The fight continued even with Long Yi sustaining injuries. To cultivators, such wounds that only damaged the skin were barely considered injuries at all. Those who practiced special techniques would be able to recover from them within a minute, while those who didn’t could simply consume a Recovery Pill.

Long Yi did neither. He was focused on the fight as it devolved into a mind game of sorts. When the beetle Qi beast got too close, he would kite back and use his ranged attack to whittle it down. Occasionally, the monster would try to back off so it could fire off another stream of acid. In that case, it would be Long Yi’s turn to close the distance to disrupt his enemy.

The Qi beast’s range attack seemed to require a brief moment of channeling, which led it to become vulnerable. It instinctively knew that, which resulted in the battle of cat and mouse where their roles were constantly reversed.

Thankfully, Long Yi had damaged its wings in the opening act. Otherwise, allowing an aerial Qi beast to flex one of their advantages while having higher cultivation would make the fight a lot more one-sided. The injury to the wings created a delicate balance where both sides were in a deadlock.

The battle became one of attrition. No side made any head way in vanquishing their foe. They grew familiar with each other’s capabilities, so their ability to counter each other improved over time. It made it increasingly difficult for either side to cause meaningful damage to the other.

“This doesn’t look good for Long Yi,” Li Lang muttered.

No one said a word, showing their agreement through their silence.

Human beings were weaker than Qi beasts. Nature never granted its blessings equally. Cultivation made one stronger, but that was true for Qi beasts as well. Their advantages became even more pronounced, granting them superior physical capabilities compared to humans. Those with deadly poisons became even more deadly, while those with claws could cleave through even tougher material. The same went for their stamina.

Humans were naturally disadvantaged when it came to physique, which was why they worked so hard to create artifacts and developed techniques to overcome these differences. This, coupled with the fact that the beetle Qi beast had wings while they fought in its home turf of the skies, meant that the energy consumption on both sides was markedly different.

As Long Yi’s energy dwindled, his movements became duller. He allowed his enemy to sneak in its attacks more often, while his own attacks weakened. Even when he managed to land a good hit, the Qi beast’s natural constitution allowed it to heal quickly.

In a desperate attempt to turn things around, Long Yi soon resorted to conjuring another earthen wall for cover. Right after blocking another stream of acid, the wall exploded. However, it wasn’t the same type of explosion as before. It was weaker, more subtle. He had it detonate into fine particles, disrupting the visibility of the entire area.

Seeing this, every cultivator spectating knew what he was up to.

“Hmm, I think this is as far as he can go. Ma Kong, it’s soon time for you to intervene,” the woman standing above the Skyrunner said to her partner.

“Wait, let his final gambit play out until the end first,” Li Lang called out.

“We will.”

Li Lang sighed as they turned their attention back to the cloud of dust. He partially blamed himself for what was to come. He had promised his companions artifacts but hadn’t been able to deliver them.

Now that Long Yi deployed a makeshift smokescreen on the field, it was obvious to them that he planned to use it as cover for one final strike. It just so happened that his new Earth-grade cultivation technique, the Obsidian Edge, could harden his attacks. Even without being able to see, Li Lang knew his friend was looking for a chance to run his sword through the Qi beast with his augmented blade.

Very soon, a bright light suddenly shone from within the cloud of dust. Within a second, a strong force pushed all the dust away. It revealed the Qi beast, Long Yi, and Ma Kong, who had intervened.

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Long Yi’s blade was embedded into the outer layer of the beetle while Ma Kong was positioned protectively between him and the beast, holding a torn-off limb from the beetle. Their position allowed the onlookers to instantly understand what had happened.

Long Yi’s attack had failed to penetrate the Qi beast’s exoskeleton. His blade was even stuck in it. It allowed the beetle to lash out at his immobilized foe, but Ma Kong intervened, severing the beast’s leg in the process. Whatever he had done, it caused all the dust to be blown away.

Just as the beetle was about to make its next move, Ma Kong’s body shone with light. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but then a large hole had been punched through the torso of the Qi beast. The man in question hadn’t even moved!

The victim couldn’t even make a noise as it soon powerlessly fell to the ground.

Ma Kong had felled this Qi beast in the middle stages of the Foundation Establishment without even lifting a finger.

“What was that?” Li Lang couldn’t help but ask.

Surprisingly, he received a response.

“It’s one of Ma Kong’s Qi art. I can’t reveal too much, but it’s based on what we in Nightmoon Valley specialize in. The darkness and moon attribute.”

“I see—”

Li Lang had seen several strange techniques among all those he collected before. Just the large group of disciples from various organizations had netted him a diverse catalog of techniques. He knew how the traditional five elements weren’t the be-all and end-all of cultivation. There were myriads of other attributes outside the five elements. While some had high potential, they were known to be a lot more difficult to practice.

It was why many of these techniques were the cornerstone of organizations. Still, the five elements were overwhelmingly popular.

Long Yi and Ma Kong soon returned to the group, after having retrieved their spoils. Long Yi was understandably dejected at his loss. He even rejected the offer to claim any portion of the spoils.

As they were on a schedule, they didn’t remain in the area for long and resumed their journey. Occasionally, they would encounter other Qi beasts, but they were all at the strength of the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Both Li Lang and Wei Ping got their own chance to fight these savage foes as well. Neither of them put up a performance that came close to Long Yi. They were completely trounced!

Wei Ping was still in the Energy Gathering Realm, so that was understandable. In Li Lang’s case, his lack of combat proficiency was highlighted for their new companions to see.

The young man had focused on research and crafts even more in recent times. He only did the bare minimum to maintain his mastery of his techniques. Now that he was in an entirely new realm, his lack of progress did him no favors.

The needles he manipulated using his Gossamer Knife Dance didn’t have enough power to penetrate any Qi beasts. The passive defense in this new realm meant he couldn’t overpower others by simply focusing more Qi into a small point.

His close-combat abilities were even more abysmal, especially when compared to the likes of Long Yi. Allowing Qi beasts to close the distance was just playing into his opponent’s hands. This meant his poison and heavenly fire had no role to play.

This entire ordeal had made it clear the lack of preparation Li Lang and his companions had to punch at their weight level.

It was so egregious that it made the normally silent Ma Kong question them.

“Why are you people so eager to participate in The Dark Sea Arena? You don’t stand a chance.”

“That—We have to start from somewhere,” Long Yi defended. “It’s a good opportunity to experience how fights are conducted at this realm.”

“It’ll also allow us to observe what we’re lacking and trade for them,” Li Lang added. “Unlike people belonging to large organizations, we have no mentor to guide us. We have to figure everything ourselves, and the most efficient way to do that is to observe others who are more proficient.”

Ma Kong didn’t bother to argue with them and directed the group south, away from the mountain ranges, before night fell. They arrived at their stopping point, one of the many bustling cities within the Luminescent Domain. A giant stone plaque soon came into view, displaying the name Witherfall City.

“I-isn’t this the city where the Eroding March Pavilion is based in?” Wei Ping noted.

“Hm, then maybe we can enlist their help,” Li Lang said. “There’s some serious shopping we need to do.”

“Weren’t you going to try consulting the Artificer Guild first for assistance in creating artifacts?” Long Yi added.

“Yes, but the chances are against us. Even if we get all the materials here, who can say if we will succeed or not? Better prepare alternatives while we have the chance. But you’re right. Let’s visit the Artificer Guild first.”

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