Over the next few days, Feng Qi roamed between the 40th and 45th floors of the Hall of Destiny with Lei Ting.
They learned by observing the Illustrated War Game battles of other gamblers, picking up tactics and techniques.
Occasionally, they'd spend 50,000 bloodstones to open a practice match and put what they'd learned into action.
By the fifth day, Lei Ting finally assembled his own 888-card deck.
After days of grinding, Lei Ting faced his first official match. His opponent was an elemental lifeform.
Before the battle began, both sides set a betting cap—winner takes 1 million bloodstones, regardless of performance.
Lei Ting showed his talent right away. Though crushed early on, he turned the match around through excellent battlefield control, narrowly winning with only 390 durability left on his life crystal.
When the 1 million bloodstones were credited, Feng Qi, Xiao You, and the others burst into cheers.
It proved Lei Ting really had talent for battlefield command.
But in the following days, Lei Ting hit setbacks. His chips dropped to just 5 million.
Compared to the veteran gamblers, Lei Ting still lacked finesse. Many hidden strategies only known by experienced players caused him several painful losses.
He took the lessons to heart and stopped playing for a while.
After sorting through his mistakes, he returned to the game and quickly pushed his chips from 5 million to 8 million.
There were wins and losses, but each win came with less struggle.
Clearly, Lei Ting had fallen in love with this strategy war game. Passion is the best teacher, and he was improving fast.
Eventually, his chips stabilized at 19 million.
Feng Qi didn't let Lei Ting keep going.
Lei Ting was talented, but Feng Qi had seen many players with even greater skill during those few days.
Against those seasoned pros, Lei Ting's win rate was clearly lower than his loss rate.
If they wanted to win chips from these top-tier illustrated war masters, Lei Ting still needed a long time to grow.
Feng Qi didn't want to waste their entire training trip inside Fate City.
Even if the gains were tempting, he knew the profits from gambling were temporary—one misstep and it could all vanish.
Yes, the thrill of the gamble was intense. Blood surged, adrenaline rushed.
But for Feng Qi, temptation was just that—temptation. He had long learned how to resist.
In a future dreamscape, he had passed the Starving Madness Trial inside the cultivation platform provided by the Blood Soul Clan.
The maddening, clawing temptation in that challenge was far scarier, pulling at his inner demons and shaking his will.
But once he crossed that threshold, he reached a wondrous state—his mind became as unshakable as a mountain.
From that moment on, he became the true master of his body.
External temptations could stir a physical response, but the body still obeyed his will and would never cross the line.
Desire no longer drove him.
For example, even when hungry, if he didn't want to eat, his body would not act.
Fate City's design held countless traps meant to dig out buried desires.
But none could break through the mental wall he had built.
Despite Lei Ting's reluctance, Feng Qi decided to stop while they were ahead.
Together, they made their way up to the 188th floor of the Hall of Destiny.
Along the way, Feng Qi saw all kinds of mind-blowing gambling games.
Especially on the 99th floor, he saw the Miracle Prohibition floating in the center, glowing faintly with golden threads of light.
The Miracle Prohibition looked like a golden crystal split clean across the middle.
The energy radiating from it blanketed the entire Hall of Destiny, and even all of Fate City. It was the key that kept the city running.
But what made Feng Qi curious was—why was such a powerful miracle just sitting there on the 99th floor without protection? Weren't they afraid someone might steal it?
In response to his question, the civet cat envoy just smiled and shook his head.
He explained that many domain lifeforms had tried to take it before—but no one had ever succeeded.
As for the reasons, the civet cat didn't say much.
But one thing was certain: the Lord of Fate City had set up multiple fail-safes to keep the city running smoothly.
Continuing upward, Feng Qi encountered more fascinating things.
Some were downright bizarre gambling setups.
For instance, a mentally-focused domain creature had posted a bounty on the duel platform for a "Stillness Match," offering a reward of 20 million bloodstones.
The game? See who could stay absolutely motionless the longest.
Someone actually accepted that match.
According to the civet cat envoy, those two had been locked in this stillness duel on the 107th floor for over a decade, and still hadn't decided a winner.
If they kept going at this rate, judging by their vitality levels, they'd likely both die from mental exhaustion.
Hearing this, Feng Qi felt a cold sweat.
Indeed, anything could become a wager inside Fate City.
If you dared to offer a challenge, someone would always step up to accept.
By the time they reached the 127th floor, Feng Qi came across the second miracle item in Fate City.
This miracle was sealed at the center of the floor, surrounded by a transparent crystal barrier.
It was a broken fragment of a miracle bloodstone, constantly leaking crimson light. Streams of pure origin blood energy flowed through the crystal channels, destination unknown.
Feng Qi froze at the sight of it.
He knew the bloodstone miracle that Old Mist had obtained was also incomplete. But he hadn't expected to see another fragment here inside Fate City.
This one was three times larger than Old Mist's.
The civet cat envoy explained that this bloodstone was one of the key sources keeping the Hall of Destiny running—its refined blood energy fueling the entire system.
This gave Feng Qi a new understanding of the Lord of Fate City's strength.
To possess not just one, but two or more miracle items—there was no way someone like that didn't have overwhelming power. Otherwise, how could they hold onto such wealth?
In the brutal competition of the Domain World, the saying "possessing treasure invites disaster" couldn't be truer.
Countless races and forces had perished for this very reason.
Eventually, Feng Qi reached the 188th floor of the Hall of Destiny and stopped going further.
Beyond that point, the upper levels mainly consisted of small-scale duels and games, which didn't interest him much.
Everything he had seen up to this floor helped refine his original plan.
He wanted to bring the human race into Fate City.
In his vision, settling humans in Fate City could benefit them in five major ways.
First, it was about intelligence gathering.
Fate City was a chaotic melting pot, attracting countless domain lifeforms.
Some of those forces had immense future potential—like the Blood Soul Clan.
Interacting with them could help humanity gather valuable intelligence that might aid their growth or even help avoid future disasters.
Second, it could expand humanity's understanding of the Domain World system.
For instance, sending human talents into Fate City to work as merchant traders. If they wanted to survive and generate stable income here, they'd need to learn all kinds of knowledge.
Not only would this knowledge help them within Fate City—it could be compiled into formal "domain studies" texts once brought back to human settlements.
The Domain World was vast, full of countless resources.
Learning to identify and assess items would help humans gain deeper insight into the world around them.
Feng Qi could already imagine—if this plan succeeded, the field of domain studies would flourish in the future.
Third, tangible financial gain.
As human talents became more skilled in their operations, they could generate steady income for the race.
The currency circulating internally among humans was essentially worthless.
Even if humans used it to measure the value of goods, it was still just paper—other races wouldn't accept it as valid currency.
But bloodstones, the widely accepted currency of the Domain World, were different.
Bloodstones had intrinsic value. They could be used in crafting, alchemy, cultivation, healing—you name it.
That meant bloodstones needed no endorsement or backing by any governing body. Their value came from their very existence.
They couldn't be manipulated like fiat currency. No printing, no inflation, no artificial price controls.
Even if bloodstones flooded the market in a short period, their value wouldn't fluctuate.
They could also serve as vital resources for humanity to practice the Blood Refinement Method in the future.
Generating bloodstone income through Fate City would hugely benefit humanity's development.
Fourth, Fate City could provide a way to shore up humanity's weaknesses.
The trading market on the upper floors of the Hall of Destiny had all kinds of amazing items.
For example, formations capable of covering an entire city and steadily enhancing its spiritual energy environment.
Or black holes that could mass-produce weapons and gear as long as you fed them raw materials.
Acquiring such items through trade could solve many of the problems holding humanity back in its growth.
Calling it a trading market was one thing...
But Feng Qi already saw it for what it really was—a military-grade arms market. Many of the items for sale had terrifying destructive power.
Weapons and tools like these were exactly what humanity needed for external deterrence.
Fifth, settling in Fate City could aid humanity in external warfare.
Most domain factions harbored ulterior motives.
But if enough value was offered, some might be willing to lend humans combat support.
In that way, Fate City could also function as a mercenary hub.
The downside, of course, was that most mercenary domain lifeforms couldn't guarantee timely reinforcements due to geographic limitations.
And naturally, there were risks.
Unless absolutely necessary, it would be best not to reveal humanity's coordinates.
You never knew what kind of malicious faction might decide to target them.
Once humans built their own sales network in the central trading market, it would inevitably infringe on the interests of existing merchants—some of whom might bear a grudge.
Feng Qi remembered what the civet cat envoy said when introducing the traders—these merchants might look friendly, but the factions behind them had grown powerful after long years of development.
That friendly smile? Just business.
If things turned ugly, those same factions could become terrifying enemies.
Truth was, not a single trader in the central market was weak. Every one of them was backed by a dominant force.
They had been in Fate City for generations, building vast wealth—not just bringing back common currencies like bloodstones for their people, but also grabbing any valuable goods they could find.
When they came across something that could drastically boost their people's strength, they'd snatch it up without hesitation.
These traders earned a commission through their sales networks—but their core goal had always been to benefit their race.
A powerful trader could carry the future of their people.
That was the real reason Feng Qi saw Fate City as such a valuable opportunity.
For humanity, generating foreign exchange income could do more than support cultivation. It could also buy weapons, gear, and even technology from the arms market.
As long as they had something of value, there was nothing a gambler wouldn't sell.
If humans needed engineering tech, and their interests didn't clash with the seller's race, paying in bloodstones would definitely get them a teacher.
Policies like ally the distant, attack the near were common in the Domain World.
Take the Blood Soul Clan of the year 3523, for example. They were happy to help races from afar grow stronger—but refused to share their cultivation platforms or facilities with nearby factions.
The enemy of your enemy could be your ally.
With all those factors combined, Fate City could bring all-around benefits to the human race.
But as for the specifics, Feng Qi decided to make final decisions only after returning to Star City.
Now that he had a detailed understanding of Fate City, Feng Qi chose to leave.
He wasn't a gambler. There was no point in staying any longer.
But before leaving, he followed the civet cat envoy to visit the wealth center of Fate City.
The wealth center was a towering building shaped like a die—it was the most heavily guarded place in the entire city.
From a distance, Feng Qi could already see three rows of law enforcement troops clad in blue armor radiating cold air, standing in formation.
Many figures were going in and out of the building, withdrawing or depositing bloodstones.
Following the civet cat envoy up the wide staircase, Feng Qi entered the wealth hall. It was incredibly spacious. At that moment, a domain creature with a wolf's head was in the middle of a withdrawal.
A mountain of bloodstones was piled in front of it.
With a wave of its hand, it tore open space, and a powerful suction instantly devoured all the bloodstones.
Once done, the wolf-headed creature smiled and nodded to the civet cat in charge of withdrawals, then turned and left the hall.
After a short wait in line, Feng Qi reached the service counter.
He then spent 2,000,000 bloodstones to create five Tortoiseshell Jades.
These jade tokens were inscribed with spatial transmission runes—they were the only way to enter Fate City.
Each one could be used about fifty times when fully charged.
With help from the civet cat envoy, one of them had its spatial coordinates duplicated from the now-depleted Tortoiseshell Jade Feng Qi had used to arrive.
After receiving the five tokens, a civet cat wearing a black trench coat came over.
When Feng Qi said he wanted to withdraw all of his bloodstones, the civet cat in the coat immediately said he'd go to the bloodstone vault and asked him to wait a moment.
Since he had already decided to leave, Feng Qi had no intention of keeping his bloodstones stored here. He would take away as much as he could.
The only issue was that his spatial wristband had only three cubic meters of space, and most of it was already filled with spiritual plants and other items. There was no room left for all those bloodstones.
So before leaving, he went to the center trading market on the second floor of the Hall of Destiny and spent 10,000,000 bloodstones to purchase a spatial ring with fifty cubic meters of capacity.
During his conversation with the civet cat handling the withdrawal, he also asked if the bloodstones could be exchanged for Blood Spirit-grade units.
That would reduce the space the bloodstones took up in the ring.
The civet cat envoy didn't refuse his request.
The exchange rate from standard bloodstones to second-tier Blood Spirit-grade was 1:20.
In the end, Feng Qi walked out of the wealth building with 2,570,000 Blood Spirit-grade bloodstones.
Next, he decided to return to the real world and continue his journey of training.
This stop had reached its end.
When he activated the Tortoiseshell Jade, a spatial rift appeared before him.
"Let's go!" Xiao You cheered excitedly.
"I still wanna play," Lei Ting sighed, unable to hide his disappointment at leaving.
"Awoo!" Taihang suddenly rammed into Lei Ting, knocking him straight into the rift.
Watching Lei Ting get smaller and smaller inside the rift, still cursing under his breath, Feng Qi burst out laughing. Then he stepped in after him.
The rest, including Xiao You, followed right behind without hesitation.
...
Back in the real world, he was still by the lake.
The spatial coordinates hadn't shifted at all.
The night wind howled. A full moon shimmered on the water, rippling as the wind passed. The reeds at the lake's edge rustled softly.
The splendor and grandeur of Fate City already felt like a dream.
Feng Qi swept his awareness across the spatial ring in his hand, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. Then he tossed the ring into his spatial wristband.
Wearing a ring felt awkward.
The wristband just felt right.
Rings, in his opinion, were too easy to break during a fistfight.
Once shattered, all the stored items inside would be lost to spatial turbulence.
So making spatial tools in the shape of rings? Honestly, kind of a dumb idea. More like something only those spell-slinging dandies would choose.
Real men fought with fists. Who the hell wears rings on their fists?
Even hanging it from an iron chain around your neck would be a hundred times more practical than wearing it on your finger.
In melee combat, people instinctively protect their necks and vital points. But fists—those were for attacking.
How could you put a fragile weak point on your weapon?
You'd constantly be worrying about whether the ring could handle the impact. How could you throw a real punch like that?
Lost in these random thoughts, Feng Qi suddenly snapped out of it.
He realized he had once again started thinking from that dumb narrator's perspective.
Damn narrator... always messing with his head.
Shaking it off, Feng Qi looked toward Xiao You and the others.
"Boss, barbecue!" Xiao You cheered, raising her hand in excitement.
Feng Qi smiled and nodded.
They hadn't eaten a single bite while in Fate City.
Not because they didn't want to, but because the prices there were insane. Gamblers in that place spent money like water, tossing it around like it was nothing.
But Feng Qi wasn't like that.
He wanted to bring as many resources back to Star City as possible to support its growth.
And Star City would become his greatest aid fifteen hundred years into the future.
The path to saving the world had always been one of mutual support—not just taking.
And facts had proven that every bit he gave would eventually come back to him.
The campfire crackled to life, flames licking the wood as it sizzled and popped.
As the aroma of grilled meat drifted through the air, everyone's appetite kicked in after days without food, and they dug in with gusto.
A long while later, Feng Qi looked over at Xiao You and the others, lying contentedly on the lakeshore, and a warm smile appeared on his face.
When this team was first formed, everyone had their own agendas. There was no real unity.
Aside from Xiao You, who had always followed him with unwavering loyalty, the others had only joined because of circumstance.
Take Po Jia, for example. He might've been the youngest in the team, but he had seen way too much deceit and backstabbing. Ever since joining, he had remained on guard, always thinking about getting stronger and leaving.
But now? Feng Qi was sure—even if he wanted to chase Po Jia away, the kid wouldn't leave.
Po Jia, who had no surviving family, had long come to see this team as more precious than life itself.
This had shown clearly in the many dangerous encounters they'd faced on the road—Po Jia's reaction always said it all.
Taihang was the same.
Though he joined because he had no choice, along the journey he developed a strong fondness for the always-loud and carefree Xiao You.
Maybe it was Xiao You's easygoing, happy-go-lucky nature that eventually rubbed off on Taihang and helped him integrate into the group.
Compared to how much he liked Xiao You, Taihang's feelings toward Feng Qi were more rooted in fear.
That nightmare-like mental torment session had left a shadow in Taihang's heart that hadn't yet lifted.
Feng Qi also felt helpless about it.
Back then, when his negative persona took control, it had dragged Taihang into his spiritual domain for brutal torture.
It nearly shattered Taihang mentally.
Emotional wounds like that could only be healed with time.
Then there was Lei Ting. After losing his tribe, he had always kept up a tough act after joining the team, but once, while drunk, he had admitted that without this team, he might've never escaped his mental shadow.
Team cohesion never happened overnight.
It was built over time, through shared hardships and trust.
The only exception had always been Xiao You. From the moment they met, it was like Xiao You saw Feng Qi as his one and only leader.
Back then, when they first met Po Jia in that domain field—
Faced with a powerful mining area guard, Feng Qi casually told Xiao You to go try it out, and Xiao You immediately rolled up his sleeves to charge in, not even hesitating.
That kind of loyalty left even Feng Qi at a loss for words.
Maybe that kind of trust and loyalty came from deep dependence.
Xiao You had a pretty rough childhood. Feng Qi was the only one who had ever given him warmth.
The evening breeze whispered softly at his ears, and his thoughts drifted.
Relaxing in the moment, Feng Qi closed his eyes and let his mind go blank...
The next morning, dawn was just beginning to break on the horizon.
Opening his eyes, Feng Qi took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. A new journey was about to begin.
The road ahead would surely be full of obstacles.
But growth was never smooth sailing. The God Ascension Challenge of the Demon Blade required him to temper himself through hardship and trials.
Like steel forged in flame.
He would use the fury of the fire to shape a body of steel.
Lifting the Demon Blade, a smile formed on Feng Qi's lips as he said softly:
"Dao-ge, Fourth Unlock."
As his words fell, the fourth sealing rune on the blade's hilt shattered, dissolving into shimmering particles of spiritual light that scattered on the wind.
The sudden surge in weight made the veins on Feng Qi's arms bulge.
Truth was, even before entering Elf City, he had already reached the level where he could attempt to unlock the blade's fourth seal.
But back then, he had just arrived in the central region. For safety's sake, he chose not to risk it.
After all, he hadn't understood the local dangers. If he had unlocked the fourth stage too soon, one fight could have drained his stamina dry—so he waited.
But now, with a new trial ahead, he didn't need to hold back anymore.
This journey through the central region had been very rewarding.
Thanks to Elf City, he had gained insight into the region's development and learned that the human race still had hidden kin and allies.
All that valuable intel would help light the way forward for the main timeline.
And it would become a potential source of unity for future strategy.
His hopes for the future only grew stronger.
"Let's go!"
At his shout, Xiao You groggily floated up from the ground and called out "Boss..." in a half-hearted tone before lazily flying off in a random direction.
"You're going the wrong way." Feng Qi took a step forward and adjusted Xiao You's direction.
Flying while half-asleep was one of Xiao You's specialties.
Which meant someone had to keep course-correcting him, or he'd just keep drifting farther and farther away.
"Thanks, Boss..." Xiao You yawned and closed his eyes again.
The others were waking up too.
Po Jia stretched his body, and a fierce red beastly shadow suddenly appeared, wrapping around his frame.
From that point on, he started training to control the fiend soul's projection.
When it came to growth, Po Jia was always extremely driven. He didn't want to waste a single moment.
Ever since he gained soul power from the fiend soul, learning to control it had become a key part of his cultivation path.
Just then, Feng Qi's rarely-seen negative persona popped out of his spiritual sea and ambushed Lei Ting with a surprise attack.
Amid their playful scuffle, a new journey began.
...
Three years later.
Domain World—Great Plains.
Fierce winds howled, making the sea of grass sway like waves.
Feng Qi stood tall amidst the field, Demon Blade in hand.
After three years of training and travel, he had finally reached the point where he could freely use the blade in its fourth unlocked state without burning through his stamina from just a few swings.
The Demon Blade had also begun teaching him a new volume of its wielding manual.
By now, he had completely internalized the basic blade techniques. He didn't need to think at all—his swings naturally carried the force of Blade Momentum.
It was a matter of skill honed to instinct, and proof of his growing mastery over the weapon.
As for the advanced techniques, he had already developed thirty-six distinct forms.
But those were mainly effective against flesh-type domain creatures. When it came to nimble, long-range spellcasters, the techniques weren't very useful.
In those situations, brute force was still the only way to get the job done.
The technique Demon Blade was teaching him now was called the Blade of Assault and Annihilation.
This type of blade technique was insanely powerful, but also way more complex to execute.
Under Demon Blade's guidance, Feng Qi linked his consciousness to the weapon, and the internal inscription nodes began lighting up one by one.
His awareness served as the thread, weaving through the glowing inscription nodes.
The moment Feng Qi opened his eyes, a fierce black flame surged up in them.
Vast demonic energy erupted from his right hand holding the blade, climbing upward and wrapping around his arm, then spreading across his whole body.
As the demonic aura thickened and solidified, a jet-black, menacing battle armor took form on him.
Looking up, Feng Qi's body shot into the sky like a flash of light. Then his right hand, still gripping the blade, suddenly slammed downward.
This time, Demon Blade's form didn't change, but its internal nodes linked in sequence under Feng Qi's conscious control.
The demonic energy gushing from the blade followed the arc of his swing, scattering like fireworks across the sky.
In an instant, the heavens were blanketed in demonic energy.
As Feng Qi's right arm sliced forward, that dark energy above crashed down like a meteor shower.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The scene was a visual explosion—within those meteor-like blasts of demonic energy were razor-sharp slashes of blade force, set to detonate the moment they hit the ground.
The grassy plains were flattened instantly, and the earth beneath began sinking under the force of Demon Blade's power.
This move, he named "Blade Qi Meteor Shower"—his first self-created execution technique, crafted from Demon Blade's guidance.
Because of Demon Blade's nature, Feng Qi could only walk the path of self-created swordsmanship.
The techniques left behind by its previous wielders could only serve as references. If he tried to copy them directly, they wouldn't mesh well with his own blade.
After all, every Demon Blade throughout history had different shapes and characteristics.
Still, those legacy techniques gave him loads of inspiration.
For example, this very technique was built on the groundwork laid by Demon Blade's second wielder, which Feng Qi then improved and adapted.
It saved him the massive time cost of developing everything from scratch.
It was like standing on the shoulders of those who came before.
And this move happened to fill one of his biggest gaps—area-of-effect attacks.
It didn't even need him to change the blade's form. Just swing and rain down death in a targeted zone.
Taking a deep breath, Feng Qi clenched his right hand around the blade.
Suddenly, the scattered slashes of blade energy below fused into one and exploded again, triggering a second wave of damage.
The ground rumbled, sinking rapidly to form a massive crater. The shockwave turned into a roaring gale.
Wind whipped past his face, and Feng Qi grinned wide.
At last, this technique had been perfectly executed.
If he ran into a densely packed enemy formation again, this move could end the battle fast.
He dropped from the air and landed hard on the ground.
With a casual wave of Demon Blade, the armor of demonic energy around him turned into black mist and was absorbed back into the blade. The glowing energy nodes faded and vanished.
"Boss, that was awesome!" Xiao You flew up to him with both hands raised in excitement.
"Kiss-ass." Feng Qi couldn't help laughing and scolding her.
His eyes shifted to Po Jia behind Xiao You, and he called out:
"Po Jia, let me see what you've been working on."
Po Jia gave a silent nod, then stepped forward and looked out toward the massive crater, letting out a fierce roar.
His hair danced wildly even without wind, and a terrifying red fiend soul rose up and cloaked his whole body.
The projected fiend soul was over five meters tall, with two massive arms and an imposing form.
Taking a deep breath, Po Jia turned into a streak of red light and shot into the sky. As his hands moved, the fiend soul shadow moved with him.
From the fiend soul's hands, two glowing orbs of red light formed, then hurled down to the ground at Po Jia's command.
The crimson orbs arced through the air with eerie curves and exploded in the pit with deafening force, kicking up huge clouds of dust.
And Po Jia wasn't done yet.
The fiend soul roared at the sky, conjuring more crimson orbs and hurling them in whatever direction Po Jia pointed.
The orbs came faster and faster.
The crater became a battlefield of nonstop blasts. At this point, Po Jia looked more like a mobile spell turret, launching waves of energy without pause.
The ground trembled under the unrelenting assault.
After one full bombardment, the swirling dust completely engulfed the crater.
As the dust rolled toward him, Feng Qi swung Demon Blade gently. A powerful gust burst forth and blew the dust clouds far into the distance.
Looking to the sky, Feng Qi soared upward.
He hovered not far from Po Jia and said:
"Alright, now show me your assassination skills."
Po Jia nodded firmly. He took a deep breath and clenched his right hand—instantly, a red energy dagger appeared in the fiend soul's hand.
With a quick sway, Po Jia turned into a red streak of light and launched toward Feng Qi.
Facing Po Jia's frontal charge, Feng Qi kept a calm expression and raised Demon Blade to block.
Just as Po Jia got within ten meters, his speed suddenly tripled and he vanished in a blink. The next moment, the sound of air splitting came from above Feng Qi's head.
He raised Demon Blade instinctively.
Clang!
The sharp clash of metal rang out, but Po Jia didn't hesitate for even a second. He vanished again and struck from behind.
Feng Qi twisted his grip, flipping Demon Blade behind his back.
Boom!
The force knocked him forward mid-air, flying horizontally.
But Po Jia's assault didn't let up. He kept striking from every direction. If one attack didn't work, he'd immediately switch angles and keep going.
He even threw in feints.
Fake strikes served as bait to create openings for a lethal hit.
Watching Po Jia's form flash in and out through his awareness, Feng Qi couldn't help nodding inwardly.
Among the team, Po Jia had the weakest innate talent.
But he was easily the most hardworking one.
After merging with the fiend soul, it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. His combat strength skyrocketed.
Now, Po Jia could hold his own in a fight.
"Boss, watch out!"
At that moment, Po Jia's voice rang out from behind.
Feng Qi sighed helplessly at the warning.
It was obvious Po Jia had hesitated, likely worried his killing blow might actually hurt him—but Po Jia was clearly overestimating himself. Feng Qi's physique could easily handle Demon Blade's fourth unsealing.
His body was already comparable to high-grade weapons. Even if he just stood there and let Po Jia hit him with all his strength, he wouldn't suffer much damage.
He loosened his grip and gave Demon Blade a light push. The weapon circled around him and landed gently on his back.
A crisp metallic clang echoed out.
Po Jia's supposedly fatal strike didn't leave a scratch.
But just then, Feng Qi's brow furrowed slightly. He suddenly sensed that Po Jia's physical body had broken through the fiend soul projection, a dagger in hand, stabbing straight toward his back.
A cold gleam flickered. The hairs on Feng Qi's body stood on end.
Almost instinctively, his aura underwent a massive shift. Within his chest, the flame of blade momentum roared to life. Demon Blade sensed the change and vibrated sharply, then unleashed its strength.
Boom!
A terrifying wave of blade force materialized out of nowhere, like a mountain crashing down on Po Jia's chest.
Just as the dagger in Po Jia's hand came within an inch of Feng Qi's back, blood spurted from his mouth and he was sent flying backward mid-air.
Snapping out of it, Feng Qi immediately turned and darted toward him.
Catching Po Jia's falling body, he quickly noticed the lingering blade force embedded in his chest. With a wave of his hand, Feng Qi dispersed it.
Looking down at Po Jia's pale, weakened face, Feng Qi felt both impressed and a little pissed.
He was impressed because Po Jia's strike had truly caught him off guard. It almost landed on his back.
Given Feng Qi's physical strength, the hit wouldn't have done much damage.
But if the target were any other domain creature, it could have been a one-hit kill.
He was pissed because Po Jia's combat style was just too reckless.
Po Jia fought like someone with no regard for his own life. He didn't leave himself an escape route. Against stronger opponents, this approach could easily get him killed.
Just like the last strike—sure, it was unexpected.
But stepping out of the fiend soul projection left him exposed. His flesh wasn't tough enough to withstand such violent backlash. At best, he'd be injured. At worst, if this had happened in the middle of a group assault, it would've been suicide.
Feng Qi carried Po Jia back down to the ground.
The moment they landed, Xiao You flew over in a hurry. Seeing Po Jia injured again, he rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
"Xiao Jia, hurt again? I knew it. This is what happens when you slack off in training. From now on, you better start taking it seriously—no more slacking."
Po Jia, looking drained and pale, seemed like he wanted to argue—but as soon as he opened his mouth, another mouthful of blood gushed out.
"Boss, look what you did to the poor kid. Maybe try going easier next time?"
Xiao You put a hand on his hip and pointed accusingly at Feng Qi.
Feng Qi, Lei Ting, Taihang, Po Jia: …
Right now, Po Jia's injuries were serious, so Feng Qi ignored Xiao You's complaint.
Demon Blade wasn't just sharp—it also carried the attribute of "weight." That sudden eruption of blade force had hit Po Jia like a falling mountain. His internal organs had all taken heavy damage, resulting in internal bleeding.
If left untreated, Po Jia wouldn't make it through the day.
But this wasn't the first time. Severe injuries had been common on their journey. Feng Qi had the experience and didn't panic.
Xiao You and the others were calm too, as if they already knew he'd be able to fix it.
Feng Qi pressed his palm gently on Po Jia's chest.
A surge of vital energy stirred inside him, and the Life Elf rooted in his heart began releasing life particles.
His heartbeat quickened. The life particles flowed with his blood and gathered in the center of his palm.
From his palm, golden mist began to drift outward.
The mist seeped into Po Jia's body, following his breathing and blood circulation, spreading into his limbs and organs, repairing ruptured vessels and damaged tissue.
Under the power of the golden life particles, Po Jia's pale complexion gradually returned to normal.
Through his awareness, Feng Qi sensed vitality surging again within Po Jia's body.
It even showed on the outside. Ethereal golden plants sprouted from his chest and spread across his body, quickly enveloping him in golden growth.
As Feng Qi kept channeling life force, the golden plants kept expanding, finally forming a translucent golden cocoon around Po Jia.
Watching Po Jia asleep inside, Feng Qi withdrew his hand.
The injury was mostly healed. Now it was just a matter of waiting for him to wake up.
He glanced at the fading golden life thread in his palm and couldn't help but marvel at the strength of the Elf Seed.
The Life Elf gifted by the Elf King had incredible healing capabilities.
Over the past three years, whenever he or anyone on the team got injured, the Life Elf could heal them in no time.
Now, his heart had become the source of the Life Elf.
Within his awareness, his heart was coiled in golden vines. With every beat, life particles flowed with his blood into his limbs, nourishing his entire body.
As the sacrificial version of himself, he now had regenerative power rivaling that of his main timeline self.
Feng Qi had once tested it by cutting a five-centimeter wound on his arm.
Within ten seconds, the wound scabbed over visibly. After another five seconds, the scab fell off, leaving behind flawless skin with no trace of injury.
The healing power from the Life Elf made him practically a stamina monster in combat—his body just didn't know how to get tired.
And his physique kept improving, evolving into a better state under the nourishment of the Life Elf.
This transformation was called "Elfication" in Elf City—a gradual assimilation process.
But just as the Elf King had said, as long as he could fully suppress the Elf Seed, this Elfication would only benefit his body, with no side effects.
As the golden life line faded from his palm, Feng Qi looked eastward into the distance.
He knew he'd just taken one more step toward defeating Jian Ji.