"Still in time." Within his field of vision, the clash of blades rang out, accompanied by furious roars.

  Hann was trapped in a mountain col by a late-stage female cultivator and two mid-stage cultivators. Leo breathed a sigh of relief. Though Hann's high-grade spirit sword gave him some advantage, it clearly couldn't offset the disadvantage of being surrounded.

  "Haha, well done, wife! Cut off that old fool's head. Daring to trespass on my Ox Head Mountain—he's asking for death!" A black-armored man sat on a stone throne at the top, pouring wine into his mouth as he bellowed.

  "Rest assured, husband. I'll sever this old man's head today to entertain you!" The middle-aged woman's phoenix eyes flashed coldly. She brandished her willow-leaf spirit blade, slicing off a few strands of Hann's beard with one stroke, then blew them away with a light laugh.

  "I'll fight you to the death!" Hann, both furious and frantic, swung his sword wildly left and right.

  "Unexpected to find so many cultivators in such a remote place." Leo guided the spirit eagle down rapidly. With a casual flick, over a dozen wind blades shot toward the cultivators surrounding Hann.

  "So the old fool has backup! Trying a sneak attack? You'll have to get through me first." The black-armored man tossed aside his wine jug and slammed the stone throne, shattering it. He leaped into the air, producing a yellow ring-bladed greatsword and slashing several times.

  The blade radiance clashed with the wind blades. With several booming impacts, the shockwaves sent trees swaying violently.

  "Damn, those wind blades pack a punch. Take this, boy!" The black-armored man lunged from the ground toward Leo as he descended, hoping to catch him off balance with no footing.

  Leo smiled faintly. His body drifted sideways like a feather, then he consecutively cast Fireball, Golden Spear, and Hailstorm techniques.

  A crackling barrage followed, swift and fierce. Both fireballs and golden spears were massive, their momentum overwhelming.

  The black-armored man was stunned by the incoming volley. He dispersed a fireball with his blade, his armor absorbing the blast. He deflected several golden spears but was struck multiple times by fist-sized hailstones, wincing in pain. "This kid's sinister! His spells are not only incredibly powerful but also absurdly fast."

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  "Rust, assist the chief!" The phoenix-eyed woman, having barely fended off Hann, her face darkening, realized the young Leo was the true threat.

  "Yes!" A middle-aged man named Rust charged at Leo with his spirit sword, trying to relieve the black-armored man. But after a few steps, he found his foot stuck as if in a muddy swamp.

  "Damn, Whirlpool Technique!" Rust cried out, struggling to free himself. Several wind blades bore down on him. He hurriedly raised his sword to block, but two fireballs flanked him from left and right.

  "Rust, look ou—" The black-armored man's warning came too late. A fireball shattered Rust's protective shield, and his upper body was charred black.

  "Worry about yourself." Leo stood his ground, casually forming hand seals as if strolling through a garden.

  Wind Blade, Earthen Spike, Whirlpool, Fireball, Ice Arrow. Since forming the five elemental dharma seals in his elixir field, spells came to him effortlessly, their speed terrifying. The angles and forms of various low-grade spells were unpredictable. The black-armored man struggled frantically against the ever-changing magical assaults, inwardly lamenting his fate.

  The power of a dharma cultivator of the same rank lay precisely in the unpredictability of spell attacks, unlike martial techniques with discernible patterns. And dharma cultivators had virtually vanished. Not just ordinary Qi Refining cultivators—even current Foundation Establishment masters lacked sufficient experience dealing with them.

  The black-armored man, overwhelmed by attacks from all sides, couldn't understand why the same low-grade spells, cast by Leo, were so much more powerful, trapping him relentlessly.

  "I'll fight you to the death!"

  Frustrated beyond measure—a Great Perfection cultivator constantly suppressed—the black-armored man lost his temper. He leaped, both hands gripping his blade, swinging it through the air. The sword transformed into a massive yellow serpent lunging at Leo.

  But long accustomed to dominating Ox Head Mountain, the black-armored man had grown arrogant and unaccustomed to setbacks. Frustration clouded his judgment, and his angry strike only exposed greater vulnerabilities.

  Leo flicked two green vine seeds. They swelled instantly, entangling the man's legs. The black-armored man snarled, slashing through them with his blade. At that moment, the yellow serpent formed from his spirit sword, riddled with ice arrows, dissipated mid-air. Simultaneously, several earthen spikes pinned his limbs to the ground. Leo flicked a wind blade, severing the black-armored man's head.

  "Husband!" The phoenix-eyed woman shrieked in terror and fled. Another mid-stage cultivator tried to escape but was cut down by Hann. About to pursue the woman, Hann spotted a female corpse on the ground. Stricken, he fell to his knees, clutching the body and weeping.

  "How... how are you so fast?" The phoenix-eyed woman, having fled some distance, stared in horror at Leo, who had somehow blocked her path.

  Leo regarded her with amusement. Since forming the five elemental dharma seals, his mastery of spells far exceeded ordinary cultivators. Even Foundation Establishment masters might not match him in low-grade spells. In the Black Water Stockade Mine, to excel in the sect minor competition and obtain Foundation Establishment Pills, he had devoted himself entirely to spells. He had consumed over a hundred thousand spirit stones of various elements practicing them.

  Apart from alchemy, his focus had been spells. He had cast various low-grade spells tens of thousands of times. The first to reach completion was the fire dharma seal. He discovered that after casting a spell enough times, a sudden breakthrough occurred—his understanding and application reached new heights.

  This transformative change, Leo attributed to practice making perfect. But that wasn't the whole story. The large quantity of spirit stones enabling continuous spell practice were the material foundation. His perseverance and comprehension were equally decisive.

  "Please, spare me."

  The phoenix-eyed woman changed directions repeatedly, but Leo always intercepted her. She couldn't understand why, using the same Wind Riding Technique, he was so much faster. Her husband, also a Great Perfection cultivator, was only marginally faster than her—catching her would take considerable time.