Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 122: Chapter 119: Crushing, Array

”The White Head Sword Sect isn’t using a weapon?” the surrounding Martial Artists said in shock.

For a Martial Artist, the difference in strength with and without a weapon was enormous. Between two opponents of equal skill, the one with a weapon in hand was guaranteed to be the victor.

When it came to weapons, there was a common saying: an inch of length is an inch of strength.

This meant that longer weapons held an advantage. A Martial Artist using a spear always had a longer attack range. Once they unleashed their full power, they were fierce and domineering. On a battlefield, they were perfectly suited for charging through enemy lines.

Of course, for a true master, there was no superior or inferior weapon.

The difference lay in the person wielding it.

The greatspear was eight feet long and pitch-black, its surface glinting with a cold light. A single thrust was as fast as a lightning strike, seeming to puncture the very air and unleash a violent sonic boom.

At the same time, with Wang Jiangshi’s thrust, Innate Gang Yuan spun around the spear’s tip like a hurricane, condensed to its absolute limit until it formed a drill-like cone.

”RIIIP!”

A deep, ten-foot-wide trench was instantly carved into the lake’s surface, sending waves surging violently to either side. The sight was terrifying.

Ning Jiang raised a hand, his palm held straight like a blade. He brought it down in a diagonal chop, and the Palm Power sliced through the air with a tearing sound, as if a real sword were vibrating through space.

”BANG.”

His palm, flawless as white jade, chopped down directly onto the tip of the spear, all under the shocked gazes of the crowd.

The air for a hundred feet around them shuddered. Every single raindrop was blasted away, sent flying backward.

”He’s blocking a Top Grade Treasure Artifact with his bare hands?”

The many Martial Artists who witnessed this couldn’t believe their eyes. They looked as if their eyeballs were about to pop out, and many screamed involuntarily.

”Could it be... he’s a Body Refining Grandmaster?”

This possibility occurred to the Martial Artists, and their hearts trembled in shock.

Body Refining Grandmasters were exceedingly rare. The path of Body Refining was one filled with thorns, requiring one to endure immense pain to unlock the body’s potential. Very few could walk this path to its conclusion.

”Such a young Body Refining Grandmaster... isn’t that just too ridiculous?”

A sixteen-year-old Body Refining Grandmaster was like something out of a myth—simply unbelievable.

Weren’t all of Cyan Cloud Country’s few Body Refining Grandmasters over the age of forty?

Kill.

Wang Jiangshi felt no hesitation. For an expert of his level, once the intent to kill was set, nothing could shake his resolve, no matter how terrifying the opponent.

If his will weren’t so resolute, how could he ever have become an Innate Limit Strong Person?

He gripped his greatspear as Innate Gang Yuan surged forth. His arm shot out like an arrow, and in an instant, the spear dissolved into a mountain of afterimages that pressed down on Ning Jiang.

”WHOOSH!”

The vibrating greatspear kicked up a furious gale, strong enough to snap a great tree, that rushed straight at him.

Yet Ning Jiang’s clothes and hair remained perfectly still, as if they were forged from iron, not trembling in the slightest.

It was as if he stood within his own pocket of space, a truly miraculous sight.

At that moment, a golden luster washed over the surface of his palms. His hands seemed to have been forged from solid gold.

This was a pure application of Physical Power; he was keen to test just how powerful his Great Sun Glazed Golden Body had become after reaching the Great Success stage.

”CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!”

As his palms shot out to meet the ferocious greatspear, the sound of metal on metal rang out in all directions.

Each time his palms collided with the greatspear, sparks flew. The immense sonic waves made the surrounding Martial Artists’ ears ring, and even the pouring rain was blasted into a fine mist.

’It really is the body of a Body Refining Grandmaster!’

Wang Jiangshi’s gaze sharpened, a grave expression on his face.

With every clash between his greatspear and Ning Jiang’s palms, he felt an immense, irresistible force travel up the shaft, nearly knocking the weapon from his grasp.

He had the feeling that he wasn’t facing a slender youth, but a ferocious, infinitely powerful beast.

”Bring out your real strength. Otherwise, this will be over quickly.”

Ning Jiang’s breathing was even; the exchange hadn’t put him under any pressure at all. It was little more than a warm-up.

”Fine. Fine! You truly are a monster!”

By now, how could Wang Jiangshi not understand that this young man was a terrifying foe? If he didn’t give it his all, his chances of survival were slim.

”Take this! Thunderbolt Hundredfold Spear!”

Wang Jiangshi stomped hard on the surface of the lake. The entire lake shuddered as his body shot into the air like a Flood Dragon.

He roared, and the Innate Gang Yuan within him flooded out. Terrifying Gang Yuan surged along the black greatspear.

What was Gang Yuan?

Gang Yuan was a far more condensed form of energy than Gang Qi—in terms of quality, it was at least ten times more powerful.

If Gang Qi was wood, then Gang Yuan was steel.

Wang Jiangshi shook his greatspear, and in an instant, it transformed into a hundred massive black spear afterimages that shot out with lightning speed.

The spear afterimages howled through the air, piercing it and setting off a series of ear-splitting sonic booms.

The sky was filled with a dense net of black spear afterimages—exactly one hundred of them. They descended from above with the power to annihilate everything in their path.

The surrounding Martial Artists had no doubt that such an attack could raze a mountaintop to the ground.

”Wang Jiangshi’s execution of this Top Grade Martial Technique is even stronger than before.” A grave look flashed in Liu Yuanlong’s eyes.

If anyone in Luoyang City understood Wang Jiangshi best, it was him.

After all, the Liu Family and the Wang Family had a long-standing feud, making him and Wang Jiangshi old rivals.

The Thunderbolt Hundredfold Spear was Wang Jiangshi’s signature Spear Technique. When unleashed, its speed was like a thunderclap, producing a hundred unstoppable spear afterimages.

’Even I would have to evade the brunt of such a ferocious attack; I couldn’t take it head-on.’

”In the past, when Wang Jiangshi used this Spear Technique, he could only produce ninety afterimages. But now, he’s created a hundred. He’s reached the Perfection Realm!”

Its power had risen to a whole new level!

”This Wang Jiangshi certainly hid his strength well. To be able to cultivate a Top Grade Martial Technique to the Perfection Realm... With that kind of power, he’s qualified to be ranked on the Innate List.”

Wenhua City, standing beside Liu Yuanlong, said gravely.

Although they were both Martial Techniques, the difficulty of mastering a Profound Level Low Grade technique to the Perfection Realm versus a Profound Level Top Grade one was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Every Martial Artist on the Innate List had mastered at least one Profound Level Top Grade Martial Technique to the Perfection Realm.

’Against the Wang Jiangshi of this moment, even I in my prime would only have a fifty-fifty chance of winning.’

”So this is the Innate Limit... the pillar of a First-Class Noble House!”

The gazes of the countless Martial Artists surrounding Star Moon Lake burned with fervor.

The standard for a First-Class Noble House was the presence of an Innate Limit Strong Person. Without one, even a family with a hundred Innate Realm experts could only ever be considered a second-tier family.

At this moment, Wang Jiangshi was displaying the full, terrifying power of an Innate Limit Strong Person.

The hundred black spear afterimages emanated an incredibly sharp aura. Each one contained enough power to defeat a Peak Innate Strong Person.

An attack this terrifying would be enough to cleanly wipe out a hundred Innate Realm experts attacking all at once.

”Die!”

Wang Jiangshi descended from the sky, his power overwhelming.

This was the strike that would decide the battle.

While powerful, the Thunderbolt Hundredfold Spear also frantically consumed his Innate Gang Yuan. In that single instant, half of the Gang Yuan in his body was depleted.

”A little interesting.”

A terrifying wind, sharp as a blade, rushed toward him, but Ning Jiang stood his ground, his body as immovable as a mountain.

He clenched his hands into fists, and they turned a solid gold color. Blood Qi burned over them like a dazzling, brilliant fire.

”Great Sun Demon Slaying Fist.”

He stretched, and his bones and sinews crackled and popped. He punched out with both fists, carrying an unrivaled might. Two fists became four, four became eight, eight became dozens, until the air was filled with a storm of fist shadows. It was as if his fists were everywhere at once.

”BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”

A terrifying collision occurred, heralded by the deafening clang of metal.

Then, a terrifying gale swept out like a storm. The surface of the lake beneath Ning Jiang’s feet instantly collapsed, revealing the muddy lakebed over an area hundreds of feet wide!

No matter how sharp Wang Jiangshi’s Spear Technique was, it could not break through his fists.

This Fist Technique had no openings; it was a pure manifestation of physical power.

Back when his Great Sun Glazed Golden Body was only at the Minor Achievement stage, Ning Jiang wouldn’t have been able to use the Great Sun Demon Slaying Fist so recklessly without damaging his own bones and sinews.

But now that he had reached Great Success, he had no such reservations. He could run rampant among those in the Innate Realm, completely unopposed.

How could this Body Refining Technique, which Ning Jiang had personally selected from his vast library of memories, be anything ordinary?

The ferocity of their attacks was astonishing, and the sight of their clash made the blood of many onlookers boil with excitement.

After dozens of consecutive clashes, Wang Jiangshi’s expression changed drastically. An immense force surged toward him, his grip loosened, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open, and the greatspear was sent flying from his hand.

”Is he even human?”

Cries of horror rose from the crowd. ”To block a Top Grade Treasure Artifact with his bare hands, meet force with force, and even knock his opponent’s weapon away... This level of strength is just too absurd!”

”With a body like that, he must rank in the top three among Cyan Cloud Country’s Body Refining Grandmasters, right?”

Under countless horrified gazes, the fist shadows vanished. Ning Jiang was already in front of Wang Jiangshi. He tapped the tip of his fist against Wang Jiangshi’s chest, and with a single shudder, a force like a toppling mountain erupted.

”BANG.”

Wang Jiangshi was sent flying backward, violently coughing up blood. The sound of shattering bones echoed from within his body.

With a single punch, Wang Jiangshi was gravely injured!

By this point, who couldn’t see that Wang Jiangshi was no match for Ning Jiang at all?

”Defeating an Innate Limit Strong Person isn’t that difficult, but completely crushing one? That’s at least ten times harder!”

”And he didn’t even use his sword! Wang Jiangshi wasn’t even worthy of forcing him to draw his blade!”

Countless horrified gazes fell upon Ning Jiang.

It was as if people were once again seeing the scene from six months ago, at the annual gathering, when Ning Jiang had crushed the Ten Great with this same invincible posture.

Now, they were in the same place, but the opponent was Luoyang’s number one expert, Wang Jiangshi. Though the man had changed, the outcome—a complete rout—had not.

”Cough, cough...”

Wang Jiangshi let out a weak cough. The punch had ruptured several of his internal organs.

”Incredible. Your strength might even rival that of Young Master Soaring Dragon. If I hadn’t spent the last few months making preparations at Star Moon Lake, I’m afraid I would have truly died by your hand today!”

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Wang Jiangshi’s eyes. He roared, ”Array, activate!”