Chapter 77 – When I Need to Draw it, I Will Draw it
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Liu Mingxiang was the first to jump on stage. He pointed his longsword at Wang Yanfeng and said with a smile, “Wang Yanfeng, come up to die!”
“Humph.” Wang Yanfeng coldly snorted and fearlessly walked on stage. Today was the day that he and Liu Mingxiang’s match had also been decided upon.
“This Wang Yanfeng has some backbone after all.” Lin Ming could see that Wang Yanfeng wasn’t faking his confident manner. The gap between Wang Yanfeng and Liu Mingxiang was just too wide. Even if Wang Yanfeng’s talent was gifted, it was impossible for him to catch up to Liu Mingxiang in just one month. But confronted with even the slimmest chance of victory, he also faced this with a courageous manner. This was quite a rare and commendable feat.
Wang Yanfeng drew out his own treasure sword, and poured his true essence into it. The green runes of the ‘Nine Paths of Truth’ came shimmering alive one at a time. Its brightness and solidity was many times more than when he had fought with Lin Ming.
During this month, Wang Yanfeng had cultivated like a madman with nothing to lose. Although he hadn’t been able to reach the peak of the Third Stage of Body Transformation, his true essence Viscera Training had reached a much more thorough and complete degree, and he had consolidated his cultivation at the Third Stage of Body Transformation.
Seeing Wang Yanfeng’s ‘Nine Paths of Truth’ swordsmanship, Liu Mingxiang smiled, “Looks like you’ve made a little progress, but it’s a pity, you’re still far short of reaching me.”
“Now die!” Liu Mingxiang shouted. He drew his sword and slashed at Wang Yanfeng. As it cut through the air, his sword turned purple-gray and began to glitter with a strange phosphorescent light.
Peng peng peng! Liu Mingxiang’s sword let loose three strikes. The treasure-rank sword howled with a piercing sound as Liu Mingxiang sent his true essence flowing into it.
Wang Yanfeng stepped back slightly, the symbols of the ‘Nine Paths of Truth’ began to dazzle with light on the sword blade. With a stroke of his sword, Liu Mingxiang’s sword wind was split apart and weakened. With another cut of his sword, Wang Yanfeng broke apart Liu Mingxiang’s first sword wind slash.
Cha cha cha! Wang Yanfeng wielded his sword as he stepped backwards. He cut down Liu Mingxiang’s sword wind again and again and again. By the end of this terrible onslaught, the wind strokes had shredded his clothes to tatters, but Wang Yanfeng’s step was calm, and though his true essence was rapidly fluctuating, it wasn’t chaotic.
“You have some decent skills, but you are far from ready! ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram Blade’!”
Liu Mingxiang took a step forward. The haze of true essence around his body began to glow with a rich purple light. It billowed off of him like a cloud of steam. His three foot long sword began to glow with a glorious light that ran up the blade’s length. True essence congealed together and formed a rapidly spinning Dharmic Wheel at the end of the sword point.
“‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram Blade’! This is a high-level martial skill from the depository. Practicing it is beyond difficult, but this Liu Mingxiang actually succeeded in doing so!”
“Wang Yanfeng is in danger!”
Lin Ming narrowed his eyes as he looked at this martial skill ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram’. It was true essence that had formed a strange self-contained system. Just looking at it, there appeared to be no flaw, but Lin Ming had discovered that Liu Mingxiang was forcefully using this martial skill; he had only reluctantly managed to use this ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram’. In Lin Ming’s eyes, he could see that there were too many flaws in the circulation of true essence in the treasure sword.
If Wang Yanfeng wanted to win, his only path was to rush forward right now and interrupt Liu Mingxiang from supplying his sword with true essence. However, Wang Yanfeng was not an inscription master and he did not know the ‘Overbearing Soul Tactic’, and thus it was impossible for him to see the path of true essence in Liu Mingxiang’s sword.
At this time, Wang Yanfeng moved. Although Liu Mingxiang’s aura was intimidating, Wang Yanfeng had resolved to swim against this stream! He was clear; this was his only chance. He must attack before Liu Mingxiang’s Dharmic Wheel had condensed to its top form, and defeat his ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram’!
Wang Yanfeng brandished his sword. His target was not the ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram’, nor was it the weak spots in the flow of true essence of Liu Mingxiang’s treasure sword. Instead, the point he would strike was Liu Mingxiang’s chest. Wang Yanfeng’s sword infused with true essence and it seemed as if lightning was flashing up its blade, carrying with it the crashing sound of wind and thunder. This was the martial skill ‘Thundercloud Strike’!
This move was the high-grade martial skill that Wang Yanfeng had chosen at the depository!
At that time, Wang Yanfeng had chosen three manuals at the depository; ‘Divine Yang Power’, ‘Swan Feather Fall’, and ‘Thundercloud Strike’. These three cultivation methods and martial skills were not simple at all; even with Wang Yanfeng’s outstanding talent, it would be impossible for him to learn them in a short period of time.
‘Divine Yang Power’ was a skill used to enhance one’s cultivation. It would take more than one night and day or even a month with this to improve one’s cultivation and strength. The ‘Swan Feather Fall’ was a movement technique, but it also could not increase his combat prowess immediately. Therefore Wang Yanfeng had used most of the remaining month to cultivate the “Thundercloud Strike’. Now, his ‘Thundercloud Strike’ had finally shown some results, and he believed that with this move he would create a miracle!
“Naïve! You’ve only practiced the ‘Thundercloud Strike’ for one month, how could you even think of comparing it to my ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram’!?” Liu Mingxiang shouted. The longsword that held the ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram’ slashed down. The spinning Dharmic Wheel fell down as if it were a black hole that could swallow all of life.
Bang! The ‘Thundercloud Strike’ and ‘Heavenly King’s Crushing Chakram’ smashed into each other. The intense collision of true essence became a ballooning force of air pressure, as if it were the epicenter of a tide that was rushing outwards. In the air, lightning flashed and the sound of thunder drowned out all noise. Wang Yanfeng and Liu Mingxiang were both tossed backwards flying upside down!
Liu Mingxiang cartwheeled several times in the air before he finally managed to stab his sword into the ground and stabilize himself. Blood roiled in his chest, almost sending him tumbling; he was almost seriously injured in that last collision.
However, Wang Yanfeng’s situation was miserable. His body was tossed backwards like a rag doll for several dozen feet before he hazardously slammed into a big tree. His leg was stained crimson from an injury. He opened his mouth and coughed up blood.
“Wang Yanfeng lost!”
“Predictable. But it’s already very impressive that he could force Liu Mingxiang to this degree.”
“How can a new disciple beat an old disciple? Isn’t everyone here a talent? We have stayed here at the Seven Profound Martial House for several years, if we lose to a new disciple, then the years that we spent here cultivating are all useless! This Lin Ming will also absolutely lose! These newbies, we don’t beat them around and they think that they can ride on our heads! An old disciple of the Earth Hall said with disdain as he curled his lips.
Wang Yanfeng supported himself with his sword as he fell down on one knee. His wiped away the blood on his lips with his left hand. He coldly stared at Liu Mingxiang, and with a wave of his arm, threw five true essence stones at him!
“What you took from my hand today, I will demand double in the future!”
Wang Yanfeng fiercely spat out these words. Each word was heard by all as it echoed on every surface. He turned and propped himself up with his sword, and dragging his broken leg, left step by step.
Lin Ming gazed at Wang Yanfeng as he left. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration towards him. Wang Yanfeng just had horrible luck. Ever since he entered the Seven Profound Martial House, he had suffered setbacks again and again, and was repeatedly frustrated and defeated. Arrogant geniuses had their breaking point, and would find it impossible to recover from all these disasters. But this Wang Yanfeng had persevered through all this, it really was worthy of admiration.
“Lin Ming, come up, it’s your turn! You are going to share the same fate as that loser!” After Liu Mingxiang had left, Zhang Cang stepped onto the stage. Zhang Cang’s Ranking Stone rank was 103. His strength was most likely far superior to Liu Mingxiang!
Lin Ming carried Penetrating Rainbow strapped to his back onto the stage and stood opposite to Zhang Cang.
The match between Wang Yanfeng and Liu Mingxiang was only the appetizer. This match between Lin Ming and Zhang Cang was the main play that most of the people present had come to see!
Among these people, the new disciples naturally hoped that Lin Ming would use everything he had to win. Even if he lost, he couldn’t lose too horribly. But the old disciples wished that Zhang Cang would win with an overwhelming superior victory, and teach these new disciples who believed themselves to be infallible, the gap between the new and the old!
Seeing Lin Ming come on stage, Ling Sen and Ta Ku immediately stood at attention. The reason why Lin Ming had reached rank 126 on the ranking stone would immediately become clear!
Before the match officially begun, Zhang Cang took out a slender, thin saber. The handle of the saber didn’t have a hilt guard; the saber blade was directly linked to the hilt. The saber blade was two feet and eight inches long, and no wider than three inches. The blade edge was thin like paper, and it could be seen with a single glance that this saber was to be wielded at the extreme limits of speed.
Without a doubt, this saber was a treasure. In the Seven Profound Martial House, if a disciple was in the top 100 ranks, even if they were not part of an aristocratic family, they could easily be recruited into a major power and receive certain perks. To them, giving away a treasure was simply nothing!
“Draw your spear, Lin Ming. I want to take a good look at exactly how well you’ve practiced the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’. Have you reached Small Success? Such a simple cultivation method, one month should be enough to reach Small Success.”
Zhang Cang’s smiled sardonically. Let alone Small Success of the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’, it would be no threat to him even if it were Perfect. Since Ling Sen and Ta Ku paid so much attention to Lin Ming, then he would jump over Lin Ming by maliciously stepping him underneath his foot!
Zhang Cang let his true essence flow into his slender saber. He saw Lin Ming standing still and his brow wrinkled. “Are you going to draw your weapon?”
Lin Ming slowly responded, “When I need to draw it, I will draw it!”
“What did you say!?” Zhang Cang’s heart burned with rage. To think that as a superior disciple of the Earth Hall, he was actually looked down upon by a new disciple of the Martial House. Moreover, this Lin Ming’s strength was less than his. He simply didn’t know what it meant to die! “You will draw it when you need to draw it? Good. Good! Very good! Today I will have a very good look and see if you even have the chance to draw your spear!”