Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Chapter 182.3: Battle Atop Goose Mountain! A Strike from Lu Changsheng! (III)

Zhong Yu let out a long sigh. "Lu Changsheng, this is one of the weaknesses of our Martial Dao. We martial artists fight with our own strength, but Immortal Masters are different. In the Immortal Dao, whether it's spells, talismans, enchanted artifacts, enchanted treasures, or even formations, they all rely on the power of heaven and earth as well as external means.

"As you already know, Yu Feixiao's sect will probably grant him an enchanted treasure, but our sect has nothing like that to give you. After all, we martial artists don't rely on treasures. Therefore, the only thing you can do is give everything you have."

Lu Changsheng nodded, though he did not bother to tell Zhong Yu about the transformation of his Heart Sword. He would keep that as his trump card.

"Rest assured, Hall Master. I will give it my all."

"Alright. There are only about ten days left. Go back and prepare thoroughly. When the time comes, I'll personally escort you to the summit of Goose Mountain."

"Thank you, Hall Master. I'll take my leave, then."

Lu Changsheng rose and left the Enforcement Hall. Once he returned to his cave residence, he quietly sorted through everything he had at his disposal.

His fused Domain was equivalent to two hundred and fifty layers of an ordinary Domain—an absurd level of power that could crush almost anything in its path. By all logic, neither someone in the Divine Treasury Realm nor an Immortal Master should be able to withstand his fused Domain—unless enchanted treasures were involved.

From his encounter with Immortal Master Ling Miao, Lu Changsheng knew what an enchanted treasure was capable of. His fused Domain might fail against one, and even if it held, he might still be unable to defeat Yu Feixiao. After all, Ling Miao's enchanted treasure had been purely defensive and lacked any offensive capability.

But in a battle of this scale, it was very unlikely that Yu Feixiao would prepare only a defensive treasure. Enchanted treasures were, after all, powers that stood at the level of Dao Lords.

So in the end, I'll probably still have to rely on the Golden Heart Sword. If it's really reached a level capable of dealing with Dao Foundation experts, or even Dao Lords, then I should still have the upper hand, even if Yu Feixiao has an enchanted treasure.

With that in mind, Lu Changsheng closed his eyes and devoted all his energy to nurturing the Golden Heart Sword.

Ten days quickly flew by. When Lu Changsheng finally opened his eyes, he immediately summoned his status panel to check on his condition.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Mind Space: 100 li

Perception: 7970 (Praised by All)

[Skills]

Heart Sword True Mantra: 1% (Golden Heart Sword)

Despite spending ten days nurturing the Heart Sword within his Mind Space, it seemed like he had made no progress.

From this, Lu Changsheng gathered that this new version of the Heart Sword could not advance if he relied solely on the nourishment of his Mind Space. Even if he forcefully kept up with this method, progress would likely be extremely slow.

I need to find another way to push the Golden Heart Sword.

However, that was an issue for another time. What mattered was that his Heart Sword had evolved prior to his duel with Yu Feixiao. Whether this Heart Sword could be honed or not made no difference at this moment.

Anyway, it's time.

Lu Changsheng rose to his feet and stepped out of his cave residence, making his way toward the Enforcement Hall.

Zhong Yu was there to greet him, seemingly having waited for him for quite some time.

"Lu Changsheng, you're just in time. Let's go!"

"Greetings, Hall Master. Just the two of us?"

Zhong Yu laughed. "Yes, just us. The others from the sect have already headed there a few days ago. By now, the whole place is probably packed with people. We should leave now, so we're not late."

Lu Changsheng nodded and bowed. "Then please, lead the way, Hall Master."

When it came to travel, a martial artist still had to rely on a Dao Foundation expert. No matter how strong someone at the Divine Treasury level was, they still could not fly. Dao Foundation experts, however, were different. Once their Mind Space materialized, flight came naturally to them, and their speed was astonishing.

"Good. We'll set off now. Don't tense up, alright?"

With that, light flashed from Zhong Yu's Mind Space and instantly enveloped Lu Changsheng.

Whoosh.

In the next moment, the two of them rose into the air and headed straight for Goose Mountain.

By the time they arrived, the summit was already filled with people. Goose Mountain was huge, and even its peak could accommodate several hundred thousand people. That was precisely why it had been chosen as the battleground.

The entire range was made up of countless peaks, but Goose Mountain itself was undoubtedly the most majestic and imposing among them. In fact, ordinary martial artists were unable to reach the very top; only those at the Divine Treasury Realm or higher were capable of setting foot there.

The Flying Goose Tower had long since taken control of the area, maintaining order across the peak. The place was already packed with Divine Treasury martial artists, Immortal Masters, Dao Foundation experts, and even Dao Lords. There were probably even Golden Core True Ones watching from afar.

"Neither Yu Feixiao nor Lu Changsheng has arrived yet. Huh, us spectators got here before the two main figures."

"This battle is practically a grand event for both Martial Dao and Immortal Dao. A lot of people want to see it with their own eyes."

"Since when could a Divine Treasury martial artist challenge an Immortal Master? It's unbelievable. To think we'd see such a monster in the Divine Treasury Realm..."

"Hmph, the strength of Immortal Masters lies in the number of tools they have in their arsenal. I'm telling you, Lu Changsheng is bound to lose!"

"Enchanted treasures are powerful, sure, but can Yu Feixiao actually use one? If Lu Changsheng manages to withstand it, then it becomes a battle of endurance. How long can an Immortal Master's mana keep an enchanted treasure going?"

"Hmm... I think Lu Changsheng has a better chance of winning. After all, even Immortal Master Ling Miao believes he can dominate an entire generation of both Martial Dao and Immortal Dao!"

"Hey, look! Isn't that Immortal Master Ling Miao?"

A ripple passed through the crowd. Indeed, a rather special figure, Ling Miao herself, had made an appearance here in Goose Mountain.

Many people were intrigued by her. Even after being defeated by Lu Changsheng, she seemed to hold no resentment. Instead, she spoke highly of him and had praised him openly more than once, to the point where she almost seemed like one of his admirers.

Whoosh.

She arrived with a flying boat enchanted artifact, then put it away and descended lightly from the air.

"Ling Miao, you're finally here."

After all, Immortal Master Ling Miao belonged to the Purple Sun Immortal Sect, so it was only natural she had her own circle. As soon as she appeared, several Immortal Masters who knew her well went up to greet her, most of them women.

Immortal Master Ling Miao nodded. "Took me a while to get here, as I was held up by a bunch of things. Wait... Are Yu Feixiao and Lu Changsheng still not here?"

The other Immortal Masters shrugged and shook their heads. "Neither of them has arrived yet. Ling Miao, who do you think will win?"

At that, Ling Miao pondered for a while before slowly saying, "Under normal circumstances, Yu Feixiao would definitely lose. But this time it's different. The Flying Goose Tower has merged the two rankings and arranged this battle. They've even turned it into a clash between Martial Dao and Immortal Dao. Yu Feixiao's sect won't just sit back and do nothing. I imagine they've given him some powerful treasures.

"We're all Immortal Masters. Our strength comes from spells, enchanted artifacts, and things like that. If we had one more powerful enchanted treasure, our strength could rise several times over, maybe even ten times over. If Yu Feixiao receives a powerful enchanted treasure and Lu Changsheng hasn't improved since before, then Lu Changsheng may really be in danger."

For an Immortal Master, there was a huge difference between having an enchanted treasure at one's disposal and not having one. With this battle carrying the weight of Martial Dao against Immortal Dao, there was little doubt that Yu Feixiao's sect would place one in his hands. With that, his strength would rise several times over.

No one doubted Lu Changsheng's strength, but could he really contend with that? After all, martial artists had no such means. Even if they somehow acquired enchanted treasures, they would not be able to use them. In the end, they could rely only on their own strength.

"Hahaha, I think you're spot on, Immortal Master Ling Miao. Honestly, I can't believe we're even comparing an Immortal Master with a martial artist. I mean, even if Lu Changsheng is special and freakishly strong, so what? He wouldn't stand a chance if any of us got serious."

"That's right. We stand above the world as masters of heaven and earth. In comparison, martial artists are unworthy."

"If spirit energy had not declined, would martial artists even have a place in the Ancient Region?"

Some Immortal Masters were arrogant and overbearing. Such words were not for show. Their conceit came from their hearts. In truth, many Immortal Masters believed deep down that they were truly superior. And this kind of mentality was not limited to them; many Dao Lords, and even True Ones, shared the same view.

On the surface, the Ancient Region was a place where Martial Dao and Immortal Dao coexisted and even contended with one another. But in reality, those of the Immortal Dao often lamented the decline of spirit energy in ages past. Otherwise, not just the Ancient Region, but the entire Five Regions would have long fallen under the rule of Immortal Dao cultivators. In the era when Immortal Dao flourished, martial artists had been insignificant.

Naturally, some martial artists could not remain silent after hearing such things.

"Hah, you guys really are stuck in the past! When it comes to top experts, our Martial Dao isn't any weaker than yours. Why don't you have your Dao Lords test themselves against our Dao Foundation experts?"

"That's right. The Martial Dao may be a bit lacking before the Dao Foundation, but once a martial artist succeeds in forging the foundation, do you really think your Dao Lords would hold the upper hand?"

"Exactly. You know how they say, if those two are put together within ten zhang, the Dao Foundation expert is superior, and beyond ten zhang, the Dao Lord is stronger. Of course, that's not a hard rule, but it's nonetheless true that our Dao Foundation experts are no weaker than Dao Lords."

"Even when it comes to Divine Treasury, we have Lu Changsheng now. Didn't he suppress hundreds of your Immortal Masters by himself at Spirit Gathering Mountain? You never forget your history, but you forgot that humiliating incident, huh? Honestly, it's no wonder the Immortal Dao fell off..."

The martial artists and Immortal Masters kept arguing, their voices rising as tempers flared. Some of them actually looked like they were about to throw fists, which would not be unusual at all. Whenever the two sides gathered, things were bound to turn out this way.