Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1289 - 669: Stop
Previously on Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World...
"Gu Sheng, ascend the stage," Ke Yucheng's voice lacked any significant volume.
Down below the raised platform, Liang Yu leaned towards Wang Yun, inquiring in hushed tones. "Senior Brother Wang, what level of cultivation do you believe Gu Sheng truly possesses? Witnessing the swiftness with which he overcame the Array earlier, he must be at the Earth Palace Peak, at the very least, correct?"
Wang Yun responded with a shake of his head. "Gu Sheng has never exerted his full power, so it's difficult to say with certainty. However..." A flicker of admiration entered his eyes. "I am confident he can achieve victory."
Nearby, Xu Guangzhi interjected with a note of skepticism. "Excelling at Array-breaking does not automatically equate to superior combat prowess. Perhaps Gu Sheng simply has a natural aptitude for Arrays. Ke Yucheng, on the other hand, is a firmly established Earth Palace Peak cultivator; rumor has it he has already brushed against the very threshold of the Earth Palace."
Wang Yun remained unconvinced. "So what if that's the case? Gu Sheng, he..." His words were abruptly halted by Ke Yucheng's voice, now resounding from the arena.
"Gu Sheng, I confess I am intensely curious—how did you manage to complete the Array assessment in such a remarkably short duration? Disclose this to me, and I might consider showing a measure of leniency."
Gu Sheng finally set foot upon the arena. In response to Ke Yucheng's probing question, he offered no verbal reply, instead commencing a slow circulation of his mental cultivation method.
As his Spiritual Power was meticulously channeled, his aura began its upward ascent. Earth Palace mid-stage... Earth Palace late-stage... His cultivation aura stabilized at the Earth Palace late-stage.
Upon perceiving this, the tension etched onto Ke Yucheng's features noticeably eased, and the corner of his mouth curled into a frigid smile. "So you are merely at the Earth Palace late-stage. I had assumed..." He left the sentence unfinished, yet the blatant contempt radiating from his expression was undeniable.
A wave of murmurs rippled through the assembled crowd below. "Merely Earth Palace late-stage? Then how did he decipher the Array with such haste?" "He must possess some peculiar Magic Technique." "He's in grave danger now. Senior Brother Ke is known for his ruthlessness."
Wang Yun clenched his fist, a palpable sense of worry for Gu Sheng gripping him. However, as his gaze returned to the arena, he observed that Gu Sheng's demeanor remained as placid as undisturbed water, devoid of any hint of apprehension.
"Putting on a facade!" Ke Yucheng scoffed coldly. Discarding any further pretense of conversation, his figure blurred, instantly appearing before Gu Sheng and launching a palm strike imbued with surging Spiritual Power.
With unhurried grace, Gu Sheng drew forth the Green Jade Sword. A subtle verdant luminescence shimmered along its length as it intercepted the incoming blow with impeccable precision.
"Hm?" Ke Yucheng registered a mild surprise. Although he had not unleashed his full might, that particular palm strike was far from something an ordinary Earth Palace late-stage cultivator could withstand with ease.
Gu Sheng offered an internal chuckle. He possessed the capability to deliberately suppress his cultivation to Earth Palace Peak and engage Ke Yucheng on seemingly equal footing. However, such a display would undoubtedly attract undue attention. It was far more advantageous to maintain the guise of an Earth Palace late-stage cultivator, engage in a spirited contest with his opponent, and then suffer a "regrettable" defeat. This strategy would allow him to offer a plausible explanation for his rapid progress in the Array assessment, avoiding the excessive scrutiny that had befallen Ling Xiao.
A cultivator at the Earth Palace late-stage managing to hold their own against an Earth Palace Peak opponent was a rare occurrence, yet not entirely inconceivable within a Holy Land teeming with prodigious talents.
The duel unfolding upon the arena was on the precipice of a fierce escalation. "Receive my Green Jade Sword!" A chilling glint flashed within Gu Sheng's eyes as the three-foot-long green blade in his grasp erupted with a dazzling emerald radiance, the emanating Sword Qi slicing through the very air.
Ke Yucheng smirked, a faint golden barrier materializing over the surface of his clenched fist. "A mere Sword Qi, and you dare display such arrogance before me?"
"Boom!" The instant sword met fist, Ke Yucheng's expression underwent a dramatic transformation. That seemingly innocuous green Sword Qi had, with disturbing ease, pierced through his Spiritual Power defense.
A sharp, searing pain shot up from his fist. Glancing downwards, he beheld a gash extending to the bone on the back of his hand, crimson blood trickling through his fingers.
"How is this even possible?!" Ke Yucheng rapidly retreated, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow.
There would be no opportunity for Gu Sheng to afford him a moment's respite. The Green Jade Sword executed a fluid, graceful arc, thrusting directly towards Ke Yucheng's throat. Even before the sword tip made contact, the potent Sword Qi already imparted a chilling sensation to Ke Yucheng's neck.
"Clang!" In the nick of time, Ke Yucheng finally drew the Longsword sheathed at his waist. The two blades collided with a piercing, metallic clang that reverberated through the air.
A torrent of raw Spiritual Power clashed, unleashing a visible shockwave that expanded outwards. The Protective Array encircling the arena's perimeter flared brilliantly, narrowly containing the ensuing aftershocks.
Ke Yucheng staggered back a full five paces before regaining his footing, whereas Gu Sheng was propelled back over ten paces, collapsing to one knee. He plunged the Green Jade Sword into the ground, using it as an anchor to halt his uncontrolled retreat.
"Hahaha, so that is the extent of your capabilities!" Ke Yucheng shook his still-numb arm, though a shadow of gloom now veiled his eyes.
In the preceding exchange, he had exerted seventy percent of his might; theoretically, he should have propelled Gu Sheng off the arena with a solitary strike. However, the outcome deviated sharply from his projections. The captivated audience below the platform erupted in a clamor. "Did my eyes deceive me? Senior Brother Ke was actually compelled to unsheathe his blade?" "What is Gu Sheng’s lineage? His Sword Qi possessed the power to shatter Senior Brother Ke’s Vajra Fist Shield!" "Tsk, tsk, this bout is truly heating up..." Zhuang Feichen, positioned at the forefront of the onlookers, wore an expression as grim as the deep water. "Ke Yucheng, cease this charade! Conclude the fight swiftly!" A surge of lethal intent ignited within Ke Yucheng’s eyes. "My intention was to toy with you for a while longer, but seeing as you're so keen on meeting your demise..." His words were cut short as the Spiritual Power surrounding him intensified, his martial robes billowing as if caught in a phantom wind. The longsword gripped in his hand emanated a subtle azure luminescence, with ethereal currents of water Cautiously swirling around the blade. "That is the Azure River Holy Land’s ’Myriad Phenomena Sword Technique’ declared a perceptive disciple. Gu Sheng slowly regained his footing, dabbing the trickle of blood from his lip, a barely perceptible shimmer dancing within his gaze. This precise juncture was precisely what he had anticipated. "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Source!" Ke Yucheng bellowed. With a vigorous sweep of his longsword, Sword Qi instantaneously flooded the heavens like a relentless deluge. Each individual wisp carried an icy, bone-chilling aura, effectively barricading every conceivable avenue of escape for Gu Sheng. "Gu Sheng! Evade this strike!" Ling Xiao cried out with palpable urgency from below the platform, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned bone white. He alone comprehended that Gu Sheng possessed the full capability to sidestep this onslaught; yet, the defiant cultivator remained rooted to the spot, unmoving. Gu Sheng appeared entirely oblivious to his companion's frantic warning. Instead, he closed his eyes, positioning the Green Jade Sword horizontally before his chest. To the observers, he presented the image of one who had surrendered all will to resist. "You court death!" Ke Yucheng jeered maliciously, his swordplay shifting with renewed ferocity. Amidst the sky-filling Sword Qi, several exceptionally concentrated streams silently zeroed in on Gu Sheng’s Dantian. At the very instant the torrent of Sword Qi was poised to strike, Gu Sheng’s eyes snapped open, and the Green Jade Sword blazed with an intensity previously unseen. "Break!" A vibrant cyan sword-rainbow pierced directly towards the heavens. Wherever its trajectory passed, the azure Sword Qi disintegrated, one after another. A remaining few dozen strands managed to slip through the defensive net, piercing savagely into Gu Sheng’s physical form. "Puff, puff, puff—" Blood erupted. In a mere moment, over a dozen lacerations materialized across Gu Sheng’s body, the most grievous being on his left shoulder, narrowly missing a complete perforation. He stumbled backward, falling to one knee, and only by bracing himself with the Green Jade Sword did he manage to avert a complete collapse. "Hahaha!" Ke Yucheng’s head threw back in unrestrained laughter. "With mere scraps of skill like this, you dared to challenge me?" Beneath the platform, Wang Yun’s countenance had turned ashen. "How can this be... Gu Sheng clearly possessed..." He turned his gaze towards Ling Xiao, only to discover that despite the palpable anxiety etched on the latter’s face, a complete absence of despair resided within his eyes. Upon the battlefield, Ke Yucheng’s gaze flickered subtly, and his form suddenly became a blur, reappearing directly behind Gu Sheng. "Perish!" His longsword lunged forward with lethal intent, aimed directly at Gu Sheng’s back. The sword’s tip coalesced into a pinpoint of faint blue, cold light—it was precisely the Azure River Holy Land’s clandestine 'Broken Vein Finger' sword form, meticulously designed to annihilate a cultivator’s Dantian. Gu Sheng exhibited an almost preternatural awareness, as if possessing eyes in the back of his head. At the critical moment the sword tip neared his body, he abruptly twisted sideways, his Green Jade Sword executing a swift backward parry. "Clang!" Sparks cascaded as metal met metal. Ke Yucheng’s supposed fatal strike merely managed to shear the sleeve of Gu Sheng’s right arm, leaving behind a superficial crimson mark. "Remarkable reflexes," Ke Yucheng sneered, his assault relentless, each sword stroke precisely targeting a vulnerable point. Gu Sheng appeared to be in a desperate state of defense, yet in reality, every parry he executed was perfectly timed. Those dodges that seemed to skirt the precipice of disaster were, in fact, the product of his meticulously calculated foresight. The instances where he was occasionally struck occurred only on non-critical areas. His physique, fortified by the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill, rendered such superficial injuries capable of instant recuperation. "Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine..." Gu Sheng silently tallied the exchanges in his mind. Upon reaching the count of one hundred, he deliberately allowed his footing to slip as he pivoted, deliberately presenting a critical vulnerability. "My opportunity!" A vicious gleam flared in Ke Yucheng’s eyes. His longsword shot forth like a serpent striking from its lair, piercing directly towards Gu Sheng’s Dantian. "Hold!"Unable to remain seated any longer, the proctor abruptly stood up. If this strike landed, Gu Sheng's cultivation would be irrevocably shattered, even if he survived. This had clearly escalated beyond a mere sparring session. "Ke Yucheng, cease at once!" A furious roar, akin to thunder, erupted. The proctor's expansive sleeves billowed as if moved by a gale, and the pressure of the Earth Palace Stage instantly enveloped the entire arena. Ke Yucheng's Spirit Sword, mere inches from Gu Sheng's Dantian, was forcefully suspended in the air, frozen in its deadly trajectory.