The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

Mysterious Qi divided in all directions, slowly gathering, bringing immense pressure.

Though his body did not move, the Qi he exerted horizontally began to disperse the divine form behind Zhang Xuanji.

From outward appearances, Qing Yu certainly had the upper hand, living up to the name of Supreme Daoist. Yet, in reality, Qing Yu was not satisfied with this performance.

"If Xuan Du were here, he would effortlessly crush Zhang Xuanji's divine form without breaking a sweat."

Qing Yu and Xuan Du had only clashed once, but in that one encounter, both had used their full strength and naturally knew each other's capabilities very well.

In a life-or-death battle, there was competition to be had. But in this mere contest of aura and mental realms, Xuan Du had an absolute advantage—he had the assistance of heaven and earth, and the aura and mental realm he could manifest were incomparable to those at the same level.

Even Qing Yu had been at a disadvantage at first, relying only on the extreme destructive power of "Taichu Mixed Hole" to barely hold his own against Xuan Du.

Displaying power was secondary; Qing Yu had no illusions about catching up to the genuine article with this imitation version.

What Qing Yu valued more was the ability to invisibly absorb insights from the opponent during the exchange.

"Supreme Heaven Opening Scripture" is based on the principles of creating heaven and earth and evolving all things. It absorbs the opponent's insights during combat to promote one's own growth. This effect was what Qing Yu valued most.

However, despite exhausting his wisdom and having a cultivation body somewhat similar to Xuan Du's, Qing Yu could only slightly decipher this function for now. The speed of absorbing insights was nowhere near that of the original.

Since he couldn't utilize the effects as he imagined, Qing Yu naturally lost interest in continuing the stalemate with Zhang Xuanji. His aura suddenly surged again, merely with the force of his presence, creating a vortex in the air and stirring up dust and dirt.

The oppression in the environment invisibly deepened several times.

"Ten Thousand Paths, all under my control. This all-encompassing technique also bears miraculous similarities to the 'Supreme Heaven Opening Scripture.' If I could combine techniques like 'Harmonizing Light with Dust' with Ten Thousand Paths to push them to the extreme, I might glimpse the mysteries of the 'Supreme Heaven Opening Scripture.' Unfortunately, I am too weak."

Qing Yu gently raised his palm, gathering momentum, but inwardly felt quite helpless.

Too weak; not to mention glimpsing the mysteries of the "Supreme Heaven Opening Scripture," he hadn't even perfected the Ten Thousand Paths to its peak. This Five-star Technique required reaching Divine Communication first.

Divine Communication…

Though Qing Yu was now not weaker than other Martial Artists at the True Pill Realm Peak, Divine Communication was still far from his reach.

Feeling somewhat empty inside, Qing Yu's aura grew more intense, the Qi driving the forces of heaven and earth, looming down.

Faced with this force, Zhang Xuanji felt overwhelmed and was the first to disperse his True Qi, saluting with his hands and saying, "Fellow Daoist Xuan Du is supremely powerful; I willingly admit defeat."

He conceded openly, without an ounce of reluctance or disappointment.

It wasn't a life-or-death fight; was there a need to go all out? Zhang Xuanji didn't even think about exerting his full strength.

"Uncle Master, you still have strength to spare, why admit defeat?" Qu Zhen, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly cried out.

"To admit defeat so easily, Uncle Master, I fear your mental state will be..."

He paused here, and his eyes showed a trace of pity and a hint of anger at the lack of competitiveness.

"This kid..."

Zhang Xuanji suddenly felt an itch in his hand, wanting to slap a Divine Origin Realm to relieve the itch.

Inside the house, Shenxiao Taoist Lin Zixiao looked speechlessly at Zhengtian Taoist. "Brother, is this how you usually teach Qu Zhen?"

Pity, indignation at their lack of struggle, please, who gave you the courage and qualifications to take such an attitude towards a True Core Realm Martial Artist?

It's only because Qu Zhen's grandfather is the Zhengtian Taoist, otherwise Zhang Xuanji would surely have inflicted a serious injury on him to make him reconsider his actions.

And this notion of being hindered in one's mental state and having no bright future upon admitting defeat, what kind of idea is that? Since when did admitting defeat become such a luxury?

If bowing one's head and admitting defeat really hampered the mental state, let alone Zhang Xuanji, no one in the world would achieve great success.

Even this young man Qing Yu, who's always 'cheating' the system; when it's time to show timidity, he is quicker than anyone, and when it's time to flee, he never hesitates.

"This..." The Zhengtian Taoist also looked embarrassed, "Daoist brother, you should know that I have always been fiercely dedicated and unyielding. I wanted Qu Zhen to develop a confident mindset, so from an early age, I taught him the convictions that a warrior should have. Just I didn't expect..."

I didn't expect that Qu Zhen learned nothing about the warrior's convictions, but completely adopted a warrior's mindset, right?

Lin Zixiao touched his nose, feeling extremely critical inside.

So-called warriors, due to their strengths towering over others, inadvertently undergo a transformation in their mental state. Even with good intentions, they naturally adopt a condescending attitude.

Moreover, due to the vast gap between the strong and the weak, some people's mental states become even more aloof and increasingly detached from the general public.

While ordinary folk still worry about daily necessities, warriors in the Divinity Realm don't even need to eat. Should they occasionally appease their taste buds, delicacies from land and sea are promptly offered.

Even those who manage to mingle with the common folk and engage in the human world, their mental states remain entirely different.

The mentality of warriors is not necessarily wrong, but it is absolutely not suitable for undeveloped warriors like Qu Zhen.

Zhengtian Taoist's initial intentions were good; he wanted to establish correct convictions for his grandson. Alas, Qu Zhen himself was growing crooked.

"Senior brother, I think Qu Zhen isn't fit to stay in Shenxiao Dao anymore, he should go out, broaden his horizons, and grow his 'heart,'" advised Lin Zixiao.

He could see the frustration in Zhang Xuanji's mind. Were it not for Qu Zhen having a notable grandfather, he might soon have been deployed as a Drug Tester.

"Additionally, let's not have Qu Zhen participate in the upcoming Debating Conference," Lin Zixiao continued.

With Qu Zhen's mentality and ideas, Lin Zixiao really feared he would be completely ruined after a single defeat. Although previously he said if ruined, then ruined, if he were so easily defeated, the face of Shenxiao Dao would be utterly lost.

This is, after all, a grand Taoist assembly, attended by almost all well-known sects.

"So be it," sighed the Zhengtian Taoist.

He harbored the same concerns.

Nobody expected that this young man from their sect, once deemed a promising talent, had somehow gone awry; one could only hope that he wouldn't end up as a permanently twisted tree.

In the courtyard, Qing Yu also looked silently at this 'older youth,' feeling that he had still underestimated him.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Du, let's have a chat at Purple Forest Pavilion," suggested Zhang Xuanji.

Qu Zhen, at that moment, was still occasionally casting that kind of look at him, Zhang Xuanji feared if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist smacking him for real.

It must be said, it's quite a feat that Qu Zhen almost drove the famous 'Demon Dan' Zhang Xuanji to the brink of fury.