Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 217: Chapter 155: Showdown

Brother Du stood atop the Flying Boat, gazing solemnly at Li Shiming, with eyes filled with an aura of fatal determination, as though he was looking at an object devoid of life.

As Qi Refining cultivators, those with Heavenly Spirit Roots had a formidable advantage.

The best main cultivation technique, the strongest body refining technique, and a copious supply of resources were all to ensure that disciples with Heavenly Spirit Roots could establish the most solid foundation during their Qi Refinement stage.

Another advantage of such talent was an abundance of time.

Since they did not need to consider a secondary cultivator profession while in the Qi Refinement stage, they had more time to practice powerful magical techniques and could even gain both cultivation experience and real combat experience from instructors sent by their sect.

At least within the Holy Ice Sect, cultivators with Heavenly Spirit Roots and other cultivators were on two entirely different levels.

Brother Du held all the information about Li Shiming in his hands. His cultivation of the ‘Vajra Body Protection Divine Skill’ had taken on a truly substantial form, which was even stronger than his body refinement.

Li Shiming had also learned the strongest ‘Sword Manipulation Technique’ and had a deep understanding of formations.

Looking at the profile, Brother Du could imagine this was an incredibly hardworking cultivator, but with a talent of Triple Spirit Roots, if one had a talent for body refinement, they should devote all their energy to strengthening it.

However, the Li Shiming in the files seemed to want to meddle in everything: ‘Sword Manipulation Technique’, formations, and even dabbled in spirit plant cultivation in the early stages.

Li Shiming had been in the sect for just four years, and in such a brief span of time, attempting to develop comprehensively, did he really think himself to possess a Heavenly Spirit Root?

The only thing Brother Du needed to be cautious of was Li Shiming’s body refinement; as for the ‘Sword Manipulation Technique’, he did not take it seriously at all.

Li Shiming’s body refinement, when battling at sea, naturally lost half of its potency.

Qi Refining cultivators were not Foundation Establishment cultivators; they could not fly as they wished and had to rely completely on magic artifacts, which were not flexible enough, hence they couldn’t utilize the advantages of body refinement to the fullest.

Brother Du’s flawless completion of every mission was not without reason; he would thoroughly analyze the enemy before embarking on a mission, acting only when he ensured that success was a certainty.

Li Shiming felt the spiritual power within his body extraordinarily lively. Ever since he reached the late-stage Qi Refining, he had not engaged in combat with a cultivator of the same rank.

The main reason was that his time in the late-stage Qi Refining had been relatively short, and he hadn’t encountered an opponent with whom he could engage in battle.

Upon seeing Brother Du and the five Qi Refining cultivators holding formation flags in five different directions, he sighed in relief, finally having the chance to battle against peers of his rank.

Since entering the Cultivation World, opportunities to fight against cultivators of the same rank had been very scarce; he had always faced enemies far stronger than himself.

This forced him to win fights by wit, using bombs, Corpse Refining, or cunning schemes.

Today, he wanted to fight honorably and straightforwardly, as a true cultivator should.

“Holy Ice Sect, Du Bingyan!” Du Bingyan flew to a point fifty meters in front of Li Shiming, retracted his Flying Boat, and after bolstering himself with a flight talisman, he boldly declared his identity to Li Shiming.

Since Li Shiming had not fled, he deserved Du Bingyan’s respectful treatment, to let Li Shiming know who had defeated him, so he could die with clarity.

“Sky Sea Sect, Li Shiming!” Li Shiming responded just as calmly and pridefully.

He sensed the aura of Qi Refining Ninth Level from Du Bingyan, along with the sound of blood coursing through his veins.

Judging by the sound of the flowing blood, he knew that his opponent likewise had a minor accomplishment in body refinement.

Li Shiming had also heard rumors that there was a genius cultivator in the Sky Sea Sect, but his usual circle was mostly involved with formation, not intersecting with that of the genius cultivator’s, thus he did not know much about said genius.

But he did know that the standards for a genius cultivator were extremely high, and in a sect, they were numbered in the single digits, with the Sky Sea Sect counting no more than a handful of geniuses.

It wasn’t due to the sect’s inability to nurture them, but rather that there were too few cultivators who met the criteria of genius cultivation.

Among this handful of individuals, there were three with slightly higher talent selected out of those with Dual Spirit Roots.

Genius cultivators were the treasures of the sect, the Golden Core seeds of the sect’s next generation.

The first genius cultivator Li Shiming had ever met was Baili Jin Yan, whose strength was such that even now, he would not dare to boast about being able to defeat him.

Although Yin Shilan had a Heavenly Spirit Root, she was not considered a genius cultivator of the sect, mainly because she had a greater passion for formations, and her cultivation was solely for the purpose of forms.

The sect nurtured genius cultivators for the purpose of bolstering their combat strength.

Of course, Yin Shilan’s situation was more unique. She didn’t need the quota of the sect’s genius cultivators; she still received the best resources from Elder Yin.

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and Li Shiming’s right hand brandished the Broken Jade Sword while light radiated from the Spirit Turtle Shield in his left hand, enveloping his body in a protective glow.

Knowing his adversary was a genius cultivator, he dared not to show the slightest negligence.

At the same moment, a layer of ice armor appeared on Du Bingyan’s body, and a super-grade sword-shaped magical artifact fluttered by his side.

The reason it was referred to as a super-grade sword-shaped magical artifact, not a Flying Boat, was because ever since Li Shiming acquired the ‘Ten Directions Sword Cultivation Technique’, although he had not begun having his clone study it, he had gained a deeper understanding of sword cultivators.

He would no longer consider a sword capable of flight simply a flying sword, nor were sword cultivators merely those who could control flying swords.

A true sword cultivator honed their main cultivation technique and used flying swords, all adhering to the notion of serving the sword.

Neither he nor Du Bingyan were sword cultivators; they were just wielding magical artifacts in battle.

“Slash!” Du Bingyan made the first move, launching the super-grade sword-shaped magical artifact towards Li Shiming with a swift chant, aiming to slash him down.