I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"Arrogant!" Chen Xingzi laughed angrily. "You think you can fight me just because you withstood a few of my moves? That was just a warm-up!"

Chi Liao, recovering from his shock, shouted with feigned bravado, "Qin Yuan! Don't be so smug! Fellow Daoist Chen Xingzi is a genius of the Starfall Pavilion, capable of fighting Nascent Soul cultivators far beyond his level with ease! You, a mere Nascent Soul Peak cultivator, even if you have some strange abilities, are doomed to die today!"

A deputy beside him chimed in shrill voices, "That's right! That old good-for-nothing Wen Ruohai can't even protect himself, let's see how long you can protect him!"

Wen Ruohai clutched his shoulder wound, his face ashen, and gasped for breath as he whispered to Qin Yuan, "Lord Qin... I am incompetent and have dragged you down."

This Chen Xingzi is incredibly powerful, far surpassing ordinary Nascent Soul peak cultivators; he probably truly possesses the combat strength of a Deity Transformation cultivator… You… you should leave quickly, don't worry about me! We don't need that Ice Soul Crystal!”

He was truly considering retreating. Chen Xingzi's strength had exceeded his expectations, and he himself was severely injured. No matter how strong Qin Yuan was, he was only at the Nascent Soul stage. It was already a miracle that he could temporarily hold his own; a prolonged battle would inevitably result in defeat. He couldn't let Qin Yuan perish here because of his own affairs.

Qin Yuan shook his head, his gaze fixed on the three Ice Soul Crystals emitting a hazy blue light on the small island in the center of the icy pool, and asked, "Senior Wen, are these items of paramount importance to you?"

Wen Ruohai was taken aback, not understanding why Qin Yuan was asking this now, but he still nodded bitterly: "Yes... this item is related to the restoration of a lost secret sword technique of our sect, and it is of great significance to our Shujian Sect. But..."

"Since it's important," Qin Yuan interrupted him, his tone still calm, "then I'll get it for you."

Upon hearing this, not only Wen Ruohai was stunned, but Chen Xingzi and Chi Liao on the other side were also stunned.

Immediately, Chi Liao burst into a shrill laugh: "Hahaha! Wen Ruohai, did you hear that? Is this kid crazy? A Nascent Soul Peak cultivator wants to help you get the Ice Soul Crystal in front of Fellow Daoist Chen Xingzi? Who does he think he is? A mid-stage Deity Transformation cultivator?"

A cold glint flashed in Chen Xingzi's eyes, his anger intensifying. He had been completely underestimated!

"Ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth." Chen Xingzi slowly raised his hand, and the starlight around him shone brightly. His aura, several times stronger than before, soared into the sky, faintly resonating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. A terrifying aura came, and there was a hint of the charm of a Nascent Soul cultivator communicating with heaven and earth. Judging from the aura, he already had the combat power of the early Nascent Soul stage, close to the middle Nascent Soul stage!

"I originally intended to leave you with a complete corpse, but now... I will extract your soul, turn it into a star lamp, and let you suffer the scorching fire of the stars for eternity!"

Sensing this terrifying aura, Wen Ruohai's face paled even more, and he urgently said, "Lord Qin, don't be reckless! Let's go!"

Qin Yuan did not respond to Wen Ruohai, but looked at Chen Xingzi, whose aura was constantly rising, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"Nascent Soul level combat power... Perfect, let's give it a try."

With a thought, he activated the Five-Stage Nascent Soul Technique at full power, unleashing dark golden spiritual energy like a dormant volcano surging and roaring within his body. At the same time, the first level of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique, "Burning Essence," flowed through his mind.

He did not immediately use this forbidden technique, but wanted to first assess the worth of this so-called "divine transformation level genius" based on his own foundation as a fifth-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chen Xingzi moved.

Instead of using ranged spells, he moved swiftly, appearing beside Qin Yuan as if by teleportation. With a finger imbued with the aura of shattered stars, he pointed towards Qin Yuan's temple! Even before the finger arrived, the sharp star power already stung Qin Yuan's skin.

So fast! Wen Ruohai's heart tightened.

Qin Yuan neither dodged nor evaded, as if he had expected it. Without turning his head, he threw a punch at the finger that was pointing at him. Fist and finger collided, producing a crisp sound like metal clashing, and the shockwave exploded outwards, causing both of them to sway simultaneously.

A look of surprise flashed in Chen Xingzi's eyes. His "Shattering Star Finger" was incredibly powerful, specifically designed to break through protective qi. Yet the opponent was able to withstand it with his bare fist.

Before he could change his move, Qin Yuan's other palm had already silently struck his chest, the palm wind condensed, concealing the power to shatter mountains and split rocks.

Chen Xingzi snorted coldly, flicked his other finger, and several points of starlight shot towards Qin Yuan's palm like bullets. At the same time, he retreated, creating distance. He was skilled in star magic and assassination, but close combat was not his forte.

However, Qin Yuan followed closely, pressing forward relentlessly. His punches, palms, fingers, and kicks were simple yet swift as lightning and heavy as mountains. Each strike carried terrifying physical strength and extremely refined dark gold spiritual power, forcing Chen Xingzi to confront him head-on.

"Bang bang bang!"

The two figures clashed rapidly in the air, each collision unleashing a deafening roar. The shockwaves spread like tangible ripples, cracking the solid ice on the surface of the icy pool. Dark golden light and dazzling starlight intertwined, making it difficult to determine a clear victor for the time being!

Wen Ruohai, Chi Liao, and the others were all stunned.

At the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, Chen Xingzi, with his Nascent Soul power, directly confronted Chen Xingzi, who possessed the strength of a Divine Transformation cultivator, and held his own? There was even a faint sense that they were evenly matched?

This completely overturned their understanding! There is a fundamental difference between the Nascent Soul stage and the Deity Transformation stage; it is a chasm in the nature of spiritual power and the understanding of heaven and earth!

Even the strongest Nascent Soul cultivator at the peak can barely withstand a few moves from the early Nascent Soul stage, which is already considered heaven-defying. How could they possibly fight to a draw?

"This...this is impossible!" Chi Liao exclaimed, his single eye filled with disbelief.

Chen Xingzi grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. His prized star power was proving utterly ineffective against his opponent's strange, dark golden spiritual power, and in fact, he felt a sense of being subtly suppressed.

The opponent's physical body was ridiculously strong, and his reaction speed was astonishingly fast. Several of my exquisite killing moves were dodged or withstood by the slightest difference.

"Who exactly are you?!" Chen Xingzi couldn't help but shout, but his attack didn't slow down at all. His star power transformed into countless light blades, which covered Qin Yuan like a storm.

Qin Yuan moved like a dragon, weaving through the dense blades of light, occasionally throwing a punch to disperse the unavoidable ones, his tone calm: "Xuan Yuan Sect, Qin Yuan."

"Xuan Yuan Sect? Never even heard of it!" Chen Xingzi gritted his teeth, his vigilance growing even stronger. Could an obscure little sect possibly produce such a monster?

Unable to break through after a prolonged siege, Chen Xingzi grew increasingly impatient. He was one of the most outstanding geniuses of the current generation of the Starfall Pavilion, hailed as a rising star with the potential to reach the Nascent Soul stage before the age of one hundred. Now, he was being held back by a Nascent Soul cultivator from an affiliated sect—it was an utter disgrace!

"You forced me to do this!" A ruthless glint flashed in Chen Xingzi's eyes. He bit his tongue hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence, and formed an extremely complex hand seal with his hands.

"The Secret Technique of the Starfall Pavilion—The Northern Dipper God-Slaying Sword!"

hum!

The star-like phantoms that appeared behind him suddenly shone brightly, and the seven most brilliant stars quickly connected in a line, transforming into a giant sword phantom that was over ten feet long and shone with starlight!

As soon as the giant sword appeared, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered wildly, and the terrifying pressure caused the temperature of the entire cold pool area to drop sharply, making Wen Ruohai, Chi Liao and the others gasp for breath!

This is one of the Starfall Pavilion's killing moves. It uses essence blood as a guide to condense the power of the Big Dipper, and its power is comparable to the full-force attack of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator! Chen Xingzi paid a heavy price for using this move, but he couldn't care less at the moment. He was determined to kill this strange kid completely!

The giant sword locked onto Qin Yuan, and with a terrifying aura of slaying gods and demons, it crashed down! Before the sword even arrived, the sharp sword energy had already cut countless deep marks into the ice beneath Qin Yuan's feet.

Wen Ruohai's face turned deathly pale. He could feel the power of that sword strike; even at his peak, he would be severely injured if he took it! Qin Yuan…

Chi Liao was overjoyed: "Fellow Daoist Chen Xingzi is getting serious! This kid is doomed!"

Faced with this earth-shattering sword strike, a trace of solemnity finally flashed in Qin Yuan's eyes, but there was no fear.

"The power is acceptable," he muttered to himself. "Perfect... let's try 'Burning Essence'."

With a thought, the first level of the "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique" was activated instantly!