Chapter 415: Topping the Ranking List of Young Masters
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
In shock upon seeing what had just happened, Crown Prince Zhao Qian and Prince Jin Zhao Yi stared at each other in dismay. They might have seen many masters in action before, but none of them could be described as “mad” as He Jiu!
Speaking of the Shapeless Sword, He Jiu, he had indeed been the first on the Ranking List of Young Masters for quite a few years, yet he should not have had the overwhelming capability to suppress anyone from the top ten on Ranking List of Young Masters in a fight, be it in terms of the realm or strength. When it came to The Unstoppable Yan Chong and the others, one would believe that He Jiu could beat them after a tough one-on-one fight, but it was unlikely for him to actually win a fight against two such masters.
They thought He Jiu would use the same tactic as Aunt Bai to fight against two masters at a time and gradually level up the challenge, starting with Master Lotus and the Buddhist Heart Palm, who were ranked relatively lower, followed by the two saber masters on the Ranking List of Young Masters, Su Meng and Yan Chong. If he still could not break through and reach the Exterior, he might have then challenged Ledgerkeeper of Lives and Fairy of the Extinctive Sword together. However, no one had expected him to challenge four masters at once! As for as everyone knew, with He Jiu’s current standards, even Dharma would not be able to beat opponents who had achieved Oneness of Heaven and Men!
He may indeed be good at fighting against multiple opponents at a time, but it would still have been wise to analyze the opponents’ strength in comparison to his own before starting the fight!
This fight was no different from challenging an expert of the Exterior, which would also be impossible for him to win and break through to the Exterior level due to the immense pressure during the fight. If not for the opportunity to reach the Exterior, why would He Jiu go through all the trouble of arranging the Party of Happycloud?
There was a commotion among all of the other guests as well, and astonishment could also be seen on the faces of experts of the Exterior, such as Hong Qian from Sword Washing Pavilion and Wang Rui from the Wang Family. Not one could believe that He Jiu was about to start such an unprecedented fight.
On the other hand, Meng Qi felt He Jiu was not “mad” at all and was not surprised by his decision. Fighting against four at a time was much easier than fighting against six, which was what Meng Qi originally believed He Jiu would do. Moreover, the strongest masters, Wang Siyuan and Jiang Zhiwei, were excluded from the fight.
The cracking of fireworks could be heard, while iridescent flowery patterns made by them could be seen through the open door.
“Excellent!” Instead of feeling irritated, Master Lotus Liu Su was filled with admiration and excitement. “I’ve always been quite fond of heroism. Today I must be part of this wonderful event!”
He took one gulp of wine from the jar beside him while maintaining his elegant disposition, then gently patted his blue sword scabbard and sang, “The sages have always been lonely and solitary, only those who indulge in good wine will have their names remembered…”
Before he even finished singing, his sword was already out of the scabbard to assault his opponent with a series of unpredictable moves. The Sword Qi was as sharp as the piercing wind and spread as widely as mist. No one could tell where the tip of his sword was.
“Over the waters covered by the mist, it is indeed difficult to find the destination…” Many people present who were proficient in poetry thought of this poem immediately upon seeing this sword art. Liu Su surely had the ability to infuse his sword art with a poetic concept and his mood while enjoying wine!
The boundless Sword Qi showed no hint of where it was going to strike, making everyone involuntarily marvel at how sublime and untraceable it was.
He Jiu laughed out of excitement upon seeing this strike, and said, “Great attack!”
In the meantime, he raised his right hand and drew several patterns casually with his index finger and middle finger acting as a sword, creating a shapeless surging Sword Qi that was as violent as a raging sea to counter his opponent’s strike.
Instead of joining the fight, Meng Qi and the other masters remained still to observe the situation, as they were afraid that attacking on impulse might tarnish their image.
Meng Qi kept his mental state calm and steady while sensing He Jiu’s breaths and attacks, and gradually everything around him was outlined in his mind. However, instead of witnessing He Jiu’s Sword Qi clearly, he could only feel its momentum vaguely. It could strike in straightforward or roundabout ways, but its next move was always a mystery. No wonder He Jiu was known by the name Shapeless Sword.
“Clang!”
The Sword Qi that resembled tidal waves clashed with the Sword Qi that resembled mist covering water, and was destroyed upon eliminating it. However, one single trace of invisible Qi was kept intact within He Jiu’s attack and swiftly hit the tip of Master Lotus’ sword.
Upon seeing the situation, Liu Su stretched his sword to create the sword light that shrouded the surroundings like the clouds tinged with the glow of sunset. His intention to kill was hidden among the sword light, obscure at times and clear at others, as if enveloped by the ever-changing mist.
With a slash of his sword, mist developed mid-air, reflecting the light of the fireworks and creating a lustrous glow. Every bulge of the mist felt like a blast of Sword Qi.
Despite their fight has just begun, there were already changes in astronomical phenomena as their vital energies interacted with each other.
“Great!” He Jiu shouted as he commanded his Sword Qi by jabbing his right index finger and middle finger. Master Lotus’ sword power was then broken apart upon being struck by his Sword Qi, like a blast energy breaking through the clouds and mist.
The clanging between the two swords never stopped as every feint was broken down by vigorous Sword Qi, which then collided with Liu Su’s long sword, provoking his intent to kill.
With an unrestrained posture and an unruly attitude, Liu Su attacked with one move after another. His sword art at this point was also imbued with the essence of poetry and paintings. He showed no intention of withdrawing from the fight and continued his fierce battle with He Jiu.
Meanwhile, Meng Qi was fully focused on feeling and understanding both of their moves, learning from their merits for his own improvement.
He Jiu moved his five fingers on the right hand to initiate even more variations of his Sword Qi, which could be either energetic or straightforward, aggressive or dynamic. At this point in time, he seemed to be tied with Liu Su.
“You, join in!” He Jiu shouted all of a sudden as he was deeply indulged in the fight, then extended one finger from his left hand to create a Sword Qi that assaulted Buddhist Heart Palm Xuan Zhen from a distance.
The sword art used by Master Lotus was already outstanding enough to make him a powerful opponent. Who would have believed that He Jiu was still not satisfied with the fight, so much so that Xuan Zhen was called to join the fight!
This new Sword Qi was also unpredictable and formless, with its origin and destination impossible to figure out. Moreover, it did not affect He Jiu’s attacks from his right hand at all.
“He could multitask during a fight as well?”
“Amitabha.” Xuan Zhen held his left palm up in front of his chest, then gently pushed forth his right palm as if he was not using any strength.
Surprisingly, a palm force suddenly burst from his plam in an extremely powerful and skillful manner. Upon encountering this blast of energy, even the shapeless Sword Qi dissipated with a buzz.
That was one of Shaolin’s 72 Ultimate Arts, Mount Meru Palm, which enabled Xuan Zhen to release a great amount of force under the guise of a weak, gentle attack. As long as the opponent was in the area where his palm momentum could reach, the strength of this art would not be reduced by the distance. If one could practice this art to the highest level, it would be possible to generate an overwhelming force from a seemingly unnoticeable attack.
He Jiu coped with Master Lotus’ attacks with the Sword Qi on his right hand, while making consecutive attacks with gentle flicks of his left fingers. His attacks were formless, focused and filled with viciousness, forcing Xuan Zhen to fend for himself with Body Movements. He lightly, yet swiftly, shifted on the ground as if he were crossing a lake on a reed while countering He Jiu’s attacks with a straightforward palm momentum.
As simple his variations in movement might have been, they always hit the weak spots of He Jiu’s Sword Qi. Even though He Jiu had already implied numerous traces of Sword Qi to mislead the judgment of his opponents, they could never fool Xuan Zhen, and were shattered immediately by his palm, like a thin layer of ice that could be crushed with little force.
With the heart of Buddha, Xuan Zhen’s palm of wisdom had the ability to see through every move and discern what was fake!
Xuan Zhen’s Prajna Palm was almost consummate, and with his realm of Oneness of Heaven and Men, his every move had the strength of any Exterior killer movements that Meng Qi could use.
Dark clouds started to gather in the sky where thunder was brewing, but peace filled the hall as if it was a land purified with Buddhism. It seemed like the whole world was contained within Xuan Zhen’s every turn of his palms. He Jiu’s advantages were all taken away, no matter how his Sword Qi changed or attacked.
Despite being one of the strongest masters, He Jiu was still gradually drained of energy under the pressure of the two Nine Apertured Masters who had reached Oneness of Heaven and Men. His Sword Qi was also weakening as his opponents pressed on towards him. However, being the famous Shapeless Sword of Jianghu, his Sword Qi never allowed his opponents any chances to use killer moves.
It seemed that He Jiu was slightly better than Aunt Bai in terms of strength, since his ability to multitask during a battle really gave him more advantages to fight against multiple opponents. At that moment, no one could really tell which side was winning, He Jiu or his opponents.
“You join in as well!” He shouted again, this time with another blast of Sword Qi spurting from his mouth. The Qi gathered all remaining energy and mist in his surroundings to transform into an intimidating black dragon, and pounced on Yan Chong with unavoidable force!
Mouth Acupore was supposed to be an aperture that easily developed flaws. Who would had believed that He Jiu was able to release Sword Qi with it!
“BOOM!”
Lightning and thunderclaps accompanied this new Sword Qi as it was released. The gloomy weather soon turned into a thunderstorm with heavy rain pouring down outside, even the once splendid fireworks started to appear sparse and insignificant.
As soon as He Jiu’s Sword Qi was approaching, Yan Chong blew an attack with his saber to counter the Sword Qi head-on. His saber energy rushed towards the Sword Qi with a rumble, as if it was a giant tidal wave that was ready to devour everything coming its way.
“BOOM!”
With the thunderclaps and explosions, the two tied on their first fight. The residual Sword Qi and Knife Qi were spreading all over the place, but with Exterior masters witnessing the fight, all remaining energies were quickly dispersed.
Yan Chong was not satisfied with having a tie with He Jiu, and started using even more bladesmanship. His Knife Momentum came in succession like continuous tidal waves of the sea, keeping the Sword Qi from He Jiu’s Mouth Aperture under complete control.
At the same time, He Jiu shook his ears and snorted to release four more blasts of Sword Qi. Even his Ear Apertures and Nose Apertures were trained to be sources of Sword Qi!
This time, however, the Sword Qi was no longer shapeless, but pure white and concentrated. The five blasts of Sword Qi were either adamant or circuitous, counteracting Yan Chong’s Knife Momentum with a specific formation.
In such a critical situation, it seemed to be only a matter of time before He Jiu was defeated. However, for the time being, he was indeed fighting against three at a time without any indication of losing the battle!
“Now you join in!” Despite being unable to speak while using his Mouth Aperture to release Sword Qi, He Jiu looked at Meng Qi to call him into the battle.
Meanwhile, two blasts of gloomy Sword Qi were released from his bright eyes and shot straight towards Meng Qi.
Even his eyes could release Sword Qi!
“Is he multitasking again?” As a spectator who had been observing this battle, Meng Qi was confident in coping with He Jiu’s attack. He jumped off the ground all of a sudden to swiftly dodge the Sword Qi, then pulled out his long saber.
The sound of him drawing the saber reverberated through the hall.
With a silver flash, Meng Qi’s saber was right in front of He Jiu.
This attack was the One-chopping technique from Five Tiger-like Bladesmanship. Despite being a simple move, it was used at a very appropriate moment to slice through the following traces of Sword Qi once and for all. During this one-against-three battle, this attack had the momentum to cut through everything that was present, and was almost impossible to block effectively!
“Excellent!” Some marveled at this attack after realizing its power and efficiency. Compared to sophisticated movements, it would require greater skills to achieve such an impact with a simpler movement. Killing Blade should indeed never be underestimated in his strength!
Raising both eyebrows, He Jiu released two more blasts of Sword Qi!
Meng Qi waved his saber to create a space that contained the incoming Sword Qi. The clashing sound could be heard only faintly.
He then changed his attack to one that was solid and straightforward, thrusting at He Jiu with his saber in no time.
Trio Combination of Yin and Yang, which is Yin and which is Yang?
Meng Qi was already starting to combine the different Essences of his movements at will!
It seemed that up to this point there were only a few choices left for He Jiu. He either had to dodge Meng Qi’s saber without regarding Master Lotus and others, or suffer the impact of Meng Qi’s attack.
At that moment, He Jiu suddenly uttered a long, loud cry that resonated with the deafening thunderclaps.
Besides his Hidden Latch at midbrow, all 364 major apertures on his body released piercing Sword Qi that ripped his clothes into pieces with multiple swishing sounds. The newly released Sword Qi seemed to have the energy to break the Earth, the sharpness to cut through the hardest metal, and the momentum to cover the entire sky.
“How is this even possible…” many disciples from different Sects and aristocratic families unconsciously stood up while witnessing what was happening in front of their eyes. They were in awe of the Sword Qi He Jiu released.
Meng Qi felt that the Sword Qi was as imposing as a rainstorm. Despite fighting against four people at the same time, He Jiu had him made feel like he was being besieged by bows and arrows in the blink of an eye. Moreover, his Sword Qi was definitely way more powerful than normal arrows. Although he had mastered Eight Nine Mysteries and Golden Bell Shield techniques, he still would not be able to withstand very many of these kinds of attacks. If someone ordinary was bearing this attack, he would die coming into contact with the Sword Qi!
Even so, how many times could He Jiu execute attacks like these?