Radiant light overflowed in the Lingxu Pavilion.
In reality, behind the desk, Lu Yang had already stood up and left the chair. However, an indescribable, utterly disbelieving blankness lingered on his face.
'I fucking... lost.'
Lost completely without reason. He simultaneously controlled the [Divine Firmament Thunder], the Dharma Body Dao, and even the [Pine & Cypress Wood], yet he actually failed to defeat the black-robed man!
The opponent must be using cheats, right? Shameless.
The next second, the Righteous Dao Banner fluttered, and purple qi swirled. Patriarch Nether Whisper and Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon both stepped out from within, asking curiously, "What happened?"
"Patriarch, Master..." Lu Yang pulled a long face, looking aggrieved. "Tell me honestly, how are my combat skills? They shouldn't be bad, right?"
Upon hearing this, Patriarch Nether Whisper and Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon were momentarily stunned. Following that, a hint of helplessness surfaced in Patriarch Nether Whisper's gaze as he looked at Lu Yang. He decisively shook his head and said, "I'm actually not proficient in combat, so I can't really judge. It's more appropriate to ask Fellow Daoist Vanquishing-Demon about this."
Lu Yang turned to look at Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon.
"Mm..."
Hearing this, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon remained silent for a moment. Under Lu Yang's pressing gaze, he finally spoke in a low voice, "How should I put this... your combat methods are very pure."
"Master, there's no need to beat around the bush."
Lu Yang wore a calm expression. "Just say it straight, I can take it."
"...Then I'll just say it." Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon threw his hands up. "Your foundation is excellent, but you lack the ability to utilize this powerful foundation."
"Simply put, your combat skills are very ordinary. I can't say they're bad, but they're just ordinary."
Lu Yang instantly pulled a long, sullen face.
However, on the other side, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon seemed to have opened the floodgates and continued, "Take your previous battle with Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue, for example."
"Why did she refuse to accept defeat? I think her personality is only one aspect. The other aspect is that she could tell your combat skills were actually inferior to hers. Your experience, awareness, and application were all a notch below. Yet, relying on plain and unadorned methods, you simply overwhelmed her head-on with sheer power."
"This actually defies common sense."
"If that Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue's combat strength is a large carriage, then you're a child. Your victory over her is equivalent to a child driving a large carriage..."
"I get it!"
Lu Yang hurriedly interrupted Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, smiling ingratiatingly. "Then Master, do you think there's any way I can rapidly improve my combat skills?"
"...It's very difficult, because this relies heavily on talent."
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon sighed. "Actually, all your setups are fine. Your cultivation base, Dao comprehension, Dao Fruits, and Dharma Body are quite comprehensive and each possesses profound wonders."
"But you haven't formed all these things on your body into a cohesive system."
"Compared to you, that Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue is different. Her five True Treasures each have their own merits, possessing both offense and defense. Her system is near-perfect."
Lu Yang was somewhat unconvinced.
What do you mean it relies heavily on talent? Is my talent not high? I have several colorful ones! I refuse to believe that I can't learn mere combat skills!
Seeing this, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon sighed. "If you truly want to learn, that's fine too."
"The method is very simple: fight with experts more often. Since you don't have talent, then take more beatings. Once you've taken enough beatings and haven't died, you'll mostly figure out how to fight."
Having said that, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon cast another glance at Lu Yang, his eyes filled with worry.
What he was teaching was a brute-force method.
The smart method naturally relied on talent, using intuition and inspiration to improve. The brute-force method, however, relied on the experience of countless battles to improve.
However, the difficulty and the rewards of the two were entirely different.
Because the latter, after expending the effort and accumulation of countless battles, could only determine the lower limit. The former, however, could effortlessly determine the upper limit.
"As long as I can improve, that's fine!"
Lu Yang didn't care about all that. Hearing that Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon had proposed a method and that it was something he could do, his previous depression instantly vanished, and he regained his spirits.
"Actually, I don't need my combat skills to reach some absolute peak level. As long as they are excellent, or even just above average, that's actually enough. Pursuing it excessively would be forsaking the root to chase the branches. Otherwise, what use are the Dharma Body, Dao Fruits, and True Treasures that I painstakingly cultivated over a dozen lifetimes?"
Hearing this, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
'That's true. This child has never been the stubbornly obstinate type. Knowing how to adapt is his strength. Instead, I'm the one who painted myself into a corner, overthinking things.'
At this thought, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon nodded slightly.
"Do your best."
Lu Yang waved his hand.
[Responding to Emperors]
Lu Yang returned to the place of darkness once more. Then, as usual, he sensed the [Divine Firmament Thunder]. Before long, he saw the black-robed man walk out from the darkness again.
"Why is it you again?"
The black-robed man chuckled lightly. "I told you, your Dharma Body is sturdy but lacks technique, your Dao Fruits are profound but lack wonder, and your True Treasures are scattered and unconsolidated. Not a single one of your methods is up to standard."
"With just this, you still want to fight me?"
"Even if your foundation is better than mine and you have more methods than I do, you are still no match for me. I advise you to go back and cultivate properly for a few more years before coming back."
Hearing this, Lu Yang smiled.
Subsequently, he took a deep breath, formed a hand seal, and summoned the lightning once more. "Even so, weren't you also beaten to exhaustion by me just now?"
In the previous battle, he had indeed lost in the end, but the black-robed man wasn't much better off. Half of his body had been smashed to pieces by Lu Yang's fists. If the opponent hadn't played a trick at the critical moment—using a feint to deceive him and then landing a fatal sneak attack—Lu Yang was confident the other party would have been the one to lose.
Of course, this was already incredibly exaggerated.
After all, given his current power and method, not even Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue had managed to push him this far. Yet, the black-robed man had done it. It was truly unbelievable.
"Before we start, one last question."
At this point, Lu Yang cupped his hands and said solemnly, "With such a cultivation base and presiding over [Responding to Emperors], Fellow Daoist must have undoubtedly possessed a resounding reputation back in the day."
"May I dare ask for Fellow Daoist's esteemed title?"
The black-robed man shook his head. "I'll tell you if you win..."
Rumble!
Before the black-robed man even finished speaking, Lu Yang struck first.
Are you kidding? How could I possibly have the free time to chat? I was just charging up my attack!
Instantly, the long-accumulated [Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation] erupted from his palm, transforming into twenty-seven streaks of lightning that poured out like a bursting dam. Relying on the [Divine Firmament Thunder]'s profound wonder of responding instantly to thought, and launching a sneak attack while the other party was speaking, Lu Yang was confident no one could react in time!
However, the next second.
Rumble!
Almost simultaneously, the black-robed man actually reached out his hand as well. In his palm was also a [Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation], and twenty-seven streaks of lightning similarly slashed toward Lu Yang.
"You bastard!" Lu Yang cursed out loud.
This was absolutely not an on-the-spot reaction. The opponent had similarly been plotting this for a long time, deliberately speaking to distract him, and then launching a sudden sneak attack!
However, relying on his formidable Dharma Body, he could completely tank this attack head-on.
In comparison, the black-robed man couldn't tank it. When the lightning dimmed, Lu Yang remained completely unharmed, while half of the black-robed man's body had been charred black.
But quickly, he flicked his sleeve and nudged the crown on his head. Immediately, streams of clear qi flowed down, washing over his entire body like water, erasing the charred blackness. All his injuries were completely wiped away. Lu Yang could tell it was the profound wonder of the [Master of Great Tribulations] modifying concept.
'Modified the concept of being heavily injured, huh.'
'It doesn't matter. Doing this will still consume his profound wonder. As long as I do this a few more times, he will inevitably be unable to sustain it. After all, I hold the absolute advantage in foundation!'
Lu Yang's eyes were very calm.
To put it bluntly, he wasn't here to win this time.
He was here to take a beating.
'Using others as a mirror can illuminate one's gains and losses. I'll take this exact opportunity, using this person's hands to discover my current flaws, and then find ways to make up for them. Either way, I don't lose out!'