Episode 56

  Guo Dahai struck again, his fists flying towards the shield. "Boom!" The sound was like iron hammers striking each other, sparks flying everywhere. How could anyone think that this was just a pair of human fists and a beast-hair duster colliding? Ren Qiudao stumbled back, his body crashing to the ground, the force so powerful that it created a depression several feet deep in the earth.

  "Ah! This thief is indeed cunning. His first move was to use weakness to deceive me, and judging from this move, his skill far surpasses mine."

  Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly exerted all his strength and punched upwards with a loud crash. Guo Dahai saw this and knew exactly what he wanted in his heart, so he tightened his fist and countered with another punch, not giving him any chance to escape. The two punches collided again, causing Ren Qiang's body to sink several inches into the ground once more. Seizing the opportunity, Guo Dahai continued to rain down punches one after another. Ren Qiang could only muster all his strength to desperately resist, but in his heart, he was suffering greatly. He felt like a giant nail being hammered into the ground inch by inch. Just as Ren Qiang thought all was lost, he suddenly heard a sweet and melodious voice ringing in his ears...

  "Insufficient elder brother, we cannot proceed further with our five elements. Don't you know that a gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall?"

  "Hum, Chang'er, the will of man is indeed most important! Those two don't grasp its essence. Where one's determination lies, one should advance without hesitation, and become more courageous with each setback, and strive again and again. Unless life is lost, the brave fight will not cease, and when the soul is not extinguished, there should be no slight pause!"

  "Insufficient, brother, be careful! If your five spirits are gathered like this and you can't solidify them, it means that your spiritual realm is still young and weak, and you can't hold on to it! Moreover, don't over-refine it!"

  "Qian'er, don't mind me for now. Look at these two people. I think this little Taoist priest has the power of one battle. If his will is strong and unyielding, then victory or defeat is still uncertain!"

  The two of them were engaged in a fierce battle, but Insufficient was able to condense his five spiritual senses into one, making himself the size of a real person. He dodged and weaved within the battlefield, following the two as they fought. Suddenly, he would appear between the two of them, then flash away through the gaps in their fists and palms. At the same time, he was constantly discussing with Chang Er the strengths and weaknesses of the two combatants. When he saw that Ren Xiu had not yet lost but his heart was already slack, he intentionally transmitted a voice to him. However, Chang Er only felt anxious and uneasy, trying to advise him but being ignored. She could only release her six spiritual senses, protecting him on one hand while intentionally putting herself in danger on the other, hoping that Insufficient would be frightened into saving her and returning her to safety. But how could Insufficient let go of this excellent opportunity to refine his spirit?

  He sought the Tao, and suddenly heard a sweet and wonderful sound calling to him. He also heard a man's voice commenting on the merits of his drumming. His heart calmed down, and he thought to himself that he had only lost the initiative, but made no great mistake! So he calmed his mind, secretly operating his mysterious skills, while parrying the fierce blow with one hand, and paying attention to finding a usable opportunity with the other.

  Guo Dahai attacked for a long time, and he thought that this little Taoist priest would not be able to withstand his fierce attack of several dozen punches. He let his guard down slightly. However, after another ten or so punches, the other party was still unscathed, and Guo's heart began to sink, gradually becoming unstable. Ren Qiudao stared intently at the trajectory of his opponent's fists, waiting for an opening when he would be off guard. When he saw it, he seized the opportunity and with a burst of speed, shook out his dusting brush, covering Guo's eyes while simultaneously letting out a loud shout that sent Guo flying upwards in an instant. At the same time, Ren Qiudao struck Guo's chest with a straight punch. Guo was shocked, using both fists to cover his eyes, but he couldn't block the punch aimed at his chest in time. He could only turn around and fly backwards, retreating several feet before counterattacking again, trying to regain the initiative. Ren Qiudao stood with his feet apart, adopting a horse-riding stance, let out a loud shout, and swung his fist to meet Guo's attack. The four fists clashed, like golden swords and spears colliding, producing a sudden ringing sound, as if iron was about to shatter. The two suddenly separated, only to clash again in a flurry of punches, separating once more before re-engaging in another fierce exchange...

  The crowd around was filled with a sense of wonder and astonishment at this battle, and under the shock, they were all quiet and not making a sound. It was originally just an ordinary fight between cultivators in the Refining Body period, which was not worth watching, but unexpectedly it turned out to be like this, and there was much to think about!

  After a long time, the high and low of their skills were clearly distinguishable. Guo Dahai's power was sinking, his steps were stable, and he had a cold smile on his face, but his complexion was normal. On the other hand, Ren Qiudao's footsteps were staggering, and his face was pale yellow. Everyone thought that Hua Xianguan's cultivation would lose! But their argument became more intense! The scene was even more intense. Although Ren Qiudao's body was unstable, he was often knocked flying or fell to the ground by Guo Dahai, but he would shake and get up again, fly up and fight. Guo Dahai tried several times to use his powerful strength to knock him down, but he was always met with resistance and refused to retreat! This impact repeated over and over, and after each time, Ren Qiudao would fly up again, not thinking of retreating, and continuing to attack! Guo Dahai's cold smile disappeared, and his anxious expression and unbelievable color finally appeared.

  "What if this strong and brave warrior is not afraid of death?"

  When the war drums sounded, it was the fifteenth beat, and this battle would be over. Finally, Guo made up his mind to make a final decision, no longer hesitant or delayed! Just as Ren Qiudao was knocked flying again, he shouted and flew over to take him down. Ren Qiudao had just struggled to get up, saw him coming to attack, his eyes focused tightly on the approaching figure, his body leaned back, and with a loud shout, he swung out a punch towards the sky! A miserable cry sounded, two figures flashed by. One of them fell back into the ground, half a foot deep! The other flew upwards, tens of feet high, spitting blood as he fell to the side!

  He only felt the iron fist shattering, the iron shattered and fell to the ground, and his whole body was in pain, painful to the bone marrow. However, he remembered the male cultivator's evaluation, so he forced himself to climb out of the pit, swaying towards the place where Guo's cultivator had fallen not far away, looking at him with a very weak breath, seriously injured, and unable to fight again. Moreover, the last drumbeat had already ended, and the game was over!

  The judge on the cloud head took a look at the seriously injured cultivator:

  "Take it away! This round is a victory for Huaxi Guan's Ren Qiu Dao! The crowd gathered at Huaxi Guan, all with tears in their eyes. Others came to pay their respects, but there was no applause."

  Insufficient and Chang'er gaze at each other and smile. Insufficient says:

  "The greatest thing about the law is its constancy! The path to cultivating the Tao is fraught with obstacles, but if one can see the great way ahead, their will must be firm, their determination must be constant, and their heart must be focused. This is of utmost importance! As for valuing intelligence, valuing enlightenment, and valuing opportunities, these are things that cannot be sought after by means of the law. Intelligence is innate, sudden enlightenment requires a catalyst, and opportunities require cleverness! These three things can be encountered but not controlled, only constancy comes from one's own heart and can be grasped!"

  Chang'er said:

  "Insufficient elder brother, these words are indeed true. However, the cultivation of one's mental state must also be examined!"

  "Look who's here!"

  "Not enough, brother!"

  Chang'e scolded in anger.

  "Chang Er, let's have a test and see if you've gained any insight or learned anything!"

  Then there were three more trial matches. By the fifth match, it was a great competition of Tao Fa among practitioners in the Formal Body period. It is not enough to watch these matches without any predestined relationship; secretly thinking in one's heart:

  "Seeing many practitioners gathered here, I have high hopes for this Dharma assembly! But who knows how this Dharma assembly will actually turn out?"

  Just as he was thinking about this, the big comparison had already begun on the other side. The two cultivators were standing on a platform, more than 30 feet apart. One was a tall and sturdy man, while the other was a small and delicate woman. Both of them closed their eyes, clasped their hands in a seal, and muttered incantations. Suddenly, a loud thunderclap shook the clear sky, but when they looked up, there were only a few wisps of cloud and mist above, with the rest being stars. "Where did that thunder come from?"

  In the blink of an eye, a dark cloud suddenly rose on the platform, covering the female cultivator. Her body shone with golden light, one hand gesturing continuously in the air, while the other hand formed a strange seal that changed along with her incantations. In just a short moment, hundreds of fist-sized fire crows flew out from around her, their bodies ablaze with flames as they danced and swirled, gradually forming a massive array of firelight. Another thunderclap sounded, and suddenly a rainstorm descended from the cloud, but the raindrops only fell around the female cultivator. Not fully aware of what was happening, he curiously released his five senses once more, penetrating the platform's protective barrier to enter the cloud. Upon closer inspection, the raindrops were not ordinary raindrops at all, but rather tiny blades about an inch in size that appeared just like raindrops from a distance, with no discernible difference.

  "Oh, it turns out to be a rain of swords!"

  Look again at the female cultivator under the cloud, her golden protective light is also flashing wildly in this knife and sword rain, it's a wonder she can still hold on! The male cultivator on the other side isn't having an easy time either, his dark green protective light is barely holding up against the raging flames of the fire crow. Just as he was about to gather his five spirits and fly into the rain, he was stopped by Chang'er.

  "Insufficient, brother! This is the Great Completion of the Law Body Period, not something that you and I can cultivate with our mortal bodies! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

  "Little girl, what do you know! No risk, no gain! You retreat first and let me try! If the danger is not great, then you can come too!"

  "Not enough, brother! I...I...I......"

  Chang'er couldn't stop him, so she could only use her powerful Six Gods to protect him. Zuo Bu didn't know the situation and charged into the midst of the sword rain. The swords were not real, but rather a manifestation of the cultivator's control over the heavens' divine power, with unmatched might, far surpassing any ordinary sword. As soon as he entered, he felt an intense pain like his lungs were being torn apart. He quickly used the Golden Body Technique and the Taiyi Mystical God Technique to resolve this crisis! The pain didn't decrease in the slightest, and the Fire Crow charged up again. With just one more blow, Zuo Bu's five gods almost shattered, and he nearly lost all will to live.