Chapter 312: Tao Yaoye's Golden Core

Upon the martial arena, Lu Yang stood with hands clasped behind his back, the crimson tassel pendant of his sword hilt drifting with the wind, a faint smile gracing the corners of his lips as though he had already thoroughly mastered the course and outcome of this battle.

In stark contrast to Lu Yang stood Tao Yaoye, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy.

The Golden Core had granted her the confidence to challenge Lu Yang, but it was merely confidence; whether her Golden Core could triumph over him remained an uncertain doubt in her own heart.

"Invincible Core, how do I defeat Tao Yaoye?" Lu Yang felt it necessary to let Tao Yaoye know the true might of his Golden Core.

The Invincible Core quickly offered a brief and effective reply.

"Use the Arhat Fist."

Lu Yang came to a sudden realization, remembering that he indeed possessed such a supreme art.

The Lu Family Arhat Fist: whoever it struck became bald, with an exceptionally devastating effect against females.

Seeing Lu Yang display a smile of assured victory, Tao Yaoye seemed to think of something, her face turning abruptly pale.

"Senior Brother Lu, you and I are fellow disciples, you must absolutely never use the Arhat Fist!"

"...Alright then." Lu Yang gave it some thought and felt it reasonable; since they belonged to the same sect, there was no need to drive things to such a desperate extremity.

"Arhat Fist? Is it that Arhat Fist from the Buddhist factions which, upon reaching grand completion, allows one to manifest as an Arhat?" Beneath the stage, the senior brothers and sisters whispered among themselves, unable to comprehend why Tao Yaoye was so terrified of the Arhat Fist.

"It ought to be so. As far as I know, there is no second type of Arhat Fist in this world."

"Though the Arhat Fist possesses extraordinary power, given Junior Sister Tao's natural talent, she shouldn't be fearful to this extent, right?"

"Unclear."

For all that the numerous senior brothers and sisters were vast in knowledge and experience, they remained entirely ignorant of the underlying truth.

Qin Yanyan was similarly baffled by the reason, so she asked the Eldest Senior Sister, "Sister, do you know why?"

She and Li Haoran were father and daughter in a past life, and since her mother had not yet married into the family, she and Li Haoran were of the same generation.

Since Yun Zhi was Li Haoran's senior sister, calling her 'Sister' should pose no issue.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Qin Yanyan always felt that Yun Zhi wore a faint, imperceptible smile as she spoke: "Compared to the ordinary Arhat Fist, the Arhat Fist Lu Yang throws causes people to lose their hair."

"What?" Qin Yanyan froze, thinking she had misheard.

She had never heard of such a fist technique before.

Was this the talent of the number one person among the younger generation?

Upon the stage, Lu Yang gripped his longsword, the blade's light flashing like shifting stars.

Tao Yaoye unfurled her red paper umbrella, the umbrella gently spinning to stir ripples in space.

Lu Yang discovered to his astonishment that the surrounding spectators had vanished, and the stage beneath his feet extended infinitely without boundaries.

His heart shifted in alertness as he realized he had fallen into Tao Yaoye's illusion.

Had he believed the stage to be truly boundless and fought indiscriminately, it was highly likely that with a single slip, he would fall off the stage and lose the match.

Lu Yang raised his sword and pressed toward Tao Yaoye, simultaneously circulating the "Clear Mind and Self-Insight Mantra" to shatter the illusion.

The red paper umbrella snapped shut, parrying before Tao Yaoye; feeling the power transmitted from Lu Yang through the Green Peak Sword, she understood she could not contend with Senior Brother Lu by brute force, and with graceful steps, she retreated backward.

How could Lu Yang let this opportunity slip? He pursued her relentlessly.

This red paper umbrella was crafted from an unknown material, yet it was actually capable of blocking the continuous attacks of the Green Peak Sword.

Tao Yaoye tried every means to maneuver around Lu Yang, hoping to cause him to inadvertently step off the stage, but no matter how she tried, Lu Yang hovered at the edge without taking a single step over.

"You have seen through my illusion once again!"

Tao Yaoye said resentfully; she was highly confident in her own illusions, for even if a Golden Core cultivator knew they were caught in an illusion, they would be unable to see through it, yet Lu Yang alone shattered it in an instant.

"It is already very good, Junior Sister Tao. Previously when you deployed an illusion, my cultivation method would automatically circulate to dispel it, but this time I had to actively circulate my method to break it."

Though Lu Yang spoke praises, the sword techniques in his hands grew increasingly fierce; even if the red paper umbrella was made of special material, Tao Yaoye's own body could not withstand such a high-intensity battle, and with every clash, her arms vibrated until they were numb.

"Slash!"

The sword light condensed and erupted in an instant, forming an arc in the air; unable to withstand this move, Tao Yaoye was sent flying across.

Seizing the opportunity to widen the distance from Lu Yang, Tao Yaoye unfurled her red paper umbrella and flicked it before her, instantly manifesting another Tao Yaoye.

Two Tao Yaoyes appeared on the scene, both holding red paper umbrellas and smiling exquisitely, making it impossible to distinguish the true from the false.

"Senior Brother Lu, did you not wish to know what kind of Golden Core I have formed? Then please refrain from using your cultivation method." Tao Yaoye was also helpless; this technique of hers should give her the upper hand against anyone, but Lu Yang's cultivation method inherently countered her.

Her superb illusion arts were nothing more than child's play before Lu Yang.

"Then I won't use it!"

Lu Yang was as good as his word; he drew out the twin-born lotus seed, shrank the distance to deploy the Tree Planting Mantra, and as the twin lotuses bloomed, two Lu Yangs appeared.

An uproar broke out below the stage; it was the first time the senior brothers and sisters had witnessed such a cloning technique.

Lu Yang's junior brothers and sisters looked on with eyes full of adoration; as expected of Senior Brother Lu, even the spells he used were entirely different from ordinary people.

The two Lu Yangs simultaneously attacked the two Tao Yaoyes.

One of these two Tao Yaoyes was bound to be an illusory clone, and while an illusory clone could cast spells, it could not engage in physical collisions, so upon clashing, Lu Yang ought to instantly know which was the true Tao Yaoye and which was the false.

"Bang—"

"Bang—"

Two sounds of collision echoed, leaving Lu Yang slightly astonished; both of these Tao Yaoyes were actually capable of close-quarters combat.

Could it be that Junior Sister Tao had learned a true cloning technique?

No, Junior Sister Tao was definitely using an illusion, otherwise she would not have requested him to refrain from circulating his cultivation method.

But if it was an illusion, how could these two Tao Yaoyes, both possessing a tangible sense of touch upon engagement, be explained?

The Eldest Senior Sister, who had been watching the match all along, nodded slightly, finding Tao Yaoye's Golden Core truly intriguing, for this was likewise a type of Golden Core unprecedented in history.

"One of them must certainly be false!" Lu Yang made his judgment, his longsword dancing as the sword light flew like a dragon, piercing toward one of the Tao Yaoyes.

Lu Yang's clone struck out as well, attacking the other Tao Yaoye.

"Break!"

Lu Yang shouted loudly, executing the Break Mantra; the two Tao Yaoyes felt only a flash of white light before their eyes, followed by a cold sensation against their necks.

The Green Peak Sword was resting against their necks.

Lu Yang frowned; even until the battle concluded, he was entirely unable to distinguish which one was the true Tao Yaoye.

Having no other choice, he could only rely on absolute strength to defeat both Tao Yaoyes.

A bold conjecture faintly arose within Lu Yang's heart.

"How is it, Senior Brother Lu, have you guessed it?" Tao Yaoye was not upset by her loss; with Lu Yang's cultivation method present, she stood no chance of winning against him from the start.

"A type of Golden Core with the function of shifting between illusion and reality?"

Tao Yaoye's small mouth parted slightly, completely unexpected that Lu Yang had actually guessed the rough approximation.

"More or less, this is an entirely brand-new Golden Core."

"When I deploy illusions, the greatest problem is having others test and discover which is real and which is an illusion."

"My Golden Core bypasses this flaw entirely."

"Take just now as an example. In truth, both clones could have been real, just as both could have been false; the crux of the matter lies entirely within the opponent's perception."

"If you believe both are real, then real they are. If you deem both to be false, then false they become."

"Senior Brother Lu, you spent the entire time vacillating, unsure of which was true and which was sham, endlessly probing. Because your heart held no conviction, both of those forms just now were the true me."

"The only way out is for you to decide with absolute certainty that this one is real and the other is false, and launch a full assault on the one you believe to be true. Only then will the illusion shatter."

"This is my Golden Core, the Elixir of Yielding Void and Reality."

"Junior Brother."

Lu Yang looked up, only now realizing that Eldest Senior Sister was also among the spectators.

Lu Yang leapt down from the stage and stood obediently before Eldest Senior Sister, a placating smile plastered across his face: "Eldest Senior Sister, you're back."

Qin Yanyan was struck with surprise; it was the very first time she had seen Lu Yang behave so submissively.

(End of Chapter)