"An incomplete Qi domain at Spirit Warrior..." Foyan muttered in awe, ignoring Xuan’s threat. "I was right to think you were worth my time. Hah... Ever since you first arrived, I had this feeling you were special."

He took a single step closer, the water rippling under his foot.

Stopping right in front of Xuan, his cocky smirk widened.

"But do you seriously think you can do something against me? I am a Spirit Grandmaster. Just back down now. The minute is up, so the test is technically over."

Xuan scoffed in disbelief. It seemed like Foyan thought that just because he labeled this as a test, it would forgive him for what he had done.

Even on the slim chance that Hanbi was still alive, Xuan didn’t want such rats gathering around him.

And for that reason alone, he had decided to kill Foyan here and deal with the consequences later.

Xuan suddenly vanished, Void Stepping right behind Foyan and hitting him square in the back.

He attacked with the intent to kill, but it wasn’t that easy. Foyan pivoted on his heel and struck Xuan’s side with his steel sword, which wasn’t covered in Qi.

Both sides were confident in their attacks. However, just as quickly, a slight frown appeared on Foyan’s face when he realized his semi-powerful sword strike couldn’t even pierce Xuan’s skin.

In fact, even Xuan was slightly surprised. After so long without Qi, his body felt light, way too light. With each passing moment, the lightness increased, and he felt his speed growing exponentially.

Not only that, there was this hint of confidence in his chest that told him he could take on Foyan, even if he was a Spirit Grandmaster.

And following that feeling, Xuan finally stopped playing around.

Elemental Qi coated his arms as he clashed with Foyan at a speed unperceivable to the naked eye. Sparks flew from their exchange, and at a glance, it didn’t seem like either of them was dealing any significant damage to the other.

But that all changed when Xuan began infusing more Elemental Qi into his fists. A single hit was all it took for Foyan’s steel sword to shatter, and then another hit to send Foyan flying off into the distance.

Xuan didn’t stop there. He Void Stepped after Foyan, slamming him down into the shallow water over and over again, venting his anger.

He hadn’t even realized that the domain he had accidentally created was reacting to his rage. Every punch he threw twisted the space around the impact, which scrambled Foyan’s insides slightly.

Bit by bit, Foyan started to realize the situation he had found himself in was dire. He had been holding back since Xuan was a prodigy worth nurturing, but if the prodigy was trying to kill him, he was left with no choice but to fight back.

He gritted his teeth and, with surprising dexterity, slapped Xuan away as if he were a bug.

However, a Void Step was all it took for Xuan to reappear and continue his aggression. He felt like he was finally dealing damage to Foyan.

But this time around, when he arrived, Foyan was different. His Qi was calmer, and his stance was sharper.

For the first time since the fight started, Xuan felt danger.

And in the very next moment, Foyan extended his hand, causing three needles to fly out from his sleeve.

Xuan Void Stepped away, but upon appearing elsewhere, he was met with a needle straight through the foot.

A chilly sensation traveled up his heel, but it vanished instantly as his Void Qi flushed out the poison faster than ever before.

Tsk... If only I had taken my cuffs off earlier. Hanbi wouldn’t have had to let her guard down.

He blamed himself, but at the same time, Xuan knew he couldn’t turn back time, at least not any time soon.

Noticing that Xuan had negated his poison, Foyan’s frown deepened.

The two stared at each other as the tension rose further.

Xuan had never faced a Spirit Grandmaster, at least not head-on.

The Three Evil Kings of the Nether Sea were the closest he had come to fighting a Spirit Grandmaster, and he was completely overwhelmed. They were too strong, way too strong.

But now? Xuan couldn’t understand if Foyan was still holding back or if he had gotten that much stronger.

The feeling of danger hadn’t vanished, and Xuan quickly realized why.

A powerful Qi pressure emanated from Foyan’s body, disrupting Xuan’s Qi flow slightly.

Even by sending the Void Qi all throughout his body, Xuan couldn’t resist the pressure, which practically halved his Qi circulation speed.

So the Spirit Grandmasters can suppress those that are lower realm than them, and they can also create domains. Where’s this domain, then? Xuan wondered.

But with every second he stared at Foyan’s face, he was reminded of what had happened only moments prior.

So, by using Elemental Qi, Xuan Void Stepped right in front of Foyan.

However, Foyan didn’t attempt to dodge. Instead, Xuan felt his body suddenly grow numb as a pop-up appeared in front of him.

<You have been caught in a Demonic Corruption Domain!>↳ Your Demonic Qi resistance is significantly reduced.↳ Your mind is being passively eroded.↳ Your Spiritual Qi is being replaced with Demonic Qi.

Frowning, he looked down, spotting that his fist, which had been mere inches away from Foyan’s face, was now covered in bulging red veins, identical to those of cultivators of the demonic path.

Even his Qi became unstable in that hand, giving him no choice but to teleport backward and stare at Foyan cautiously. The tide of the battle turned just like that.

My hand is... Is this Demonic Qi? Xuan thought with a frown. It feels kind of slimy, though it does fill me with power. But...

Xuan closed his eyes for a moment. Then, he focused on the Demonic Qi in his hand before sending it straight to his Dantian.

As expected, the slimy feeling went away, and not only that, his Demonic Qi type progress went up.

[Demonic Qi - Beginner - 0.01% → 0.02%]

Reopening his eyes, he was met with Foyan, whose entire personality seemed to shift. He was no longer acting playful; instead, he glared at Xuan with total seriousness.

Red Qi gathered around him, slowly expanding and eventually covering an area of roughly five meters in diameter. Xuan knew that if he were to approach, he would get attacked by Demonic Qi again.

"So that’s a domain, huh?" Xuan muttered.

He glanced around at the starry, endless sky, then lowered his gaze back down to Foyan.

"But mine is bigger."