The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

He looked Jiang Xuan up and down and found that the young man showed no fear in front of him.

"You're not only a cultivator, but also a spirit rune master?"

The water eagle's voice was filled with disbelief.

"Such a young spirit pattern master."

Jiang Xuan did not answer, but secretly adjusted his breathing and quietly circulated his spiritual energy.

What follows is the real life-or-death battle.

"No matter who you are, you will die today!"

With a low shout, the water eagle suddenly burst forth with a dazzling, eerie blue light, its power terrifying.

He made a grabbing motion in the air, and the air seemed to be compressed by an invisible force, producing a popping sound, forming an invisible giant hand that enveloped Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan's long hair flew backwards, his clothes fluttered in the wind, and his skin stung from the sharp wind.

But he remained standing still, calm and composed, his eyes fixed on the water eagle's every move.

"That kid"

Water Eagle's alarm bells rang loudly; Jiang Xuan's unusual calmness made him uneasy.

"Could there be another trick up your sleeve?"

Just as the water eagle's attack was about to strike, a sudden change occurred!
A powerful force surged from all directions, like countless invisible chains, grabbing the water eagle and pulling it back.

He slammed heavily to the ground, causing the ground to crack and dust to fly up.

"cough!"

Water Eagle coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper.

Jiang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his lips.

Around the shattered ruins of the wooden house, a round beam of light appeared, swirling and releasing five-colored spiritual light, forming an even more mysterious spiritual array.

The water eagle was trapped inside, and no matter how hard it struggled, it could not get up. Its face changed drastically, and it was terrified.

"Is this... the true core of the spirit array?"

Shuiying's voice trembled as he finally realized the trap he had fallen into.

Jiang Xuan, wielding his battle sword, walked step by step toward the trapped water eagle, but his body was filled with a chilling killing intent.

"Although this Lesser Five Elements Purgatory Spirit Array is powerful, it lacks a core source of spiritual energy and cannot be maintained for long."

Jiang Xuan stood outside the spirit array, his voice calm as still water.

"With your abilities, you'll be able to escape quickly."

A look of confusion crossed Shui Ying's eyes; he didn't understand why Jiang Xuan was telling him all this.

"Then why don't you run away?"

Shui Ying sneered, while secretly gathering his strength, preparing to break through the formation.

Jiang Xuan shook his head.

"I stayed because I'm confident I can kill you."

The water eagle suddenly launched an attack.

His arms were bulging with muscles, and the totem patterns burst forth with dazzling blood-red light, forcefully shaking open a crack in the binding of the spirit array.

"Arrogant!"

The water eagle shouted sharply.

"You think you can trap me with this flawed spirit array? Tell me, is the Heavenly Water Sacred Pearl in your possession?"

Jiang Xuan did not answer.

With a flick of his wrist, the battle blade emitted a clear, melodious whistling sound, and seven points of starlight suddenly shone on its blade, like the Big Dipper falling.

In an instant, a devastating force, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, enveloped all directions.

Shui Ying's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly activated all his spiritual power to defend himself.

At this critical moment, he suddenly discovered that the bindings of the spirit array had mysteriously loosened.

"die!"

Shui Ying seized the opportunity and punched the weakest point of the spirit array. Logically, this blow should have been enough to free him.

However, Jiang Xuan's lips curled into a cold smile.

He made a hand seal with his left hand, and suddenly changed the direction of his right hand sword, slashing fiercely at an inconspicuous array pattern on the edge of the spirit array.

"burst!"

With this low shout, the entire spirit array suddenly trembled violently, and the spiritual ink on the array patterns surged.

Before the water eagle's fist even touched the array wall, the entire spirit array burst forth with dazzling white light.

"you."

The roar of the water eagle was drowned out by the deafening explosion.

Jiang Xuan had already withdrawn and retreated hastily, disappearing dozens of feet away in a few leaps.

He knelt on one knee, planted his sword in the ground to steady himself, and squinted at the center of the explosion.

Rumble,
The power of the spirit array's self-destruction far exceeded expectations. Rocks turned to dust, ancient trees instantly vaporized, and the ground cracked open with spiderweb-like fissures. The violent surge of spiritual energy formed a visible shockwave, leveling all vegetation within a hundred feet radius.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, Jiang Xuan remained vigilant.

He stood up, his sword held horizontally in front of his chest, his gaze sweeping across the center of the explosion like lightning.

"There wasn't even a scream!"

Jiang Xuan frowned slightly.

"As expected of a powerful member of the Totem Barbarian Clan."

Sure enough, in the center of the charred pit, a mangled figure staggered to its feet.

The water eagle's right arm had disappeared, and the totem patterns on its chest were dull and lifeless, but its bloodshot eyes burned with boundless hatred.

"You little beast, I'll make you pay with your life!"

The water eagle roared, and with its remaining left hand, it pulled a jet-black beast tooth from its bosom.

The beast's tooth was only three inches long, its surface covered with strange patterns, and it exuded a chilling and malevolent aura as soon as it appeared.

The water eagle bit its tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the beast's teeth, which immediately shone with a brilliant black light.

"go!"

The jet-black beast tooth transformed into a streak of dark light, moving so fast it was imperceptible to the naked eye, aiming straight for Jiang Xuan's throat.

At the critical moment, Jiang Xuan reached from his waist with his left hand and a short, silver-white crossbow was in his hand.

He didn't have time to aim; he pulled the trigger entirely on instinct.

The silver crossbow bolt collided with the jet-black beast tooth in mid-air, exploding in a blinding flash. The beast tooth's momentum slowed slightly, but it still grazed Jiang Xuan's cheek, leaving a bloody gash on his left face.

A look of despair flashed across Shui Ying's eyes.

He was already seriously injured, and activating the beast fang had exhausted his last bit of strength. At this moment, he could no longer hold on and collapsed to his knees.

"The barbarian totem tribe will not let you go!"

The water eagle's voice grew weaker and weaker until finally its head lolled to the side and it died.

Jiang Xuan did not step forward immediately.

He waited cautiously for a moment, and only after confirming that the water eagle was indeed dead did he slowly approach.

"On the path of cultivation, it's either you die or I perish."

Jiang Xuan muttered to himself, his battle blade flashing coldly as he precisely sliced ​​off the totem-like barbarian pattern on the Water Eagle's chest.

After the barbarian pattern left the body, it automatically contracted, turning into a palm-sized blood-red membrane, on which the pattern was still clearly visible.

Jiang Xuan put it into his bosom, then stabbed the water eagle in the heart to ensure it was completely safe.

After a thorough search, Jiang Xuan was slightly disappointed. Apart from the black beast tooth that had fallen nearby, there was nothing else of value on the water eagle.

"These beast teeth"

Jiang Xuan used the tip of his knife to pick up the beast's tooth, finding it icy cold to the touch, and the patterns on its surface seemed to writhe as if they were alive.

As he focused his gaze, a terrifying beastly roar suddenly exploded in his mind.

The roar struck Jiang Xuan's very soul, causing his vision to go black and him to nearly collapse. Fortunately, the roar came and went quickly, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"what?"

Jiang Xuan shook his head, suppressing the shock in his heart.

He dared not look at it closely any longer and quickly wrapped the animal teeth in cloth and put them into his pocket.

His intuition told him that this beast tooth was no ordinary object and was likely some kind of sacred artifact of the Water Barbarians.

But now that the war zone assessment is nearing its end, he must concentrate on dealing with the upcoming battles.

"Let's discuss this after the assessment." Jiang Xuan suppressed his curiosity and shock, turned around, and disappeared into the rain.

The rain in Moyun Ridge grew heavier and heavier, but it couldn't wash away the stench of blood that permeated the air.

As the deadline for the assessment approaches, the remaining trainees are fighting tooth and nail, each pulling out all the stops for the limited spots to advance.

A loud bang came from the distant valley. Jiang Xuan stood on an ancient tree and looked out. A crimson sword light shot into the sky, followed by a shrill scream.

"It's Zhao Yin's Crimson Sky Sword Technique."

Jiang Xuan was very familiar with that sword light; it came from one of the top students recognized in the Bloodthirsty Camp.

In the past, such an existence was something he could only look up to, but now...
Jiang Xuan touched the beast tooth in his arms, feeling the surging power within him, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

After this period of life-and-death trials, he is no longer the rookie with the lowest cultivation level when he first entered the camp.

A poisoned arrow suddenly shot from behind, but Jiang Xuan didn't turn around and cleaved it in two with a backhand slash.

He turned around and saw three students dressed in black surrounding him in a triangular formation.

"Jiang Xuan, hand over your points token, and we might spare your life."

The dark-faced youth at the head of the group spoke in a sinister tone, a pair of water-splitting daggers gleaming coldly in his hand.

Jiang Xuan scanned the three and recognized them as the "Black Water Three Fiends" from Camp 17, known for their cunning and treacherous nature, specializing in ambushing lone students.

“Just you guys?”

Jiang Xuan chuckled, pointing his long sword diagonally at the ground, rainwater flowing down the blade.

"Come at me all at once, don't waste my time."

"Arrogant!"

The dark-faced youth was furious, and the three of them attacked simultaneously, unleashing water spikes, hidden weapons, and poisonous mist to block all of Jiang Xuan's escape routes.

However, the next second, a bright blade of light ripped through the rain like lightning.

Three heads flew high into the air, spraying blood several meters away.

Jiang Xuan sheathed his sword, not even glancing at the fallen corpse, and walked straight into the distance.

Behind him, three headless corpses fell, splashing up a cloud of mud and water.

Meanwhile, in the barbarian army camp north of Moyun Ridge.

Shui Xingkong shattered the stone table in front of him with a single palm strike, sending shards flying, but no one dared to utter a word to stop him.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Shui Xingkong roared, his handsome face contorted horribly.

"You couldn't even handle a mere brat from the Bloodthirsty Camp, and you even lost the Holy Fang! Why don't you just die?!"

The Water Barbarian warriors kneeling below were terrified, their foreheads pressed to the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

Their strongest member, Shui Ying, had already died in battle, and the rest hadn't even caught a glimpse of Jiang Xuan.

"My lord, please calm down."

An elderly man with white hair stepped forward to offer advice.

"Jiang Xuan was able to kill Shui Ying, so his strength is probably close to that of a top student in the Bloodthirsty Camp. With the regional assessment about to end, we shouldn't act rashly."

Shui Xingkong took a few deep breaths, barely managing to suppress his anger.

"The Holy Fang must not fall into the hands of humans, especially not those madmen from the Bloodthirsty Camp. Pass down the order to closely monitor the exit of Demon Cloud Ridge. Report back immediately if Jiang Xuan is spotted!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Shui Xingkong walked to the entrance of the camp, gazing at the Demon Cloud Ridge shrouded in rain in the distance, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Jiang Xuan, we will meet again. When that time comes, I will personally rip out your heart to appease the souls of my people's fallen warriors!"

Outside Demon Cloud Ridge, in the temporary camp of the Imperial Black Wind Army, the instructors of the Bloodthirsty Camp were gathered together, waiting for the results of the assessment to be announced.

How many people have been eliminated so far?

The burly, towering Donglu asked in a deep voice, his thick arms covered with hideous scars that testified to the instructor's distinguished military exploits.

Song Lingfei, who was in charge of statistics, flipped through the roster in his hand.

"117 people were eliminated, most of whom were forced to advance or sent out distress signals. As for how many died..."

He shook his head.

"It's too early to say."

"The losses are quite significant."

Donglu sighed, a rare look of regret appearing on his rugged face.

"These are all promising talents."

Song Lingfei, however, disagreed.

"This year's class is already quite good, much better than ours back then. Especially Camp 39, which originally had 27 people, now only 10 remain, so the attrition rate is relatively low."

"Ten?"

Dong Lu raised his thick eyebrows.

"It's hard to say how many will come back alive. In my opinion, no more than fifty will ultimately be able to return to camp for continued training."

"almost."

Song Lingfei nodded.

"In previous theater assessments, only about twenty-three people were ever able to return."

At this point, Song Lingfei suddenly remembered something, and his eyes showed a strange look.

"Speaking of Camp 39, there was one participant who surprised me."

"who?"

"Jiang Xuan."

Song Lingfei recalled.

"It's that kid with the lowest cultivation level when he first entered the camp. A few days ago, I saw him fight seven Water Barbarian warriors single-handedly near the volcano, including their genius Water Eagle."

A glint of light flashed in Donglu's eyes.

"What was the result?"

"Total annihilation."

Song Lingfei made a throat-slitting gesture.

"That kid's current strength is probably no weaker than top students like Bai Lingxi and Zhao Yin."

"interesting."

Donglu stroked the stubble on his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I remember on the first day of the camp entrance test, he was at the very bottom of the class and couldn't even keep up with the basic physical training."

Song Lingfei nodded.

"That's right. But every time he's underestimated, he always manages to surprise people. Instructor Xu Sanqi described him as having almost supernatural wisdom, a deep and unfathomable mind, and said his temperament was complex and unpredictable, with immeasurable future achievements."

"Xu Sanqi said that?"

Song Lingfei was clearly taken aback.

"That old guy is notoriously arrogant; to get him to give such an evaluation is quite surprising."

Dong Lu smiled meaningfully.

"These kinds of unpredictable people are often rebellious and difficult to control. But it is precisely these kinds of people who can create miracles in dire straits."

After a while, dozens of trainees who had passed the test had gathered in the open space in front of the Black Wind Army camp. They were standing or sitting, and all of them had scars of varying degrees, but their eyes were filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

"Look, it's Bai Lingxi!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone's eyes turned to the camp entrance.

A young girl dressed in pure white, her clothes fluttering in the wind, walked slowly towards them, without a trace of blood or mud on them, as if the fierce battle that had just taken place had nothing to do with her.

Both Song Lingfei and Dong Lu saw admiration in each other's eyes.

"This girl is increasingly showing the demeanor of the Ice Phoenix."

Donglu stroked the stubble on his chin and commented in a low voice.

Bai Lingxi walked to the registration desk, took out three points cards from her bosom and placed them on the table, her voice cold and clear.

"Bai Lingxi, return the mission."

The officer in charge of registration was somewhat surprised after counting the items.

"Two Water Barbarian centurions were killed, and a watchtower was destroyed. Not bad, quite an impressive achievement."

The surrounding students gasped in shock. (End of Chapter)