Watching the Mountain

In the Cultivation Realm, everyone has a different fighting style. Some rely on Magical Treasures, some prefer close-quarters combat, and others favor Daoist Techniques. There are also the many Hundred Skills of Cultivation, making for a vast and complex variety.

Zhang Zhentian was a Sword Cultivator. He had no need for flashy tricks; for him, all combat was decided by the sword in his hand.

Although Xu Ran knew some Swordsmanship, his true expertise was in Magic Techniques.

Before the battle began, he said to Zhang Zhentian, "Junior Brother, you are the Evergreen Sword Saint, while I am just an obscure, minor cultivator. It wouldn’t be too much to ask for me to set up a few protective Shield Techniques before we start, would it?"

Zhang Zhentian agreed without a second thought. "Senior Brother, feel free. Never mind a few; I wouldn’t care if you set up hundreds of Shield Techniques around you."

He truly didn’t care. It was true that he had lost to his Senior Brother once, but he had just begun his cultivation back then, while his Senior Brother had directly used the Death Realm.

It was only natural for him to lose, experiencing a Mental Realm for the first time. He even felt his Senior Brother had been shameless. ’Using a Mental Realm against someone who just started cultivating... Isn’t that just bullying a child?’

He later spent about ten years cultivating alongside his Senior Brother, and the two of them sparred often. His Senior Brother’s combat performance, while not as abysmal as the rumors claimed, was truly quite average. He was a bit stronger than most people, but compared to a prodigy like him, the difference was night and day.

This was especially true for his Senior Brother’s various Daoist Techniques, which were only suitable for demonstrations and teaching. They looked perfect, but in the eyes of a genius like him, they were riddled with flaws.

So, just as he had said earlier, no matter how much his strength had waned, his mere Senior Brother couldn’t hope to challenge him.

He had no expectations for this battle whatsoever.

Xu Ran wasn’t bothered by Zhang Zhentian’s attitude. After getting his opponent’s approval, he leisurely set up five Spirit Wood Shields around himself for protection.

"Let’s begin."

"Senior Brother, you go first."

"Then I won’t hold back." After speaking, Xu Ran formed Finger Formulas with his hands and unleashed several spells. Gold, Fire, Earth, and Water—four of the Five Elements Basic Techniques—were perfectly executed, just as described in the Magic Technique Books.

Zhang Zhentian merely swung his sword lightly, dissipating the Magic. Then, with another wave of Sword Qi, he shattered the five Spirit Wood Shields Xu Ran had set up, sending splinters flying everywhere.

"Senior Brother, you should just use your strongest attack. Something like that Mental Realm from before, or that *Silent Sparrow* technique. Either will do."

Zhang Zhentian said, swinging his sword with a bored expression.

Seeing his reaction, Xu Ran’s face took on a knowing expression. "Who told you my strongest attack was *Silent Sparrow* or the Melancholy Realm?"

Zhang Zhentian froze for a moment at his words.

At that moment, Xu Ran formed a Dao Seal with his hands and said faintly, "My strongest technique has never changed. It has always been the *Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Spell*."

There are many famous masters in the world, but for Xu Ran, only Teacher Qing Xuan had ever enabled him to achieve true understanding. Likewise, there are many Daoist Techniques, but only the *Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Spell*—the one Xiaoque’Er had exchanged for him back then—allowed him to effortlessly grasp its mysteries without the slightest hindrance.

’Only this Magic Technique allowed me to truly appreciate the unique charm of Daoist Techniques. Ever since I first encountered this Divine Technique, I fell completely in love with it. I’ve cultivated it diligently ever since, and now it has become my signature skill.’

As Xu Ran’s voice fell, the wood splinters from the shields shattered by Zhang Zhentian’s Sword Qi and the residual imprints of the four previously destroyed Magic spells instantly came to life. They transformed into invisible threads that linked together and wrapped around Zhang Zhentian.

Meeting Zhang Zhentian’s stunned gaze, Xu Ran stated faintly, "Five Elements Reincarnation, Ten Thousand Woods Give Life, Wooden World."

As his voice fell, Zhang Zhentian found that the world before him had transformed into a Wooden World. He himself felt like an ant within it, his struggles utterly insignificant no matter how much he thrashed.

"You’ve lost."

Zhang Zhentian sheathed his longsword. ’Just as Senior Brother said, I’ve lost. After several decades, I have once again been defeated by my Senior Brother.’

He silently raised his head, looking at Xu Ran in shock. The battle was over, and he now understood the meaning behind his Senior Brother’s request to set up shields beforehand.

That Magic Technique his Senior Brother had just used, one that was nearly a Divine Technique, required a long time to prepare. The so-called shield setup was just an excuse. The real goal was to make him shatter those shields, allowing the unique Wood Spirit Qi to permeate the area. The four previous Magic spells were also part of the plan.

What shocked him wasn’t that his Senior Brother had mastered such a powerful Magic Technique, one almost on the level of a Divine Technique. It was that his Senior Brother possessed such combat intelligence, laying out his schemes in advance...

This was a completely different person from the Senior Brother in his memory, the one who could only use Magic Techniques by rote, as if reading from a textbook.

After a long while, Zhang Zhentian finally calmed himself and asked, "Senior Brother, when did you become so powerful?"

"Just by cultivating like this," Xu Ran replied, using the same answer that Ye Shan and the others had once given him.

After speaking, he held up a hand to stop Zhang Zhentian, who was about to speak again. "I am the victor now. So, I ask, and you answer."

The loser has no right to speak. Zhang Zhentian gave a bitter smile. "Please, go ahead, Senior Brother."