Chapter 76 – Ling Sen, Ta Ku
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In the Seven Profound Martial House, Ling Sen, Ta Ku, and Zhuang Guanyu were the three existences that held absolute authority. Even the several core disciples could not compare with their fame and reputation. After entering the Seven Profound Martial House, starting from the third year, these three people had been situated in the top three ranks of the Ranking stone and had maintained that until the present. There was not a single person yet who had been able to pressure them from those coveted positions!
The Ranking Stone only showed one’s rank, they did not display the score. Therefore, of these three top-tier geniuses, no one knew how many more points they had achieved over the fourth ranked disciple. There were rumors that Zhang Guanyu had more than ten thousand points over the fourth place disciple, but whether these rumors were real or fake, no one knew.
In brief, Ling Sen, Ta Ku, and Zhuang Guanyu were three people of immeasurably deep and profound strength. They whispered that Ling Sen, who was half a step into the Fifth Stage of Body Transformation, could compare with the strength of a martial artist at the Pulse Condensation Period!
Such a dominant and compelling person, who could they possibly pay attention too?
It was impossible for it to be Zhang Cang or Liu Mingxiang. Although they were strong, but in the past two years they had not managed to crack into the Ranking Stone’s top 100. They were absolutely not anyone that Ling Sen or Ta Ku would bother paying attention too. Wang Yanfeng was also unqualified. Although he had a superior fourth-grade talent, but in Ling Sen and Ta Ku’s eyes, he was also an insignificant existence that had barely entered the top 180 for the first time. He was just pathetic. So the only youth here worth concerning over, it could only be Lin Ming!
They must have come to take a look at him. During the first Ten Thousand Killing Array assessment he had participated in, he had managed to reach rank 126. Even that Zhang Guanyu was inferior to him in this regard. They came to see just who this young man was!
At this moment, in the crowd, Zhang Cang and Liu Mingxiang had also arrived. But because Ling Sen and Ta Ku were here, their limelight had been completely snatched away. No one even paid attention to these two who were in the gambling match.
Zhang Cang wasn’t narcissistic enough to think that these two people, Ling Sen and Ta Ku, would come here to a gambling match to watch him. They were certainly here to check out Lin Ming. As Zhang Cang realized this, he felt very uncomfortable in his heart. Even if he did win, Ling Sen and Ta Ku’s focus wouldn’t be on him!
“Humph! How dare you look down on me! I will let you know that your judgment was stupid and wrong!” Zhang Cang secretly clenched his fists.
Liu Mingxiang also gritted his teeth, “Zhang Cang, not only do we have to win, but we have to win cleanly and perfectly. In five moves we will step these reckless kids underneath our feet, otherwise others will really think we are worthless trash!”
“Humph. I will leave a memento on that Lin boy’s body. I will let him regret this gambling match!” As he said this, Zhang Cang traced the hilt of the slender knife in hand, and his cold eyes flashed. This was also a request of Zhu Yan; not only attack his heart of martial arts, but leave him a severe wound that would hinder his future cultivation.
By now, Ling Ming and Wang Yanfeng had also arrived. Today, Lin Ming came dressed in black clothes, and carried an eight foot long dark purple spear on his back. This 820 jin spear, Penetrating Rainbow, did not bend Lin Ming’s back in the slightest. His posture was like the Penetrating Rainbow, he was standing just as straight!
Although his cultivation was only at the Third Stage of Body Cultivation, the thick true essence combined with his domineering manner, gave birth to a feeling among the crowd that this young man was truly unshakable!
“This Lin Ming, good!” Ta Ku opened his mouth to say. “That spear he is carrying, it looks like the shaft is made from dark purple elastic iron, just like my staff. With such a pole, the spear weight is definitely above 800 jins. The shaft contains a horrific strength. If he dares to use this weapon, then he must be very self-confident in his own strength.”
Ta Ku’s weapon was a staff. It was a weapon which very few martial artists used. Not many of them used spears either, but you could still see them in the army. But a staff had no use in the army. Only some temples that did not speak of taking lives would use them.
A staff was known as the virtuous man among soldiers. Ta Ku’s staff was 860 jins, and the staff body was made from dark purple elastic iron. Two golden bands made from cloud vein wrought iron circled both tips. Although it was not a treasure, if it was used to hit a human, there would be a horrific force.
Describing the power of top staffs and clubs, they were described as ‘a hit is a wound, a touch is death’. This was because a staff body contained a terrifying trembling crushing force! If they were struck they would be wounded, but if they were directly pounded, even iron armor would explode open!
Therefore, for this kind of staff-like weapon, a treasure staff’s might was instead inferior to one made from dark purple elastic iron!
The spear was equally wonderful in certain aspects like the staff, but the style was more complicated and diverse.
Ta Ku used a staff. To someone like Lin Ming who used a spear, it gave birth to warm feelings. After all, these two weapons were similarly rare.
“What a pity. He’s up against Zhang Cang. I cannot see this Lin Ming’s situation. I don’t know if in the future he will soar into the skies, or if he will vanish into the masses. But right now, he is not Zhang Cang’s match. Do you think that this Lin Ming can exchange several moves with Zhang Cang?” Ta Ku turned to his side and asked Ling Sen.
Ling Sen looked at Ta Ku and responded with a question, “You’ve determined that Lin Ming will lose?”
“Oh? You really think that this Lin Ming can win?” Ta Ku thought that he had already given Lin Ming a high appraisal. Ignoring his talent, he could be a possible rival. But he didn’t think that that Ling Sen would give an even higher appraisal!
The reason that Ling Sen was paying attention to Lin Ming was partly because he had achieved rank 126 on his first Ten Thousand Killing Array Assessment, and partly because Lin Ming’s heart of martial arts in the Dream Trial had managed to break his record! This was the proof that Lin Ming’s heart of martial arts had already surpassed him!
Ling Sen’s innermost feelings and thoughts were firm and resolute like iron. He had no desires and was also just. But that didn’t mean he was without flaws. His flaw was his killing heart. Ling Sen’s bloodlust was too great, his deathly aura was too heavy, and it was difficult for him to eliminate the evils within his heart.
Certainly, Lin Ming also had a flaw. There was not a single person in this world that did not have a flaw in their heart, so it only depended on whose flaw was smaller.
Ling Sen’s talent was an inferior fourth-grade. In the Seven Profound Martial House where geniuses gathered, this talent could only be considered decent. What he actually relied on to achieve his current position at the Seven Profound Martial House, was his formidable heart of martial arts. He had seen his own shadow in Lin Ming, and wanted to have a look at him and see whether he could create a miracle.
Ling Sen said, “I’m not sure if Lin Ming will win or lose, but what I know is that when Lin Ming was in the Ten Thousand Killing Array, his cultivation was at the peak Second Stage of Body Transformation. Now he is already at the Third Stage of Body Transformation.”
“Mm? It seems so.”
Unless the gap in strength was too large, a martial artist could tell another’s cultivation at a glance. Naturally, Zhang Cang and Liu Mingxiang also noted Lin Ming’s growth.
“This boy, he has such dog-sh*t luck. He actually made a breakthrough during this time!”
“It’s because of the efficacy of the Crimson Gold Dragon Marrow Pill and the Golden Snake Scarlet Pill. If he ate these two miracle pills together, the drug’s efficacy would slowly release into his body. It’s not too strange that he would breakthrough to the next stage, otherwise it would have been impossible to reach Rank 126 on the Ranking Stone. Zhang Cang, you have to be careful. Don’t be careless and suffer a loss.”
“Humph. You think too highly of him. He cultivates the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’ and the ‘Foundation Movement Technique’. There is no depth at all in these skills. Even if he practiced them to the Large Success stage, they wouldn’t have any power. Only because he has no self-confidence would he be an idiot and choose these two manuals. My knife skill is quick. Compared to his unwieldy spear, he won’t even be able to touch the hem of my clothes!”
By now, the sundial’s shadow was at quarter to noon. Time was up!