Chapter 81: Multitasking

High-grade spirit talismans are powerful and have dazzling spells that are visually impressive. Yet in reality, they are not a test of skill but rather a competition of wealth.
When it came to wealth, Su Che was confident he was no less than any inner disciple. Moreover, Fat Song only received support from Zhen Lan to a certain extent. Even if he had high-grade spirit talismans, there couldn’t be many of them.
On the other hand, over the past two days, Su Che had been at Wuhua Peak, selling some less valuable spirit herbs and ores. Although the price per item was low, the quantity was large, earning him nearly ten thousand spirit stones. With this, he could replenish dozens of high-grade spirit talismans.
Dozens of high-grade spirit talismans were more than enough for today’s battle.
In fact, Su Che was already at the mid-stage of the Qi Cultivation phase and could fully control high-grade magical weapons. His Qiankun Bag contained a high-grade offensive sword and a defensive shield—perfect for dealing with Fat Song without wasting spirit talismans.
However, Su Che didn’t want to reveal his true strength too early. Spending a few high-grade spirit talismans wasn’t a big deal for him.
At that moment, the Water Dragon and the Fire Phoenix collided, with neither side gaining an advantage. Su Che’s Flaming Cone was also blocked by Fat Song’s water-based magic shield.
But this balanced situation lasted only briefly, as Su Che took out another high-grade fire spirit talisman and activated it without hesitation, creating another Fire Phoenix.
“Chirp!”
A phoenix cry left Fat Song stunned.
Unexpectingly, this newly born Fire Phoenix flapped its flaming wings and circled above Su Che’s head without attacking immediately…
While controlling this Fire Phoenix with his mind, Su Che took out another identical fire spirit talisman and activated it, creating a third Fire Phoenix!
“How is this possible?”
Not only was Fat Song shocked, but those below, including Yu Qing, were also greatly surprised.
Cultivators in the Qi Cultivation phase hadn’t yet developed mental awareness. Being able to multitask was already quite impressive. But how could a young man in the early stages of Qi Cultivation control three Fire Phoenixes created by spirit talismans at the same time?
Multitasking with three tasks? No, that’s not right! He was also controlling the offensive weapon, the Flaming Cone—so it should be multitasking with four tasks!
Could it be that his mental strength was exceptionally strong, giving him unparalleled talent in this area?

Only Su Che himself knew that he could only focus on two things at a time—controlling the two fire phoenixes he had just created. As for the original fire phoenix engaged in a struggle with the water dragon and that flaming spear, they were all controlled by Lao Hei’s mental power.

“Chirp!”

Another phoenix cry echoed as the two fire phoenixes circled above, ready to launch the most fierce attacks on Song Pangzi at any moment.

Su Che deliberately paused for a short while, clearly signaling silently, “Senior Song, I can give you time to summon three water dragons to fight against me.”

At this moment, Song Pangzi no longer had a smile on his face. He neither had the ability to control three water dragons nor enough high-quality spirit talismans.

Below, the twin pairs of eyes of the Zhen sisters turned toward Yu Qing. Zhen Zhen spoke up, “Junior Yu Qing, you really are willing to invest heavily, giving him so many high-quality spirit talismans.”

Yu Qing didn’t bother explaining anything. He gave a faint smile, acknowledging it, but thought to himself, “Junior Su, I really didn’t expect you to be such a little tycoon! To be honest, I wouldn’t even dare to use high-quality spirit talismans like this…”

Back then, disciples like Yu Qing, Hua Lu, and Mu Yun, who had reached the peak of the Qi Cultivation stage, only carried a few high-quality spirit talismans when entering such a dangerous place as the Seal of Demons Realm. But today, Su Che had activated three at once. It seemed he must have many more hidden.

“I didn’t expect this outer disciple to have such substantial wealth. I wonder which family’s eldest son he is?”

“I’ve seen something amazing today! It wasn’t a waste of coming here!”

“Activating three high-quality spirit talismans at once? It’s clearly trying to overwhelm others with spirit stones! But it’s also a display of ability. As the saying goes, those with money are the masters!”

Some inner disciples nearby began to discuss among themselves…

On the competition platform, Su Che said softly, “Senior Song, I have something to say…”

Trying to ambush me?

Song Pangzi shuddered violently, his attention highly tense as he prepared to deal with the two approaching fire phoenixes.

But Su Che wasn’t as cunning. Instead of using deceitful words, he spoke clearly, “Then, please be careful.”

Returning the words exactly as spoken, the two fire phoenixes then spread their wings and attacked.

At that very moment, the water dragon and the fire phoenix entangled with each other exploded with a loud sound, their spiritual energies dissipating and turning into nothingness. Fire and water cannot coexist, and these two spirit creatures, created purely through magic, perished together.

Clang! Lao Hei continued to use the Flaming Spear to attack Song Pàngzi’s magic shield. Both the offensive and defensive artifacts were mid-tier magic weapons, both relying on the principle of fire opposing water. However, since these were not spirit talismans, there was no risk of their spiritual energies canceling each other out.

As the two fire phoenixes neared, Song Pàngzi quickly slapped a Swift Movement Talisman on himself. His thick legs swung at high speed as he employed a stealthy footwork technique from the Tianxuan Sect, leaving trails of shadows across the combat arena…

He wasn’t hoping to evade the fire phoenixes’ attacks using his movement skills—such an idea was utterly unrealistic. Instead, he aimed to buy some time to deploy one of his countermeasures.

“With such a chubby build, his evasion speed is actually quite fast,” Su Che said as he controlled the two fire phoenixes to chase after Song Pàngzi. He saw Song Pàngzi take out a dark blue pill and swallow it with a lift of his hand.

A pill taken at such a critical moment surely wasn’t ordinary. But after just a quick glance at its color, neither Su Che nor Lao Hei could determine its exact name or effects.

After that, instead of retreating, Song Pàngzi advanced, wielding his magic sword and charging toward Su Che, intent on engaging in close-quarters combat.

Su Che understood that Song Pàngzi was trying to buy time until the effects of the pill he had just swallowed took hold. Fighting closely at this moment was indeed the wisest strategy for him. After all, the two fire phoenixes he controlled were for long-range attacks. If he tried to attack Song Pàngzi up close, he might be caught in the flames from the phoenixes.

In this way, Song Pàngzi essentially used Su Che as a shield—he just needed to circle around Su Che until the pill’s effects kicked in.

It was a good strategy, but what would actually happen?

When it came to close-quarters swordsmanship, it was precisely Su Che’s strength. Since joining the Tianxuan Sect, he had devoted all his time to cultivating his internal energy. In terms of mastery over various magic spells, he was certainly not as skilled as a veteran disciple like Song Pàngzi. But close-quarters combat skills belonged to the realm of mortal warriors, and these were the skills Su Che knew best.

He drew his sword and counterattacked!

Clang!

With a loud crash, the two magic swords collided head-on.

In the world of mortal warriors, those with stronger internal energy had the advantage. This principle also applied in the realm of cultivation. Su Che’s internal energy cultivation had reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi Training, on the verge of advancing to the fifth level. He was far superior to Song Pàngzi.

Fat Song had thought that since both of them were at the third level of Qi cultivation, he wouldn’t suffer any disadvantage in such a confrontation. Yet, he never expected an irresistible force to surge from the opponent’s magic sword.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Fat Song’s body shook violently, and his agile Phantom Step technique lost control as he was forced to retreat four steps backward.
“How is this possible…?”
Before he could figure out what was going on, a fire phoenix descended right on him!
Zizzle! The water-based magic shield protecting Fat Song was burned to ashes by the phoenix’s terrifying heat, collapsing with a clang and turning into a pitch-black piece of iron that fell to the ground.
The fire phoenix continued its onslaught, pouncing on Fat Song instantly.
“Ah…”
A scream echoed as Fat Song turned into a human torch—not ordinary flames, but a strange kind of true fire blending gold and orange-red hues.
Normally, at Fat Song’s level of cultivation, his flesh would have burned instantly upon contact with true fire, turning to ashes in no time. But…
“Ah…”
Fat Song waved his arms frantically, charging at Su Che as if determined to perish together, burning to ashes.
Su Che dodged effortlessly and simultaneously controlled another fire phoenix to attack Fat Song. The attack hit true, and the flames grew even more fierce…
Yet Su Che frowned slightly. While dodging Fat Song’s wild attacks, he realized that although his skin was charred from the intense heat and his face was covered in blisters, the flames hadn’t touched his skin at all—something milky-white energy had kept them at bay.
“With just his third-level Qi cultivation, he definitely can’t do this. It must be the pill he swallowed earlier taking effect,” Su Che concluded immediately.