Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

Swish! Swish! Swish!

With a determined expression, Li Yun clashed with the opponent again and again. Through these repeated exchanges, his sword speed became faster and faster.

The tempering effect here was no weaker than when he had practiced his sword beneath the waterfall. In fact, it was even slightly better.

After all, the waterfall was a dead thing. The opponent before him, although not a true living being, possessed intelligence and could actively fight against him.

After battle after battle, an entire day and night passed before Li Yun finally defeated the opponent and resolved the forty-first chess piece.

After that, he spent another day and a half and went through more than a hundred battles before resolving the forty-second chess piece.

Another two days passed, and he successfully resolved the forty-third chess piece.

After countless battles and countless sword swings, Li Yun suddenly entered a moment of epiphany.

His mind slipped into an extremely profound state. In that state, his thoughts became blank, and his body seemed to move beyond his conscious control. Guided entirely by instinct, he thrust his sword forward.

This strike looked extremely slow.

It was so slow that it seemed no faster than a snail crawling forward, giving people the feeling that even a baby or an old woman could easily dodge it.

Yet when facing this strike, the guardian of the forty-fourth chess piece seemed to suddenly turn dull. It froze in place without moving at all, allowing the sword to pierce through its body with ease.

This strike was none other than the Slow Sword.

Li Yun did not know where this sword art had come from, nor did he understand why it had suddenly appeared in his mind. At this moment, he was fully immersed in comprehending it.

In that profound state of comprehension, Li Yun had actually relied entirely on instinct and subconsciously executed the Slow Sword.

A fast sword, no matter how fast it was, still had traces that could be followed. However, the Slow Sword contained a certain power of rules. Although the sword was slow, it would always strike its mark, leaving the opponent with no possibility of evasion.

”Hm?”

Only after swinging that sword did Li Yun suddenly realize that he had just executed the Slow Sword.

His mind stirred, and he immediately tried to carefully recall the feeling of that previous sword strike. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember it clearly.

He only remembered that he had indeed executed the Slow Sword, but the exact process was hidden behind a thick layer of fog. It was impossible to grasp.

He wanted to execute the Slow Sword again, but no matter what he did, he could not find that same feeling. It was as if everything had been a fleeting dream. Once he woke, the dream had already ended.

After immersing himself in thought for half a day without gaining anything, he could only shake his head and sigh softly in his heart.

’Was the Slow Sword just my imagination?’

Li Yun wondered for a moment.

’Or is it because these guardians dropped some kind of experience related to this sword art after I defeated them, allowing me to gradually touch upon its mysteries?’

Li Yun could not determine which possibility was true, but he did not dwell on it for too long.

Just before the half-month deadline arrived, Li Yun defeated the guardian of the forty-seventh chess piece. In total, he had cracked forty-seven pieces.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the next moment, he and all the other challengers were pulled out of the world inside the Starfall Chessboard, and their consciousnesses returned to their bodies.

”Seven failed. Eliminated.”

The expression of the purple-robed middle-aged man’s phantom was cold. With a wave of his sleeve, seven beams of light descended. Immediately afterward, seven screams rang out, and those enveloped by the light died on the spot.

Clearly, those seven people had failed to crack even twenty chess pieces. Their aptitude and comprehension ability were too poor, so they had been directly eliminated by the guardian of Starfall Pass.

”Useless trash.”

Yuan Haoyan glanced at those seven people, then withdrew his gaze. He looked at Luo Qingchen with a confident and proud expression, saying, ”Luo Qingchen, I am definitely winning this bet.”

”Is that so?”

Luo Qingchen looked at Yuan Haoyan lightly. The corner of his mouth lifted as he extended a finger and shook it, then smiled faintly. ”Yuan Haoyan, I do not know where your confidence comes from, but I can tell you that you will definitely lose. First place is absolutely mine.”

”You are dreaming.”

Yuan Haoyan sneered repeatedly.

Their confrontational attitude caused many people nearby to frown, but no one stepped forward to interfere.

Li Yun simply watched everything with cold detachment.

”Now, I will announce the top ten results of the Starfall Chessboard.”

The purple-robed middle-aged man’s phantom also ignored Yuan Haoyan, Luo Qingchen, and the others. He spoke indifferently, ”Tenth place, Wu Jian, thirty-two chess pieces cracked.”

At these words, the cultivator named Wu Jian immediately revealed an excited expression.

As for a large number of the other cultivators, disappointment appeared on their faces. Since even tenth place had cracked thirty-two chess pieces, it was clear that they no longer had any hope of entering the top ten.

Now, the only thing they cared about was who had cracked the most chess pieces in this challenge and how high the final number would be.

”Ninth place, Li Xuanyan, thirty-three chess pieces cracked.”

”Eighth place, Zhang Dexuan, thirty-four chess pieces cracked.”

The purple-robed middle-aged man’s phantom continued announcing the rankings quickly.

”Fourth place, Chen Quan, thirty-seven chess pieces cracked.”

In the blink of an eye, he had already announced up to fourth place. At this point, he intentionally paused for a moment before continuing.

”Third place, Yuan Haoyan, thirty-nine chess pieces cracked.”

”What?”

Hearing this, Yuan Haoyan was stunned.

Third place?

He was only third?

”Hahahaha!”

Luo Qingchen could not help laughing heartily. A mocking smile appeared on his face as he glanced at Yuan Haoyan and laughed loudly. ”Yuan Haoyan, so this is all you are capable of. You only obtained third place, yet you still wanted to compete with me for first. You truly thought too highly of yourself. I really overestimated you.”

”You!”

Yuan Haoyan’s face flushed red instantly.

He glared fiercely at Luo Qingchen, his heart filled with shock and anger.

In his mind, among this batch of cultivators, apart from Luo Qingchen, no one else should have been able to match him. Taking first place should not have been much of a problem, yet his final ranking was only third.

Who had pushed him down?

”Second place, Luo Qingchen, forty chess pieces cracked.”

At that moment, the calm voice of the purple-robed middle-aged man’s phantom rang out again.

The instant these words were spoken, Luo Qingchen’s laughter stopped abruptly as if it had been cut off by a blade. He froze in place, completely unable to believe his own ears.

Second place?

He was not first?

First place actually belonged to someone else?

”Hahahaha!”

This time, it was Yuan Haoyan’s turn to laugh heartily. He pointed at Luo Qingchen mockingly and laughed loudly. ”Luo Qingchen, I really thought you had taken first place. It turns out that you are only second. Hahaha! You and I are not that different after all, so what are you acting arrogant for now?”

”Impossible!”

Luo Qingchen’s face filled with rage. His eyes blazed as he glared at the purple-robed middle-aged man’s phantom and shouted angrily, ”How could I only be second? You must have made a mistake. Tell me, who is first? Who dares to steal my top spot?”

The purple-robed middle-aged man’s phantom remained indifferent and completely ignored Luo Qingchen’s unreasonable outburst.

He spoke lightly, ”First place, Li Yun, forty-seven chess pieces cracked.”

As he spoke, a smile actually appeared on his face.

He looked toward Li Yun with a satisfied expression, nodded gently, and said, ”Not bad, young one. Your performance is truly impressive.”

”What?”

”It is him?”

”How could it be him?”

As soon as the purple-robed middle-aged man announced the result, Yuan Haoyan, Luo Qingchen, and the many other cultivators were all stunned.

Every gaze turned toward Li Yun in disbelief. Their eyes widened as if they had seen a ghost.

The first place in the Starfall Chessboard was not Yuan Haoyan or Luo Qingchen, but this seemingly unknown Li Yun?

Wait.

Li Yun had actually cracked forty-seven chess pieces?