Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Battle of Spiritual Thought

On the Martial Arts Arena, Shen Haoran and Guan Zhi locked eyes, the air crackling with hostility.

"Shen Haoran, I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon," Guan Zhi said, staring at him with a grim expression.

"Yes, I didn’t expect you’d still dare to compete against me on the same stage. Was your last defeat not miserable enough?" Shen Haoran said with a casual glance at Guan Zhi.

At the mention of their last match, Guan Zhi’s face darkened, and a ruthless aura erupted from his body.

"Last time, you tricked me and handed me a crushing defeat. This time, I won’t let you get away!" Guan Zhi’s sinister voice seemed to drop the temperature of the surrounding air.

"Oh, is that so? And you plan to do that with just your strength as a Tier Seven Spirit General?" Shen Haoran said with a fearless smirk. Although Guan Zhi was a Tier Seven Spirit General, in Shen Haoran’s eyes, that was far from enough.

Hearing this, Guan Zhi actually started laughing, which took Shen Haoran by surprise.

"Hmph. As Alchemists, competing with martial prowess is beneath us. What I want to challenge you on is Spiritual Thought!" Guan Zhi said in a sinister tone, a cruel smile playing on his lips as he gave Shen Haoran a meaningful look.

Shen Haoran furrowed his brow, looking at Guan Zhi with surprise. ’A competition of Spiritual Thought? Doesn’t he know I’m a Fifth Grade Alchemist?’

When it came to Spiritual Thought, the higher an Alchemist’s tier, the stronger it was. A Fifth Grade Alchemist’s Spiritual Thought was naturally much stronger than a Fourth Grade Alchemist’s—and Guan Zhi knew Shen Haoran was a Fifth Grade Alchemist.

Yet, Guan Zhi still dared to challenge him to a battle of Spiritual Thought. This was because he knew that Shen Haoran’s Spiritual Thought had recently been severely injured!

A severe injury to one’s Spiritual Thought was different from a physical wound; it couldn’t be easily healed. After such an injury, one could only rely on time to recuperate, or on rare Treasures of Heaven and Earth that could restore Spiritual Thought.

And Shen Haoran’s Spiritual Thought had been injured just a short while ago. Even if he possessed such Treasures of Heaven and Earth, it would be impossible for him to recover so quickly.

Furthermore, during the last few fights, Guan Zhi had noticed that Shen Haoran’s Spiritual Thought was indeed somewhat weak—its strength was only comparable to that of an Early Stage Fourth Grade Alchemist. He, on the other hand, was a Fourth Grade Peak Alchemist, with one foot half-step into Fifth Grade. Naturally, he no longer feared Shen Haoran!

At that moment, Shen Haoran frowned as he watched the overly confident Guan Zhi. ’Looks like he came prepared,’ he thought. ’But only the members of the Yao Sect know about my injured Spiritual Thought. It seems that after this competition, I’ll need to clean house. After all, the more people you have, the more traitors you’ll find.’

"What’s the matter? As a Fifth Grade Alchemist, are you afraid to accept a challenge from a mere Fourth Grade Alchemist like me?" Guan Zhi shouted, seeing Shen Haoran’s knitted brow.

At his words, Shen Haoran let out a cold laugh. "You don’t need to goad me. It’s just a competition of Spiritual Thought, right? I accept!"

Seeing Shen Haoran agree, Guan Zhi gave a vicious smile. "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you *enjoy* every moment of this fight!"

As he spoke, an invisible Powerful Qi formed around him. Then, an illusory phantom of Guan Zhi materialized, and a pressure that seemed to originate from the depths of the soul spread outwards.

Seeing Guan Zhi condense his Spiritual Thought, Shen Haoran snorted. The Sea of Consciousness in his mind churned, and a terrifying wave of Spiritual Thought surged from his body, slowly coalescing into a humanoid shape.

WHOOSH... A gentle breeze swept across the Martial Arts Arena. Shen Haoran and Guan Zhi were both sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed. Beside them, two illusory figures floated in the air, staring each other down.

At that moment, the crowd erupted in gasps upon seeing the two Spiritual Thought phantoms.

"Spiritual Thought! Are they going to have a battle of Spiritual Thought?"

"A battle of Spiritual Thought is far more dangerous than physical combat! Spiritual Thought is incredibly fragile. If it’s severely damaged, recovery is extremely difficult. In the worst-case scenario, one could end up a mindless vegetable!"

"They’re both Alchemists, so it’s no surprise they chose a method of combat suited for Alchemists. But for Guan Zhi to actually challenge Shen Haoran to a battle of Spiritual Thought... doesn’t he know Shen Haoran is a Fifth Grade Alchemist?"

"Shen Haoran is a Fifth Grade Alchemist, that’s true, but have you all noticed? The Spiritual Thought phantom he’s condensed is much weaker than Guan Zhi’s. Its density is also far worse. That doesn’t look like the Spiritual Thought of a Fifth Grade Alchemist."

Hearing this, the crowd turned their eyes back to the stage. They realized that the phantom Shen Haoran had formed was indeed inferior to Guan Zhi’s in both density and the intensity of the pressure it emitted. The audience was baffled.

And Guan Zhi, upon seeing the humanoid figure Shen Haoran had condensed, licked his lips and snorted. "Just as I thought. The severe injury to his Spiritual Thought hasn’t healed!"

Shen Haoran paid no mind to Guan Zhi’s sneer. ’It’s true that my Spiritual Thought hasn’t fully recovered,’ he thought. ’But a battle of Spiritual Thought isn’t just about raw strength; it’s also about quality and control! Even though I’m injured, it’s still too early to say who will win.’

On the stage, Guan Zhi gave Shen Haoran one last look. A peach-colored flame then enveloped his Spiritual Thought phantom, and it shot toward Shen Haoran as a streak of light.

In response, a slight tremor ran through Shen Haoran. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian erupted from him, instantly shrouding his phantom as it rushed to meet Guan Zhi’s attack!

BANG!

Their phantoms were incredibly fast, and in the next instant, they collided. Black and peach-colored flames scattered in all directions. An Energy, distinct from Spiritual Power, radiated outward from the point of impact, washing over the audience.

Any disciple caught in the wave of that Energy felt a sudden dizziness before slowly recovering.

’Is this the pressure of Spiritual Thought?’ the crowd wondered in awe, staring at the two competitors on stage.

Back on stage, the initial collision was followed by a frantic exchange of attacks. For a moment, the Martial Arts Arena was filled with dazzling, explosive flames.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A series of dull thuds echoed from the Martial Arts Arena, making the crowd’s blood boil with excitement as they watched with feverish intensity.

BOOM! With another violent collision, both phantoms were sent flying by the immense force. However, due to his injured Spiritual Thought, Shen Haoran’s was thrown back several dozen meters!

"Hmph!"

Seeing Shen Haoran’s phantom stagger back dozens of paces before finally stabilizing, Guan Zhi sneered. With a wave of his hand, a bow and arrow materialized in his grasp.

The weapon, appearing from thin air, was formed from his Spiritual Thought—a demonstration of control, a key aspect of such battles.

Gripping the bow, Guan Zhi drew the string back into a full moon. A peach-colored Flaming Long Arrow materialized, aimed directly between the brows of Shen Haoran’s phantom.

"This is the price of your arrogance!" Guan Zhi snorted. He released his right hand, and the peach-colored Flaming Long Arrow shot forward like a bolt of lightning, whistling through the air as a streak of light trailed by a scorching heatwave, right at Shen Haoran.