Chapter 82 – Powers Far and Wide
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Seeing all the scattered stones, Lin Ming let loose a light breath.
The ‘Flow like Silk’ recorded down in the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ was at a stage far more profound and advanced than the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’. The highest boundary of the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ could only touch the threshold of ‘Flow like Silk’. If he achieved Large Success in Strength Training’s ‘Flow like Silk’, then with that spear thrust, the boulder would have exploded into fine powder, and scattered into the air with just a gust of wind!
At this point, Lin Ming was able to use his empty hand to block Zhang Cang’s slender saber and use his own true essence to disperse Zhang Cang’s true essence. If his ‘Flow like Silk’ was able to go a step futher, then Lin Ming might even have been able to use his empty hand to block a martial skill. His vibrations would shock the gathering of true essence and scatter all of it that had condensed into the martial skill, just like that boulder!
If the true essence scattered, then there would be no martial skill. No matter how unpredictable a martial skill an opponent had, or how gorgeous and magnificent, as long as their cultivation was not too far from Lin Ming’s, then he would be able to shatter it with a single move! It could be said to be a single move that could break through a thousand variations!
“This Strength Training’s ‘Flow like Silk’ is just too heaven defying!” Lin Ming sighed with emotion. The longer and farther he cultivated, he discovered more and more how truly terrifyingly powerful the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ really was. He had only reached the Perfect first layer of the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’ and reached the beginning stages of ‘Flow like Silk’, and other such starting skills. If he managed to cultivate these to the Large Success stage in the future, and learned even more ingenious and wonderful skills, there was no telling how strong he would become.
In the memories of that elder, he remembered that once he reached the Large Success stage of the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’, he would be able to open the Eight Inner Hidden Gates and the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace in his body. Once that happened, his vitality would be like a rainbow that passed through the world, every roar would be like giving birth to thunder, and every fist would be enough to destroy moons and sink stars. A martial artist who had reached this stage had never appeared within the history of the Sky Spill Continent, and probably never would.
“This time I defeated Zhang Cang and the commotion from it wasn’t small. My strength has risen too dramatically these past few months; it really is a bit too high profile. But if I want to maintain this indomitable spirit, then I have to struggle for resources in the Seven Profound Martial House. With such exposure, I might have drawn others’ attention to me who want to see if I’m hiding anything. But if they really want to check me, then they will probably only find that there is some master behind me…”
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The gambling match between Lin Ming and Zhang Cang originally hadn’t seemed like it was an important matter, but now, the truth was that the details about this match had spread like the wind across the Seven Profound Martial House, and subsequently been passed on to the information network of every major power in the Sky Fortune Kingdom!
The name Lin Ming had also appeared on every major power’s internal meeting’s conference table!
Lin Ming. 15 years old, Seven Profound Martial House Earth Hall dsciple. Current Rank, 126. Weapon: Spear!
To defeat Zhang Cang who was rank 103 on the Ranking Stone wasn’t considered a great deed, but the one who defeated Zhang Cang was Lin Ming! Lin Ming had only been in the Seven Profound Martial House for one month; this really was cause for startle! This was an even more terrifying growth speed than any old disciple of the Seven Profound Martial House!
It had to be known, that even if it was Ling Sen, Ta Ku, or Zhang Guanyu, they would not have such strength with only one month at the Seven Profound Martial House!
And what was most astounding, was that Lin Ming had defeated Zhang Cang with the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’. From beginning to end he had used a single spear move – ‘Flood Dragon Goes To Sea’!
Although this move, ‘Flood Dragon Goes To Sea’, had a resounding and impressive name, the reality was that it was just a single plain straight thrust. In an army of several hundred thousand soldiers who thrust the spear together, they would let out a shout in unison, and the imposing aura that would emanate from them would be like a flood dragon that was rushing out the sea, that was why the move had such a name.
However, that indomitable aura was from an army of several hundred thousand thousand soldiers wielding spears together. It was unheard of for just a single person to have such a display of grandeur that their spear would be where a ‘Flood Dragon Goes To Sea’, but Lin Ming had actually achieved this state!
The competition was witnessed by many experts. An amateur would go to enjoy the fun, but an expert would go to observe the truth. Ta Ku had personally affirmed the potential of Lin Ming’s spear thrust.
Ta Ku was the top-tier talent who had been the second-ranked disciple on the Ranking Stone for years, so his words carried a certain importance. But Ta Ku had not mentioned that before that spear thrust, Lin Ming had also used his palm and fist that had an elusive force to them. Even Ling Sen, who Ta Ku deeply admired, was at a total loss of what it meant.
Many people had seen that fist and palm. However, not many of them were able to see that there was a profound and mysterious force that was contained within. Even if they did see this abstruse force, they would still not associate it with the “Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’, because there were some differences between Lin Ming’s fist and palm, and the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’. Beyond that, most importantly, no one dared to believe that Lin Ming would be able to comprehend it; a jade slip that was missing 70% of its contents, and use that to succinctly complete the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’.
Because of this bright halo that surrounded Lin Ming, the common talents and geniuses began to be pushed into his shadow.
Results were everything. No matter Lin Ming’s talent, or if he was just a 15 year old boy, his achievements were an established fact, and he was already pressuring the likes of Ling Sen and Ta Ku. Who could know whether or not Lin Ming would obtain even more glorious achievements than Ling Sen and Ta Ku in the future?
All the major powers, influences, and organizations would naturally not miss this kind of rising talent. However, the Seven Profound Martial House had a rule that any family, even the Royal Family, could not entering the Martial House during the school period and attempt to recruit disciples. This was in order to avoid affecting the normal teachings of the Martial House and the disciples’ cultivation.
Therefore, some major powers and great families’ scouts would hover around the Seven Profound Martial House year-round, and wait for Lin Ming to leave school!
Not only were they waiting for Lin Ming, but they were also keeping an eye on the new Ten Thousand Killing Array ranking war. They were waiting to see; just how high could Lin Ming reach this time?
Of course, they would also appropriately look at all the other new disciples of the Earth Hall. At the last assessment, they hadn’t seen anything, but after a month of class, if one were a true blue genius, they would inevitably stand out.
It was only that under the light of Lin Ming’s rising and shining bright halo, the other disciples could only take a modest supporting role. Even the champion of the Yuelu City elite competition, the Wang Family’s number one talent, Wang Yanfeng, could only be as such.
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Lin Ming had already been at the Seven Profound Martial House for 34 days, and it was time for the second Ten Thousand Killing Array assessment, as had been scheduled.
The Ten Thousand Killing Array was in a valley that was covered by seemingly arrogant sword bamboo. Because this bamboo had been nourished over a long time with effort, the bamboo was tall and straight, and its leaves’ edges were sharp.
The ashlar square was located in the center of this sword bamboo grove. In the center of the ashlar square was an altar. At this time, many people were already gathered here and milling around. Most of these people were disciples of the Earth Hall. Of the 20 new Earth Hall disciples that had been here last month, only 7 or 8 of them had come again.
In order to not have disciples come to the Ten Thousand Killing Array just to see if they could chance their way up another rank, and to not waste time in vain, the Seven Profound Martial House had a stipulation. This stipulation was that each time one wanted to challenge the Ten Thousand Killing Array; one had to mortgage a single true essence stone. If they could not rise at least 5 ranks, then their true essence stone would not be given back.
For a new disciple of the Earth Hall, they would only receive one true essence stone per month. This was the amount of true essence stones it took to enter the Ten Thousand Killing Array. Therefore those disciples that didn’t have the confidence to advance at least 5 ranks would not come participate in this assessment, as a true essence stone was simply far too valuable for them.
The pair of Wang Mang and Li Tie did not make an appearance today. The last time, these two people had relied upon their mercenary and fighting backgrounds to reach rankings in the 160’s, but that was already their limit. Even if they wished to progress 5 ranks, it would not be easy in such a short period of time.
In the crowd were not only disciples of the Seven Profound Martial House who had come to participate in the assessment, but also outside personnel who had come to the Seven Profound Martial House. They had gathered in a corner of the valley and were distantly looking on at the situation at the Ten Thousand Killing Array. These were intelligence operatives, detectives who had been sent by the major powers. Their job was to report to their masters the change in Lin Ming’s ranking as soon as possible.
According to the regulations of the Seven Profound Martial House, areas such as the Ten Thousand Killing Array and the Exquisite Pagoda, or the seven major killing arrays, were restricted areas within the Seven Profound Martial House. Unauthorized people were not allowed to enter or wander around.
That intelligence operatives could arrive at the mountain valley showed that their masters’ hands and eyes could reach the sky and were of the highest authority. For instance, the group of four ash-clothed men who were quietly waiting in the sword bamboo grove, their lord was the current dynasty’s crown prince!