I Can Upgrade My Talent Infinitely-Chapter 49: Understanding the Improvement

In response to Bai Chengyou’s question, Fang Yun simply thanked him.

"Thank you for sparring with me, Senior Brother."

This kind of offensive style clearly wasn’t helping Bai Chengyou improve.

At this point, he was effectively just Fang Yun’s sparring partner.

Bai Chengyou smiled. Fang Yun’s unexpected thanks put him at ease, and the flicker of suspicion he’d felt earlier vanished.

If Fang Yun hadn’t said anything, his recent actions would have felt a bit condescending.

During a Magical Combat spar, people always switched from inferior Magical Artifacts to better ones. Who ever did the opposite?

Perhaps realizing that Fang Yun was just testing his equipment, Bai Chengyou didn’t intensify his next round of attacks, keeping them at the same level as before.

’Compared to the Middle Grade Magical Artifact, this Lower Grade one feels more like an extension of myself. Wielding it is beyond effortless... it feels innate.’

From this, Fang Yun could deduce what the situation would be like with Upper Grade and even Top Grade Magical Artifacts.

If he wanted to control those previous Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts with perfect, flexible control, he would have to raise the star level of his Combat Talent.

A low-star Combat Talent provided only a limited enhancement to high-level weapons.

This enhancement wasn’t just reflected in their power, but also in how they handled during combat.

"Huh, Junior Brother Fang, is that a Lower Grade Magical Artifact?"

"Yes, Senior Brother." Fang Yun nodded.

He had just blocked Bai Chengyou’s assault with incredible ease using the Lower Grade Profound Iron Shield.

"The quality of your Lower Grade Magical Artifact is really something," Bai Chengyou remarked.

It was one thing that Fang Yun hadn’t used Spiritual Power earlier, but he still wasn’t using any.

Fang Yun had blocked his fireballs, yet he hadn’t sensed any fluctuation of Spiritual Power at all.

Now, he would have to increase the intensity of his attacks.

Just as Bai Chengyou was about to strike again, he noticed Fang Yun had switched back to the dark, black shield—the one he had started with.

’That must be the Middle Grade Magical Artifact.’

Bai Chengyou, who had only planned to increase the power of his attacks slightly, had a change of heart.

With Fang Yun using a better defense, a slight increase in power wouldn’t cut it. He needed to increase it by a lot.

Low Tier, Lower Grade magic was no longer an option.

He needed to use at least a Middle Grade, Low Tier magic!

Firebird Technique!

A four-foot-wide fiery bird rose into the air and dove toward Fang Yun with incredible speed.

Fang Yun channeled a bit of Spiritual Power into the Profound Iron Shield.

Just a tiny amount.

He acted purely on instinct, feeling that this small amount of Spiritual Power would be enough to block the fiery bird.

And just as he’d thought, it was effortless. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

After the fiery bird vanished, the smile on Bai Chengyou’s face was gone, replaced by a grave expression.

’Is this really Junior Brother Fang’s first time fighting someone?’

"Why did his Firebird Technique just smash right into the shield?"

"It’s not what you think. Its point of impact was perfectly anticipated," Wu Junxin said.

Even though he was only watching from below the Dueling Platform and not participating in the battle, he understood the reason at a glance.

As he watched Fang Yun, the interest in his eyes grew severalfold.

"Thank you for the explanation, Senior Brother Wu."

An Outer Sect Disciple standing not far from Wu Junxin immediately thanked him.

Wu Junxin didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed solely on Fang Yun.

What Wu Junxin had said was only one reason for Bai Chengyou’s grave expression. The other was the speed at which his own Firebird Technique had been annihilated. It had been far too quick.

’That Middle Grade Magical Artifact shield in Fang Yun’s hands is definitely something special!’

At this point, Bai Chengyou began treating Fang Yun as a genuine opponent in Magical Combat, no longer holding back in his subsequent attacks.

As the fight wore on, his attacks grew fiercer.

But as time passed, he began to run out of steam.

"Junior Brother Fang, I’ve lost," Bai Chengyou said, cupping his fist in a salute to Fang Yun.

At this moment, he had only a sliver of Spiritual Power left in his Qi Sea, while his opponent remained perfectly composed.

Aside from switching shields at the start and then switching back, his opponent had deflected every single one of his attacks with just that one shield.

"You fought well."

Fang Yun put away the Profound Iron Shield and returned the salute.

From the start of the battle to its end, he had consumed less than twenty percent of the Spiritual Power in his Qi Sea.

A Magical Combat spar typically ends when one side runs out of Spiritual Power and concedes. A real battle would certainly be different. In a true life-and-death fight against a defense like Fang Yun’s, an opponent who saw things weren’t going their way would most likely choose to flee.

This Magical Combat spar didn’t give Fang Yun much practical experience, but his understanding of his Combat Talent had deepened by at least two whole levels.

Empowered by his one-star Shield Talent and the Middle Grade Magical Artifact he had refined for himself, as long as he had this Profound Iron Shield in hand, not even a Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivator could break his defense, let alone a Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator like Bai Chengyou.

That wasn’t to say all Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivators would be helpless against him, but the vast majority of them certainly would be.

And this was just the beginning. After the Magical Combat spar, Fang Yun realized there were still many ways to optimize the Profound Iron Shield for his use. He would need to continuously analyze these points and then refine a Magical Artifact even better suited to him.

"Junior Brother Fang, that Middle Grade defensive Magical Artifact you were using... did you buy it at Artifact Casting Peak? Or from the stall of one of the senior disciples?"

"Neither. I refined it myself," Fang Yun replied.

"So you’re an Artifact Refiner too, Junior Brother. No wonder."

Bai Chengyou had a moment of revelation. Artifact Refiners could get the hang of Magical Artifacts very quickly, and they had a much better understanding of what kind of artifact they needed.

"I wouldn’t call myself an Artifact Refiner just yet." To be a true Artifact Refiner, one had to successfully create at least one presentable Spiritual Artifact.

"Hahaha, it’s only a matter of time."

The two left the Dueling Platform and went to register with the Steward to free up Platform Seven.

「At the registration desk.」

The Steward looked at Fang Yun and Bai Chengyou with great surprise.

Bai Chengyou looked utterly exhausted, a clear sign that his Spiritual Power was almost completely depleted.

It seemed Fang Yun had won this Magical Combat spar.

"Have you really never competed against anyone before this?" the Steward asked, looking at Fang Yun doubtfully.

"Never."

"Junior Brother Fang really hasn’t," Bai Chengyou confirmed with certainty.

As the one who had just personally engaged in Magical Combat with him, Bai Chengyou could sense Fang Yun’s improvement.

Over the course of their Magical Combat, Fang Yun’s defense had become increasingly effortless and adept.

While the Magical Artifact was certainly a factor, it was also due to Fang Yun’s own ability.

Some Cultivators are natural-born fighters, with incredibly keen senses in combat. Fang Yun was most likely one of them.

"I look forward to your performance after you become an Inner Sect Disciple." Hearing even the loser, Bai Chengyou, speak this way, the Steward no longer suspected that Fang Yun might have been lying.

The Celestial Cloud Sect didn’t hold a grand tournament for the Outer Sect; such tournaments were only for the Inner Sect.

The strength of the Outer Sect Disciples varied too wildly, and since none had reached the late stages of Qi Refining, holding a grand tournament for them would be meaningless.