Cultivation Begins with Skill Points

Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Half-step Xuandan

"Elder Zhong’s divine power."

"Elder Zhong’s divine power."

"Elder Zhong’s divine power."

Zhong Lin descended from the void, and Xu Youde and the others immediately surrounded him, their faces full of excitement and exhilaration.

The three female disciples kept their eyes fixed firmly on Zhong Lin, their eyes full of fervor, especially Mu Qing, whose gaze was almost tangible.

That was an unparalleled expert of the Spirit Embryo Realm!

And now he has fallen, slain by Zhong Lin, who was one realm lower than him.

Wan Pu stepped forward, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply, "Many thanks to Elder Zhong for the life-saving grace."

The other seven dared not be negligent and also bowed in gratitude.

"Many thanks to Elder Zhong for the life-saving grace."

Zhong Lin waved his right hand, and an invisible force lifted everyone up.

"I’m a member of the Purple Cloud Sect myself, so naturally, I wouldn’t stand by and watch you fall into danger without helping," Zhong Lin said with a smile. "If you must thank someone, thank Xu Youde! He has been running errands for me tirelessly these days, and I’ve noticed it all."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Youde trembled with excitement, his body shaking slightly due to his enormous fat.

At this moment, he finally understood the meaning of Zhong Lin’s previous words, "Xu Youde, it’s truly your honor to know me!" It turns out it was really for his sake!

The others were no fools and immediately understood. Although Elder Zhong is an elder of the Purple Cloud Sect, strictly speaking, it’s merely a matter of aligned interests; saving or not saving was just a matter of a single thought.

Moreover, Elder Zhong’s outward display was only at the Spirit Sea Realm. Even if he had chosen not to act, no one would have blamed him, especially when faced with an expert of the Spirit Embryo Realm from the Sea Clan. No one knew he had once cultivated the martial arts of the physical body.

Qiu Ju, Su Mengmeng, Li Shang, and others who had not previously interacted with Zhong Lin felt a sense of regret in their hearts, lamenting why they hadn’t made earlier contact with Elder Zhong, ultimately all benefits went to the seventh brother.

Zhong Lin no longer paid attention to them, his eyes swept over the entire port.

The battle was becoming increasingly fierce, and the casualties among martial artists below the Transcendent Realm were staggering. Even among the martial artists of the Transcendent Grand Force, those in the Spirit Sea Realm were starting to fall occasionally, including members from both the Human and Sea Clans, and even rare Spirit Embryo Realm strongmen were beginning to perish.

Just like Xu Youde’s group, if it weren’t for Zhong Lin’s intervention, they would likely have perished as well, with seven Spirit Sea Realm members gone in an instant.

Wan Pu spoke up, "Elder Zhong, don’t worry. After all, this is the Luoxing Islands, and these Water Monkeys are just one clan. They cannot withstand the human forces of the entire island, they will surely lose."

Zhong Lin nodded, quietly breathing a sigh of relief.

As long as he lays low and avoids provoking the Yunling Realm experts, his life won’t be in danger.

Boom!

Suddenly, in the distant void, a thunderous explosion resounded, shaking heaven and earth with boundless aftershocks.

A beam of saber light converged from the sea, slashing horizontally across the sky.

The light was a hundred meters long, falling like a meteor, splitting the empty space it passed through, dividing the sea to reveal the riverbed.

And on the island of Luoxing, a streak of sword Qi flew from west to east.

A beam of saber light converged on one side, while sword Qi accompanied on the other.

Like two meteors on opposing trajectories, they collided with each other from east to west, releasing a continuous dazzling light.

The powerful force was incredibly shocking, like thunder echoing in the void.

The violent storm of energy scattered from the collision point, creating ripple-like patterns in the void, spreading outward.

The nearest Sea Clan, Sea Beasts, and Human Clan martial artists didn’t even let out a scream before they were turned into a mist of blood by the aftershock.

Zhong Lin’s pupils constricted, staring in awe at the saber and sword in the void above, as well as the two figures behind them.

"This... what kind of power is this? Xuandan?"

Zhong Lin only felt his mouth dry, and his heart pounded as if facing an overwhelming heavenly might, making him feel like an ant, powerless to resist.

"It’s not Xuandan, not quite, but it’s already beyond the level of the Yunling Realm. To put it simply, it’s at the half-step Xuandan Realm."

Chen Jia’s voice came from the Soul Nourishing Ring.

"Half-step? Either you’ve broken through or you haven’t, what’s this half-step nonsense? Who decided on these realms?"

Zhong Lin quipped.

"Stop complaining. The half-step is real. The Xuandan Realm is also known as the foundation of the martial path. The way is embryonic, and achieving a breakthrough is extremely difficult. The three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit must be complete and unblemished. The so-called half-step means insufficient foundation, forming only a Void Pill, not a true Xuandan, yet still higher than the Transcendent Realm."

"Void Pill? Doesn’t that mean it’s useless?"

"Not entirely useless, there’s still a chance to find a way to make up for it, though it’s quite challenging. Therefore, when breaking through to the Xuandan Realm, one must ensure the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit are all perfect, otherwise, you’ll be stuck, unable to advance or retreat, and it’s very unpleasant to be caught in the middle.

But in any case, a Void Pill is still a pill, already possessing some of the power of the Xuandan Realm, which is not something martial artists of the Transcendent Grand Force can contend with, so make sure you don’t get involved."

Chen Jia advised.

Zhong Lin nodded; he already understood.

Wan Pu gazed at the figures above, exclaiming, "It’s the Sect Master of the Seven Stars Sect, Feng Lan Sword Lord, and that should be the ancestor of the Sea Ape Clan, Yuan Qi."

"Wan Pu, take them and leave. With half-step Xuandan Realm experts involved, this battlefield is no longer safe," Zhong Lin said with a particularly grave expression.

Wan Pu also understood the urgency of the situation and didn’t dare to slack, quickly leading the junior brothers and sisters away from the battlefield.

"Elder Zhong, be careful. We’ll be waiting for you in Purple Cloud City," Mu Qing said with a hint of concern before leaving.

Zhong Lin nodded, finding a rock to hide behind, his eyes fixed on the two figures in the sky like stars.

"Yuan Qi, that’s enough. Does your Sea Ape Clan truly want an undying fight with our Luoxing Islands?"

Feng Lan Sword Lord looked like a middle-aged man, dressed in a green robe, his sword-like eyes intimidating, with a green Spirit Sword strapped to his back, exuding an overwhelming Sword Qi.

Opposite him stood an elder from the Sea Ape Clan, with grayish-white hair, yet no signs of old age on his face. His entire body was muscular, holding a gigantic machete taller than himself, looking extraordinarily imposing.

Facing Feng Lan Sword Lord’s questioning, the Sea Ape Clan ancestor Yuan Qi suppressed his anger and said, "You humans are despicable, breaking treaties, harming my clan, and seizing our treasured weapons. If you don’t hand over the culprit, then today it will be a fight to the death."

Feng Lan Sword Lord furrowed his brows slightly, "I’ve told you it’s not the people of Luoxing Islands, and by the way, what exactly did your Sea Ape Clan lose?"

"The Mystic Sky Stick, that thief stole our Mystic Sky Stick."

Upon hearing the words ’Mystic Sky Stick’, even Feng Lan Sword Lord narrowed his eyes slightly and then angrily scolded, "How could you lose the Mystic Sky Stick, what were you doing?"

He finally understood why these Water Monkeys were so furious, even willing to fight to the death with the Luoxing Islands.