Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Chapter 175.1: Lu Changsheng Defeats Experts on the Dao Foundation Candidate List and Expands His Mind Space to Forty Li! (I)

Lan Tianxiao scoffed. "A five-in-one Domain is impressive, but do you really think that alone is enough to kill me? No, you don't have what it takes!"

As the forty-eighth-ranked expert on the Dao Foundation Candidate List, Lan Tianxiao understood how powerful a five-in-one Domain was: it could crush forty layers of Domains with ease. However, he was no ordinary Divine Treasury martial artist. His fused Domain, combined with his other Domains, could easily overpower forty layers of Domains.

Buzz...

A low hum filled the air as Lan Tianxiao unleashed his Domains. Layer upon layer of Domains unfolded around him, forming a dense shell.

Lu Changsheng's gaze sharpened, and the Heart Sword within his Mind Space trembled slightly.

"Sever!"

Every last jade-colored Heart Sword he had nurtured shot out at once, striking Lan Tianxiao's mind.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

On the surface, Lan Tianxiao appeared unharmed, but beneath that calm exterior, his mind trembled violently. The impact rippled through him, causing even the Domains he had just unleashed to waver, though the instability lasted only an instant.

His Mind Space had expanded over time, and with the constant refinement of the Mind Stabilization Stone, it had grown far stronger than before. The Heart Swords had rattled him badly, but they could not break him.

In the next moment, Lu Changsheng's Five Elements Domain descended upon him.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The Five Elements Domain proceeded to shatter Lan Tianxiao’s wavering Domains one after another. Each Domain it crushed consumed some of its power, but because the five elements fed into one another in a constant cycle, the power was restored almost as quickly as it was spent.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of Lan Tianxiao's Domains had collapsed completely. Realizing the danger he was in, he tried to reach for his Teleportation Talisman, but the constant hammering of the Heart Swords on his mind made even that simple action impossible. He could only watch as the Five Elements Domain tore through his final Domain and closed in around him.

"No..." A flicker of panic crept into Lan Tianxiao's voice, but it was already too late to do anything. The Five Elements Domain fell upon him, reducing him to dust.

As a Divine Treasury martial artist, Lan Tianxiao possessed an incredibly tenacious life force—but life force alone, no matter how powerful, could not save someone from being pulverized. Just like that, Lan Tianxiao, the forty-eighth-ranked expert on the Dao Foundation Candidate List had been reduced to nothing.

Silence settled over the area. Moments earlier, more than twenty experts from the Dao Foundation Candidate List had stood ready, their killing intent thick in the air. Now, they stared in stunned disbelief.

"A five-in-one Domain that regenerates endlessly... Is this the Five Elements Domain?"

"And that mental technique... That sword-like attack strikes directly at the mind. It's hard to gauge its power, but it shook Lan Tianxiao so badly he couldn’t even activate his Teleportation Talisman."

"What's even crazier is the fact that Lu Changsheng didn't look like he was going all out. I bet he could keep fighting."

"Impresive. He's not on the Dao Foundation Candidate List, but he's not weaker than anyone who is. He fought those above his level when he was in the Divine Fortification Realm, and now he's doing the same as a Divine Treasury martial artist..."

The Dao Foundation Candidate List experts realized they had to take Lu Changsheng seriously. Indeed, he was not on the list, but he had undeniably surpassed those who were.

Hua Qianshang, being the closest to the fight, had felt its impact most vividly. She had caught every single detail, and so, no one knew better than her how Lan Tianxiao had died. He had not been outmaneuvered or worn down—he had been utterly annihilated, with no chance to even fight back.

Knowing she would not be able to defeat Lu Changsheng, she wanted to run, but it was too late. With Lan Tianxiao gone, Lu Changsheng's Five Elements Domain expanded toward her.

"Please! Spare me!"

Lu Changsheng was not moved by her plea. His intention was to eliminate every rival competing for the Azure Cloud Fruits, and that meant leaving no survivors.

He commanded the Heart Sword once more. "Sever!"

The blades from the Heart Sword struck Hua Qianshang. She had never felt this kind of pain before. Her body stiffened as her mind convulsed so violently under the impact that her Domains nearly slipped out of her control. At that moment, she finally understood what Lan Tianxiao had felt. She, too, was unable to activate her Teleportation Talisman. Under such an overwhelming attack, escape was simply not an option.

In the end, under the dual assault of the Heart Sword and the Five Elements Domain, Hua Qianshang fared no better than Lan Tianxiao. She lasted only a moment before her body crumbled to dust.

In a heartbeat, Lu Changsheng had killed two experts on the Dao Foundation Candidate List. Lan Tianxiao, ranked forty-eighth, and Hua Qianshang, ranked seventy-ninth on the Dao Foundation Candidate List, had both fallen to Lu Changsheng's hand.

Lu Changsheng stood where he was, unchanged, yet in the eyes of the others, he had become a terrifying monster. Truth be told, if the remaining twenty-one experts had thrown everything aside and attacked Lu Changsheng together, he would have been in grave danger. But just like the ordinary group of Divine Treasury cultivators, none of them were willing to risk their lives in a desperate gamble.

"Lan Tianxiao and Hua Qianshang are dead! The Azure Cloud Fruit is not worth it! Let's go!"

"Even without the Azure Cloud Fruit, I still have a chance to forge a Dao Foundation. There’s no need to die here."

"With Lan Tianxiao gone, anyone who stays is next. I'm out of here."

One after another, the experts withdrew. In a matter of moments, not a single martial artist remained near the Azure Cloud Tree. The closest Divine Treasury martial artist had already retreated ten li away, and many more watched from beyond that distance.

Lu Changsheng had driven off every single competitor. This scene left many of the ordinary Divine Treasury martial artists observing from far away in shock.

"Lu Changsheng has done it again. Single-handedly driving off more than twenty experts from the Dao Foundation Candidate List... Unbelievable!"

"Lan Tianxiao and Hua Qianshang are gone. He wasn't bluffing when he said he would get rid of everyone staying. He actually killed two experts on the Dao Foundation Candidate List!"

"Incredible, truly incredible! Now no one even dares approach within ten li of the Azure Cloud Tree."

"When did those on the Dao Foundation Candidate List become so powerless? He isn't even on the list, yet he forced all of them to retreat."

"He achieved the impossible as a Divine Fortification martial artist. Now that he has stepped into the Divine Treasury Realm, he’s still doing the same."

The ordinary Divine Treasury martial artists were in awe, but they did not dare approach Lu Changsheng. Admiration alone could not outweigh their fear, and they had every reason to be afraid. Lu Changsheng's Sense Domain extended over a ten li radius, allowing him to sense everything in silence, and anyone who stepped within that boundary would be killed without mercy.

"Gu Chen, Liu Pu, Han Tianyun, get ready to pick the Azure Cloud Fruits," Lu Changsheng said.

The three of them were still struggling to process what they had just seen. It felt unreal, like a dream they had yet to wake from. Just moments ago, more than twenty powerful experts from the Dao Foundation Candidate List had joined forces to drive off three hundred ordinary Divine Treasury martial artists, and now these same experts had been driven off by Lu Changsheng alone. Two of them had been killed, and the rest had fled, no longer daring to compete for the Azure Cloud Fruit.

The Three Swordsmen finally realized that Lu Changsheng's words had not been just empty boast. He had done exactly what he said he would and cleared out all their competition.

"Yes, we're ready," Gu Chen said quickly.

Lu Changsheng nodded and said nothing more. Driving off the competition was his task; picking the fruits was theirs. All he needed to do now was sit back and wait.

Two to three hours passed before the Azure Cloud Fruits finally ripened. The Three Swordsmen moved at once, working quickly and efficiently. They harvested the fruits one after another, and in less than fifteen minutes, they had gathered all of them.

"Thirty-seven Azure Cloud Fruits in total!" Gu Chen exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement after finishing the count.

The other two swordsmen were just as thrilled. As per their agreement with Lu Changsheng, each of them would receive five. Lu Changsheng himself was pleased with the harvest, as he would be left with twenty-two fruits.

While Lu Changsheng and the swordsmen were dividing the fruits among themselves, many ordinary Divine Treasury martial artists watched with burning envy from a distance, but none dared step forward. Given that Lu Changsheng had cut down two experts from the Dao Foundation Candidate List without hesitation, ordinary Divine Treasury martial artists like them stood no chance against him. No matter how badly they wanted the fruits, they could only swallow their jealousy in silence.

After the four martial artists finished distributing the fruits, they departed from beneath the Azure Cloud Tree, heading back toward the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. The group encountered no trouble along the way and returned safely to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect.

Once back, Gu Chen, Liu Pu, and Han Tianyun bowed slightly to Lu Changsheng. "Thank you, Junior Brother Lu. Without you, we wouldn't even have qualified to compete for the Azure Cloud Fruits, let alone walk away with five each."

Their gratitude was genuine. Lu Changsheng had carried them throughout this journey, and they knew it. If anything, they felt like they had done almost nothing themselves.

Lu Changsheng shook his head. "The information you provided was worth five Azure Cloud Fruits. Should another opportunity like this arise, let me know."

With that, he turned and left.

Gu Chen and the others watched his retreating figure, exchanging glances as the moment settled over them.

"This has been... like a dream. It still feels so unreal."

"Who would have thought the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect could produce a true inheritor like this."

"At this rate, it won't be long before he dominates everyone on the Dao Foundation Candidate List. He might even become number one on the list!"

The Three Swordsmen could already tell that Lu Changsheng was destined to become a figure who inspired both fear and awe. They knew his path would not end at forging a Dao Foundation, but as for what lay beyond, they could not say. None of them dared to even speculate.