Cultivating To Immortality

The round-robin tournament continued.

Song Yan subsequently encountered Zhao Xuan, Sun Zhengfu, and Chen Chen.

Sun Zhengfu had been on a losing streak; the previous elimination rounds seemed to have left him unable to fight anyone else.

When he met Song Yan, he simply and decisively conceded.

Zhao Xuan and Chen Chen, however, approached it with a desire to spar, each taking the stage to compete with him, and both were undoubtedly defeated by Song Yan.

"Isn’t Song Yan having it too easy? Why do these people have no backbone at all..."

Facing someone far superior to oneself, some people will always feel certain emotions and complain a few times.

"Except for Senior Sister Yuwen’s match, he barely even used his Flying Sword."

"Heh heh, what do you know? Xiang Zhaoling, Lin Qing, Shao Sichao, including Zhao Xuan and Chen Chen. Which one isn’t a formidable character?"

"Their concession precisely shows that Song Yan’s strength has made them feel it’s unnecessary to fight hard, and conserving their strength will allow them to achieve a better ranking."

"But he’s too relaxed."

Song Yan sat in the waiting area, his expression calm. He didn’t care about the discussions of others, only silently adjusted his breath and recovered his Spiritual Qi.

Although he won three or four matches by default, he knew very well that the real tough battles were about to come.

Soon, the voice of the Elder of the deacons sounded again.

"Central Platform, Number 17 Song Yan, against Number 20, Han Yuan."

Song Yan slowly opened his eyes.

Han Yuan, he had paid attention to him.

He entered the Dao through martial arts, a rare Body Cultivator.

"Han Yuan? Is that the Jianghu Martial Artist?"

"I heard his Moves are fierce and he has the Realm of Level 8 Qi Refining."

"If he hadn’t fought his way through, he might have been able to contend with those two."

"Unfortunately, I heard that when he entered the Dao, he was already over twenty years old; otherwise, with his talent, he would probably be at Level 9 Qi Refining or even Foundation Establishment by now."

"I don’t think so; he is fixated on the Body Refining Dao, and it’s a dead end."

In today’s Chu Kingdom Cultivation World, no matter which Dao one primarily cultivates, it doesn’t affect other people’s perception of a person.

Unless, that person is on the path of Body Refining.

In the eyes of most people, appropriate Body Refining is naturally beneficial, strengthening meridians, stabilizing the Dantian Qi Sea, and so on.

But what’s the difference between primarily cultivating body techniques and being a mundane Jianghu Martial Artist?

In the Early Stage and Middle Stage of the Qi Refining Realm, Body Cultivators indeed have some advantages in combat, but once they reach the Late Stage of Qi Refining, they become extremely weak.

In short, it’s a dead end.

Song Yan had heard about this, but what path others took was irrelevant to him.

He couldn’t possibly underestimate his opponent because of it.

He slowly walked onto the Sword Debate Platform.

Across from him, Han Yuan was already standing. He was burly, with bulging muscles, and his fists were covered in calluses, clearly from years of refining his Physical Body. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Even after continuous battles, he still gave Song Yan a sense of steady calm, like facing a mountain.

Han Yuan grinned, cupped his fists, and said, "Junior Brother Song, I’ve heard much about you, and today I finally have the chance to learn from you!"

Song Yan returned the greeting: "Senior Brother Han, after a series of battles, do you need some time to recover?"

During a match, if both parties jointly request a pause, there can be a half-incense stick’s worth of interruption.

However, it’s usually not a situation where both sides agree.

An opponent who is tired while I am still fresh; those with remaining strength would wish to seize this opportunity to win.

Unexpectedly, Han Yuan slowly shook his head: "Junior Brother Song is kind-hearted, but there’s no need for that."

"In a real life-and-death struggle, an opponent wouldn’t give me this chance."

Song Yan nodded, admiring him in his heart.

With a command from the Elder of the deacons, the match began!

Without a word, Han Yuan stomped his foot, and his entire body lunged forward like a fierce tiger, his fist wind howling, aiming directly for Song Yan’s face!

It was fast, but not fast enough.

Song Yan’s eyes narrowed, his Lingyun Intent circulated, and he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the punch.

However, Han Yuan’s offensive didn’t stop; his punches were like a torrential storm, wide and sweeping, each strike imbued with fierce Spiritual Qi, making the air hum.

His expression changed, and he secretly sighed: "What fierce boxing!"

He did not rush to counterattack, but instead used Sword Qi to protect his body, constantly dodging and observing Han Yuan’s Moves.

However, his punches were extremely heavy; even just a graze, Song Yan could feel his protective Spiritual Qi and Sword Qi being dispersed.

Han Yuan was equally surprised.

The feeling he got from this initial exchange was like punching a blade; the Sword Qi made his fists and palms ache.

"This Junior Brother Song excels in Sword Qi and Flying Sword. Only close-quarters grappling offers a chance of victory!"

Song Yan calculated in his mind: "I can’t drag this out!"

With a thought, Sleeve Green Snake suddenly erupted, and a vast amount of green Sword Qi, like a swimming snake, coiled out, heading straight for Han Yuan!

Han Yuan roared, his fists clashing violently, and a powerful burst of Spiritual Qi erupted, actually shattering several strands of Sword Qi!

The remaining two strands of Sword Qi still tore through his already minimal protective Spiritual Qi, leaving several blood marks on his arm.

Han Yuan, instead of getting angry, laughed: "Again!"

He charged again, his punches even fiercer, even willing to trade blows, forcing Song Yan to meet him head-on.

At this moment, Song Yan suddenly awakened from his predetermined combat mindset.

A Body Cultivator’s entire skill lies within their tempered Physical Body.

It was purely a waste of effort to painstakingly try to break through his protective spiritual clothing.

Song Yan frowned slightly; Han Yuan’s fighting style was too ferocious. If he continued to entangle, he could win, but the consumption would be significant.

He took a deep breath, swiped his sword-finger, and summoned Unmoored Boat!

The sword light was like lightning, piercing directly towards Han Yuan’s chest!

Han Yuan’s pupils constricted; he crossed his arms to block, but the Sword Qi was incredibly sharp, instantly tearing through his protective Spiritual Qi and forcing him back several steps!

Han Yuan grunted, looked down at the sword marks on his arm, and grinned: "Good swordsmanship!"

"Is it really that tough?" Song Yan muttered to himself. This certainly seemed much stronger than his own half-baked Body Refining.

Han Yuan took a deep breath, and the Spiritual Qi around him boiled again, preparing for a final struggle.

Unfortunately, after a series of intense battles, the already scarce Spiritual Qi within him was difficult to mobilize.

There was no moment of respite on the Sword Debate Platform; Song Yan’s figure suddenly vanished!

In a few flashes, Song Yan had appeared in front of him, his sword-finger lightly touching, a wisp of Sword Qi resting against his glabella.

"Senior Brother Han, thank you for the concession."

Han Yuan was stunned, then burst into laughter: "Good! I lost!"

He readily raised his hand to concede, without a hint of unwillingness.

The Elder of the deacons announced loudly: "Central Platform, Number 17 Song Yan wins!"

Han Yuan stepped forward, clapped Song Yan on the shoulder, and laughed: "Junior Brother Song truly lives up to his reputation; I, Han Yuan, am thoroughly convinced! If you have leisure in the future, let’s spar again!"

Song Yan nodded: "Senior Brother Han’s boxing is fierce; if not for the significant consumption earlier, the outcome would be uncertain."

Han Yuan waved his hand, saying freely: "A loss is a loss. My skill is inferior, there’s nothing more to say."

"If I were truly as strong as you, then others who encountered me would naturally concede."

"Otherwise, why wouldn’t they concede when they meet me?"

He burst into laughter: "It’s simply because they think they might be able to defeat me."

"So, my exhaustion at this point isn’t due to any other reason..."

"Ultimately, it’s just because I’m not strong enough."

With that, he smiled freely and strode off the Sword Debate Platform.