Chapter 1996 — Sparring With Kelan(2)

"This is my first time fighting in my true body, so give me everything you’ve got," Yuan said as he beckoned Kelan.

"Then... don’t mind if I do!"

Kelan unleashed his cultivation, but he still kept it suppressed to the peak of Immortal Ascension.

"Here I come!"

With a roar of excitement, Kelan charged forward, his fists surging with immense energy.

However, Yuan didn’t so much as lift a finger to defend. He stood firm, like an immovable mountain, taking every one of Kelan’s strikes head-on with nothing but his bare body.

"This is rather relaxing. You might have a future as a masseur," Yuan said calmly, a faint smile on his lips. He stood unbothered, as though Kelan’s blows were nothing despite each strike sending ripples through the air and making the very space around them tremble.

"I refuse to believe I can’t break through your defenses!" Kelan roared, his aura flaring violently as it shifted. Without hesitation, he began unleashing powerful martial techniques.

"He’s already using his Ninety-Nine Divine Fists technique!" Shi Lang exclaimed, a shiver running down his spine as memories flooded back—vivid flashes of being beaten to a pulp by that very technique.

The technique comprised a total of ninety-nine strikes, each one building in power and ferocity, much like Yuan’s own Nine Supreme Swords.

"Fifty-Fifth Divine Fist!" Kelan bellowed as his fist crashed forward, the air trembling from the force.

Yet, even after unleashing more than half of the technique, he felt no closer to breaching Yuan’s defenses. It was like striking a mountain of metal with a brittle wooden branch.

"Ninty-Ninth Divine Fist!"

Even after the final strike landed, Yuan wasn’t pushed back even slightly.

With a faintly provocative smile, Yuan turned slightly and pointed to his back.

"Why don’t you give the back some attention too?" he said, as if inviting a massage rather than an attack.

Kelan’s eyebrow twitched, a flicker of irritation crossing his face as his pride took a hit.

With a slightly cold edge to his voice, he muttered, "You asked for this..."

Suddenly, his suppressed cultivation surged, breaking through to the Bronze Immortal level.

Now wreathed in swirling Immortal Qi, Kelan launched a renewed assault on Yuan.

"Twenty-Second Divine Fist!"

"..."

"Seventy-Fifth Divine Fist!"

"..."

After going through another 99 strikes, Kelan distanced himself from Yuan before staring at him with wide eyes that flickered with disbelief.

’It’s like he doesn’t even feel my attacks! How is that possible?!’

Knowing full well that Yuan possessed powerful regenerative abilities, Kelan didn’t hold back and poured every ounce of Immortal Qi he could muster as a Bronze Immortal into his attacks.

Yet, despite his full strength, the outcome was the same as before—utterly ineffective. Moreover, Yuan was still relying solely on his bare body to endure the onslaught. This meant no techniques and no defenses—just sheer physique.

At this point, it was no exaggeration to say that he could withstand a full-powered assault from a Bronze Immortal in his sleep... and quite possibly sleep through it.

"That wasn’t bad, but it would’ve been better if you’d used a little more strength. How about increasing your cultivation to True Immortal?" Yuan suddenly said.

"True Immortal...? You know this is just a spar, right?" Kelan said.

"And you know you won’t even be able to give me a ’warm up’ with this level of sparring, right?" Yuan responded. "What happened to wanting to experience the Golden Immortal Physique? You’re barely seeing the tip of its prowess right now."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Kelan took a deep breath and spoke in a serious tone, "Don’t blame me for whatever happens next."

Kelan increased his cultivation to Silver Immortal, then Golden Immortal, finally stopping at True Immortal.

Yuan smiled and said, "That’s more like it."

"Here I come."

After giving Yuan a brief moment to ready himself, Kelan sprang into motion, soaring toward him with fists infused with Immortal Qi and just a trace of Celestial Qi.

Despite this, Yuan remained still.

Boom!

A split second later, Yuan’s body was sent hurtling into the distance from the force of the blow.

However, he swiftly regained control mid-air and landed gracefully on his feet, completely unharmed. The strike had possessed just enough power to send him flying, but it was still far from enough to break his defenses.

"Seriously...?" Kelan stared at Yuan, utterly dumbfounded.

He had always assumed the legends surrounding the Golden Immortal Physique were exaggerated. But after facing it firsthand, Kelan could say without the slightest doubt—if anything, the legends underplayed its true prowess.

"So? What do you think?" Yuan asked as he calmly walked toward Kelan. "Satisfied yet?"

Kelan offered a nervous smile, sweat beading at his brow.

"I thought it’d be fun... but honestly, it was more terrifying than I expected."

Yuan let out a light chuckle.

"Then what if I told you that my body still isn’t fully merged with my soul?"

"What?!" Kelan blurted out, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Yuan nodded calmly. "It’s been nearly a year since I reclaimed my true body. I thought that would be enough to fully adapt, but so far, I’ve only managed about fifty percent."

"You’re telling me that you’ve only shown me about fifty percent of your true prowess?!" Kelan exclaimed.

"Hm? No, I haven’t even begun to show you anything yet. I’m strictly talking about my physique. If we’re talking about my prowess..."

Yuan abruptly stopped speaking, and in the next moment, unleashed his cultivation and Immortal Qi in a sudden surge, its sheer force nearly knocking Kelan off his feet.

"Heavens! What is that amount of Immortal Qi?! I have met many True Immortals, but none of them can come close to having that much Immortal Qi!" Kelan exclaimed.

"While my cultivation has fully merged and my physique is about halfway there, my bloodline and the rest of my talents have only just begun to merge. Honestly, I have no clue how powerful I will become once my true body and soul fully merge." Yuan calmly shrugged, leaving Kelan and the others speechless.