Replace me as the top scholar? Go talk to my Marshal Grandpa!

Shadowless's methods are unpredictable and mysterious.

He can not only control silver needles to attack, but also use his mental power to interfere with the Taoist's perception.

Sometimes, the Taoist priest would clearly see the silver needles flying from the left, but they would appear from the right instead.

Sometimes, a Taoist priest would set up a defense, only to have it silently dismantled by his spiritual power.

Even more terrifying is...

He can even use telekinesis to levitate himself!

Ying Wuhen floated in mid-air, attacking the Taoist priest from above.

The silver needles shot in from all directions, making it impossible to defend against them.

The Taoist priest felt this was very difficult to handle.

But he's not bad either.

His skill in using talismans was extremely high; with a casual flick of his wrist, he could unleash an attack talisman with astonishing power.

What's most amazing is his mastery of formations.

Often, they would unknowingly set up a small formation during battle, causing Ying Wuhen to suffer a hidden loss.

The two went back and forth, employing a variety of tactics.

The audience was dazzled and exclaimed in amazement.

"That was amazing! Both of them are incredible!"

"Ying Wuhen's methods are too unpredictable! They're impossible to defend against!"

"The Taoist priest is quite skilled too! His talismans and formations are perfectly coordinated!"

Wang Xian sat below the stage, having already opened his Reverse Origin Heavenly Eye.

Countless runes flowed within his golden pupils.

He carefully analyzed the combat systems of the two.

Shadowless Spiritual Path allows him to control thirteen silver needles simultaneously, each with its own independent trajectory.

This ability to multitask is something most people can't do.

Moreover, his telekinetic powers allow him to levitate, giving him a significant advantage in battles at lower levels.

Zhang Xuling's array formations and talisman techniques have a different style.

The formation is primarily defensive, while the talismans are primarily offensive; the combination of the two creates a unified offense and defense.

Moreover, he was secretly making arrangements; those seemingly casually thrown-out array flags actually had another purpose.

Wang Xian observed and pondered at the same time.

Did these two's combat systems help him?

Is it worth cultivating?

First and foremost is the way of the spirit.

This is a mainstream cultivation path, on par with Dharma cultivation and physical cultivation.

However, Wang Xian has already cultivated both physical and spiritual methods. If he were to cultivate spiritual methods as well, it would undoubtedly consume a lot of time and energy, hindering his cultivation progress.

but……

After thinking it over, he decided to cultivate all three paths simultaneously.

There are two reasons.

First, the spirit is an extremely important foundation for a person. If the spirit is too weak, it is easy for others to target them.

Mental attacks, illusions, curses... these methods are difficult to defend against.

He didn't want to leave any shortcomings in this area.

Secondly, once the divine soul becomes powerful, it can be used to nourish the "spirit".

The "spirit" wanders between heaven and earth, dissipating every moment. When most of it has dissipated, the "spirit" will fall into a state of confusion until it completely disappears.

In his soul's sea, there also resides a "spirit," which is his adoptive father, Wang Quan.

The king's current "spirit" is still very powerful; after all, the more powerful an existence is, the stronger its "spirit" becomes.

He has only been dead for a little over a decade, and his "spirit" has not yet dissipated much.

But there is a problem.

Each time the power of the monarchy is borrowed, the dissipation of the "spirit" is accelerated.

This is the price of invoking the spirits; it cannot be avoided.

To prevent the royal power from being "drained," Wang Xian has been avoiding using his power.

Simultaneously.

He was also looking for ways to nourish the "spirit" of the monarchy and slow down its dissipation.

One method is to nourish the "spirit" with the soul.

The stronger the spirit, the better the effect of nourishing the "spirit".

Therefore, he must cultivate the spiritual path.

Next is Zhang Xuling's Dao of talismans and formations.

Both of these are excellent supplementary methods.

Talismans can instantly unleash attacks of various attributes without consuming too much spiritual power.

Formations can be used for defense, trapping enemies, and providing support; they have a variety of functions.

If he can learn these two things, his combat system will be more diversified, and he will be able to deal with various troubles more easily.

Moreover, he possesses the Daoist Divine Heart and extraordinary comprehension, which gives him the resources to learn these side businesses.

Unlike others, they won't waste a lot of time and delay their cultivation progress by learning a side job.

Therefore, he also needs to learn talismans and formations.

Wang Xian withdrew her gaze, having already made up her mind.

……

On the stage, the battle had reached its climax.

Shadowless hovered in mid-air, the thirteen Ice Soul Silver Needles like thirteen silver snakes, frantically attacking the Taoist.

The Taoist priest constantly changed positions on the ground, manipulating the formation for defense while simultaneously using talismans to counterattack.

But Ying Wuhen's mental strength was simply too powerful.

His senses covered almost the entire arena, and he could detect every move the Taoist made in advance.

Gradually, the Taoist priest began to lose ground.

The audience held their breath in tension.

"Is the Taoist priest going to lose?"

"Shadowless is too strong! How can we fight him?"

"What a pity, the Taoist's talismans and formations are very powerful, but Ying Wuhen's spiritual power is exactly what counters him..."

however--

The Taoist's lips curled up slightly.

He had been waiting.

He had been waiting since the start of the match.

Ying Wuhen thought he was on the defensive, that he was struggling to hold on.

But in reality, from the very beginning of the competition until now, he has been secretly doing one thing—

Deploy the troops.

Not those small, temporary formations.

It is a large formation.

A large formation covering the entire arena.

He was making arrangements from the very beginning.

Each time a talisman is thrown out, each time a small flag is changed, each time a pattern is carved on the ground—all of these are part of this grand formation.

To avoid being discovered by Ying Wuhen, who possesses strong mental power.

He had been using the fluctuations of other formations to conceal the traces of the main formation.

Ying Wuhen was not proficient in formations, and when he sometimes noticed the Taoist making "extra" movements, he simply assumed it was necessary for setting up other formations.

He never imagined that the Taoist priest had been digging a huge pit from the very beginning.

And now, the pit has been dug.

The Taoist priest abruptly stopped, formed hand seals, and uttered a low shout:

"Charge!"

In that instant—

The entire arena erupted with dazzling light!

Countless runes lit up simultaneously from the ground, from the air, and from all directions!

They intertwined to form a huge net that enveloped the entire arena!

Ying Wuhen's expression changed drastically. He wanted to fly away, but the net had already blocked all escape routes!

He wanted to use his mental power to tear open a hole.

But the power circulating online is the nemesis of mental strength!

He was trapped.

They were completely trapped.

The Taoist priest wiped the sweat from his brow and said weakly:

"Thankfully, the grand formation is finally complete!"

Ying Wuhen remained silent.

Looking at the large net that covered the entire arena, and at the dense array of runes, he felt a surge of powerlessness.

From the very beginning, he fell into the other party's trap.

All the Taoist's defenses, all his counterattacks, all his disheveled state—were all paving the way for this grand formation.

And he didn't notice it from beginning to end.

Ying Wuhen stopped attacking and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, he slowly began to speak:

"I lost."

Zhang Xuling breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground.

He was pale and covered in sweat, looking completely drained.

But he still smiled and said:

"Brother Ying, your mental attack is really strong. I only won because of luck."

Ying Wuhen shook his head:

"Luck is also a part of strength, and your victory is not due to luck."

"I lost."

After saying that, he turned around and left the arena without looking back.

Zhang Xuling watched his retreating figure and gave a bitter smile.

This guy is pretty arrogant!