Imperial Scepter

"Come on! Let's have a good fight!"

Before Gao Chun's shout had even finished, he had already darted out like a cheetah.

The bluestone bricks beneath his feet shattered with a crack, and a pale red mystic energy, carrying a fierce gust of wind, struck Li Daoqiu's face with a fist.

He has always believed in breaking the deadlock with force, and he aims to seize the initiative from the very beginning.

Li Daoqiu's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he advanced.

His waist suddenly sank down, and pale yellow Xuan power instantly enveloped his body, his arms crossing like a city gate closing.

"Bang!"

Fists and arms collided with a deafening roar, sending up a cloud of dust.

Li Daoqiu dug two deep furrows in the bluestone ground with his feet, taking the punch head-on, but using the force to slide back three meters, creating a safe distance.

"Want to confront them head-on? Not so easy!"

Li Daoqiu grinned, a sly glint in his eyes.

He knew that Gao Chun possessed three Dao Seeds of red, yellow, and purple, while he only possessed two Dao Seeds of yellow and purple. The red Dao Seed was extremely powerful, and confronting it head-on was definitely not the best strategy.

He immediately moved swiftly, like a ghost, and circled around to Gao Chun's side and rear.

By activating the purple attribute of the Dao Seed, pale purple profound energy condenses at the fingertips, making the moves more cunning and agile, specifically targeting vulnerable areas such as the waist and knees.

This is his long-studied "assassin's pressure point tactic," which focuses on roaming and controlling the enemy, avoiding their strengths and striking their weaknesses.

Gao Chun's eyes sharpened, but he remained completely composed.

Faced with a sudden attack, he twisted his body abruptly, channeling his pale yellow profound energy to cover his side like armor, while simultaneously stomping his feet to form an irregular defensive circle.

No matter which direction Li Daoqiu attacked from, he could turn around and block immediately. His fist, imbued with light red Xuan power, was as sharp as a knife, forcing Li Daoqiu to stay away.

"You can actually handle both defense and counterattack! Gao Chun, you're truly remarkable!"

Li Daoqiu was secretly alarmed, but his hands continued moving.

He suddenly accelerated, his figure becoming a blur, rapidly moving around Gao Chun. His fists and palms only probed without engaging in direct combat, each attack striking and then retreating, like a persistent, lingering ailment.

No matter how fierce Gao Chun's offensive was, it couldn't withstand the enemy's hit-and-run tactics.

Several fierce attacks failed, and Li Daoqiu seized the opportunity to poke his nose with a finger, causing his nose to bleed from the shock of the pale purple Xuan power.

"Hmph, trying to wear me down with a kite?"

Gao Chun's lips curled into a cold smile, and he suddenly changed his tactics.

He no longer pursued a wide-ranging, fierce attack, but instead mobilized the red attribute of his Dao Seed, condensing light red Xuan Power into his fists, making his moves compact and sharp, specifically targeting Li Daoqiu's movement trajectory.

At the same time, he changed his footwork, deliberately exposing an opening in his left ribs.

As expected, Li Daoqiu took the bait. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he darted out like an arrow, his right fist aimed straight at Gao Chun's left rib, hoping to land a fatal blow.

Just as the fist was about to make contact, Gao Chun suddenly shifted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

His left hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing Li Daoqiu's wrist.

At the same time, he activated the blue attribute of the Dao Seed, and the invisible and colorless profound power condensed in his left palm, locking his wrist tightly and making him unable to move.

"Oh no! It's a control and restraint tactic!"

Li Daoqiu's expression changed, and he tried to withdraw his hand and back away.

But Gao Chun's palm held him firmly like an iron clamp, while his right fist, carrying immense power, struck straight at his chest.

"Bang!"

The punch landed squarely, and Li Daoqiu groaned as he flew backward.

But he reacted very quickly, twisting his body in mid-air to dissipate the force. After landing, he staggered a couple of steps but managed to steady himself. His wrists were slightly numb, and his Xuan Qi circulation was somewhat sluggish.

Li Daoqiu stared at Gao Chun in shock.

That invisible and colorless profound power?

That must be the control attribute of the blue Dao Seed!

But since the mysterious power is formless and colorless, it must have been sealed.

Could it be that Gao Chun actually possesses four-colored Dao Seeds?

Such talent is extremely rare, but it is not impossible.

Li Daoqiu suppressed the turmoil in his heart and remained silent.

Gao Chun was his childhood friend, and the fact that he was willing to use his hidden Dao Seed attribute against him showed that Gao Chun had long regarded him as a true brother.

Gao Chun observed Li Daoqiu's shocked yet thoughtful expression and knew that the other party had already discovered the secret of his hidden Dao seed.

However, he had already planned ahead: as long as he did not reveal the invisible and colorless pale green profound power, no one would know that he was the unprecedented owner of the five-colored Dao Seed.

Although the four-colored Dao seeds are rare, there are still many records of them in the cultivation world.

Actively revealing oneself as the possessor of the four-colored Dao Seed can actually become an excellent barrier to conceal the earth-shattering secret of the five-colored Dao Seed.

After all, the most effective tricks to deceive the world are always three parts truth and seven parts falsehood.

They only believe that they are hiding a blue Dao Seed, thinking that this is their trump card, and they never think about the unprecedented direction of "five-colored Dao Seeds".

Li Daoqiu is his childhood friend, and now he is also his companion who will soon form a team together and venture into the Southern Wilderness Forest.

Once this team is formed, they will inevitably be working together for a long time. As they spend more time together, it will be impossible for him to keep the control attributes of the blue Dao Seed hidden forever during teamwork.

In this way, they will discover this secret sooner or later, so it's better to take advantage of the competition to reveal it today.

More importantly, this also provides an opportunity to test the friend's tact.

See if he is trustworthy and whether he will reveal his secret of possessing the Four-Colored Dao Seeds to outsiders.

Therefore, Gao Chun did not regret using the invisible and colorless light blue Xuan power to win the game, nor did he feel that there was anything wrong with it.

He looked at Li Daoqiu frankly, his eyes revealing no ulterior motives.

Li Daoqiu also looked back calmly, his eyes suddenly igniting with a burning light.

The brother before me was actually a four-colored Dao Seed! Although I only had a two-colored Dao Seed, talent was never the same as intelligence!

Even though his natural talent is slightly inferior, his strategic brilliance is undeniable. Today, he's determined to challenge this exceptionally gifted brother!

If that's the case, then we should put forward our newly devised tactics.

The only way to show the greatest respect to your brothers is to give them your all!

"You're pretty good; you actually managed to break my kite-based pressure point technique!"

Li Daoqiu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes burning even brighter, as if two flickering flames were burning within them.

He was going to reveal his latest tactics and show this guy what he was made of—his talent in the Dao Seed might not be as good as his, but his brain was definitely on par with everyone else's!

The pale yellow mystic energy instantly solidified and became thick, enveloping the limbs and bones like thick mud, and a layer of earthy yellow halo appeared on the skin's surface.

The muscles were taut like stubborn rocks, and layers of profound energy were piled up at the joints, forming a natural defensive armor.

This is the close-combat version of the castle tactic that he has devoted himself to studying. He fights steadily and surely, using his physical body to withstand all attacks and defend his fortress like a rock!

"Trying to block with your bare hands? I'll break through your defenses!"

A glint flashed in Gao Chun's eyes, and he stomped his foot hard on the ground, shattering the bluestone bricks.

He lunged out like a cheetah, mobilizing the red attribute of his Dao Seed, pouring all his pale red profound energy into his fists.

His fists glowed with a fiery red light, his muscles bulged like iron, and his moves were compact and fierce, specifically targeting Li Daoqiu's vulnerable joints such as his shoulders, neck, and ribs.

"Bang bang bang!"

The three punches landed in quick succession, the dull thud of flesh colliding with bone was deafening.

Li Daoqiu remained motionless, his body, reinforced by pale yellow Xuan Qi, withstood all the impacts. His shoulders were slightly numb from the impacts, but he still stood firmly in place.

"Your fists aren't hard enough!"

Li Daoqiu grinned, taking advantage of Gao Chun's recent exhaustion of strength.

Instantly activating the purple attribute of his Dao Seed, his figure suddenly accelerated as the light purple profound energy flowed, and he circled around Gao Chun's side like a ghost.

With a whooshing sound, his right elbow slammed into Gao Chun's lower back.

The essence of assassin tactics lies in close-quarters movement, avoiding the enemy's strength and striking their weaknesses.

"Well done!"

Gao Chun had anticipated this, and feeling the strong wind behind him, he twisted his waist sharply.

At the same time, the blue attribute of the Dao Seed was activated, and the invisible and colorless Xuan power condensed in the palm of the left hand, turning into a layer of sticky Xuan power film.

His left hand reached out like an iron clamp, precisely gripping Li Daoqiu's elbow. Sticky Xuan energy instantly wrapped around it, locking his power trajectory.

"That trick again!"

Li Daoqiu's expression changed, and he tried to pull back with his elbow, but Gao Chun held him firmly in place.

Gao Chun twisted his waist and his right fist, wrapped in a blazing light red Xuan power, slammed into Li Daoqiu's ribs.

"Bang!"

The dull thud of fists colliding exploded, and Li Daoqiu let out a muffled groan. Even with the protection of pale yellow Xuan power, he still felt a sharp pain in his ribs.

Taking advantage of the momentum, he suddenly bent his knee and thrust it into Gao Chun's lower abdomen, forcing Gao Chun to release his grip and retreat.

The two separated by half a meter, both panting heavily.

Wang Hu stands on the sidelines watching the game.

With his arms crossed and back ramrod straight, he watched the back-and-forth battle between the two players, his pupils slightly dilated, his heart filled with tremor.

He truly hadn't expected these two to be so formidable. Their application of tactics and strategy, in particular, far exceeded his expectations.

Li Daoqiu's acupoint striking tactics were ingenious and unique, which suddenly enlightened him: he also had a purple Dao seed, and he could learn from this technique in the future.

He admired Gao Chun a little.

I admire his fighting style, and even more so his exquisite control of tactics.

This rising star has truly reached such a level.

However, he had a question in his mind: why was Gao Chun able to hit Li Daoqiu with his fists without ever mobilizing his Xuan power, and even defeat him twice?

Is Gao Chun really that strong? He can win without relying on any profound energy, relying solely on his physical fists?

He had never fought against Gao Chun, so he had no way of knowing that those attacks that seemed to rely purely on fists actually concealed an invisible and colorless light blue controlling power, which was simply difficult for others to discern with the naked eye.

Gao Chengzhi was also watching the battle from the sidelines.

He leaned against the old locust tree, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his eyelids drooping, looking lazy and unserious.

He appeared nonchalant, but a glint of shrewdness occasionally flashed in his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't lost focus at all.

The fight between these two was far more exciting than any of the flashy scenes in the storybooks!

As he watched, he silently commented on the competition, treating it like a traditional Chinese opera.

"Uncle, your pale blue mystic energy is formless and colorless. Are you just trying to cheat me?"

"Li Daoqiu is really stupid. He's been locked up twice already, and he still doesn't know how to avoid it."

"But then again, his tactics are indeed ingenious and quite interesting."

But his initial enthusiasm didn't last long before he quickly lost interest.

He simply shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning back slightly, his head tilted to the side, and said with a hint of lazy disdain, "Wouldn't it be better to finish sooner? You're delaying my trip back to read my new storybook."

The two players on the field were completely unaffected by these words and remained full of fighting spirit.

Li Daoqiu took a deep breath, and the yellow Xuan power within his body surged violently, thickening layer by layer and covering his arms. In an instant, his arms became thicker, gleaming with a cold, hard luster like cast bronze, exuding an invincible and fierce aura.

"Melee Castle: Head-on Clash!"

He let out a deep shout, completely abandoning the fight and using his arms as a solid shield. He stomped his feet on the ground and charged straight at Gao Chun, determined to use pure physical strength to clash head-on with his opponent!

Despite such a fierce attack, Gao Chun remained calm and composed.

With a thought, he activated the blue attribute of his Dao Seed, and invisible, colorless, pale blue profound energy quietly condensed in his left and right palms.

He wanted to show his childhood friend what it truly meant to use minimal force to achieve maximum effect.

The next instant, Gao Chun charged forward fiercely.

The moment the two collided, the adhesive force of the light blue Xuan power suddenly erupted, firmly sticking to Li Daoqiu's impact and completely dissipating the fierce force, without causing Gao Chun any damage.

Taking advantage of Li Daoqiu's momentary lapse in attack, Gao Chun's left hand locked his right arm like an iron clamp.

His right fist once again gathered scorching light red Xuan power, and he smashed it without hesitation into Li Daoqiu's unsuspecting chest.

"Bang!"

The force of that punch was as deep and powerful as a thunderclap.

Li Daoqiu flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground and stirring up a cloud of dust that lingered for a long time.

Clearly, Gao Chun has already held back.

Li Daoqiu was not seriously injured, but his Xuan power was exhausted and his muscles and bones ached so much that he could hardly lift his arms.

He struggled to his feet, supporting himself on the ground, but stumbled a couple of steps and almost fell again.

A forced bitter smile played on his lips, but his eyes churned with a wave of resentment.

He had given it his all.

They unleashed their most treasured tactics, honed skills day and night, and unwavering willpower without reservation.

But in the end, he still lost to his childhood friend with whom he had grown up.

The wind swept dust across my face, carrying a touch of desolation.

Li Daoqiu gazed at Gao Chun, who remained calm in the distance, and the question in his mind about "effort" and "talent" pounded repeatedly like a heavy hammer.

Is it possible that all the hardships and trials we endure later in life can never overcome the insurmountable barrier created by our innate talent?

Is this chasm truly so insurmountable?