Chapter 160 - Arc 11: The Sect's Grand Competition | Chapter 160: Match 7
Translator: Lynn
On the martial arts stage, as Xu Ziqing deftly evaded Du Linglong’s relentless attacks, he delved into deep contemplation.
Du Linglong’s “Linglong Seven Killing Fist” showcased extraordinary prowess. Every strike nullified the emotions within his sword techniques, rendering his moves unsustainable and disrupting his artistic conception. Should this pattern persist, exhaustion of his true energy would inevitably lead to defeat.
However, he had made a promise to his senior brother to give his all and secure a commendable ranking in the martial arts battle. He couldn’t afford to falter and lose in the very first round.
Absolutely not!
Xu Ziqing collected his thoughts and initiated a thorough analysis.
The “Linglong Seven Killing Fist” extinguished the seven emotions, ruthlessly eliminating them. However, in the realm of martial arts, most practices were intertwined with the seven emotions of human beings. Without this connection, achieving an epiphany or creating a unique artistic conception was impossible.
In light of this, why was he still clinging to the seven emotions?
Perhaps being overly ruthless in exterminating the emotions might hinder experiencing the nuances of joy and sorrow. Blindly eradicating the seven emotions could be seen as a shortcut. The seven emotions were deeply rooted, and a sudden and vigorous resurgence might occur in the future, causing self-harm.
Yet, as he pondered further, he considered his senior brother’s approach.
Yun Lie practiced the “Way of Ruthless Killing Swordsmanship,” not entirely ruthless, but encapsulating the seven emotions under an endless stream of killing thoughts. This way, enlightenment remained unhindered, and it prevented calamity.
Cultivators who embraced the cold detachment of “Way of Forgetting Feelings” and “Way of Ruthlessness” failed to grasp emotions. But should they eventually comprehend them, catastrophe ensued.
Xu Ziqing realized he could learn from his senior brother’s path.
If he completely eradicated all seven emotions, they would naturally no longer be susceptible to annihilation.
In that case, the “Linglong Seven Killing Fist” would be rendered ineffective.
With this revelation, Xu Ziqing suddenly splayed his five fingers, and several seeds burst forth.
Du Linglong was momentarily surprised, but quickly advanced, skillfully evading these seeds.
However, Xu Ziqing hadn’t deployed the seeds to cause harm.
As the seeds landed on the ground, they swiftly burrowed beneath the martial arts stage. Soon, many seedlings sprouted, rapidly elongating into a towering tree over ten feet tall, a transformation visible to the naked eye.
The Martial Arts Stage instantly shifted from a barren area to a grove. The giant trees left gaps, ensuring everyone’s view remained unobstructed.
This turn of events surprised many cultivators.
It couldn’t confine Du Linglong, and it didn’t seem invincible. What purpose did this serve?
Du Linglong was also perplexed, but her determination remained steadfast. As the giant tree emerged, she swung her right fist and toppled the nearest tree.
“Crack—”
The giant tree shattered with a resounding noise, crashing heavily to the ground and splintering into fragments.
To everyone’s astonishment, the scattered wood, upon hitting the ground, began sprouting anew, transforming into fresh giant trees that stood tall on the martial arts stage again.
Observing this, Du Linglong frowned.
If this persisted, each broken piece of wood would grow back, leading to a battle of attrition. This wasn’t what she had anticipated.
She refrained from smashing the giant trees and focused on continuing her assault on Xu Ziqing. From her perspective, as long as she could land a hit on him, it wouldn’t matter how easily those giant trees regenerated; they would eventually deplete themselves.
As for whether Xu Ziqing intended for the giant trees to impede her, he was sorely mistaken!
Du Linglong, who honed her skills amidst forests during her youth, would not be hindered by these giant trees in the slightest!
Besides, Xu Ziqing didn’t genuinely intend to use a giant tree to halt her.
He was merely playing a minor trick.
When Du Linglong’s next punch landed, Xu Ziqing smiled faintly.
In the next moment, his form vanished from Du Linglong’s view.
This wasn’t achieved through the concealment of the “Hidden Word Art.” Any extensive usage of Du Linglong’s “Linglong Seven Killing Fist” disrupting the artistic conception would render him unable to conceal himself.
Xu Ziqing employed the “Escape Wood Containing Breath Technique,” a skill he hadn’t utilized in quite a while. It merged his body’s qi with the wood’s qi, rendering him imperceptible.
Du Linglong’s almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise. However, she didn’t panic. Trees too had senses. She chose not to disturb them and used the gusts from her punches to widen the gaps among the many giant trees, dispelling the wood energy and searching for any concealed human breath.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Despite delivering thirty-two consecutive blows, there was still no trace of Xu Ziqing.
Under the martial arts stage, numerous spectators were astounded and engaged in discussions.
“I can’t find Xu Ziqing!”
“I’ve searched thoroughly and found no sign of Xu Ziqing!”
“Could he have left the stage?”
“Impossible. The traces beneath are gone too. But look, the giant tree left by Xu Ziqing is still there!”
Du Linglong’s expression grew more serious. Her notion was correct—destroying the wood should lead her to Xu Ziqing.
However, she never anticipated that Xu Ziqing not only utilized the “Wood Escape Art” but also coupled it with the “Wood Escape Technique.” After blending his breath with wood energy, he maneuvered amidst these giant trees, buying himself time.
This was precisely why he planted those seeds and fostered the giant trees beforehand!
The audience was bewildered. They witnessed Du Linglong maneuvering among the giant trees, yet they were clueless, unable to discern Xu Ziqing’s presence.
Nonetheless, some keen observers recognized that Xu Ziqing was employing a form of escapism, and they quickly and excitedly announced it.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew animated.
After watching numerous battles, many skilled individuals seldom encountered evenly matched fights orchestrated by fate. Witnessing such an exciting duel was indeed a rare treat.
Very exciting!
Amidst countless giant trees, Xu Ziqing concealed himself, sensing the gusts generated by Du Linglong’s punches and continually evading her.
His eyes remained tightly shut, and he extended his spiritual consciousness throughout his body, concealing most of his power deep within his dantian, gradually entering a state of emptiness.
How to freeze the seven emotions if they couldn’t be activated? How to immobilize the seven emotions?
Xu Ziqing hadn’t yet discovered the answer. His technique encompassed all emotions, making it challenging to freeze them.
His thoughts drifted to Yun Lie, who possessed the ability to freeze the seven emotions. He pondered, how had his senior brother achieved this feat?
It was a resolute determination that brooked no argument, a mindset that placed one’s own interests first, establishing the principle of killing and harboring unending thoughts of slaughter.
This mindset forged his sword intent, honed his Taoism, and endowed him with an unwavering conviction. His belief was to prioritize himself, establish the doctrine of killing, and cultivate the spirit of relentless slaughter.
Hence, his brother’s sword bore no trace of emotion, only pure intent to kill.
Once his sword was drawn, it became an unstoppable force.
However, Xu Ziqing lacked the heart to kill and couldn’t summon unceasing thoughts of slaughter.
His sword couldn’t emanate pure murderous aura.
He recognized that his swordsmanship training was relatively brief. Despite the guidance of a renowned instructor and rigorous practice, he paled in comparison to a genuine swordsman.
He wasn’t a sword cultivator and wouldn’t become one. His ultimate path lay in another direction.
Therefore, even though he had mastered the Four Seasons swordsmanship and even condensed sword light, he hadn’t managed to perfect the entire sword technique to its highest level.
If he could merge two sets of sub-swordsmanship, it would be on par with Huang-rank swordsmanship. If he managed to integrate four sets of swordsmanship, it would rival Xuan-rank swordsmanship.
Xu Ziqing had grasped the essence of the four-character sword art, a profound realization derived from the Four Seasons Sword Art. When he combined the four profound meanings into one, the Four Seasons Sword Art could also be unified, potentially increasing its power not just tenfold! Unfortunately, he wasn’t there yet; it required ample time for study and comprehension.
Time was a luxury he currently lacked. However, he sensed other inklings.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter—the eternal cycle of seasons.
During this cycle, plants and trees experienced birth, life, death, and rebirth, each stage imbued with its own emotions.
To truly understand the “Wanmu Planting Heart Dafa,” he needed to immerse himself in the emotions of the myriad trees, sharing their joys and sorrows to achieve better integration. During this, his emotions would blend with those of the trees, becoming as one. But what if he observed this from the perspective of the Lord of Ten Thousand Trees?
Flowers bloomed and withered, grass grew and faded, trees aged and rejuvenated, leaves fell and sprouted—an ordinary state of being.
This idea of nature’s cycle of life and death also harbored a strong conviction.
Xu Ziqing suddenly grasped it.
His senior brother’s sword intent was pure, leading to an equally pure intention.
When purity reached its pinnacle, it would transcend the influence of the seven emotions.
The saying that life had its joys and sorrows, and death too, was filled with joys and sorrows. However, gazing at the cycle of life and death, if one grew accustomed to these emotions, they became devoid of sentiment.
A glimmer of blue light flickered between Xu Ziqing’s brows.
His ruthlessness was minimal, just a trace.
His killing intent was also scarce, still merely a trace.
Having spent considerable time by Yun Lie’s side, Xu Ziqing’s being had already absorbed Yun Lie’s killing intent and his sharp sword intent. Now, he wanted to use this strand of killing intent to hone his ruthlessness and gather this keen intent, crafting it into a unique technique.
Gradually, the blue light between Xu Ziqing’s brows intensified and brightened. An unusual aura began to emanate from his whole body, spreading in all directions!
Beyond the giant tree…
Beneath the Martial Arts Stage, a multitude of cultivators were left in bewilderment, sensing a subtle change within a giant tree. On the stage itself, Du Linglong contorted her lithe frame, elevating her fist and leaping toward the massive tree!
On the elevated platform, Qiu Ze and his companions were taken aback. They detected an aura akin to the one beside them emanating from the giant tree—an aura belonging to Golden Core Daoist Yun Lie, characterized by ruthlessness and a chilling murderous intent!
However, Yun Lie was unmistakably right beside them and hadn’t made any moves. How then did his aura manifest on the stage?
It was undeniably Xu Ziqing’s aura.
But how could Xu Ziqing’s aura resemble Yun Lie’s so closely?
Even Daoist Qiu He exhibited a tinge of surprise.
Before Du Linglong’s fist could reach its mark, the colossal tree suddenly erupted.
A cyan figure leaped out and landed a short distance away.
Du Linglong pivoted and beheld Xu Ziqing standing there serenely.
Xu Ziqing exuded an enigmatic murderous aura, seeming to belong to him yet not entirely.
This menacing presence unsettled Du Linglong profoundly.
Yet, as she sought the origin of the aura, she discovered it stemmed from the center of Xu Ziqing’s brows.
She observed a cyan light flickering between Xu Ziqing’s brows, as if something was in gestation. She even sensed that when this entity fully materialized, it would pose a significant threat!
Du Linglong was resolute in preventing the emergence of this entity. She promptly unleashed a flurry of punches, a total of 13, one after another!
These were a series of alternating Seven Killing Punches, combining both positive and negative aspects, rendering various lethal strikes impossible to counter. But she was a fraction too late.
With a resonant “buzz,” a blue thread emerged from the center of Xu Ziqing’s brows. It surged forth unhesitatingly, possessing an intense sharpness as it sliced through the barrage of fists and closed in on Du Linglong like lightning!
Before Du Linglong could intervene, the blue thread pierced her shoulder socket. She felt no pain, only an abrupt numbness coursing through her body, followed by a loss of consciousness.
Everyone beneath the martial arts stage witnessed this.
Starting from her shoulder socket, Du Linglong underwent a transformation the moment the blue light traversed her. Her entire being swiftly morphed into wood.
She had become a wooden sculpture.
In an instant, the entire martial arts arena fell into stunned silence!
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