madnovel Chapter 66 The Perfect Martial Arts of the True Self
Chapter 66 The Perfect Martial Arts of the True Self
"Now that you have won, young master, please return to the stage."
The martial arts masters invited by Jinlou leaped up the ten-zhang-high building, went forward to check on the unconscious Wan Taoxian, and after confirming that he was not in any danger, they clasped their fists and bowed to Lin Zhuo.
"Can't I stay and defend the title?" Lin Zhuo asked back. He knew the rules: the winner could continue to defend the title. Moreover, there was an advantage to the challenge: winning a match counted as completing a simple task, and you could get dozens of disaster coins and experience points.
Lin Zhuo knew that the [Searching for Home in the Mortal World] series of quests he was undertaking was difficult. He had to level up as much as possible before facing powerful enemies, so he became a level-gain slave and didn't want to miss any opportunity to gain experience.
"This..." The martial arts master was speechless. As an expert, he naturally did not think that there was any foul play in this competition, just like the audience on the street. On the contrary, he genuinely felt that the person in front of him was far superior to himself. But it was precisely because he was too strong that he had to find a way to ban him from the competition, otherwise the patrons of the Golden Pavilion would have no one to fight.
After much deliberation, the martial arts master still couldn't refuse outright, so he clasped his hands and said, "Please do as you wish, young master, but if your energy is insufficient, please do not force yourself."
For a Qigong master, Qi is a precious asset. Is it worth spending years of accumulated power to compete for a beauty on the Allure Ranking? Every martial artist should have their own scale to weigh this.
Lin Zhuo had already finished drinking the spirit wine, and he had not neglected his food and drink during his journey, so the spiritual energy he had stored was comparable to the accumulation of an ordinary martial artist over several decades.
Even though he had been constantly fighting his way to Anzhou City and had fought with Wan Tao first, his current reserve of spiritual energy was still quite considerable.
"Thank you for reminding me." Lin Zhuo nodded in thanks.
The martial arts master looked quite honored, repeatedly saying he didn't dare, then picked up Wan Taoxian, who was lying on the ground, and lightly leaped down, landing back on the ground.
The martial artists who had been watching the battle surged to the front row, while the patrons of the Golden Pavilion surrounded the unconscious Tao Haijingdao, waiting for the physician to come forward and examine him carefully.
"Young Master Wan suffered no internal or external injuries and is in perfect health."
"Then why did he fall into a coma? Was it due to mental damage, or is there another hidden reason?" Ding Shiyuan, the swordsman of the hour, asked, but his eyes were not on the doctor. Instead, he looked up at the top of the ten-zhang-high platform and at the dark silhouette in the moon.
Tonight at the Anzhou Martial Arts Arena, all the guests are watching this figure: ordinary people who don't know martial arts but love excitement, noble families who know a little about martial arts and also love excitement, and mediators and brokers who not only know martial arts but also about the martial arts world... All sorts of people from all walks of life are paying attention to this competition, which is destined to make some people, or just one person, famous before sunrise.
That person was the hero who stood on the high platform until the end. So this wooden building itself, just as it soared into the sky, became a small peak in the world of fame and fortune. Every patron of the Golden Pavilion wanted to seize the throne and replace that young man who was as calm as a mountain peak and as upright as a flagpole.
"So that you gentlemen may know, with my forty years of medical experience, I can tell that Young Master Wan is suffering from physical and mental exhaustion, and his spirit is low, resulting in a temporary deficiency of qi and blood. He only needs a dose of nourishing medicine to wake him up."
"Are you physically and mentally exhausted?" Su Qiwei raised his hand and gently probed Wan Taoxian's body. "His Qi Sea is still full, but his pulse is indeed weak. It seems that his true Qi was consumed too quickly and too rapidly, which impacted his internal organs. Moreover, his mind was suppressed, and his consciousness was depressed and weary."
"Brother Su, what do you mean?" Ding Shiyuan turned to look at him.
"This Lin Bloodhand possesses unfathomable skill, but perhaps even more terrifying is his fighting spirit. If we cannot find a way to diminish his momentum, I'm afraid none of us will stand a chance of victory."
"In that case, why not invite a master of music to dampen his arrogance?" Ding Shiyuan said, glancing at a scholar in purple robes standing to the side.
This person had previously amazed everyone with his skill in playing the zither in the literary competition, earning a round of applause. He was none other than Gu Chunxuan, the "Wonderful Guest Among Flowers" ranked thirty-fourth on the Hidden Dragon List.
"Brother Ding, you're really calling on me, how could I dare to disobey? But I'm afraid my elegant playing won't be able to shake Brother Wan's fighting spirit, let alone the one on the stage."
Su Qiwei smiled and teased, "Who doesn't know that Brother Gu, you play elegant melodies for men, but if there's a beautiful woman to accompany you, you'll choose some seductive tunes to pluck at their heartstrings. In terms of power, the latter is a hundred times better than the former."
"Brother Su! You can't expect me to play those sentimental tunes for that Lin Xueshou! Where would I put my face after that?"
Seeing that the young heroes around them all looked troubled and were determined to let the other unlucky ones who were taking the blame go up and wear down Lin Zhuo's skills, Su Qiwei and Ding Shiyuan exchanged glances, tested each other, and then politely looked away.
The people from Jinlou came and gently urged the guests to continue the competition, otherwise they could announce the end of it.
The surrounding crowds were equally anxious as they waited.
"Hurry up and fight!" "Boring, I want to see rivers of blood!"
Just as the stalemate reached its peak, another fierce-looking patron stepped forward, shouting, "Coward, what's there to be afraid of? In my opinion, this damn Hidden Dragon List, this damn Wan Tao Xian, getting beaten to a pulp and collapsing from exhaustion, is utterly unworthy of the title. I'll go up there and smash this damn Blood Hand into a bloody pulp!"
Everyone was shocked and moved upon hearing this.
Who is this person? How could they have such courage and magnanimity?
After observing closely and whispering among themselves, they learned that this man was a highway robber from the Guang'an Prefecture area, nicknamed "Skyhawk," and that his Eagle Claw Kung Fu was highly skilled.
Ding Shiyuan shook his head, stepped forward, and stabbed the bandit leader to the ground with his sword. The man immediately bled profusely, clutching his wound and groaning in pain.
"Where did this scoundrel come from? If you were a heretical master on the blacklist, how dare you spout such nonsense? How could a mere petty thief be worthy of being compared to us?"
Everyone burst into laughter, and the people of Anzhou City were equally delighted. The bandit leader was quickly carried onto a stretcher by the people from the Golden Pavilion and taken to the clinic.
After this farce, Ding Shiyuan sighed softly: "Since you are all hesitant to go forward, why don't I go up and test the waters? If I am lucky enough to win, that would be a happy thing. If I am unlucky enough to lose, you can learn from the experience and increase your chances of winning."
"Brother Ding, your righteousness is beyond my reach!" Su Qiwei clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Brother Ding, you're a top ten expert on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, a tough guy who's been through countless battles. Keep your spirits up, don't embarrass yourself!"
Amidst sincere blessings, Ding Shiyuan took a deep breath, and with a light step, his body soared upwards, like a light cloud climbing a mountain peak. In the blink of an eye, he arrived on the high platform, standing in the bright moonlight of the night, before Lin Zhuo.
Ding Shiyuan looked around at the thousands of orange lights in the streets and alleys, each flame seeming like a pair of gazing eyes. All the noise remained in the distance below the stage; it was unusually quiet here, with only the gentle whistling of the wind.
"It's so peaceful, far from the hustle and bustle. If it weren't for the arena, it would really be a great place to enjoy the moon and go on a leisurely stroll," he remarked.
Lin Zhuo did not answer.
Ding Shiyuan noticed that his opponent was concentrating with his eyes closed, so he asked, "Brother Lin, are you tired? Should I wait for you? I don't want to win unfairly."
"No need," Lin Zhuo replied curtly, as if he were focused on some important task and was only managing to utter two words with difficulty.
Ding Shiyuan drew his sword, as if holding a cool, cold light in his hand. "This sword was forged by the Grand Master Craftsman of the Weapon Forging Valley using meteorite cold iron, and took two years to forge. It is named 'Autumn Thoughts'. It is three feet and three inches long, weighs four pounds and four ounces, and ranks seventy-second on the Divine Martial Ranking."
As he said this, his gaze was fixed on the sword, filled with tender affection. It's normal for a swordsman to love his sword, especially since this particular sword was indeed beautiful and captivating.
Lin Zhuo slowly raised his eyelids. "You and Wan Tao are the same; you like to introduce weapons."
"I'm afraid every martial artist has to show off a bit. Brother Lin, don't underestimate the Autumn Thoughts Sword. With it in hand, I'll be five times more capable. But be careful of the sword light it unleashes; cutting through gold and jade is nothing to it."
"I know."
"Hehe, Brother Lin, your insight is truly remarkable. However, I have a question that I cannot contain myself; I wonder if you could enlighten me?"
Lin Zhuo raised his hand, signaling him to speak.
Ding Shiyuan gazed into his opponent's eyes. "Brother Lin, what were you pondering so intently just now?"
"I needed to break through my martial arts bottleneck, so it took me a while."
Ding Shiyuan's cheek twitched, and his heart sank. "Should I congratulate Brother Lin?"
"Yes, thank you. But please also take this opportunity to mourn for yourself." Lin Zhuo's words were calm and sincere, like those of a very good friend.
Ding--
[Network notification: The bottleneck of the skill [The Fallen Dragon] has been broken, and the cultivation level cap has been unlocked.]
【The Fallen Dragon (Medium Grade, White)】
Progression: 100% (Perfect)
Current effect: During the execution of this technique, the power of [Crushing] True Qi is adjusted to (400% + 14 × [Proficiency 100%]); after fully executing this technique, one stack of "Hidden Dragon" buff is gained. For each stack of this buff, the next time this technique is executed, an additional attack power bonus equivalent to (100% + 5 × [Proficiency 100%]) [Crushing] True Qi power is gained; there is no limit to the number of stacks of the "Hidden Dragon" buff.