Chapter 180

"Friend, your Thunder techniques are remarkable. I, He Kai, admire your skill."

He Kai slowly withdrew a seven-inch brush from his sleeve and declared, "But my master ordered me to win this match. Forgive my offense."

Facing his confident stance, Qi Wei simply extended her hand in a silent challenge.

The supervising cultivator raised his arm. "Begin!"

Both fighters moved instantly.

He Kai swirled his brush through the air. Ink droplets shimmered before transforming into eight roaring extraordinary beasts – his specialty combining painting arts with beast control.

Qi Wei reacted swiftly, summoning thunder flames around herself. Her palms converged, forming a pulsating blue thunderball.

"Fifth Level beasts! All eight of them!"

"How can anyone fight eight Fifth Level creatures?"

Young disciples gaped from the observation seats. Controlling eight beasts alone was astonishing, but each matching a Fifth Level cultivator’s power? Unthinkable.

Three azure lightning streaks suddenly flashed.

The thunderball above Qi Wei’s head unleashed devastating strikes, vaporizing three charging beasts instantly.

Spectators gasped. Now they understood why lightning cultivators were feared – each thunder strike could obliterate a regular Fifth Level cultivator.

Protected by the crackling sphere, Qi Wei surged forward through thunder flames. Remaining beasts lunged, but the lightning pierced their paper-thin bodies effortlessly.

"Too fast!"

He Kai hastily drew a circle beneath his feet with his brush.

"Green Mountain Shield!"

Ink swirled upward, forming a stone-gray mountain encapsulating him.

The defense proved inadequate.

Qi Wei splayed her fingers. A thundercloud materialized overhead, launching five blue Thunder Sparks at her target.

CRACK!

BOOM!

The inked mountain trembled after five consecutive strikes. Qi Wei slammed a palm-sized lightning bolt against the weakening shield, shattering it completely.

Immediately, her other hand swung out, clutching crackling lightning aimed straight at He Kai’s face.

Just as she nearly struck, a violent energy wave burst from He Kai’s body, flinging her backward.

When she looked up again, He Kai stood encircled by swirling patterns resembling beast totems.

"I wanted to test myself against you without Spiritual Manipulation," He Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "Seems I underestimated Thunder techniques after all."

"Since you’ve forced my hand," he shrugged, flicking his paintbrush, "let’s end this quickly."

Ink swirled from his brush, materializing into a winged tiger with fangs bared.

The beast’s aura pulsed unmistakably at the Sixth Level!

With a thunderous roar, the winged predator lunged at Qi Wei.

It shrugged off lightning bolts from her thunderball, then devoured the crackling sphere whole.

Qi Wei retreated across the Debate Platform, her Thunder techniques barely scratching the ink-beast’s hide.

Backed against the platform’s edge, she heard gasps from watching disciples holding their breath.

He Kai maintained his relaxed smile. Without Spiritual Manipulation, his victory seemed assured.

"Wait—"

"What’s Senior Sister Qi doing?"

Murmurs snapped He Kai’s attention back. His composure cracked.

"Is she insane?!"

At the platform’s brink, Qi Wei compressed her thunder flame into a pulsating orb at her fingertips.

Before anyone could react, she swallowed the crackling sphere.

BOOM!

Her power surged violently, breaking through Fifth Level limits to reach Sixth Level in an instant.

"Thunder Devouring Method!"

Elders on the High Platform exchanged stunned glances. To teach such deadly arts to youths—Daoyuanshan’s training truly was merciless!

Blue lightning coursed over Qi Wei’s skin. She moved like living thunder—faster, stronger, her attacks crackling with doubled fury.

When the winged tiger pounced, she didn’t dodge.

CRACK!

Her hands tore through inky flesh, ripping off the beast’s wings in a spray of dissolving ink.

He Kai desperately unleashed techniques, but his attacks found only afterimages.

"Damn it!"

He Kai’s mind raced as he tried various methods, but none worked.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the ferocious tiger painting-beast was obliterated by Qi Wei’s palm-born lightning.

“I surrender!”

Seeing the tide turn against him, He Kai didn’t hesitate to declare defeat.

This was undoubtedly wise—his trump card had failed, and persisting would only bring greater pain.

Faced with choosing between lightning strikes or elder reprimands, he swiftly picked the latter.

Thud.

Qi Wei, mid-charge, was gently restrained by a Daoyuanshan guardian cultivator.

She spat out the thunder pill from her mouth before collapsing to her knees, coughing up mouthfuls of black blood.

Though the Thunder Devouring Method held immense power, it ravaged the user’s body. Failure to control the thunder core risked lightning backlash and severe injuries.

“Well, junior brother? What do you think?”

Xiao Yize turned to Yang Lingshu as they watched Qi Wei return to the high platform, wiping blood from her lips.

“Frightening. I’d rather not face her.”

“See? Now you grasp this senior brother’s plight.”

Xiao Yize discreetly gestured toward Qiu Ran behind him. “That one’s worse—utterly vicious in battle! After I beat her just once ten years ago, she’s hounded me ever since. A senior brother’s burdens weigh heavy!”

Yang Lingshu stifled a laugh at the complaint.

Outsiders might believe Xiao Yize feared Qiu Ran.

But having trained in the same Spiritual Communication Technique, Yang Lingshu knew its potency.

The two secret arts, “Jade Water” and “Spring Encounter,” alone made Xiao Yize unbeatable among peers.

As Wanhuamen’s senior brother and a top genius of the Zhuhu Dynasty, Xiao Yize matched Qiu Ran in strength.

Yet his aversion to conflict drove him to evade her relentlessly.

As they spoke, Daoyuanshan concluded their discussions.

Qi Wei’s injuries from the Thunder Devouring Method required recuperation, forcing them to field another combatant.

This time, Daoyuanshan bypassed the mid-stage of gathering energy tier entirely, summoning peak Ninth Level expert Chu Hao!

At his entrance, spectators like Yang Lingrui straightened, expressions sharpening.

The earlier bouts had been excellent, but to them, mere preliminaries.

Chu Hao’s ascent signaled the true clash—the Zhuhu Dynasty versus the Four Sects of the Northwest’s talented disciples.