Chapter 106 - 51: Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique Advances, Fourth Realm·Expert!

Chapter 106: Chapter 51: Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique Advances, Fourth Realm·Expert!

Naturally, the disturbances of the outside world had nothing to do with Jiang Xuan. It wasn’t long before he faced his eighth opponent.

Before encountering this opponent, Jiang Xuan had been feeling quite proud. A seven-fight winning streak, with every match ending in an instant kill, made him believe his strength was quite formidable among this cohort of disciples.

The bone-chilling Dao Rhyme of Winter is Coming, combined with those colorless, transparent Ice Swords, was enough to leave the vast majority of opponents defenseless.

However, when he actually faced this eighth opponent, the newly sprouted arrogance in his heart was shattered in an instant.

SWISH!

The light and shadows before his eyes underwent a First Transformation. Jiang Xuan had stepped from the dilapidated ancient city into a desolate wilderness.

This place seemed to be an Ancient Battlefield. A large number of broken weapons and armor were scattered around, with snapped swords and shattered halberds hidden among the lush, withered grass. Beside him, countless reeds swayed with the wind, billowing like waves.

It was autumn. Reed catkins danced lightly across the sky, and the afterglow of the setting sun cascaded down, adding a touch of desolate beauty to this bleak Ancient Battlefield.

"If one wants to comprehend the austere Dao Rhyme of autumn, this is the perfect place... No wonder it is called the Martial Arts Arena instead of a simple dueling platform. This Mirage Mirror: Three Thousand Realms can actually assist Cultivators in comprehending the Mystical Techniques of Taoist Skills alongside their battles."

These thoughts flashed through Jiang Xuan’s mind before vanishing in an instant. Soon, he gathered his Heart Spirit and fixed his gaze forward.

There, a young girl of a similar age to him stood quietly, holding a sword in one hand. As she gazed at the dancing reed catkins and the setting sun’s afterglow, a faint trace of fondness flickered in her eyes. But soon, she focused all her attention on Jiang Xuan.

Seeing Jiang Xuan’s pale complexion and his figure displaying a hint of Weakness, the young girl furrowed her brows slightly and spoke in a crisp tone, "Do you need me to give you some time to recover?"

"There’s no need. My current state is actually an enhancement for me."

INHALE... While speaking, Jiang Xuan also took a deep breath.

And in the moment he inhaled, the Frosty Winter Cold was once again released from its restraints by Jiang Xuan. The first thing this chill eroded was his own body.

As the icy chill continuously radiated outward, his skin became increasingly pale, so white that it was almost transparent. The dark blue blood vessels underneath were clearly visible, winding like frigid veins beneath ice.

But soon, Jiang Xuan’s inhalation turned into an exhalation.

WHOOSH— The winter breath carried a bone-piercing chill, surging outward like a tidal wave in all directions with Jiang Xuan at the center. When he raised his eyes to gaze at the young girl, that chilling intent condensed into a rolling cold wave, rushing toward her with unstoppable momentum.

HUM!

Due to the fusion of his True Spirit, Jiang Xuan’s Divine Soul was originally far superior to ordinary people. Furthermore, his inaugurations as a Daoist Acolyte and a Clear Heart Swordsman were both closely related to his spiritual Soul Intent. Even though he had not yet opened his Upper Dantian Purple Mansion, the strength of his Divine Soul had already reached the Peak of the Middle Stage of Spirit Core.

With such Divine Soul strength, coupled with the Frosty Winter Cold inherently brought by the Winter Solstice Dao Rhyme, the oppressive feeling Jiang Xuan exuded had already reached the level of the Spirit Core Late Stage.

In the past, relying on this formidable Divine Soul, Jiang Xuan only needed to gaze at his opponents to deliver a crushing mental impact. Previously, Mu Lin and the others had felt the sky suddenly darken, as if they had fallen into an Ice Lake; this was precisely due to their minds being crushed by his Divine Soul Power.

However, Jiang Xuan’s previously infallible method had now met its match.

BOOM!

When the Frosty Winter Cold swept forward alongside the crushing pressure of his Divine Soul, the young girl’s expression suddenly turned stern. Her gaze became as sharp as a sword, and a tyrannical, unparalleled Divine Will abruptly erupted from her body—this Divine Will was not only majestic but also extremely condensed. A trace of Dao Rhyme faintly lingered within it. Clearly, she had also comprehended her own conceptual intent.

BOOM!

In Jiang Xuan’s perception, the young girl’s Divine Soul was like a dazzling Venus, radiating a soft yet resolute brilliance—it was not fiercely scorching like the sun, but it was condensed to the extreme, forcefully blocking the surging winter cold wave from entering her body.

With his Divine Soul unable to impose pressure on the opponent, Jiang Xuan’s impact on her actual Flesh Body was also negligible.

When the freezing winter winds from Jiang Xuan’s body tried to pierce into hers, Yingying starlight blossomed from her figure.

This light possessed an inherent sense of protection. The cold wave from Jiang Xuan’s body was ultimately obstructed on the outside.

"?!"

Such a scene caused Jiang Xuan’s pupils to shrink, while the young girl opposite him only showed a bit of roused interest.

"Frosty Winter Dao Rhyme... To comprehend this, you truly were ruthless enough to do this to yourself. Unfortunately, for me, the strength of your Frosty Winter’s Intent is still not enough."

SWISH—

As she spoke, she swung her longsword and charged straight at Jiang Xuan.

Furthermore, during her charge, starlight flickered around her. The starlight pulsing at a special frequency made her figure seem to shift forward and backward, leaving her blurry and elusive.

Even during the sprint, due to the flashing starlight, she would sometimes manifest into an Illusion of two or three figures in Jiang Xuan’s eyes.

Such a bizarre Body Technique made it incredibly difficult for Jiang Xuan to lock onto her—whether through Divine Soul probing or naked-eye observation, it was hard to capture her true position.

This sight also made Jiang Xuan increasingly cautious.

For the first time, Jiang Xuan no longer stood frozen in place staring intently at his opponent. Instead, he slowly raised his hand and drew the Cyan Glaze Sword from its Sword Scabbard.

SHING!

The sound of drawing the sword attracted the young girl’s attention, and her gaze instantly locked onto Jiang Xuan’s blade. But at this very moment, muffled THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP sounds suddenly erupted in front of Jiang Xuan.

Taking advantage of the moment her attention was focused on him, Jiang Xuan repeated his old trick, manipulating colorless and transparent Ice Flying Swords to shoot violently toward the young girl’s body.

As for the inability to lock onto the target—there was a good saying from his past life: the poor rely on tactical flanking, while the rich rely on firepower coverage!

Facing the elusive young girl, Jiang Xuan did not launch just one Flying Sword. Instead, he summoned over a dozen Ice Flying Swords in one breath, enveloping the young girl like a dense rain.

To Jiang Xuan’s surprise, the young girl actually possessed a perceptive ability similar to On a Whim—and because Jiang Xuan couldn’t suppress her with his Divine Will, this ability was brought into full play. The instant the Ice Flying Swords exploded toward her, the young girl flicked her wrist, her longsword flourishing into several sword flowers that instantly struck down several of the Flying Swords.

However, cluster bombing was also effective, and those colorless, formless Flying Swords were difficult to completely guard against. Although the young girl struck down a minor half and dodged another portion, two Flying Swords ultimately hit her body.

"Success..."

The joy on Jiang Xuan’s face had not completely bloomed before it instantly froze and completely disappeared.

BANG! BANG!

The moment the two Flying Swords hit the young girl, the lustrous white starlight spilling from her body abruptly condensed, turning into a faintly visible Starlight Armor that firmly blocked the Flying Swords on the outside. Although the armor appeared ethereal and elusive, its defensive power was incredibly astonishing, forcefully halting the Flying Swords.

Even though Jiang Xuan reacted swiftly and executed the Twenty-Nine Swordsmanship Ice Burst Shadow, causing the Ice Swords to shatter and shoot out countless ice shards, these attacks were still blocked by the lustrous white starlight on the young girl’s body.

However, the sudden sneak attack also startled the young girl, and a hint of annoyed embarrassment appeared on her face.

"Despicable." After her subconscious accusation, she perhaps recalled that this was the Martial Arts Arena, and the two of them were engaged in a life-and-death struggle where there were no restrictions on methods.

Therefore, she did not continue to curse angrily. Instead, the aura around her became increasingly fierce, and both her speed and the Power on her sword suddenly increased by two points.

Moving like a shooting star chasing the moon, the young girl instantly charged right in front of Jiang Xuan. The Starlight Longsword in her hand, wrapped in boundless force, violently slashed down toward him.

At the critical moment, Jiang Xuan actually calmed his heart completely. Heart·Sincerity (Sword) was thoroughly activated. Following his instincts and intuition, he abruptly raised his sword, violently clashing against the young girl’s Starlight Longsword.

CLANG—!

The moment they clashed, Jiang Xuan’s pupils contracted once more. He felt a mountainous force suddenly transmit from the young girl’s sword.

The massive force sent such a shock through Jiang Xuan’s arm that the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open. His body was sent flying several meters away by the sheer impact of the strike.

WHOOSH!

The moment Jiang Xuan landed, before he could even catch his breath, the young girl’s figure transformed into a streak of starlight and instantly appeared by his side.

"So fast!"

Jiang Xuan’s heart skipped a beat—with such speed, such force, and that formidable starlight protection, the young girl’s raw strength actually formed a crushing dominance over him. This wasn’t even the typical gap between a Spirit Core Middle Stage and a Spirit Core Initial Stage.

But even so, Jiang Xuan still did not want to lose.

The unyielding instinct in his bones fully awakened Jiang Xuan’s Heart·Sincerity (Sword).

Combined with the Purifying Heart Spell, this ability made Jiang Xuan’s mind as clear as a lake, tranquil and entirely unruffled.

This special state of mind also allowed Jiang Xuan to perceive the source of danger. In the nick of time, his longsword fiercely slashed diagonally, once again blocking the young girl’s attack.

And this time, he also accomplished a nearly impossible maneuver.

BANG!

The instant the two swords intersected, that massive force was once again transmitted from the blade to Jiang Xuan’s arm.

If it were before, Jiang Xuan’s already injured arm would definitely have suffered severe damage again.

Even the Cyan Glaze in his hand might have been knocked away.

But this time, the moment the immense force was transmitted, an inspired realization struck Jiang Xuan. The Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique, which he had long Cultivated to the Circulation of Heaven and Earth, suddenly began to circulate. Only this time, what it circulated was no longer Magical Power, but—Power.

The majestic Power pressing down from the young girl’s sword used Jiang Xuan’s arm as a fulcrum. Through the Circulation of Heaven and Earth of the Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique, it instantly spread throughout his limbs and bones.

Although with this maneuver he still had to endure the strike head-on, having all the muscles, bones, and acupoints all over the body bear the brunt together naturally yielded a different result than relying solely on his arm to withstand it.

BANG!

After this sword strike, although Jiang Xuan’s entire body trembled violently, the acupoints all over the body buzzed, his vitality surged, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, he eventually withstood the blow forcefully.

"Huh?"

This scene caused the young girl to be momentarily stunned. Obviously, she hadn’t expected that Jiang Xuan would actually be able to withstand this strike of hers.

If he had been in a normal state, Jiang Xuan would have felt a hint of surprise in his heart as well. He would have discovered something else: his Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique had actually silently advanced amidst this desperate situation.

[Your Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique has advanced. It is now at the Fourth Realm·Expert]