He’s back?
After a few seconds of silence, cheers erupted first from the ordinary citizens.
“Let me stretch?” Xu Yinluo’s words implied that he hadn’t been fighting seriously before.
“Look, the wound on his chest is gone… He wasn’t serious. Haha, I knew it! If Xu Yinluo used even half of his strength from the duel, how could these two be a match for him?”
Thanks to that “let me stretch” comment, it successfully misled the common people, making them believe that Xu Yinluo hadn’t been serious from the beginning.
The healing of his wounds also became evidence of his “warm-up”.
For top experts, this situation was far more shocking than ordinary people could imagine.
How could that sword wound on his chest, which had reached the bone, recover completely in half an incense stick’s time? Even I can’t do that… Nangong Qianrou narrowed her eyes and couldn’t help but step forward as if trying to see clearly what had happened to the wound on Xu Qi’an’s chest.
Flesh regeneration is an ability only available at the third rank. How did Xu Ningyan achieve this? Jiang Luzhong was dumbfounded, with a vague guess in his mind.
It must be the supernatural ability of the Vajra Skill. It allows one to have flesh regeneration ability at a low rank… Chu Xianglong’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, unable to hide the covetousness in his eyes.
At this moment, he felt an urge to return to the border quickly. He wanted to present the Stone Buddha to the Northern Marquis. With the Northern Marquis’s peak third-rank strength and broad vision, even without practicing Buddhism, he could gain some insights. If combined with the bronze talisman, the Northern Marquis might be able to cultivate the Vajra Skill.
By then, as the one who made the greatest contribution, he could also receive the Vajra Skill from the Northern Marquis.
The Marchioness heard the sound of the man beside her swallowing and felt alarmed. Her eyes, hidden under the veil, secretly glanced at Chu Xianglong.
He… he’s salivating over a man?!
After mentally berating him for a moment, the Marchioness’s attention returned to Xu Qi’an, thinking to herself: This guy is quite impressive. I knew it, how could a man so prominent in the duel be easily defeated?
“Father, what’s going on with him?” Butterfly Sword Lan Caiyi turned to her father, dazed.
Lan Huan silently shook his head.
Xu Xinnian let out a sigh of relief, his gaze not leaving Xu Qi’an as he said, “My elder brother always acts with certainty. If he dares to participate in the contest between Heaven and Man, he must have something to rely on.”
“A gentleman should plan before acting; this is the principle I’ve always taught him.”
Wang Simu smiled gracefully, “Ci Jiu and Xu Yinluo, one literary and one martial, how many people must be envious!”
She could tell there was some boasting in Xu Xinnian’s words, but what did it matter? He was so handsome, talented, and not unlikeable… Wang Simu was increasingly fond of Second Young Master Xu.
…
“Your Vajra Skill has improved dramatically. What’s going on?” Li Miaozheng opened her eyes wide, scrutinizing Xu Qi’an, and said:
“Were you hiding your strength earlier?”
No, no, the fundamental issue isn’t whether he was hiding his strength, but how could he possibly cultivate the Vajra Skill to such a level.
This is unreasonable, this is unreasonable… Chu Yuanzhen was screaming internally.
His surface remained calm, but his inner self was experiencing a massive shock, stirring up tremendous waves.
Chu Yuanzhen had once encountered Monk Jingsi and had some understanding of the Vajra Skill. Compared to the current Xu Qi’an, Jingsi from that day was like a novice monk just starting.
However, the former had been practicing the Vajra Skill since childhood, while the latter only obtained this divine skill during the duel.
At most, it had been a month… The well-informed top scholar now felt a sense of unreality, as if in a dream.
“Miaozheng, no matter whether he hid his strength or not, never forget one thing,” Chu Yuanzhen looked at the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect and said word by word, “He has been cultivating the Vajra Skill for at most one month.”
Li Miaozheng had also realized this by now. Her pupils contracted slightly, and she turned her stiff neck inch by inch to look at Xu Qi’an.
The Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect was proud; usually, it was others who were shocked by her talent. But today, she was truly astonished by Xu Qi’an.
“Thank you both for helping me open my extraordinary meridians and allowing my Vajra Skill to reach a small accomplishment,” Xu Qi’an cupped his hands.
Oh, so Lord Xu deliberately took the hits earlier to temper his Vajra Skill… Upon hearing this, the onlookers suddenly understood.
It reasonably explained why he had taken hits earlier. It wasn’t that the outstanding disciples of the Heaven and Human sects were too strong, but that Xu Yinluo needed their attacks.
Li Miaozheng and Chu Yuanzhen exchanged a glance, no longer showing the contempt they had when they saw Xu Qi’an arrive by boat.
The two felt pressure.
“No matter what, let’s deal with him first. We’ll try to break his Vajra Skill together, otherwise, when our strength wanes, it’ll be harder to wear down his golden body. By then, we might lose unexpectedly,” Li Miaozheng proposed via mental communication.
“I was thinking the same,” Chu Yuanzhen nodded with a solemn expression.
The two instantly changed positions, standing side by side facing Xu Qi’an.
“Wow, they’re going to team up against Xu Yinluo again.”
“See? If Xu Yinluo wasn’t too strong, why would they do this?”
Seeing this, the onlookers became increasingly convinced that Xu Yinluo’s combat power far surpassed the two protagonists of the Heaven and Human contest.
Even those in the martial world who were initially certain that Xu Qi’an, at the seventh or sixth rank, couldn’t possibly defeat the outstanding disciples of the Heaven and Human sects, now showed surprised and uncertain expressions.
“Thank you both for helping me reach the small accomplishment stage. Now, I’m going to counterattack,” Xu Qi’an grinned.
“Counterattack?” Li Miaozheng sneered, rolling her eyes, “We’re just planning to team up to beat you, you stubborn rock. What threat can you pose to us?”
Chu Yuanzhen chuckled lightly, “Your Heaven and Earth Slash might have improved, but after one slash, you’ll be spent. And your full-power slash can’t defeat a fourth-rank expert.”
As they spoke, Xu Qi’an silently took out a book, held it in his mouth, and chuckled, “It’s time to let you witness the power and terror of Confucian verbal attacks.”
Bang!
The ground collapsed, and Xu Qi’an, like a cannonball, leaped into the air, charging straight at Li Miaozheng. In the process, he clenched his right fist and pulled it back fiercely.
Li Miaozheng, well aware of the power of a warrior’s close combat, didn’t confront him head-on. She rode her flying sword higher, avoiding Xu Qi’an’s fist.
Missing his strike, the non-flying Xu Qi’an inevitably fell. As expected, Chu Yuanzhen made his move, using his finger as a sword to perform the Human Sect’s qi sword technique.
In an instant, a barrage of matchless sword intent shot out.
Rip… Xu Qi’an tore off a page, ignited it with his qi, and said leisurely, “I have a pair of invisible wings.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a pair of wings, invisible to the naked eye but truly existing, appeared. Xu Qi’an flapped his wings, making a beautiful turn, nimbly avoiding the sword qi attack.
His target was still Li Miaozheng.
Li Miaozheng was stunned as she watched Xu Qi’an transform into a “swimming fish,” avoiding Chu Yuanzhen’s sword qi before gliding sideways, suddenly appearing before her.
She calmly responded, her pupils turning glassy, causing Xu Qi’an’s clothes to rebel. His belt tightened relentlessly, finally snapping itself.
The collar contracted, trying to strangle its owner, while the sable hat suddenly dropped down, covering its owner’s eyes.
The sable hat had done its job, and Li Miaozheng took the opportunity to rise higher. At this moment, she heard Xu Qi’an announce a certain command: “My speed increases threefold.”
The golden body instantly caught up, not needing eyes to see, and just rammed towards Li Miaozheng.
Bang!
Li Miaozheng was sent flying, a surge of blood rising in her throat, her arm bone cracking.
The Confucian school’s “words become reality” is really useful… If it weren’t for the inappropriate situation, I’d want to try asking where Diaochan is. Xu Qi’an thought to himself.
The knocked-back Li Miaozheng made a simple hand seal with one hand. From her brow, a flash of light appeared, and a miniature version of Li Miaozheng flew out, colliding with Xu Qi’an’s brow and disappearing, then emerging from the back of his head.
The flying Xu Qi’an suddenly stiffened, as if he had fainted, and fallen straight down.
Ding ding ding… Chu Yuanzhen seized the opportunity to unleash a series of sword qi attacks, striking Xu Qi’an’s body like hammering iron, creating dense sparks. Unfortunately, they couldn’t break through the golden body’s defense.
But this wasn’t important. The sword Qi Chu Yuanzhen unleashed contained the Heart Sword technique, with each strike carrying a spiritual attack.
This was an inspiration he got from Li Miaozheng earlier. They had discovered Xu Qi’an’s weakness – his spiritual essence wasn’t strong enough.
Normal warriors wouldn’t be so weak in this aspect because their spiritual strength was forged through genuine cultivation. But Xu Qi’an was like a student with severe subject imbalance – terrible at English. While a normal student would know “nineteen” means 19, to him, it might sound like “nai ting” (milk stand).
Compared to others at the same level, his foundation was solid enough. But in terms of overall strength, his physical body was far, far stronger than his spiritual essence, creating a severe imbalance.
“Let’s finish him off in one go.”
Feeling the pain in both arms, Li Miaozheng became somewhat angry. Her wrist turned, and as if performing a magic trick, she pulled out nine command flags and tossed them out with a flick of her hand.
Thud thud…
The nine command flags arranged themselves into a Nine Palaces Formation, enveloping Xu Qi’an. Then, she patted a black sachet on her lower back.
Wisps of black smoke emerged, merging into the Nine Palaces Formation.
In an instant, ghostly wails and divine howls filled the air. Black smoke swirled chaotically, sometimes transforming into human faces, either roaring or wailing in grief.
The citizens of the capital who witnessed this scene turned pale with fright.
“So, so many ghosts?!”
“Oh my, will these ghosts harm people? This woman is so vicious, using such an evil method against Xu Yinluo.”
The Marchioness retreated repeatedly in fear. She was most afraid of ghosts. When sleeping alone at night, she often imagined a long-haired, blood-covered female ghost standing by the bed curtains.
Even with maidservants accompanying her in the room, she was still afraid.
Biaobiao was also scared and hid behind Huai Qing. The tall princess, whose bosom could rest on a table, frowned and said, “You are a princess of Great Feng, with purple qi accompanying you. Ordinary ghosts can’t come near you. Ghosts should fear you, what are you afraid of?”
Biaobiao stamped her foot, “I’m just scared, I’m just scared! Will the dog slave be eaten by ghosts?”
Lan Caiyi witnessed the terror of the common people and their concern for Xu Yinluo. She found it interesting that they weren’t afraid of fourth-rank experts but were so terrified of weak ghosts.
After the ghosts appeared, even the common people who had full confidence in Xu Yinluo wavered, believing that Xu Yinluo was in danger.
As Lan Huan watched his daughter, he instructed, “They’re not afraid of ghosts; their fear comes from within. Warriors who rely on brute force must first overcome their inner fears.”
Overcome inner fears… Lan Caiyi nodded, then looked towards the Ghost Array and said, “Xu Yinluo seems trapped in the ghost formation, unable to escape. Does this mean he can’t overcome his inner fears?”
“No, he’s trapped by the Heavenly Sect’s formation. As expected of the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, she’s already grasped her opponent’s weakness,” Lan Huan explained.
“Last year when I dealt with the Earth Sect’s demonic cultivators, I encountered a similar formation. It’s very troublesome, to target a warrior’s spiritual essence. If one can’t break the formation, even the most stubborn spiritual essence will gradually be worn down,” the usually taciturn Yang Yan spoke at length, showing how intently he was watching this battle.
“They say the Dao sects are skilled in raising and refining ghosts. It seems true indeed,” a noble exclaimed loudly.
“Heh, even if Xu Yinluo has an invincible Vajra body, he can’t withstand the erosion of hundreds of ghosts on his spiritual essence,” another nobleman surrounded by guards spoke, his tone somewhat gloating.
They still remembered how during the imperial examination cheating case, this Xu had single-handedly held off all the civil and military officials at the palace gate with just a sword, humiliating them with a poem.
After that incident, many officials submitted memorials criticizing him, but they were all rejected by His Majesty.
Suddenly, the ghosts let out piercing screams, as if encountering their mortal enemy.
In everyone’s view, streaks of golden light penetrated the haze-like black smoke, dissolving them with a hiss.
The thick black smoke instantly thinned, countless resentful spirits perishing in the golden light. Xu Qi’an’s figure appeared before the audience, standing proudly with a dazzling golden pill floating above his head.
The Daoist golden pill is said to be impervious to all spells and unafraid of worldly impurities.
“Snap!”
Xu Qi’an snapped his fingers, and the golden pill exploded. The suddenly released power dissolved the remaining black smoke, and the eight command flags were either uprooted or broken.
The formation was broken.
At this moment, Chu Yuanzhen appeared ghost-like before Xu Qi’an, holding a sword formed from fine stone particles, and fiercely struck Xu Qi’an’s forehead.
Bang… The stone sword shattered, but Chu Yuanzhen smiled.
This sword strike used the Heart Sword technique – the blade cuts the flesh, and the heart cuts the soul.
However, Chu Yuanzhen heard the sound of paper burning. He looked down in surprise to find Xu Qi’an holding a nearly burnt piece of paper.
What was recorded on this paper… As the thought arose, Chu Yuanzhen knew the answer, because his spiritual essence experienced a tearing pain.
Reflection?!
No, not just reflection. Xu Qi’an was silently reciting: “I can reflect attacks, and my spiritual essence has grown ten times stronger.”
Only Chu Yuanzhen experienced the spiritual tearing; Xu Qi’an’s spiritual essence had grown tenfold without any issues.
Seizing this opportunity, Xu Qi’an headbutted Chu Yuanzhen, causing blood to flow and nearly knocking his spirit out of his body.
With his last bit of consciousness, Chu Yuanzhen reached out and finally grasped the sword on his back.
Not good, Number Four is getting carried away with the fight… Xu Qi’an’s expression changed as he leaned in and whispered something in Chu Yuanzhen’s ear.
Chu Yuanzhen’s body suddenly stiffened, and then slowly released his grip on the sword.
“You’ve lost,” Xu Qi’an said, then flapped his invisible wings and charged towards Li Miaozheng.
He was running out of time. As powerful as the Confucian school’s “words become reality” was, the backlash after the rules were restored would be equally terrifying. His spiritual essence had grown tenfold, and the subsequent backlash would be agonizing.
The backlash of “words become reality” varied based on the effect. For instance, Xu Qi’an only asked for a pair of invisible wings, so after the spell ended, the backlash would at most cause shoulder pain for a few days.
But if he had said his strength increased tenfold, he might become incapacitated afterward, bedridden for ten days to half a month.
Xu Qi’an had to subdue Li Miaozheng before the backlash occurred, or all his efforts would be in vain.
The effects of “words become reality” were potent, but the backlash was terrifying. The pros and cons were obvious.
Li Miaozheng didn’t hesitate and flew away on her sword. As the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, while she might not be intimately familiar with Confucian spells, she knew these basics.
She deliberately flew close to the river’s surface, her pupils turning glassy, commanding the entire river at her will.
Columns of water erupted, obstructing and attacking Xu Qi’an. Although they couldn’t harm him due to his golden body protection, they achieved the goal of delaying him.
Rip…
Another piece of paper was torn off. Just as Xu Qi’an was about to burn it, it suddenly rebelled, splitting into countless tiny paper fragments that scattered in the wind and fell into the river.
“Hiss…”
Flames rose from his palm. He had another page hidden in his tightly clenched hand; the previous one was just a diversion. He had anticipated Li Miaozheng’s move.
As the paper burned away, Xu Qi’an said solemnly, “Put down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha.”
The flying Li Miaozheng involuntarily turned and flew towards Xu Qi’an, actively colliding into his embrace.
Bang!
The two crashed together and tumbled into the river.
The entire Wei River boiled, huge waves rising tens of zhang high, washing over both banks in layers. No one could see the battle happening beneath the river, but they knew it was intense enough.
The process lasted for a quarter of an hour. The originally clear Wei River had turned into a turbid “Yellow River.”
As the river surface gradually calmed, the onlookers’ hearts instantly tensed. They stared at the river’s surface without blinking.
Xu Yinluo must have won, surely he won, he was so powerful… The common people held their breath, searching for any sign of movement on the water’s surface.
The golden gongs of the night watchmen stared fixedly at the river surface.
The master of the Double Sword School, the master of Luya Sword Pavilion, the beauty from Wanhua Tower, and many other martial arts experts silently and solemnly watched the river surface.
They knew they might be witnessing the birth of a legend.
A legend of a low-rank warrior defeating high-rank Dao cultivators.
Among the spectators, from common people to martial artists, to high-ranking officials and nobles, and their guards, nearly a thousand people were packed tightly together.
Yet at this moment, they tacitly maintained silence, so quiet that one could hear breathing.
This was an extremely exciting battle, full of twists and turns yet thoroughly satisfying.
Biaobiao covered her chest, hearing her own heart beating like a drum, one beat after another.
Huai Qing’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, quietly clenched.
The Marchioness stood on tiptoe, her bright eyes under the veil moving constantly, searching and searching the river surface.
If he wins this battle, after my elder brother’s duel, his gradually cooling momentum will ignite once again. He will return to the peak, becoming the focus of all levels of society in the capital… Xu Xinnian took a deep breath, calming his excited emotions.
Under everyone’s gaze, from the calming river surface, a hand emerged first, followed by a head – a head wearing a sable hat.
As if afraid the sable hat might fall off, the figure had to hold it in place.
The figure gradually came ashore, holding an unconscious young woman in Daoist robes.