Chapter 165 - Arc 11: The Sect's Grand Competition | Chapter 165: Match 12
Translator: Lynn
To Li Cai, Xu Ziqing was someone he deemed “incomprehensible and not worth bothering about.” No matter how much resentment he harbored, he treated it like a passing breeze, not affecting him.
Observing Xu Ziqing’s composed demeanor, Li Cai eventually reached a breaking point and decided to take the initiative. With a swift hand movement, two beams of light shot out from his palm—one red and one blue—emerging from the Langya rings.
Initially, Li Cai’s cultivation couldn’t fully utilize them, but now, at the late foundation establishment stage, he was in perfect sync with the Langya Ring, a middle-grade spiritual weapon. His palms emanated azure blue and fiery red hues, effectively dividing his true essence, employing the profound essence of true energy to separate the opposing attributes of water and fire. He manipulated the Lang Ring and the Ya Ring accordingly.
As the Langya Ring ascended into the sky, it fragmented into countless red and blue shadows, overwhelming the sky and hurtling towards Xu Ziqing.
The immense size of the green grass dragon made it an easy target, and many strikes hit its body. Instantly, the areas struck either charred or weakened, suffering substantial damage.
Observing this, Xu Ziqing’s gaze tightened. During their previous encounter with the Langya Ring, it hadn’t demonstrated such transformations.
However, Xu Ziqing remained composed. He extended his right arm, gripping a black steel and wooden sword.
Immediately, the green air turned into a myriad of filaments, diffusing all around like a gentle, lingering rain. The numerous shifting ring shadows, like fish caught in a net, were ensnared by these interlaced filaments. Their momentum of collision and impact gradually slowed as they got stuck and pulled within the intertwined whispers.
Li Cai sneered and swiftly formed two finger tactics. In an instant, the myriad of rings vanished, leaving only the pair of rings floating in front of him, evading the spring rain net entirely.
Xu Ziqing smiled faintly. With a tremor of his sword’s tip, the sky’s filaments instantly dissipated. He stood firmly, his mindset unshaken, unaffected by Li Cai’s attempt to rile him.
Given Xu Ziqing’s unperturbed response, it was Li Cai who felt the anger surge within him.
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Li Cai’s eyes as he manipulated the Langya ring once again.
The next moment, the Langya Ring expanded to the size of a wheel, spewing fire and water outward.
The water and fire condensed in the air, swiftly transforming into two birds, each several feet in length. When they spread their wings, their shadows blotted out the sky and sun, displaying an imposing and majestic presence.
The pair of birds exhibited extreme ferocity, immediately lunging down upon their appearance. One sharp claw, resembling a hook, viciously aimed for Xu Ziqing’s head, while the other, sporting a steel-like long beak, rapidly thrust towards his heart and mouth—a display of relentless aggression!
However, Xu Ziqing wasn’t one to be easily touched. Swiftly retracting the steel-wood sword, a duplicate appeared in each hand, rapidly transforming into two black ropes in the gusty wind. With a deft wave of his arms, he slashed the necks of the two birds!
This scene, although different, seemed like a reincarnation of their earlier clash.
Li Cai employed the Langya ring, bolstering its power tenfold from before. Simultaneously, Xu Ziqing again softened the steel and wood, transforming it into a more robust rope. Infused with true energy, the rope became over ten times tougher than its previous state.
Consequently, in a face-to-face confrontation, the two birds were entangled by their necks, struggling fiercely in the air, a rampage ensuing!
Xu Ziqing held one in each hand, determined not to let them break free.
Li Cai’s eyes blazed with intensity, and he expelled a bead from his mouth.
The bead was about the size of a fist, boasting a golden hue that might seem charming.
However, its purpose was anything but delightful.
Upon its appearance, the bead struck Xu Ziqing’s face violently.
A solid hit could potentially result in Xu Ziqing’s face being bashed in, leaving him disfigured. Instead of his once-handsome countenance, he would bear a face marred by bruises and broken bones.
Driven by his strong resentment towards Xu Ziqing, Li Cai aimed to ruin this young lad.
Xu Ziqing sought to control the birds with both hands, making it difficult for him to release them.
If this played out, it could lead to an unforeseen injury.
Witnessing this unfolding on the battle stage, many monks found it difficult to watch, anticipating a potential display of bloodshed.
Especially the numerous beautiful female cultivators, each one of them felt a deep sense of sympathy.
It was a rarity for this young man, Xu Ziqing, not to be good-looking, and his demeanor was truly extraordinary. His face had been marred by a magical weapon, and even if it could be mended in the future, he would forever be embarrassed in the presence of many monks. Apart from anything else, if anyone were to see Xu Ziqing in the future, their initial thought wouldn’t be “what a handsome boy”, but rather the image of a face riddled with holes—an exceedingly embarrassing prospect.
As Zhu Zi approached, Xu Ziqing did not exhibit the fear that others might have anticipated; instead, he smiled. Subsequently, in a movement too swift to be perceived, the black ropes in both his hands suddenly retracted, causing the two birds to rapidly recoil.
In the blink of an eye, the golden bead was about to strike in front of him, and at precisely that moment, the two birds shielded Xu Ziqing’s front!
With a resounding crash, the golden bead struck the Fire Bird’s head, shattering into myriad fragments that scattered in all directions. Yet, the momentum of the golden bead remained undiminished as it surged towards the waterfowl behind. Xu Ziqing’s arm moved slightly, causing the water bird’s body to tilt, and it too intercepted the golden bead with its head, transmuting into a stream of water rushing around.
Having resisted twice in succession, the golden bead’s aura diminished, its light considerably dimmed.
Nonetheless, Xu Ziqing seized the golden bead with a deft movement, inserting his divine sense into it.
Indeed, with Li Cai’s current spiritual acumen, he could hardly control many magical weapons. To wield them effectively within a short span, he frequently needed to infuse his spiritual essence and establish a bond through a drop of blood.
Xu Ziqing’s spiritual acumen surpassed Li Cai’s by a significant margin. Consequently, when he wiped out Li Cai’s spiritual essence and expelled that bit of blood, Jin Zhu severed its connection with Li Cai.
The transition from blocking the golden bead to snatching it happened in the blink of an eye. Before Li Cai could react, he realized he had lost contact with Jin Zhu, and fury flushed his face. His voice shrilled as he sharply exclaimed, “Xu Ziqing, return my magical weapon!”
In response to his cry, the Langya double rings returned, slipping onto his wrists.
In an instant, Li Cai balled his hands into fists, the fists whirling with a strong wind, infused with fire and cold water, creating a crisscrossing airflow. He had forsaken the fire dragon and was charging furiously towards Xu Ziqing! At this moment, he harbored no thoughts of amusement, only a burning desire to cripple Xu Ziqing and purge the hatred from his heart!
Observing his impulsiveness, Xu Ziqing found it somewhat amusing. “You may seem powerful now, but in reality, you possess numerous weaknesses. Your techniques and aura aren’t perfected. Although you possess many magical weapons, only a few are under your genuine control. I only hope that you hit me a few more times so you can reclaim all your magical weapons and save me a tidy sum.” He mocked while maintaining his composure.
Li Cai’s fist was undeniably formidable, a fusion of water, fire, and air, interwoven to create an explosive force. Once unleashed, it threatened to shake the very foundations.
Yet, Xu Ziqing remained undeterred. If it were a cultivator of the same level, meticulously practicing this boxing technique step by step, Xu Ziqing might have felt a hint of danger. However, despite Li Cai’s imposing appearance, he couldn’t seamlessly merge the two airflow types, thus limiting the extent of the explosive force.
These powers, while possibly intimidating to an ordinary disciple within the inner sect, were utterly futile against Xu Ziqing.
Brandishing his sword, Xu Ziqing elevated Li Cai upon the grass dragon, and their duel ensued. However, Xu Ziqing didn’t confront Li Cai’s attack head-on; instead, he circled around him with the agility of the wind, rendering Li Cai unable to execute his explosive punches. Although Xu Ziqing maintained the upper hand, a fire dragon lingered behind him, poised to unleash flames and allow Li Cai to seize the initiative.
Unfortunately, despite the fire dragon’s potency, it was merely a magical weapon. Once Li Cai delivered his punches, he couldn’t control it at will. Exploiting a vulnerability, Xu Ziqing deftly manipulated Jin Zhu and forcibly disassembled it!
Li Cai held an intense grudge against Xu Ziqing. Witnessing the golden bead dropped by him, he sought to reclaim it. However, even though Xu Ziqing lacked the skill to refine the golden bead and regarded it as a mere brick, his movements outpaced Li Cai’s. A flick of his robe’s sleeve returned the golden bead to its hiding place!
Thus, the golden bead, initially Li Cai’s prized possession, was employed three times by Xu Ziqing to dismantle several of Li Cai’s potentially lethal maneuvers.
Li Cai’s fists surged with violent intent, and buoyed by his own body armor, he paid no heed and detonated his fists! He roared, “Xu Ziqing, meet your end!”
The fusion of water and fire assumed the form of Tai Chi, spinning ceaselessly. The two opposing forces within melded momentarily, birthing a formidable strength. They were on the verge of action; a mere contact with any physical entity would lead to an immediate explosion!
Xu Ziqing continuously maneuvered, strategically retreating while keeping a watchful eye on this perilous amalgamation of water, fire, and Tai Chi, searching for its vulnerabilities.
Indeed, Li Cai’s foundation was unstable, riddled with numerous flaws.
Within the core of the Water and Fire Tai Chi, many wills remained dissociated, unable to fuse. The ones that did merge were unruly, featuring opposing water and fire wills struggling to coalesce, slowly amplifying the explosive potential.
However, Xu Ziqing wasn’t about to let it continue growing unabated. He grasped his long sword and targeted the weakest and most discordant part. Utilizing the “Zangzi Stance” to conceal the sword’s essence, he silently severed the water and fire will.
With a spinning motion, strands of water and fire will gradually weakened and dispersed. Xu Ziqing’s figure darted like blue lightning around the water and fire Tai Chi, moving with the fluidity of the wind.
Onlookers could only witness countless streaks of swordlight flashing by, seemingly forming a cocoon of swords amidst the intricate entanglements, an awe-inspiring sight.
Soon, the water and fire Tai Chi shrank, losing its capacity for heightened aggression due to the depletion of peripheral will. The lingering sense of danger now paled in comparison to before.
In a breath’s time, Xu Ziqing abruptly halted, facing the last remnants of the water and fire Tai Chi.
Stowing his long sword, he let out a clear cry, conjuring a green rope from his palm and securely entwining the water and fire Tai Chi before hurling it into the sky.
“Bang—”
Following the explosion, the green rope disintegrated into smoke and dust.
Simultaneously, the water and fire Tai Chi vanished without a trace, leaving behind a gust of temperate wind, swirling and ruffling Xu Ziqing’s sleeves, resonating with a faint whistle.
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
Support me on ko-fi for faster releases ^^