"Excellent! Well fought!"

  "Go, Senior Brother Lowell! Show those Azure Peak disciples what the Heavenly Summit Peak is made of!"

  "Senior Brother Zlat, use your signature move—the Wind-Fire Battle Wheel! Take the fight to those Heavenly Summit Peak bastards!"

  Thousands of disciples crowded around the Combat Arena, a chaotic sea of noise and enthusiasm. Some cheered for Senior Brother Lowell, others rallied behind Senior Brother Zlat. The loudest, naturally, came from the Azure Peak and Heavenly Summit Peak domains.

  Every faction had its internal divisions, and the Palace of the Heavenly Apex was no exception. Disciples from over a dozen peaks constantly competed behind the scenes. The Palace forbade private battles, but disciples with grievances could issue formal challenges on the Combat Arena, settling their disputes while fostering a combative spirit among the sect's disciples.

  On the arena platform, Senior Brother Lowell of Heavenly Summit Peak had slightly dark skin and disheveled hair, likely a result of his lightning cultivation. His lightning spear crackled with power, each strike leaving scorched marks in its wake.

  Senior Brother Zlat of Azure Peak was an earth-wind dual cultivator. He possessed the wind's agility, attacking swiftly and sharply, and the earth's resilience, defending solidly and steadily. His earthen shield, noticeably thicker than most, withstood several lightning strikes, fragments flying but holding firm.

  Azure Peak and Heavenly Summit Peak were the two strongest domains in the Palace. Both disciples were top-tier among their peers. Though neither used magic artifacts, their spear and blade exchanges were brilliant, captivating the surrounding disciples. When would they ever reach such heights?

  "The top Qi Refining disciples in the sect are truly exceptional."

  Leo murmured from within the surging crowd. Over ten days had passed since his return from Hann's so-called treasure site. Fearing that Hann and his son might spread news of his Foundation Establishment Pill, he had traveled back in disguise and stayed at an inn in the Palace marketplace, avoiding Azure Lotus Peak.

  Now at the Great Perfection stage, his cultivation couldn't advance further without breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. With time to spare before entering the Bloody Battlefield, Leo spent most of it in the Scripture Depository Hall, reading cultivation biographies, and at the marketplace, purchasing refining materials.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  He also came to the Combat Arena to watch the top Qi Refining disciples spar. Though he never fought himself, the thrilling matches taught him much. He gained a clear understanding of the Palace's most outstanding Qi Refining disciples' capabilities. His past battles, except against magic artifact wielders, had been against opponents with few remarkable skills.

  But these arena fighters were disciples and descendants trained by Foundation Establishment masters, even Golden Core elders. Their skills were extraordinary. Take Zlat, the earth-wind dual cultivator. His Windshadow Step technique was actually faster than Leo's Wind Riding and Lightbody combined.

  Since forming his dharma seals, Leo's low-grade spells had transformed. Yet, he acknowledged that these disciples, with superior talent and renowned guidance, had their own strengths. The martial technique preserved had endured for a reason. Still, Zlat's footwork, while fast, seemed slightly lacking in flexibility. Perhaps he hadn't fully mastered it.

  Leo mentally compared himself to the two fighters. If he had merely reached Great Perfection like most, he'd likely lose to them.

  Their superior talent gave them purer, deeper spiritual power. Though at the same stage, Leo's reserves were slightly less. But with his dharma seals, his spiritual power was purer, his spellcasting faster and more efficient. In a prolonged fight, he'd outlast them. And with the spirit stones in his boundary space, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't match his reserves.

  Lowell and Zlat fought fiercely for an incense stick's time. The disheveled-haired youth unleashed a series of spear thrusts.

  "Chain Lightning Spear Thrusts!" The crowd gasped.

  Zlat, his expression grave, gripped his blade with both hands and slashed repeatedly. Several massive blade auras clashed with the lightning spears.

  The explosion was deafening; everyone covered their ears. In the end, a golden lightning spear shattered all the blade auras and struck Zlat's chest. His yellow spirit armor, apparently a top-grade artifact, absorbed most of the force, but the impact still blasted him off the arena. He crashed to the ground, coughing blood.

  A gray-robed elder, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, served as referee. His role was to intervene only if a fight turned lethal. Zlat was unconscious and severely injured, but alive. The elder barely glanced his way before closing his eyes again, indifferent.

  "Lowell rules!" His supporters erupted in cheers.

  The imposing Lowell smugly clasped his hands in salute. A beautiful young woman leaped from the crowd into his arms, landing gracefully. Leo recognized her as Quincy, a formidable cultivator herself. Two days prior, she had fought another female disciple on this very arena. Rumored to be the granddaughter of the Palace's Golden Core elder, Caelus, her skills were exceptional.

  While Lowell basked in glory, surrounded by admirers, Zlat's situation was bleak. He had fallen where no friends waited, and no one caught him. He hit the hard ground hard.

  "Cousin!" A cry rang out. A white-robed woman pushed through the crowd, rushing to Zlat's side. She fed him a healing pill, then glared furiously at the onlookers. Her eyes fell on Leo, the nearest. "All fellow disciples, and not one could reach out to catch him?"

  Leo recognized her—Senior Sister Vera, whom he'd met upon leaving the Black Water Stockade Mine. Also quite skilled. The woman was irrational, singling him out among so many. But Zlat was the disciple of a Foundation Establishment master. Vera, calling him cousin, was clearly no ordinary disciple either. Leo couldn't afford to offend either. He rubbed his nose, accepting his bad luck, and retreated. He had reserved a stone chamber at Sword Casting Peak. By his calculation, it should be ready for occupancy now.