HSSB169: Worthy of their name
As a leading figure of Jade Sea City’s younger generation, the Seven Seas Young Master Song Chao of the Four Young Masters also had his own arrogance and confidence.
He truly intended to clash with Tang Yonghao in a test of their abilities.
If not for the fact that Tang Yonghao and Xu Fei would definitely be having a match, Song Chao would definitely want to fight it out with Tang Yonghao to properly see who was better.
And now, he also didn’t want to take advantage of Tang Yonghao.
If his clash with Tang Yonghao took too much of a toll on him, it would severely influence his match with Xu Fei. Just this alone could put Tang Yonghao at a disadvantage.
Many a times, a battle between experts did not require many moves.
Song Chao was of no mind to take advantage of Tang Yonghao, even more so definitely not intending to use a technique like the Heaven Flooding Tide like that Sacred Sun Clan disciple had said.
Seeing that Tang Yonghao had agreed to it, Song Chao nodded, “Please.”
Saying thus, he hit out with a palm towards Tang Yonghao, his aura-qi surging as it formed an illusory heaven and earth.
As a Heavenly Connection Martial Scholar, the illusory heaven and earth formed of Song Chao’s aura-qi was even more tangible and solidified than that of Xiantian Martial Scholars.
Not only Tang Yonghao who was facing it straight on, even Yan Zhaoge and the other spectators seemed to see giant waves that surged up to the heavens sweeping their way.
Before their eyes was a dense, boundless sea, the sounds of great waves ceaseless by their ears, the ocean howling as mountains collapsed.
Faced with this scene, Tang Yonghao lined up his index and middle fingers to form a sword as he stabbed outwards with a stance of momentum that could part the sea.
A golden sword-light that resembled a rising sun blazed into existence, its aura blazing with the warmth of the sun as it instantly enveloped everyone within.
The Sacred Sun Clan’s direct lineage martial art, one of the Seven Great Sun Arts, the Divine Sword of Dawn!
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze flickered as he raised his head slightly and looked above him.
Above him, the all-encompassing sky of clouds dispersed as sunlight faintly penetrated through the cloud layer, descending below.
As Tang Yonghao pointed, the light exploded outwards and expanded as though some powerful existence was being nurtured within, the sunlight from the overhead sky frenziedly coalescing at Tang Yonghao’s fingertip!
In that instant, the light became more and more abundant as it seemed to come together to form a slowly rising morning sun.
The light golden morning sun emanated infinite heat as there seemed to have vaguely appeared two suns between the heavens and the earth, one in the sky overhead, the other right before their eyes.
The sword-light was originally like the sunrise at dawn, soft but not weak, bright but not intense.
However, as the sunlight came into contact and clashed head-on with the large sea formed of Song Chao’s aura-qi, it instantly became incomparably bright and piercing, resembling fine threads of needle-like rays as a rain of light suddenly exploded outwards, dispersing into the surroundings.
As each of the golden needles of light came into contact with the surrounding sea tide, violent, intense explosions occurred.
Continuous, unceasing explosions! Infinite, neverending explosions!
Billions of golden threads of light exploded as they collided with the massive, boundless sea!
The sea resembled dark clouds that had been dispersed by the sun as it churned in evasion, shattering and separating, finally transforming into an infinite amount of water droplets like the descent of a tempestuous storm.
Then, as each water droplet was once again pricked by a golden needle, they broke apart in quick succession, till they had finally vanished completely without a trace!
It was like the stagnant water after a storm completely evaporating away as it was illuminated by the sun’s rays.
Tang Yonghao retracted his stance, saying sincerely to Song Chao as he looked at him, “Senior Brother Song, thank you for going easy.”
Song Chao indeed hadn’t taken advantage of him. Speaking accurately, the depletion of both of their aura-qis and stamina had been low to the point of being negligible, as it was more of a clash of the changes in their techniques as well as their comprehension and understanding of concepts of the martial dao.
If it had been a life or death battle, it could not have been decided from that single clash of theirs-in fact, far from it.
Retracting his palm, Song Chao sighed, “I still lost to you by a move.”
Shaking his head, he turned and left, directly moving to the boundary of Hovering Island whereupon he sat down cross-legged. This clearly signalled that he had become a spectator with no further intention of continuing to participate in the upcoming parts of the Heavenly Connection Meet.
Tang Yonghao cupped his hands towards him, then turned to look at Xu Fei, “Senior Brother Xu has waited for a long time. By Senior Brother Song’s allowance, the match between you and me can progress as intended. Not having been fatigued, I have no need for rest. We can begin immediately.”
Xu Fei had a leather bag within his hands from which emanated the fragrant aroma of wine. While Tang Yonghao and Song Chao had clashed, he had been chugging it down merrily.
Now, raising his head and gulping down the last of that strong wine, he attached the leather bag back by his waist and reached out to wipe his mouth before smiling, “While you only exchanged a single move with Senior Brother Song, I have managed to see several things from it, having especially gained an understanding of your current cultivation.”
“You are an upright person; I will not take advantage of you.”
Saying thus, Xu Fei pushed out forward with his palm.
As he did so, his aura enveloped the surrounding area like the great firmament, the great earth carrying the Eight Extremities.
His fist technique looked artless and rustic, even seeming a little simple and clumsy. However, the majestic force seemed to contain within it infinite laws and profundities!
As this palm hit out, the eyes of all the Xiantian Martial Scholars here lit up.
As the entire world knew, while Xu Fei had a heroic personality unlike his Master Shi Tie, in terms of martial cultivation, he was the same as Shi Tie, fully devoted to a single martial art, obtaining everything from it.
Unlike Shi Tie who cultivated the Vajra Body, Xu Fei’s choice was another of the Eight Extreme Arts, the Great Heaven Earth Sword.
Many years like a single day, Xu Fei did not cultivate in any of Broad Creed Mountain’s other supreme martial arts, and was fully devoted to the Great Heaven Earth Sword; his attainment in it was indisputably the number one amongst Martial Scholars, even surpassing many Martial Grandmaster experts of the clan.
But today, while Xu Fei had not executed the techniques of the Great Heaven Earth Sword, the concept of and principles behind his palm move were actually along the same line as the Great Heaven Earth Sword, yet were also dissimilar.
It was not simply changing sword-intent into fist-momentum or changing a sword technique into a palm technique. It was even more not executing a sword technique with a palm technique.
With their discerning eyes, Yan Zhaoge and the others could all tell that while Xu Fei’s palm technique was still somewhat primitive and crude, it had clearly been based off the Great Heaven Earth Sword, preserving its essence and discarding its impurities, causing it to change.
This was a whole new martial art, a martial art wholly self-created by Xu Fei!
While it still looked to be incomplete, its potential was shocking.
Ah Hu mumbled to himself, “If Brother Fei continues with improving his palm techniques, refining them till major completion, Broad Creed Mountain might have Nine Extreme Arts in the future.”
Retracting his palm, Xu Fei looked at Tang Yonghao, laughing straightforwardly, “Some small thing that I’ve thought up in my leisure; I have let everyone see its unworthiness. While it is still insufficient to enter your eyes, Senior Brother Tang, with the palm and the sword originating from the same part of the martial dao, I can combine and execute them simultaneously.”
Tang Yonghao nodded earnestly, “Many thanks for your reminder, Senior Brother Xu.”
The two cupped their fists as they faced each other. Then, with a wave of his hand, a sword of golden light appeared within Tang Yonghao’s hand. Its light was blazing yet not piercing to the eye, resembling the newly emerged morning sun.
Xu Fei reached out behind him and made a drawing action. A black broadsword flew out of its scabbard and landed in his hands, a plain, dull sword-light flashing for a moment before disappearing as a dragon’s roar resounded.
One executing the Great Heaven Earth Sword and the other the Divine Sword of Dawn, they instantly clashed.
With the Heavenly Connection Meet just having begun, what would very possibly be its highest-level contest now began playing out.
Looking at Xu Fei and Tang Yonghao exchanging moves with their swords in the majestic battle of a dragon and a tiger, Yan Zhaoge could not help but nod repeatedly, “Worthy of their name.”
He swivelled his head to look in another direction. There, the other Sacred Sun Clan disciples were tensely focused on the battle situation, all except for a single person, whose expression remained the same, with no changes occurring whatsoever as he was silent to the point that he seemed non-existent.
The World Illuminating Young Master, Huang Jie.