Sparring

Lin Wujiu, who had always been a solitary figure with few friends, felt a strange stirring in his heart. With his ferocious reputation spread far and wide, who inside or outside the Lin clan did not fear him? His siblings treated him with utmost reverence and respect. Everyone knew that the next clan head of Qinzhou's Lin clan could only be Lin Wujiu. He had never imagined someone would actually ask whether he could take a beating... A faint smile appeared on Lin Wujiu's face. Looking at Li Guanqi, he said softly, "If you can beat me, I'll add another two bottles." Li Guanqi licked his lips. Five bottles of Xuanyuan Pills would be worth fifty thousand immortal crystals! This deal was... worthwhile! Li Guanqi lowered his stance slightly, and Red Lotus hummed softly. "Soul Liberation: Red Lotus." Boom! "Demon King Physique: Dragon Transformation." Boom! "Illusory Form, Blade Break, Killing Power!" Boom! Dragon scales clad his body, his sword intent soared into the sky, and Li Guanqi stood exposed like a drawn, razor-sharp blade. Not only that, enhanced by the power of his Sword Ruins, his entire demeanor underwent an earth-shattering transformation. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation surged to the peak of the first layer of Mystic Immortal. Yet his aura at this moment was comparable to the third layer of Mystic Immortal! Wave upon wave of majestic pressure washed toward Lin Wujiu like rippling tides. Lin Wujiu's long robes whipped loudly in the wind. Solemnity filled his gaze; his muscles grew taut, and the hairs on his arms stood on end. What terrifying pressure! Is he truly not from some great clan? Lin Wujiu was ignited by this surging battle intent. Facing the tens of thousands of lightning bolts that eclipsed the sky, he actually took a fierce step forward! Thump! The Dao platform trembled faintly; this single step seemed to carry the weight of ten thousand jun. Geng Metal power permeated the void as razor-sharp power of laws rippled outward. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. Fine, hair-thin cracks actually appeared on the dragon scales covering his body! Li Guanqi's eyes turned sharp as blades. So strong! This fellow was stronger than any cultivator he had ever faced! Tu Yuan, whom he had exerted every ounce of strength to slay in the Human Spirit Realm, had possessed a far higher cultivation realm than Lin Wujiu. Yet... if both were in the same realm, Lin Wujiu could slaughter him like a dog! Lin Wujiu was equally shaken, especially the moment Li Guanqi's sword underwent that transformation! He could not comprehend why such a change had occurred. Skre-e-e! Both of their swords let out a resonant, piercing cry simultaneously. Thump! Thump! Both figures vanished from where they stood in an instant! Li Guanqi moved like lightning, astonishingly fast. Yet the other man's movement technique was of exceedingly high grade. Golden light flashed, and despite moving second, he struck first! Clang! Clang! Clang! Their figures crossed. The dragon scales on Li Guanqi's chest shattered. A thin streak of blood surfaced on Lin Wujiu's cheek. Lin Wujiu's heart surged with turbulence. He had never felt such overwhelming pressure from any cultivator in the same realm! His opponent's sword was both swift and ruthless! Buzz! Li Guanqi felt a similar sense of wonder. The other man's sword forms were strictly disciplined yet endlessly shifting and unpredictable, unlike any sword cultivator he had ever met before. Swish! Swish! Both figures disappeared once more. In an instant, dense clashes of metal rang out, sword shadows blurred into a frenzy, and rumbling booms echoed incessantly. Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang! Li Guanqi's immense physical strength inwardly astonished Lin Wujiu. Both possessed extraordinary attainments in the way of the sword. Moments later, both had sustained wounds. Yet their battle intent only grew more blazing. Without realizing it, both began putting a bit more force into their strikes. After their initial probe, both had realized they were still far from reaching the other's limit. Two afterimages flickered across the Dao platform at blinding speed. Suddenly! Lin Wujiu formed a hand seal with one hand. As the immortal primal energy roared inside him, its circulation speed surged abruptly. Li Guanqi immediately felt the pressure intensify, and the swings of his sword grew swifter still. Lin Wujiu was knocked back by a sword strike, and riding the momentum of his retreat, his entire aura transformed completely. His sword carved out trails of afterimages as golden light and ribbons of immortal resonance materialized behind his back. Nine golden orbs resembling blazing suns hovered behind Lin Wujiu, though three of those suns appeared somewhat illusory. Lin Wujiu's grave voice came drifting slowly. "This sword art is exceedingly powerful. Be careful, Fellow Daoist!" Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes; naturally, he sensed that the sword art Lin Wujiu was about to unleash possessed immense might. "Bring it on!" Though Li Guanqi spoke boldly, he did not dare let his guard down in the slightest. The power of thunder and flames coiled around his sword, and with his immortal primal energy surging, his momentum soared like a rainbow. Lin Wujiu took a deep breath, his eyes turning razor-sharp as he spoke in a low, resonant voice: "Nine Cauldrons Sun-Piercing Sword!" Boom! His figure flickered, and his afterimage dispersed. A fiercely swift golden sword light merged with the power of one blazing sun and slashed violently toward Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi's expression shifted slightly. His opening stance from the Heaven Shattering Sword Art shifted instantly! "Red Lotus: Dark Moon!" Boom! Through the power of Illusory Form, he caught a vague glimpse of the strike's weak point. His blade traced an ethereal trajectory, slashing out with the flow. Thump! Li Guanqi was forced back a step, and the second sword strike arrived immediately on its heels. Li Guanqi channeled his movement technique. "Thunder Shadow Flash Step!" Boom! An afterimage dissolved. Instead of retreating, he advanced and slashed out once more with the momentum! "Thunder Wrath!" Thunder surged behind him as immortal resonance manifested. The illusory phantom of the Thunder God shattered the blazing sun with a single sword slash, splitting it in two. Sensing Li Guanqi's terrifying strength, Lin Wujiu threw caution to the wind as well. Wheeling around, his third sword strike came hacking down! Li Guanqi's eyes flashed. This strike was distinctly more powerful; the blazing sun shone so dazzlingly it seemed as if it would tear space itself apart. Suppressing his churning blood and qi, Li Guanqi took another step forward! The white robes upon him let out an agonized tearing screech. "Sword of No Return!" "Blood Asura!!" Boom! Boom! Both figures were blasted back from the explosive glare of purple and gold fire. Yet neither hesitated for a breath before charging at each other once more! Lin Wujiu's jade crown had shattered, leaving his hair disheveled and loose, yet an arrogant smile played upon his lips as he swung his sword again! "Fifth strike!!" The scales on Li Guanqi's body cracked and burst, his robes tore to tatters, his long hair whipped wildly in the air, and the hems of his white robes fluttered furiously. Ignoring the chaotic storm of immortal primal energy around him, he plunged straight through it, his gaze locked unblinkingly onto the distant blade that was cleaving through the gale. "Eight Desolations: Extinction!!!" Boom! A sword intent intent on exterminating all living beings laid claim to the vault of heaven. Charging forward, Lin Wujiu felt a shiver in the depths of his heart. The momentum of his sword wavered, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he still swung the strike out with everything he had! Clang! Boom! Lin Wujiu's head snapped back violently as though struck by a battering ram. His robes were slashed open, sending blood spraying into the air. A long wound stretched across his chest. A muffled groan escaped Li Guanqi's lips as the Gengjin sword qi shredded the flesh on both of his arms, obliterating it into mist. The two came to a halt a hundred zhang apart, their momentum towering like rainbows. Lin Wujiu licked the blood from the corner of his lips, his gaze burning bright as torches. "Li Congxin! You are the strongest person I have ever faced in the same realm!" "Among the sword cultivators of the Fuyu Lands, your name shall shake all eight directions!" "This sixth strike—brace yourself to receive it!" With his hair stained with blood, Li Guanqi swept his long hair behind his head with one hand, his sword-wielding hand trembling slightly. His opponent had cultivated the Law of Geng Metal to the absolute pinnacle; even Ye Feng could not compare to him! Strong—he was truly strong!