Ever since he had used the Five Fireball Divine Skill to blast a Ghost Spirit Sect disciple to death years ago, Bai Zichen had developed a keen interest in the Fireball Technique.

Among the basic Five Elements Magic that could be practiced during the Qi Refining Stage, the Fireball Technique possessed the greatest killing power.

But its area of effect was small and it moved slowly. It was great for bullying immobile, fixed targets, but in actual combat, it had many limitations.

No Cultivator would be foolish enough to stand still and take a Fireball Technique head-on.

After developing his Divine Sense, Bai Zichen combined it with the notes of his predecessors to improve several of his commonly used Magic.

Normally, this was something only Foundation Establishment Cultivators would begin to do.

Firstly, their lifespans were extended, giving them relatively ample time to study Magic in depth.

Secondly, only with the aid of Divine Sense could one deconstruct and reconstruct Magic.

Otherwise, only those one-in-ten-thousand magical geniuses could achieve this based on instinct alone.

This improved version of the Fireball Technique was named Fire Thunder Bead by Bai Zichen.

It consumed twice the Magical Power of a normal Fireball Technique and could simultaneously release more than ten Fire Beads that shot out violently.

When Chen Xiu saw the sky filled with Fire Beads, he didn’t panic. He slapped the bracelet on his wrist, and a golden shield of light enveloped his entire body.

At the same time, he took a step back, dodging nearly half the Fire Beads. The remaining Fire Thunder Beads struck the light shield, causing only faint ripples.

"My Golden Light Sun Bracelet is a Top-Grade Magical Artifact! Once activated, it barely consumes any Magical Power. As long as you can’t break through this shield, I am invincible!"

Seeing the Fire Thunder Beads fail to break the golden light shield, Chen Xiu visibly relaxed. Even as he spoke, he was already casting three Magic in succession.

Draw Ground into Prison!

Grass and Tree Entanglement!

Stone Falling Technique!

Suddenly, thick vines began to grow wildly from beneath Bai Zichen’s feet. Vines as thick as a forearm snaked their way up his legs.

At the same time, a circular earthen wall appeared out of thin air, trapping him inside and greatly reducing his room to dodge.

From a distance, three flying stones came whistling through the air, heading straight for his head.

’Such fast casting speed... Even without that Protective Magical Artifact, he’d be a tough opponent!’

Before getting on stage, Bai Zichen had observed his opponent. This Chen Xiu had a Fifth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation, possessed two High-Grade Magical Artifacts, and his red robe, which shimmered with Spirit Light, was clearly no Mortal Grade item.

In comparison, Bai Zichen hadn’t had time to acquire any external items. He was empty-handed, without a single Magical Artifact, putting him at a major disadvantage.

His only advantages were his Divine Sense and his Realm being one layer higher.

But Chen Xiu clearly had a special talent for casting Magic, as he could almost instantly cast basic Five Elements Magic.

Moreover, he wasn’t a rigid Cultivator who just inflexibly copied Magic.

Draw Ground into Prison was originally a defensive Earth Element Magic that created a sturdy earthen wall around a target, providing outstanding defensive effects.

But Chen Xiu had used it ingeniously, with a different approach, turning it into a perfect restraining Magic in this moment.

If he were in the audience, Bai Zichen might have applauded Chen Xiu’s brilliant idea, but now, finding himself on the stage, he just felt it was extremely troublesome.

The Fire Thunder Beads exploded against the vines, only managing to blast them halfway through and create a few sparks. But the vines grew ceaselessly—far more than ten or twenty of them—and there was no time to destroy them all.

Bai Zichen cursed inwardly. ’If only I had a Flying Sword right now,’ he thought. ’With its sharpness, I could easily sever these vines.’

He could only push his Divine Sense to its absolute limit. In his eyes, the speed of the rapidly approaching stones suddenly seemed to decrease.

With an agile leap backward, he dodged two of the stones. Bai Zichen then used the Wood Puppet Technique, and a Wooden Man appeared in the path of the remaining stone.

It blocked the flying stone with its body. With a dull thud, the Wooden Man’s chest was blasted to bits, and the stone, its momentum spent, fell to the ground.

’Hmph! Even if it means I have to spend two months recovering, I have to take this guy down. Otherwise, once the two clans reach an agreement, the Cultivators of my Chen Family won’t be able to hold their heads high in front of the Bai Family ever again!’

Seeing that Bai Zichen had dodged his proud Chain Technique, Chen Xiu simply sat down cross-legged and began to focus, channeling power into the Jade Knife.

’Anyway, with the Golden Light Sun Bracelet protecting me and my opponent trapped by two of my spells, he won’t be able to break through my defenses in ten breaths’ time.’

"This is bad... Bai Zichen is going to lose. Hiss..."

Bai Wei’s arm had been simply bandaged by a medic, which had eased the pain considerably, allowing his attention to return to the stage.

Bai Qiguang and the others glared at him. How could he curse his own clan brother before the match was even decided?

"It does look a little bad..."

Bai Ling’s jade-like feet swayed gently. At some point, she had also arrived at the edge of the stage, a strange light flickering in her bright eyes.

"That Jade Knife seems to be a Top-Grade Magical Artifact. Judging by how seriously that Chen Family boy is treating it, it must be his trump card. Although Brother Chenn is one Small Realm higher than his opponent, it’s not a qualitative difference. Right now, he’s in a complete mess because of those few spells. I’m afraid he won’t be able to block this attack."

Bai Ling’s casual, authoritative analysis caused the confidence of the Bai Clan Members to plummet.

Everyone knew that in the next generation of the Bai Family, only Bai Zichen and Bai Ling had the greatest hope of reaching Foundation Establishment.

Since even Bai Ling had made such a judgment, the situation on the stage was probably indeed grim.

’A Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator is powering one Top-Grade Magical Artifact and another Top-Grade Magical Artifact. After this fight, how much Magical Power could possibly be left in his Dantian? Once Bai Zichen is defeated, I’ll go up on stage and hit him with a Taiyin Water Thunder, catching him completely off guard. As long as my victory is clean and decisive, few people will care about details like the Chen Family boy’s Magical Power being severely depleted...’

Bai Ling thought to herself that while Chen Xiu’s combination of Magic was indeed tricky, she was fully confident she could defeat him once he was without the support of his one offensive and one defensive Magical Artifact.

’It’s strange, though. Bai Zichen has a talent for Top-Grade Magic, so it’s understandable that he can already improve Magic at this stage... But I don’t remember ever seeing this Chen Xiu at the Inheritance Stele. How can he instantly cast combination Magic? Could he have Top-Grade talent as well?’

...

On the stage, facing Chen Xiu directly, Bai Zichen felt far more pressure than his clan members below.

As Chen Xiu poured Magical Power into it, the Jade Knife hovered in mid-air. A brilliant light began to shine from its hilt, gradually creeping forward until it had reached the halfway point of the blade.

Even without knowing the Jade Knife’s Tier, the waves of Magical Power it was emitting as it gathered strength made it clear to Bai Zichen that he could never block it empty-handed.

’Then, I’ll have to risk it all...’

Bai Zichen cursed silently. ’As soon as this is over, I’m going to start preparing my own Magical Artifacts immediately.’

’If I had one or two decent Magical Artifacts, I wouldn’t have been forced into such an embarrassing situation by Chen Xiu.’

’Wealth can move gods... As long as your Treasures are strong enough, fighting above your level is commonplace. The old sayings are true!’

Bai Zichen suddenly bit the tip of his tongue, a piercing pain shooting through him. At the same time, he focused his full effort on the Visualization of the Heaven and Earth Furnace in his Sea of Consciousness, only to instantly rip the image to shreds.

The instant the Visualization shattered, his Divine Sense swelled to its absolute peak. Bai Zichen instinctively gathered all of his Divine Sense into a single mass, imagining it as a sharp spike, and thrust it forcefully in Chen Xiu’s direction.

Then, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.