A Dou Zun breakthrough, before the Ninth Transformation, is still more about accumulation.
With Chen Guan's foundation and having experienced the realms above Dou Zun many times before, his accumulation was sufficient, so the breakthrough was naturally effortless and effortless.
Under the gray night, Chen Guan felt the strength of an eight-star Dou Zun, his heart surging.
"Among the thirteen people in the Sky Tomb now, my realm shouldn't be far behind."
This thirteen naturally excluded Xiao Yan.
When he first entered the Sky Tomb, Chen Guan had sized them up. Aside from that oddball Gu Xun'er, the others were mostly seven-star and eight-star Dou Zun. Back then, he, at six-star Dou Zun, was at the bottom of the heap.
But now, he had caught up with most!
For someone outside the Eight Ancient Clans, this was truly a cause for celebration.
"Continue practicing. I'll seek out the Blood Blade Saint for a sparring match tomorrow."
With this resolve in mind, Chen Guan abandoned his concentration, his internal cultivation devouring the energy of the surrounding heaven and earth.
While the transition from eight-star Dou Zun to nine-star isn't a significant hurdle, the required accumulation is still immense, far exceeding the previous minor realms.
However, with two years remaining, Chen Guan is 90% confident he can reach nine-star Dou Zun before leaving the Heavenly Tomb.
At that point, in a world where Dou Shengs are absent, he'll be considered a truly top-tier expert!
"Hmm?"
Chen Guan was cultivating when a sudden, invisible pressure rose from his heart, as if a terrifying presence were silently observing him from the shadows.
Chen Guan suddenly opened his eyes, his mental power radiating forth without reservation.
Even the Blood Blade Saint, thousands of feet away, could sense it, but still couldn't find the eyes watching him.
"Is the true Dou Sheng, or Xiao Xuan? Or perhaps the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb?"
Chen Guan's expression grew slightly solemn. The more he knew, the greater the pressure.
Rationally, Chen Guan was reluctant to interact with such beings. His original intention was to spend three years in the Heavenly Tomb training himself and increasing his strength as much as possible.
As for more...
for now, Chen Guan kept his thoughts to himself.
But now, it seemed a bit like the tree's desire for stillness, but the wind still blew.
"Never mind. Not attacking at least shows they have no hostility towards me for now. Why bother with unnecessary trouble?"
It would be fine for an ordinary Dou Sheng-level energy being, but if Xiao Xuan and the Heavenly Tomb Spirit truly had their way with him, Chen Guan would be helpless. He could only hope that the Old Dragon Emperor's methods would work.
...
The next day.
Chen Guan arrived at the Blood Blade Saint's territory as promised. Whenever a breakthrough occurred, having a suitable training partner was a joyous occasion.
This allowed him to more quickly master and adapt to the surge in power.
Unlike Chen Guan, the Blood Blade Saint was filled with murderous intent.
Sitting on the stone pedestal at the top of the mountain, the moment he saw Chen Guan appear, his eyes narrowed, and his murderous intent intensified.
At this moment, how could he not know Chen Guan's intentions?
The boy below was clearly using him as a whetstone.
For the Blood Blade Saint, once a formidable figure of his generation, this was a grave humiliation!
"Kill!"
Without a word, the Blood Blade Saint suddenly launched his attack. Endless blood energy swirled, permeating the air and obscuring his presence. Only massive, crimson blades slashed down from all directions, swift as lightning.
Seeing the Blood Blade Saint employ a different method than yesterday, Chen Guan was delighted rather than surprised. He condensed his dark golden spear in his hand and, with thunderous force, repeatedly pierced the air around him, creating an impenetrable defense.
Simultaneously, he channeled his mental energy, guarding against the Blood Blade Saint's sudden attack.
The space permeated with blood energy was profoundly mysterious. The suppression of mental power within it was even greater than that of the Heavenly Tomb. Even with Chen Guan's full mental power, he could only barely cover an area of several hundred feet.
Of course, this was more than enough.
Chen Guan clearly saw the Blood Blade Saint's imposing form. Every slash was captured with remarkable clarity, making it infinitely easier for him to deal with the unpredictable blade's aura. Every time the blade flickered into view, Chen Guan was already waiting. The
benefits of a strong mental force were evident!
"Haha, my turn!"
While on the defensive, Chen Guan edged closer to the Blood Blade Saint, who was now outside the blood energy field. Suddenly, he blew the horn of counterattack. Blazing flames engulfed his body, breaking through the blood-colored field and piercing the Blood Blade Saint's brow.
The Blood Blade Saint's pupils shrank slightly, having not expected Chen Guan to escape his predicament so easily. He then quickly realized that Chen Guan's spiritual realm was extremely high!
Consequently, these tactics were ineffective.
The only way out was a head-on battle!
Making a decision, the Blood Blade Saint dissipated the blood-colored field, roared, and charged forward with his sword.
Even a mere Dou Zun was fearless, so why should he, a mighty Semi-Saint, fear anything?
Boom! Boom!
Swish!
High above the mountaintop, two figures appeared, sometimes colliding like comets, sometimes tangling and battling like two dragons. Their swords flashed with a gleaming force, their spears charged like a rainbow.
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The intense fighting caused the mountain peaks below to be shattered layer by layer by the aftermath, now seemingly reduced to half their original height.
Bang! With
a single palm strike, Chen Guan repelled the Blood Blade Saint, and distanced himself from him.
As the fight dragged on, Chen Guan gradually gained a clearer understanding of the situation. The Blood Blade Saint was indeed injured and not at his peak.
He had felt this way before yesterday's breakthrough. Even with today's breakthrough, his strength had greatly increased, yet he still managed to hold a slight advantage in a head-on clash. This was completely unexpected.
While he was confident, he wasn't so arrogant as to believe a semi-saint could be so weak.
Therefore, the earlier injuries were the only possibility.
"That's enough for today. I'll come back tomorrow for advice."
With the same words, Chen Guan slipped away.
He had already gained a lot from the fight so far, and he needed to digest it.
Most importantly, he could see that the Blood Blade Saint had reached his limit. Further action would be difficult to reverse, unless he resorted to desperate tactics!
Chen Guan still wanted to train with him for a few more days, but he couldn't push him too quickly.
Gazing off in the direction Chen Guan had departed, the Blood Blade Saint tightly gripped his ghost-headed broadsword.
"Damn the Ancient Clan! Damn Gu Xun'er!"
Day after day, day after day.
In a blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Familiar place, familiar opponent, except that the massive rocky peak, hundreds of feet high, was long gone, leaving only a shattered field of rocks.
The melodious sound of a flute echoed, and amidst the blood-filled air, a phantom of a god or demon seemed to struggle, frantically attacking in all directions.
Boom!
"Haha, nothing more!"
With a roar of laughter, the Blood Blade Saint suddenly broke free from the illusion.
However, his smile was short-lived, as a crimson longsword pressed against his throat, leaving him vulnerable to prey.
"I won."
A huge win!
Chen Guan smiled with immense joy, sheathing the longsword in his hand.
With a thought, the surrounding space shattered.
The Blood Blade Saint's expression of astonishment gave way to a daze. It turned out he was still trapped in an illusion.
Indeed, breaking through one level of illusion is the most relaxed state, making it easier to fall into deeper illusions.
Such is the human heart!
"You win. While your strength still lags behind that Gu Xun'er, you're more cunning and sly than she. If it were a life-or-death battle, the outcome is hard to predict."
The Blood Blade Saint sighed, feeling somewhat disappointed, yet accepting the reality.
For a full fortnight, Chen Guan had come daily, and with so much fighting, the two had developed a friendly bond.
It was from the Blood Blade Saint that Chen Guan learned that Gu Xun'er had also sought him out, having long since traveled to the deepest reaches of the third level of the Heavenly Tomb.
There, lay Xiao Xuan's territory!
Hearing the Blood Blade Saint's assessment, Chen Guan's mouth twitched slightly.
What does it mean to be cunning and sly? It's clearly a tactical move!
Backed by a powerful mental force, the "Great Sound, Little Sound" technique, acquired from the Sound Valley, yielded impressive results.
For the past two weeks, direct combat proved difficult to determine without a desperate effort. Chen Guan had devoted considerable effort to studying the Great Sound, and only now had he achieved his own unique understanding.
With this, his fighting skills had been further refined!
"Gu Xun'er? I'll catch up with her sooner or later. Let's go."
Chen Guan waved his hand and turned away without further comment.
After all, the Blood Blade Saint was merely an energy entity; further words would be futile. Rejecting his energy core was the only thing Chen Guan could do.
Continuing the battle was pointless; the Blood Blade Saint, now no longer possessed any refining effect on Chen Guan.
Rather than delaying, it would be better to advance further. He needed more high-quality energy entities to accelerate his cultivation.
The Blood Blade Saint stood there, gazing at the receding figure, then at his now ruined territory. He sighed deeply, not knowing whether he was lamenting the fleeting bustle of the past two weeks or lamenting the disarray of his home.
The Blood Blade Saint was about to unleash his power to restore his territory to its former glory when a terrifying voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Blood Blade, bring this little creature to me."
The Blood Blade Saint stood there in shock, for a long moment before respectfully bowing towards the depths of the Heavenly Tomb.
"Yes, Master Xiao Xuan."
After the salute, the Blood Blade Saint quickly looked toward the figure that was about to disappear from his sight.
"Wait a moment, wait a moment!"
(End of Chapter)