Another Cliché Cultivation Story

A blue and black light was flickering in and out of existence in the sky. Each time they collided, a powerful shockwave would explode outwards that shook the ocean. Numerous carcasses belonging to sea beasts floated above the ocean with their stomach up. Luck was unfortunately not on their side as they were caught in the battle between Ji Xian and Fang Yu.

A fight between two Holy realm experts was nothing but catastrophic, thankfully, other than the Ardent Yin Sect, there was only an endless ocean that stretched as far as the eyes could see so the damages done were minimal.

But with that said, the formation protecting the Ardent Yin Sect was currently trembling. It shook from every clash between the two of them.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were outside the boundary of the sect, it would’ve long shattered.

As the people from the Ardent Yin Sect watched on, it almost seems as though the black armored person was diverting Fang Yu away whenever they were starting to get too close to the sect. Whether or not this was deliberate or just a coincidence remains unknown since the two of them were simply moving too fast, which made it hard to keep track of what was going on.

…

Fang Yu collided with Ji Xian again before being pushed back. The moment she stabilized herself, she left behind a fiery afterimage and appeared once more in front of him.

She thrust her spear hundreds of times in a blink of an eye.

It may appear to be an ordinary attack but it was far from it. Her spear was casting countless shadows which made it hard to determine which strike was real and which was fake.

Also, the blue flame on her body was slightly distorting space, causing it to blur. If it was anyone else, they would surely struggle to fend off her attacks. Not to mention, there were also the effects of the flame that they would have to worry about. It had attributes of both ice and fire, if just a little of it comes into contact with the body, who knows what kind of effects it would have?

However, Ji Xian smiled as he playfully dodged all of Fang Yu’s attacks. Each of her thrusts would be just a few centimeters away from hitting him. It always seems so close, yet so far. Not even her flame was touching him.

But she wasn’t frustrated by this, only more determined.

As she was about to send her spear forward again, her pupils shrunk to the size of a needle as Ji Xian suddenly swung his hammer at her chest.

So fast!

Fang Yu quickly used her spear as a shield and held it horizontally in front of her.

The spear unnaturally bend but it didn’t break. Followed by a loud explosion, she was sent flying back.

Fang Yu’s arms shook from the heavy force but she steadied herself before fearlessly charging ahead at Ji Xian again.

…

The people standing around at the Core Yin Pavilion frowned upon seeing this. It was becoming obvious that Fang Yu was at the disadvantage.

“Sect Master, should we do something?” An Elder asked.

The others also looked to Shao Qinglian. Their True Essence was primed, ready to erupt at any second.

They were all confused by the current situation. A fight between the First Yin Pavilion Master and an unknown expert had happened out of nowhere. This put them on guard immediately.

None of them were familiar with the black armored person so they naturally assumed he was an enemy. In addition, Fang Yu had just woken up from a long slumber, if something were to happen to her at this time, and in front of them no less, where would their reputation go?

This was a sensitive time, and while they were plagued with questions regarding this unknown expert, they weren’t just going to stand around and do nothing.

“…”

Shao Qinglian lightly exhaled before shaking her head, “It’s fine.”

She was aware of their thoughts and she too was confused by the current event. This should be Fang Yu’s first time meeting Ji Xian, what reason was there for them to fight?

Shao Qinglian hesitated as she watched the heated battle in the sky. She was a little worried for Fang Yu but while she wasn’t too familiar with Ji Xian, he didn’t seem like someone who would go too far, so she decided to just wait and see.

“I know that person in black armor. Junior Sister Fang Yu is only sparring with him,” she quickly added.

A look of understanding appeared on all the Elder's faces but they were still doubtful.

They watched the fierce battle in the sky and their expressions turned weird.

This is a sparring? The First Yin Pavilion Master looks like she wants to kill the other party.

Shao Qinglian awkwardly coughed. She also found her own words hard to believe, nevertheless, she kept a straight face.

Li Yifan quietly stood to the side with a small furrow in her brow. She was in deep contemplation.

Shao Qinglian is familiar with that Nether? How’s this possible…? Is she even aware that he was the one who harmed Fang Yu that year?

Her eyes narrowed into a slit as she observed Ji Xian.

How odd… the Nether Water used to create the hammer is completely different from the one used to create the armor. It’s almost like they’re from two separate sources.

That Nether Armor… something isn’t right. Why am I getting an uneasy feeling from it? That shouldn’t be possible.

While Li Yifan was pondering to herself, the handsome young man standing next to Yue Li had a similar reaction. His eyes flashed with disdain when he saw Ji Xian but the more he looked at the black armor, the more uncomfortable he felt.

…

After an unknown amount of time.

Fang Yu was once again sent flying after taking a strike from Ji Xian. She stopped mid-air and heavily panted as she angrily stared at him in annoyance.

Her long blue hair was disheveled and flowing wildly in the wind. Droplets of sweat dripped from her face and down onto her neck. The large white gown she wore was soaked and clinging to her alluring body.

Strangely enough, while her appearance was a mess, there weren’t any injuries on her. It looked more like she was exercising than fighting someone to the death.

Fang Yu wasn’t rationally thinking to have noticed this, instead, she gritted her teeth and was ready to go for another round.

Up to this point, it felt like she was fighting against an impenetrable wall. All of her Divine Arts and abilities that she’s displayed have been easily neutralized by Ji Xian.

What irritated her the most was the way he would randomly swing his hammer around. He was like a toddler with a toy. There was no rhyme or reason for his attacks.

But all this only angered her even more, feeling like she was being played with.

Ji Xian can sense all of her emotions. He lightly smiled and muttered under his breath, “Just a little more…”

Fang Yu exhaled an icy breath before circulating her True Essence to the limit. Her face was determined and her eyes glowed red with killing intent.

I don’t have a lot of True Essence left. I can only use this last move.

The direction of the cold wind suddenly changed and it gathered around her spear. As it picked up speed, the blue flame silently fused with it in the process. Her hair and dress whipped about from the fierce gale.

From afar, it looked like Fang Yu was wielding a blue tornado! Small lightning would occasionally flash around it.

The violent wind caused the ocean to crash and rolled.

Without any hesitation, she left behind a fiery afterimage and appeared in front of Ji Xian in a blink of an eye.

“Flame of Ice Scripture, Layered Frostflame - First Wave!”

Fang Yu pierced forward!

The blue tornado in her hand exploded into a pillar of ice flame and slammed into Ji Xian.

Surprisingly, he didn’t move!

Inside the armor, his eyes lit up as he stared at Fang Yu. He stood still and allowed himself to be hit.

She raised her brow with a hint of delight when she saw he was sent flying. She quickly acted and followed up with another move.

“Layered Frostflame - Second Wave!”

The pillar of ice flame exploded once more, becoming twice as thick and long as the first pillar. It slammed into Ji Xian a second time!

Fang Yu left more afterimages and appeared behind him.

“Layered Frostflame - Third Wave!”

The pillar of ice flame in her hand doubled in size again! At this point, it resembled more like a lance than a spear. It was large enough to block out the sun!

The intensity of the blue flame reached its limits. The space blurred and a burnt smell spread throughout the area.

Xia Lihua, Xiao Yueyin, and the others watched as a gigantic spiraling pillar made from ice, fire, and wind slammed down onto Ji Xian, sending him crashing into the ocean.

Fang Yu heavily panted and her body shivered. The pillar in her hand silently dissipated into little embers before fading away into the atmosphere. She slowly floated downwards but she quickly controlled the small amount of True Essence she has left to stay in the air.

Those last three moves took almost everything she had.

…

Core Yin Pavilion.

The Elders all looked at Shao Qinglian suspiciously.

How is this a sparring? The First Yin Pavilion Master just used the strongest Divine Art of the sect! She didn’t even hold back!

Shao Qinglian felt the eyes on her and resisted the urge to awkwardly cough. In the end, she wisely chose to remain silent.

…

Xiao Yueyin stared at the area Ji Xian fell. There was a trace of unhappiness and worry in her eyes.

Xia Lihua noticed this and patted her head a couple of times.

“What are you worried about? He’s fine,” she said softly.

Xiao Yueyin nodded, “I know, but…”

“I…” she began to stumble on her words.

Xia Lihua observed her expression and nodded. She knew what Xiao Yueyin wanted to say.

“Yes, I don’t like the idea of seeing him hurt either.”

She moved her gaze over to Fang Yu and her eyes momentarily flickered with a murderous intent.

Perhaps it was just Xiao Yueyin’s imagination but for a split second, she felt a suffocating pressure coming from Xia Lihua.

Her heart raced, “Lihua…?”

She blankly looked at her.

At the same time, Ji Xian suddenly flew out from the ocean.

Fang Yu was still trying to catch her breath but upon seeing his figure, her eyes widened in shock. There wasn’t even a scratch on his armor!

“How’s this possible? Not even a Peak Holy realm expert should be able to brush off my attacks this easily,” she muttered.

The others at the Core Yin Pavilion were also startled by this discovery.

“Who exactly is this person!?”

“How is he completely fine after getting hit by the Three Waves of the Layered Windflame?”

“Each wave doubles in power, by the third wave, it should be equivalent to an attack from a Peak Holy realm expert, yet, this person took the attack head on and there weren’t even any damages on his armor! What realm is he even in?”

These people’s shouting can be heard by Ji Xian. He ignored their reactions and focused on Fang Yu.

“Not bad, to use Yin attributes as the foundation of your cultivation and then supplement it with Yang attributes, it’s a pretty novel idea. Your predecessor, or whoever created your cultivation method must’ve realized that following one path to the extreme was the incorrect method so instead, chose to balance it with the opposite attribute.”

“This explains why your sect is named Ardent Yin…”

Ji Xian ruffled his hair as he calmly spoke, “Hmm, if I’m not wrong, then based on the similarities in the names, the Serene Yang Sect follows this same idea as well. Of course, unlike you guys, they use Yang attributes as the foundation.”

He continued, “But balancing Yin and Yang, or just two opposite extremities in general, is nothing groundbreaking, however, to create a cultivation method combining this principle should be impossible in the Lower World.”

He quietly muttered, “If your predecessor had maybe a fraction of my cheat …cough… my genius, then it could be achievable, but I don’t see that happening.”

“…”

Fang Yu’s mouth twitched. Naturally, she heard what he said at the end.

How arrogant! He’s looking down on our Founder, who created the Flame of Ice Scripture!

Ji Xian pinched his chin and appeared thoughtful.

“So how did not one random sect in the Lower World achieve this, but two? Hmm, if I have to guess, looks like the one who created your cultivation method got lucky and discovered a legacy from someone in the Upper World who came down here to die. Perhaps, a certain individual at the Serene Yang Sect also discovered it as well. Perhaps, they fought, and perhaps, they each ended up with half the legacy.”

“Nonsense!” Fang Yu immediately exclaimed. “What can an outsider like you possibly know about my sect?”

In truth, she wasn’t sure either. Both the Ardent Yin Sect and the Serene Yang Sect have a long history and there was nothing concrete written down. The two sects just assumed it was their Founders who created the cultivation methods. They obviously noticed the similarities between them. At one point, they even fought because of this and the bad blood continued to this day.

Ji Xian chuckled, “You’re right, I’m not too familiar with your sect but you should always open your mind to the possibilities.”

After he finished speaking, the black hammer in his grip suddenly liquefied. As it dripped from his hand and down to the ocean, the color changed. From black to crystal clear water.

Every drop returned to the ocean from where it came.

The Nether Armor also moved, it reversed its solid state and accumulated into a small black ball that floated above his palm.

Ji Xian slightly lifted his veil before putting it into his mouth and swallowing it.

Fang Yu watched on with confusion, wondering what he was doing.

…

Li Yifan and the handsome young man were surprised when they saw Ji Xian’s appearance. Although they couldn’t see his face, his aura gave them a sense of unfamiliarity. This was enough for them to know that he wasn’t the person they were expecting him to be!

How could this be?! Just who is this person?

…

In the sky, Ji Xian asked Fang Yu a question.

“Have you ever wondered what would happen if a man tried to cultivate your cultivation method, the Flame of Ice Scripture?”

She instantly sneered, “Impossible. Only women are compatible with it. If any man tried to learn it, they might implode from the imbalance of Yin and Yang.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible,” Ji Xian shook his head. “It just needs to be tweaked a little.”

Tweaked?

Just as Fang Yu was about to reply, she paused and her jaw slightly dropped.

A spark suddenly ignited from Ji Xian’s glabella.

A purple flame exploded outwards and slowly began to envelop his body. Even his long hair was burning with the fire!

Fang Yu was shaken! This was an ability from the Flame of Ice Scripture, Spark of Glacier Flame!

“You! How did you-“

“I told you before,” Ji Xian interrupted.

“I watched and I learned.”

“This…” A sudden realization suddenly struck Fang Yu.

Was all this for that?

Ji Xian played around with the purple fire that had covered his hand.

“This is a very interesting flame. With its property of both ice and fire, if anyone came into contact with this, they would be freezing on the outside and burning on the inside.”

“It’s not bad but… I’ve already made something similar to this a long time ago.”

“…”

Fang Yu was barely listening to Ji Xian. She was simply in too much shock as she stared at the bewitchingly purple flame.

He chuckled at her expression, “Now then… can you still fight?”

Ji Xian snapped his finger.

Tens of thousands of purple ice blades suddenly materialized out of thin air and they all pointed at Fang Yu.

A terrifying pressure descended with their appearance.