Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

In their eyes, Li Yun stepping forward to challenge Zhang Yuanfeng, a Xiantian Realm expert, with only sixth level Body Tempering Realm cultivation was no different from willingly courting death.

“Young man, who exactly are you? You are not a member of the Xi Family,” Zhang Yuanfeng said coldly, his brows knitted tightly as he fixed his gaze on Li Yun.

“Who I am does not matter,” Li Yun replied calmly. “All you need to know is that I am here today to kill you.”

His tone was indifferent, as if he were stating an obvious fact.

Li Yun did not place Zhang Yuanfeng in his eyes at all. The gap between the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm and the Xiantian Realm was indeed enormous, but that only applied to those who had firmly stabilized their foundations.

Zhang Yuanfeng had only just stepped into the 1st level of Xiantian Realm, his cultivation still unstable, which gave Li Yun the confidence to fight him.

“How arrogant!” Zhang Yuanfeng’s face darkened. As the head of the Zhang Family and a newly advanced Xiantian Realm expert, he was accustomed to reverence wherever he went. For a mere youth to speak to him in such a manner was an insult he could hardly tolerate.

“Young man, reaching the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm at your age makes you a rare genius,” Zhang Yuanfeng said slowly, forcing himself to regain his composure. “However, genius alone cannot bridge the vast divide between the Xiantian Realm and the Body Tempering Realm. If you kneel now, submit to me, and swear loyalty to my Zhang Family, I will spare your life.”

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture lofty and condescending, as though he were granting a great favor.

“If you want to fight, then stop wasting words,” Li Yun snapped impatiently, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips. “You are only in the 1st level of Xiantian Realm, yet you carry yourself like some supreme emperor.”

“You little beast, since you are bent on dying, I will grant your wish!”

No matter how composed Zhang Yuanfeng usually was, he could no longer endure Li Yun’s repeated ridicule. He let out a furious roar as golden-yellow qi, filled with violent and tyrannical force, burst out of his body like a raging sandstorm. With a single stomp, his figure flashed forward, appearing before Li Yun in an instant, and he brought his palm down with overwhelming force.

Boom.

Qi erupted violently as an enormous palm formed of yellow sand condensed in the air and crashed downward. Its might was terrifying, and wherever it passed, the surrounding air was torn apart, collapsing into visible waves of qi that thundered outward in all directions.

This was the power of a Xiantian Realm expert. Even a casual strike carried strength far beyond what a sixth level Body Tempering Realm martial artist could contend with. Such an attack was more than enough to grievously injure, or even kill, an ordinary sixth level Body Tempering Realm cultivator.

“So this is the strength of the Xiantian Realm. A single strike already carries such terrifying power.”

“How formidable.”

Those who witnessed the attack could not help but cry out in shock, their faces filled with awe and disbelief.

“Heh, what genius. He is nothing but an ignorant fool. Watch how our Zhang Family Patriarch crushes him into pulp with one palm.” The Zhang Family disciples nearby cheered excitedly, as if Li Yun’s tragic end had already been decided.

“I truly underestimated the power of a Xiantian Realm expert.”

Xi Dong’s expression turned grave as he watched. He had once planned to exchange his life for a chance to severely injure Zhang Yuanfeng and buy the Xi Family a brief respite, but after witnessing this strike, he understood how naive that thought had been. Even if he fought with everything he had, he feared he would not be able to injure Zhang Yuanfeng at all.

The gap between the Body Tempering Realm and the true Xiantian Realm was like an insurmountable abyss.

“Li Yun, please be safe,” Xi Luo silently prayed, her hands clenched tightly within her sleeves, her palms damp with cold sweat as anxiety filled her heart.

“Excellent!”

Li Yun paid no attention to the noise around him. As he stared at the massive yellow sand palm crashing toward him, his eyes burned with intense battle intent. He threw his head back and released a long roar as dazzling golden light burst from his body, wrapping him completely, as though a Golden War God had descended upon the arena, radiating a terrifying and ferocious aura.

This was the second stage of the Golden Battle Body.

Deep within him, his internal genes resonated violently, unleashing waves of explosive strength that surged through his limbs and bones.

Li Yun growled low in his throat, his fist glowing with blinding gold as he made no attempt to evade. He stepped forward and punched straight ahead, meeting the descending yellow sand palm head-on.

Boom.

A thunderous explosion echoed across the arena as the enormous sand palm was smashed apart in midair.

Yet even as it shattered, the residual force was terrifying. A vast impact slammed into Li Yun’s body, forcing him backward. Each step he took sent cracks spidering through the solid arena floor beneath his feet, the ground groaning under the pressure as deep footprints were carved into the stone.

This alone showed the immense strain his physical body was enduring.

Had it been any other sixth level Body Tempering Realm martial artist, they would have been reduced to a mangled corpse by that power. Only Li Yun’s terrifying physique, reinforced by the Golden Battle Body, allowed him to withstand it.

“The Xiantian Realm is far stronger than I expected.”

Li Yun steadied himself, flexed his slightly numb fist, and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. A grave light appeared in his eyes. Even a newly advanced Xiantian Realm expert was no simple opponent.

“That strike just now was only half of my strength, yet it was enough to kill any Half-Step Xiantian. This boy actually blocked it. Unbelievable.”

Zhang Yuanfeng stared at Li Yun in shock, and then a cold killing intent flickered in his gaze. “This child is undoubtedly a true genius. Since he has chosen to stand with the Xi Family, I cannot allow him to live. If he is allowed to grow, my Zhang Family will face great danger.”

“You little beast, you truly have some ability. But if you think this alone is enough to challenge a Xiantian Realm expert, then you are hopelessly naive.”

Zhang Yuanfeng roared as murderous intent surged outward. His hands formed a seal, and his qi spiraled violently.

“Die. Mad Sandstorm!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Boundless yellow qi burst forth from Zhang Yuanfeng’s body, flooding the surrounding space as countless sand-like particles condensed in the air. A fierce gale rose from nowhere, sweeping through the arena and driving the yellow sand into a violent spiral.

In an instant, the sky was filled with raging sand that twisted together like a colossal tornado, exuding a terrifying and oppressive presence.

Each grain of yellow sand screamed through the air at astonishing speed, carrying a murderous aura. The destructive power contained within a single grain was enough to easily take the life of a ninth-level Body Tempering Realm martial artist.

With so much sand surging together, even a Xiantian Realm expert would be forced to treat it with caution, let alone someone at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

“Die.”

Zhang Yuanfeng’s voice thundered across the arena, heavy with killing intent. The next instant, the raging sand tornado roared forward, swallowing everything in its path as it charged straight toward Li Yun.

A sharp sense of danger surged through Li Yun’s heart, and he did not dare to show the slightest carelessness. He immediately circulated both of his high-grade mortal rank cultivation arts, the Crimson Flame Scripture and the Azure Wind Method, pushing them to the ninth layer without restraint.

A terrifying aura erupted from his body, far more intense than anything he had revealed before, even surpassing what he had displayed in front of Xi Dong. This time, Li Yun held nothing back.

In one fluid motion, he drew his sword. As his arm descended, he unleashed the first move of the Skybreaker Sword Art. A fierce sword light tore downward, carrying overwhelming momentum.

“How laughable. That little beast is truly overestimating himself.”

Zhang Yuanfeng sneered coldly when he saw Li Yun’s response. To him, the difference between the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm and the Xiantian Realm was not merely a matter of quantity, but of fundamental quality.

A Xiantian Realm martial artist wielded true qi, while someone in the Body Tempering Realm relied only on internal energy. No matter how refined it was, internal energy could never contend with true qi.

The gap between the two was absolute.

Yet Li Yun dared to use mere internal energy to confront the true qi of a Xiantian Realm expert head-on. In Zhang Yuanfeng’s eyes, this was nothing more than foolish arrogance, something so ridiculous it bordered on self-destruction.

However, at the moment when the roaring yellow sand tornado collided with Li Yun’s descending sword light, the mocking sneer on Zhang Yuanfeng’s face abruptly froze.