The two of them left the lecture hall and descended the mountain. They came to the foot of the mountain, but they didn't stop there. Elder Storm Hawk led them to a forest.
After getting to the forest, she swung her fist at him. This marked the beginning of the fight, so he retaliated. His fist slammed into his and caused the air to explode around them.
He became more excited as they fought. He sped up with his full power and also attacked her with his full power.
His power reached 300 units, which was 1.5 times more than the power of her current body. Her body couldn't bear this kind of power, so her arm was bent at her angle when their fists slammed into each other.
She couldn't stop his punch, so his fist slammed into her chest. She was thrown by the punch and slammed into a tree.
He didn't pursue her to take advantage of her compromised position. Instead, he stood still and waited for her to catch her breath.
She stood up and straightened her arm. As he watched, the arm straightened itself and healed completely.
She said, "I am definitely surprised. It seems I will have to use some more of my power."
As she spoke, the lightning within her became active. Her aura became threatening again. It was as if a beast had woken up within her. He had to step back because he felt a dangerous aura from her.
She said, "Don't be shocked. I didn't use all of my strength. I used less than 0.3% of my power, so don't feel like you can't defeat me in this state."
She leaped forward after saying that and dashed towards him in glee. He, too, rushed towards her. But this time, he decided to activate his elemental abilities too.
The claws of his hands began to elongate and glow. They were glowing a blue light, which made the air crackle and pop.
She responded in kind by activating the blue tattoos on her skin. They too began to glow. But they didn't stop there. Lightning snaked out of them and coalesced to form the phantom image of a hawk.
This hawk was made of lightning. It surrounded her like a suit of armor, so his claws couldn't reach her.
Not only was the Lightning Hawk a solid defense, it could also attack. It could discharge electricity through its mouth, and it could scratch him with its claws.
What's more, the hawk could also fly. It flapped its wings and helped her avoid his hits. So she could distance herself from him while also shooting lightning bolts at him.
Even though they were fighting with the same strength, she had more abilities, which gave her an advantage over him. Not even using his flying board could make him catch her.
She was just more flexible in the air than him. The strength of the armament couldn't enhance the speed of the flying board or his other spells either. So he couldn't use them to gain an advantage in the fight.
He had to admit defeat after being chased about and pecked at by her without being able to harm her. It was a good idea since his energy was about to run out.
He fell to the ground and said, "I give up."
He lay on his back, panting as hard as he could. Elder Storm Hawk withdrew the energy phantom of the lightning hawk around her and dropped to the ground.
Then she said to everyone watching, "Go on. The show is over."
While everyone left to resume what they were doing, Arthur sat up and asked her. "Was that hawk the divine armament?"
She replied while looking at the sky, "Yes. I used it to set my foundation. It has become one with both my energy and my body."
Then she chuckled and said, "Of course, this is just the power I gain by relying on the power of my body alone. A normal cultivator at the third mortal coil has a power that ranges from 200 to 100,000 units. I am not a normal cultivator, so my power is greater."
Arthur was both in awe and surprised. He asked, "Why is the range so wide? In the previous two stages, the difference between the peak of the first mortal coil and the peak of the second mortal coil is 11 times while the difference between the first transformation of the second mortal coil and the tenth transformation of the second mortal coil is 5.5 times."
"But now, what you've stated already shows a difference of 900 times between the peak of the second mortal and the peak of the third mortal coil while the difference between the first transformation of the third mortal coil and the tenth transformation is 500 times."
She shrugged and said, "That's how it is. The foundation establishment stage is the most important stage in cultivation. It determines the maximum stage that a cultivator will ever reach and the maximum power that they will have at each stage in the future."
"That's why it is called the foundation establishment stage. You will have to set a foundation that your future will rely on. So the difference in the quality of the foundation will lead to a wild difference in power."
"Not everyone can create the best foundation and not everyone can achieve the peak of power at 100,000. So the range of power of cultivators at the third mortal coil is wide."
"But if you think that this difference is wide, wait until you see its effect in the latter stages because the difference will only get wider. If you're weak in the foundation stage, you will be weak forever."
Arthur asked earnestly, "How can I make sure not to be weak in the third mortal coil?"
His question made her laugh. Her laughter confused him.
She explained after laughing, "This is a question that anyone but you should ask. The disciples of the Blood Skull sect are never weak. They might never reach the fourth mortal coil, but they can never be weak at the third mortal coil."
"As for you, you already have the power to fight weak cultivators at the third mortal coil. This is not impressive, as everyone in the Blood Skull sect can do it at the peak second mortal coil."
"What is impressive is that you've achieved this at the fourth transformation of the second mortal coil. So you can't be weak."
She shook her head and emphasized, "It is impossible for you to be weak."