The Art Cultivation Grounds, within the fifth layer of the lotus platform, the Domain of Metal.

The entire lotus platform had suddenly become completely silent, and only the sound of Chen Xi’s footsteps resounded out while the hearts of everyone started to beat swiftly along with these sounds of footsteps.

At the same time that the atmosphere in the lotus platform went silent, the old man outside the Book Reserve Pavilion seemed to have noticed something and slightly turned his head while his pair of eyes that were clear and free from impurities slowly opened up, and it was like a myriad of stars had silently emerged in the night sky, causing his eyes to be vast and profound to the point it caused one’s heart to palpitate.

After that, the corners of his mouth curled imperceptibly into a slight arc, and he seemed to be slightly astonished.

Stomp! Stomp!

Steady, heavy, and rhythmic sounds of footsteps sounded out lightly on the quiet lotus platform as the tall figure strode forward with a speed that was neither swift nor slow, and he continued forward under the numerous gazes that held various expressions.

He was almost past the Domain of Metal to arrive at the sixth layer, the Domain of Yin!

“Haha! Crimsongold Heavenbreaker! Let me see how you, Chen Xi, fight me while I possess this Dao Art!” Right at this moment, a wave of roaring laughter suddenly resounded out in the Domain of Metal, and it seemed to be extremely ear piercing in this silent atmosphere, causing everyone else to be astounded and raise their eyes to look over towards that person.

The person wore feathered clothes and a black flat crown, had a handsome appearance, and a slender figure. Shockingly, it was Ming Yan who’d just joined the Nine Radiance Sword Sect today like Chen Xi!

Ming Yan had once entered into confrontation with Chen Xi on True Martial Peak, yet the battle between the two of them was stopped because the Sect Master stood out. Unexpectedly, he’d actually appeared in the Art Cultivation Grounds as well.

Moreover, based on the current circumstances, he seemed to have already comprehended a formidable Dao Art in the Domain of Metal!

This fellow took me as his imaginary enemy? Chen Xi stopped moving and glanced at Ming Yan with interest. The Dao Insight pressure within the Domain of Metal was extremely strong, and it carried a sharp feeling that pierced onto his soul to the point it ached faintly. But this little bit of pressure was unable to obstruct his footsteps either.

He was only slightly surprised because Ming Yan had actually comprehended a Dao Art so quickly. His strength and natural talent are really one of the best, but he has obviously taken me as his enemy, it’s truly regretful.

“Hmm? The atmosphere seems to be slightly...” Ming Yan was stunned, and his laughter stopped abruptly while the excitement he felt from obtaining a Dao Art vanished completely like receding tidewater.

He swept the surroundings with his gaze and noticed numerous people were looking at him with astounded expression, and they seemed as if they were looking at a freak. This caused him to feel like a clown and be extremely displeased in his heart. Dammit, what are those gazes? You don’t have to be like that even if you’re fucking envious that I obtained a formidable Dao Art, right?

“The atmosphere seems to be slightly off, right?” Right at this moment, an indifferent voice resounded behind him, causing Ming Yan’s entire body to instantly go stiff, and his expression changed indeterminately.

This voice was too familiar to him, so when he thought about how he’d roared excitedly about completely subduing this person after he obtained a Dao Art, he felt his face was burning.

Dammit! When did this bastard come here?

Ming Yan turned around and saw that familiar figure, causing his expression to be unable to refrain from turning extremely gloomy, and he was anxious and fearful in his heart instead.

This bastard slapped Du Xuan’s younger brother to the point of fainting that day. I haven’t mastered this Dao Art yet so I’m probably not a match for him now. If this fellow charges forward and beats me up in front of everyone now, then... It would be a huge humiliation!

“Junior Brother Ming Yan, if you chose the wrong target, then it would sometimes lead to a tragedy.” Chen Xi smiled lightly and couldn’t be bothered to pay any more attention to this fellow, and he turned around and left trippingly.

Ming Yan couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief in his heart when he saw Chen Xi leave and didn’t embarrass him, and then his expression went grim as he stared at the figure that was gradually vanishing into the distance with eyes that were spitting flames while gnashing his teeth with hatred. Junior Brother Ming Yan? When did I fucking become his Junior Brother? He’s simply going too far, and he even spoke about a tragedy? Tragedy my ass!

Once I cultivate this Dao Art successfully, I’ll fucking make you taste the feeling of crying for your mom and dad! Ming Yan gritted his teeth and fiercely cursed in his heart before turning and leaving.

He was already impatient to cultivate this Dao Art he’d obtained.

However, he’d just taken two steps when he suddenly stopped moving, and then he turned swiftly towards the direction Chen Xi vanished as his pupils dilated slowly. This fellow actually wants to comprehend a Dao Art as well?!

Ming Yan’s heart couldn’t help but twitch fiercely. He understood that the lotus platform had nine layers and the quality and might of the Dao Art one could obtain would increase along with the height of the layer. Now, Chen Xi was actually walking forward step by step, so didn’t it mean that he was going for the Dao Arts that possessed the strongest might?

This bastard’s appetite is really huge. I hope he bites off more than he can chew! After a short moment, Ming Yan recovered from his shock, and a wisp of a cold smile couldn’t help but emerge on his handsome face. He didn’t believe that Chen Xi was capable of ascending a higher layer, and he utterly didn’t believe that Chen Xi was capable of obtaining a Dao Art with an even more formidable might from it.

The reason was extremely simple. For example, Du Xuan and Pang Zhou were both ranked amongst the five great Elite Disciples, yet they’d only obtained a Dao Art from the sixth layer, the Domain of Yin. So no matter how formidable Chen Xi’s natural talent was, how could he possibly compare to those two?

Even if Chen Xi was capable of ascending the Domain of Yin, what about it? It would be useless if he was unable to comprehend a Dao Art from there!

Ming Yan felt confident in his heart when he thought like this, and he turned and left. In his heart, he’d firmly believed long ago that Chen Xi’s actions would be fruitless, and there was nothing to pay attention to.

...

Actually, most of the people in the surroundings of the lotus platform had similar thoughts as Ming Yan. All of them had doubts towards these rash actions of Chen Xi’s, yet none of them tried to dissuade him.

Presumably, they knew clearly as well that since this new disciple who’d just entered the sect dared to fearlessly beat up Du Xuan’s younger brother and agree to Du Xuan’s challenge, he surely had something to rely on.

Under these circumstances, it was obviously unsuitable to take Chen Xi as an ordinary disciple.

On the other hand, under the focus of these numerous gazes, Chen Xi’s figure safely stepped foot into the sixth layer, the Domain of Yin!

Moreover, he didn’t stop in the slightest and continued walking towards a higher layer.

All the disciples in the vicinity of the lotus platform couldn’t help but gasp in their hearts when they saw this scene.

“The sixth layer! He’s actually moving towards a higher layer again after arriving at the height both Du Xuan and Pang Zhou were capable of arriving at. Could it be that he’s still unsatisfied and wants to break a higher record?”

“It’s too early to say now. After all, he’s only stepping foot into a higher layer. The key is still if he’s able to obtain a Dao Art, otherwise everything would be in vain.”

“Exactly, if we take the risk of our souls being injured, we’re similarly capable of ascending a higher layer of the lotus platform, but it’s extremely difficult to persist and comprehend there to obtain a Dao Art. In the past, there have been numerous disciples that relied on temporary strength to rashly ascend a higher layer, yet in the end, weren’t their souls injured to the point they fell unconscious, and they had to recuperate for numerous years but were unable to recover completely?”

Everyone was discussing with low voices, yet their gazes had always been fixed upon Chen Xi’s tall figure, and they watched as he surmounted the Domain of Yin step by step to ascend the seventh layer, the Domain of Yang, and the eighth layer, the Domain of Wind...

The expressions of everyone had already become serious, and they held their breaths in concentration while their fists covered beneath their sleeves couldn’t help but be clenched tightly.

All of them knew clearly that if Chen Xi was capable of obtaining a Dao Art in the eighth layer, then he would break Du Xuan, Pang Zhou, and Xia Yi’s records, and he would be able to be ranked alongside Leng Qiu!

...

Bang!

At the instant Chen Xi stepped foot into the eighth layer, the Domain of Wind, an extremely vast and terrifying Dao Insight pressure assaulted straight at him, and the terrifying force from it was simply a few tens of times more formidable than the pressure in the seventh layer.

The Wind Dao Insight that existed everywhere was like surging and roaring primordial ferocious beasts that shook Chen Xi’s soul to the point of droning and trembling, and stars danced about before his eyes. The pressure caught him off guard, causing him to staggered back from it, and he almost staggered back out of the eighth layer.

What an overbearing Dao Insight of Wind... Chen Xi’s eyes squinted, and he was able to clearly see the Wind Dao Insight that existed everywhere actually seemed material as it fiercely struck towards him in the form of blades, spears, swords, halberds, and other weapons. They assaulted him aggressively, and they were utterly impossible to resist.

Because this Dao Insight was shapeless and directly affected the soul, ordinary methods were utterly incapable of dealing with them, and he could only rely on the strength of his soul to forcefully resist them.

If it was an ordinary person that encountered such an overbearing Dao Insight pressure, the person would surely find it to be extremely troublesome, or even be directly shaken to the point the person’s soul is injured and blasted flying.

But to Chen Xi, this level of Dao Insight pressure was still within the scope he was able to endure.

After all, his current cultivation of the soul had become extremely formidable since experiencing the various temperings of the Primeval Battlefield and especially after he overcame the Phoenix Tribulation of Rebirth, and it was even stronger than a Nether Transformation Realm cultivator.

Coupled with the presence of the Fuxi Divine Statue within his sea of consciousness, his soul had undoubtedly obtained a layer of extremely solid protection, and it was utterly impossible to suppress his soul.

But what caused Chen Xi to frown was that even though the current strength of his soul was more or less capable of enduring the Dao Insight pressure of the Domain of Wind, it would probably be slightly difficult if he wanted to go even higher...

Even though his soul wouldn’t collapse and shatter, it would suffer an injury. Moreover, once his soul suffered an injury, he would have to spend an extremely long period of time to recover.

Because the soul was different from the body. Bodily damage could be swiftly recovered by relying on various spirit pills and medicine, however there were very few spirit pills capable of repairing damage to the soul.

Unless one found a divine medicine that was capable of being directly utilized on the soul. But unfortunately, not to mention the Nine Radiance Sword Sect, it was extremely rare even in the entire Dark Reverie, and it was practically an existence akin to a legend.

What should I do? Could it be that I have to risk injury to my soul and ascend the ninth layer to obtain a Dao Art first? Chen Xi frowned without end as he looked at the final layer of the lotus in the distance.

He would be battling Du Xuan three months from now, so if his soul were to be injured now, then even if he obtained a formidable Dao Art, it would probably affect the exertion of his strength in battle.

Om!

However, right when Chen Xi was contemplating, a strange fluctuation suddenly and silently stretched out from within his sea of consciousness.

As soon as this fluctuation appeared, Chen Xi instantly felt that all the pressure his soul felt had vanished completely, and he felt as if he was walking on even ground and didn’t feel the slightest uncomfortable feeling anymore!

This is... Chen Xi was stunned, and then a ball of bright light suddenly exploded out from his eyes. The fragments of the River Diagram!