Chapter 117 - 116: Three Strikes and You’re Out

Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Three Strikes and You’re OutTwo hours later, Ye Xuan’s Dao patterns had increased to eighteen. According to Ye Xuan’s judgment, the number of Dao patterns was related to how much power the Taoist Body could wield. Although he was now in the Fifth Layer of the Divine Gate, his true strength was difficult to assess. Without using the Emperor Soul, speaking of strength alone, Ye Xuan could arm wrestle with a Prince! This cultivation session also allowed some recovery of Ye Xuan’s Eternal Emperor Soul; the Soul Power he had expended dealing with those fellows from the Spiritual Boat Association had been completely restored. "It’s time to train those guys." Ye Xuan opened his eyes, a divine light flashing within them. As he opened his eyes and exited the cultivation state, the Divine Gate closed, and the Chaos Ghost Fang along with the Tree God disappeared from sight. Immediately following, Ye Xuan formed seals with one hand, and the Array of the Qi Bamboo Forest was activated once again. "Umm————" In the air, a series of weeping sounds suddenly rang out, like the wailing of ghosts and howling of gods! Tan Qingshan, Xiao Zhan, and the others, who had been in the midst of cultivation, were abruptly awakened and quickly stood up, declaring with vigilant expressions, "Get ready, a new round of cultivation is beginning!" All of them stood up, their expressions solemn. "You wretches, prepare to face the wall," Ye Xuan said with a smile in his eyes. "Big Senior Brother," everyone looked up at Ye Xuan. "Don’t look at me; look at the Qi Bamboo," Ye Xuan said. The group hastily refocused, watching the surrounding Qi Bamboo with vigilance. Whoosh whoosh whoosh———— As expected, the Qi Bamboo launched into another fierce offensive, starting with extreme ferocity and giving them no chance to adapt! Tan Qingshan and the rest had their expressions change slightly. They distinctly felt that this offensive was more terrifying than the last! "Brothers, hold on!" Tan Qingshan gritted his teeth and said. "It’s just some damn bamboo; I’m not scared at all!" Zhu Xiaofei cursed under his breath, yet the palm of his hand holding the sword was already sweating. "Charge!" Xiao Zhan bellowed, taking the initiative to attack. Seeing this, the others also took the initiative to strike. Ye Xuan watched this scene and couldn’t help shaking his head with a laugh, "It seems that the last session of cultivation has made them a bit arrogant." Bang———— Soon, someone was sent flying. That person was Zhu Xiaofei. Not only Zhu Xiaofei, but Tan Qingshan, Xiao Zhan, and the others were all blasted away. Their faces turned pale. Seeing this, Ye Xuan gently moved his finger. Immediately after, the Array subtly changed, and with the appearance of this change, the offensive also underwent a significant shift. The group narrowly survived with their lives. Otherwise, the Sword Qi shot from the bamboo leaves would have shredded them into pieces! But even so, they still sustained serious injuries. "I’ll give you a four-word secret, ’Use defense as offense,’" Ye Xuan said softly. "Use defense as offense?" Tan Qingshan squinted slightly, and after repeating it silently in his mind, he quickly understood, and hurriedly instructed, "Fellow disciples, maintain the formation, just like we did two hours ago!" In the training they had completed two hours before, it was by strenuously defending in a group of ten and cooperating with each other that they managed the cultivation. This time, they had been too rash, choosing to attack proactively from the start, and as a result, they were swiftly punished. Searᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For them, it was nothing short of disastrous. However, Ye Xuan’s reminder promptly brought them back to their senses, using defense instead of being reckless in their offense. Seeing Tan Qingshan and the others regrouping, Ye Xuan slightly moved his finger, and the offensive resumed once more. This time, however, the offensive was even more astonishing than before, with no space to dodge, leaving the group no choice but to withstand the barrage. Moreover, as everyone struggled to defend, Ye Xuan distracted them from the side, "Remember, this is a Life and Death experience, don’t always assume that I will adjust the offensive for you when you’re in danger." "Three strikes and you’re out." "Today is the first day, but you’ve already used two chances; only one last chance remains." "If you still make a mistake after three times, you’ll have to bear the consequences yourselves." "Whether or not you’re the kind of useless scum that can’t stand up against a wall, it’s up to you to prove," Ye Xuan said, his words exploding like thunderbolts in the hearts of the crowd. Three strikes and you’re out. They were to stay in this place for twenty-four days, and today was only the first day, yet they had already used up two chances. Only one chance remained. If they used it this time, then next time, it would be utterly dangerous. No mistakes were permitted! Come that time, they really would die! People like Zhu Xiaofei, who originally harbored a sense of blind luck, were all on edge at this moment, exerting all their strength! In the face of life and death, no one dared to rely on luck anymore. Seeing that everyone was fully focused, Ye Xuan did not make another sound. The desired effect had been reached; now it was just a matter of time. Soon, two hours passed. Tan Qingshan and the others all gripped their swords tightly, their bodies soaked with sweat, and some of them even took hits, bearing with gritted teeth as sweat dripped into their wounds, not daring to slacken in the slightest. Not a single person fell. "Not bad, let’s stop here for today," Ye Xuan waved his hand, and the Array of the Qi Bamboo Forest automatically shut down. "Ah, I’m dead tired!" Zhu Xiaofei collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air, covered in sweat. Tan Qingshan stood firm, walked over to a Qi Bamboo, slowly sat down, and quietly took out an elixir to start recovering. Xiao Zhan and others who were originally lying on the ground, gasping for breath, conscientiously sat up in the lotus position upon seeing Tan Qingshan’s actions and took out their elixirs to swallow. "Are you guys in such a rush," Zhu Xiaofei turned his head and mumbled upon seeing this scene. "We have to be. If we make a mistake, we’ll be dead for good," Xiao Zhan gave Zhu Xiaofei a sideways glance and laughed. "And you can still laugh about it?" Zhu Xiaofei rolled his eyes. "I’ve come to realize a lot in the midst of cultivation just now," Xiao Zhan said with a slight smile. Though very tired, he felt exceptionally fulfilled. Zhu Xiaofei scratched his head and looked at the others, noticing that each person had a different expression, but there was something common among them. It was—composure. As if they had come to terms with it. Zhu Xiaofei took out his own elixir, swallowed it, and muttered to himself, "Am I the only one without realization?" "Damn it, I can’t fall behind!" Holding this thought, Zhu Xiaofei also began to recover. This time, they did not complain about how exhausting or miserable the recent cultivation was and entered into cultivation of their own accord. When they opened their eyes again, the sky had already darkened. There was a lively campfire in the middle, accompanied by the enticing aroma of meat. Everyone came to their senses. When they saw that scene, they were all astounded. "What kind of roast meat is this?" Zhu Xiaofei’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the fragrant roast meat in Ye Xuan’s hand, unable to help but swallow his saliva. Ye Xuan tossed the roast meat in his hand to Zhu Xiaofei, saying, "Long bouts of cultivation can be dull, so it’s good to have some roast meat to replenish some energy." Zhu Xiaofei caught the roast meat, licked his lips, and hurriedly took a big bite, his face filled with pleasure, and mumbled unclearly, "This taste is amazing!" Seeing Zhu Xiaofei like this, Tan Qingshan, Xiao Zhan, and others felt tempted and gathered around the campfire. "The meat’s over there. Cut it yourself to roast, and grab your own seasonings," Ye Xuan pointed to the side. Only then did everyone notice a small mountain-like figure at the side. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a Divine Wind Goat! A Divine Wind Goat was a type of mountain beast, incredibly swift, so much that even Cultivators in the Inscriptions Realm found it difficult to catch. The meat of a Divine Wind Goat was of excellent quality, usually only available in top-tier restaurants in the Upper Country. "Big brother, you’re too awesome!" Zhu Xiaofei couldn’t help but give Ye Xuan a thumbs up. Everyone else admired Ye Xuan immensely. A Divine Wind Goat, a speed-prone mountain beast was notoriously difficult to catch, and yet Ye Xuan, merely at the Divine Gate realm, was able to capture such a creature, truly impressive. "Eat well, for tomorrow’s cultivation will be even more brutal," Ye Xuan said with a smile. At these words, everyone’s faces soured, but they said nothing. "Let’s worry about tomorrow when it comes, right now, feasting is the true path!" Zhu Xiaofei didn’t care about anything else as he devoured his food voraciously. "You pig, can’t you eat a bit less?" Xiao Zhan sat beside Zhu Xiaofei, looking at him with disdain. "If you’re not eating, give it to me. Eating more gives you more energy for cultivation!" Zhu Xiaofei replied, uncaring. "Who said I wasn’t eating?" Xiao Zhan glared at Zhu Xiaofei and whispered, "I’ve never eaten Divine Wind Goat before..."