The divine sense of the Rust Disaster Craftsman is quite unique. When carving a path forward, it sizzles and corrodes the invisible barriers entirely. Although it takes some time, it is done with ease.
The cultivators participating in the Xingyun Trial this time have almost all investigated the information beforehand. Even if they haven’t, the previous Divine Sense Transmission has informed the participating cultivators of the relevant content.
Everyone showcases their skills, advancing continually.
Around them is endless darkness, with no points of reference, but no one worries about the direction.
It’s because the rules have made it clear, even if one spins in place, it’s fine; just persist for a while, and if the distance reaches the standard, one can enter the next round.
Among the Golden Core cultivators, Tie Zheng was the first to depart and enter the second checkpoint.
His divine sense was the sharpest due to its modification by secret techniques.
Afterwards came Lu Ban and Ao Pan.
Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, Ban Ji arrived first, followed by Ning Zhuo. Zhang Wangxing at the Foundation Establishment Peak fell behind, as his divine sense is his weak point. Even Zhang Dadan passed faster than him.
Ning Zhuo’s view suddenly brightened, and he found himself in a spherical space.
It’s still the Array Space, just constructed differently.
In front of Ning Zhuo floated a sword.
The sword was made of bronze, with its tip pointed vertically towards the ground.
Divine Sense Transmission informs the rules. Ning Zhuo listens and finds the trial rules for the second checkpoint are exactly the same as before, without any change.
The Divine Sense Transmission starts counting down.
From ten to one, the suspended bronze sword, as if held by someone, suddenly lunged at Ning Zhuo.
The sword tip broke through the air, producing a sharp, shrill whistle, stabbing straight at Ning Zhuo’s throat.
Ning Zhuo’s pupils shrank suddenly, his waist bent as if pulled by a strong bow, retracting sharply.
Iron Bridge!
The cold sword wind brushed past the tip of his nose, slicing off a few flying strands of hair.
With the sword missing, the bronze sword showed no hesitation. Its body trembled, turning the thrust into a cut, horizontally slashing at Ning Zhuo’s exposed neck.
The blade sliced through the air, incredibly sharp, producing a tearing sound like ripping silk.
Ning Zhuo twisted his body.
His physical foundation was strong enough that even in such awkward positions, his body could forcibly spin sideways, leading his entire body to one side.
Shhhh...
Ning Zhuo’s hem was sliced open by the sword edge, leaving a neat gap. A blood line was also left on his neck, with a few drops of blood seeping out before his muscles tightened, stopping the bleeding.
Though it was merely a scratch, it burned painfully.
Ning Zhuo kept retreating, even as he adjusted his stance, the bronze sword came again.
This time it was an upward slash, the sword light resembling a snake’s tongue, incredibly tricky, aiming directly for Ning Zhuo’s unstable base.
There was a deep look in Ning Zhuo’s eyes, as his left foot suddenly stepped on the ground, his body bouncing backward with force, while his right palm struck down like lightning.
Of course, he wouldn’t directly confront the sword edge but instead used the palm edge to slantingly slice at the mid-section of the sword back, with precision in speed, angle, and force.
The bronze sword was knocked down, hitting the ground, while Ning Zhuo stepped forward quickly yet missed the step.
The bronze sword drew back, avoiding Ning Zhuo’s step, then immediately thrust forward.
As Ning Zhuo adjusted his posture in the nick of time, the outer side of his thigh was still sliced open, adding another blood mark.
The bronze sword didn’t manage to take down Ning Zhuo, changing its tactics, the sword momentum altered, becoming continuous and relentless, like a rushing river!
Point, thrust, cut, pick, slice, chop... the various basic sword styles were pushed to the extreme, fast enough to drag dozens of green shadows in the air, weaving a deadly sword web that tightly enveloped Ning Zhuo!
Ning Zhuo’s figure darted around in this storm of death, like a small boat in the midst of raging waves.
Sweat mixed with blood pearls seeped from wounds, drawing wet marks on his skin.
"Swish!" A coolness on the left cheek, a strand of hair flew up accompanied by a string of blood pearls, as the sword point grazed his cheekbone.
"Puff!" The linen on the right rib was sliced open, flesh rolled, blood instantly staining his clothes red.
"Bang!" Caught defenseless, he could only use the outer side of his left forearm to block a diagonal chop, arm bone intensely pained as if splitting, the sleeve shattered, revealing a deep wound to the bone, bleeding profusely.
Though the situation was perilous, constantly accumulating wounds, Ning Zhuo’s eyes only grew brighter.
This level of difficulty was within expectations, not surprising.
"My close combat, and martial arts skill were only built upon back at Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
"Only at the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect did I compensate for this weakness."
"During the National Thousand Peaks Forest battle of Liangzhu Country, I learned some military tactics, simple and direct, enhancing bravery."
"For dealing with peers usually, it’s generally sufficient. But putting it in the Xingyun Trial of the Nine-layered Profound Armor, it’s not enough to look at."
"The difficulty of the second checkpoint is progressive. The first weapon I encountered has a challenge level that surpasses my limit slightly."
Ning Zhuo’s close combat and martial arts were no longer a weak spot, but never his strong suit.
The second trial of the Nine-layered Profound Armor is screening out cultivators proficient in martial arts, eliminating the mediocre ones.
Facing such a trial, Ning Zhuo is suppressed by the array, banned, unable to mobilize forces in other aspects, forced to counter with martial arts, naturally facing perilous situations, being exceedingly awkward.
Ordinary cultivators would have long been exhausted and severely wounded, eliminated.
Ning Zhuo managed to hold on for so long, thanks to his formidable physical strength. His body can house millions of Human Souls; many small wounds can quickly self-heal.
Ning Zhuo’s persistence wasn’t just a fruitless struggle; during the intense confrontation, his martial arts improved rapidly.
His footwork initially was only about dodging, but now gradually had a pattern.
Sometimes like stepping on stars, avoiding sharp edges in small steps; sometimes like wading through mud, the body sluggish yet narrowly avoiding the blade; sometimes like a spinning whirlwind, shadows entwining with sword light, indistinguishable, yet no new sword wound added.
"Successful ’review’!" Ning Zhuo felt elated.
He used the Soul Searching Technique to righteously punish a heap of Demon Path souls. Innate talent protects him, and the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique made his foundation soar.
Among these Demon Path cultivators were many proficient in close combat; their lifelong related experience became part of Ning Zhuo’s foundation.
It’s just that Ning Zhuo didn’t have time to practice; now in the fierce duel with the bronze sword, he quickly reviewed, mastering it all, truly using it for himself.
As Ning Zhuo fights more, his stance stabilizes, becoming calm.
His most severe injury was on his left forearm, yet his body was strong enough that even a deep wound to the bone, during intense movement, still managed to stop bleeding, beginning to heal slowly.
Another reason is that the bronze sword itself carries no mana, only relying on its sharp edge.
This round tests martial arts and close combat.
For such flesh wounds, Ning Zhuo’s physical foundation can adequately cope.
"Now is the moment!"
Ning Zhuo’s eyes shot out keen rays, suddenly squatting and lifting his leg, kicking at the sword body forcefully, sending the bronze sword flying.
The bronze sword was forced to distance itself from Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo felt invigorated inside; it was his first effective counterattack.
As the bronze sword attacked again, Ning Zhuo’s gaze was bright and confident, ready to face the challenge.
After several rounds of confrontation like this, Ning Zhuo’s stamina continued endlessly, and the frequency of the bronze sword being kicked flying increased gradually.
The bronze sword thrust straight at Ning Zhuo’s heart, Ning Zhuo didn’t retreat but advanced, confidently sidestepping, comfortably avoiding the sword edge, the left hand like picking flowers, the fingers spread, reaching for the hilt and gripping tightly.
The bronze sword struggled vigorously in his hand.
Ning Zhuo could suppress it, but he smiled slightly, voluntarily releasing, letting it escape into the air like a fish, breaking free once again.
"Keep going." He clapped his hands, provocatively challenged the bronze sword that had distanced itself.
Thus, Ning Zhuo used the bronze sword to train himself, with close combat prowess rising steadily. Such a scene attracted the attention of the cultivators hosting the trial.
"What’s wrong with this Ning Zhuo?"
"Initially, I thought he was just so-so, merely here to make a fool of himself. Unexpectedly, like the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he’s improved so much!"
"It’s hard to imagine! But all of this has happened. Is his insight in martial arts really that strong?!"
"To grow so rapidly from real combat, this is quite rare!"
The cultivators exclaimed repeatedly in astonishment.