Chapter 35: The Mysterious Space Reappears

Cao Yun had no desire to continue watching the subsequent matches. Alone, he steered his magic tool back to his cave dwelling at the Reception Peak, where he began to focus on consolidating his cultivation at the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage.

About two hours after Cao Yun departed, the second round of matches finally concluded. The list of the top six was revealed, projected onto the light screen cast by the Wuji Demon Stele. The large characters for "Top Six" glowed a blood-red, followed by the names: Cao Yun of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect, eighth level of Qi Refining; Qiu Ji of the Longyin Valley, ninth level of Qi Refining; Duan Feiyu of the Corpse Refining Sect, tenth level of Qi Refining; Ku Mu of the Demon Buddha Gate, eighth level of Qi Refining; Qing Ye of the Demon Buddha Gate, tenth level of Qi Refining; and Mu Churen of the Beast Taming Sect, tenth level of Qi Refining.

After another night of cultivation, Cao Yun slowly opened his eyes on the morning of the second day. His eighth-level cultivation was now consolidated, his internal magic power was abundant, and he was nearly at his peak state. Just then, his disciple identity token vibrated slightly. Removing it from his waist, he saw a message from Dai Wuya, summoning him to the Reception Peak. Cao Yun exhaled a breath of stagnant air, rose, and set off for Dai Wuya’s residence.

Inside the Reception Peak, Dai Wuya sat upon a meditation cushion. Seeing Cao Yun arrive, he slowly opened his eyes and said with a faint smile, "Cao Yun, we have already improved our ranking in this martial arts tournament. If you can secure the top spot, I will gift you a bottle of Essence Pills as a reward. How does that sound?"

"Since Senior Brother Dai has said so, I will do my utmost. If I fulfill the task and take first place, I hope you will honor your promise," Cao Yun replied with a slight bow.

Dai Wuya was not offended by the challenge. He responded indifferently, "Of course."

Seeing this, Cao Yun found nothing more to say. After bidding farewell, he did not return to his dwelling but went directly to the competition plaza. As he sped along, he calculated that if he could consume another bottle of Essence Pills, a breakthrough to the ninth level might be possible. At that point, even if he faced a standard early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would be able to escape more easily, if not win outright.

Upon landing at the plaza, he found a secluded spot, sat cross-legged, and began to calm his mind, waiting for the bells to toll. As the noise of the crowd swelled, Cao Yun knew the matches were about to begin. Sure enough, the bells rang out—twelve times in total—echoing across the plaza. His token vibrated; a brief sweep of his divine sense revealed: Heavenly Star Wolf Sect, Cao Yun, Qi Refining level eight, versus Longyin Valley, Qiu Ji, Qi Refining level nine, Third Arena.

"It is time," Cao Yun whispered. His gaze turned profound as he looked toward the third arena. With a flash, he leapt onto the platform. Qiu Ji followed shortly after. Cao Yun knew well that Qiu Ji’s greatest reliance was his high-grade magic shield.

Cao Yun intended to strike with lightning speed to prevent Qiu Ji from utilizing the shield, but Qiu Ji struck first. Raising his hand, he unleashed a torrential storm of Fireball talismans. Cao Yun was startled; he had never seen such a fierce barrage of talismans. He expanded his divine sense to its limit, his figure becoming blurred and illusory—flickering high in the air one moment and gliding across the ground the next—making it impossible for the naked eye to track him. Even a low-level cultivator with their divine sense fully active would struggle to pin down his trajectory.

Just as Cao Yun prepared to launch an attack, a flurry of Wind Blade talismans flew from Qiu Ji’s hands. By now, Cao Yun noticed that, driven by Qiu Ji's magic power, the runes on the high-grade shield were glowing, nearing activation. If he dodged the wind blades to charge forward, he risked being struck by the shield’s red light; if he met them head-on, his eighth-level magic power might not be enough to sustain his Golden Light Barrier.

Deciding against a head-on assault, he retreated thirty feet to evade the blades and watched Qiu Ji’s technique. A sinister, blood-red demonic face suddenly emerged on the shield, looking so gruesome and bloodthirsty that it sent chills down one’s spine. Qiu Ji slammed his palm against the shield and roared, "Go!" The grotesque face transformed into a streak of red light, shooting toward Cao Yun like an arrow released from a bow.

Cao Yun calmed his breath. Knowing the lethality of the red light, he did not act rashly. Just as the light neared him, he focused his eyes and suddenly shifted his body, bypassing the streak with lightning speed to close in on Qiu Ji. Qiu Ji’s expression changed drastically, and he poured all his remaining power into the shield. Stimulated by this, the red light accelerated, trailing Cao Yun closely.

Unable to worry about the pursuit, Cao Yun focused entirely on the fight, condensing a Wind Blade over ten feet long and slashing it toward Qiu Ji. Stunned by the overwhelming power of the attack, Qiu Ji could no longer spare energy for the shield and held it overhead. With a dull thud, his Golden Light Barrier shattered, and the Wind Blade struck the shield. Qiu Ji’s entire body shuddered, his legs sinking into the stone floor of the arena as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Just as Cao Yun prepared to deploy his Fiery Mother-Son Nails, the hair on his arms stood on end. The red light had caught up and plunged directly into his body. Cao Yun felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy object; his consciousness blurred, and he lost all sensation.

When he slowly regained his senses, he found himself back in that mysterious space. It was a realm of gray chaos, and Cao Yun could only marvel at its unfathomable nature. Now that he was an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator, he no longer had to worry about food. He decided to take this opportunity to thoroughly explore this strange dimension.

Cao Yun traveled in one direction for several hours, yet he remained within the chaotic expanse. There were no landscapes, no concepts of time or space—only the gray, misty void. He continued on, tireless, for who knows how long. Suddenly, it dawned on him: he was an eighth-level cultivator, why was he still traveling on foot? He had been so focused on the mystery of the space that he had grown careless.

With a thought, he tapped his storage bag, and a flash of green light emerged. Cao Yun leapt onto the low-grade flying sword and began to travel through the air. After several more hours of flight, his magic power began to dwindle. With no other choice, he landed, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate to recover his strength.