Clang!
The collision of sword and blade sent surging energy rippling in all directions. Wang Zai’s “Utmost Fairness and Selflessness” was perfectly balanced and refined, leaving Meng Qi’s concealed “Technique of Immortality” unable to borrow any momentum, even unable to deflect. Unless he could open all nine orifices and release his qi outward, using the help of an external qi barrier, he could not manage it. Therefore, Meng Qi had no choice but to unleash the force tightly adhering to his blade. The seemingly gentle momentum instantly turned violent.
Sharp edges scattered, leaving thin marks on the compacted earth of the training ground—some from swords, some from blades. The crisp sound of the collision echoed far away, causing a tremor in everyone’s heart.
Wang Zai withdrew his sword and struck once more. An invisible energy surged outward, enveloping the area in a grand, righteous, and awe-inspiring force.
However, Meng Qi’s qi remained at its peak. Using the rebound force from the impact, he launched another attack first.
His “A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade Method” was secretly at work. He used his initial stillness and purity to withstand the intimidation and pressure of the righteous force. His blade, “Whisper,” slashed diagonally, vibrating continuously. Simple yet bizarre, it completely defied the principles of blade techniques. It was the application of the sword technique “Formless” onto blade skills—an insight Meng Qi had gained through cross-learning over the past six months.
“Hmm…” Seeing this move, Wang Nayan, Kong Yu, Du Shaobai, and others showed slight surprise. It wasn’t because they lacked knowledge, but because only now did they realize that during his fight with Han Shi, the Blade-Maddened Su Meng had not only refrained from using the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade and Golden Bell Seal’s external scenery, but had also held back even in standard blade techniques.
Beside them, Han Shi’s face turned alternately green and pale, filled with anger and regret. His hidden arrogance was now completely gone.
On the other high platforms, murmurs of surprise also rose and fell. But they were puzzled—how could Blade-Maddened Su Meng use a move that looked like a child randomly swinging a blade? Yet upon closer inspection, they frowned, realizing that the move seemed full of openings, yet paradoxically had no openings at all, as if every gap was a trap.
Wang Zai remained calm, seemingly indifferent to Meng Qi’s “formless” technique. His sword swung out in an unremarkable manner.
This swing seemed to draw in the righteous energy of heaven and earth, which surged forth and merged into the sword force, making it as unyielding as a thousand-foot cliff—powerful and unstoppable.
This was the “Unyielding Integrity” of the Sage’s Nine Swords. Wang Zai used righteousness to counter the formless, the unchanging to meet the ever-changing, and overwhelming force to counter the formless!
Wang Nayan nodded slightly, satisfied. Wang Zai truly was the most outstanding of their generation, and his response was flawless. To deal with “formless,” one must be straightforward and overpowering, taking control of the situation.
As blade and sword seemed about to collide again, Meng Qi’s “Whisper” suddenly changed direction. The blade light emerged as if from the depths of the heart, slashing directly at Wang Zai’s left ribs—revealing that the previous “formless” had merely been a feint!
Wang Zai remained composed and unshaken. His intangible aura surged once more, rendering him upright, noble, and benevolent. It even slightly slowed Meng Qi’s “Whisper,” as though the blade itself hesitated to harm the man before it.
His sword, however, pressed down directly, slashing toward Meng Qi’s wrist with a mighty, overwhelming force, brimming with royal majesty and unstoppable power.
“Inner Sage, Outer King”—the Sage’s Nine Swords!
As the sword was about to strike Meng Qi’s wrist, suddenly his right hand “disappeared,” vanishing along with the blade “Whisper”!
It wasn’t because Meng Qi’s Eight-Nine Arcane Art had reached perfection, enabling him to freely transform his body. Instead, the blade technique had undergone an inexplicable change. “Whisper” struck back at Wang Zai’s sword from an impossible angle, fully demonstrating the transformative nature of the A-nan Blade-breaking Technique and the eerie essence of the Blood Blade Technique. His profound interpretation of the blade’s essence drew gasps of admiration from many spectators.
Ding!
The collision was not loud, but crisp and pleasant. With Meng Qi’s “Whisper” assisting, Wang Zai’s “Guarding Righteousness” sword was deflected upward, aiming at the left sword.
As the plan succeeded, Meng Qi remained emotionless. His right foot pressed hard, seizing the opportunity to lunge forward. He did not dodge Wang Zai’s sword, but instead charged straight at it.
Puh!
The sword pierced his left shoulder, releasing a surge of energy. His clothes flew apart, the black battle attire around his shoulder turning into fluttering pieces like butterflies, revealing skin that shimmered with a dark golden glow. His muscles looked like they were cast from bronze, exuding a masculine vigor.
Since the strike was not voluntary, and most of his energy and momentum had been expended in the previous blade-sword clash, “Guarding Righteousness” failed to fully penetrate Meng Qi’s shoulder. It only pierced half an inch before stopping within the dark golden glow, which appeared unyielding. In fact, if not for this, with Wang Zai’s control over the sword and energy, there would have been no energy leakage at all. After piercing the shoulder, aside from the area touched by the blade, not a single thread of clothing would have been damaged!
“Ahh!” As Meng Qi charged headlong into Wang Zai’s sword, many spectators gasped in shock. But when they saw the dark golden glow, resembling a Buddha descending from a temple, they suddenly understood. They had remembered the Thunder Blade and Crazy Monk, but forgotten the Man-Golden Body! Su Meng’s ultimate techniques were not only the Breaking the Precepts Blade, but also the Golden Bell Seal!
Wang Nayan’s expression suddenly darkened. He realized that his fourth nephew had fallen into a trap!
After failing to detect any flaws in the sword technique at the beginning, “Blade-Maddened” Su Meng had gradually lured his opponent in with changing blade techniques, finally leading his nephew into a carefully prepared trap, seizing the opportunity!
If he were in Meng Qi’s position, the next blade would be a full-force strike, leaving no chance for his nephew to recover!
In the midst of the fight, Wang Zai also saw this clearly. His heart stirred slightly, then stilled. He was about to change techniques when a small stream of blood trickled down the blade. Meng Qi seized the moment and slashed out with “Whisper.”
A flash of blade light appeared, whispers rising like murmurs, as if echoing Wang Zai’s innermost desires and longings. The emptiness transformed into murkiness, as if the ten-thousand-foot red dust and splendid scenery were turning into smoke!
“A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade Method—’Falling into the Red Dust’!” This thought flashed through the minds of a few knowledgeable martial artists. Finally, they had witnessed the long-renowned external scenery blade technique, the ultimate skill that used one’s heart to stir another’s!
Even those who did not recognize it understood that this must be the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade of external scenery, for even from a distance, on the high platforms, their thoughts were in disarray, revealing their inner ugliness. Some imagined themselves with the alluring courtesan, fantasizing about becoming her secret lover, their faces twisting into lewd grins, their bodies stirring. Others thought of the precious manuals they could never afford, imagining them in their hands, flipping pages and practicing diligently…
Vanquishing all martial heroes, he claimed the top spot on the Human Ranking; all legitimate heirs in his family perished, leaving him to inherit the lineage; meticulously strategizing within, expanding the family’s influence without… Though he had cultivated righteous qi, Wang Zai remained mortal, still a young man. He could usually suppress dark thoughts and maintain self-discipline in solitude, yet he still harbored myriad desires—things he yearned for but could not attain!
His mind wavered, seemingly unable to recover, but the righteous qi within him suddenly surged forth, dispelling the evil thoughts. Yet the blade light was already upon him.
At this moment, Meng Qi’s momentum and strength slightly surpassed Wang Zai’s somewhat scattered force.
“Hah!” He roared, as if his voice carried the meaning of “Unyielding to Might.” His intangible aura surged even more, filling the surrounding heavens and earth with a righteous and mighty force, pressing down upon Meng Qi’s blade light.
His sword was too late to return, but he directly lifted the hilt, using the end to strike the blade’s edge. The technique was strange but effective. It reminded Meng Qi of “Unshaken by Poverty and Humility”—no matter how harsh the environment, one’s will remains unshaken, as firm as a rock!
Clang!
The sound of the collision rang out like a temple bell, startling many martial heroes slightly affected by the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade.
He actually blocked it! Wang Zai actually blocked it! All witnesses looked on in amazement. The forced enhancement of “Unyielding to Might” combined with the defense of “Unshaken by Poverty and Humility” was indeed extraordinary. After falling into the blade trap and being unable to defend, he still managed to block the external scenery blade technique!
Wang Nayan nodded slightly. If he couldn’t block it, he wouldn’t be Wang Zai.
At that very moment, both he and Kong Yu’s expressions shifted slightly as a sword radiance suddenly burst forth. Though it was merely a wooden sword, though it lacked any gleam, under the sunlight at this instant, this sword still shone brilliantly and purely, bearing the indomitable spirit of “fighting to the death and rising once more”—advancing without retreat, moving forward without looking back!
“What a sword technique!” Kong Yu couldn’t help but exclaim.
Indeed, the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade and the Sage’s Nine Swords were excellent, a fact everyone already knew. But this “Awakening Sword” had left him somewhat awestruck.
No wonder they all said the Thunder Blade and Crazy Monk were masters of both blade and sword!
Clang!
Wang Zai’s returning sword miraculously arrived before Meng Qi’s wooden sword. The blade barely blocked the center of his forehead when it collided with the wooden sword’s tip, producing the sound of a wooden mallet striking an iron bell. “Unshaken by Poverty and Humility” defended as solidly as a fortress!
The offense was brilliant, the defense was superb. The spectators were about to cheer, thinking this round of the duel had ended, when Meng Qi’s “Whisper” slashed again.
Dim and dark, like flickering lights, all the unresolved and unforgettable matters of the heart surfaced, stirring emotions and shaking the soul. Purity vanished instantly.
“He can actually unleash another Ananda’s Blade of Broken Precepts!” Wang Nayan’s pupils constricted in shock. With the cultivation level of the sixth and seventh apertures, without employing techniques like the “Demonic Body Dissolution Method,” he could actually execute two external manifestation blade techniques consecutively!
After absorbing the power of the Devil Lord’s Crystal and cultivating the Eight-Nine Mystical Arts and the Technique of Immortality, Meng Qi’s qi and body had already reached the level where he could use both “Breaking Purity” and “Falling into the Red Dust” without the Sacrificial Soul Technique. However, six months ago, his weak spirit and insufficient mental strength prevented him.
But over the past six months, he had cultivated the “Illusory Form Great Art” and the “Technique of Immortality,” both of which trained the spirit. Coupled with the Eight-Nine Mystical Arts being a supreme martial technique, Meng Qi’s spirit had grown much stronger, and his mental power had increased greatly. Although barely, he could now manage it.
He endured the splitting headache from nearly exhausted mental energy and the sensation of his soul tearing apart, endured the backlash from consecutively using two A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade techniques. His mind was filled with illusions, desires surged, and noise filled his ears, making him restless. Yet his hand gripping the blade remained steady.
Wang Zai was doomed… Many martial artists with higher strength, who were less affected by the long-range “Breaking Purity,” had this thought. “Unshaken by Poverty and Humility” had already reached its defensive limit. Facing another external scenery blade technique, he was bound to lose.
Even Kong Yu nodded thoughtfully, believing that Wang Zai would find it difficult to block.
Clang!
Another clash of blade and sword rang out!
Wang Zai’s face was slightly twisted, as if he had just escaped from losing his purity. His sword strangely moved sideways, strangely meeting the enemy with the flat of the blade, yet even more strangely blocking Meng Qi’s “Whisper”!
“Mercy Conquers All…” Wang Nayan revealed a slight, pleased smile. This was one of the external scenery sword techniques Wang Zai had mastered—the “Mercy Conquers All” of the Sage’s Nine Swords!
Combined with “Unshaken by Poverty and Humility,” it was hailed by the Six Gates as one of the two strongest defensive techniques in the world, second only to the “Taiji Derives Chaos” of the True Martial Sect.
Of course, in legends, there were even stronger techniques, such as a lost palm technique of the Tathagata and a certain Heaven-Blocking Sword Technique.
The crowd held their breath, knowing that Meng Qi, who had used two external scenery blade techniques and one supreme sword technique, must have reached his limit. Wang Zai, who had used “Unyielding to Might,” “Unshaken by Poverty and Humility,” and an external scenery sword technique, was in the same state. Who would emerge victorious?
Meng Qi’s head throbbed, his mind in chaos, but he held firm to his inner self and slashed again.
The long blade was fierce and mighty, its imposing power immense.
Meng Qi’s spirit was exhausted, unable to control the subtleties of the blade anymore. Thus, he fully displayed the essence of the blade’s might, relying on his qi remaining at its peak and the strength granted by the Eight-Nine Mystical Arts and the Golden Bell Seal to sustain his attack.
Clang!
Wang Zai moved his sword without shifting his body, blocking again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Meng Qi gritted his teeth, giving Wang Zai no chance to recover. Each slash was fiercer than the last. His torn clothes revealed bulging muscles, glowing with an indescribable strength and beauty.
Wang Zai, still affected by “Breaking Purity,” was restless and weak, but he did not move his feet. His sword—blade, edge, guard, and spine—deflected every attack.
Under such violent force, his feet began to sink into the earth, cracks spreading around him.
“Kill!” Meng Qi roared, slashing again like a giant swinging a club, like a mountain pressing down.
Wang Zai gritted his teeth and swung his sword. Clang! He blocked again, his feet sinking slightly.
The spectators were stunned. Blade-Maddened Su Meng’s ferocity exceeded their imagination. Yet this unreasonable offense made them feel a primal beauty of raw power. His dark golden skin, his bulging muscles, made their hearts tremble.
A man should wield a blade like this!
With every slash Meng Qi made, someone shivered, as if an electric snake had passed through their body. He seemed like a blacksmith, bare-chested and sweating, hammering iron with a giant hammer.
Innumerable people secretly changed their minds, wanting to learn the blade, wanting to learn such a fierce and domineering blade technique.
Meng Qi’s spirit was exhausted. Blood seeped from the corners of his eyes, his nostrils, his ears, and his mouth. He swung his long blade fiercely, roaring, “Break through!”
Without spiritual support, the effect of the Thunder Words was weak. But this slash absorbed the surrounding airflow and vitality, as if it were the only blade in heaven and earth—fierce and peerless!
“Break through!”
As Meng Qi’s roar still echoed in their ears, the crowd saw him strike Wang Zai’s sword.
Clang!
The sound echoed far away. Time seemed to slow. The martial heroes saw Wang Zai suddenly shrink—his feet had sunk into the mud.
His right hand trembled violently, and the sword was knocked aside!
The sword flew wide. “Whisper” struck deep.
Meng Qi withdrew his long blade, stepped back, blood flowing from his seven orifices, and laughed heartily:
“Thrilling!”
Wang Zai’s body trembled, his tiger’s mouth split, blood staining the sword hilt. Yet he laughed along:
“Thrilling!”
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