The flame’s burning wasn’t from high temperatures, but a form of "destruction" on a conceptual level.

It wasn’t swift, but it was extremely stubborn. Once it made contact, it would stick fast and relentlessly eat away.

After just one touch, a fist-sized dim area appeared on Chu Shanhe’s left arm armor. The flow of Qi and Blood there became noticeably sluggish.

’It can burn Qi and Blood directly?’ Chu Shanhe was shaken.

His external projection of Qi and Blood was, in principle, no different from that of an ordinary Martial Artist; only the outward manifestation was different.

Of course, this difference was greater than one might imagine, so much so that an ordinary person could never comprehend the workings of the Blood Nerve.

But the Undying Flame wasn’t a living person. It didn’t need to understand; it just burned.

Chu Shanhe made a swift decision. He stopped clashing head-on with the tip of Xu Wuyi’s spear, instead using more refined Step Technique and Grapple Hand methods to try and bypass the long spear and attack Xu Wuyi himself.

But Xu Wuyi’s Spear Technique was long past the level it had been at during the college entrance exams.

After reaching Perfection in the Wind-Settling Spear, his understanding of the spear had reached a Realm where "the spear moves with the Intention, and the Intention arises from the mind."

In his hands, the long spear was no longer a dead object but an extension of his arm, a vessel for his will.

Chu Shanhe’s Martial Arts were still exquisite, his movements still unpredictable.

But Xu Wuyi’s spear could always block his attack routes in advance. The Undying Flame dancing on its tip made him hesitate, not daring to let his armor come into contact with it.

The battle gradually settled into a stalemate.

The more Chu Shanhe fought, the more alarmed he became. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He had originally thought that with the Qi Blood Armor from the Blood Nerve, he could suppress Xu Wuyi at the Same Ability Level.

After all, Xu Wuyi’s advantage lay in his physical conditioning, and the Qi Blood Armor was more than enough to close that gap.

But he hadn’t expected Xu Wuyi’s progress to be so comprehensive.

In terms of Martial Arts, Xu Wuyi had already trained the Basic Body Refining Technique and the Wind-Settling Spear to Perfection, and his understanding of Martial Arts had reached a considerable Realm.

Although he hadn’t learned from a wide variety of sources like him, when it came to the way of the spear, he had already achieved a high level of proficiency, with no obvious weaknesses left.

What was more troublesome was that flame.

The Undying Flame was an obvious counter to the Qi Blood Armor.

Every contact would weaken the armor’s strength and accelerate his consumption of Qi and Blood.

Although the effect wasn’t significant in the short term, if this dragged on, his advantage would be eaten away bit by bit.

’I have to end this quickly.’

Chu Shanhe’s thoughts raced, and his offensive changed once more!

He no longer sought exquisite variations. Instead, he pushed his body’s Qi and Blood to their absolute limit. The dark red armor suddenly thickened, and his entire body looked as if it had burst into flames.

Blood Nerve Secret Technique—Blood Burst!

His speed, strength, and reflexes instantly jumped a level.

As he threw his fists and feet, he created piercing shrieks that tore through the air, each blow as heavy as a mountain.

This was a strategy of attrition.

The pressure on Xu Wuyi suddenly skyrocketed.

But he didn’t back down.

Instead, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

’Chu Shanhe’s aggressive assault is exactly what I wanted.’

Within his sea of consciousness, the two True Intentions of "Mountain" and "Cremation" were already poised to strike.

The moment Chu Shanhe unleashed his Blood Burst, Xu Wuyi stopped suppressing them and fully activated both True Intentions!

BOOM—!

An indescribable aura rose from Xu Wuyi’s body.

It wasn’t simple pressure from his presence, but a manifestation on the level of a Mental Realm.

In the void behind him, the faint phantom of a towering mountain appeared. Atop its peak, a magnificent great sun was rising, bathing his entire body in a light both blazing and heavy.

A great sun atop a mountain peak!

Although it was just a prototype, the Mental Realm it projected was already undeniably real.

For an instant, Chu Shanhe’s fist faltered.

And in that instant, Xu Wuyi’s spear moved.

There were no fancy moves, just the simplest of thrusts.

On the spear’s tip, the dark gold Undying Flame merged perfectly with the Mental Realm of the great sun on the mountain peak, transforming into a single point of golden-red light, condensed to the absolute extreme.

This thrust wasn’t fast, but it was as heavy as a mountain and as scorching as the sun.

Chu Shanhe wanted to dodge, but he felt as if the space around him had been frozen by that Mental Realm, and his movements were a beat too slow.

He could only grit his teeth, gather all his Qi and Blood into his arms, and cross them in front of his chest to block!

The tip of the spear touched the crossed armor on his forearms.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

The next moment—

CRACK!

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

The Qi Blood Armor on Chu Shanhe’s arms instantly filled with spiderweb-like cracks centered on the point of impact. The dark red Qi and Blood Energy dissipated wildly, but that point of golden-red light continued forward, unstoppable!

Chu Shanhe let out a muffled grunt and was sent flying backward. He tumbled several times in the air before barely managing to land, stumbling back more than ten steps before steadying himself.

The Qi Blood Armor on his arms had completely disintegrated, revealing the skin of his virtual body beneath.

Although there were no wounds on the surface of his skin, the flow of his Qi and Blood was clearly in disarray, making it difficult to form the armor again anytime soon.

Xu Wuyi slowly retracted his spear, and the phantom of the great sun on the mountain peak behind him gradually faded away.

He stood his ground, his breathing slightly ragged, but his eyes remained calm.

Chu Shanhe looked down at his own arms and fell silent for a few seconds before raising his head, a complicated smile on his face.

"I lost."

He said it frankly, with no resentment, only admiration.

"At the Same Ability Level, you have more techniques than I do, and you’re more well-rounded." Chu Shanhe walked up to Xu Wuyi and said seriously, "That flame, and that last move... was that True Intent Fusion?"

Xu Wuyi nodded. "A preliminary fusion. It’s not stable yet."

"It’s already terrifying." Chu Shanhe shook his head. "The Qi Blood Armor from the Blood Nerve has enough defense to withstand most attacks from someone at the same level, but it was completely countered by your flame."

"And that final spear thrust pierced right through both the armor and my defensive Mental Realm... I have no complaints about losing."

He paused, then added, "However, this spar also showed me the shortcomings of the Blood Nerve. The armor is strong, but it relies too heavily on Qi and Blood. Against an opponent like you who can directly burn Qi and Blood, it’s easy to be targeted."

"On the path of Martial Arts, it seems there really is no such thing as a perfect Cultivation Technique."

Xu Wuyi looked at Chu Shanhe and suddenly asked, "Are you practicing the Blood Nerve to follow the path of an Eight Extremes Grandmaster?"

Chu Shanhe was slightly taken aback, then he smiled. "Of course. It’s been my dream since I was a child."

"Mm," Xu Wuyi said. "With your Martial Arts skills, plus the compatible nature of the Blood Nerve, that path is indeed the most suitable for you."

"Yeah." Chu Shanhe gazed at the distant virtual sky, his tone filled with yearning. "Grandmaster Yuan Heng used the Blood Nerve as his foundation back in the day, incorporating the strengths of a hundred schools to become one of the Eight Extremes. I want to see if I can walk that path to the end."

He pulled his gaze back and looked at Xu Wuyi. "What about you? I can’t understand your path. Spear Technique, flames, True Intent Fusion... It seems you’re walking a completely new path."

Xu Wuyi was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I don’t know where I’ll end up either. I just feel that sometimes, the world shouldn’t be like this."

Hearing this, a flash of understanding passed through Chu Shanhe’s eyes.

"A great sun atop a mountain peak..." he repeated in a low voice. "Are you planning to make the world turn according to your will?"

The two exchanged a few more thoughts on cultivation before exiting the virtual space.