Chapter 287: Chapter 256: Invitation_1

Boom!

Their attacks were incredibly fast. In just a blink of an eye, they had clashed over a hundred times, with the violent shockwaves of spiritual power spreading out in all directions, forming a spectacular rainbow of tidal waves.

The formation protecting the battlefield, under the impact of the energy, continued to emit faint spiritual light.

“Celestial Flame Dragon Slash!”

Seeing that she couldn’t suppress Xu Mu, Fairy You Lan’s eyes suddenly hardened, and her body exuded endless red spiritual flames. Her armor, like a magic tool, began to burn like molten lava.

Crackle!

The emptiness in the formation began to twist and warp under the scorching heat of the spiritual flames, the temperature rising to extreme heights. If anyone placed ordinary iron around it, it would melt into a puddle in an instant.

Boom!

The Fangtian Huaji in Fairy You Lan’s hand was wrapped in the blazing fire dragon; she looked like a war god born from fire, bringing terrifying pressure as she relentlessly broadsided towards Xu Mu.

Fairy You Lan is an Alchemist; when they first met, she had already reached tier seven, and now after nearly a hundred years, she may already be at tier eight.

Alchemists are masters of fire manipulation; Xu Mu was not surprised at all by Fairy You Lan’s terrifying display of fire divine skills.

However, he believed his own abilities in using fire were not inferior to hers. Facing Fairy You Lan’s fire-enhanced attacks, Xu Mu was undaunted, immediately pushing his Great Sun Refining Shape Skill to its limit.

Bang!

White True Flames covered his entire body, then spread to all eight magical arms, boosting the power of the Space Grasp Skill further. With an attack power not at all inferior to his opponent, he tore through the air and launched a counterstrike.

Boom!

The two of them clashed tooth and nail, neither one giving any room to the other!

The intense shockwave made the formation’s light curtain fluctuate violently, risking breaking at any moment. Seeing this scene, Elder Jin was left with no choice but to intervene and maintain the formation.

However, while maintaining the formation, his eyes never left the duel, fearing he would miss the slightest detail.

Although his cultivation exceeded both of theirs, in terms of actual strength, he might not be able to suppress either of them.

“I hadn’t expected this youngster from the Southern Domain to have such a high aptitude in skill cultivation!” Elder Jin marveled to himself.

Cultivation could still be improved through fortunate encounters, but skill cultivation entirely relied on comprehension. If one’s comprehension was lacking, even ten thousand years of cultivation would be futile.

Of course, anyone who managed to reach the Golden Core Stage generally demonstrates fair comprehension. However, Xu Mu’s aptitude was clearly far beyond that of a typical Golden Core cultivator.

“With his strength, he’s quite suitable to help the princess with that matter,” Elder Jin thought to himself.

He knew well that Fairy You Lan’s invitation to Xu Mu for a friendly match was not merely to gauge his strength; she was most likely aiming to enlist his help with something.

The endless explosion in the formation never ceased. If not for Fairy You Lan’s prior instruction, the people of the Palm Immortal Office might have already rushed over.

…

All that took just fifteen minutes. Fairy You Lan had thrown all sorts of attacks, but Xu Mu, with only his Space Grasp Skill, had kept his defense perfect, matching her stride for stride.

Naturally, neither used their full strength. However, just from this battle, Xu Mu was not weaker than Fairy You Lan—in fact, he even seemed slightly superior.

“Enough! Enough! Your strength is formidable, I admire you!”

Dodging another attack from Xu Mu, Fairy You Lan retreated to the edge of the field, sheathing her armor and putting away her Fangtian Huaji, she waved her hand in resignation.

After such a long bout, she couldn’t even make Xu Mu reveal his magic tool, which was somewhat frustrating.

“Your highness, the Princess has remarkable strength and abundant spiritual power. If the duel were to continue, I would undoubtedly be the one to lose.” Xu Mu said, canceling his skill with a smile.

“You really are modest!”

Although Fairy You Lan knew that Xu Mu was being polite, a smile still inevitably appeared on her face.

Flattery never hurts!

Elder Jin deactivated the formation, and the two exited it.

Fairy You Lan invited Xu Mu to sit in her room for a bit longer, claiming she had something important to discuss. Xu Mu did not refuse, as he had sensed there was more to their spar than met the eye.

After they entered the room, Fairy You Lan activated the formation without hiding anything.

“No forces in this world do not fight amongst themselves, and our Da Yuan dynasty imperial family is no exception. In order to avoid excessively harsh covert attacks, our ancestors established a rule to hold magic duels, allowing for open competition.

To minimize the losses to our imperial family, we have started to invite external aids, while also demonstrating the strength of our subordinates!

Those who win the magical duels not only receive a large number of spirit stones, but can also obtain pills which aid in advancing cultivation levels and secret martial methods!”

“Do you wish for me to assist you, Princess?”

Given the extent of the conversation, even if Xu Mu were foolish, he could guess this much.

“Indeed!”

Fairy You Lan nodded.

If it weren’t for this matter, she would not have personally taken the stage to test Xu Mu’s strength. Of course, it was also because Xu Mu defeated that group of rogue cultivators that she believed he may have the power level she needed.

Hearing Fairy You Lan’s affirmative answer, Xu Mu didn’t immediately agree.

If this were before, he would not participate in such self-promotion.

However, times have changed, his lifespan is limited, and he must elevate his cultivation level quickly.

His body, having been drained of its life force once, now had a poorer natural aptitude. Without the appropriate pills and secret techniques to aid him, each breakthrough would take a lot of time.

His current pill recipes and martial methods were not enough for him to make the next breakthrough. He needed to find higher-level pill recipes and secret techniques, which was one of the main reasons he left the mountain retreat.

But high-level pill recipes and martial methods are notbwhite cabbages you find on the street. Even within large sects, they are cherished greatly.

Originally, he could have slowly collected them through his survived identity within the Tianhe Sect but now, not only has the Tianhe Sect been destroyed, even his lifespan is limited. He simply no longer has the time to plan slowly.

If he wants to quickly improve his cultivation level, he has to seize every opportunity.

The magical duel that Fairy You Lan mentioned, despite potential troubles and dangers, presents itself as a golden opportunity.

The Da Yuan dynasty is much more powerful than the Tianhe Sect and Xianyue Sect. If Xu Mu could borrow their power, his strength would surely increase by leaps and bounds.

However, he had some unresolved issues regarding this matter.

“Considering the prestigious status of the Princess, it shouldn’t be difficult to recruit late Golden Core Stage cultivators. Besides, with Elder Jin here, I wonder why you would choose me?” Xu Mu asked.

The strength of Elder Jin before him may be unknown, but his cultivation level is certainly far higher than his, making him a more advantageous choice for the competition.

“There is a requirement for participating in the magical duel that you must hold a title and have your own family. Elder Jin cannot possess any titles due to his unique identity! As for why I invited you—”

Fairy Gong Lan showed a slightly awkward smile.

“In these years, I have concentrated on my own cultivation, and honestly, I haven’t trained any capable subordinates! If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have personally come to deal with these rogue cultivators!”

“…”