Chapter 140 – Blazing Fighting Spirit
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Bai Jingyun smiled and said, “Ah Zi, didn’t you just say a few days ago that you had a medium-grade human-step sword that you wished for Junior Apprentice Brother Lin to help you with?”
Murong Zi said with a sour taste, “That person Qin Xingxuan also has a sword and is looking for your Junior Apprentice Brother Lin’s inscription symbol. A sword from the Marshal’s Quarters is probably a high-grade human-step treasure sword. Ah, with my low class broken sword, how can I go there to just lose face? Humph, those stubborn old men in my family are simply beggaring cheapskates!”
Murong Zi’s sour words could be smelled from several blocks away. Bai Jingyun could not help but laugh.
As Murong Zi had been seeing these days, there were many juniors of large and respected families that had medium-grade human-step treasures with Lin Ming’s flame inscription symbol added on them. She could not sit still and let this opportunity pass her, so she had used soft and hard tactics, and one way or another had managed to obtain a medium-grade human-step treasure sword and some rare and precious materials from the old men in her family. She had grabbed Bai Jingyun in high spirits and ran to the Inscription Association to look for Lin Ming and have him place an inscription symbol on her weapon. But after finally arriving at the Inscription Association, they found that Lin Ming had collected all the materials he was looking for, and had shut down his shop, no longer working.
This caused Murong Zi to feel very melancholic and depressed. She returned to the Seven Profound Martial House where she also found that Lin Ming had gone into seclusion to train. This caused Murong Zi to feel even more unwell.
Bai Jingyun did not tease Murong Zi. She walked over to greet Lin Ming and Qin Xingxuan. “Junior Apprentice Brother Lin! Miss Qin!”
“Oh? Senior Apprentice Sister Jingyun?” Lin Ming moved slightly, immediately smiled and replied, “I hope that you are satisfied with that sword’s inscription.”
“Mm. It has been very worthwhile. I don’t know if Junior Apprentice Brother Lin has any free time these days, but Ah Zi also has a sword, and would like to request Junior Apprentice Brother Lin’s help.”
“No problem, there’s no need to ask. An inscription symbol shouldn’t take too long; I have more than enough time. I would still like to thank Senior Apprentice Sister Jingyun for the Star Obsidian; it has helped me a lot.”
“Junior Apprentice Brother Lin is too polite.” Bai Jingyun smiled, and before she could say anything more, the copper clock on the altar sounded.
The Ten Thousand Killing Array’s assessment had officially begun!
Lin Ming’s eyes shined. His fighting spirit was already blazing. After a long period of three months, just how far could he reach on the Ranking Stone?
“Will Junior Apprentice Brother Lin go on stage now?” Bai Jingyun asked.
“Mm. I will go on for the first round!”
Normally, a disciple of formidable strength could choose the final rounds to go on stage; this was so that they could have their finale in front of all. But Lin Ming didn’t want this. The reason he came today was to enter the top ten and take the reward of the Heavy Profound Soft Spear; it was not to perform.
“Those disciples that wish to participate in the first round please come up!” The deacon senior apprentice brother proclaimed.
Lin Ming leapt into the air, as if he was a gently lithe swallow, and instantly appeared on the Ten Thousand Killing Array’s altar.
Others may not have noted this seemingly weightless, light movement, but Qin Xingxuan did, along with the two elders, Xu Fengyuan and Sun Sifan.
Qin Xingxuan instinctively felt that there was something strange with Lin Ming’s movements a moment ago, but could not pinpoint exactly what it was. She could only pensively look at Lin Ming, puzzled, as she recalled the scene in her mind.
Xu Fengyuan stroked his beard, and said, “Mister Sun, did you notice that there was most likely some mystery within Lin Ming’s movement just now?”
Sun Sifan recalled Lin Ming’s movement just then. His movements couldn’t be said to be too fast, but they actually contained some sort of special mystery. The average person, after jumping, would gradually slow down due to the force of gravity and air resistance. Though the jump speed was fast and the distance was short, those with careful perception were able to sense that even though Lin Ming jumped onto the altar at an average speed, his body seemed to be weightless like a feather, and he had been blown by a breeze on stage.
“There does seem to be something out of place. This kid just went missing for several days, yet his progress has not been small. Well, look!”
Because Lin Ming had arrived on stage, those disciples who had planned to go on for the first round stopped themselves as if they had come to a prior arrangement, and didn’t step on stage. Now, the only person on the first round of the assessment was Lin Ming.
Lin Ming did not care about these people, and sat cross legged directly on the altar.
“There is no time limit to this assessment. Defeating an early Second Stage of Body Transformation enemy will gain you one point. Defeating a peak Second Stage will be worth 5 points. A early Third Stage enemy will be worth 10 points. A peak Third Stage enemy will be worth 50 points. An early Fourth Stage enemy will be worth 100 points. A peak Fourth Stage enemy will be worth 500 points. An early Fifth Stage enemy will be worth 1000 points. A peak Fifth Stage enemy will be worth 5000 points. Death in the dreamland will mean defeat. Junior Apprentice Brother Lin, if you are prepared, then we may start.” Deacon Liang Guangfeng spoke the usual introduction routine.
“Please begin.” Lim Ming nodded. Afterwards, a gently white light enveloped him in front of everyone.
Lin Ming had once again entered that vast white world. At his side, there were a wide variety of weapons.
“Spear: spear shaft 8 feet, spear head 8 inches. Dark purple elastic iron spear shaft, cloud vein wrought iron spear point. Total weight 820 jins!”
Lin Ming conceived the image of the weapon in his mind, and like that, a replica of the Penetrating Rainbow Spear fell into his waiting hands.
Meanwhile, in front of Lin Ming, more than ten martial artists and vicious beasts appeared. Their strength only ranged from the early Second Stage of Body Transformation to the early Third Stage of Body Transformation. To the Lin Ming of now, this sort of strength carried not even the slightest bit of threat.
Not waiting for these enemies to attack, Lin Ming stepped forwards and instantly appeared in the middle of this shadowy pack of vicious beasts and martial artists. He swept out his spear, “Killing Circle!”
Even with no ‘Flow like Silk’, and just with his physical strength alone, that single sweep of his spear caused every single enemy to explode like bags of blood; every single one died!
A single move to clear all, cleanly and neatly!
As several breaths of time passed, another group of enemies winked into existence. This time, the enemies were mostly at the peak Third Stage of Body Transformation, and there was even one at the early Altering Muscle stage.
But this cultivation was just as trivial to Lin Ming!
He gripped the Penetrating Rainbow spear and flicked it into his hand. Lin Ming fired into the group of enemies! The cow-like vicious beast with strength equal to the Altering Muscle stage stormed towards Lin Ming. Its large body of several thousand jins, rapidly ran at him. Its four trampling hooves shook the ground, causes dirt and stones to fly in the air!
With the fearsome power of the cow-like vicious beast, and in addition to the strength from its charge, even a palace would collapse on impact!
Facing this aggressive monster, Lin Ming did not dodge or evade. He shouted, arms lowering, and his imposing aura erupted from his body like a volcano, “Flood Dragon Goes to Sea!”
With a roar, Lin Ming’s spear pierced through that cow-like monster’s body!
Kacha!
Under the force of this impact, the Penetrating Rainbow spear split apart the cow-like monster’s thick skin as if it was rotten leather and then stuck straight in the middle of the cow-like beast’s body!
The powerful clash of the two caused the Penetrating Rainbow spear to curve like a crescent moon. Li Ming fiercely stepped forward with his right foot, and his feet became rooted to the ground, as if he were an immovable mountain that had become one with the earth.
“Hoh!”
Lin Ming’s body flooded with thick true essence. His waist bent, and his body flexed like a bow. Both of his arms suddenly rose, and that several thousand jin cow-beast was sent flying over Lin Ming’s head!
With a single move to send that cow monster soaring in the air, Lin Ming’s momentum had already reached an extreme. He gave a loud shout and crashed into the center of the pack of enemies. Wielding his spear with both hands, he emanated an epic majesty. The Penetrating Rainbow spear was just like a purple black flood dragon diving in the midst of a billowing sea of pain. Where the flood dragon when, blood would spray, bones would break, and muscles would be torn apart!
Every move of the spear killed at least two enemies!
The Ten Thousand Killing Array unceasingly conjured up new phantasmal enemies; however, the old enemies died even faster!
After a long period passed, there were only 7 or 8 phantom beasts and martial artists that surrounded Lin Ming. Most of these had been swept by a spear, and had their legs broken of spines shattered. They lost nearly all their combat prowess, and would soon be eliminated!
………………….
Outside the Ten Thousand Killing Array, the fourth incense stick had already been lit. Lin Ming was sitting on the altar, looking as indifferent as he did when he started, apparently still not having reached anywhere near his limit.
“The fourth incense stick has lit! During the last Ten Thousand Killing Array assessment, when Lin Ming arrived at the fourth incense stick he had already been weakened. Even so, the speed at which he killed the enemies inside was too fast, and he killed his way to rank 62. Now it’s already the fourth incense stick and Lin Ming hasn’t even been affected at all. It looks like even persisting to the sixth or seventh incense stick is not a problem! With Lin Ming’s increased strength, the speed at which he’s killing enemies is absolutely faster than before; he might already have killed them to the point of the array creating Bone Forging stage martial artists! An early Bone Forging stage martial artist is worth 1000 points, I just can’t even imagine what Lin Ming’s ranking will be like.” Bai Jingyun commented as she looked at the incense burning while estimating Lin Ming’s current score.
“The Ten Thousand Killing Array 10th place is probably around 8 or 9 thousand points. As long as he can kill 4 or 5 early Bone Forging stage martial artists, in addition to the points he’s already accumulated, he could easily enter the top 10 rankings.”
To Bai Jingyun, for a 15 year old to enter the top ten rankings, that was an absolutely terrifying result.
As Bai Jingyun spoke, Murong Zi was sitting cross-legged on the grass, propping up her head with both hands under her chin. She looked at Lin Ming as he sat down on the altar, and didn’t really have much of a surprised feeling. This was probably because this Lin Ming had created too many miracles lately, and Murong Zi had become immune to whatever amazing things Lin Ming would do. She was just too lazy to be surprised.
In the Ten Thousand Killing Array, Lin Ming was facing Bone Forging stage enemies just like Bai Jingyun had predicted. However, these were not early Bone Forging enemies, but peak Bone Forging enemies!
Bai Jingyun had vastly underestimated the speed at which Lin Ming slaughtered his enemies!
Lin Ming had just entered the early Altering Muscle stage. Facing off against peak Bone Forging enemies, there was more than a stage and half difference between their cultivations!
“Peak Bone Forging?” Lin Ming greedily licked his lips, his eyes flashing with a brilliant fighting spirit. Because of the blood that stained his lips and face, his expression was particularly ferocious.
As the enemies’ strength increased, the pressure that Lin Ming felt on him also increased. Lin Ming’s strength had already surpassed that of a common peak Bone Forging martial artist. However, in a situation where he was surrounded by a group of enemies that diverted his attention from all angles, to kill someone that was at the peak Bone Forging stage was a much greater level of difficulty.
Peng!
Lin Ming recklessly fought with a peak Bone Forging stage martial artist. This phantom martial artist actually used a rare staff as a weapon. As the staff pounded down, it had a tremendous crushing strength!
Lin Ming brandished the Penetrating Rainbow spear, and struck the other staff.
Sizzling sparks showered the air, and the spear and staff both bent from the formidable impact!
At this time, the advantage of an elastic weapon was revealed. If that staff was not elastic, then with this strike, the martial artist’s hand would have gone numb from the intense vibration.
A peak Bone Forging martial artist had astonishing strength, but Lin Ming’s strength was even greater!
With the support of the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ and combined with the power of ‘Flow like Silk’, Li Ming’s spear shaft was like the surging tides of the infinite sea. Not only was it formidable, but it also stretched!
The Penetrating Rainbow spear that was bent into a half arc flexed back to its original shape. The peak Bone Forging black armored martial artist was sent flying backwards by Lin Ming.
In contrast, Lin Ming had not even taken half a step back!