Chapter 105 – Torrential River Rope!
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“Even though I will be punished, it is far better than being surpassed by Lin Ming in the future!”
“Moreover, a dead genius is no longer a genius. The Seven Profound Martial House will not kill me over someone who is dead. With the Tenth Prince secretly helping me, the worst that will happen is I will be dismissed from the Martial House and banished or exiled to the frontier.”
But to Zhu Yan, being banished didn’t mean anything anymore. As for being dismissed from the Martial House, although it was a pity, it was absolutely worth it as long as he could kill Lin Ming!
This was the only chance he had to assassinate Lin Ming!
But, did he really have the ability to kill Lin Ming?
In his heart, Zhu Yan lacked confidence.
“I still have my strongest martial skill. But, this martial skill has an enormous toll on the body. I can usually only display 60% of its full might, but if I recklessly stimulate myself to force out 100% of its abilities, I might damage my meridians. If I damage these meridians, it will be difficult to connect and open them, and become a great barrier when I want to break through to the Pulse Condensation Period. But since it’s come to this point, I have no other choices left.
Zhu Yan’s face flashed with ferociousness as he triggered all of the true essence in his body to the limit. The Scarlet Flare sword in his hand began to issue out a shrill, keening sound.
“Zhu Yan’s going to go all out!”
“What a terrifying true essence force! I’m afraid even a martial artist at the Bone Forging stage does not have such terrifying true essence!”
After everyone realized that Lin Ming had perceived the secrets of the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ through meditation, no one doubted Zhu Yan’s strength again. That Zhu Yan could exchange blows for such a long time with a monstrous genius like Lin Ming was testament to his extraordinary skill.
Lin Ming faintly smiled as he felt a heavy murderous intent emanating from Zhu Yan. ‘You want to go all out? Then I’ll follow you!’
From the very start of the fight until now, Lin Ming had been gathering his potential!
Even though he had been using his full strength with every strike, he had been saving his momentum!
To constantly use moves and save momentum; this was the key to gathering one’s potential in a fight!
Now all of Lin Ming’s potential was poured into the Penetrating Rainbow spear, waiting for this last, final strike!
“This fight today, is the most important fight in my life so far. And Zhu Yan, he is also the most important opponent in my life so far. In the Seven Profound Martial House’s entrance examination’s Dream Trial, he was the cause for the flaw in my heart. Today, I and Zhu Yan will put forth our strongest moves, and I will defeat him to complete my perfect heart of martial arts!”
As Lin Ming walked forward step by heavy step, the hard floor tiles underneath him cracked and exploded into flying shards. Lin Ming’s right arm was flat and smooth, and lay upon Penetrating Rainbow. This was the most basic spear stance, ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’.
Yet in Lin Ming’s hands, even such a simple stance gave off a boundless feeling of vigor. The dark purple Penetrating Rainbow was calm as if it were a cast iron statue. It was like a rope that stretched across a torrential river. No matter how the river flowed and surged, it was unable to shake that rope a single inch.
Unmovable no matter the force, ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’!
“It’s the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’ stance, ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’!
“Heavens! I finally get to see Senior Apprentice Brother Lin Ming’s ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’ in action again!” A little girl half a year younger than Lin Ming clenched her fists in excitement. Her face was ruddy with joy. She had just entered the Human Hall.
To many of the lower disciples in the Human Hall, Lin Ming and his ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’ stance were a legend!
Many of the lower disciples from the Human Hall came from a humble birth and background, and their worth was meager. In the Seven Profound Martial House, because they were the most basic and lowest of disciples, they did not have any nice cultivation methods to choose from. Although they had the glory and honor of being a disciple of the Seven Profound Martial House, they did not entertain high hopes for the future.
However, Lin Ming, who had also came from a humble birth, had used the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’ to defeat Zhang Cang, a master of the Earth Hall! And he had used the ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’ stance!
This was a miracle!
In Lin Ming’s hands, the simple, minimalist ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’ stance had become tranquil and immutable like a mountain! Any magnificent or exquisite martial skill was broken by a single spear!
A lone strength to shatter 10,000 styles!
The only person in all of the Seven Profound Martial House who could use the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’ to resist Zhu Yan’s finishing blow was Lin Ming!
Facing Lin Ming’s ‘Iron Bridge Blocks the River’, Zhu Yan’s complexion became filled with unprecedented dignity.
This was the most important match in his entire life. Even if Lin Ming used the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’, he would not look down on a single fine hair of his. Against such a monstrous genius of perception, any cultivation method in his hands could be turned into a divine miracle!
“Hah!” Zhu Yan shouted. The silk clothes that covered his upper body began to burn up in flames from the searing air waves that were condensed by his true essence. The charred fragments of his clothes fluttered down to the floor.
Zhu Yan ripped off his robe like a slip of paper and tore it to shreds. He revealed a toned, muscular upper body, but because of the high amount of true essence that converged on him, his skin was red like a fiery demon.
The Scarlet Flame sword in his hands combusted into a brilliant, shimmering flame. Zhu Yan could not yet feel the fiery true essence damaging his meridians, but the pain was like countless flame needles that gripped him. However, this pain had actually filled Zhu Yan with a bloodthirsty excitement.
“Die!”
Zhu Yan’s still body suddenly soared upwards into the sky. Whistling flames in the air formed together into phantasmal illusions. Zhu Yan gripped his sword with both hands and lifted it high above his head. His spine curved like a drawn bow. Fire true essence began to gather all around Zhu Yan. It condensed together and turned into a blood-red lotus that began to quietly bloom in the air…
“Red Lotus Purgatory!”
The entire space seemed to flash black for a moment. This strange red lotus swallowed that dark light, and it was as if it contained not just true essence, but had also gathered the blazing sun!
Facing Zhu Yan’s killing move, at that moment, Lin Ming’s mind was calm like water. His ears had lost all outside noise, whether it was the sound of burning flames, or the cheers and shouts of the audience.
In his vision, he only saw Zhu Yan. In his heart, there was only the Penetrating Rainbow!
All of his momentum had gathered into Penetrating Rainbow. The strong true essence violently vibrated. Lin Ming thrusted out his spear, and it was like throwing down a mountain!
Bang!
Lin Ming’s spear and Zhu Yan’s ‘Red Lotus Purgatory’ frantically collided. There was a loud, deafening detonation like a rumbling thunderbolt. That intense collision of true essence sparked a fierce shockwave, along with a ‘ka ka ka’ sound as the Martial Stage was destroyed. Large broken pieces of tiles flew off everywhere in the air.
Peng!
A silhouette wrapped in crimson flames flew outwards and loudly hit a column on the Martial Stage. Along with a breaking sound, the stone column was smashed apart from the center!
This silhouette was Zhu Yan. At this moment his entire body was bathed in blood. He was unconscious on the ground, life or death unknown.
And Lin Ming was not feeling good. He was injured in the impact of that terrifying strike, and he had flown backwards several dozen feet before using Penetrating Rainbow to steady himself in the air and fall on the ground with the support of the spear shaft.
His blood began to roil, and he almost spat out blood, but by revolving the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’, he was just able to press it down.
“What a ferocious move. If I had not learned to gather my momentum and set all of it aside for a final blow, then just that move a moment ago would have defeated me, the best case was both of us being wounded! The aftermath of the impact broke through my protection of vibrating true essence and only almost made me cough blood. This was thanks to my true essence from the Large Success in Viscera Training, otherwise that strike would have injured my internal organs and caused me to be severely wounded.”
“Zhu Yan’s last move had gone all out and overdrawn his strength. His injuries this time will not be light.”
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Zi zi zi…
As the fragments of flames still burned, the entire audience was dead silent.
This was the pinnacle of battle! Even two peak Bone Forging martial artists could not be so intense!
Zhu Yan was already a top-tier talent, but Lin Ming had actually jumped up half a realm to defeat him!
“Did Zhu Yan die?”
“That last move of of Zhu Yan’s was an absolutely desperate one with his life on the line. ‘Red Lotus Purgatory’ is not a martial skill Zhu Yan can use. He has overdrawn his true essence.”
“Overdrawing true essence will harm one’s cultivation. For Zhu Yan to do that in order to win this match, his obsession runs too deep. But even so, Zhu Yan was defeated. This Lin Ming is truly terrifying!”
There were many masters and experts present; they had naturally seen how the final fight had played out.
Even several elders of the Martial House were present. They had seen the murderous killing intent contained in Zhu Yan’s final move.
“I find it strange. Even though Lin Ming’s perception is good, his martial talent is bad. It should be impossible for him to progress so quickly, and yet in these last two months his cultivation has leapt up an entire realm. How was this possible?”
“This… seems to be because Lin Ming has comprehended some kind of martial intent.”
“Martial intent? What’s that?”
“Well… I have only heard about it. I don’t know the specifics, but it should be powerful.”
Two of the low-level Human Hall disciples were having a casual conversation; however their conversation had been overheard by one of the top 50 disciples of the Ranking Stone. His eyes immediately widened, “What did you just say? Martial… martial intent? Lin Ming had comprehended a martial intent?”
“Uh, yes.” That low-order disciple said with a look of bewilderment.
“Who told you that!?”
That Heavenly Abode disciple was suddenly all excited; this made the low-order disciple feel a bit of fear. Facing a top 50 ranking disciple of the Heavenly Abode, it was impossible for them not to feel pressured.
“This… this matter was said by the deacon of the Icy Pond Waterfall, Senior Apprentice Brother Xie Dong…”
“Xie Dong…” The Heavenly Abode disciple gulped. Although Xie Dong had not reached the Pulse Condensation Period, he was a deacon who had worked at the Seven Profound Martial House for many years. His experience was vast, and it was impossible for him to be so wrong.
This Lin Ming, had actually managed to comprehend a martial intent!
The perception of a monstrous genius, a pure and strong heart of martial arts that was a cut above everyone else, and he also had a martial intent!
It was just too terrifying!
At this time, the medical personnel of the Seven Profound Martial House hurried onstage to apply medicine to Zhu Yan. But Lin Ming had already stepped down from the Martial Stage. His true essence had already been depleted from the fight, and at present his combat strength had fallen by several levels. He might not even be able to hold off a normal Third Stage of Body Transformation martial artist.
But still, there was a hidden aura on Lin Ming’s body that emanated. Along with his formidable strength and monstrous perception he had just displayed, this made those people looking at him feel bursts of pressure.
This was the dread that came from seeing a powerhouse.
When Lin Ming stepped down, several of those nearby pulled back. Even the martial artists that had been famous for a long time stepped made way with respect. And those low-order disciples who had idolized him, only worshipped him Lin Ming with more fanaticism.
“Mister Lin Ming! Congratulations!” Crown Prince Yang Lin stood up from afar and warmly greeted him. Among his words was just the right amount of veneration. This was the respect he demonstrated to a powerhouse, and had disregarded his status.