I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Thoughts raced through Zheng Yifei's mind.

Give up close-quarters combat skills? That's impossible.

This is his current means of survival and the ability to turn the tables on those of higher levels. Once the big shots of those cultivation families figure it out and find a way to break it, how will he be able to scheme against others in the future?

He took a deep breath, and a look of fear and shame appeared on his face at the right moment: "Reporting to the sect master, it is not that this disciple is being stingy, but I really have no compiled secret techniques to hand over."

"Oh?"

Xu Tianyang raised an eyebrow slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Zheng Yifei continued to fabricate a half-true, half-false lie: "Before I entered the sect, I wandered and begged in the market. In order to snatch a scrap of food, I often fought with stray dogs and thugs, and developed some instincts for street fighting."

Later, at a random martial arts stall in the market, he accidentally found a tattered boxing manual, which contained some insidious moves that could dislocate tendons and bones and attack vital points of the human body.

Knowing that he possessed only five spiritual roots, his speed and power in cultivating spells were far inferior to his fellow disciples. Therefore, he could only find another way, combining the moves from the fist manual with his own spiritual energy, and haphazardly figuring things out.

Zheng Yifei paused, his tone becoming increasingly sincere: "Today on the arena, I was also forced into a desperate situation by Senior Brother Zhao Kuang. His body cultivation qi was too hard, and my conventional spells couldn't break through his defenses at all. On the verge of life and death, I could only rely on my muscle instincts and use those underhanded methods to attack his weak points."

These techniques are unsystematic and extremely vicious and vulgar. If the most talented disciples in the sect were to learn them, it would not only damage the reputation of the Qingyun Sect as a righteous and prestigious sect, but it would also mislead them and needlessly waste their time cultivating orthodox magic.

Xu Tianyang listened quietly, his deep gaze seemingly able to see through Zheng Yifei's very being.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Zheng Yifei had his head down, and a layer of cold sweat was seeping out from his back.

After a moment, Xu Tianyang shook his head slightly and chuckled to himself.

"Never mind, I was just asking casually."

Xu Tianyang withdrew the suffocating pressure and his tone became calmer. "What you said makes sense. Close combat is ultimately a side path and can't be considered respectable."

As a powerful cultivator at the Golden Core stage, Xu Tianyang possessed exceptional insight. After a moment's thought, he saw through the limitations of this close-combat technique.

"Your methods can indeed be surprisingly effective in the Qi Refining stage."

Xu Tianyang picked up his teacup and said slowly, "Cultivators in the Qi Refining stage cannot release their spiritual power over long distances, and their spells are slow and weak. Once someone gets close, they are indeed prone to panic."

But the real battles in the cultivation world only begin at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Xu Tianyang looked at Zheng Yifei with a deep gaze, as if giving him a hint or a warning: "Once you step into the Foundation Establishment stage, not only will your spiritual power undergo a qualitative change, but you will also develop divine sense. With a sweep of divine sense, every detail within a hundred feet will be revealed. No matter how strange your movement technique is, you will not be able to escape the lock of divine sense."

Moreover, Foundation Establishment cultivators can fly on swords and kill people from a hundred paces away. With a wave of their hand, they can unleash a wide-range spell bombardment. What matters is the depth and precision of their spiritual power, as well as the strength of their magic weapons. They will not give you a chance to get close.

Even if you manage to get close, a Foundation Establishment cultivator's protective spiritual energy shield is far superior to Zhao Kuang's rudimentary physical qi. Your mundane joint techniques and attacks on weaknesses won't even break through their spiritual energy shield, let alone injure them.

"Sect Master, you are wise and insightful. Your disciple has learned a great deal."

Zheng Yifei immediately seized the opportunity and bowed respectfully.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the sect leader's arrogance and the established perceptions of the cultivation world had become his best cover.

"Therefore, don't waste too much energy on things that are putting the cart before the horse."

Xu Tianyang put down his teacup, his tone carrying a hint of expectation: "You are a smart person, your brain is better than all the elders of the nine major families of the Qingyun Sect combined."

"You handled the logistics department affairs very well. I hope you can focus more on the sect's grand undertaking and your own cultivation, and establish your foundation as soon as possible; that is the right path. Now, step back and prepare for the upcoming grand competition."

"This disciple takes his leave."

In the following days, the outer sect competition entered a heated phase.

However, for the Qi Refining Level 9 group, the competition became completely predictable, even somewhat bizarrely comical.

Zheng Yifei's reputation has spread far and wide throughout the outer sect.

However, this reputation carries a somewhat chilling "stench".

Zhao Kuang's miserable state was still vivid in my mind. The once invincible number one body cultivator of the outer sect, whose physical body was comparable to that of a demon beast, not only had his nose shattered when he was carried away, but more importantly, his lower body suffered a devastating blow.

It is said that after the elders of Danfeng went to see it, they all shook their heads, saying that the thing was too thoroughly shattered, unless there was the legendary Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill.

This visually striking and psychologically traumatic record instilled a deep-seated fear in all the outer disciples who participated in the competition towards Zheng Yifei.

On the seventh day of the competition, Zheng Yifei faced off against a veteran rogue cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

As soon as the disciple stepped onto the stage, before the referee could even call "start," he covered his groin with both hands, his legs clenched tightly together, and cried out in a trembling voice, "I surrender! Director Zheng, please have mercy! I haven't married my Daoist partner yet, I surrender!"

The audience burst into laughter, but no one thought he was embarrassed. If they were in his shoes, they would probably have reacted the same way.

On the eighth day of the competition, finally someone refused to believe in the superstition.

That was a disciple who had cultivated the Yellow-Rank High-Grade Wind-Type Spell "Wind Control Technique," and his movements were extremely agile.

He learned from Zhao Kuang's mistake and started by creating distance, trying to wear down Zheng Yifei by "flying a kite" from afar with his wind blades.

"Zheng Yifei, your underhanded methods are only good against clumsy body cultivators! You can't even touch me, let's see how you win!"

As the disciple moved rapidly along the edge of the arena, he waved his hands repeatedly, sending dozens of cyan wind blades whistling towards Zheng Yifei.

However, he underestimated Zheng Yifei's capabilities.

Zheng Yifei remained expressionless as the immense spiritual power of his five spiritual roots erupted instantly.

He didn't dodge, but instead formed hand seals and uttered a low shout: "Earth Technique!"

A thick, solid layer of rock armor instantly covered his entire body. Wind blades struck it, leaving only white marks and a few sparks, unable to penetrate the defense at all.

Despite the dense wind blades, Zheng Yifei pushed his "Dragon Step" to its limit, transforming into a streak of azure lightning. Not only was he incredibly fast, but his movements were also unpredictable, perfectly avoiding the areas where the wind blades were most concentrated.

In just three breaths, Zheng Yifei withstood the attack, crossed half the arena, and landed right in front of the disciple's face.

"you……"

The disciple was shocked and was about to change his move and retreat.

Zheng Yifei had already grabbed his wrist and, with a perfectly executed over-the-shoulder throw, slammed him hard onto the bluestone slab. Immediately afterward, Zheng Yifei pressed his knee against the man's chest and twisted his hands in the opposite direction.

"Snap!"

The sound of dislocation is crisp and pleasant.

"Ah! I give up! I give up!"

The disciple screamed repeatedly, clutching his dislocated arm and rolling on the ground.

From then on, no one dared to play tricks on Zheng Yifei.

Whether it's an earth-elemental cultivator skilled in defense or a fire-elemental cultivator skilled in attack, once Zheng Yifei's bizarre "Dragon Steps" get close, what follows is a set of unethical joint locks, throat locks, or even eye gouging and groin kicks.

Zheng Yifei was like a precise and ruthless meat grinder, relying on his abnormally powerful spiritual energy and the unrestricted fighting skills from his previous life to sweep through everything in his path.

On the tenth day of the competition, the free-for-all and ranking matches for the top ten began.

This match, which should have been the most intense and bloodiest showdown, turned into a tacitly coordinated "avoidance race" because of Zheng Yifei's presence.

Everyone who saw Zheng Yifei on the stage would consciously take a detour.

Nobody wants to experience the pain of childlessness just for a ranking.

In the end, Zheng Yifei stood unscathed and in first place in the Qi Refining Level 9 group with a perfect record, looking down on all the other heroes.

The month-long outer sect competition has finally come to a close amidst much anticipation.