Chapter 142 - 124: Advancing to A-Rank

Chapter 142: Chapter 124: Advancing to A-Rank

"BANG! BOOM!"

Despite throwing his most powerful punch, it was Zhang Ji himself who was sent flying. His body tore through the air, crashing onto the surface of the distant Gesite Lake and skipping across the water like a stone, sending up massive plumes of spray.

Elaven gave Zhang Ji almost no chance to catch his breath. He instantly appeared beside him and struck again.

"BOOM! SPLASH!"

Water sprayed everywhere as Zhang Ji was blasted into the lake. An instant later, he erupted back out, pulling a torrent of water up with him.

Flowing Water Sect martial arts—Cascading Waterfall!

The reverse waterfall could have toppled mountains, but Elaven stood against it, utterly unmoved.

Amidst the rushing torrent, Zhang Ji threw a kick.

The Wind God Kick in its purest form.

He didn’t use spirit particles to compress the gathered airflow into another form, instead unleashing it in its original state.

The resonating airflow detonated in a flash.

"RUMBLE! BANG!"

A spherical shockwave of air expanded outward, creating a massive hemispherical crater in the lake. The water then rushed back in, kicking up waves a hundred meters high.

Elaven blocked Zhang Ji’s right leg with one arm, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

"To think you’ve mastered so many fighting techniques from different sects to such a degree... A talent like this..."

Elaven searched for the right word.

But he couldn’t find it.

’No worse than my own?’

’No!’

Elaven felt that if he hadn’t had luck on his side, his own talent might not have even compared to this.

’A genius like this must either serve me or be snuffed out in the cradle!’

’Otherwise, he’ll become a massive obstacle to my world domination in the future.’

"Submit!" Elaven said, casually pushing Zhang Ji away. "Submit to me. Become one of my vassal gods. Otherwise, you die!"

Zhang Ji vividly remembered Elaven doing the exact same thing before—suddenly arriving on Terjia Island, unleashing an onslaught against Valua, and then saying those very words.

Karma had come back around a little too fast for comfort.

Sometimes, fate was just a real son of a bitch.

The power gap between them was just too vast.

At his current level, he was no match for Elaven without a breakthrough.

’Maybe I should just play along for now? Buy some time?’

’Pretend to submit, wait until I absorb the final essence of the "Five Elements Longevity Skill," and then think about how to beat him?’

’But... dammit, I can’t accept this...’

’I’ve been on my knees for so long. I finally got back on my feet for two days, and now I have to get back down?’

’What does he think my knees are made of, springs?’

’Just give me two more days! Two days is all I need!’

Zhang Ji looked at Elaven calmly, a sliver of resolve hardening in his eyes.

This time, he chose to refuse.

"Buddha Appears as the Flower Blooms!"

He held his left hand up flat and then abruptly thrust his right palm forward.

"MIIII~!"

"OOMMM~!"

"BOOM!"

The golden Palm Seal struck Elaven’s Force Field.

This time, he couldn’t handle the attack as nonchalantly as before.

Streaks of red energy patterns appeared on his body as his Alchemy Furnace instantly shifted from its Stage One normal combustion to the Stage Two high-output state, and he threw a punch.

"KABOOM!"

Zhang Ji was sent flying by the punch and crashed into the lake. An excruciating pain flared in his abdomen. The blow had knocked him right out of his Spiritual Intent Stance, and he couldn’t stop himself from spewing a mouthful of blood.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ji’s palm strike had shattered Elaven’s Force Field and torn his clothes, revealing a powerful physique. It also exposed innumerable energy lines that began at his chest and spread across his entire body.

These conduits, which transported energy throughout his body, were also his blood vessels.

And at the core of his chest and abdomen was a red, high-temperature furnace.

This wasn’t a metaphor for his flesh-and-blood organs.

It was a literal, metallic furnace.

An oval-shaped furnace, pierced all over by blood vessels and nerves, was encased in his skin and muscle.

This furnace had been grafted and fused into his body using Alchemy Technology.

With this furnace, Elaven would never run out of energy.

It could burn almost anything and convert it into energy.

The damned thing could even run on burning rocks; it was absurdly overpowered.

Compared to it, the [Great Eater Technique] could only be called a "tiny, tiny, tiny... tiny furnace."

Zhang Ji rose from the lake, his body slowly floating up to face Elaven, the two of them standing opposite each other.

"A decent attack. I acknowledge your strength," Elaven said. "So, now, make your choice. Submission, or death?"

"They say you never know if disaster or tomorrow will come first. It seems disaster has a higher chance of winning," Zhang Ji said with a sigh, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "This time, my answer is no!"

’I really thought the battle against the Saint Kings wouldn’t start until I was fully developed, until I had at least two or three A-rank martial arts crystals.’

’Then I would crush all five Saint Kings and ascend to the pinnacle of this planet.’

’But reality had just reminded him that plans never keep up with change.’

’Still, it wasn’t as if he was completely powerless to fight back.’

’He couldn’t break through to A-rank as he had originally envisioned, but all was not lost.’

’The Wind God Kick was, at the very least, an Excellent Seven-Star technique. And with the home-field advantage, it was no worse than an Excellent Nine-Star one.’

’Using it for my advancement wouldn’t be too shabby!’

’Even if I can’t kill Elaven with it, it should be more than enough to ensure my survival.’

’As for playing along and waiting until I was strong enough to crush him before fighting back?’

’Before he had returned to the Eastern Extreme Country, he absolutely would have done that.’

But after he had stood before Li Long’s grave and promised to reach the pinnacle of martial arts in his stead, he found he could no longer bend his knees.

He was beginning to understand the choice Li Long had made back then.

Sometimes, a person’s honor is more important than their life.

Since he had sworn to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, he needed to have the integrity of a true expert, not keep resorting to the despicable schemes of a coward.

"You’ve made an unwise choice," Elaven sneered, glancing down at his torn clothes.

"BOOM!"

His Alchemy Furnace roared to life, vaporizing the lake water. A massive cloud of steam rose into the air, shrouding the area.

At this moment, Elaven’s desire to eliminate Zhang Ji had overtaken his desire to recruit him.

He would not allow a martial artist who could pose a threat to him to exist.

Faced with this extreme pressure, Zhang Ji simply closed his eyes.

In that instant, his aura plummeted.

At the same time, within his Limited Space, ten Excellent-grade martial arts crystals appeared one by one.

The Five Forms True Skill, the Qi Condensation and Divine Tempering Method, the Profound Iron Body Refining Skill, the Great Eater Technique, the Wind God Kick, the Vajra Indestructible Body, the Nine Yin Divine Skill, the Nine Yang True Skill, the Lishan Qingsheng Skill, and the Heart Stabilizing and Body Lowering Method.

[System Prompt: Do you wish to synthesize the Five Forms True Skill (Excellent) martial arts crystal x1, the Qi Condensation and Divine Tempering Method (Excellent) martial arts crystal x1, the Profound Iron Body Refining Skill... and so on... into a new martial arts crystal?]

"Yes!"

Inside the Limited Space, the ten Excellent-grade martial arts crystals merged into one. They intertwined and collided, and a deep, heavy purple light bloomed forth. The light was both dazzling and profound, a radiance that truly transcended the mundane.

Since ancient times, purple has been regarded as the color of nobility, a symbol of the utmost honor.

[System Prompt: Successfully synthesized Circulation Qi Body Divine Origin Skill (Epic) martial arts crystal x1.]

With a single thought, Zhang Ji fused the martial arts crystal into his body.

A massive influx of memories flooded his mind, revealing the origin of this martial arts crystal. It was the single most likely path he could have taken among innumerable possibilities.

As he processed this new memory, Zhang Ji’s initial regret was replaced by a pleasant surprise. ’Perhaps,’ he thought, ’breaking through like this will turn out to be a good thing after all.’

"Come on, then. Let me see just how strong a so-called Saint King really is!" A tangible, violet flame of Primal Qi flared out from Zhang Ji’s body as he stared down Elaven.

Elaven didn’t understand what Zhang Ji meant by "Saint King," but he could faintly sense a threat emanating from him. His Force Field contracted, enveloping him in a crimson light. "You clown," he boomed, "are you prepared to suffer the consequences of angering a god?"

The next moment, the two figures shot forward almost simultaneously, colliding at a speed that defied all logic!