On the platform, thousands of collisions occurred between spear and sword. A bloody spear that had killed untold thousands of enemies was clashing with a piece of ice able to turn a volcano into an frozen peak. For many Mortals, it was simply impossible to even see the movements of Cao Yun and Zhi Yin. They were completely swallowed by all the weapons striking each other on the platform.
A Martial Aura was a form of intimidation rather than a Qi Manifestation. By the mere aura exuded by someone, they would strike the very mind of their opponent. But unlike Martial Intent, it was impossible to focus. As such, even the public fell victim to it. That also meant that using Martial Aura was more tiresome and less powerful than Martial Intent. Most of it was simply lost.
For Cao Yun and Zhi Yin, this was merely a warm-up. Yet, they had already exceeded many of the young cultivators. In fact, apart from Long Huafang, no one in the audience had even developed any form of Martial Aura. Long Huafang was precisely watching this fight with fiery determination in her eyes. She had only recently been able to forge her Sword Aura. On one hand, she felt terrible because she was not on a level at which she could fight Cao Yun or Zhi Yin as an equal. But on the other hand, this was a great opportunity for her. She knew that Cao Yun would push Zhi Yin to her limits, and beyond. During this fight, she might win a lot of insights if she paid close enough attention. Right now, all her mind was focused solely on the fight.
Among the elders and chief elders, they were also all paying close attention to this fight. The chief elders knew that Sect Leader Xuan had asked Cao Yun to become his direct disciple and then the Young Sect Master. They had no issue with that since they knew what he had done for the Wubei Sect. Without him, they would probably be dead. Seeing him today made them feel at ease. This boy truly was exceptional. With him, the future of the Wubei Sect was certain.
It was unfortunate that Zhi Yin would leave the sect, but it was her prerogative. However, she would always be linked to the Wubei Sect if only by her Heavenly Swallow Faction. If she was able to accomplish great things, it would also partially be the Wubei Sect's achievement.
Chief Elder Baishen and Spirit Master Xiao talked together to make sure that all the array formations protecting the audience were working properly. There still wasn't a chief elder of the array formation pavilion. In fact, Sun Liao had taken charge of many duties of his master. Although he had become a Mortal Warrior, he still had a long way to go before being qualified to become the new head of the array formation pavilion. Without the defenses around the platform, the audience would have suffered some consequences. Those Martial Auras would have made them feel as though they were being assaulted themselves.
The first-years would have probably even felt as though they were being stabbed and sliced by those weapons. Of course, as the attacks were not directed at them, they wouldn't have inflicted any physical injury, but this could have lasting consequences on the mind and will of young cultivators.
Slowly, Cao Yun and Zhi Yin were building momentum. All around them, their Wei Qi got infused with more and more Qi.
All of a sudden, their attacks ceased. They finally appeared clearly to the weakest cultivators. Martial Aura alone would not be enough in this fight. However, they had now a good idea of their opponent's strength. Neither of them had held back at all. Zhi Yin had to admit that Cao Yun's strength was even beyond what she could imagine. And he had not used his 'Dragon's Heart' for now. Once he activated this technique, he might really go toe-to-toe with an early Spirit Warrior. Besides he had a powerful mind cultivation so he had a real chance of winning such a confrontation, albeit tiny.
On the other hand, Cao Yun had been surprised by Zhi Yin's speed and agility. Her speed alone could not explain how she was holding her own against him though. No matter how powerful his attacks were, she was able to find exactly where to strike to deflect most of the strength. Her sense of fighting and her agility were impressive. But she wasn't weak either. Even for a 3rd-grade Mortal warrior, she was strong. In fact, she was strong enough to fight Cao Yun head-on as long as he didn't use 'Dragon's Heart'. In order not to be surprised by a sudden outburst of pure physical strength though, she had preferred not to engage in such a confrontation. Besides, she had also saved more energy than Cao Yun.
On the platform, a thin layer of water appeared. And in the sky some large white clouds began to condense right over the platform as well. This was a high Qi Manifestation of her 'Peng's Journey to Heaven'. In theory, this was only a 3-star Human art, but Zhi Yin had pushed it even beyond that. Right now, Chief Elder Baishen had to admit that her martial art was probably equivalent to a 5-star Human art. In Zhi Yin's eyes, there was now a vast sea perfectly serene and clear.
At the same moment, in Cao Yun's eyes, there were seven stars shining in the night sky. Behind him, the world broke as though it was made of glass. Now there were those same seven stars in his back. They appeared to form the shape of a large dragon.
The advantage of a spear was the distance. 'Ninety Thousand Li'! Zhi Yin seemed to disappear. For Long Huafang, she simply moved fast. It was as though she was gliding on the surface of the thin layer of water.
'Dragon's Tail Sweeps the Sky'!
With a sweeping motion, the tail of a giant azure dragon swept the entire platform. When it connected with Zhi Yin, she was close enough to skewer Cao Yun. But she was forced to block the attack. At first, she took the hit head-on with her sword. But as the 'Tainted Heavenly Pillar' was about to push her, she used the force sent into her own sword to jump away. 'Peng Goes Back to Sea'. With incredible grace, she almost flew in the air.
But she was now vulnerable as she couldn't move freely in the sky yet.
'The Pillar Piercing the Sky'!
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Although this was the very first move of the first star, Cao Yun had been working on it for a very long time. Even this simple move was now incredible. When they saw it, both Chief Elder Baishen and Long Huafang were amazed. He had been able to shave off a lot of small mistakes. There was still room for improvement, but this was the technique of a true spear expert. Zhi Yin had no time to be amazed as she was facing this technique herself.
'Black Wings Cover the Sky'!
In the sky, one of the clouds turned gray as though something had passed over it and had cast a giant shadow. Cao Yun's 'The Pillar Piercing the Sky' had created a narrow tornado aimed at Zhi Yin. Inside there also seemed to be some kind of shadow. The moment Zhi Yin's sword collided with the spear, the cloud above her head burst open. A giant wing covered in scales appeared and blocked the column of wind sent by Cao Yun. The shock was so intense though that many scales were blown away. As the wind slowly dissipated, the shadow within appeared for a brief moment. It was difficult to tell clearly what it was. It looked like a dragon's horn and a pillar at the same time.
Zhi Yin was once again blown away. This time, she fell head first toward the ground. Many in the audience were worried for her. Even with her Wei Qi, this fall would not be pleasant at all. Furthermore, Cao Yun would attack her right away.
'Journey to the Southern Darkness'.
But at the moment she touched the platform, she kept falling until she was gone. Where she had disappeared, a drop of water splashed. It was as though she had dived down into a large body of water. There was a ripple through the entire platform, within the thin layer of water.
'The Moon Grounds the Sun'.
Behind Cao Yun, two eyes shined with two distinct colors. His posture changed and he was ready to react at a moment's notice. Immediately, he disappeared from view as a column of water gushed from the platform itself.
'Mount Tai Fills the Sky'!
Everywhere Cao Yun was moving, another column of water appeared forth. In the sky, the clouds had all come back as well. Now, there were shadows moving on them all the time.
'Cracking the World'!
As he didn't want to be chased anymore, Cao Yun stood his ground. His 'Tainted Heavenly Pillar' struck down toward the platform. With his Spear Aura and his Qi Manifestation, it looked as though a pillar had really fallen from the sky, tearing through the clouds. The platform shook. Cao Yun's attack was so strong that it even reverberated through the entire plaza. Chief Elder Baishen herself had to intervene to make sure that the platform did not give way. Despite the array formations, Cao Yun had come close to destroying it. The Wubei Sect really needed someone like Chief Elder Suxian...
Although it was liquid, cracks appeared in the very layer of water. It wasn't the water that had been cracked but the Qi manifestation itself. Zhi Yin appeared back on the platform. Her face was clearly red and she was exhausted. This technique had caused a rebound of her own move. Her Qi was probably in turmoil right now.
Seeing her tired, Cao Yun did not hesitate one instant. He couldn't let her catch her breath.
'The Son of Heaven's Cavalry'!
The stars behind Cao Yun shined brightly. Above the clouds, the Heart Star also appeared. It was a giant red star illuminating the entire world. Around Cao Yun, the shape of an armor made of dragon scales appeared. His 'Tainted Heavenly Pillar' was surrounded by the horn of a dragon held by this armor. Below the armor, some scales were also visible as if a dragon was hiding under Cao Yun's feet as its mount.
The light from the red giant was shining on the tip of Cao Yun's spear.
Before Zhi Yin was fully ready, Cao Yun's attack got unleashed. This was probably his most destructive technique. Everything was focused on a single point.
'Splashing the Lake of Heaven'!
Zhi Yin responded by stabbing right in front of her as well. The tips of the two weapons were about to collide. No one was able to know the result in advance. Each technique seemed as powerful as the other one. Around Zhi Yin, the air literally turned to ice. A powerful ripple shot toward Cao Yun as if the air was an ocean. The shockwave even torn apart pieces of his armor of scales.
When the two techniques finally collided, the array formations of the platform got activated to the limit. Such a destructive force would have killed almost any Mortal Warrior. In fact, if Cao Yun and Zhi Yin had unleashed their technique in harmony against a 1st-grade Spirit Warrior, he really might have died if he hadn't been careful. Yet they were both 3rd-grade Mortal Warriors. If they learned a battle formation together, they would become as fierce as a 7-core demonic beast.
The thin layer of water had come back under Zhi Yin's feet. The ripples in the air were also present in the water below. But in that water, there were also the scales of a dragon coming for her.
'Kun Turns to Peng'!
Suddenly, a giant wall of water emerged from down below. A creature from the depths had emerged from its slumber. Its surface was so large that no one was able to see its true form. Even with Zhi Yin's Qi Manifestation, only a tiny portion of this creature had appeared. This was Kun Peng. Peng was a giant bird larger than anyone could believe while Kun was a colossal fish at the bottom of the sea. Both of those creatures were one and the same as it could turn from bird to fish and from fish to bird.
Right now, the fish was turning into a terrifying bird. The large fish sustained Cao Yun's attack as it disappeared into the clouds to form a shadow that even hid the Heart Star. The entire platform was now in the dark. Cao Yun and Zhi Yin were facing each other with nothing between them.
'Drowning in the Lake of Heaven'.
Long Huafang reacted immediately. She had suffered from this technique during her fight against Zhi Yin. But this technique was supposed to only be a method by which one was able to protect their mind and soul. In fact, at first, it was only supposed to allow one to enter their own sea of consciousness. But now, Long Huafang had recognized something else in Zhi Yin's eyes. It appeared to contain a tinge of her 'The Moon in the Eye'. With this technique, she could inflict a mind attack.
In theory, only a Spirit Warrior could attack the mind or the soul. Indeed, only a Spirit Warrior could expand their soul outside of their body to even enter someone else's sea of consciousness. However, there were techniques such as Martial Aura that could cause some mental attacks as well. Unlike a real mind or soul attack though, no part of the soul entered the enemy. However, some Qi infused with intent caused an instinctive reaction. This was both weaker and safer than a real mind or soul attack because the soul of the user was not threatened. On the other hand, it was merely an intimidating tactic.
In a fight though, buying even an instant could mean the difference between life and death.
Despite his mind cultivation, Cao Yun was shocked to realize that this had worked on him. Instinctively, he activated his 'Dragon's Chest'. Thankfully, his body got entirely covered in scales the very moment Cao Yun entered his sea of consciousness. It felt as though he had fallen into the thin layer of water on the platform and was now drowning in it.