Immortal Refiner

On the Dao Discussion Arena, the final round of drawing lots had concluded.

Li Qing looked at the slip in his hand. It bore a faint, concealed aura—the mark of the candidate recommended by Prince Huai: Yan Huizhi.

He instinctively glanced forward, his gaze meeting that of the young master from the aristocratic Yan Family.

The latter offered a gentle smile and spoke, ”It seems my luck is holding strong, while yours, it seems, has finally run out.”

With the draw complete, Li Qing was set to face Yan Huizhi, while Prince Liyang would contend with a powerhouse from the Elephant Camel Clan.

The victors of these two matches would advance to the final showdown. The ultimate winner would claim the black iron small shield and earn the right to enter the Xuantian Divine Palace.

At the mere mention of the Xuantian Divine Palace’s reputation throughout the spirit realm, many present felt their hearts burn with desire.

It was said that a cultivator at the Body Integration Realm had once obtained an opportunity within this divine palace to break through to the Great Ascension Realm, successfully establishing their fruit position and dominating the spirit realm for one hundred thousand years. This was no mere rumor; it was a historical fact.

Now, this divine hall, which had been drifting in the outer void, had descended upon the Azure Profound Continent, drawing countless powerful cultivators across the vast, endless ocean, all for the sake of the Xuantian Divine Treasure.

At this moment, the opportunity to enter the Xuantian Divine Palace was right before them. Anyone would fight desperately to seize it.

”To think Yan Huizhi was the one to draw the lot for that early Void Refinement cultivator. His luck is truly remarkable.”

”As for Prince Liyang, the Elephant Camel Clan is no ordinary foe. This battle is bound to be brutal.”

”Sometimes, luck is a fickle thing.”

Amidst the murmur of the crowd, the smile on Prince Huai’s face grew ever more brilliant, as if he were on the verge of laughing out loud.

This drawing order was ideal. The person he had recommended could not only preserve his combat power but also continue to hide his trump cards.

Meanwhile, the other two would undoubtedly be forced to reveal all their techniques in the upcoming battle. Even if someone emerged victorious, Yan Huizhi would still be well-positioned to deal with them.

Prince Ning’s expression remained calm. He glanced at Li Qing and said softly, ”Just let loose. Have no reservations.”

Hearing this, Li Qing forced a wry smile. He knew Prince Ning was reminding him of his place.

The unspoken meaning was clear: Go ahead and swallow that Blood Boiling Pill without hesitation. If anything goes wrong, I will take the blame. You must do everything in your power to stop Yan Huizhi.

Of course, even if defeat is inevitable, you must force him to reveal as many of his trump cards as possible. Don’t let him advance too easily.

Li Qing said nothing. He cupped his fists to Prince Ning in a gesture of respect, then leaped onto the Dao Discussion Platform.

Yan Huizhi, clad in a long white robe, ascended the platform step by step. He looked like an elegant scholar, exuding an aura of detachment from the world, with no hint of aggression in his posture.

Yan Huizhi spoke calmly, ”You are highly skilled in the Fire Dao. Unfortunately, my Yan Family possesses an Earth-Grade Spirit Treasure called the Fire-Warding Cover, which I happen to have with me today.”

”This is why I say your luck has run out. The Fire-Warding Cover can resist the scorching heat of many spirit fires. Unless you possess a true Immortal Fire or have comprehended the Flame Law Power, it is impossible to break through with spirit fire alone.”

Hearing this, Li Qing was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Yan Huizhi to possess such a fire-warding Spirit Treasure.

If that were true, it would indeed be a hard counter to his abilities, as nearly half of his techniques were rooted in the Fire Dao.

”An Earth-Grade Spiritual Treasure, the Fire-Warding Cover? I’d love to see that!” Li Qing declared, flames gradually erupting from his body.

It wasn’t that he was being reckless. As an artifact refiner, he was genuinely curious to witness such a remarkable spirit treasure.

Yan Huizhi smiled casually, nodded, and then grasped the air with his left hand.

Buzz!

A layer of dark red light emerged, completely enveloping him and the space several meters around him.

Seeing this, Li Qing flicked his fingers repeatedly.

Shoosh! Shoosh! Shoosh!

Streams of multicolored Heavenly Spirit Fire shot toward Yan Huizhi like a dense rain. Yet, upon touching the dark red light, these terrifyingly hot spirit fires simply melted away like ordinary raindrops.

The Fire-Warding Cover merely rippled a few times.

”Impressive!” Li Qing praised from the bottom of his heart. He then formed hand seals, fusing four streams of Heavenly Spirit Fire into a massive fire dragon that roared toward the elegant young man protected by the cover.

The fire dragon charged with a ferocious aura. After the intense flames dissipated, Yan Huizhi remained standing in the same spot, completely unharmed and his expression utterly calm.

”Tsk, tsk, tsk. I heard that back in the day, when the Yan Family’s ancestor and the Grand Ancestor Emperor conquered the Heavens, they achieved unparalleled merit with three rare treasures: the Wind-Settling Bead, the Fire-Warding Cover, and the Water-Parting Needle. To think that Yan Huizhi has already mastered one of them.”

”It seems this early Void Refinement realm kid has run out of tricks. He’s still using Fire Dao Divine Powers even though he knows the Fire-Warding Cover is in play.”

”If you ask me, he might as well just admit defeat.”

The murmurs from the sidelines reached Li Qing’s ears, but they failed to disturb his composure. His expression remained completely calm.

”A truly magnificent treasure. This Li has learned a valuable lesson,” Li QIng suddenly chuckled. ”However, if you expect me to admit defeat based solely on a single fire-warding treasure, you are sorely mistaken.”

“ It seems you still have other tricks up your sleeve, Fellow Daoist. Why not let me see them?”

Boom!

A colossal hammer suddenly materialized, its surface covered in a dense web of Dao patterns.

The Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer!

This was Li Qing’s natal treasure, which had been with him since the Core Formation Realm. Now, it had already attained the power of a Profound-Grade Spirit Treasure.

Over the years, he had continuously nourished and refined it with his own true essence, and its power was now truly formidable.

Li Qing unleashed the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer, striking directly at Yan Huizhi.

Yan Huizhi’s expression remained utterly calm. He slowly raised his right hand and pointed a single finger.

The space before him seemed to solidify. The Peerless Hammer, halfway through its descent, was frozen dead in the air.

”Annihilate!”

Without warning, Li Qing produced a treasure furnace shimmering with a strange light.

It was the Annihilation Furnace!

Rainbow light, carrying the aura of destruction, erupted from within the furnace and surged toward Yan Huizhi, blanketing the sky and earth.

Yet Yan Huizhi did not even shift his stance. He simply formed a seal with his hands, and a repulsive force rippled outward, deflecting the light.

Below the arena, someone cried out in shock.

”It’s the Heaven and Earth Conjunction Classic! The Yan Family’s legendary secret technique. Once mastered, it allows the user to merge with the surrounding heaven and earth, even controlling them.”

”I’ve heard of it too. But the technique is notoriously difficult to master, with extremely harsh requirements.”

”It seems Yan Huizhi is finally getting serious. Is he trying to end this fight quickly without wasting any more time?”

Yan Huizhi murmured, ”Strip away!”

Whoosh!

The light from the Annihilation Furnace and the force of the Peerless Hammer were all dispelled.