The Outer Sect bustled with excitement as news of the impending life and death duel between Wu Li and Yang Chen spread like wildfire. Such duels were a rare occurrence, causing a stir among the disciples of the esteemed Extreme Jade Sword Sect.

Wu Yang headed towards the Life and Death Platform in the Outer Sect, accompanied by his master, Venerable Li Yun.

As Wu Yang and his master made their way, bystanders looked on with admiration and respect. Many of those in the Outer Disciples dreamt of one day becoming an Inner Elder of the Extreme Jade Sword Sect, but it was a challenging feat to achieve. To even have a chance, one must have reached the Soul Palace Realm, and even if you are an early stage Soul Palace Realm cultivator, you might not necessarily become an Inner Elder.

They finally arrived at the Life and Death Platform, where preparations had already been made for the upcoming duel. The arena was massive, much larger than the one in Wu Clan. It was adorned with intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes, and the ground was made of polished jade.

Venerable Li Yun and Wu Yang took their seats in the front row, reserved for those of high standing within the sect.

"I'm eager to see what you saw in this Wu Li, my dear disciple. If you're so confident, he must be a crouching tiger or a hidden dragon!" Venerable Li Yun mocked, still upset that his disciple had used the Sealed Flame Sword as a wager and caused him to lose face.

Wu Yang remained silent, knowing that there was nothing more to say. All that needed to be discussed had been said, and he allowed his master to vent his anger on him. He simply waited for Wu Li to win and he would be proven right.

After one stick of incense had burned, Yang Chen finally arrived. He had a striking figure with his dashing and elegant appearance. His long hair was carefully styled with a hairpin, adding to his refined appearance. Yang Chen had a muscular build, honed through years of training, and his eyes glinted with a fierce determination.

"Greetings, Young Master Yang Chen!" greeted Lin Dong, Yang Chen's subordinate, as he approached. Lin Dong was also part of Yang Chen's underlings that mocked Wu Li.

As he arrived, some disciples from the Violet Dream Peak, the same peak Wu Li was affiliated with, greeted him. "Greetings, Young Master Yang Chen!" they exclaimed.

Yang Chen nodded in response, acknowledging their greetings, but his focus was on his subordinate, Lin Dong. He paid no attention to the disciples from the Violet Dream Peak, thinking that they are trashes.

"I have just emerged from seclusion," Yang Chen said, his tone serious. "I ordered you to kill Wu Li, but it seems you have failed me once again."

"Please understand, Young Master, that Wu Li is not an easy target," explained Lin Dong, making his excuse. "Even some of our people with a cultivation base at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm haven't returned."

Yang Chen was displeased to hear that even cultivators at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm couldn't kill Wu Li. Despite not taking Wu Li seriously before, he was offended by him and decided to deal with him personally.

"Don't worry about it," Yang Chen reassured Lin Dong. "If you couldn't handle him, I'll take care of it myself. It's possible he had an expert of the late stage of the Core Formation Realm with him, or else he wouldn't have been able to take out our people."

Lin Dong chimed in, his voice dripping with disdain. "That Wu Li is a disgrace to the Extreme Jade Sword Sect. He should have never been allowed to join in the first place. He's just a waste of resources. By taking out that trash, Young Master is doing the sect a favor!"

Continuing, Lin Dong laughed and said, "Young Master, there's something else I want to share with you. Wu Yang, Wu Li's sworn brother, has bet all his wealth on Wu Li. He clearly doesn't believe that you can win!"

Shaking his head, Yang Chen realized that Wu Yang had made a big mistake. He could have had an equal or slightly superior status to him if he had just remained calm, now everyone will look down on him. "He really messed up," he said to himself.

Despite that, he added, "But I do admire his loyalty to Wu Li."

"Young Master, have you cultivated the Silvermoon Metal Slash to Greater Success?" Lin Dong asked eagerly.

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"Yes, I have," Yang Chen replied, smirking. "I've reached a point where I can even harm cultivators at the perfection stage of the Core Formation Realm if they are careless."

Lin Dong grinned and said, "That Wu Li won't know what is going to kill him!"

The Silvermoon Metal Slash was a lesser Earth Grade technique and possessed immense power and dominance. When cultivated to the Return to Genesis level, it allowed the user to create a miniature moon with a diameter of thousands of meters, which could instantly crush a cultivator to death.

Lin Dong continued telling Yang Chen the latest news.

Soon, another stick of incense burned and Wu Li still hasn't arrived. The match should have started by now, and yet, Wu Li was late!

A Crimson Flame Peak disciple shouted, "Wu Li's arrogance is unbelievable! He's not even showing up on time!"

A Frosty Mountain Peak disciple joined in, "I bet he chickened out! He's such a shame to our sect!"

Wu Yang sighed, thinking that Wu Li's arrogance wouldn't get him far without his special status as a Child of Providence.

After another incense stick's worth of time, Wu Li finally made his appearance. With sword-like eyebrows and pitch-black, curly hair, he possessed bright eyes that shone like the brightest star in the night sky. His azure Daoist robe was mesmerizing, and commanded attention as he strode confidently towards the platform.

As Wu Li arrived, he was accompanied by a young and stunning woman. Rumors about Wu Li's Dao Companion and her exceptional figure had already spread in the Outer Court, but it was only when they saw her in person that envy sparked within everyone.

The woman's cloud-like long hair was the only thing visible as it draped over her captivating figure, which was accentuated by a white cloak. Her hourglass shape left many in awe, with their imaginations running wild at the mere sight of her.

As Yang Chen gazed upon Lin Xiaoqing, he was captivated by her stunning appearance. He couldn't help but be drawn to her rare beauty, which seemed capable of bringing kingdoms to their knees and empires to their downfall.

Yang Chen tried to strike up a conversation with the stunning woman, "Excuse me, may I know your name, miss?"

But Lin Xiaoqing remained cold and aloof. She only had eyes for Wu Li, and the rest of the world was not worthy of her attention.

The other onlookers were also curious about her identity, perking their ears to hear her response.

Lin Xiaoqing concealed her cultivation base with a treasure. If others were to see her true level of cultivation, they would tremble in fear and not even dare come near her.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Yang Chen and the other bystanders exchanged confused glances. It was evident that the beauty had no interest in them whatsoever and regarded them as empty air.

Yang Chen thought to himself, "Let's see if she still puts on airs in front of me after I kill Wu Li!"

The onlookers shook their heads, thinking that the beauty was just as arrogant as Wu Li.

They didn't hold Lin Xiaoqing in high regard and only saw her as a mere beautiful accessory. Her value as a woman was merely to add some spice to a powerful cultivator's life.

With a chuckle, Wu Li taunted Yang Chen, "Haha! No wonder my wife ignores you, she considers you a dead man already." His voice dripped with mockery.

The gleam in Wu Li's golden eyes only intensified as he spoke, the air around him heavy with killing intent. "You've tried to kill me countless times in the past five years since I've been part of the Extreme Jade Sword Sect," he continued, "but your attempts were useless. I was more than capable of disposing of all the trash you sent after me."

Fury ignited in Yang Chen as Wu Li mocked him. He couldn't accept that this insignificant person would belittle him. He denied sending experts to kill Wu Li during his sect missions, for fear of punishment. "Hmph! You're nothing but trash. Do you think I need to resort to underhanded means to kill someone like you? I can kill ten of you with one hand tied behind my back! You are merely at the early stage of the Core Formation Realm."

Yang Chen's anger grew as he continued, "And how dare you make people wait for you! Who do you think you are?"

Wu Li shook his head, unwilling to engage in further argument with Yang Chen. He knew he needed to reach the peak of early stage Core Formation Realm to have any hope of defeating Yang Chen, and that was why he was late.

If someone saw Wu Li's Golden Core, they would notice that the Infernal Thunder Dao Mark, which includes both the Lightning and Fire Dao, was almost condensed.

Wu Li aimed to condense nine Dao Marks, five of which combined each of the Five Elements with Lightning, along with four other potent Dao Marks of the Dao of Lightning.

The five Dao Marks he wanted to condense were: Infernal Thunder (Fire), Thunderous Quake (Earth), Metal Thunderbolt (Metal), Aquatic Thunderstorm (Water), and Verdant Thunderbolt (Wood). The remaining four Dao Marks he sought to condense were Thunder God's Roar, Thunderclap Annihilation, Thundering Surge, and Crackling Storm.

Wu Li learned from Emperor Xuan's teachings that condensing three or more Dao Marks from a sequence would enable one to form an Essence Foundation. If Wu Li could successfully condense the first five Dao Marks, he would form the Five Elements Chaotic Lightning Essence Foundation.

Essence Foundations come in different grades that indicate their strength and future potential: Yellow Grade, Black Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, and Immortal Grade.

Wu Li understood that Emperor Xuan was unable to become a Sage due to his low-grade Essence Foundation, which was of the Yellow Grade. An Essence Foundation of the Yellow Grade only lets you have a slight chance of breaking through to the Mortal Extremity Realm.

Wu Li's Five Elements Chaotic Lightning Essence Foundation, on the other hand, belongs to the highest Immortal Grade level.

Wu Li's Five Elements Chaotic Lightning Qi will then become even more refined and domineering after he condenses the final four Lightning Dao Marks.

Wu Li glanced at Yang Chen, eager to fight. "Shall we begin? My blade hasn't tasted blood in years," he declared arrogantly.