Chapter 74 – Steady Spear At The Waterfall
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When Lin Ming arrived at the strength measuring room, it was the afternoon, and there were only four or five people inside testing their might. Lin Ming walked over to an obscure corner, took aim at the stone column, and freely let loose a punch!
“Peng!”
The stone pillar began to fiercely rock as the light beam jumped up and down crazily. Finally it stabilized at almost four feet.
3900 jins!
It was only a casual punch, and yet it had this result.
With this result, Lin Ming was quite satisfied.
Initially, during the Strength Trial at the entrance examination, the Heavenly Abode’s elder senior apprentice Ling Sen had come to demonstrate for them. He had also casually punched the stone column which had a 4900 jin result.
Lin Ming remembered this moment crystal clear, thus this time he intentionally had also casually punched the stone column to see how vast the gap between him and Ling Sen was still.
“Lin Sen is at the peak of the Fourth Stage of Body Transformation, and is a half-step to reaching the Bone Forging stage. I am just at the early Third Stage of Body Transformation, but the difference is only 1000 jins… after I achieve the Fourth Stage of Body Transformation, my strength will definitely surpass his!
“But, a martial artist cannot just look at strength only. Strength is my strong point, but I can’t let the other aspects fall behind…”
With that in mind, Lin Ming took a deep breath and wholly relaxed his body. He stood there with his eyes shut for a moment, and subtly adjusted his breathing. The tiny units of his body gradually became consistent in their breathing rhythm, and had achieved a slight resonance frequency. Then, Lin Ming jerked his eyes open, sent his strength rolling up from his thighs to his waist, and instantly erupted forwards from his static condition.
Bang! The fist pounded the strength measuring stone column like a malicious steel weight. And the vibration did not end! The light beam first shot up to 4200 jins, then oscillated up and down between 4200 jins and 4300 jins, back and forth!
When a normal martial artist measured his strength on the stone column, the light beam would flash several times, rise high and then fall. But Lin Ming’s fist actually caused the light beam to fly up and down between 4200 jins and 4300 jins for over 20 breaths of time!
This was true essence vibration, the effect which was achieved by cultivating Strength Training’s ‘Flow like Silk’!
“My fist strength is between 4200 jins and 4300 jins. But using this ‘Flow like Silk’, I can actually send my fist strength into my opponent’s body and attack his vital organs. Also it continually attacks! A martial artist who didn’t completely undergo Viscera Training would just die. Even a martial artist at the Large Success of Viscera Training, or even a powerhouse of the Altering Muscle stage would be severely wounded and spit blood after receiving my fist!”
“The ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ had recorded that the ‘Flow like Silk’ stage was both a marvelous and purely terrifying destructive power! What a fearsome cultivation method! But the nameless senior who left behind the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ only managed to achieve the formidable destructive power, and didn’t find out how to resonate all the tiny units in the body. Like that, it would be useless for cultivation; it really was incomplete.”
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It was the 21st day since Lin Ming had arrived at the Seven Profound Martial House.
In the early morning, Lin Ming carried his long spear, Penetrating Rainbow, to the Icy Pond Waterfall of the seven major killing arrays. The deacon who was responsible for managing and protecting the array, Xie Dong, saw Lin Ming arrive and greeted him with a smile. “Junior Apprentice Brother, you are here quite early. You are truly diligent.”
“Good morning Senior Apprentice Brother.” Ling Ming politely greeted. Lin Ming preferred to come to the Icy Pond Waterfall in the mornings and evenings, because during these times there were fewer people who reserved an appointment, and he could usually make an appointment during this time whenever he wanted.
“After a quarter hour the array will open again. This Junior Apprentice Brother will be at the third position, seventh level of difficulty.” Xie Dong said.
“Mmm…so, I want to adjust the difficulty today to the eighth level.” This was the first time Lin Ming had come to the Icy Pond Waterfall after reaching the Third Stage of Body Transformation. The truth was, at the seventh level, Lin Ming could dive deep to reach an area that was cold enough. However this time Lin Ming carried the Penetrating Rainbow with him. The Penetrating Rainbow was 820 jins; if he dived too deep, it would be difficult to swim back up.
“Mmm? Eighth level of difficulty? Xie Dong said with surprise. The eighth level of difficulty corresponded to between rank 80 and rank 110. Lin Ming even wanted to challenge this difficulty? Xie Dong wanted to urge Lin Ming not to advance so recklessly, but at this moment he noted differences in Lin Ming’s true essence fluctuations. “Junior Apprentice Brother, you broke through?”
Xie Dong certainly remembered that the last time Lin Ming had come here, he was only at the peak Second Stage of Body Transformation. He didn’t think that he would reach the Third Stage of Body Transformation so quickly.
“Mm. I just broke through recently.”
“Haha, congratulations. But Junior Apprentice Brother, you just broke through, strength growth is actually a very slow and steady process and takes time to accumulate. Are you sure that you want to enter the eighth level of difficulty?”
“Mmm. I’ve already decided. I won’t change my mind.”
“Alright.” Xie Dong shrugged and complied with Lin Ming’s request.
After a quarter hour, Lin Ming carried the Penetrating Rainbow and moved towards the Icy Pond Waterfall. Xie Dong looked and discovered that Lin Ming’s footsteps were very heavy. Every time Lin Ming stepped on the mountain valleys grass, it would leave a deep impression in the ground.
Xie Dong’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. His vision focused on the long box that Lin Ming was carrying. “Such a long box is probably a spear or a halberd or something like that. For each step to make such a deep impression in the ground, that must be a very heavy weapon, at least 700 or 800 jins. For this Junior Apprentice Brother Lin to choose such a heavy spear or halberd as his choice of weapon, how rare!”
As Lin Ming entered the array, he placed the Penetrating Rainbow on his back and jumped into the icy pond.
The eighth level of difficulty icy pond’s chilliness was really turned a notch, but with Lin Ming’s new breakthrough, this cold was just about right for him.
Before, when he had dived into the icy pond, when he was submerged in the water he could feel that the icy pond had a formidable resistance similar to mercury. But now, shouldering the 820 jin heavy long spear on his back, Lin Ming actually plummeted straight down!
Fiercely revolving his true essence, Lin Ming slowed down in the water. He kicked his legs together and with the Penetrating Rainbow long spear on his back, he arrived at a rock protrusion near the surface of the icy pond.
Leveraging the rock, he sprung upwards. Lin Ming jumped onto a second rock protrusion and continued this several times into he arrived under the waterfall.
The Icy Pond Waterfall not only had the icy pond, but it also had a waterfall. The waterfall was equally incomparably cold, and not only that, but there was a current of water that crashed downwards from a height of 300 feet. That force’s strength was no less than 1000 jins!
Under this waterfall was a giant rock that was immersed in the water. It was for martial artists who wished to cultivate under the waterfall. This giant rock was specially left there by the master who had created this Icy Pond Waterfall, otherwise how could there be such a rock underneath that raging waterfall, it would have already been worn down and broken into pieces by the years of endless impact!
“What a tremendous crushing force!” Lin Ming tried to stand up atop the rock, but discovered that it was very difficult to steady himself. Although Lin Ming had taken his time to find a small place that wasn’t too affected by the waterfall, the Icy Pond Waterfall water here was especially heavy, and the flushing of it underneath his legs and over his body caused him to not be able to stand up straight.
“Hah!” Lin Ming directly thrusted his spear into the rock. He gripped onto the Penetrating Rainbow’s spear shaft and came to a stop. A thousand jins of water impacted down on Lin Ming’s upper back and shoulders. The pain felt as if iron hammers were continuously pounding on his back, and it was as if his body was being torn apart. Moreover, this waterfall was also incomparably cold, and because of the rate of water flow over him, the heat of his body dispersed even quicker. Even as Lin Ming revolved the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’ he could feel the chilling cold unceasingly penetrate even into his marrow, as if he was being stabbed with countless, painful needles.
Lin Ming grasped the long spear and adjusted all the breathing of the tiny units in his body. He adjusted his body to touch the ‘Flow like Silk’ boundary, and then used this vibration of true essence to barely stand firm.
With each breath he took, Lin Ming’s inner true essence circulation started to become peaceful, and he found himself more and more stable, until he could finally stand up straight.
Lin Ming withdrew the Penetrating Rainbow from the rock. He did not sweep out with his spear, or thrust with his spear, or make any movement with his spear. Instead, he simply stood there with his spear in hand.
The spear was the king of a hundred soldiers. It could sweep, cut down, dance like a flower, thrust straight; although these spear moves seemed simple, but to practice to the Large Success stage was not easy at all! Spears were difficult to learn, and even harder to master!
A spear was a long weapon. An inch longer, and inch stronger, the spear followed this rule. Spearplay’s Large Success involved the coordination of true essence and martial skill to display its truly terrifying striking power and killing scope. Therefore all the generals that fought on a battlefield used the spear or a halberd. A sword could only be used by the military strategist.
But in reverse, an inch shorter would be an inch weaker. Although swords and sabers were inferior to a spear’s striking power and their killing rage was smaller, they won in accuracy. And more so a dagger! That was why many assassins used daggers! This advantage was easy to hide. A dagger was fast, accurate and easy to fatally strike an opponent! That was why it was unheard of for an assassin to carry around such an obvious weapon like a spear.
That’s why to practice a spear, the first goal was accuracy!
Lin Ming had been deboning for years. Regardless of whether it was a saber or a spear, he was already very accurate. In the Ten Thousand Killing Array, he had the accuracy to cut the spider’s silk as it rapidly flew at him. However, this was in a situation where there was no resistance at all. In actual combat and facing an enemy’s martial skills, the energy flow of true essence would be wreaking havoc everywhere. To use a spear to break that energy flow and thrust towards the enemy’s weak point was not easy.
Therefore, the first step of practicing a spear was neither the spear skills nor the spear moves, but to keep the spear steady at all times!
At this time, Lin Ming gripped the Penetrating Rainbow with both hands. His hands were wrapped around the latter half section, and 70% of the shaft was soaked in the crushing force of the waterfall, as it resisted the unending 1000 jins impact!
Penetrating Rainbow was originally 820 jins. The spear shaft was eight feet in length, and the spearhead was eight inches. With such a long spear, in addition to its weight, to maintain steadiness underneath the maddening force of a 300 foot waterfall drop, was easier said than done!
Even with Lin Ming’s arm strength of 4200 jins, the end of the spearhead was wobbling up and down, as if confused!
“It’s really heavy!”
Lin Ming gritted his teeth. He stayed like this awhile, until he began to feel his arms go numb, and the spear tip was starting to be pressed downwards by the force of the waterfall.