Zhi Xuan let out a long sigh, the breath exhaled by his Cleaving Metal Lungs felt cold, cutting through the sweet scent of the Eternal Moon Flowers. He briefly glanced at Zhu Qinglan, whose ocean eyes now radiated a complex firmness—she neither supported Xu Sheng nor stopped him. Zhu Qinglan wanted to see Zhi Xuan's foundation, without having to dirty her own hands.

  “One move,” Zhi Xuan repeated, his tone flat and indifferent. “A generous test from a Five Element cultivator. Very well, Guard Dog of Cloud Heaven Peak. I accept your challenge.”

  He did not rise from his seat. He merely leaned forward slightly, releasing his Peak Consciousness Transformation aura. The aura did not explode, but condensed around him, forming a sharp Devil Metal force field, ready to cut down any Law that approached.

  Xiao Die, the Thousand Feathered Moth on his shoulder, fluttered its soft rainbow wings, radiating calming dust, balancing Zhi Xuan's aura of cruelty. Xu Sheng narrowed his crystal eyes. Zhi Xuan not rising was the ultimate insult, a statement that Xu Sheng's Five Element was not worthy of making him stand.

  “Your arrogance will tear your own Dao, Zhi Xuan,” Xu Sheng hissed. He no longer cared about Zhu Qinglan or Feng Yi's presence. He raised his right hand, and above his palm, the spiritual essence in the Jade Immortal Garden began to surge wildly.

  The Five Elements—Wind, Lightning, Fire, Water, Earth—which formed the Heavenly Element foundation of every Five Element cultivator, spun and gathered above Xu Sheng's hand. The wood essence from the heavenly trees, the water humidity from the crystal pools, the wind sharpness from the peak rocks, all were absorbed and condensed, bound by the Law of Wind and Ice from Cloud Heaven Peak.

  The five essences did not destroy each other; they spun in a harmonious cycle, a representation of Xu Sheng's Pure Five Element Creation Cycle. The manifestation above his hand was not a savage Annihilation Palm, but a slowly spinning Five Element Cosmic Chakra, radiating an oppressive Law of Purity. The Chakra, though only a handspan in diameter, carried the weight of the Five Element realm's Supreme Law.

  Feng Yi, watching from the corner of the pavilion, straightened her back. Her Phoenix eyes radiated tension. She knew how powerful Xu Sheng was. This single-move attack, driven by the Pure Five Element Cosmic Chakra, was enough to crush an ordinary Consciousness Transformation cultivator into dust, regardless of their foundation.

  Zhu Qinglan also watched closely. Her ocean eyes radiated analytical light, ready to intervene if necessary. But she did not move; she believed in the karmic force that bound them.

  “Behold, Zhi Xuan,” Xu Sheng said, his voice now weighty and solemn. “This is Purity. A stable, harmonious, and flawless Dao. This is the Law that binds Heaven and Earth. Surrender your rotten Devil Dao, and admit your defeat.”

  WHOOSH!

  Xu Sheng moved his hand forward. The Five Element Cosmic Chakra shot out. The Chakra was not fast, but it was incredibly oppressive. Wherever the Chakra passed, the air around it was sucked in, and the heavenly flowers immediately withered, their beauty shattered under the pressure of the Pure Law.

  The Chakra targeted Zhi Xuan's chest, where his Heart of Desire Fire pulsed. Zhi Xuan remained seated. He did not use the Heavenly Annihilation Palm, which would tear the Jade Immortal Garden formation and destroy Zhu Qinglan's pavilion. He had to withstand this attack with his new foundation—with a purer Law.

  With a single will, the Divine Furnace radiating the resonance of the Four Seasons, floated and whirred in front of Zhi Xuan. The Furnace, emitting a Ding! sound, met the Five Element Chakra, which contained the Five Element Law.

  DING! DING! CRACK! CRACK!

  The Five Element Cosmic Chakra was unable to penetrate. It spun wildly, tearing the air with a deafening hiss, but it was trapped in the Four Seasons resonance channeled by the Furnace. Xu Sheng's Pure Law, designed to destroy, was instead forced to interact with a Law that mirrored the mortal Five Element cycle.

  Zhu Qinglan was stunned, her eyes widened slightly upon seeing the Divine Furnace. "A Divine Furnace, he really made it into a Soul Artifact?" Zhu Qinglan thought, she did not expect Zhi Xuan to bring out the Divine Furnace now.

  Zhi Xuan smiled coldly. The Furnace, with which he had just passed the Heavenly Calamity, was a manifestation of the Cycle of Creation, Control, and Destruction. The Four Seasons resonance he radiated was a Law governing the birth and death of an Element, a concept that almost equaled Xu Sheng's Pure cycle.

  Xu Sheng's Pure Five Element Cosmic Chakra, driven by the weight of the Five Element realm, should have been capable of destroying any Consciousness Transformation realm artifact. Yet, the Chakra was trapped, its pure essence forced to interact with the Devil-Heavenly Contradiction essence. Xu Sheng's stable Law of Purity, in the face of the Furnace radiating the cosmic cycle, felt like water trying to move a mountain.

  Xu Sheng felt his Dao surge. His perfect Cosmic Chakra was unable to penetrate the seemingly rotten furnace artifact. His crystal eyes widened in genuine shock. He had measured Zhi Xuan's realm, but he ignored the depth of the foundation tainted by Devil Law and fortified by the Perfect Divine Organs.

  “What… what is this?” Xu Sheng hissed, his voice containing shock and anger. He increased his Five Element essence, pumping energy into the Cosmic Chakra.

  WHOOSH!

  The Chakra spun faster, radiating a more ferocious Law, forcing the Furnace before Zhi Xuan to tremble violently. Fine cracks appeared on the Furnace's surface, but the Four Seasons resonance did not break; it spun more wildly, absorbing the Cosmic Chakra's energy.

  Zhi Xuan snorted roughly. His thick face, which had maintained a cold and indifferent expression until now, showed palpable tension. He felt every Rune on the surface of his Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron creak, as if Xu Sheng's Pure Cosmic Chakra was trying to tear apart the structure of his Dao.

  The realm gap was undeniable. Five Element was the realm where cultivators had solidified their Law to a higher level, mastering the Five Elements of the Realm. While Zhi Xuan had just reached Peak Consciousness Transformation, and though his foundation was perfect, his comprehension of Law was still fragmented, relying only on the resonance of the Divine Furnace.

  "This is your limit, Devil!" Xu Sheng roared, his voice containing the weight of absolute Pure Law. He released all his Five Element essence reserves. The Five Element Cosmic Chakra shone with blinding light, and the pressure released immediately penetrated the pavilion's protective Formation, making the crystal pool ripple fiercely and shattering several jade flower pots.

  CRACK!

  The cracks on the surface of the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron widened, and the Four Seasons resonance held by Zhi Xuan began to tremble wildly, like a string about to snap. Zhi Xuan felt his Heart of Desire Fire pulse violently, pumping the tainted Black Jade Essence throughout his meridians, trying to stabilize the Furnace.

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  He knew that if the Furnace shattered, he would not only lose; his nascent foundation would be jeopardized, and his Consciousness Realm would be shaken. Defeat in front of Zhu Qinglan and Xu Sheng would be an unforgivable shame for his Devil-Heavenly Dao.

  "Silence!" Zhi Xuan hissed in his Sea of Consciousness, calling upon Ruo Xianxue. "Help me, Great Saint!"

  Ruo Xianxue, sitting silently atop the Devil Tree of Life, opened her twin Sun and Moon eyes. Her majestic face radiated deep annoyance.

  "Idiot Monkey! You are forcing an immature Cycle!" Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice the shriek of a humiliated Saint. However, she was bound. If Zhi Xuan lost, she would return to meaningless dust.

  Instantly, a dark purple aura, cold and ancient, shot from the Devil Tree of Life. The aura did not attack; it seeped into the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. That Ancient Devil energy, which carried the weight of the Supreme Law of the Nine Heavens Darkness, immediately merged with the fragile Four Seasons resonance.

  WHOOSH! ECHO!

  The cracks on the Divine Furnace immediately stopped. Zhi Xuan's previously fragile Four Seasons resonance was now shrouded in an aura of Absolute Darkness. The cycle of creation and destruction became more stable, more oppressive. Xu Sheng's Pure Five Element Law, driven by light, now clashed with the Absolute Darkness that rejected light.

  BOOM!

  The two Laws, Purity and Savagery, collided in the air. Xu Sheng's Five Element Cosmic Chakra, which had reached its limit, trembled violently. It was no longer a clash of power, but a clash of Dao Concepts. The Chakra was unable to advance; it was forced to hold its ground, trapped in the whirlpool of Darkness channeled by the Furnace.

  Xu Sheng's face, which had been calm, was now ashen. He felt an unimaginable backlash pressure. Not just energy, but his very Dao Concept was being tested.

  "Impossible! What is this?!" Xu Sheng roared, he could not believe that a Consciousness Transformation cultivator could withstand his Five Element attack.

  Zhi Xuan, supported by the Ancient Devil's power, now began to rise from his seat, his movement slow, but every inch of his posture's ascent carried the weight of a newly formed universe. He no longer held back; he let his Devil-Heavenly aura explode. The blood-red ring around his sapphire pupils shone brightly, and his cold, ruthless gaze penetrated Xu Sheng. He raised his left hand, and the Divine Furnace spun slightly.

  CRACK!

  This time, what trembled was not the Furnace, but Xu Sheng's Five Element Cosmic Chakra. Xu Sheng felt his foundation threatened, his Dao questioned. He was a Pure Five Element, but Zhi Xuan, with his Devil-Heavenly foundation, was able to present a more perfect Cycle concept supported by Ancient Law.

  Zhi Xuan was about to step forward, turning the tables with the Heavenly Annihilation Palm now ready to be aided by Ruo Xianxue, ending this fight with a humiliating defeat for Xu Sheng. However, just at that moment, a soft, yet absolute, force enveloped the Jade Immortal Garden.

  WHOOSH!

  A pure and boundless water aura shot from Zhu Qinglan, enveloping Xu Sheng and his Cosmic Chakra. The water was not for attacking; it was the Pure Water Law functioning as a buffer, cooling Xu Sheng's anger and stabilizing his surging essence.

  "Enough!" Zhu Qinglan said, her voice as soft as water flowing in a river, but carrying an unassailable weight of authority. She finally stood up. She did not look towards Xu Sheng; her crystal-like ocean eyes stared straight into Zhi Xuan's pupil encircled by the blood-red ring.

  "Zhi Xuan. You have proven your foundation. And you, Xu Sheng. He has withstood your move. The test is over," Zhu Qinglan said, her tone final.

  Xu Sheng, shrouded in Zhu Qinglan's Water Law, took a rough breath. He felt his shaken Dao return to stability. He stared at Zhi Xuan with his crystal eyes filled with shock, anger, and deep shame. He was unable to break Zhi Xuan's defense, and he was saved by Zhu Qinglan.

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly. He retracted his Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, which whirred and disappeared into his Consciousness Realm, not before Ruo Xianxue delivered a final cold mockery.

  "I admit, Holy Fairy Zhu," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice returning to a cold, flat tone, the tension gone, replaced by satisfaction. He looked at Xu Sheng and cupped his hands. "It was a pleasure to share Dao pointers with you, Senior Xu."

  The remark about Dao pointers from Zhi Xuan, delivered in a flat and cold tone as if the fight was just light practice, was the final blow to Xu Sheng's honor. Xu Sheng's ashen face was now flushed with shameful anger. However, Zhu Qinglan's Pure Water Law still enveloped him, binding him in place, preventing him from exploding in uncontrollable rage.

  He could only stare at Zhi Xuan with a gaze that seemed to want to tear the Black-Haired Devil into a million fragments. He, a stable Five Element realm cultivator, had been humiliated by a Peak Consciousness Transformation cultivator.

  Zhi Xuan, ignoring the murderous glare, stepped back and sat casually in his seat, his black robe fluttering softly. He ignored Xu Sheng, shifting his focus entirely to Zhu Qinglan, as if Xu Sheng was now merely noisy furniture.

  Feng Yi, who witnessed the entire event, let out a long sigh. She had seen Zhi Xuan's true strength, but this clash of Dao transcended ordinary physical combat. Zhi Xuan did not just win; he shattered Xu Sheng's Pure Dao Concept with a Devil aura supported by Ancient Law.

  Zhu Qinglan sighed. She retracted her Water Law from Xu Sheng, allowing the Five Element cultivator to stand alone in shame. She looked at Zhi Xuan with eyes now filled with a mixture of deep admiration and disappointment. Admiration because Zhi Xuan fulfilled his promise and showed an unbeatable foundation; disappointment because Zhi Xuan's arrogance would always bring conflict.

  “You have proven that you are worthy of consideration, Zhi Xuan,” Zhu Qinglan said, her voice returning to calmness. “A foundation capable of withstanding a Pure Five Element Cosmic Chakra without moving from your seat. That is an achievement that can only be matched by a few geniuses in the Lower Realms.”

  Zhi Xuan smiled faintly, this time the smile was slightly more genuine. “I always strive to meet expectations, Holy Fairy Zhu. Although I did not rise, I must admit, Senior Xu's Five Element Law almost tore my Divine Furnace in half. This is a valuable warning.”

  In the Sea of Consciousness, Ruo Xianxue snorted, "Not almost. You would have been destroyed if I had not intervened, Monkey. Respect the truth."

  Zhi Xuan ignored the Ancient Devil's grumbling. He knew this acknowledgment was necessary to appease Zhu Qinglan's anger and end the conflict. Zhu Qinglan let out a small sigh, then with two glances, she swept her eyes over Feng Yi and Xu Sheng. Signaling that she wished to be left alone.

  Xu Sheng, although his Dao was shaken and his face was still red from the unspoken humiliation, was a disciplined senior disciple. He understood that his task was complete—Zhi Xuan had been measured, and he had failed to defeat him. He cupped his hands to Zhu Qinglan with a deep bow, without glancing at Zhi Xuan in the slightest.

  "I will take my leave, Holy Fairy Zhu," Xu Sheng said, his voice containing the weight of a hidden vow. "From now on, I will no longer interfere with his Devil Dao. But, I will carve a more stable and purer Dao. Until that time comes, let our Daos never meet."

  Xu Sheng turned and stepped out of the pavilion, his white robe fluttering gracefully. However, his steps felt heavy, bearing the weight of defeat. He disappeared in a streak of fast light, heading back to Cloud Heaven Peak.

  Feng Yi, on the other hand, stared at Zhi Xuan with her sharp Phoenix eyes, filled with a mixture of curiosity, admiration, and a bit of acknowledgment. She rose, her crimson robe glowing softly in the moonlight.

  “Zhi Xuan,” Feng Yi said, her tone formal, no longer using a tone of arrogance but filled with recognition for their alliance. "An extraordinary foundation. I was almost certain you would be thrown from your seat."

  Zhi Xuan smiled faintly, a smile that showed acknowledgment of Feng Yi's honest assessment. He knew Feng Yi was a cultivator who respected pure strength, and he had passed the test in the Phoenix girl's eyes.

  “I cannot disappoint my ally, Fire Phoenix Girl,” Zhi Xuan replied, his tone flat and indifferent. “Especially in the presence of Holy Fairy Zhu, who staked her honor.”

  Feng Yi snorted softly, a dry, voiceless laugh. “You are more arrogant than I remember, even on the verge of your ridiculous death. But no matter. I will await our duel at the Annual Disciple Celebration. I will soon reach Consciousness Transformation. I want to test how strong that nascent Divine Organ foundation truly is.”

  Feng Yi nodded, carving the promise of that duel into her Dao. She gave a quick salute to Zhu Qinglan, a sincere nod of respect. “Holy Fairy Zhu, I must return to cultivation. I will not interrupt your important conversation further.”

  Without waiting for a reply, the Fire Phoenix Girl turned, her crimson robe soaring in the night air, and she stepped out of the jade pavilion. Her speed was swift and measured, heading towards her Mountain Peak to continue cultivation.