“Zizi!”
As the thunder and lightning descended, students from the Xiwu Empire abruptly withdrew, evading the lightning that crackled through the air and struck the ground.
“Thunder and wood dual-system spiritual roots?”
The Xiwu Empire student gazed at Nangong Mian, a hint of a smile on his lips. “You’ve got some skill.”
Nangong Mian met his gaze. “My cultivation level may not match yours, but I’ll give it my all.”
“It’s a futile effort,” the student retorted coldly. “What good is having dual-system spiritual roots if your cultivation level falls short? They are meaningless!”
With these words, the student launched another attack on Nangong Mian.
“Brush!”
The vines transformed into a whip, cracking through the air with a swift motion.
Anticipating the attack, the Xiwu Empire student agilely evaded the whip. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Nangong Mian.
“Zi!”
Just as the student reached for Nangong Mian, thunder and lightning erupted, pushing the assailant’s attack back.
Among various spiritual roots, thunder spiritual roots ranked among the top three in terms of destructive power. Those with thunder spiritual roots naturally possessed a superior strength compared to other spiritual roots.
Undeterred by the thwarted attacks, the Xiwu Empire student’s expression darkened. Swiftly drawing his weapon, he launched a fierce assault.
Already quick, the Xiwu Empire student’s speed surged further as his wind spiritual roots heightened his agility.
With such speed, Nangong Mian had little time to fortify his defense, leaving him with no choice but to counterattack.
In the clash between wind and thunder elements—speed against combat prowess—theoretically, thunder should prevail. However, due to Nangong Mian’s cultivation, his thunder element struggled to suppress the opponent’s wind element. As the foe’s speed escalated, the wood element proved insufficient for defense, and the opponent’s attack shattered Nangong Mian’s thunder and lightning. The wind blade descended upon Nangong Mian the moment his defense crumbled.
The unseen wind blade sliced through clothing, leaving wounds on Nangong Mian’s body. Blood quickly welled up, saturating the fabric, resembling red plums falling on snow—a stark and dazzling contrast.
“Alas…”
Observing Nangong Mian’s injuries, the dean sighed. “The gap in strength is too vast.”
The empire’s chosen students were, at the minimum, eighth-level spiritual masters, while Nangong Mian currently stood as a seventh-level spiritual master. The disparity in strength was insurmountable.
Were it not for Huang Quan’s presence, the dean harbored little hope. Bringing the students here was primarily aimed at exposing them to the rigorous battles at the Imperial College, allowing them to witness the prowess of peers their age.
On the competition stage, wind blades, thunder and lightning, and vines intermittently manifested, saturating the arena with spiritual power.
“Your cultivation falls short of mine, and you command dual spiritual roots. Your spiritual power will deplete soon,” taunted the Xiwu Empire student, assessing Nangong Mian. “You won’t last much longer.”
Nangong Mian remained silent, meeting the Xiwu Empire student’s gaze. After the remark, the opponent retrieved a porcelain bottle, dispensed a pill, and consumed it.
The spirit recovery pill swiftly replenished expended spiritual energy.
“So, you came prepared,” noted the Xiwu Empire student upon seeing Nangong Mian take the elixir. “However, that Pill has its drawbacks—too many impurities. You can only take up to three pills at a time. Exceeding that limit won’t enhance the restoration effect. If you consume more than three pills, it’ll only prolong your persistence a bit. What else can you hope for?”
After taking the elixir, Nangong Mian distinctly felt his drained spiritual energy rejuvenating.
Nangong Mian chose not to respond to the Xiwu Empire student’s commentary.
While an ordinary healing pill might have side effects as mentioned, the spirit recovery Pill he ingested was crafted by Quanquan, boasting the highest quality.
