In the Lingxi Realm, every time one ascends to a new level, a new small microcosmic circulation system forms within the body.
Lu Ye, now at the third level of the Lingxi Realm, has opened twenty-seven acupoints, with nine acupoints forming one circulation. Thus, he has three small microcosmic circulation systems within his body, where the spiritual energy flows like a stream, ceaselessly.
What surprised Lu Ye was that after achieving the third level of the Lingxi Realm, he distinctly felt a resonance among these three spiritual energy circulation systems, something that did not occur when he achieved the first and second levels.
This resonance made the flow of spiritual energy within his body even faster.
Now, he had also cultivated the Golden Cicada Freedom Technique, which he obtained from Manager Yang, to its perfected state. If the twenty-seven acupoints he had opened were connected in a certain order, they would form a pattern resembling a toad lying on the ground.
The name of the Golden Cicada Freedom Technique likely originated from this.
Each circulation of spiritual energy was like the toad's breathing, and although the three spiritual energy circulation systems seemed independent, they could actually influence each other...
In theory, with an increase in cultivation by one level, Lu Ye's strength should have increased by about thirty percent. However, he felt that his strength had increased by more than that, perhaps by about fifty percent. He realized that this was due to the benefits of cultivating a complete set of techniques to perfection.
If he had faced Zhang Wu with his current cultivation level, he would not have had to pay such a high price, and he might have defeated him without any injuries.
In terms of offensive power, he had the Sharp Spirit Pattern, which even a fourth-level Lingxi Realm cultivator like Zhang Wu could not withstand when he was at the second level.
For defense, he had the Guarding Spirit Pattern, which Zhang Wu could not break through.
His offensive and defensive capabilities both exceeded his current realm. What he lacked was combat experience and techniques, but experience could only be accumulated through actual combat.
As for techniques... during his journey, he spent at least two hours each day practicing with his saber. Although the time was short, he could now hold the saber more steadily and draw it more quickly than before.
After all, he had killed a few people and gradually became familiar with the feeling of his long saber cutting through the enemy's protective spiritual energy and striking their flesh. By ingraining this feeling into his mind and making it instinctive, he could naturally develop advanced skills.
Cultivation could no longer continue; he had only a few remaining spirit pills and no suitable cultivation techniques.
His injuries were already healed, and after a moment of thought, Lu Ye stood up.
A short while later, he gathered Yi Yi and Da Hu and left the tunnel where they had been hiding for several days.
According to the information Yi Yi provided, the Xuanmen Sect and the Jiuxing Sect had been clashing fiercely within the Sky-Cleaving Gorge over the past few days, with small-scale battles breaking out frequently, causing casualties on both sides.
Lu Ye silently praised the Xuanmen Sect in his heart.
This was exactly the situation he had hoped for, and it was the reason he could hide for so long.
He had previously thought that the Xuanmen Sect and the Jiuxing Sect could not coexist peacefully, and once the Jiuxing Sect made any major moves, the Xuanmen Sect would certainly respond. Now, it seemed he had underestimated the deep-seated enmity between the sects due to their opposing camps.
The entire incident started when Lu Ye killed four disciples, including the Jiuxing Sect's young master, which led to a large-scale search for Lu Ye by the Jiuxing Sect. However, while he was quietly recovering from his injuries, the situation had escalated into a full-scale battle between the Lingxi Realm cultivators of the two major sects.
He had originally planned to stir up the situation, but now it seemed unnecessary.
The situation was in his favor, but it was unrealistic for Lu Ye to simply leave. He did not know how many people the two sects had deployed in the Sky-Cleaving Gorge, and he was now caught in the middle. To escape, he needed to leverage the Xuanmen Sect's strength.
With a plan in mind, he had Yi Yi lead the way and scout the situation, while he and Da Hu stealthily followed about thirty paces behind.
In a ten-zhang-wide gorge, seven cultivators were engaged in a chaotic battle. One side had three people, and the other had four. The side with fewer people was clearly in the lead, mainly because their average cultivation level was higher. Among them, one was at the fourth level of the Lingxi Realm, and the other two were at the third level.
On the other side, two were at the third level, and two were at the second level. One of the third-level cultivators had a bleeding arm, clearly already injured.
In battles between low-level cultivators, close combat was the norm, and rarely did they use magical techniques. This was because their cultivation levels were not high enough for the techniques to be powerful, and casting them took time, making them easy to disrupt. Even if they succeeded, accuracy was a problem.
In such a battle, the side with higher cultivation and stronger weapons naturally had the advantage.
Among the four, the leader was a burly man holding a large saber, defending the others as they retreated. He shouted, "Go!"
He seemed determined to stay behind and cover their retreat.
The other three looked sorrowful but did not abandon him to save themselves. Instead, they fought alongside him, retreating step by step.
But this was only a temporary solution. Once the burly man fell, all four would die.
The fourth-level cultivator on the other side clearly understood this. Even though he had the opportunity to kill the burly man, he did not do so. Instead, he continuously inflicted wounds on him, making him look even more pitiful.
Not far behind the four, Lu Ye and Da Hu were hidden among a pile of rocks, observing through the gaps.
He had been somewhat puzzled about how to distinguish between the cultivators of the Xuanmen Sect and the Jiuxing Sect, as he couldn't just ask them their identities.
But seeing the battle, he realized he had overthought it. The cultivators of the Xuanmen Sect and the Jiuxing Sect were easily distinguishable because their hands glowed with different colors.
Lu Ye was quite surprised by this and did not know why it was happening.
He had not noticed any such activity with the battlefield mark during his previous battles.
What he did not know was that this was all due to Wang Yang. The Xuanmen Sect and the Jiuxing Sect had been fighting for many years in this area, but because the Xuanmen Sect had more and stronger Lingxi Realm cultivators, they had always been in the lead. This made the Jiuxing Sect's Lingxi Realm cultivators in this area very low-profile, making it difficult for the Xuanmen Sect to hunt them down.
With the killing of the Jiuxing Sect's young master, almost all of the Jiuxing Sect's Lingxi Realm cultivators had mobilized, presenting an opportunity for the Xuanmen Sect.
An opportunity to hunt down the Jiuxing Sect's disciples on a large scale.
So, Wang Yang did not care about the cause of the incident. He saw a chance to severely damage the Jiuxing Sect and was willing to pay a price to declare war on them using the Heavenly Opportunity Pillar at their base.
The Jiuxing Sect had the right to refuse such a declaration, but they could not refuse this time as they needed to capture the murderer of their young master.
Dong Shuye could only grit his teeth and accept it, inwardly cursing Wang Yang's ancestors.
During this period of declared war, once the cultivators of both sides engaged in combat, their hands would glow with different colors, clearly indicating their allegiances.
This was important because both sides had many independent cultivators whose faces were unfamiliar to many of the sect's cultivators. The battlefield mark helped avoid friendly fire and quickly identify enemies and allies.