The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 576 - 412: Magic Duel

Chapter 576: Chapter 412: Magic Duel

Inside the Cultivation House.

Cosmic energy converged around Li Yi, forming a glowing halo that made him appear like a Buddha or Bodhisattva seated majestically upon a lotus platform. As the cosmic energy was continuously absorbed into his body, his physique underwent ongoing evolution and transformation during this period. Not only had his Qi-Blood become robust once more, but even his silver Divine Bloodline grew increasingly potent.

Of course, the cost of this progress was not insignificant—he alone consumed twenty Extraordinary Creatures at the Soul Realm level.

If not for having sufficient prey stored in his Storage Magical Artifact, Li Yi might be starving by now. At this rate of food consumption, he estimated it would lead to a food shortage in about three months.

However, the gains outweighed the expenditure.

Over the course of ten days, Li Yi’s cultivation advanced further, successfully illuminating the twelfth acupoint.

After this breakthrough, he once again felt his physical limits. To take another step forward would require even greater time and effort than before. He could only imagine how challenging it would be to open all 365 acupoints, both large and small.

"Thankfully, Evolution and Divine Martial Path can be cultivated concurrently. Though demanding, the progress is substantial. However, the resources consumed with every step forward are astonishing. Before exhausting this batch of food supplies, I must find better substitutes," Li Yi thought. Suddenly, his silver eyes glowed brightly as he opened them. His entire body radiated a faint luminescence, as if light was faintly swirling across his skin.

The drawback of dual cultivation was that Li Yi had to simultaneously absorb cosmic energy to stimulate physical evolution while consuming food to replenish Qi-Blood and nurture his Divine Bloodline—both indispensable.

"I’ll recuperate for a while and then prepare for the next cross-dimensional venture. If crossing dimensions proves impossible, I’ll journey to the Barbaric World once more, locate Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang, thicken my skin, and seek his sponsorship. With the cultivators from Xuanxian Continent flooding in, the circumstances are becoming increasingly dire. There’s no room for procrastination."

Li Yi mused inwardly.

Just when he was recuperating, an otherworldly beast suddenly screeched from outside the Cultivation House, followed by a gale that roared through, startling him awake.

"Good Wings?"

Li Yi frowned, and his soul suddenly issued a warning.

Boom!

The next moment.

A deafening explosion erupted right beside the Cultivation House, raising a cloud of dust that shook the building to its foundations.

"What’s going on?"

Li Yi immediately halted his recuperation and charged out of the Cultivation House.

Outside, he saw Good Wings flapping its wings, visibly agitated. Nearby, on the ground, there was a massive crater. Inside the crater lay an Evolver from Golden Academy, gravely wounded and drenched in blood.

"Did Good Wings attack another student?" Li Yi instinctively entertained this thought.

But soon.

He dismissed the speculation.

Good Wings hadn’t attacked.

The tracks extended from the horizon to this very spot.

Suspended mid-air was a woman clad in a colorful dress, standing on a flying sword. She exuded an ethereal aura and was clearly a cultivator from Xuanxian Continent. Her gaze was coldly dismissive, yet she feigned courtesy, gracefully saluting and saying, "Concession accepted; I have won this duel."

Li Yi looked at the woman.

He understood.

It turned out Golden Academy’s students were still dueling against Xuanxian Continent’s cultivators.

This time, however, Spirit Power Realm cultivators and Golden Core Stage practitioners didn’t participate. Instead, it was a competition between Soul Realm students and Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.

"Zhou Yu, I told you that you couldn’t defeat the Foundation Establishment cultivator. Why waste your time? Earlier Xia Xiaozhong, Di Zhu’an, and Zhu Yue all lost. As a guidance instructor, do you think you can do any better?" A nearby student spectating the duel shook his head, sighed, and spoke with regret and helplessness.

"Spirit Power Realm isn’t a match; Soul Realm is even less so. The power of cultivation techniques has already been proven superior. Although we practice dual cultivation, our techniques are inherently inferior. Losing is expected. Why waste a liquid metal battle armor for this?" Another student named Sun Wei muttered consolingly.

Li Yi stiffened momentarily before immediately entering the crater to retrieve the guidance instructor, Zhou Yu.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou Yu’s chest had been blasted open with a horrific, indistinct wound, bleeding profusely. His complexion was pale, and his energy severely depleted. If not for the protective liquid metal battle armor covering the wound to stabilize his vitality, Zhou Yu might already be dead.

"Instructor, are you alright?" Li Yi asked.

"Li Yi, is that you? Cough, cough, I’m fine—just a minor injury. Send me to the medical department, and I’ll recover quickly. They’ve got several Life Repair Cabins that can heal me in no time," Zhou Yu struggled to stand.

At that moment, the Foundation Establishment female cultivator riding the flying sword descended nearby. Stretching out her fair hand, she declared, "You’ve lost the duel. Your liquid metal battle armor is mine."

Zhou Yu’s expression shifted slightly. Then, with a heavy sigh and helplessness, he relinquished control of the armor. The liquid metal battle armor detached from his body, transforming into a metallic container.

The Foundation Establishment female cultivator grabbed the container remotely and whisked it away effortlessly.

Without the liquid metal battle armor to sustain him, Zhou Yu’s injuries worsened instantly, blood spilling forth.

"If you’re unconvinced, come find me for another duel next time. Remember, I am Lin Caiyi, Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Flying Immortal Sect. Judging by your current state, however, it seems unlikely you’ll have another chance," the Foundation Establishment cultivator said with supreme arrogance.

Li Yi witnessed the scene and immediately deduced the prior events. Without hesitation, he retrieved a Life Repair Cabin from his Storage Magical Artifact, saying, "Instructor, judging by your injuries, making it to the medical department seems improbable. Use this Life Repair Cabin instead."

"You... you also have a Life Repair Cabin?" Zhou Yu exclaimed in surprise.

Life Repair Cabin was cutting-edge technology from the Sixth World, and Golden Academy owned only a dozen units.

Soon, Zhou Yu remembered—Li Yi had also ventured to the Sixth World once. That might explain how he acquired the Life Repair Cabin.

"Thank you." Zhou Yu wasted no time and promptly climbed inside.

As the Life Repair Cabin activated, Zhou Yu’s injuries stabilized, no longer threatening his life. The wound visibly began healing.

"Wait a moment, how do you possess a Storage Spirit Device?" At that moment, Lin Caiyi’s attention shifted as she noticed the bracelet on Li Yi’s wrist. She questioned him with evident surprise.

"That’s my business; it has nothing to do with you," Li Yi replied coolly.

His Storage Magical Artifact had been seized from Xu Wen Dao, who in turn sourced it from a world of End of Dharma cultivators.

That world bore striking resemblance to Xuanxian Continent in many ways. The fundamental difference was that one was in decline, while the other was at its peak.

"Such weak skills, yet such an inflated attitude. You Earthlings amount to nothing more than this. In the past ten days, we’ve had over a dozen duels, and you’ve never won once. Hey, color-eyed boy, don’t blame this Fairy for being merciful. Offer your Storage Spirit Device as a wager, and this Fairy might reluctantly grant you a duel, so you can witness the miraculous techniques of immortals."

Her words brimmed with a sense of superiority, clearly looking down upon the Evolvers.

Still, Golden Academy undeniably contained treasures worth coveting. Their repeated losses provided great rewards for the cultivators.

"You want my Storage Magical Artifact?" Li Yi waved his bracelet and said, "Alright, what are you wagering in return?"

"If you win, you can choose anything you like," Lin Caiyi said disdainfully.

"What if I want you?"

Lin Caiyi flared up instantly. "A toad lusting for swan meat! How dare you covet this Fairy’s beauty? If not for Senior Chongxu’s rules, just for saying such nonsense, I’d kill you now."

"Oh? Then why not play a different game: if I lose, my life is yours. If you lose, your life is mine. How about that?" Li Yi retorted bluntly.

Betting their lives?

Lin Caiyi froze momentarily.

"Li Yi, don’t be impulsive! These Foundation Establishment cultivators are incredibly formidable. Don’t risk your life out of anger," Zhou Yu suddenly grabbed Li Yi’s arm in an attempt to dissuade him from recklessly taking such risks.

The previous duels were brutal but relatively restrained.

Even so, the Evolvers were repeatedly defeated.

If it turned into a life-and-death battle, where the cultivators unleashed their full arsenal, their overwhelming advantage would undoubtedly result in another catastrophe, as had happened to Luo Tianyou.

This wasn’t a matter of undermining one’s morale to elevate the enemy’s; it was a conclusion drawn from real dueling experiences.

"If we keep retreating when others are stepping all over us, we might as well be turtles shrinking into their shells. Sorry, but I can’t tolerate this," Li Yi said staunchly, his Martial Artist temperament wouldn’t allow him to back down.

At this moment, Lin Caiyi smiled elegantly. "Seeking death? Very well, I’ll grant your wish. But mere verbal agreement is worthless. If you dare, let’s head to the Magic Battle Platform; there will be witnesses. Otherwise, if you’re too scared, I’ll be magnanimous enough to let this slide. Just stop glaring at me and hang your head low next time. You Earthlings ought to know your place."

With those words, she snorted and turned to fly away on her sword.

When it came to life-and-death matters, Lin Caiyi didn’t dare act recklessly. Senior Chongxu had repeatedly emphasized that duels were acceptable, but causing deaths was strictly forbidden and punishable by severe consequences.

Li Yi’s wager was beyond her authority, requiring both parties’ consent and witness verification. Accidentally killing someone could lead to trouble she couldn’t afford to bear as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Li Yi, don’t go. That woman is intentionally provoking you and trying to secure an official chance to kill you," Zhou Yu grabbed Li Yi firmly, unwilling to let him risk his life.

Li Yi frowned. "Are Foundation Establishment cultivators truly that terrifying? Instructor, at least have some faith in me."

"Li Yi, it’s not that he lacks faith in you—no one has faith in standing against Foundation Establishment cultivators," Di Zhu’an suddenly stepped out from a nearby Cultivation House after hearing the commotion. The solar totem on his forehead was dim and lifeless, while his body appeared blackened, as if struck by lightning.

"I fought against a Foundation Establishment cultivator once and was defeated by a single lightning strike. Even the damaged Miracle in my possession was lost. And that wasn’t including any weapons. If they utilize artifacts, their advantage is even greater—those with defensive Spiritual Artifacts cannot be touched by Soul Realm-level attacks."

Di Zhu’an’s tone was full of despair.

"We must admit the superiority of cultivation techniques; there’s no shame in that. As for you wagering your life against a Foundation Establishment cultivator—it’s tantamount to seeking death. You’ve seen their flying sword technique; their speed alone is beyond our comprehension."

"He’s right. In terms of techniques or weaponry, we are inferior. Thus far, no Soul Realm student has discovered a method to defeat Foundation Establishment cultivators," Zhou Yu added. "Both my and Di Zhu’an’s defeats stand as irrefutable evidence."

"Some things you won’t know unless you try," Li Yi replied. "We’ve already lost so many duels; one more makes no difference. Where’s the Magic Battle Platform? I’m going to find them."

Li Yi wasn’t reckless—he had hidden aces to play. Plus, with his breakthrough of twelve illuminated acupoints, he might be able to seize his chance.

If all else fails, he just might unleash the ghost and ignite a supernatural calamity.