Unsheathed

In battles where Chen Ping’an was locked in an impasse with his opponent or held a slight advantage, he could summon First and allow it to whiz through the air in its full chaotic glory, wreaking havoc as it pleased, and its sturdiness meant that Chen Ping’an didn’t have to worry about it being chipped or damaged.

However, during perilous battles where precision was of the utmost importance, the more obedient and faster Fifteenth was required to deal the lethal killing blows.

Bonded flying swords were naturally very formidable, and they were extremely sought after for all swordsmen under the heavens. Any swordsman that was lucky enough to obtain a bonded flying sword would cherish it as much as their own life, and they were a huge pain to deal with for all Qi refiners of the other hundred schools of thought.

However, there were two problems surrounding all bonded flying swords, the first of which was that they were difficult to obtain, with an enormous amount of precious resources required to forge them, and the second problem was their cost of repair.

While it was true that bonded flying swords were renowned for their power, if they were damaged in battle even in the slightest, such a small chip or crack appearing on the blade, then their repair would incur enormous cost.

This was why it was often said that the fortunes of swordsmen could swing drastically at the drop of a hat. A swordsman could easily be in possession of enormous wealth one day only to be completely stripped of that wealth the very next day.

Chen Ping’an had initially called upon First instead of Fifteenth precisely because the former was sturdier and less likely to be damaged, and he was also worried that Fifteenth would end the battle with a single blow, thereby depriving him of the opportunity to test out the power of his fists.

It was clear that no peaceful resolution was going to be reached here, so the only course of action was to fight.

The scholar with the Chu surname pointed at Chen Ping’an, then tapped the shimmering breastplate as he said, “You seem to take great pride in your fists, so why don’t you have a go at this spot here? This armor pellet is worth 3,000 snowflake coins, and it comes straight from the imperial vault of Ancient Elm Nation. If you can break it, then you are certainly worthy of taking pride in your fists!”

Chen Ping’an required no further invitation. He immediately pounced forward like a speeding arrow, launching himself forward with such tremendous force that the bricks beneath his feet instantly shattered.

In the natural world, trees had always been known to be immobile, incapable of moving from the place where they had taken root.

As a tree spirit, the scholar with the Chu surname was a fifth tier Qi refiner with a formidable physical constitution, but he had also inherited the slow and cumbersome nature of trees, which meant that speed of movement and close-quarters combat were both weaknesses of his. That was why he had spent such a massive price to purchase this armor pellet—to serve as a life-saving trump card in times of peril.

He possessed a naturally sturdy and resilient body, and now that he was clad in his suit of armor, he was confident that he would be able to withstand Chen Ping’an’s punches.

Chen Ping’an’s first punch packed such tremendous power that the breastplate of the scholar’s suit of armor caved in by over an inch, while the scholar himself was sent flying through the air, crashing into the outermost wall of the estate’s courtyard.

However, the blow seemed to have done nothing more than knock him back, and the wall behind him shattered violently, revealing a harrowing sight to behold. As it turned out, the interior of the wall didn’t consist of layers of bricks. Instead, it was a tangled mass of tree roots that were slowly squirming and moving.

The scholar dusted off his shoulders, then sneered, “Is that all you’ve got? Without a sixth tier Hero’s Gall Pill, even if I stand completely still here and allow you to punch me as many times as you want, it’ll still be very difficult for you to break through my armor, Young Master Chen.”

Martial artists of the fourth, fifth, and sixth tiers no longer focused solely on bodily refinement. Instead, their martial arts training would be elevated to encompass Qi refinement as well. As a result, martial artists of this level were known as Lesser Grandmasters, and each tier also had its own corresponding subject—namely the souls, the spirit, and the gall.

Upon fully mastering those three subjects, the martial artist’s combat prowess would be elevated significantly, and not only would that reciprocate their physical bodies, it also made them better equipped to deal with Qi refiners, as well as spirits and ghosts. With every single one of their attacks, their fist aura would be as scorching hot as the sun, allowing them to incinerate sinister forces.

Chen Ping’an had struck the first blow exactly where he had aimed it, yet he didn’t press his advantage.

It was not because he had run out of strength after just a single punch. Instead, this was really only an appetizer for what was to come, and Chen Ping’an hadn’t pursued the scholar as he had been startled by the strange tree roots exposed by the shattered wall behind the scholar. Could it be that these tree roots ran throughout all of the walls in this entire estate?

In the backyard, erratic flashes of light that illuminated the night, and the loud roars of Xu Yuanxia could also be occasionally heard.

Chen Ping’an had already used up his three yellow paper treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talismans, but he still had the two golden demon-suppressing talismans concealed up his sleeve, as well as two land-shortening talismans.

Prior to this, Chen Ping’ans punches had all been quite direct and relied solely on his baseline physical strength.

However, Chen Ping’an decided that this was going to change. He adopted a very strange stance, taking a step forward before relaxing his arms and slowly clenching his hands into fists, performing the sequence of movements in an extremely smooth and fluid fashion.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an’s fist intent surged forth like turbulent floodwaters, and it was truly blindingly bright. From the perspective of the scholar, it was as if a radiant sun had risen up over the horizon, presenting a stunning sight to behold.

He couldn’t help but gulp nervously, thinking to himself that perhaps negotiation was an option worth re-exploring, after all.

Why was it that he didn’t feel safe even in his suit of armor?

This boy clearly still hadn’t reached the Three Qi Tempering Tiers of martial arts, so how did he possess such unreasonably tremendous fist intent?

For the first time, thoughts of retreat began to creep into the scholar’s mind. At the very least, he had to be more prudent in his approach instead of continuing to stand still on the spot like a tree stump, allowing Chen Ping’an to rain punches down upon him as he pleased.

Right as he was about to move, Chen Ping’an abruptly vanished into thin air, then reappeared directly in front of him in the blink of an eye, drilling a punch into his breastplate. The punch packed tremendous power, causing the scholar to stumble to the side.

However, at the same time, he heaved an internal sigh of relief. After adopting that proper fist stance, Chen Ping’an’s fist intent had become extremely intimidating, but the power of his punch hadn’t increased by much.

Back in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, Cui Chan’s grandfather had proclaimed that the key to his Deity Drumming Technique was the first punch. As long as the first punch landed, the sequence would be commenced, and all of the subsequent punches would also land.

Hence, Chen Ping’an had to ensure that the first punch struck his opponent, and as for how many punches he could unleash after that, that would depend on how many times he could swing his fists before he fell from exhaustion.

Hence, in order to ensure that this first punch didn’t miss its target, Chen Ping’an had even used a land-shortening talisman.

After that, Chen Ping’an’s punches came faster and faster, but they were only slightly more powerful than before. All of his punches struck the acupoints all over the scholar’s body, and all the while, light was surging incessantly over the scholar’s suit of armor.

Wherever Chen Ping’an’s fists struck, that spot on the suit of armor would abruptly light up, and it was truly living up to its reputation as one of the most prized treasures of Ancient Elm Nation.

Whenever the scholar attempted to evade Chen Ping’an’s fists, he always found himself half a step too slow, rendering him unable to dodge the strikes. He was completely powerless to resist, and after copping ten punches in a row, his face had turned deathly pale.

His shoulder, his chest, his ribs, his abdomen, his back, his temple, his glabella, his knee… All of those important points on his body had been struck during Chen Ping’an’s relentless barrage.

Chen Ping’an’s fists were as fast as lightning, and even more concerning was that Chen Ping’an’s expression remained as calm as ever, while his breathing also maintained the same even tempo. His heart was so still, and every single movement of his was executed to perfection. He was fighting like an old monster that had lived for centuries!

After 15 punches, the skin and flesh on Chen Ping’an’s fists had been torn away, revealing some of the bones underneath, but this amount of pain certainly wasn’t enough to slow him down.

Compared with having the skin, flesh, and bones of his fingers being pulverized bit by bit, and compared with the agony of having to tear through his own skin and rip out his own tendons, this amount of pain was almost blissful to Chen Ping’an.

At this point, the scholar had already revealed half of his true form, swelling up to ten feet tall. His eyes had turned green, and his face was riddled with bulging veins. Beneath his suit of armor, it could be seen that his muscles were expanding, and they were becoming as rugged and knotted as the bark of an old tree.

He crossed his arms to form a barrier in front of his face, and as he was sent flying back over and over again, he yelled with all his might, “Daoist White Deer, Mountain God Qin, we have to abandon our original plan! Come and help me! Hurry!”

Over on the hill outside the estate, the mountain god’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

The flame burning on the torch that had been plunged into the pillar by the scholar earlier quickly detached itself from the torch, and most of it quickly dissipated, but one small ball of fire remained, slowly drifting down the corridor toward where the battle between Chen Ping’an and the scholar was taking place.

Through the flame, the mountain god was able to observe what was happening inside the estate, so he was able to see the ongoing battle, and that left him in a difficult predicament.

He wasn’t hesitating about whether he should help the scholar or not. Instead, he was considering what was the ideal time for him to enter the fray in order to secure the greatest benefit for himself. Prior to that suit of armor being broken, he definitely wasn’t going to get involved. If he swooped in now to help the scholar kill Chen Ping’an and preserve that suit of armor, that would only be detrimental to his own cause.

All of a sudden, the middle-aged Daoist priest beside him suddenly said, “That man’s saber is sharper than I anticipated. If I continue to wait here, that female ghost is going to be harmed. What do you say, Mountain God Qin? Will you accompany me or continue to observe the proceedings from here?”

“We’re allies, so we should advance and retreat together,” the mountain god replied with a smile. “I can’t just back down now, can I?”

The Daoist priest burst into laughter, then tossed his fly whisk forward, and right before it landed on the ground, it transformed into a physically imposing white deer. The Daoist priest then flew onto the deer’s back, and it rushed forward at a rapid speed, causing the Daoist priest’s wide sleeves to billow in the wind.

Thankfully, there were no mortals nearby. Otherwise, they would’ve most likely already fallen to their knees and begun kowtowing to what they would’ve surely perceived as a deity.

Instead of using any mystical abilities, the mountain god merely took a step forward, and he immediately arrived by Daoist White Deer’s side.

The white deer was rushing as fast as the wind, and it quickly arrived outside the estate. The Daoist priest sprang up into the air, and the white deer instantly reverted back into a fly whisk that fell into his grasp as he yelled, “Brother Chu, I’ve come to help you!”

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an had reached his limit after throwing 20 consecutive punches, yet he was still unable to shatter that suit of armor.

The scholar’s soul was jangling in his body, and blood was flowing out of all of his orifices. He had also been forced to completely reveal his true form, and the entire corridor had been destroyed during the course of their battle, but the scholar had only lost his ability to fight. Thanks to his sturdy physical constitution and the suit of radiant armor, he was still able to ensure self-preservation so that he wasn’t killed by Chen Ping’an’s fist aura.

Daoist White Deer came descending down from the heavens, while Chen Ping’an withdrew his fist before gently patting his Sword Nurturing Gourd.

A streak of white light instantly flew out of the gourd before striking the breastplate of the suit of armor, which already severely dented.

All of the light on the suit of armor instantly converged to the spot that was struck by the streak of white light, and a faint crack akin to the sound of shattered chinaware rang out.

The streak of white light was repelled, then vanished in a flash.

The scholar was horrified by this turn of events, but the alarm and horror on his face then quickly turned to elation. His armor had managed to withstand the blow, so he was still alive!

However, in the next instant, he felt a burst of sharp pain in his glabella, and his hulking body came falling back in a lifeless fashion. On the brink of death, he roared in a furious voice, “How dare you! You’ll pay for damaging the foundation of my Great Dao!”

After delivering this threat, his body suddenly transformed into a large chunk of withered wood that quickly decayed into dust. At the same time, the suit of armor also returned to its ball-shaped armor pellet form.

Chen Ping’an’s brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.

As it turned out, after the emergence of First, Fifteenth had also flown out of the gourd at a far greater speed than First. While all of the spiritual energy in the suit of armor had converged to the armor’s breastplate to keep First at bay, Fifteenth had pounced on the opportunity to pierce through the scholar’s glabella with ease.

Standing atop the wall of the estate, the mountain god exclaimed in a horrified voice, “Those are bonded flying swords!”

He then turned and took a large stride backward, quickly appearing ten kilometers away with sweat pouring down his forehead.

“Shit, there’s a Sword Immortal here!”

Daoist White Deer had only just landed in the courtyard, yet he also sprang back up into the air and immediately fled for his life. While in mid-air, he tossed his fly whisk forward, and it transformed into that white deer once again. It galloped faster than the wind as it carried the Daoist priest away into the distance.

Chen Ping’an was rather flabbergasted.

I’m just a martial artist who’s only been practicing fist techniques for less than two years. How have I become a Sword Immortal? I’m not even a swordsman at all!