Whoosh——
The heat waves rolled in, and the Golden Crow projection was ready to hatch! When it finally broke free, it transformed into a young man of about twenty, dressed in golden-red feathers, with pupils like golden suns, clutching a golden wheel in his hand.
“Please… give me some pointers,” Jiang Chulong murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
The young man, resembling the Golden Crow projection, nodded slightly, suppressing his aura to the Xuan Dan Realm.
Whoosh——
The golden wheel flickered, radiating a dazzling light that crushed toward her with an overwhelming dominance.
Jiang Chulong had already mastered many sword techniques; her swordsmanship could easily make many older folks break into a sweat. So naturally, she decided to respond with her best sword intent.
Clang——
Peach blossom branch met golden wheel with a shower of sparks.
Jiang Chulong sensed something was off.
This opponent, projected from the past, was different from before.
In the past, whether they were straw dummies or true spirits, they were all suppressed to her same level. She mostly relied on them to hone her sword skills and improve her proficiency.
But facing this Golden Crow projection was a real fight.
Little Jiang felt an immense pressure from this opponent.
“Is the power of all beings condensed into such a different fighting consciousness?” Li Mo mused, feeling a bit like he was playing a video game.
The previous true spirits felt like bots, at best a stubborn bronze character, whereas the projection born from the power of all beings was like battling a king among real players.
Even if they were the same hero, some could only chirp away while others could wreak havoc.
In battle terms, this was the difference in battle consciousness.
And what about him?
If we put it in polite terms, it was “one power to break all laws,” but bluntly speaking…
“It seems all I did was rely on stat crushing…”
The Heavenly Master cleared his throat.
To be honest, his skills in this area couldn’t even compare to Little Jiang’s!
The magnificent golden wheel of the sun twirled up and down, with scorching solar energy weaving around. At first, Jiang Chulong struggled to dodge, but gradually, her room to maneuver dwindled to nearly zero, forcing her to use all her internal energy and concentrate her sword intent for a head-on clash.
But this move played right into the opponent’s hands.
Whoosh— with a sharp angle, the golden wheel suddenly shot out, catching the peach blossom branch and wrapping around it! The scorching solar aura rolled back fiercely.
Jiang Chulong let out a muffled gasp, feeling as if all the moisture in her body had been vaporized.
The peach blossom branch was also knocked from her hands by the weird force at the center of the golden wheel.
“Teacher…” Jiang Chulong bit her lip, her little face pale, fearing she’d disappoint her teacher.
“This is the innate Golden Crow that once embodied the great sun, illuminating the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. How could it let you win so easily? Historically, few have prevailed against it.”
The Heavenly Master picked up the peach wood branch for her and spoke gently, “As long as you don’t admit defeat, you’ll never truly lose.”
“This projection won’t harm your physical body; it only allows your consciousness soul to experience pain. Take a moment to adjust, then you can fight again.”
Li Mo thought this applied to himself as well.
He had rarely engaged in evenly matched battles.
Because he could rely on divine weapons and superior martial skills, he often played as the bully.
But the fighting spirit of the Qi Tian Da Zhan wasn’t about being strong. It was about leveraging one’s own strengths to the max to advance in his comprehension of the Great Sage’s heavenly will.
“Okay!” Jiang Chulong nodded seriously.
Little Jiang looked delicate, but inside, she had a fiery spirit that wouldn’t back down.
Before long, she was back in the thick of battle with the Golden Crow projection.
Opportunities for life-and-d*ath battles were rare, for one setback meant there would be no chance to return.
However, in the little world, as long as the power of beings was sufficient, one could endlessly gather experience and start over again.
After some time, Little Jiang took a moment to recover her consciousness soul.
—
The diligent Golden Crow projection didn’t get a moment’s rest.
Next up was the Heavenly Master armed with forty!
…
The next morning.
“Without the Hammer Treasure, I really can’t win,” Li Mo said, rubbing his temples as he got out of the bed where the Ice Chunk had slept.
Nine losses, all of them.
This result was somewhat expected for Little Li, given the innate combat skills of the Golden Crow were far beyond the realm of martial arts. Some martial arts might even trace back to the insights from this very being.
But he hadn’t come away empty-handed.
The hammer techniques Little Li had already mastered seemed to have gained deeper understanding at this moment.
And also…
His lower back was still warm.
“Is it because of fighting the Golden Crow projection, or is it the clothes…?”
Looking down, Little Li’s handsome face flushed a bright red.
Uncle Chen had been too spirited lately; he had to stay longer than expected…
Thank goodness this outfit’s quality was good enough for his current constitution…
No wonder the Ice Chunk said this outfit shouldn’t be worn alone for too long. Thinking back to her expression at the time, there was certainly a hint of a teasing smile in her eyes.
“Calm down, I should review what just happened and summarize the battle details.”
“If the Ice Chunk were here, we could learn so much from her every time we sparred… If there were levels to battle skills, she’d definitely be the queen of queens…”
As Li Mo thought, the image of her came to mind.
Holding a ring, her face cold yet serious gave off a strangely sacred vibe.
But still…
Maybe it’s best to change outfits now; otherwise, his focus could easily shift from sacred teachings to lowly distractions…
Ding ding ding——
The sound of bells rang out.
A girl from the Qingluan Clan peeked out from the tree hollow, making a gesture for food.
So, Li Mo followed her up the tallest tree.
The Qingluan Clan’s meals were even more simple than Li Mo imagined, without any meat at all—just various fruits served on green leaves acting as plates.
“Clan Leader Shang, I plan to head back to Qingmu City today.”
“In such a hurry?”
Wu Qing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Little Li had only stayed a night in the Qingluan Clan Land, and now was ready to leave…
“Tsk tsk tsk, I knew he wouldn’t last long,” Shang Qin Qing laughed mischievously, revealing an inscrutable smile. “Little Ice Girl is still waiting for him in Qingmu City. How could he not be eager to return?”
Li Mo replied solemnly, “I have some urgent battle issues to discuss with her.”
“Little Ice Girl probably spends every day holding that realm treasure, staring off into the distance in a daze.”
“??? ”
“She did it all the time when she was at the Qingluan Clan Land, like a stone waiting for her husband. Once she zones out, it can be a long wait.”
Shang Qin Qing said, pretending to wipe a tear in her eye.
Li Mo immediately conjured up an image in his mind and murmured, “Before heading back, let’s bake her a cake for her birthday.”
Shang Qin Qing blinked and asked, “It’s her birthday?”
“Yeah, I was thinking of what surprise to give her…”
“Tsk, you’re as clueless as a little monk.”
Shang Qin Qing adopted a ‘been there, done that’ tone, but with a hint of exasperation. “Aren’t you her biggest surprise?”
