Chapter 443 - 230: Unexpected Change, Takeout (Part 2)

Chapter 443: Chapter 230: Unexpected Change, Takeout (Part 2)

As for the second person, it was Qin Zhenyang.

Last year’s duel between the two Sects was widely publicized, not just for the battle between the Sect Leaders, but also for the equally eye-catching fight between their chief disciples.

At that time, Qin Zhenyang, ranked twenty-sixth on the Hidden Dragon List, was outstanding, but he was still a long way from the realm of the true prodigies in the top ten.

However, after that one battle, Qin Zhenyang proved that while he might not have been famous, his strength had propelled him into the very top echelon of the younger generation’s experts. He could stand at the forefront, a contender for the title of strongest below the Grandmaster realm.

With Li Xingtuo in his prime and his successor proving to be just as exceptional, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s future seemed secure and bright, its legacy in good hands. Consequently, many had begun to speak of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect in the same breath as the four great sects and eight great families, a sentiment reflected in the Yao family’s earlier enthusiasm.

Anyone in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List was acknowledged by all as a true prodigy.

’With someone of Qin Zhenyang’s strength protecting me, this trip should be much safer...’

Xie Yuan nodded silently to himself.

And besides Qin Zhenyang, Zhang Junyi would also be coming along on this trip.

That hot-blooded Daoist was extremely strong. He had teamed up with him before, and the experience had been excellent. Moreover, Zhang Junyi carried a trump card given to him by Master Yuxu, who was ranked second on the Celestial Dragon List. He was an ally worth uniting with.

Back in his room, Xie Yuan reread the letter. A few potential senders came to mind, but he couldn’t be certain about any of them.

He let out a breath. A single letter had instantly cast a shroud of mystery and danger over the trip to the ruins, but there was no need to give up just like that.

Xie Yuan was a Martial Artist who dared to face challenges head-on. He had prepared thoroughly; if he allowed himself to be scared off so easily, he feared his future cultivation would lose its edge.

’Besides, the sender didn’t say not to go, did they? If the danger was truly insurmountable, the warning wouldn’t have been phrased in such a tone.’

「Ten days passed.」

Xie Yuan didn’t step foot outside, secluding himself in the Sword Sect’s Jinling Villa to cultivate.

He hadn’t been in Jinling for long, but he had already experienced a series of unprecedentedly fierce battles.

The alley fight against Huie Jue and the night battle against the Grandmaster—these two encounters had left an extremely deep impression on Xie Yuan, and his gains from them were immense.

Only during these ten uneventful days could Xie Yuan properly review both battles from start to finish, identifying his strengths to build upon and his weaknesses to avoid repeating.

Huie Jue could be considered the "max-spec" version of a Cultivator at the Qi and Blood Second Transformation Realm. His Cultivation Technique, talent, and lineage were all top-tier in the current era, and his combat power was at the very ceiling for his realm.

It was his first time dueling an expert of this caliber. In the past, he had always been the one with the superior Cultivation Technique, bullying others. This time, the tables were turned. Huie Jue’s cultivation level was a notch higher than his, but the gap between the Indestructible Golden Bell Shield and his own ordinary Golden Bell Shield made it feel like they were an entire realm apart.

Xie Yuan reviewed the fight multiple times and felt his performance had been commendable. Aside from underestimating his opponent’s Divine Foot Skill, which was nearly on par with his own, his execution of strength and tactics had been appropriate, which was how he ultimately achieved victory.

Although Xie Yuan suspected Huie Jue had still been holding something back, he himself hadn’t gone all out from the start either.

’That monk was cunning, but I have to learn my lesson and not trust what people show on the surface.’

Xie Yuan nodded slowly.

As for the battle with the Grandmaster, that experience had taught him even more.

It was the first time he had truly fought a Grandmaster face-to-face. Although Yao Yilong was a long-established Grandmaster, he wasn’t one of the strongest, yet the pressure he exerted felt nearly insurmountable.

Facing an opponent whose cultivation was so far beyond his own was like dancing on a tightrope; he couldn’t afford a single mistake. Every blow Xie Yuan took required a Small Returning Pill to restore his energy, or else he would have lost the ability to fight long ago.

But the experience of trading blows with a Grandmaster was invaluable. The brush with death brought Xie Yuan many epiphanies: his moves could have no wasted motion, for the slightest gap or a moment’s delay meant the difference between life and death.

By summarizing the experience from these two battles, Xie Yuan felt his combat skills had improved significantly.

A Cultivation Technique was one thing, and cultivation level was another; these two were hard stats. But how one combined and applied them in actual combat tested personal skill—something that couldn’t be reflected on a status panel. With the same Cultivation Technique and cultivation level, a large disparity in combat skill could easily lead to a one-sided fight.

Fortunately, from the very beginning of his cultivation, Xie Yuan had always emphasized practical combat and post-fight analysis. After all, he took the great man’s words to heart: "Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth." He had practically fought his way through the entire External Training stage, and he had never stopped battling and reflecting since. While his combat skills might not have been honed to absolute perfection, they were more than a match for his current realm and strength. They weren’t a weakness, and in fact, were constantly improving.

In addition to his own fights, he had also watched numerous matches during the two days of the Junior Hidden Dragon Assembly. Although there weren’t many prodigies at the event whose strength could match his, watching the techniques of different schools and Sects was still highly rewarding. At the very least, it broadened his horizons and added to his experience.

Thus, after ten days of summarizing all his battles in Jinling and fully internalizing his gains, Xie Yuan’s cultivation level hadn’t increased much, but his actual strength was a different story.

’There haven’t been any other signs.’

Xie Yuan thought to himself as he gazed at the garden outside his window.

For the past ten days, he had been wondering if a second letter or a mysterious person would appear. However, aside from that one enigmatic first letter, nothing else had happened. It made him start to suspect the letter was just a prank.

"Junior Brother Zhang, it’s time to go."