Chapter 10 – Flowing Clouds Break Through, Walking Alone in Azure Cloud

A Foundation Establishment Stage magic corpse—this was the strongest enemy Lu Chen had encountered since arriving at the Ancient Cultivator Tomb instance.

Unlike the rigid attack patterns of the Azure Mystic Puppet or the suppression ordinary magic corpses faced from the Purple Haze Divine Light, Ye Chenglin not only possessed rich combat experience but was also largely unaffected by the Purple Haze Divine Light.

This might be due to Lu Chen’s current cultivation being too low, rendering his Purple Haze Divine Light ineffective. Alternatively, Ye Chenglin might have reached a Realm where he no longer feared sunlight.

Regardless, Lu Chen could no longer rely on the Purple Haze Divine Light to suppress the magic corpse and seize an opportunity for a one-hit kill. This time, he had to abandon all shortcuts and face Ye Chenglin head-on.

Though facing a Foundation Establishment Stage magic corpse with only Qi Condensation Stage second-layer cultivation seemed like throwing an egg against a rock, Lu Chen believed he still had a chance.

Not only was Ye Chenglin severely injured with only one arm, limiting him to drawing Talismans single-handedly, but his failure to prepare Talismans in advance had drastically reduced his combat power. Had Ye Chenglin been at his peak, Lu Chen wouldn’t have dared to provoke him. Unless all his skills reached the ‘Major Achievement’ level and his cultivation advanced to at least Qi Condensation Stage fifth layer, Lu Chen knew he stood no chance.

But in Ye Chenglin’s current state, his strength was undoubtedly diminished. As long as Lu Chen could uncover his hidden cards and adapt to his fighting style, he believed victory was within reach.

“A Foundation Establishment Stage magic corpse… I wonder how much of his former abilities remain…” With this thought, Lu Chen pushed open the bronze door once more and faced Ye Chenglin.

“Who… are… you?”

Drawing his Magic Sword from the Storage Bag, Lu Chen replied as he had the first time: “Azure Cloud Sect menial disciple, Lu Chen.”

With that, he charged fiercely toward Ye Chenglin.

Knowing his opponent mastered formidable ‘Thunder Techniques,’ Lu Chen had to close the distance at all costs. Aside from ‘Qi Transformation into Sword,’ he lacked any effective long-range attacks—and his Qi swords were far inferior to Ye Chenglin’s Thunder Techniques in both power and speed. Engaging in ranged combat would be suicidal.

However, Lu Chen’s surprise attack yielded limited results. He had barely advanced ten meters when dark lightning bolts materialized from Thunder Talismans, barreling toward him.

Facing the violent thunder, Lu Chen’s figure began to flow like water. Each dodge left behind an afterimage, creating momentary confusion.

【Flowing Cloud Step: Major Achievement 15/4000】

【Effect: Instantly increases speed and leaves an afterimage】

Thanks to his initial surprise assault and prior preparation against Ye Chenglin’s Thunder Techniques, Lu Chen managed to advance twenty meters this time—ten more than during their first encounter. Just eighty meters separated him from Ye Chenglin.

Yet, those remaining eighty meters became an insurmountable chasm. While Lu Chen’s movement technique was decent, to Ye Chenglin… it was merely passable. After all, how could any speed outmatch flashing lightning?

Crackle—boom—!Ye Chenglin drew talismans with a single hand, and a large number of Thunder Talismans began to gather before him.

Immediately after, these dense Thunder Talismans shot out, covering all areas where Lu Chen could possibly evade.

Undoubtedly, Ye Chenglin’s strategy of overwhelming with numbers proved highly effective.

If one Thunder Talisman couldn’t hit its mark, then why not use several?

Even though he had lost most of his memories, the instinct for combat was deeply ingrained in Ye Chenglin’s bones.

It allowed him to choose the most suitable combat style for himself in an extremely short time.

Faced with this nearly impenetrable barrage of Thunder Talismans, Lu Chen had no other option but to protect himself with the Purple Haze Divine Light.

After all, at his current level, he was far from capable of precisely dodging every single thunderbolt amidst such a dense onslaught.

Boom!

The dense cluster of Thunder Talismans struck Lu Chen, triggering violent explosions.

When the dust from the explosions settled, Lu Chen lay half-dead in the crater blasted open by the Thunder Talismans.

From atop the mountain of corpses, Ye Chenglin calmly glanced at him before casually tossing out a few more Thunder Talismans.

Second challenge, failed!

【Flowing Cloud Step: Major Achievement 20/4000】

Reviving once again, Lu Chen felt no discouragement. Instead, he began analyzing the mistakes from his second failure.

Reflecting on defeats after battle had become an instinct honed through hundreds of resurrections.

After all, one shouldn’t stumble over the same obstacle twice—especially when the price had already been paid with one’s life.

As the saying goes: “You can’t teach someone through words alone, but experience teaches them in one go.”

Although Lu Chen appeared to be playing a game, in immersion mode, it felt as if he were truly experiencing everything within the instance.

Whether it was the thrill of dancing on the edge of a blade while battling the Corpse, or the helplessness at the moment of death—all of it felt so real that Lu Chen couldn’t treat it as mere gameplay.

And it was precisely this sense of reality that enabled Lu Chen to gain something from each resurrection.

After another five minutes of reflection and analysis, Lu Chen rose to his feet and initiated the third challenge.

Three minutes later…

Having failed the third challenge, Lu Chen spent another five minutes summarizing the failure, pondering what mistakes he had made and whether there was room for further optimization.

Repeating this process, the proficiency of Lu Chen’s Flowing Cloud Step began to increase at an astonishing rate.

After the one hundred and thirtieth challenge failed:

【Your Flowing Cloud Step has met the upgrade conditions and reached ‘Breakthrough’】

【Flowing Cloud Step (Full): Breakthrough】

【Effect: Body like flowing clouds, capable of treading on air】

“Flowing Cloud Step has reached Breakthrough. This time, I should be able to get close to that Foundation Establishment Stage Corpse…”

Lu Chen stood up, pushed open the heavy bronze door with practiced ease, as if returning home.

Having fought over a hundred times, Lu Chen skipped the pleasantries with Ye Chenglin.

The moment the bronze door opened, he charged toward Ye Chenglin at full speed.

A sneak attack?

Going all out was a sign of respect for a formidable opponent!

Seeing this, Ye Chenglin, just as in the previous one hundred and thirty encounters, remained briefly silent before immediately beginning to draw Air-Drawing Talismans.

“Left side…”

Lu Chen muttered under his breath while swiftly changing direction.

A split second later, a Thunder Talisman materialized in the air to his left, narrowly missing him.

“Above…”

Lu Chen abruptly bent over, skimming close to the ground.

As he bent down, another Thunder Talisman transformed into a thunderbolt, passing right over him.After dodging the second Thunder Talisman, Lu Chen did not rush forward but instead leaped high into the air.

“Below…”

Just as Lu Chen left the ground, the earth beneath his feet suddenly softened into a muddy swamp.

Had he reacted a moment slower, he might have stepped into emptiness, lost his balance, and been left vulnerable.

Ye Chenglin raised his head, locking eyes with Lu Chen hovering in the air not far away.

And in Ye Chenglin’s gaze, Lu Chen saw an expression he hadn’t witnessed before.

This look… was one of astonishment.

Clearly, Ye Chenglin hadn’t expected that Lu Chen, a mere Qi Condensation Stage cultivator, could repeatedly evade his Thunder Talismans.

Each time, it was as if Lu Chen had foreseen them.

Though Ye Chenglin couldn’t comprehend it, he couldn’t be bothered to ponder further.

His remaining right arm blurred into afterimages, swiftly drawing dozens of Thunder Talismans in a short span.

Once formed, these talismans transformed into black lightning bolts, shooting toward Lu Chen.

As someone who hadn’t reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, Lu Chen temporarily lacked the ability to fly on a sword.

In other words, under normal circumstances, he shouldn’t possess the capability to maneuver in mid-air.

But that was under normal circumstances.

Flowing Cloud Step!

Lu Chen stepped into empty space, and the invisible air rippled like water waves.

Leveraging this reactive force, he continuously twisted and turned in the air, weaving through the barrage of Thunder Talismans.

Before long, he who had previously been unable to close in on Ye Chenglin now stood even closer to him.

Holding the Magic Sword in one hand, Lu Chen calmly looked down at Ye Chenglin below.

“This time, it’s my turn to make a move.”

Sword Technique… Water Dragon’s Roar!

(End of Chapter)