unexpectedly defeated by a single strike from the Golden Core Sword Cultivator, gravely injured and utterly overwhelmed, unable to maintain his form, and plummeted straight from mid-air.

The sight shocked everyone.

"Luo Tianyou lost?"

Wu Zuo Hua, a security officer, displayed an expression of disbelief at this moment.

"Impossible! That martial artist was defeated? And defeated so thoroughly? His body was torn apart by a single sword strike, nearly killed on the spot? And the opponent hasn’t even used their Life-Bound Sword yet."

"Is the gap between cultivators and evolvers really this vast?"

"It’s over. Even Luo Tianyou fell; Spirit Power Realm is no match for Golden Core cultivators."

In an instant, everyone’s spirits sank to rock bottom.

They thought that although the evolvers’ cultivation system was imperfect, their advantage in mastering multiple techniques would allow them to consistently surpass cultivators. Yet, unexpectedly, a single Golden Core Sword Cultivator managed to utterly defeat the top-tier Spirit Power Realm expert Luo Tianyou of the Golden Academy. With this disparity, how could there still be hope to fight? The opponents hadn’t even used anyone from the Nascent Soul Realm or Incarnation Realm.

"Their evolvers are indeed useless. As previously speculated, they’re simply not a match for Golden Core Sword Cultivators. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was Li Chengyu on stage or Zhang Yihua; the result would’ve been the same."

"Exactly. Natives are just natives. Having only endured the End of Dharma era and cultivated for ten years, how could this world’s people compare to the inheritance of millennia? If not for a divine being watching over this place, this insignificant Earth would have already degraded into a battlefield at the edge of realms, hardly worth visiting for an exchange."

"What luck for Li Chengyu. He won this duel and obtained that dragon scale artifact. Quite the fortunate opportunity for him."

Other cultivators, upon seeing Li Chengyu’s victory, were individually proud but simultaneously envious. It was as though he had stumbled upon an extraordinary treasure.

As Vice Dean Sun Boxiu observed this scene, a look of disappointment flashed in his eyes. Sighing helplessly, he waved from a distance, and the heavily defeated and unconscious Luo Tianyou floated into the grand golden hall.

Fortunately, that sword strike had intentionally avoided vital areas, merely tearing through half his torso. But relying on Luo Tianyou’s tenacious life force as a martial artist, he barely clung to life without succumbing. Had the opponent aimed to kill, this strike would have already beheaded him.

"Cui San, take Luo Tianyou for treatment. Yesterday, the Golden Academy’s medical unit received a Life Repair Cabin; it should be able to heal him fully," Sun Boxiu instructed immediately.

The Spirit Power Realm expert named Cui San did not utter a word, promptly taking Luo Tianyou away at speed.

"Taoweng Immortal, this junior has fulfilled his mission." At this moment, Sword Cultivator Li Chengyu descended gracefully, saluted humbly but confidently.

Taoweng Immortal stroked his beard and nodded, quite pleased with Li Chengyu’s conduct.

He neither used his Life-Bound Sword nor took the other party’s life; moreover, it was the other side that initiated the conflict. The victory was beyond reproach.

This result was exactly what he had hoped for.

Since it was a visit and an exchange, they couldn’t leave behind criticism or be overly aggressive and unkind. After all, the situation here was still unclear, and proceeding cautiously remained the wisest course of action.

"Dean Sun, well contended. This junior hails from the Sword Control Sect of the Xuanxian Continent and is a Golden Core Sword Cultivator. Sword cultivators spend their lives nurturing a Life-Bound Sword, intimately linked to their own lifespan, making their combat strength peerless. It pains me greatly that your esteemed colleague was hurt earlier. Here is a bottle of Treasure Pills to aid him in recovering from his wounds."

Taoweng Immortal’s face now bore a kind and gentle smile as he produced a jade bottle containing several crystalline elixirs.

Sun Boxiu shook his head and said, "Immortal’s kindness is appreciated. This duel was truly eye-opening for me. To think a Golden Core cultivator could wield such strength, our Spirit Power Realm experts pale in comparison."

Luo Tianyou had gone all out in the match earlier, while the Golden Core Sword Cultivator had intentionally held back. His Life-Bound Sword was unused, his Spiritual Artifacts untouched, and other trump cards and killing techniques remained concealed. In a true deathmatch, this one sword cultivator could likely eliminate all Spirit Power Realm experts of the Golden Academy.

This wasn’t an exaggerated warning but a truth that came with an overwhelming difference in strength, rendering teamwork irrelevant.

Much like twenty kindergarten children could never stand a chance against a university student.

The cultivation techniques of immortals indeed advanced far beyond evolvers. Combined practices could not bridge the gap of this disparity unless evolvers also took up cultivation.

However, even if evolvers did cultivate, at best, they became mediocre cultivators. Lacking profound spells and abilities to craft powerful treasures, they would still lag behind. Even if inheriting complete cultivation techniques, starting from scratch meant being unable to surpass their counterparts, especially when those counterparts possessed millennia or tens of thousands of years of heritage.

Thinking about this left Sun Boxiu with a sense of helplessness.

Still, for now, necessary actions needed to be taken. With a casual wave, that dragon scale flew towards the Golden Core Sword Cultivator Li Chengyu: "You’ve won the duel; the prize is yours."

"Thank you, Dean."

Li Chengyu politely saluted before excitedly storing the dragon scale into his Storage Spirit Device.

If he could keep this dragon scale, he could undoubtedly refine a Treasure-Level Life-Bound Sword. Then, his path as a sword cultivator would become smooth sailing, and his future ascension to immortality through tribulation would be practically assured.

Taoweng Immortal glanced at him and smiled without speaking.

The effort he expended with the Glazed Golden Light Mirror treasure wasn’t in vain; the Golden Academy did indeed produce interesting artifacts. Since items like dragon scale were found here, there were bound to be other miraculous treasures, which was an undeniable fortuitous opportunity for other cultivators.

Others in the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core ranks could sense this too, igniting hope and ambition for more duels and exchanges.

Still, for propriety, they maintained their composure.

Outside the grand golden hall, Li Yi watched as Luo Tianyou, a martial artist, was defeated, feeling oppressed.

"Luo Tianyou’s martial arts surpass mine. If he, a Spirit Power Realm practitioner, could not defeat a Golden Core cultivator, then I probably wouldn’t even stand a chance against a Foundation Establishment cultivator... Now I understand the despair Fan Zhizhou felt back then—this disparity between worlds is crushing."

Li Yi quietly assessed his strength following the duel, concluding that he could barely reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Yet, in a true fight, if the opponent employed some formidable weapons, he could very well lose.

However, he had the Fei Mu Needle—a potent weapon—so perhaps the outcome wouldn’t be so bleak.

Li Yi wasn’t the only one reflecting; other Soul Realm evolvers were calculating their own power levels, unwilling to believe they couldn’t match even Foundation Establishment cultivators. Of course, many of them harbored suppressed anger, refusing to admit their inferiority.

"Let’s go. There’s nothing else to see. Better to use this time to cultivate." After watching for a while, Li Yi shook his head, preparing to return to his Cultivation House.

Di Zhu’an remarked, "Cultivation techniques for immortals are indeed extraordinary. The academy marketplace used to sell fragments of cultivation methods, mostly incomplete Qi Cultivation manuscripts, but they offered slow progress and minimal boosts in combat power... Following this incident, I’d wager a trend for cultivating immortal techniques will emerge, with many people deciding to pursue dual cultivation."

If Earth’s evolvers had any advantage left, it would be their ability to combine multiple paths.

Evolvers strengthen both their physical bodies and souls simultaneously, providing solid foundations to readily switch to martial arts, cultivation, or even genetic warrior paths without adaptation difficulties.

Such versatility aligns with the inherent characteristics of Earthlings—exceptional adaptability.

A world always imprints its unique traits onto its inhabitants.

Li Yi didn’t linger near the golden hall any longer. He quietly left the crowd and returned to Cultivation House C64.

The duel had deeply motivated him, reminding him not to halt his progress. Even the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators from the Xuanxian Continent already overwhelmed the Golden Academy. If they truly had malicious intent, no one could stop them.

Even laws could not restrict such cultivators.

"I should attempt to open my eleventh and twelfth acupoints, perfect the Divine Martial Path. Cultivation techniques may hold promise, but I lack access to them. Even the Golden Academy likely only receives common offerings among cultivation methods—not the finest teachings. Instead of scavenging others’ leftovers, I should persevere on my path."

Inside his Cultivation House, Li Yi took a deep breath, calmed himself, and began circulating his qi-blood, continuing to open his acupoints.

He refused to believe that, upon activating all 365 acupoints and awakening his Divine Bloodline completely, he would still lag behind cultivation techniques.

To avoid unwanted trouble, Li Yi deliberately refrained from using his Seven-Colored Stone to enhance the cosmic energy within the Cultivation House, wary of attracting the covetous eyes of cultivators.

After the experience of illuminating his tenth acupoint, he learned some useful techniques.

Li Yi was also bold in his approach, willing to risk injury and using the Life Repair Cabin to recover his body. As long as he didn’t die, he would train relentlessly.

Three days later, he successfully activated and lit his eleventh acupoint.

Qi-blood surged backward, and silver radiance converged, forming a gleaming point of light.

Though still faint, as Li Yi’s Divine Bloodline continued to develop, these light points would one day shine as brightly as stars in the heavens.

After resting for a day.

Having eaten and replenished his qi-blood fully, Li Yi resumed efforts to activate the twelfth acupoint.

Moreover, he had long prepared a contingency plan: if this body were ruined during training, he would use soul outflow and transfer to a new body. After all, the body being nurtured within the Life Cradle was still maturing, giving him the confidence to push himself without fear.

Opening the twelfth acupoint proved significantly harder.

The preceding eleven acupoints had already drained a substantial amount of Li Yi’s qi-blood and bloodline essence. His body seemed to be approaching its limits, with insufficient remaining qi-blood and Divine Blood to activate the twelfth acupoint.

This gap revealed that Li Yi’s foundation was lacking, necessitating a period of nurturing his qi-blood and enhancing his bloodline strength.

He decisively abandoned the attempt to open the acupoint, adopted a Treasure Seal stance, and practiced under the White Bone Temple cultivation method, while simultaneously consuming large quantities of extraordinary creature meat to restore his deficient qi-blood.