In the Great Liang World.


    At the foot of Yuanhe Mountain.


    Acquiring formations or seeking legacies of puppetry and beast control techniques required vast quantities of spirit stones!


    With limited resources, Fang Xi naturally chose to cross over immediately, targeting the Eight Great Monster Kings.


    Although there were still numerous issues lingering in the Great Liang World, to him now, they felt like mere breezes brushing past his face.


    After all, bing a Zongshi marked reaching the pinnacle of human potential!


    Combined with the capabilities of a cultivator, even if besieged by tens of thousands of troops, Fang Xi could effortlessly escape.


    Thus, he no longer cared about the risk of exposure.


    “Who goes there?” At the Blood Gate, the guard disciple saw a youth approaching gracefully, making the rugged mountain path seem as smooth as t ground beneath his feet. With caution, the disciple inquired. “It’s me, Fang Leng!” Fang Xi replied with a warm smile. “I’vee to pay respects! Please grant me an audience with Grandmaster Linghu Shan!”


    Indeed, for his first visit after bing a Zongshi, it was important to maintain formality.


    In the next moment, the Yuanhe Mountain disciple seemed to weaken at the knees, stumbled backward, and hastily scrambled away while running.


    As he fled, he shouted in a voice akin to a broken gong, “It’s terrible… The great demon Ghost Fearsome has arrived to pay respects!”


    Fang Xi remained speechless.


    “Ha ha ha ha!”


    An hourter at Lei Ji Peak.


    Linghu Shanughed uproariously, holding his belly with no regard for etiquette, even pping his thigh as he chuckled uncontrobly.


    “What ‘disciples of Ding Province’s top martial force’? Each one as timid as mice… It seems there are serious issues with your Yuanhe Mountain’s education!” Fang Xi appeared slightly embarrassed and asked, “I’ve always treated people kindly; when did I be such a great demon?”


    “Heh…” Linghu Shan barely managed to suppress his grin. “You’ve killed two of Dingzhou Army’s eight militarymanders, along with numerous third-step martial arts masters known for their irond strength… Every time Ghost Fearsome appears, it results in a bloodbath among Three Origins City’s martial elite. If that’s not the mark of a great demon, what is? Even I struggle to exin this to our sect’s disciples. With your formal arrival today, they half-expected you to wipe out all of Yuanhe Mountain!”


    “Sigh… if others hadn’t pushed me, I wouldn’t have wanted any of this.” Fang Xi sighed and then inquired, “How are my two apprentices doing?”


    “Don’t worry, they’re being well-fed and cared for, lest your anger leads to another massacre of Three Origins City’s leadership…”


    Linghu Shan sneered disdainfully, “That bunch… they’re quite adept at changing their allegiances with the wind.”


    He then turned to Fang Xi, expressing his amazement once more, “I haven’t yet congratted you on breaking through to Martial Saint and achieving the title of Zongshi! Even considering your exceptional talent, I thought it would take at least ten years. Yet, astonishingly, it’s been less than two! Xiao You, you must not be even thirty yet, right? Remarkable… A Zongshi under thirty ranks among the top few across the entire realm.”


    ‘Actually, I’m not even twenty yet…’ Fang Xi considered revealing this but decided against it. Instead, he asked, “Given my aptitude, do you think I could join the ‘Zongshi Association’?”


    He held great interest in that organization.


    In Great Liang, martial arts only reached the True Astral Martial Saint level, which corresponds to the third stage of Body Tempering - still quite limited.


    Fang Xi aimed to achieve Foundation Establishment in Body Tempering and subsequently enhance his Qi Refinement realm!


    Since there was no clear path forward in martial arts, he resolved to forge his own way.


    Fang Xi felt confident about this endeavor. With ample spirit stones and sufficient strength, he could purchase body cultivation techniques from the cultivation world, potentially even those reaching the fourth level of Body Tempering for reference!


    Despite the vast differences between martial arts and body cultivation, there might be aspects where they couldplement each other.


    Focusing on this world’s martial arts was primarily due to their emphasis on cultivating blood qi, which differed significantly from the cultivation world’s Body Tempering techniques. This approach could potentially provide great benefits for oveing the blood qi barrier at Foundation Establishment!


    ‘If it truly doesn’t work out, I’ll pivot towards the orthodox path of body cultivation… After all, initially, my goal was just to be stronger quickly through martial arts, gaining self-protection capabilities.’


    “You want to join that group of lunatics?” Linghu Shan shook his head, then nodded. “With your talent, they will undoubtedly ept you. Your abilities may prove useful for their exploration beyond Zongshi rank… However, beware, people within the Zongshi Association can be quite difficult to deal with!”


    “Thank you for the advice.” Fang Xi bowed respectfully, finally addressing the main topic. “As I promised before, once I reach Zongshi rank, we will join forces to y that vicious Dragonfish…”


    A swift sh of excitement crossed Linghu Shan’s face. “Xiao You keeps his word!”


    The Dragonfish at Old Dragon Pool held a deep grudge against him, and he had longed for revenge for years.


    “However, knowing oneself and one’s enemy is crucial to ensure victory!” Fang Xi stated. “I need the most detailed information avable about it!”


    The Monster Kings of Great Liang were at least Late Stage Qi Refinement mythical beasts. With the added potency of Dragonfish lineage, they became even more formidable, potentially turning any battle on its head.


    Fang Xi didn’t assume that bing a True Astral Martial Saint made him invincible.


    “Of course…” Linghu Shan entered his room and soon emerged with a thick stack of documents. “I’ve been closely monitoring everything about that beast!”


    Fang Xi casually took the files, his eyes scanning swiftly through them. Yuanhe Mountain’s intelligence was indeedprehensive. Based on the destruction caused by the dragon-blooded snake monster, it confirmed that its power did not exceed that of a typical Qi Refinement stage mythical beast, alleviating hisst lingering concerns.


    “In truth… against any mythical beast, including Monster Kings, we could theoretically deploy overwhelming force without reservation. However, each of Ding Province’s Eight Great Monster Kings has unique abilities…”


    Linghu Shan borated, “For instance, the Great Peng King can fly… And this Dragonfish King, aside from having scales impervious to ordinary weapons, only sumbs to divine artifacts for minimal damage. At the first sign of trouble, it retreats into the Old Dragon Pool… Despite its name, the pool is incredibly deep. I suspect there may be underground waterways connecting it to the nearby ‘Coiling Dragon Lake’, making the creature extremely difficult to y!”


    “Difficult to breach?”


    Fang Xi set down the scroll and stretchedzily. In this brief moment, he had already skimmed through its contents. “How does itpare to a Zongshi’s astral energy shield?”


    “Even more formidable!” Linghu Shan’s expression turned grave. “Moreover… our astral energy can eventually be depleted, but that beast’s scales remain invulnerable indefinitely.”


    Generating true astral energy was highly demanding on a Zongshi’s physical strength and blood qi.


    In contrast, the defensive capabilities of a mythical beast’s scales or fur were inherently enduring.


    This was their fundamental difference!


    “There’s no point in further discussion; why don’t we spar instead?” Fang Xi felt a surge of excitement, as since his ascension to True Astral Martial Saint, he hadn’t yet engaged anyone inbat!


    “Well… let’s skip that. I’m getting old and can’t match up to you young ones…” Linghu Shan instinctively tried to avoid the challenge.


    “What if I told you I have a method to prate the Dragonfish’s scales, requiring your assistance for practical testing?” Fang Xi quickly dangled the bait.


    “In that case, I must risk my life to apany you.” A spark lit up in Linghu Shan’s eyes, and he promptly agreed.


    At Lei Ji Peak.


    On the rear mountainside.


    A vacant area surrounded by peculiarly shaped ck stones, piled into fantastical formations.


    “Let’s do it here…” Linghu Shan calmly spoke as he stepped into the center of the open space.


    Zzzt!


    In the next instant, his figure dramatically transformed from an unassuming old man to a towering giant over two meters tall!


    Not only that, but muscles bulged across his arms and thighs, even tearing through his original clothing.


    Whoosh!


    With swift movement, he appeared before Fang Xi, his fingers crackling with wind and thunder, striking like lightning.


    “Secret Technique: Pentathunder Transformation!”


    This secret technique looked entirely different when wielded by a True Force martial artistpared to a True Astral Martial Saint!


    Under Linghu Shan’s control, each finger emitted bursts of astral energy, forming a colossal w enveloped in electric sparks - its sheer might was awe-inspiring!


    “Going all out right away, huh?!” Fang Xi chuckled lightly and retreated.


    As he leaped backward, wisps of blood-red astral energy emerged from his limbs and pores, coalescing around him to create a crimson breastte-like shield.


    Zzzt!


    The massive, lightning-wrapped astral w struck the breastte, producing a teeth-grating sound. Although it distorted the shield, it ultimately failed to breach it.


    “The True Astral Martial Saints can rival Late Stage Qi Refinement precisely because of their astral energy!”


    Fang Xi retreated seven steps, his movements graceful like stepping on lotus blossoms, as he observed this scene thoughtfully.


    By projecting astral energy to form armor, Zongshi could effectively resist attacks from both Qi Refinement magic spells and magical artifacts!


    This was the true reliance of a Martial Saint!


    As for relying solely on the physical body?


    Even with further enhancements akin to tempered steel, it would likely only allow one’s bones to withstand mid-to-high grade magical artifacts at best.


    Any body cultivator foolish enough to directly sh against magical artifacts using just their flesh is simply a moron!


    “Linghu Shan… beware, I’m about to unleash my true skills!” Fang Xi warned, forming his right hand into a sword-like gesture. “Go!”


    A streak of golden light instantly shot forth, exuding majestic sword aura apanied by faint dragon roars!


    High-grade Magical Artifact - Golden Flood Dragon Sword!


    ng!


    The Golden Flood Dragon Sword transformed into radiant gold, swiftly striking towards Linghu Shan.


    In an instant, Linghu Shan reacted swiftly, retracting his right arm to shield his chest. Terrifying crimson astral energy erupted around it, resembling armored gauntlets, creating multiple illusory reflections.


    “Secret Technique: Eight-Armed ughter Dragon!”


    Bang!


    The golden streak collided with the scarlet astral energy but rebounded unexpectedly.


    Unfazed, Fang Xi’s fingers moved rapidly, akin to plucking strings on a zither.


    The golden light circled around and swiftly returned to Linghu Shan’s back, resembling a serpent striking with its flickering tongue.


    “Ah!”


    Linghu Shan roared, his muscles bulging as he lunged backward like a bear charging headfirst!


    As his astral energy collided with the Golden Flood Dragon Sword, it produced a crisp sound akin to countless pearls hitting a jade te.


    Undeterred, the sword only slightly slowed down but was ultimately evaded by Linghu Shan’s agile roll.


    “I concede!” As soon as Linghu Shan climbed to his feet, he hastily raised his hand and shouted, “My astral energy is depleted…”


    A Zongshi’s astral energy is limited, yet typically sufficient for a single battle. However, due to the exceptional sharpness of the Golden Flood Dragon Sword, Linghu Shan had been forced to unleash all his power just to defend against it. With his astral energy exhausted, he dared not risk confronting a high-grade magical artifact directly with his fleshly body.


    Seeing Linghu Shan’s concession, Fang Xi promptly recalled his magical artifact.


    “Xiao You… could you be the legendary Sword Immortal?!” Despite appearing disheveled, Linghu Shan, with his thick face, showed no concern over losing. Instead, he was captivated by Fang Xi’s disy of flying sword techniques. “Earlier, I heard Yuanhe Mountain disciples mention your ability to decapitate foes with a flying sword, thinking they were uttering nonsense. Yet here, it proves to be true!”


    “This is a secret flying sword technique of my sect, primarily involving refining astral energy into threads and controlling the sword through them!” Fang Xi put on a serious expression, spouting nonsense with utmost conviction.


    However, cultivators in this world were incredibly self-assured and prideful; they might not believe in cultivation, but mentioning it as a martial arts secret could easily convince them!