Chapter 51: Talent Limit

After the two bowed to each other, the Magical Combat sparring officially began.

Sheng Qiyuan had intended to see what this Qi Refining Fifth Layer disciple from the Outer Sect was capable of. However, his opponent showed no intention of making the first move, seemingly waiting for him to attack.

Ever since he had reached the fifth layer in both Qi Refining and Body Refinement, the Steward had never matched him against an opponent at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

’Anyone who can be my opponent must be no simple character!’

After waiting for a moment to no avail, Sheng Qiyuan made his move.

He closed in on Fang Yun with incredible speed. When they were less than a foot apart, a giant red axe materialized in his right hand.

With the giant red axe in hand, he swung it down at the motionless Fang Yun.

The giant axe glowed with a faint red light, a result of having Spiritual Power poured into it. This single chop not only unleashed the might of the Middle Grade Magical Artifact but was also augmented by his own physical strength.

An ordinary Cultivator of the same Realm would never be able to withstand such a blow.

His opponent attacked with immense speed and the explosive force of a Body Cultivator, but Fang Yun’s defensive reaction was just as quick.

Just as the giant red axe descended, a jet-black shield appeared before him, blocking the attack.

A deafening clang of metal on metal rang out, amplified by the wave of Spiritual Power at the point of impact.

’What a powerful blow!’

At that moment, Fang Yun had already poured ninety percent of his Spiritual Power into the Profound Iron Shield. Just ten percent more would bring the shield to its maximum defensive potential.

In his previous duel, the most Spiritual Power he had ever channeled into the Profound Iron Shield was less than forty percent.

In contrast to Fang Yun’s internal surprise, an expression finally broke onto Sheng Qiyuan’s face—one of utter disbelief.

"Senior Brother Fang, are you also a Body Cultivator?" Sheng Qiyuan asked.

This shield wasn’t an Upper Grade Magical Artifact, yet Fang Yun had used it to firmly block his attack without even leaning back an inch.

To Sheng Qiyuan, this was unbelievable. It would be nearly impossible to achieve unless Fang Yun was also a Body Cultivator.

But if Fang Yun truly was a Body Cultivator, he should have declared it earlier to abide by the rules of a friendly Magical Combat spar.

"I’m not."

Fang Yun injected another five percent of his Spiritual Power into the Profound Iron Shield, which then flicked upwards.

Sheng Qiyuan stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.

"Junior Brother Wu, you were only half right. I don’t need to see the end of this Magical Combat; I’m already interested in this Junior Brother Fang."

Fang Yun wasn’t lying; he truly hadn’t practiced Body Refinement. Bai Qinying could tell that much with certainty.

Bai Qinying turned to glance at Wu Junxin. She had been about to say something but quickly changed the subject.

"It seems, Junior Brother Wu, that you don’t know Junior Brother Fang very well either."

Wu Junxin didn’t deny it. "The way Junior Brother Fang took Junior Brother Sheng’s axe strike was not what I expected."

Wu Junxin had been confident that Fang Yun could hold his own against Sheng Qiyuan, but he hadn’t expected him to block the attack this way with the Profound Iron Shield.

When facing a Body Cultivator, it’s best not to let them get into close range.

Fang Yun had made no attempt to prevent that.

But judging by his current performance, it seemed he had no need to.

"Again!"

Fang Yun’s defense only served to ignite an even stronger fighting spirit in Sheng Qiyuan.

He took two steps forward and brought his axe down on Fang Yun once more.

Just like before, his strike was firmly blocked by Fang Yun. This time, however, Sheng Qiyuan followed up with more attacks.

After all, he was a Body Cultivator!

His very body was a powerful weapon.

He lifted his right leg and kicked at Fang Yun.

A smaller, jet-black shield appeared, blocking the assault from his right leg.

Sheng Qiyuan, attacking with all his might, still had a free hand, as he wasn’t wielding the axe two-handed.

Yet, his punch was also blocked by another small, jet-black shield.

This time, Fang Yun timed a push and a jolt perfectly, sending the unbalanced Sheng Qiyuan tumbling to the ground, landing flat on his rear.

"Two Lower Grade Magical Artifacts and one Middle Grade, all of the same type... How have I never seen this Junior Brother Fang before?"

"Controlling three Magical Artifacts at once during the Qi Refining Stage... That’s splitting his focus three ways."

"Just look at Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother Wu. You can tell this Junior Brother Fang is no simple character, managing to get the upper hand in a spar against Junior Brother Sheng."

On the Dueling Platform, Fang Yun had already recalled the two Lower Grade Profound Iron Shields.

Most Cultivators are capable of splitting their focus between two tasks, but it is mentally taxing. The same was true for Fang Yun.

However, when it came to simultaneously controlling Shield Spiritual Artifacts in battle, he had an advantage that mitigated the strain.

Fang Yun figured that with the help of his one-star Shield Talent, his limit was controlling one Middle Grade Shield Spiritual Artifact and three Lower Grade Shield Spiritual Artifacts at the same time.

Even then, it was extremely mentally taxing.

If he were to swap one of the Lower Grade Shield Spiritual Artifacts for another Middle Grade one, he wouldn’t be able to manage it.

This was a conclusion he had only just reached.

In his previous Magical Combat spar, controlling a single Middle Grade Profound Iron Shield had been sufficient.

For the remainder of the fight, Sheng Qiyuan tried everything he could to break through Fang Yun’s defense, but even by the time his Spiritual Power was completely depleted, he had failed.

Now, all he had left was his stamina.

Without the augmentation of Spiritual Power, it was even more impossible for him to breach Fang Yun’s defense.

"Senior Brother Fang, I concede."

"You fought well."

Recalling his Profound Iron Shields, Fang Yun returned the fist-and-palm salute.

This Magical Combat spar had taken a significant toll on him.

It had consumed more than sixty percent of his Spiritual Power.

At this point, the Spiritual Power in his Qi Sea had fallen to less than twenty percent.

Although he hadn’t gained as much from this Magical Combat spar as he had from his first one, the rewards were still substantial.

He now had a clear understanding of the limits of his one-star Shield Talent.

"Senior Brother Fang, once we’re in the Inner Sect, I look forward to facing you in the Grand Competition. I’ll use my full strength then." This was the longest sentence Sheng Qiyuan had spoken all day.

"So, Junior Brother Sheng, you weren’t using your full strength just now," Fang Yun said, glancing at Sheng Qiyuan in surprise.

’Faced with my impenetrable defense, he should have gone all out.’

"I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself," Sheng Qiyuan said without further explanation. He was a man of few words.

"Mm, I look forward to it as well."

During the Inner Sect Grand Competition, there would be Foundation Establishment Stage Elders personally overseeing the Dueling Platform, so both combatants could unleash their full power without any restraint.

Considering the time it would likely take for him to break through to the late Qi Refining Stage and become an Inner Sect Disciple, he asked Sheng Qiyuan another question.

"Junior Brother Sheng, how old are you?"

"I’m fourteen this year."

Fang Yun looked up at Sheng Qiyuan.

’This is what a fourteen-year-old looks like?’

’I guess Body Cultivators are just well-nourished.’

Fang Yun was of average height for a male Cultivator.

Fang Yun averted his gaze. ’He’s only fourteen,’ he thought. ’That’s a testament to his incredible talent. His Spirit Root Talent is probably Dual Spirit Roots, and his body’s ability to absorb energy must be remarkable.’

The two of them went back to the Steward to register the results.

"Who won this time?" the Steward asked, curious.

Sheng Qiyuan was a Body and Qi Dual Cultivator, so even when his Spiritual Power was depleted, others couldn’t see anything unusual about him.