Xu Yunfan said, "Then I shall accept your lesson, Senior Brother Chu."

’If I want all the Sect’s resources for my Cultivation, I have to prove my worth,’ he thought. ’Bi Yuan said the Celestial Demon is approaching, and I can’t just sit here and wait to die. Only by quickly breaking into the Ninth Realm will I have any chance of survival.’

The words had barely faded when both men exploded into action!

Even before Xu Yunfan finished speaking, the bluestone beneath his feet had already fractured into a spiderweb of cracks.

Having reached Minor Achievement in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm, his muscles and bones flowed with power, connected as if forged from Hundred-Forged Profound Steel. The great dragon of his spine suddenly arched. The opening move of the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique—the Mountain-Collapse Form—sent his muscles rippling like a tidal wave.

The Dragon Scale Armor on his right arm pulsed with his surging Blood Qi, each armor leaf quivering. Driven by his Blood Qi, the armor revealed a sheen streaked with crimson. Beneath the armor leaves and skin, the great tendons of his arm coiled like flood dragons.

The Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace became a crimson rainbow arching toward the sun. Infused with Pure Yang True Qi, the dragon engravings on the mace began to glow with dark red, magma-like patterns.

A sharp light flared in Chu Cangming’s eyes. The longsword in his hand hummed, vibrating with the cry of a dragon.

This senior brother, who had reached a profound level in the Organ Cultivation Realm, now vented Gang Qi from his seven facial orifices—so dense it seemed tangible. This was a unique Anomaly, refined from the Golden Locking Jade Twelve Formulas.

As he moved, his toes tapped the ground lightly. His Body Technique, the seemingly ethereal Ta Gang Step, left three-inch-deep footprints in the black stone tiles. The arc of his blade carried the oppressive weight of a collapsing mountain, and his ultimate form, Celestial Gate Break, actually sliced the air, creating a visible, pale shockwave.

CLANG!

The moment the mace and sword collided, a circular shockwave erupted from the point of impact.

The skin on the web of Xu Yunfan’s thumb split, but before the blood could even spatter, it was vaporized into a crimson mist by the heat radiating from the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace.

’Such immense power!’

Xu Yunfan’s pupils constricted. He could hardly believe that Chu Cangming’s single sword strike could contain the force of a toppling mountain.

In that instant of contact, the muscles in his right arm twisted in a bizarre fashion. Guided by his Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill, his Blood Qi formed a Spiral Force within his meridians, channeling the immense power from Chu Cangming’s blade down into the ground beneath his feet.

The black stone ground gave way with a BOOM, and Xu Yunfan’s ankles sank into the earth. He used the momentum to execute the Strength Flow Technique from the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill. All 206 bones in his body vibrated at a high frequency, completely neutralizing the Sword Qi that had tried to invade his organs.

’The Dissipation of the Profound Steel Hundred-Forged Body... the exquisite, humming bone vibrations of the Secret Martial Heavenly Cicada Body Refining Technique... the Strength channeling from the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill...’

Chu Cangming’s pupils constricted. He truly hadn’t expected Xu Yunfan to be able to take that blow. It looked like he’d done it with a trick, but a block was a block.

"The Mountain-Slaying Sword technique?"

Xu Yunfan was surprised. "I didn’t expect you to have practiced this Swordsmanship, Senior Brother Chu."

Chu Cangming said calmly, "I have studied all nine of the Taoist Sect’s ultimate sword arts."

Xu Yunfan was astonished. "You practice so many? Aren’t you afraid of becoming a jack of all trades, but a master of none?"

Chu Cangming felt his chest tighten. ’How does he have the nerve to say that to me? Never mind how many different styles of Divine Skills and supreme arts he himself has learned—under these conditions, he hasn’t even exploded from the chaotic fluctuations in his Blood Qi!’

Before Chu Cangming could change his move, the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace twisted as if alive. A Divine Weapon possesses a spirit, and the dragon’s head on the mace forcibly lifted, its maw clamping down on the spine of the Chenyue Sword.

A sharp light flared in Xu Yunfan’s eyes. The Pure Yang True Qi in his body boiled like lava, flowing along his muscles and under his skin to his palm, where it surged into the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace.

The dragon engravings on the mace flared to life, as if a Red Flood Dragon had awakened. The scorching heat was so intense it made the surrounding air distort and shimmer.

He slapped the tail of the mace with his left palm. The condensed Blood Qi from his Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill and the concentrated Pure Yang True Qi from his Pure Yang Qi Skill erupted at the same time, creating a triple-layered shockwave within the mace.

The first wave was like a furious tide crashing ashore. The Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace let out a draconic hum, its edge tearing visible, pale gashes in the air.

The second wave followed, like a collapsing mountain. The overbearing power of the Pure Yang True Qi was conducted through the mace, forcing even Chu Cangming’s longsword to emit a low hum.

The third wave was like a thunderclap. The True Intent of the Nine Profound Dragon-Defying Mace Technique’s ultimate form, Kanglong Wu Hui, was unleashed. Powerful Qi surged through the Divine Heavy Mace, and its head projected a phantom dragon head that solidified and bit down on the sword’s blade! 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

TSSSCH!

In the violent shockwave, Chu Cangming’s right sleeve disintegrated inch by inch, revealing an arm that glowed with faint golden threads.

A glint appeared in Xu Yunfan’s eyes.

’So Chu Cangming has also cultivated his muscles, bones, and skin to the level of Perfection. His body clearly shows the signs. And he’s cultivated the Golden Locking Jade Twelve Formulas to a profound level.’

But even so, in the clash against Xu Yunfan, the web of Chu Cangming’s thumb was torn open by the shock. Before the blood could even fall, it was seared into a mist by the Pure Yang True Qi.

The longsword trembled violently from the immense impact, and the hilt branded a scorch mark onto Chu Cangming’s palm!

BOOM!

Xu Yunfan suddenly stepped back and twisted his waist. His Mace Technique, which had been incomparably fierce and powerful, abruptly became fluid and yielding.

The subtle method of strength control from the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill was grafted onto the heavy mace. The Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace slid along the spine of the sword at an incredibly nimble angle, heading for Chu Cangming’s wrist.

The heavy mace scraped against the sword’s spine, sending a shower of sparks flying with a loud SCRRREEE.

The spectators were stunned. They had assumed that someone who specialized in heavy weapons like Xu Yunfan would have a grand, sweeping style. Yet here he was, wielding a heavy mace with the finesse of an embroidery needle.

It seemed even more nimble than swordsmanship styles that focused on agility.

Chu Cangming let out a long cry, and the longsword suddenly flew from his hand, spinning.

His left hand formed a seal to activate a Secret Martial Art, while his right hand formed a blade with his fingers, stabbing straight at Xu Yunfan’s Danzhong Acupoint.

’Light Splitting Shadow?’

Xu Yunfan was taken aback. Though he’d been focused on his training lately, he wasn’t completely ignorant of the world. The Light Splitting Shadow was a top-tier Ultimate Skill, a Body Technique that faintly transcended the boundaries of ordinary Martial Arts. He’d never thought it could be used as an attack.

This Light Splitting Shadow concealed seven different variations. The Gang Qi condensed at Chu Cangming’s fingertips traced a faint blue arc through the air.

Xu Yunfan didn’t dodge or retreat. He surged his Blood Qi, and with an infusion of Pure Yang True Qi, the Dragon Scale Armor on his body began to glow with threads of golden light.

KRRRCH!

The sound of the finger strike piercing his Qi Armor and the sound of bone shattering rang out simultaneously.

Chu Cangming’s pupils quaked. He glanced down instinctively at his twisted fingers, clearly feeling that his Sword Pointing strike had been shattered against Xu Yunfan’s Divine Armor.

"A Tier Eight Divine Weapon?!"

Chu Cangming’s expression turned ugly. ’No wonder Bai Zhi was defeated by this. My finger strike was covered in Blood Qi and wreathed in Powerful Qi; its force was no less than that of a Divine Weapon. A Tier Eight Divine Weapon! Even in the Taoist Sect, that’s a cornerstone weapon! What right does Xu Yunfan have to earn the acknowledgment of a Tier Eight Divine Weapon?!’

Even with the Dragon Scale Armor’s protection, Xu Yunfan still felt his chest tighten from the force of the finger strike. But a moment later, a smile touched his lips.

In the same instant he took the blow, the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace in his hand completed an unbelievable reversal.

The Ninth Form of the Eight Desolates Dragon Fall Mace Technique—an arcing upward strike—swung up from Chu Cangming’s blind spot.

As the mace swept past, Chu Cangming’s Hair-Binding Jade Crown exploded into dust. A lock of black hair at his temple was ignited by the Pure Yang True Qi, burning with a faint blue flame in the air.