## Chapter 384: The Confucian Cultivator Tries Again

When Su Yu returned to the cave, he saw Su Ling’er diligently cultivating the “Qi Refining Method.” Su Yu didn’t disturb her; instead, he entered the quiet room and activated the soundproofing formation. He took out the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron and began cultivating the “Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art.”

He had already established his foundation, and now that his spiritual qi had transformed into spirit essence, he needed to refine his spirit essence further. He also had to begin tempering his physical body.

The “Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art” was a highly advanced cultivation technique. Each major stage was divided into twelve minor realms. Establishing a foundation was merely the first minor realm of the Foundation Establishment stage. Once he fully established his foundation, he would have to refine his spirit essence.

After completely refining his spiritual qi into spirit essence, the next step was to condense the spirit essence. This meant condensing the refined spirit essence into a solid form, which was the second minor realm of Foundation Establishment.

Su Yu took out a mid-grade spirit stone. He infused his spirit essence into it, and the spirit stone quickly transformed into a cloud of spiritual qi, which was then absorbed by Su Yu.

As the spiritual qi entered his body, it flowed through his meridians. Su Yu meticulously guided the spiritual qi, refining it bit by bit into spirit essence. This process was extremely slow, much slower than when he was in the Qi Refining stage.

The spiritual qi transformed into spirit essence, which was then absorbed by Su Yu. This cycle repeated, each time adding a minute amount of spirit essence.

This process was not only slow but also consumed a vast amount of spiritual qi. A single mid-grade spirit stone, which contained an abundance of spiritual qi, could only refine a small amount of spirit essence.

As the spirit essence circulated through his body, Su Yu felt a faint warmth. This warmth gradually permeated his entire being, slowly strengthening his physical body. This was the most crucial aspect of the “Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art”—cultivating both body and qi.

His cultivation progressed day by day. In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

In these two months, Su Yu completely refined all the spiritual qi in his dantian into spirit essence. His dantian was now filled with clear, pure spirit essence, devoid of any impurities.

However, despite his diligent cultivation, Su Yu still hadn’t broken through to the second minor realm of Foundation Establishment. He needed to condense his spirit essence, and this was an extremely difficult task.

Even with the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron and mid-grade spirit stones, he couldn’t quickly condense his spirit essence. He could only proceed step by step, gradually refining and condensing it.

Just as Su Yu was contemplating this, he suddenly received a message from his disciple, Li Mu.

“Master, someone is causing trouble in the city again, and it’s that Confucian cultivator,” Li Mu reported.

“That Confucian cultivator again?” Su Yu frowned. This was truly a persistent individual.

Su Yu stored the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron and walked out of the quiet room. Seeing that Su Ling’er was still cultivating, he didn’t disturb her and left the cave alone.

He quickly arrived at the city gate. As he approached, he heard a clamor.

“Where is the Devil Cultivator? Don’t tell me he’s afraid and hiding, not daring to show his face!”

“He’s nothing but a coward, hiding in the dark, truly disgraceful!”

“Such a person is not worthy of being the City Lord of Luo Yue City!”

The voices were filled with disdain and provocation. Su Yu looked over and saw a middle-aged Confucian cultivator standing proudly at the city gate. He was dressed in a long, green robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, and his face was full of contempt.

Beside the Confucian cultivator stood a young man, seemingly his disciple, also dressed in a green robe. The young man’s face was pale, as if he had recently recovered from an illness.

This Confucian cultivator was none other than the one who had come to challenge Su Yu before. He was accompanied by the same disciple who had been injured by Su Yu’s spiritual pressure.

“It seems you’re quite impatient,” Su Yu said coldly as he approached.

The Confucian cultivator saw Su Yu and scoffed, “You finally dare to show your face, Devil Cultivator. I thought you would hide in your turtle shell forever!”

“You’ve been defeated once, and you still dare to challenge me?” Su Yu’s eyes narrowed, a cold light flashing within them.

The Confucian cultivator laughed. “Last time, I was careless. This time, I’m fully prepared. Let’s see how you’ll defeat me!”

He then looked at Su Yu’s cultivation level. His eyes widened slightly. “You’ve actually broken through to Foundation Establishment?”

“That’s right. I broke through two months ago,” Su Yu replied calmly.

The Confucian cultivator’s face darkened slightly. He hadn’t expected Su Yu to break through to Foundation Establishment in such a short period. This meant that Su Yu’s strength had increased significantly.

However, the Confucian cultivator quickly regained his composure. He still had confidence in himself. He was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, far more powerful than Su Yu, who had just entered Foundation Establishment.

“Even if you’ve broken through to Foundation Establishment, you’re still no match for me!” the Confucian cultivator said arrogantly.

“Is that so? Let’s give it a try then,” Su Yu said, a hint of disdain in his voice.

He raised his hand, and a surge of black spirit essence gathered in his palm, forming a terrifying black ball of light.

The Confucian cultivator’s expression changed slightly. He could feel the immense power contained within that black ball of light. It was even stronger than the spiritual pressure Su Yu had unleashed last time.

“So, you’re really a Devil Cultivator!” the Confucian cultivator exclaimed. “I won’t hold back then!”

He waved his folding fan, and a powerful wave of spiritual qi erupted from him, forming a blue barrier around his body.

The surrounding cultivators quickly retreated, creating a large open space. They knew that a fierce battle was about to ensue.

“Take this!” Su Yu shouted, and the black ball of light shot towards the Confucian cultivator like a meteor.

The Confucian cultivator’s eyes widened. He immediately activated his defensive artifact, a jade pendant, which glowed with a faint green light.

The black ball of light collided with the green barrier, and a deafening explosion echoed through the air. A powerful shockwave swept outwards, causing the surrounding buildings to tremble.

The green barrier flickered violently, and cracks began to appear on its surface. The Confucian cultivator’s face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth, pouring more spiritual qi into the barrier.

However, the black ball of light was too powerful. The green barrier finally shattered with a loud crack, and the black ball of light continued its trajectory towards the Confucian cultivator.

The Confucian cultivator cried out in alarm, quickly activating another defensive artifact, a small shield.

The black ball of light struck the shield, and another explosion erupted. The shield, unable to withstand the immense force, shattered into pieces.

The Confucian cultivator was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He crashed heavily onto the ground, his face ashen.

“You… you’re too strong!” the Confucian cultivator gasped, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had never imagined that Su Yu, who had just entered Foundation Establishment, would be so powerful.

Su Yu walked towards him, his face devoid of emotion. “I already told you, you’re no match for me.”

The Confucian cultivator struggled to get up, but his body was badly injured. He looked at Su Yu with a mixture of fear and awe.

“I… I admit defeat,” the Confucian cultivator said, lowering his head. He knew that if he continued to fight, he would undoubtedly die.

Su Yu nodded. “Good. Remember your words. If you dare to cause trouble in Luo Yue City again, I won’t be so lenient.”

He then looked at the Confucian cultivator’s disciple, who was trembling in fear. “Take your master and leave.”

The young man quickly helped his master up, and they staggered away, disappearing into the distance.

The surrounding cultivators were stunned. They had witnessed the entire battle, and they were all amazed by Su Yu’s power. He had defeated a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with such ease.

“The City Lord is truly formidable!”

“He’s a true talent!”

“Luo Yue City is truly blessed to have such a powerful City Lord!”

Su Yu ignored the praises and returned to his cave. He sat down and continued to cultivate.

This battle had given him a deeper understanding of his own strength. He was confident that with the “Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art” and the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron, he would soon reach the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment.