CHAPTER 86: YOU ALSO CULTIVATE THE BODY?

Lu Chen shouted, "Silver Snake Emerges from Its Lair! Star-Serpent Cloud Concealment!"

His voice echoed across the arena, drawing every gaze to the stage. The rake froze mid-swing, unable to inch any closer to him.

"What's going on? My feet... I can't move! What is this?"

Fei Zhu glanced down and saw his lower body tightly bound by two snake-shaped shadows. He hadn't even noticed their presence until now.

He quickly swung the rake at Lu Chen, only for it to pass cleanly through him.

Seeing this, Fei Zhu's heart sank. The rake went through? Not good.

He forced his body to turn with great effort.

However, Lu Chen was already behind him. "Too late."

Red spirit qi flared beneath Lu Chen's feet as he delivered a powerful kick, sending Fei Zhu flying backward.

Boom!

Fei Zhu crashed heavily into the arena floor, shattering the wooden planks beneath him. As soon as he landed, he slapped the ground with both palms and launched himself back into the air. "I have underestimated you. Now, I'll get serious."

His belly swelled like an inflating balloon in midair, expanding until it covered half the arena. Then he came crashing down toward Lu Chen.

"Come."

Lu Chen gathered spirit qi throughout his body, channeling it into his palms. Pushing off with his right foot, he clenched his fist and charged straight at the bloated Fei Zhu.

A thunderous shockwave exploded as his fist sank into Fei Zhu's belly, leaving a massive imprint on the swollen flesh.

Lu Chen slowly descended from the sky.

Fei Zhu clutched his stomach, gritting his teeth in pain. "Not bad, kid. You've got strength. But this isn't over. Strength is my specialty. Let me show you the true meaning of body cultivation!"

He formed a series of hand seals, and his spirit qi circulated rapidly through his body.

The nine-chi rake in his hand merged into his body, turning his skin a stony gray-brown. Faint golden light shimmered beneath the surface.

Lu Chen charged in again, unleashing over a dozen punches on Fei Zhu in rapid succession. Each blow landed with a heavy, metallic thud, as if striking solid iron.

Lu Chen quickly stepped back and rubbed his knuckles. "What technique is this? His flesh just hardened several times over... and that golden light under the skin... this must be the Golden Dragon Skin."

"Heh, sharp eyes, little brother."

Fei Zhu let out a fierce roar as the golden light across his body condensed into the shadow of a dragon that coiled over his skin like a living tattoo.

Clenching both fists midair, Fei Zhu charged at Lu Chen. "I've cultivated this for over two hundred years. It's the hard-earned Golden Dragon Skin. How could it not be powerful?"

Lu Chen shouted in response, "So, it really is the Golden Dragon Skin? Let me show you mine."

His spirit qi surged, shredding his clothes to reveal his lean, defined torso. "Let's see whose body is tougher."

Lu Chen cast a glance at Fei Zhu in mid-air. Golden light erupted from him, and a vivid golden dragon gleamed across his skin.

Jun Wudi's eyes widened in shock. "That's... the Golden Dragon Skin? Little Lu is a body cultivator? How is that possible?"

"Come on then..."

Lu Chen slapped his thigh and dropped into a deep bow stance. His arms and legs moved in perfect harmony as he drove a punch forward.

Their fists collided. For three or four seconds, they remained locked in a stalemate.

Then, a tremendous explosion tore through the arena, blasting the center apart and shrouding the stage in thick dust.

Through the haze, Fei Zhu was sent hurtling backward, smashing into the arena's edge after flying ten meters.

Lu Chen held his stance, his feet gouging two deep trails into the ground as he slid back five meters.

Two seconds later, both spat blood at the same time.

As the dust settled, the arena, despite being reinforced with a defensive barrier, revealed a massive crater at its center. It was a testament to the fierce power behind their punches.

Fei Zhu's gaze lingered on the golden light across Lu Chen's body. "Your skin... That's the Golden Dragon Skin. You're a body cultivator as well? No wonder you could go blow for blow with the Spidercrab."

"I'm not a body cultivator."

Lu Chen slowly straightened from his bow stance and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He said in a low voice, "I only managed to obtain some resources by chance and cultivate the Golden Dragon Skin. Its defense truly is formidable."

Lu Chen assessed the injuries in his body and walked toward Fei Zhu. "That punch you threw just now... it must have weighed close to thirty thousand jin."

Fei Zhu struggled to push himself forward. He stared at Lu Chen's calm demeanor in disbelief. "You're actually unharmed? That was my strongest move, achieved by merging myself with my weapon."

Lu Chen admitted, "That punch hurt quite a bit. But my recovery is fast, so it didn't affect me much."

He released the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and helped Fei Zhu to his feet. "Do you still want to keep fighting?"

Fei Zhu stuffed a small recovery pill into his mouth and sighed. "No... I'm out of strength. It's time to step down. Here, take this."

He tossed a manual to Lu Chen and cupped his fists respectfully. "Little brother, why not give Linked Body Art a try? With your physique and healing speed, you could walk the path of body cultivation and revive the glory of physical training."

Lu Chen glanced at the cover and saw the words "Weapon Fusion" written on it. It was the technique Fei Zhu had just used.

"I got this in the Northern Region. It's incomplete, but it records the method of merging one's weapon with the body."

Lu Chen held the manual with both hands. "It may be incomplete, but its contents are valuable. It must be precious to you. I can't accept it."

Fei Zhu smiled as he recovered from his wounds. "Keep it. Body cultivators are rare, and with my limited abilities, I can't fully utilize this technique. Giving it to you won't be a waste. Even if it's only a portion of the true technique, it can still triple your strength and defense in battle."

Lu Chen slowly put the manual away. "Brother Fei Zhu, since you're so generous, I can't let you leave empty-handed."

He swept his divine sense through the medallion's inner world, retrieved a bottle of Body-Refining Pills, and tossed it over. "You're a body cultivator too. You'll need this."

Fei Zhu caught the bottle and stared at the soft glow emanating from within. His eyes widened. "This... a mid-grade Earth Tier pill? And it's a Body-Refining Pill?"

Fei Zhu quickly handed the bottle back. "This is too precious. I appreciate the gesture, but I can't accept it—"

Lu Chen cut him off. "Brother Fei Zhu, just take it. You're a body cultivator. You need these more than I do. I've built up resistance to these pills. Taking more would be a waste."

Fei Zhu hesitated at Lu Chen's words. "But..."

He gripped the bottle tightly, knowing he needed the pills to break through his current realm.

Lu Chen urged him again, "Take it. Others are waiting to step into the arena."

He pressed him to accept the pills quickly and leave the arena.

Fei Zhu smiled and shook his head. "Sigh... I planned to take care of you, but it seems you're the one taking care of me. If you ever need anything in the sect, just say the word."

He tucked the pills into his robe and jumped off the arena.

A round-faced cultivator below spoke slowly, "The timing estimate was off, but not by much. The real fight didn't last more than a minute."

Lu Chen saw the calm expression on the cultivator's face and cupped his fists. "Brother, may I challenge you?"

"I'm Song Ping, a level-one Qi Condensation Realm cultivator."

Song Ping's cultivation aura at the Qi Condensation Realm slowly rose and swirled around him. "You're a strong body cultivator, but I am a spirit qi cultivator, and your spirit qi isn't dense enough yet to challenge me."

Hearing Song Ping's introduction, the cultivators below looked at him and spoke with their voices trembling.

"You're Senior Martial Brother Song Ping?"

"That can't be right. Senior Martial Brother Song was supposed to have only reached perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm. How did he suddenly ascend to the Qi Condensation Realm?"

"This guy looks nothing like before. Senior Martial Brother Song Ping used to be quite handsome."

"Hehe."

Song Ping slowly tore off the mask covering his face, revealing a delicate, handsome visage to everyone. "Brothers, did you miss me?"

Seeing his true face, the cultivators quickly surrounded him.

"It really is Senior Martial Brother Song."

"Senior Martial Brother Song, to think you've already broken through to the Qi Condensation Realm at such a young age! You're truly worthy of being the chief disciple of Serene Void Academy!"

Song Ping smiled warmly. "Hehe. I just broke through recently. From now on, I shall be known as Old Yao of the Godslayer Squad, and I will no longer be the chief disciple of Serene Void Academy."

Lu Chen stared at Song Ping's delicate face and was stunned for a moment. "Song Ping? Godslayer Squad? Level-one Qi Condensation? So you're the one Uncle Jun mentioned? Perfect, I can test my peak strength against you."

Song Ping replied, "You're strong, but only compared to them."

Lu Chen walked to the edge of the arena and smiled. "Then let's get into the arena and see. How can we know if we don't try?"

"Body cultivators may have strong physical power, but their spirit qi is weaker than that of ordinary cultivators. And you've almost used yours up, haven't you? There are thirty-five challengers left. Can you last till the end?"

Song Ping approached the arena's edge and teased with his eyes half-closed. "I'll fight you, but only if you can hold out until the end."

Lu Chen chuckled in response. "Body cultivator? So you think I'm a body cultivator? Then wait until I defeat them all, and then you can come on."

Song Ping studied Lu Chen's expression, puzzled. "What do you mean? You're not a body cultivator?"

Lu Chen didn't answer directly. He only said with a grin, "Just wait and see."

He went on to wake Wind Dragon up. "Dummy Dragon, it's time to work."

Wind Dragon slowly circled Lu Chen's head as he scanned the surroundings. "Is it my turn? Then let's begin. Little Lu, summon the Hunyuan Greatsword."

***

At the round table.

Nantian Wan'er watched as Wind Dragon merged with the Hunyuan Greatsword. She muttered to herself, "Lu-gege is finally getting serious."

Jun Laoye overheard Nantian Wan'er. Since others couldn't see Wind Dragon, all he saw was a plain-looking, massive sword in Lu Chen's hand. He asked, "Hmm? Serious? Is this really not Little Lu's full strength yet? The last time we saw him, he was still holding a broken sword. Is this truly his weapon? It looks so ordinary."

"That sword is incredibly sharp, you know," Nantian Wan'er smiled knowingly. "And Lu-gege hasn't even shown his full power yet."