In his mind, Teng Qingshan was omnipotent. Yet, Teng Qingshan had only ever made his name in Yicheng, encountering too few true masters. But today, this was the territory of the Guiyuan Sect. Here, even the peak experts of the Houtian realm were abundant.
Whether it was first-rate martial artists like Wu Man and Gongyang Qing, or the numerous Black Armored Army soldiers, all focused their gazes on this battle.
...
"Interesting!" Seeing this, Zhuge Yuanhong's smile deepened.
Among the Four Commanders, the older, silver-haired, black-robed elder and the steely strongman watched with keen interest. The younger Commander Zang Feng narrowed his eyes, his gaze like an icy blade. The female Commander watched in silence.
On the arena stage, the two young masters stood at opposite ends.
Teng Qingshan, standing seven feet four inches tall (nearly 1.85 meters), had cultivated his Internal Martial Arts to its zenith. His build was quite sturdy. Yue Song was nearly the same height as Teng Qingshan, but Yue Song’s shoulders were broader, and his arms longer, making him appear even more robust.
From mere appearance, one could hardly tell the difference in their ages.
Cangjiang, Yue Song! A disciple of the 'Cangjiang Sword Saint,' he had just completed his apprenticeship and returned to the Guiyuan Sect's Black Armored Army for tempering. In the outside world, besides a few supreme masters, few people knew of the existence of Yue Song, the disciple of Cangjiang Sword Saint.
Yicheng, Teng Qingshan! A monstrous talent at only sixteen years old, equally unknown to the wider world. After all, being the top master in Yicheng was hardly worth boasting about.
Two youths. Who was stronger?
The entire drill ground fell silent, every eye fixed on the pair.
"Teng Qingshan, be careful!" Yue Song smiled confidently, drawing the heavy black sword from his back.
"Make your move," Teng Qingshan watched his opponent calmly, holding the Reincarnation Spear.
Yue Song's eyes suddenly brightened, his aura surging. With a low roar, he declared, "Teng Qingshan, first take my Wave-Breaking Form!" He stomped his foot, instantly closing the distance with Teng Qingshan. The heavy black sword moved with a simple, direct chop!
Whoosh!
A chop of immense, surging power!
For a fleeting moment, Teng Qingshan thought he heard the roar of ocean waves, and the heavy black sword was already descending upon his head.
"Break!"
Teng Qingshan stood his ground. His right hand gave a subtle shake; the long spear darted out like a venomous snake, lightly brushing against the heavy black sword. The blade was involuntarily nudged slightly off course, yet it still aimed for Teng Qingshan's shoulder.
"Hmm? Such powerful, yet strange force," Teng Qingshan was startled. He sidestepped to avoid the strike. "My Shadow-Following Spear technique couldn't completely deflect the force of his attack or control its direction. This swordplay truly has its peculiarities."
In a fight against most men, a mere clash of weapons with Teng Qingshan would mean victory.
But this time, there was a problem.
"How is this possible?" Teng Qingshan was surprised, and Yue Song was even more astonished. "I trained with the heavy sword in the Cangjiang River; even its treacherous undercurrents couldn't alter my sword momentum. How can his spear possess such potent force!"
To Yue Song, the tip of Teng Qingshan's spear felt like a terrifying, hidden vortex at the bottom of the Cangjiang River—upon contact, his sword momentum was instantly affected.
"No wonder that Niu Zhan lost immediately after his weapon was deflected so far by contact with Teng Qingshan’s spear. I have already achieved the state of unity between man and sword… yet my sword momentum was affected. But I refuse to believe Teng Qingshan can withstand all thirty-three strikes of my Wave-Breaking Sword!" Yue Song moved with profound steps, his heavy sword delivering one blow after another in quick succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang!…
Yue Song circled Teng Qingshan, moving constantly, flexible as a fish in water. Yet, every blow of the heavy sword carried crushing weight.
"What bizarre swordsmanship!" Teng Qingshan felt the heavy sword become heavier with every strike.
Boom! Boom!…
With every step Teng Qingshan took, a distinct indentation was pressed into the rock under his feet.
...
"Splendid!" Zhuge Yuanhong, watching the fight, laughed. "The Wave-Breaking Thirty-Three Swords of the Cangjiang Sword Arts—each strike stronger than the last! Initially, each sword carried a force of ten thousand jin, but it grows heavier with every subsequent blow. However, Teng Qingshan's spear technique is even more profound; he is effortlessly transferring the force into the ground. His body remains completely unaffected. This control over applied force alone is astonishing. I wonder what kind of environment forged such a genius!"
Borrowing force to deflect force!
Teng Qingshan, as a former grandmaster of Internal Martial Arts, had reached the pinnacle of control over every muscle, bone, and sinew. Though the opponent's strikes were overwhelmingly heavy, Teng Qingshan channeled every ounce of force smoothly through his feet into the earth.
"This Teng Qingshan has remained within a distance of one zhang," the silver-haired, black-robed elder marveled.
"Yue Song's Wave-Breaking Thirty-Three Swords is only at the twenty-third strike; it only gets stronger from here. I refuse to believe Teng Qingshan can easily defend all thirty-three blows," the young Commander Zang Feng stated coldly. The fame of the Wave-Breaking Thirty-Three Swords was immense.
Even Zang Feng himself would have to commit fully to withstand it. It shouldn't be this easy.
...
On the stage, Yue Song moved with lightness, but his sword momentum was as heavy as a mountain! Strike after strike rained down incessantly!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Teng Qingshan continued to shift within the one-zhang radius, his long spear making only slight contact with the heavy sword before recoiling. Although each touch left a deep footprint in the stone floor, Teng Qingshan's smile grew wider.
"The one who created this swordsmanship is truly a genius! The sword style flows like the rushing river, one strike building upon the next, increasing in power and momentum relentlessly. I truly wish to see when this surge of sword momentum will end!" The force Teng Qingshan was channeling through his arms was around ten thousand jin for each redirection.
Aside from the flood dragon in the Bihan Pond, no one until now had forced Teng Qingshan to utilize the terrifying power stored within his body.
"The thirty-second sword! The impact of this strike must be at least tens of thousands of jin. Most peak Houtian experts would have been cleaved to death already."
Teng Qingshan spun his spear, once again parrying a strike. The terrifying force traveled through the spear to his arms, easily channeled along his bones, fascia, and muscle, down to his feet. It caused no depletion to Teng Qingshan's internal energy whatsoever.
"The thirty-third sword!" Teng Qingshan counted silently in his heart.
Boom!
Yue Song's final strike was a desperate, fierce overhead chop delivered with both hands, carrying the accumulated momentum of the previous thirty-two strikes. This blow caused the surrounding air to visibly distort. A sonic boom roared, warping the view of the spectators.
Clang!
It was, as always, an exceedingly simple thrust of the spear—plain and unadorned.
But the instant it met the heavy sword, the entire spear erupted with terrifying spiraling force, like an invisible, dreadful vortex in the darkness, enveloping the heavy sword and twisting the opponent's momentum.
"Haha, satisfying, utterly satisfying!" Yue Song retreated several zhang, his eyes slightly flushed with excitement as he burst into loud laughter. "To take all thirty-three strikes of my Wave-Breaking Sword consecutively, Brother Teng, I am utterly impressed by your spear technique. May I ask what you call your spear style?"
"My spear style is called 'Shadow-Following'," Teng Qingshan complimented. "Brother Yue's swordsmanship and movement are also incredibly profound. What are they called?" Teng Qingshan had heard him mention 'Wave-Breaking Form'; clearly, this set of swordsmanship was more than just that one stance.
"My swordsmanship was created by my Master after a century of contemplation in the Cangjiang River; it is called the Cangjiang Sword Arts. What I just used was the Wave-Breaking Form from the Cangjiang Sword Arts! As for my movement technique, it is the 'Swimming Dragon Form'!" Yue Song stated frankly. In truth, the names of martial arts manuals were not meant to be kept secret.
Upon hearing this, a clamor erupted below!
"The Cangjiang Sword Arts? It's truly the Cangjiang Sword Arts?"
"This Yue Song is the disciple of the Cangjiang Sword Saint?"
...
The martial artists and Black Armored Army soldiers watching the fight were familiar with some of the most famous figures in the land. 'Cangjiang Sword Saint' Wei Wuya was an extremely renowned supreme expert on the Kyushu Continent, ranked among the thirty-six names on the Heavenly Ranking, revered as the 'Cangjiang Sword Saint.'
The Cangjiang Sword Arts contained six forms, each immensely powerful.
"Brother Teng, I have not yet mastered the 'Raging Wave Form' of the Cangjiang Sword Arts. I cannot control it with perfect ease when using it. You must be careful," Yue Song said solemnly.
Teng Qingshan felt a hint of pleasant surprise.
This Yue Song, besides the Wave-Breaking Form just used, actually possessed the even more formidable 'Raging Wave Form.'
"Haha, Brother Yue, there is no need to hold back, please proceed," Teng Qingshan replied, holding his spear ready.
Yue Song's expression grew solemn. A bluish halo flickered across his face, and wisps of internal energy leaked from the tip of the heavy black sword, striking the stone floor and pulverizing the rock into dust. Clearly, Yue Song could no longer perfectly control his internal force.
"Raging Wave Form!"
Yue Song roared.
Rumble~~~ A distinct sound like the roar of the Cangjiang River accompanied the heavy black sword as it cleaved toward Teng Qingshan.
Waves of internal energy vibrated, producing the terrifying sound of a raging river. The sword in Yue Song’s hand seemed to transform into the enraged Cangjiang, surging to devour Teng Qingshan.
Even before the sword arrived, its sheer momentum stunned Teng Qingshan.
"Not good! The power of this strike is exponentially greater than the previous ones!" Teng Qingshan secretly alarmed. "Relying solely on the 'Shadow-Following Spear' technique absolutely cannot deflect this force." If Teng Qingshan chose to rely on brute strength, he could directly smash the opponent to death with one spear thrust.
Unless absolutely necessary, Teng Qingshan did not wish to expose his astonishing physical power. That was his greatest secret!
"I must use the Primordial Unity Spear Technique!"
The Shadow-Following Spear was, after all, an offensive technique. Though it possessed force-deflecting capabilities, how could it compare to the 'Primordial Unity' technique? The 'Primordial Unity' Spear Technique was the sole defensive spear art within the Five Elements Spear, the most powerful method for deflection and defense.
Whoosh!
The Reincarnation Spear began to spin!
Spear shadows danced, and before Teng Qingshan, it seemed as if a terrifying, deep-sea vortex had materialized. The moment Yue Song's heavy sword contacted the spear shadows, it was as if the furious waters of the raging river were instantly swallowed by the vortex. That bizarre, sucking force caused Yue Song to struggle, spitting blood.
"Let go!" Teng Qingshan bellowed.
Whoosh!
Faced with the terrifying swallowing suction, Yue Song could no longer maintain control of his heavy sword. The weapon ripped from his grasp and was violently flung, slamming into the arena stone like a meteor from beyond the heavens.
Boom!
The arena stone instantly fractured, jagged cracks spreading across its surface, and pulverized stone dust flowed like silt.
"How, how is this possible…" Yue Song’s right hand trembled slightly as he stared in disbelief at the heavy black sword embedded in the crater of shattered rock. None of this was comprehensible to him.