Daoist Competition

Within the Zhao You Heavenly Pond Main Mansion, Zhang Yan steadied his heart and spirit, organizing one by one the Dao Techniques he had learned throughout his cultivation journey.

At present, he had mastered a total of five cultivation techniques, namely the "Lan Yun Secret Volume," the "Nine-Numbered Taishi Lingbao Xuanming Scripture," the "Ming Dao Can Shen Qi," the "True Fixing Leisurely Chapter," and the fragmented "Talisman Bag Book."

Among these, both the "True Fixing Leisurely Chapter" and the "Talisman Bag Book" were only studied for their easier and more practical Dao techniques, which he cultivated superficially without much focus.

As for the Daoist divine skills he had grasped, they included the "Xuanhuang Dragon Capturing Hand," Supreme Mysterious True Lights of the water and earth elements, the You Yin Heavy Water, the Little All Heaven Moving Technique, the Fake Body Death Replacement Technique, as well as several enchanting techniques from the Talisman Bag Book. As for the "Leaving Origin Yin-Yang Flying Saber," he had yet to study it seriously.

Previously, he had believed that breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm before the Sixteen Sects Sword Competition would be unattainable because of the sheer number of cultivation techniques and Daoist formulas he had practiced. To condense the True Imprint of Dharma Power, one needed to choose a singular Dao Technique as the foundation.

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Regarding this, he had already made a decision: to fully deduce the "Five Directions and Five Elements Tai Xuan True Light" and use it as his primary cultivation method.

This cultivation technique required a considerable amount of time to master.

At the moment, while the Supreme Mysterious True Lights of water and wood had reached minor achievement, the True Lights of wood, gold, and fire remained unpracticed.

He had possessed the Wood Essence Qi for some time; given an opportunity, he could begin cultivating it. Moreover, he didn’t need to proceed step by step as before. A rudimentary grasp sufficed—after reaching some degree of progress and gaining insight into its operation, he could refine it further using the Nine-Number True Scripture.

Aside from this, he also needed to consider which Daoist divine skills to enhance, as this would determine his methods in combat after condensing the True Imprint.

In the hall of Yao Yin Mountain that day, Zhang Yan had witnessed several Nascent Soul cultivators clashing. With this experience, he gained valuable insight into the path he would tread in the future.

Evaluating a cultivator’s prowess in combat depended not only on their Dharma treasure and cultivation realm but also on their offensive and defensive techniques, as well as their escape and evasion methods.

In battle, even a minor deficiency in any of these areas could easily result in an opponent exploiting a weakness, leading to their defeat.

For example, Kang Tong of the Shaoqing Sect relied entirely on his sword ball. His flying speed was swift, and his swordsmanship, focused on the killing path, was unparalleled in sharpness, making him formidable in both offense and defense. As a sword cultivator, he could escape by controlling his sword even if at a disadvantage, rendering pursuit futile.

However, once his sword ball was sealed, he would be left completely defenseless.

Take another example, Ying Chenglin of the Nanhua Sect. With four demon souls at his beck and call—the Mystic Python for defense, the White Crane for offense, the Fish Dragon for support, and the Peng Bird for evasion—he exhibited balanced capabilities in attack, defense, and mobility. Though lacking a standout strength, cultivators of a similar level found it difficult to exploit any weaknesses in him during combat.

Thus, on that day, Zhang Boyant preferred to provoke Yue Yuji first, knowing full well that Ying Chenglin couldn’t be subdued quickly.

Even when later, the Taiheng Ancestor injured three of Ying Chenglin’s demon soul essences in one strike, killing him wasn’t easy. It wasn’t until the Peng Bird was restrained, rendering him unable to escape, that Ying Chenglin was forced into a direct clash and ultimately slain.

This proves that the more techniques a cultivator possessed for offense, defense, and survival, the higher their chances of gaining an edge in combat. Protective and life-preserving techniques were especially beneficial in abundance.

However, this presented a certain contradiction: if a cultivator prioritized Daoist divine skills excessively, their attentiveness to their cultivation methods would diminish significantly, leading to stagnation in their cultivation realm.

Thus, among the great sects, direct disciples combined divine skills with Dao Skills to save abundant time and effort.

How to strike this balance was a matter requiring utmost caution for Xuanmen Sect disciples.

For Demon Sect disciples, however, this consideration carried little weight.

Their cultivation realm was inherently built on plunder and slaughter—the more they killed and seized, the higher their cultivation advanced.

Previously, the Demon Dao was hindered by the restrictions of the Demon Caves. Despite having many secret divine passages and corresponding scriptures, they lacked the ability to practice them. Moreover, Demon Dao cultivation methods were ill-suited for isolated study within a Cave Mansion. Consequently, they were suppressed by Xuanmen Feathered Warriors.

As a result, most Demon Sect disciples preyed on demon cultivators. Bolder individuals, such as Zhang Boyant, secretly murdered and looted from small sects and Xuanmen disciples to boost their cultivation. Even so, they operated furtively, not daring to go too far.

However, should a Demon Tribulation arise, it would herald the return of the world-shaking Demon Dao divine skills.

At that time, Zhang Yan would likely face the most formidable group of Demon Sect practitioners seen in thousands of years. Thus, he had no choice but to prepare in advance.