Volume 1 Chapter 43

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Volume 1 Chapter 43: Victory and Defeat

Amidst everyone’s anticipation, the six shimmering golden weapons of the Body Protection Diamond crashed hard into the large fire net engulfed in flames. At the moment of contact, thunderous roars echoed, bursting forth a dazzling light of red and gold.

Although the light was blinding, the crowd below remained fixed on the scene, afraid to miss a single moment.

On the stage, the dazzling red and gold light covered the battle between the fire net and the golden weapons. People could only guess the situation from the intensity of the two-colored lights. From the way the two colors each covered half of the sky, it seemed that the fight between Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian was at a standstill.

In this stalemate, time seemed to stretch on. Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the sky, shaking the ground so strongly that many spectators nearly fell over.

As the roar sounded, the strong red and gold lights faded, allowing the crowd to finally see the scene. The fire net spat out by the "Nine-headed Fire Snake" had finally dissipated into pure fire Spirit Qi under the relentless strikes of the "Body Protection Diamond." However, the "Body Protection Diamond" above Jin Qinghan had also suffered severe damage, and the six arms were badly injured. The gorilla body behind Jin Qinghan became much dimmer and blurrier.

Although Jin Qinghan managed to fend off one of Feng Qingtian’s attacks, his face looked somewhat troubled. This was only one strike from Feng Qingtian’s "Nine-headed Fire Snake." Even though she successfully deflected it, his "Body Protection Diamond" was still seriously damaged. If such an attack came two or three more times, his "Body Protection Diamond" would probably completely collapse.

Normally, with Jin Qinghan’s skills, he shouldn’t be in such a difficult position against Feng Qingtian. However, Feng Qingtian’s fire-based powers countered his gold-based abilities too strongly. So, every time Jin Qinghan tried to deflect Feng Qingtian’s attack, he had to exert several times more effort than usual to see any effect.

"I can’t keep being on the defensive like this; it’s time to turn the tables," Jin Qinghan thought to himself.

With this thought, Jin Qinghan quickly formed hand signs, and a large amount of golden light surged from within him, filling the "Body Protection Diamond" behind him. With Jin Qinghan’s abundant Golden Spirit Qi, the illusion of the "Body Protection Diamond" became solid and stable again, and the six broken arms rapidly repaired themselves.

Then, Xu Qingfan changed his hand signs again, and the three eyes of the "Body Protection Diamond" behind him erupted with dazzling light. The six arms suddenly expanded, charging straight at the nearest "Nine-headed Fire Snake."

"Interesting," Feng Qingtian murmured with a quiet laugh as he watched the changes in Jin Qinghan’s "Body Protection Diamond." Without pausing, he continued to form hand signs; under Feng Qingtian’s command, the fire snakes in the arena opened their mouths wide and breathed out fierce flames towards the arms attacking them, trying to block the assault.

But this time, Jin Qinghan’s attack was clearly well-prepared. Faced with the flames from the fire snakes, the weapons held in his six arms suddenly glowed with strong golden light, keeping the fire at bay. Although the golden light on the arms dimmed slightly, they still managed to reach the "Nine-headed Fire Snake."

Just like that, the six weapons, radiating a force that seemed capable of destroying the world, struck heavily against the fire snakes. After being hit by these golden weapons, the fire snakes had no resistance and vanished into nothingness. Although it was partly because the fire snakes lacked effective defenses, the power of Jin Qinghan’s attack was also evident.

However, there were simply too many fire snakes, and they were too widely spread. Even though Jin Qinghan’s "Body Protection Diamond" attacked with all its might, it still couldn’t cover everything. Therefore, over twenty fire snakes managed to evade Jin Qinghan’s assault.

At that moment, Feng Qingtian was also making quick hand signs, and the remaining fire snakes let out sharp, piercing screams. Under Feng Qingtian’s control, they broke free from the flames below and slithered quickly towards Jin Qinghan with their long bodies. Because the fire snakes moved so fast and there were so many of them, Jin Qinghan could not effectively defend against their attack from all sides.

But strangely, as the fire snakes were about to strike him, Jin Qinghan showed no signs of panic; instead, a strange smile appeared on his face. While Feng Qingtian and the crowd below wondered about this, Jin Qinghan suddenly formed a unique hand sign and shouted, "Explode!"

With Jin Qinghan’s shout, the Body Protection Diamond behind him suddenly shone with a brilliant golden light, and then a loud roar echoed as it exploded. The fire snakes that had reached Jin Qinghan and were about to attack were shattered and disappeared into thin air due to the powerful explosion.

After a long time, as the smoke cleared, the proud figures of Feng Qingtian and Jin Qinghan were once again revealed to everyone.

For the first time, a look of surprise appeared on Feng Qingtian’s face as he said, "Did you really make the ‘Body Protection Diamond’ explode?"

"The ‘Body Protection Diamond’ could not effectively defend against your ‘Nine-headed Fire Snake’ because of the clash of elements, so it was better to self-destruct," Jin Qinghan replied calmly. "And as far as I know, using ‘Nine-headed Fire Snake’ consumes much more Spirit Qi than ‘Body Protection Diamond’, so exploding it isn’t a waste."

After hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Feng Qingtian stared at him intently for a moment before his tone returned to normal. He said, "I have to admit, you are truly a rare talent. You have improved a lot compared to ten years ago."

"You flatter me."

"But do you remember when we spoke ten years ago?" Feng Qingtian said softly.

"You said many things ten years ago."

"I told you ten years ago that you are indeed a genius, but no matter what kind of genius you are, in front of the Feng family, you are just a joke." As he spoke, a fierce fire burst forth from Feng Qingtian, greater than any time before, turning into countless fireballs the size of grinding stones, shooting toward Jin Qinghan.

In an instant, the flames filled the sky.

At the same time, Jin Qinghan radiated a golden glow, transforming into a suit of golden armor that covered his entire body, just like the "Golden Armor Technique" he used before!

When the fireballs hit Jin Qinghan, they splashed with light but caused no harm to him; the defense of the "Golden Armor Technique" was evident. With no worries of defense, Jin Qinghan began to shoot out golden swords in quick succession, but Feng Qingtian agilely dodged each one.

The power of the golden swords and fireballs was immense, causing those watching the battle to instinctively step back, fearing they might get hurt.

Gold-type cultivators are known as fighters among cultivators, using techniques that combine both offense and defense, sharp in attack and strong in defense. Each golden sword shot by Jin Qinghan possessed the power to split mountains and break rocks, and although all were dodged by Feng Qingtian, their remaining force left deep marks on the stone platform, sending fragments flying.

Fire-type cultivators are considered the destroyers among cultivators, as nearly every technique they use is a large-scale destructive one. Fire can burn everything; under the barrage of fireballs, the temperature rose sharply, turning even the trial stone platform black from the flying sparks.

Although on the surface it seemed like the two were evenly matched in their attacks, and Jin Qinghan’s offense was even stronger at times, almost wounding Feng Qingtian with the flying golden swords, Jin Qinghan knew that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for him. Even though it appeared that he was on the offensive, that was only because he was using the "Golden Armor Technique" and did not have to worry about defense, allowing him to focus on attacking. Meanwhile, Feng Qingtian had to dodge Jin Qinghan’s attacks while countering.

But Jin Qinghan did not realize that the fireballs shot out by Feng Qingtian, though unremarkable, were incredibly powerful. After being hit repeatedly, Jin Qinghan was surprised to find that his well-known "Golden Armor Technique" was starting to lose its Spirit Qi stability.

Jin Qinghan frowned but increased his attack strength again. The sudden fierce assault caught Feng Qingtian off guard, and gradually pushed him into a corner of the competition area. Having achieved his goal, Jin Qinghan stopped using the golden sword to attack, and instead gathered all his Spirit Qi to transform into a massive golden axe, exuding an intense ferocity, and brought it down hard towards Feng Qingtian.

When Feng Qingtian realized he was pushed into the corner of the arena, he did not panic at all. He simply stared intently at the descending giant axe, his expression serious.

Suddenly, just as the giant axe was about to strike Feng Qingtian, a raging fire erupted around him. The temperature in the arena rose sharply, and a clear phoenix cry echoed through the sky. From the flames, a Flame Phoenix, nearly ten feet long, soared up with no hesitation and charged towards the giant axe, instantly halting its wild momentum.

This was one of Feng Qingtian’s three legendary secret techniques, "Flame Phoenix."

Faced with the block of "Flame Phoenix," even Jin Qinghan’s massive golden axe, concentrated with all his power, began to show signs of weakness. Its downward trend slowed, and under the lift from "Flame Phoenix," it started to rise. More importantly, as it faced the pure and fierce fire Spirit Qi contained within "Flame Phoenix," the dazzling golden light of the giant axe began to dim.

Seeing his golden axe gradually struggling against "Flame Phoenix," Jin Qinghan frowned slightly. This scene was eerily similar to ten years ago.

"But I am not the Jin Qinghan of ten years ago," Jin Qinghan silently told himself.

"Explosion!" Suddenly, Jin Qinghan shouted.

This is already the second time Jin Qinghan has exploded his Spirit Qi.

After discovering Jin Qinghan’s intention, Feng Qingtian thought to himself that it was not good, as the golden axe was now too close to him. Now, it was too late for Feng Qingtian to escape.

"Boom…" With Jin Qinghan’s low shout, the golden giant axe suddenly exploded, producing a dazzling golden light and a thunderous roar. The strong explosion made the ground tremble slightly.

After a long while, as the smoke cleared, the scene once again came into view for everyone.

Feng Qingtian was seen awkwardly standing in the corner of the stone platform, his clothes messy and covered in dust, with a faint trace of blood on the corner of his mouth. In front of him, the "Flame Phoenix" looked dull and had shrunk to less than half its size. Clearly, it had blocked most of the attack for Feng Qingtian. But Feng Qingtian didn’t care about that; he just coldly stared at Jin Qinghan.

This was the first time Feng Qingtian had been injured since the competition began.

"Not bad, you almost defeated me just now," Feng Qingtian said coldly.

"Yes, but it was still a little bit short," Jin Qinghan said lightly.

"You made me angry."

"Really? I thought you would never get angry."

"Are you not going to give up? Before I teach you a strong lesson?"

"Why should I give up?"

"The last self-explosion used up most of your Spirit Qi, right?" At this moment, Feng Qingtian’s expression had calmed down, but his tone was still cold.

"You only have less than one-third left." Jin Qinghan nodded in agreement. "But sometimes winning and losing isn’t just about how much Spirit Qi you have."

As he spoke, Jin Qinghan took out a small golden sword and a golden disk from his sleeve, both radiating strong Golden Spirit Qi. Then, Jin Qinghan tossed the golden disk into the air, and it grew several times larger. Jin Qinghan leaped onto the disk and floated in the air, pointing the golden sword coldly at Feng Qingtian.

Seeing Jin Qinghan’s actions, a look of disdain crossed Feng Qingtian’s eyes as he said, "A magic tool? Do you think only you have this kind of thing?"

As he spoke, a long staff suddenly appeared in Feng Qingtian’s hand, shining with dazzling red light, as if flames were burning. At the top of the staff, a lifelike phoenix was carved, its eyes sparkling with mysterious red light. The tail of the staff had three jingling phoenix tails, looking magnificent. It was the "Phoenix Feather Staff" he had used in the duel with Xu Qingfan.

At the same time that the "Phoenix Feather Staff" appeared in Feng Qingtian’s hand, the "Flame Phoenix" let out a loud cry that echoed across the sky, circling above Feng Qingtian’s head. Feng Qingtian then jumped onto the back of the "Flame Phoenix" and slowly flew into the air with its power, reaching the same height as Jin Qinghan and staring coldly at him.

"I really do want to use a magical tool to defeat you, but not these two." Jin Qinghan said calmly, looking at Feng Qingtian, who was also floating in the air.

"Oh? It seems your master gave you quite a few magical tools. Which one do you plan to use to defeat me?" Feng Qingtian asked softly with a mocking smile.

Just then, something unexpected happened! Two giant nets suddenly appeared above and below Feng Qingtian’s head, the top net shining with a bright golden light, while the bottom net sparkled with a dark silver glow.

Once the giant nets appeared, they quickly descended upon Feng Qingtian without any pause. When Feng Qingtian noticed the nets, his face changed drastically. He tried to dodge, but there was no time left. In an instant, he was trapped by the nets. The nets had sharp little spikes that pierced various points on Feng Qingtian’s body, cutting off the flow of his Spirit Qi. At that moment, he could not even use his Spirit Qi to fight back.

As Feng Qingtian’s Spirit Qi could no longer flow, the "Flame Phoenix" beneath his feet finally vanished without his control. Without the support of the "Flame Phoenix," Feng Qingtian fell hard to the ground, trapped in the two nets.

On the high platform.

"’Sky-earth Golden Net’? Junior Martial Brother Weichi, I didn’t expect you to give this magical tool to Qinghan." Zhang Hualing said in surprise.

"I also didn’t expect him to use it so skillfully so quickly." Elder Weichi said slowly, though his eyes showed just as much surprise as Zhang Hualing’s.

In the arena.

"Use this." Until this moment, Jin Qinghan said softly.

"’Sky-earth Golden Net.’" After Feng Qingtian fell to the ground, even though he felt his insides twist and his body ache all over, he still just stared coldly at Jin Qinghan and said.

Jin Qinghan nodded in agreement, saying softly, "Now, you should give up."

"Now, you should give up."

This sentence hit Feng Qingtian’s heart hard. Am I really going to lose? Is my first defeat going to happen now? Will the last descendant of the Feng family be defeated by this once-defeated opponent?

In the distance, Feng Qingtian seemed to hear an evil voice echoing in his heart, "You can’t even defeat this little guy; how do you expect to seek revenge on me? You don’t deserve it!"

Then, Feng Qingtian seemed to hear his father’s voice, "Didn’t you vow to take revenge on the enemy of the Feng family—’Dark Snake Star Lord’? If you can’t even defeat this outsider, how can you talk about revenge?"

"Right, I still want to take revenge! The enemy is so strong. If I can’t even defeat Jin Qinghan, how can I talk about revenge?" Feng Qingtian began to shout in his heart. Someone as proud as Feng Qingtian would not allow himself to be defeated so easily.

As Feng Qingtian’s emotions fluctuated, he suddenly felt the Spirit Qi within him, which had been trapped, starting to stir gently once more. Then the stirring grew stronger and a massive Spirit Qi suddenly surged in the Spiritual Sea Acupuncture Point. This Spirit Qi was larger and purer than any he had possessed before, flowing through Feng Qingtian’s meridians and breaking free from the golden thorns’ confinement.

As the Spirit Qi moved faster and faster, it also became more and more abundant and pure. Eventually, Feng Qingtian even felt that his body could not handle it. Just when Feng Qingtian thought he could no longer bear it, the Spirit Qi inside him suddenly changed again and began to compress on its own, slowly becoming as solid as liquid!

On the scene, Jin Qinghan watched as Feng Qingtian suddenly closed his eyes, lay on the ground, and faintly trembled. He felt a little strange and began to feel uneasy, though he could not pinpoint why.

At that moment, Feng Qingtian’s trembling figure on the ground suddenly stopped. Then, an enormous aura burst forth from him, stronger than during his peak. But after a while, this powerful aura seemed to fade away completely. If Jin Qinghan had not seen Feng Qingtian right in front of him, he would not have believed that Feng Qingtian was there because he had no presence at that moment.

Seeing Feng Qingtian’s change, the elders on the platform couldn’t help but rise in surprise. The inward gathering of Spirit Qi was a trait only seen at the Lingji Stage!

Then Jin Qinghan was shocked to see that Feng Qingtian, who should not have been able to use Spirit Qi, suddenly began to emit faint flames. Soon, the flames grew stronger until Feng Qingtian’s whole body transformed into a bolt of fiery lightning!

Although the Sky-earth Golden Net could cover a cultivator’s body and temporarily bind their power, it could not contain an intangible substance like flames. So when Feng Qingtian’s whole body became a bolt of fiery lightning, the Sky-earth Golden Net could no longer trap him, and Feng Qingtian instantly escaped.

After escaping from the Sky-earth Golden Net, the bolt of fiery lightning transformed back into Feng Qingtian’s body, standing quietly with his eyes closed, as if he were carefully sensing the changes in himself.

Feeling the vast yet subdued aura emanating from Feng Qingtian, Jin Qinghan’s face turned pale, and he slowly said in a hoarse voice, "You actually broke through to the Lingji Stage?"

Originally, Feng Qingtian was just a step away from the Lingji Stage; however, breaking through such a realm is very complicated and usually takes decades to achieve results. But during the match with Jin Qinghan, Feng Qingtian’s potential was sparked by his failure, allowing him to break through from the Inedia Stage to the Lingji Stage.

Lingji Stage, breathing calmly, Spirit Qi transformed. Although Feng Qingtian’s strength has only broken through a thin barrier compared to before, his power is vastly different now.

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Feng Qingtian slowly opened his eyes. He glanced at Jin Qinghan in the air and said, "Thank you. Although I have always been just one step away from the Lingji Stage, without this match with you, I would have taken a much longer time to break through. And now, I not only reached Lingji Stage but also learned the second move of the Feng family’s three ultimate skills—’Thunder Fire.’"

After saying this, Feng Qingtian looked at Jin Qinghan’s ugly expression with a playful gaze and said softly, "Now, you should give up."

"Now, you should give up."

This was exactly what Jin Qinghan had said to Feng Qingtian before.

Below the stage, Xu Qingfan watched the scene unfold and let out a soft sigh. He knew that Jin Qinghan’s personality meant he would never admit defeat.

…

Nine months later.

In a simple little courtyard, Xu Qingfan and an elderly man with a hint of golden hair stood quietly in the shade of a tree, looking with concern at a small house with closed doors and windows.

"Martial Uncle Weichi, has Junior Brother Jin not come out yet?" Xu Qingfan asked softly.

Elder Weichi nodded slightly and said slowly, "Since his last defeat, he has not stepped out of this room."

Hearing Elder Weichi’s words, worry grew deeper in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, and he sighed, "The last competition was too much of a blow for Junior Brother Jin."

Elder Weichi snorted coldly, "If he can’t even handle one defeat, it really tarnishes the reputation of our Weichi family." Though he said this, the worry in Elder Weichi’s eyes became even more evident.

In the last match between Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian, Feng Qingtian unexpectedly broke through to the Lingji Stage, gaining great strength, and vastly surpassing Jin Qinghan. But with Jin Qinghan’s stubborn nature, he refused to admit defeat and insisted on continuing the match against Feng Qingtian. However, he was no match for Feng Qingtian, who had already reached the Lingji Stage, and was easily defeated.

After being defeated by Feng Qingtian, Jin Qinghan felt a huge impact. After the match ended, he returned to his room and has not come out since.

Just as Xu Qingfan wanted to say something else, a powerful wave of Golden Spirit Qi suddenly came from the room with tightly closed doors and windows. Although the doors and windows were shut, the two people outside could still see the golden light flickering inside. This strong wave of Spirit Qi lasted for an unknown time before it finally began to calm down. After that, there was no more sound in the room, and Xu Qingfan could hardly feel Jin Qinghan’s presence inside.

Elder Weichi suddenly showed a happy expression, and a look of surprise and joy flashed in his eyes.

At that moment, the door to the room, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened by itself, and Jin Qinghan, who had not come out for nearly a year, slowly walked out of the room.

Compared to the last time he met Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan now has a completely restrained presence. There is not a trace of the aura a cultivator should have, but the hidden pressure he gives off is much stronger than before. The lost and despondent look on his face has long disappeared, leaving only immense confidence.

Spirit Qi restrained!

If before Jin Qinghan was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, strong but easy to break, now he is like a treasured sword in its sheath. Although the sheath hides its brilliance, when the sword comes out, it reveals its sharpness.

Upon seeing Xu Qingfan and Elder Weichi waiting outside, Jin Qinghan was slightly taken aback, and a warm expression flashed across his face. He then hurriedly walked up to them and knelt deeply before Elder Weichi, saying solemnly, "Unfilial disciple Jin Qinghan greets Master; I have worried you."

Seeing Jin Qinghan’s appearance, Elder Weichi returned to his usual calm demeanor and slowly said, "The more setbacks you face, the stronger you should become; that is what a cultivator should be like. Remember, the path of cultivation is long and difficult; you cannot lose confidence because of a single competition."

"Disciple has learned," Jin Qinghan said with his head bowed.

Elder Weichi nodded but no longer paid attention to Jin Qinghan. He turned and walked to his room, and just before he entered, a quiet voice came from him: "According to the customs of the cultivation world, you have now reached the Lingji Stage. You can set off to establish your own cave dwelling."

Upon hearing Elder Weichi’s words, Jin Qinghan’s body trembled slightly as he knelt on the ground, but he still said in a deep voice, "Disciple understands."

Looking at Elder Weichi’s back, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but think of his own Master Lu Huayan, who, like Elder Weichi, had a serious expression but a kind heart. He never showed his care on his face but quietly planned for his disciples.

"Senior Brother Xu, thank you." At that moment, Jin Qinghan had already stood up and looked into Xu Qingfan’s eyes, saying earnestly.

Sometimes, one word is worth more than a thousand.

"Junior Brother Jin, life is not just about one competition," Xu Qingfan said with a gentle smile.

Win or lose? Is it really that easy to tell? When faced with failure, Feng Qingtian and Jin Qinghan did not give up; instead, they bravely moved forward and eventually broke through their original limits. Feng Qingtian is the winner, but is Jin Qinghan really the loser?

Winning and losing are not just about one competition; there is still a long way to go ahead.