Chapter Six: Battle

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Host: Yang Xuan
Race: Human
Spiritual Roots: Fire (53/100), Metal (32/100), Earth (15/100)
Cultivation Method: Flowing Flame Crimson Fire Technique
Spells: Fireball (Proficient), Blazing Flame Blade (Uninitiated), Crimson Fire Shield (Beginner), Body Control Technique (Proficient), Golden Light Technique (Beginner)
Divine Ability: Explosive Meteor (Uninitiated)
Merit: 0.1

After examining this panel carefully, Yang Xuan realized it wasn’t a game interface, and a trace of disappointment flickered in his heart. However, that feeling only lingered for a moment before vanishing. Compared to having no cheat at all, possessing something that could help him improve his strength was already a great fortune—a man should not be too greedy.

He glanced at the spells displayed on the panel, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly; almost all were at the entry level—truly an eyesore.

Rubbing his head, Yang Xuan quickly reviewed the divine ability granted by the primal merit in his mind. It was an auxiliary ability—once mastered, it would allow him to perceive the fortune of others, and more importantly, he could also discern their karmic debt.

According to the information in his mind, only by slaying beings with karma could he gain merit. The amount of karma determined how much merit he would receive.

“Young Master Xuan, are you alright?” At that moment, Man Niu and the others approached, and Man Niu asked cautiously.

“I’m fine! Bring a few more of the demon clan here, I want to practice my spells again,” Yang Xuan returned to his senses and instructed.

“This…” Man Niu hesitated. The scene of Yang Xuan nearly being attacked by the demons moments ago had truly frightened him. Although Yang Xuan had swiftly disposed of several demons afterward, it was clear to him that Yang Xuan had been startled when facing them.

Now, Yang Xuan wanted to continue, which made him all the more worried something might go wrong. He had already been demoted to dungeon guard for making mistakes; if anything happened to the young master, or if he was injured, he was certain the patriarch would have his hide.

Sensing Man Niu’s worried gaze, Yang Xuan’s face flushed with embarrassment. A dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he had been so startled by a few demon soldiers that he couldn’t move—how utterly disgraceful.

Quickly composing himself, Yang Xuan shot a glance at Man Niu, “Do as I say!”

With that look, Man Niu dared not delay. He cupped his fists and prepared to head to the dungeon to fetch prisoners.

But before he could leave, a nearby guard suddenly stopped him.

“Young Master Xuan, there’s really no need for you to fight with demon soldiers. Your status is noble, and your strength surpasses them by far. Those demon soldiers are merely at the Qi Refining level and stand no chance against you. There’s little practical benefit in such battles. If you truly wish to practice combat, wouldn’t it be better to spar with Lord Man Niu? Lord Man Niu is a Martial Dao Innate expert, his strength rivals Foundation Establishment cultivators. With him as your sparring partner, the results would be far better.”

After stopping Man Niu, the man spoke respectfully to Yang Xuan.

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Upon hearing this, Man Niu suddenly understood and thumped his chest, “Right, I almost forgot! Young Master Xuan, you could simply spar with me—there’s no need to risk fighting the demon clan. My hide is thick and my flesh tough; I can absolutely be your sparring partner.”

Yang Xuan didn’t respond at once. He glanced at the speaker, then nodded after a moment, “Very well.”

In truth, Yang Xuan had wanted to keep fighting the demon soldiers mainly for the sake of gaining merit. It was the best of both worlds—to train in real combat and accumulate merit at the same time. He hadn’t expected anyone would suggest having his guards serve as training partners. Clearly, these men were genuinely afraid something might happen to him.

The surrounding guards quickly backed away, making room for Yang Xuan and Man Niu.

“Young Master Xuan, attack as you please!”

Opposite him, Man Niu gripped an axe in his left hand and a shield in his right, his body encased in iron armor, looking like a veritable iron tower. He set his shield on the ground before him, causing the earth to tremble slightly from its weight—easily over a thousand catties. Yet, in Man Niu’s hands, these massive weapons were handled as if they were children’s toys.

Yang Xuan’s gaze grew serious; without wasting words, he formed a seal. A fireball the size of a human head instantly condensed in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the fireball shot toward Man Niu.

“Haha! Young Master Xuan, fireball spells are useless against me. My Iron Floating Shield was forged with Black Star Iron—it blocks spiritual energy. Unless your attack exceeds its defensive capacity, you won’t even scratch me.”

As Yang Xuan hurled the fireball, Man Niu couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

Even as he spoke, the fireball crashed against the shield with a thunderous bang—the shield didn’t budge an inch.

“Heh!” Yang Xuan sneered coldly, no longer holding back. Spiritual power surged through him, and in the next instant, he soared into the air. Pausing mid-flight, Yang Xuan slapped his Spiritfire Gourd, which soared skyward. With a spell, the originally palm-sized gourd expanded rapidly.

Boom…

Endless white flames poured out like crashing waves, surging toward Man Niu in a furious tide.

Yang Xuan, having activated his magic artifact, didn’t stop there. With the Body Control Technique, he instantly swept behind Man Niu and unleashed another fireball.

Rumble...

On the training field, flames burst in all directions; in an instant, the white firestorm reached Man Niu. Having recently witnessed the gourd’s power, Man Niu dared not let it get close. He hurriedly raised his shield to block.

Boom—

The white flames struck the shield with a deafening explosion.

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Before Man Niu could react, another fireball was already upon him. He quickly swung his shield behind to defend.

Bang!

As the fireball was about to strike, he managed to block it just in time.

“Cultivators are indeed formidable—Young Master Xuan has just reached Foundation Establishment, yet his spell power is already this great! If Man Niu keeps defending like this, he won’t last long,”

Amidst the guards, a burly man as imposing as Man Niu himself had somehow appeared, watching the battle with admiration.

“Commander Wang, are martial artists truly no match for cultivators?” someone beside him asked.

Commander Wang shook his head, “On the ground, martial artists and cultivators are more or less equal. But once a Foundation Establishment cultivator can fly, you can’t even reach them—how could you compare?”

Then he chuckled, “Of course, if you become a Martial Dao Grandmaster, the gap isn’t so large!”

“Man Niu, don’t just stand there defending! Since this is actual combat, show me your true skills! I don’t want to die on the battlefield someday from lack of experience because you’re going easy on me.”

Hovering in the air, Yang Xuan launched another fireball and called out loudly.

As the battle continued, the original host’s combat experience gradually fused with Yang Xuan’s own, and combined with the gaming instincts of his previous life, his practical skills improved rapidly.

By now, Yang Xuan could see that if Man Niu kept defending, he’d be overwhelmed soon enough. Thus, he urged him to fight in earnest.

“Alright! Then be careful, Young Master!”

With a thunderous roar, Man Niu—having just blocked another fireball—suddenly leapt toward Yang Xuan. His short axe traced a streak of light through the air, cleaving straight at him.

“Damn!”

Man Niu’s sudden outburst made Yang Xuan’s eyelid twitch; within that blow, he sensed mortal danger.

No longer daring to linger in midair, he hastily ascended higher.

But he hadn’t gone far before the sharp sound of something slicing the air reached him. Looking down, he saw an axe attached to an iron chain spinning rapidly toward him—its speed outstripping his flight. If he kept rising, he’d be struck for sure.

Forced to change direction, he veered to the side.

What he hadn’t expected was that just as he shifted course, Man Niu—still on the ground—let out another bellow and hurled his shield like a spinning disk straight at him.

At the same time, Man Niu yanked the axe back into his hand, then, without pausing, flung it at Yang Xuan again.

“That oaf! Is he trying to kill me?”

In the sky, feeling the menacing aura of two flying weapons, Yang Xuan’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he was forced to dart frantically through the air to evade them. Even as he fled, he manipulated the Spiritfire Gourd to continue attacking Man Niu.