Volume 4 Chapter 41

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Volume 4 Chapter 41: Departure

Behind Jiuhua Mountain, beneath the bright sun and white clouds, it stood desolate and serene.

In a grove behind the mountain, there was a clearing shrouded in mist, appearing quite mysterious, making it impossible to see the scene within.

And here was precisely the location of Xu Qingfan’s retreat in the mountain.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan and Ting’er were standing in the courtyard, looking at each other. Xu Qingfan’s expression was relaxed, while Ting’er appeared very serious.

After staring at each other for a long time, Xu Qingfan smiled and asked, "Well, Ting’er, are you ready?"

Ting’er’s face grew even more serious, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Xu Qingfan, then she gently nodded.

Xu Qingfan smiled and said, "Then let’s begin."

As soon as Xu Qingfan finished speaking, Ting’er swiftly moved. With a rapid wave of her hands, mighty and fierce black flames emerged from her, forming a massive cloud of dark fire several meters wide. The black fire cloud moved on its own, swiftly rolling towards Xu Qingfan. Under the overwhelming power of the black fire cloud, even Xu Qingfan at the Condensed Core Stage felt a great threat rapidly coming towards him.

Despite the immense power of the black fire cloud, Xu Qingfan remained calm, nodding slightly with a smile and saying, "This ‘Fire Cloud Technique’ has indeed made great progress."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan swiftly retreated, maintaining a distance of about ten feet from the pursuing fire cloud at all times. Although Ting’er tried her best to chase him, she couldn’t close even a little of the distance due to Xu Qingfan’s incredible speed, which had significantly increased after he mastered the ‘Wind of Desolation.’

Xu Qingfan paused briefly, then continued, "Although the Fire Cloud Technique has improved in control and power, using it at this time is quite problematic. You must know that the Fire Cloud Technique is a large-scale spell. Though powerful, it is only suitable for fighting many foes at once. I understand you fear my speed and want to counter it with a large-scale spell. But aside from the fact that such spells are hard to control, even if it hit me, it wouldn’t harm me at all."

Listening to Xu Qingfan’s guidance, Ting’er nodded slightly in agreement but didn’t change her Taoist spell. With a flick of her fingers, the black fire cloud chasing Xu Qingfan surged and suddenly split into five smaller clouds. One cloud continued to chase Xu Qingfan, while the other four changed course to block his retreat, yet maintained their speed. This level of control was astonishing.

Seeing Ting’er’s actions, Xu Qingfan’s eyes lit up, and he smiled, saying, "I see, it’s good to know how to adapt. However, dividing your strength gives me the chance to defeat each part individually."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s quick movements came to a halt. A gentle whirlwind began to rise around him, and he continued, "Previously, you’ve seen the power of the ‘Feng family secret technique’ and ‘Flourish Qi.’ These skills are strong and powerful, countering your dark fire. I understand you might not be convinced, so today I will use ‘Wind of Desolation’ to overcome your black fire."

As he said this, the gray whirlwind around Xu Qingfan grew stronger. He began to float in midair, and his form slowly became blurry until it completely merged with the gray whirlwind.

Within moments, Ting’er’s five black fire clouds surrounded Xu Qingfan, but they were unable to harm him as they were blocked by the swirling wind around him.

Suddenly, the gray whirlwind surrounded by black fire clouds erupted with great force. The mighty black fire clouds couldn’t withstand it for a moment and were scattered by the gray storm. Ting’er found herself facing a fierce whirlwind, with her black fire clouds being driven towards her.

At the moment the black fire clouds were blown away, Ting’er felt a turmoil in her chest and abdomen—a backlash from her broken magic. When she saw the Wind of Desolation coming at her with the black fire clouds, she found no strength to resist in time.

As she faced imminent danger in the swirling wind and fire, Ting’er looked slightly disheartened but showed no fear, quietly observing the scene of black and gray tempest before her.

Just as the mixed storm of black and gray was about to reach a yard in front of Ting’er, the fierce gray wind changed again, splitting into two currents that swept past her sides, leaving her unharmed in the center.

When the chaos cleared and peace returned, Xu Qingfan appeared before Ting’er again, flawless and calm, as if he had been merely sipping tea and reading instead of battling.

"Do you understand?" Xu Qingfan asked softly when he saw Ting’er in deep thought. "Your black magical fire is indeed powerful and mysterious, and during the recent competition within the sect, you won easily because your opponents were unaware of its properties and lacked combat experience. Throughout the tournament, you relied heavily on brute force. However, you must realize that in the future, you may encounter cultivators with Spirit Qi equal to or greater than yours, potentially neutralizing you. Relying solely on your Spirit Qi’s uniqueness will lead to quicker defeat. When using magic, you must consider timing and suitability as well as power and control. The right strategy determines your victory or defeat."

Listening to Xu Qingfan’s words, Ting’er pondered deeply, nodding slightly without any retort. She acknowledged that Xu Qingfan had battled her on equal footing, using Spirit Qi of the same strength, with no trickery involved. Her loss indicated her faults.

It had been a month since the sect competition ended, and during this time, Xu Qingfan kept his promise to Ting’er, battling her three times. He matched his Spirit Qi to her level, using Phoenix Spirit Qi, Flourish Qi, and Withered Qi to defeat her decisively each time. This allowed Ting’er to understand her gap with Xu Qingfan and learn many lessons.

In truth, Xu Qingfan at the Lingji Stage was not evenly matched with Ting’er of the same stage. However, Xu Qingfan had reached the Condensed Core Stage, possessing a profound understanding of the five elements’ Spirit Qi, far beyond Ting’er’s comprehension. With four types of Spirit Qi in his body, not significantly weaker than Ting’er’s black magical fire, and sometimes even countering it, Xu Qingfan could effortlessly defeat her, even with his Spirit Qi restrained.

Especially in their first two battles, Xu Qingfan used "Phoenix Spirit Qi" and "Flourish Qi" against Ting’er, leaving her so restricted by the countering energies that she couldn’t exert any of her own power.

Seeing Ting’er’s pale face after being affected by the spell, Xu Qingfan felt a twinge of sympathy. He walked over, patted Ting’er on the shoulder gently, and said softly, "This is as much as I can teach you. How much you understand depends on you now. Don’t think too much and go back to your room to heal quickly."

Ting’er nodded obediently and was about to turn back to the room.

But then Xu Qingfan hesitated slightly and said to Ting’er, "I’m also going to retreat for a while to practice some cultivation methods. This time, I don’t know how long it will take, it could be short or long. So, I won’t be able to accompany you during this time. You shouldn’t bury yourself in practice in this cave all the time. Didn’t you meet many friends during the great contest within the sect? Go and chat with them when you have the time."

Ting’er showed a slight look of confusion in her eyes, as Xu Qingfan’s retreat was too sudden, but she nodded obediently anyway.

Seeing Ting’er being so obedient, Xu Qingfan felt a twinge of guilt in his heart. During the contest, Xu Qingfan could have defeated Ting’er without injuring her, but he planned to use this retreat as a chance to secretly leave the mountain. However, he worried about Ting’er, who was very perceptive, discovering his plan, so he had to secretly injure Ting’er, using her healing time to leave quietly.