Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Chapter 172.1: Lu Changshengs Five-In-One Domain Against Xu Haotian! (I)

Below the mountain of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, a dense crowd of disciples had gathered in a wide circle. At its center stood Xu Haotian, eyes closed, utterly still, as though he were simply resting.

Xu Haotian had become somewhat of a public enemy within the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. For an entire month, he had stationed himself outside the sect's entrance without the slightest intention of leaving until he could meet Lu Changsheng.

In the jianghu, an act like this was not seen as a simple obstruction. It was a deliberate provocation, aimed at forcing Lu Changsheng to respond while placing the sect in an awkward position.

If the sect ignored him, the sect would lose face. If the sect intervened improperly, it would break its own rules. It was a low and shameless tactic, yet undeniably effective, as despite the insult hanging over them for so long, no one had managed to drive him away.

Murmurs spread through the crowd, low and tense, filled with quiet frustration.

"It's already been a month. Where are the supreme true inheritor disciples of our Ancient Region Heavenly Sect?”

"Exactly. Several true inheritor disciples had already stepped up to confront him, and every one of them lost. Xu Haotian of the Yellow Heavenly Sect truly lives up to his name."

"Hmph! He's only this bold because our supreme true inheritor disciples are away. If they were here, would he dare act like this?"

"What really galls me is the mismatch. Xu Haotian is a supreme Divine Treasury expert, just one step away from forging his Dao foundation, yet he still has the nerve to challenge Senior Brother Lu, who has only just entered the Divine Treasury Realm.”

"Senior Brother Lu won't accept his challenge, of course. But with Xu Haotian squatting at the sect's gate like this, where does the dignity of our sect go?"

Truth be told, a Dao Foundation expert from the sect could have stepped in long ago to expel Xu Haotian and perhaps even kill him. However, everything he had done remained within the bounds of the established rules, and the major Martial Dao sects of the Ancient Region still held those rules sacred.

When Xu Haotian once broke those rules by sending Wu Qingyi to assassinate Lu Changsheng, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect wiped out the entire Wu Family in response, then forced the Yellow Heavenly Sect to pressure him until he was effectively confined to his own home.

These rules didn't seem logical on the surface, but they kept the entire Ancient Region from falling into chaos. After all, even flawed rules were better than none at all. As long as Xu Haotian abided by those rules, a Dao Foundation expert would not be able to intervene personally.

The matter had to be settled by the true inheritor disciples. Unfortunately, the sect's supreme true inheritors were all away and hadn't been able to return just yet, while those who remained in the sect had already tried but failed.

"Xu Haotian, you've overstepped your bounds!"

A cold voice cut through the crowd. A true inheritor disciple stepped forward and came to a stop directly in front of Xu Haotian.

Xu Haotian slowly opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the man in front of him, his expression tightening slightly.

"Lu Guan, I didn't expect to see you here," Xu Haotian replied, his tone cold. "This has nothing to do with you. The one I want to kill is Lu Changsheng. But if you insist on a fight, it will be to the death. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Xu Haotian and Lu Guan were not strangers. Back when both were still in the Divine Fortification Realm, they had traveled together, fighting side by side against common enemies. Then both advanced to the Divine Treasury Realm, one becoming a true inheritor of the Yellow Heavenly Sect, while the other of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. They had barely crossed paths since then, and neither had expected their reunion to be like this.

Lu Guan held his ground. "Xu Haotian, you haven't changed at all. I know that once your mind is set, nothing will move it. But as a true inheritor disciple of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, I cannot ignore your behavior. I have to fight you—let's decide the victor in one move."

"Fine. One move, then." Xu Haotian's tone remained cold. "After this, whatever we once had ends here."

Their exchange drew the attention of the surrounding disciples, and murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

"Senior Brother Lu Guan has some history with Xu Haotian? I wonder what it is..."

"I heard they traveled together back when they were still in the Divine Fortification Realm."

"Senior Brother Lu Guan has been a true inheritor for a long time now. He hasn't battled anyone in recent years, but his strength shouldn't be underestimated. If he once fought alongside Xu Haotian, he's definitely not weak."

"Do you think Senior Brother Lu Guan can defeat Xu Haotian?"

The murmurs of the crowd lingered, but neither Lu Guan nor Xu Haotian spoke again. They had each said what needed to be said. Whatever had existed between them in the past, today it would end with a blade.

Boom!

Lu Guan made his move. His Domains descended in full force, spreading outward layer by layer until they covered the surroundings. He manifested ten Domains, and each one of them was powerful and imposing. There was even a fused Domain among them.

The aura that poured off the Domains blotted out the sky, and the surrounding disciples felt the air leave their lungs. This was the power of a long-established true inheritor of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. He was no weaker than Long Yun, and perhaps even stronger than him.

Xu Haotian watched the Domains take shape before him, and a faint sigh escaped his lips. "Lu Guan, after all these years, you still haven't changed. Steady, cautious, unwilling to take risks. Our strength was once comparable, but as the years passed, the gap between us has only widened. Now, I am as far away from you as the heavens are from earth. You will not be able to forge your Dao foundation in this lifetime. As for me, that step is already within reach."

A deep rumble echoed through the air. Xu Haotian unleashed only one Domain, but it was unlike anything he had shown before. It was a fused Domain with overwhelming force—a four-in-one fused Domain.

Against the other true inheritor disciples Xu Haotian had faced this past month, he had never once revealed this, but Lu Guan had earned it. A four-in-one Domain had power that could crush thirty layers of Domains, and when it crashed down on Lu Guan's Domains, it easily went through like a scythe through wheat.

Lu Guan's face turned pale.

Bang!

A loud explosion followed. Lu Guan was flung into the air before crashing hard on the ground. The outcome was clear—Lu Guan had lost. Even though they said it was a fight to the death, Xu Haotian still had the good sense not to kill at the entrance of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. He could push the limits of what the rules allowed, but he would not cross them. Killing a true inheritor here would bring consequences even he could not handle.

Lu Guan's expression turned grim. "I lost..."

He had always thought quite highly of himself, believing that he was not much weaker than Xu Haotian. Now, he understood just how wrong he had been. They were indeed—like Xu Haotian had said—as far apart as the heavens were from earth.

Not many in the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect had a four-in-one Domain. It was no wonder Xu Haotian dared to block the sect's entrance with such calm confidence.

Shock spread quickly through the crowd. The voices of the surrounding disciples carried both awe and disbelief.

"Heavens! A four-in-one domain! Who knew Xu Haotian had been hiding something like that?"

"It's not just the four-in-one, either. He has a two-in-one Domain as well. Once he brings all of it out, even thirty or forty layers of Domains would be torn apart."

"He's too strong. Unless the supreme true inheritor disciples return, no one here can stop him."

"You know, I've heard his Mind Space already exceeds ninety li. He has remarkable cultivation talent, and his combat strength definitely matches it."

A four-in-one Domain was no ordinary achievement. Any Divine Treasury martial artist who could achieve such a thing was, without question, a favored child of the heavens, a supreme genius of the entire Ancient Region!

"Lu Guan, pass a message to Lu Changsheng. If he keeps hiding, his heart will become clouded, and he may not survive the heart tribulation," Xu Haotian said. His tone was light, yet the meaning behind his words made several of the more knowledgeable disciples tense.

The heart tribulation was something every martial artist had to face when forging their Dao foundation. It targeted the heart and forced martial artists to relive the moments that mattered most, drawing them into their deepest and most personal memories. If even the slightest flaw existed in the heart, they would not pass the heart tribulation.

Heart flaws were deeply personal, shaped by a martial artist's own thoughts and choices. As someone who had stepped into the Divine Treasury Realm, Lu Changsheng would probably not take Xu Haotian's words to heart, but no one could say with certainty that it would not make him doubt himself. If that doubt were to take root, it would become a flaw in his heart.

Xu Haotian had a heart flaw as well, and Lu Changsheng had caused it. It was why he had been searching for ways to end Lu Changsheng and had even come to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect to force a confrontation between them.

Lu Guan steadied himself and looked at Xu Haotian with a cold expression. "I won't be delivering your message, Xu Haotian. If you have something to say to Lu Changsheng, enter the sect and say it to his face yourself."

He had no intention of being used. Delivering those words could plant doubt in Lu Changsheng's heart, and he would not take that risk.

"Whatever. Makes no difference anyway. I'll still be waiting here for Lu Changsheng."

Xu Haotian closed his eyes again. Countless gazes pressed against him from all sides, but they did not bother him in the slightest.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice reached Xu Haotian's ears. "No need to deliver the message. I am already here!"

Xu Haotian's eyes snapped open, and he turned toward the source of the voice. A man was walking down from the sect, unhurried yet steady. As he drew closer, the crowd recognized him, and they erupted into an uproar.

It was none other than Lu Changsheng, of course. He was a true inheritor of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect; the foremost martial artist in the Divine Fortification Realm across the entire region; a man who had rebelled against and killed a Divine Treasury expert; and a prodigy who had carved out his own path.

"That's Senior Brother Lu Changsheng! Why has he come down?"

"A prodigy as brilliant as Senior Brother Lu Changsheng would never ignore this. His ego would never allow him to stay away from Xu Haotian's provocations, even though he knows that they're traps."

"Xu Haotian got exactly what he wanted. Senior Brother Lu had already held out for a whole month. Couldn't he have just waited a little longer? The top supreme true inheritors would probably return in just a few more days, and they'd surely drive Xu Haotian away themselves."

"Exactly. He didn't need to take this risk at all. He just advanced to the Divine Treasury Realm and has only refined one Mind Stabilization Stone. No one would have blamed him for refusing to fight."

"That's right. Confronting Xu Haotian now is extremely unwise."

"Let's just hope a Dao Foundation expert is watching over him, so even if he loses, at least he'll live. But losing to Xu Haotian would surely leave a flaw in his heart, and after that, his journey within the Martial Dao may never be the same."

The discussions grew louder, mixed with concern and pity. But none of that matters now. Once Lu Changsheng had decided to step down to meet Xu Haotian, the course of events had already taken shape.