Chapter 96

Without waiting for Hua Xiajiu to think or reflect, two golden arrows condensed as before and shot towards him.

Hua Xiajiu, feeling a competitive spirit rise in his heart, similarly moved his soul consciousness, controlling the Gengjin energy to condense into two golden arrows just as before, to meet them head-on.

The golden arrows collided, and as before, they canceled each other out.

Immediately, four more golden arrows condensed and shot towards Hua Xiajiu.

...

This pattern continued, with the number of golden arrows doubling each time they were neutralized by Hua Xiajiu, as if an invisible person was dueling with him.

Until sixteen arrows were neutralized, no more arrows appeared. Instead, a golden long sword suddenly materialized.

Just as before, Hua Xiajiu controlled the Gengjin energy, forming a golden long sword in the specific combination he had seen, to meet it.

...

As before, after sixteen golden long swords, a golden broadsword suddenly condensed.

Following this pattern, after the broadsword, various weapons such as a spear, an axe, and a whip, all formed from Gengjin energy, appeared one after another.

Hua Xiajiu had already understood the significance of this space. It was an excellent place to test one's talent in metal-based techniques and to learn metal-based spells, as well as to practice the speed of spell casting.

However, the metal-based techniques demonstrated in this space were different from the Gengjin technique Hua Xiajiu had learned from the tiger demon king.

When Hua Xiajiu used the Gengjin technique, he adjusted his soul consciousness frequency to match that of the tiger demon king, then, through repeated practice, he could invoke the Gengjin energy from the world, which would spontaneously condense into the shape he desired according to some mysterious rule.

The metal-based techniques demonstrated here, however, were formed through a specific yet profound combination, appearing simpler and more understandable. In Hua Xiajiu's view, if one practiced these metal-based techniques to a high level of proficiency, their speed and power would not be inferior to the Gengjin technique.

The Gengjin technique from the tiger demon king was like a physics problem, where you directly substitute known formulas to get the result.

The metal-based techniques here, however, required step-by-step calculations to reach the result.

These two methods were not directly related, but Hua Xiajiu believed there must be a deeper connection between them.

What Hua Xiajiu did not immediately realize was that to control the Gengjin energy with soul consciousness and form it into specific combinations, two prerequisites were needed.

First, one must be able to sense the Gengjin energy and have a certain affinity with it. Because Hua Xiajiu had learned the Gengjin technique and his soul form was forged by the tiger demon king's soul, he was extremely sensitive to Gengjin energy and had an affinity with it that was unimaginable for ordinary people. Therefore, it felt natural to him, but he did not realize that this was precisely the first test of the Five Elements Formation—testing one's talent in a specific elemental technique.

In fact, out of a hundred people, only one could sense the Gengjin energy, and out of a thousand, only one had an affinity with it. This was even more so because the Gengjin energy here was dozens of times more concentrated than in the outside world due to the Five Elements Formation.

Apart from the legendary Gengjin body, which was extremely rare, even those who entered the Five Elements Formation and could sense the Gengjin energy and had some affinity with it, could not learn spells as effortlessly as Hua Xiajiu, as if copying them.

Almost all cultivators who practiced metal-based techniques, after entering the Golden Gate, could only control a small amount of Gengjin energy and form a part of it in the specific sequence, and they had to use hand seals to enhance the process. They could only fully cast the spells demonstrated here through repeated observation and practice.

The hand seals were specific hand gestures that human cultivators, over countless years, had developed to enhance their affinity with the Five Elements energy in the world, due to their insufficient natural affinity.

The hand seals, as the name suggests, were gestures made with both hands to produce the effect of a talisman.

In fact, although Hua Xiajiu had a strong affinity with Gengjin energy and did not need hand seals to cast ordinary metal-based techniques, he still had a gap compared to the legendary Gengjin body. However, his ability to learn by sight was something the Gengjin body could not match.

In the Five Elements Hall, over a hundred people had gathered upon hearing the news.

At this moment, a beautiful young girl and a handsome young man, under the envious gazes of almost everyone, walked through the crowd and approached the middle-aged man in golden robes.

"Is that Senior Ren's daughter, Fairy Xian'er, and Senior Ren's personal disciple, Shen Yuzhe? Why are they here?" someone in the crowd whispered in surprise.

The two bowed to the middle-aged man, the warden of the Five Elements Hall.

The middle-aged man did not dare to be negligent. Although the two were only at the Core Formation stage, they were personal disciples of a Great Cultivator, making their status much higher than that of ordinary inner disciples.

Shen Yuzhe glanced at Ren Xian'er beside him, gritted his teeth, and said to the middle-aged man, "Senior Brother Wang! According to the rules of the Five Elements Hall, one can pay five hundred contribution points to open the barrier of the Five Elements Formation and observe the person inside creating the formation."

The middle-aged man frowned, feeling conflicted. Beside him, Wu Jiu, somewhat timidly, said, "Senior Brother! According to the rules, without the consent of the person inside the formation, the barrier cannot be opened for observation. As the saying goes, without rules, there is no order. As cultivators, we should—"

Before Wu Jiu could finish, a cold snort interrupted him. Shen Yuzhe, seeing Wu Jiu's white robe, looked at him with disdain and said coldly, "Who are you? Do you have the right to interrupt when I am speaking to Senior Brother Wang?"

Wu Jiu's face turned pale, showing fear, and he did not dare to speak further.

Shen Yuzhe ignored Wu Jiu, his face softening as he looked at the middle-aged man and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother Wang! It's not that I want to observe Hua Xiajiu, but rather that Junior Sister Ren wants to."

The middle-aged man glanced at Ren Xian'er, who smiled charmingly at the right moment. Even with his cultivation, his heart was moved.

The middle-aged man recalled the commotion caused a few days ago by the youngest Great Cultivator in the Five Elements Hall, Ren Tianya, to help this young girl advance to the Core Formation stage. He knew how doting Ren Tianya was on her and sighed inwardly, saying helplessly, "Since it is Junior Sister Ren's wish, I will make it convenient for her."

The middle-aged man took out a five-colored staff, made a hand seal, and shot a beam of golden light into the golden gate behind him.

Buzz—

Everyone felt the scene before them change, as if a curtain had been pulled back, revealing a clear image.

Everyone focused their attention on the image. After a few breaths, the entire hall fell silent, followed by a sudden change in everyone's expressions and numerous exclamations of surprise.

"Impossible! How can he cast without using hand seals—"

"Heaven! Am I seeing things? He forms the golden spear faster than the formation itself."

...

(Sitting in front of the computer for long periods, typing continuously, has left my shoulders incredibly sore, and I feel like I might have developed shoulder periarthritis. Sigh! Three updates a day, all I ask for is your support with votes. If you can't give votes, a recommendation will do. If you haven't added the book to your collection, please do so. If none of the above, please take a few seconds to give a good review—just now, I noticed I received another vote. Thank you, my loyal fan, Ai Yin Liu Shi Chuang Dan, for your support and vote today.)

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