Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
In the fighting ring, a gale began to rise and a mist started to gather. It was as if there were white dragons baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, cutting across the void.
Such an unusual scene simply confirmed to every disciple of the aristocratic families present that Ke Changji was indeed in the Half-step Exterior Scenery realm!
“How can he already be in the Half-step Exterior Scenery realm…” an aristocratic young lady muttered in shock.
Liu Shuyu, who was standing next to her, smiled and said, “The Third Gentleman of the Ke family had already opened his Nine Apertures five years ago and I heard that by this time last year, he had already succeeded in opening his Primal Aperture at Mid-brows and was likely in the Heaven-man Connection realm. From the look of things today, he held onto the final burst of energy in the Heaven-man Connection realm to go into hermitic training and make a breakthrough into the Half-step Exterior Scenery realm.”
“I see…” The other disciples nodded one after another as it suddenly dawned on them.
Su Ziyue initially found it hard to believe, but her disbelief was soon replaced by feelings of anger and annoyance. She pointed at Ke Changji, saying, “You… You’re taking advantage of someone when he’s down!”
She knew her brother’s injuries were not light and would not heal in just the short span of a day. But before she could finish speaking, she saw Meng Qi taking a step forward, blocking the sunlight peeking through the white clouds.
“If every disciple of the aristocratic families were like you, it would be unfortunate. To think, underneath that gilded appearance is such disorder. It must be difficult to prop up your family name.” His tone carried neither anger nor alarm, or even the slightest hint of mockery. It was frank and straightforward.
“You!” Ke Changji was both stunned and infuriated. He had clearly demonstrated his Half-step Exterior Scenery cultivation, yet Su Ziyuan still dared to say such things?
“Killing Blade’s refusal to admit his mistakes and arrogance know no bounds, it seems!” The other disciples were all thinking the same thing. Only Liu Shuyu nodded.
Meng Qi clasped his hands behind his back, giving the impression of a noble person of deep character. “The Half-step Exterior Scenery succeeds the Heaven-man Connection realm, but didn’t your family elders tell you about the Hidden Latch? Aside from the Oneness of Heaven and Men realm, you should at least stabilize your cultivation before going into hermetic training.”
His tone was flat and without a shred of emotions, as if he was simply mentoring the younger generation.
“Hidden Latch, Hidden Latch of No Regrets…” Ke Changji stuttered for some time. His grandfather, naturally, had told him this but he had treated it as nonsense and had forgotten about it. He had thought that it was probably fine as long as he had followed the prescribed order to cultivate to a higher realm. There was no any need to make things so complicated.
There had not been many masters, having been promoted from the Heaven-man Connection realm to the Half-step Exterior Scenery realm, who could harmonize the internal with the external. It required a gradual, step-by-step process to set foot on an even higher realm. More time was required, that was all!
It was a headache just to tackle the Oneness of Heaven and Men realm, never mind the practice of eliminating the illusory fundamentals and finding an initial path for oneself. There were people who spent half their lives cultivating yet never managing to take a step in that realm!
Generally speaking, a person with a good cultivation method and decent body potentials could open his Nine Apertures comparatively early. Before his Qi and blood began declining, martial artists in the main world need only to follow the prescribed order to cultivate their Primal Aperture at Mid-brows and temper for some time. Ultimately, they would be able to achieve the Heaven-man Connection realm and surpass many of those in the World of Samsara who did not cultivate their Primal Aperture at Mid-brows. However, Oneness of Heaven and Men all depended on one’s nature and realization of heaven and earth. There would not be more than ten such masters on the Ranking List of Young Masters at any given time!
However, Ke Changji would never admit that he skipped that step to make a breakthrough as soon as possible just so he could show off to all the disciples of aristocratic families!
In the eyes of the many disciples at this very moment, Meng Qi cut an imposing figure, towering over them. He spoke like an elder while Ke Changji appeared cowardly, having completely lost the earlier triumphant confidence. It was as if he was panicking after Meng Qi directly pointed out the flaw in his Qi-cultivation Stage.
One of the younger girls asked curiously, “Sister Liu, what’s Hidden Latch of No Regrets?”
Many of the disciples present were young and had fairly low cultivations, with most having opened their Eye or Ear Apertures at most. Since they still had a long way to go before they could open their Hidden Latch, it was only natural that their family elders would intentionally keep it from them.
The smile on Liu Shuyu’s face was as gentle as ever, giving others the impression of a spring breeze. “When you open your Primal Aperture at Mid-brows and break through the life-and-death Hidden Latch, your inner and outer, heaven and earth, will conform and take an initial shape. You won’t be able to make any major adjustments to it after. Thus, ambitious people would stabilize and polish their realms after reaching the Heaven-man Connection. They would consider their paths and make adjustments beforehand, lest they regret it in the future. That’s why it is dubbed the Hidden Latch of No Regrets.”
She did not give a direct explanation of the meaning behind Meng Qi’s words, but with the understanding of the Hidden Latch, everyone knew what Second Gentleman Su had implied. He was saying that Ke Changji’s future was bleak after having jeopardized his foundation in favor of immediate results.
Humiliated, Ke Changji took in a deep breath and snapped, “There are countless seniors who heightened their cultivation realm from Heaven-man Connection. Humph! Talk is cheap; let’s just see who speaks the truth with kungfu. Changqing, you be the first to challenge Young Master Killing Blade!”
He planned to send his younger brother to test the waters and check how serious Killing Blade’s injuries were. He didn’t want to make the mistake of underestimating his enemy.
Ke Changji and Ke Changqing shared the same mother, which explained why their appearances resembled each other. Even so, despite being near 30 years old, they still looked immature.
Meng Qi caressed the handle of his saber with his right hand, a smile on his face.
“I was planning to have the three of you fight me at once but I didn’t want to make fools of you all. Let’s just do one-on-one then.”
The first half of his words sent the heads of the disciples spinning. They couldn’t believe that he would dare to take on three opponents at once when he was so seriously hurt. Truly, he was haughty so that he befitted the moniker Killing Blade perfectly!
However, understanding dawned on them when they heard the second half of his words. Killing Blade was an expert in fighting battles where he was outnumbered!
Despite Ke Changji’s nervousness, he was also excited. He wondered how many of Killing Blade’s strikes he would be able to withstand. The more strikes he could take, the more famous he would be!
He took a step forward and raised his arm in a salute. That was when he saw Killing Blade standing in front of him, his mouth open.
“Hm!”
The sudden cold sneer rang in his ear, as loud as a thunderclap. The noise caused his Vital Spirit to tremble.
His head began to spin and darkness clouded his eyes. He lost strength in both of his legs, as if he was stepping on clouds.
Purple bolts of lightning flashed across his vision and he felt his body become heavier. His surroundings became increasingly dark as he fell to the ground. He had lost his consciousness entirely.
Su Ziyue and the other disciples stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them. Why did Ke Changqing seem as if he had fainted after Su Meng scoffed at him? Was this be considered one strike or half a strike?
“That seems like the Lion Roar cultivation method belonging to the Shaolin Temple. It can condense noise into an attack that won’t disturb others. There is only sounds of lightning because it’s of the Nth Order of the Exterior…” Liu Shuyu glanced around as she explained.
Su Ziyue was already walking away from the fighting ring to return to Liu Shuyu’s side. In a tone of reverence, she said, “Sister Liu, you’re truly a learned person with an outstanding eyesight. Since my brother belongs to the Shaolin Temple, it’s not unusual for him to know the Lion’s Roar technique.”
Liu Shuyu shook her head and cast Meng Qi a deep stare. “It’s not the Lion’s Roar. It’s closer to the Thundering Scream.”
Meng Qi placed both his hands behind his back and watched a flustered Ke Changji rescue his brother. He was impressed by Liu Shuyu’s eyesight, which didn’t seem like it belonged to a mere Six Apertures master.
It wasn’t strange if she noticed the other aspects because he had been obvious about it, but her eyesight was truly outstanding to be able to notice that his Thundering Scream had been promoted to the Exterior level with his Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture.
“Next.” His tone was calm and indifferent as if he was a military commander testing his juniors.
Ke Changji glanced at the younger cousin standing next to him and saw that his face was overcast. “Chang Le, close your Ear Aperture first.”
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Though that might not be enough to defend against the opponent’s Thundering Scream, it would at least help in dissipating most of it. Chang Ji, at least, would not be reduced to falling to the ground before even making a move and shaming their entire family!
Ke Changle took in a deep breath and took a cautious step forward. Once he saluted his opponent, he instantly leaped and unleashed his Body Movements to get behind Meng Qi. Fashioning his hands into claws, he pounced onto Meng Qi with a pose that could split rocks.
He had long heard about Killing Blade having the likes of a Golden Bell Shield to protect himself. Thus, he purposefully chose to attack this weak point of his!
Meng Qi remained rooted to the ground as if he had not reacted in time. Ke Changle’s heart jumped in delight but the feeling was quickly replaced by the sobering impression that Meng Qi was a vast ocean that even he could not cause a ripple in with his strength.
Suddenly, two bursts of familiar Qi rose out of nowhere. The faint and unfathomable energy struck Ke Changle and shattered his Protective Upstanding Qi. He staggered and took a few steps forward before falling to the ground.
Did Killing Blade just win over Ke Changle without even lifting a finger? Su Ziyue and the other disciples were struck dumb.
Though they knew that Killing Blade was strong, they never thought that he would be this powerful. Ke Changqing and Ke Changle, at the very least, had opened their Nine Apertures. Yet, in front of Killing Blade, they were as weak as children at the Qi-cultivation Stage!
“That was an incredibly profound method of unloading one’s strength by borrowing another. It was also blended with the counterstrike of a cultivation method similar to the Formless Finger. That was why Ninth Gentleman Ke could not foresee the strike and took the hit squarely,” Liu Shuyu muttered.
Meng Qi frowned. “Isn’t her eyesight too good to be true?”
It had not been an issue to use Ke Changle’s strength, now that he had made an initial foray into the Exterior, even if it wasn’t at the consummate stage yet. He would be able to draw support from Ke Changle’s Protective Upstanding Qi to make a counterstrike but that would have been too obvious and would result in less than stellar outcomes. Thus, he had combined the strength and technique of Formless Zen Knife with it. It simply wasn’t something that could be so easily detected!
“Could she be exceptionally talented in this…?”
He decided not to think too hard about it. Staring at Ke Changji, he took a step forward and spoke in a calm and steady voice.
“Are you that uncertain about yourself that you only dare challenge me when I’m injured?”
“You even brought two of your younger brothers with you to test the seriousness of my injuries. When will you have the courage to fight?”
“Where’s your kungfu willpower? Your thrill in battle?”
His questions, asked with little emotion, resounded in the fighting ring and drove straight into Ke Changji’s heart. He felt his cheeks burn and was unable to meet the eyes of everyone else. His imposing manner fell drastically and he began to feel real fear!
Meng Qi seemed to grow taller and larger in the eyes of Su Ziyue and the rest, emanating the aura of a strong, disciplined man of indomitable spirit. However, Ke Changji seemed to have shrunk as he lost the courage to meet anyone’s eyes. It was the scene of a dwarf looking up at a giant.
“Where’s your kungfu willpower?”
“Your thrill in battle?”
Having suppressed Ke Changji’s momentum, Meng Qi pulled his sword out of its sheath. His posture smooth and flawless, as if it was mandated by heaven.
Ke Changji’s humiliation twisted into anger. He threw both his hands forward, stirring the Qi with his movements. A white dragon flew down ferociously to form a dragon claw.
Simultaneously, the skin of both his hands glowed with a golden light. It turned out that he had been wearing a layer of cicada’s wings-like gloves. With his energy and Qi, an inescapable net seemed to appear in mid-air. Stones protruded from the ground to grab at Meng Qi’s feet.
With this strike, Ke Changji finally demonstrated a hint of an Exterior master’s might!
“Precious Weapon…” Su Ziyue ground her teeth. The elders of the Ke family were truly shameless to bestow a Precious Weapon on Ke Changji this early!
It was obviously meant for him to use in this challenge!
Unlike the mainstream martial arts or even the large clans like the Ruan family, aristocratic families in Luoyang were not able to gift their Half-step Exterior Scenery disciples with Precious Weapons. They would always monitor the potential of every disciple before bestowing any, and Ke Changji had not even gotten his breakthrough for long!
Ke Changji’s strike reminded Meng Qi of the time when he, at just the level of the Exterior, had tried to slash Jiang Hengchuan but came up empty. Jiang Hengchuan had used his Oneness of Heaven and Men realm to stop Meng Qi from targeting him. Coming from the side, his strike had been much weaker and Jiang Hengchuan had easily blocked it.
With a burst of radiance from his saber, Meng Qi seemed to dissolve into a mist. The white dragon became joined to the earth, to the point where it was hard to differentiate the air from the ground.
His sword seemed exceptionally gentle as it flew straight, cutting through the gale. Even with the void cutting off any power, he evaded his opponent’s sword just like that.
The sword jumped mysteriously out of the blue, breaking free of the binds of the Dharma and Logos of Heaven and Earth and shooting towards the sky. It had escaped from Ke Changji’s attack via his movement.
Ke Changji’s momentum was stopped in its tracks and his mental guards collapsed. He, naturally, flew into rage out of humiliation and instantly activated his Precious Weapon. Since he was no longer seizing opportune moments to attack, Meng Qi easily evaded his haphazard strikes.
Having used up its momentum, the long saber returned to its owner. Its saber radiance became faint and gloomy as if reflecting one’s deepest and dearest desire.
Ke Changji put both his hands together to block the attack and took the opportunity to make a counterattack now that he was at an advantage. In the end, after a bitter struggle, he tried to defeat Killing Blade with half a strike.
The disciples watched with open mouths. Their dumbstruck expressions were soon replaced with looks of admiration and respect. Liu Shuyu, on the other hand turned pale. Her blinked rapidly and her face began to redden.
Ke Changji laughed out loud, feeling refreshed.
“Sister Liu, the sword is already at his neck. How can he laugh?” Su Ziyue’s doubtful voice drifted to Ke Changji’s ears.
He suddenly snapped awake and saw Meng Qi return his saber to its sheath and walk away with an expressionless face. The people around him wore expressions of doubt and pity as if secretly sneering at him.
With a bright red face, he turned and left the ground. He didn’t want to stay in this place any longer than he needed to.
He must have looked like a complete fool for laughing earlier!
“Killing Blade struck him with the Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship. It was probably the second style, the Mortal Dust Fall…” Liu Shuyu explained to everyone.
Meng Qi walked over to her and smiled. “Miss Liu, you seem to be familiar with my kungfu.”
Liu Shuyu returned a mild and gentle smile. “I don’t dare to hide this from you, Senior Brother. I have a good friend in the palace who travels the Jianghu all the year round who is particularly devoted to you. My friend often mentions you in the letters.”
“I wonder which young lady is so kind as to favor me?” Meng Qi asked casually.
Liu Shuyu smiled and answered, “It’s the legal wife’s daughter of the Yu family of the South Province. Her name is Longzi.”
“Yu Longzi…” he silently muttered the name. He had never heard of this person.