Chapter 435: The Burning Martial Artist

Wangchuan knew how formidable a fifth-rank martial artist was, and he also knew very well that there was a gap between his own cultivation methods and Yan Tiannan’s. So when he heard the attributes of 《Undying Body》, although his heart shook, he was not so overwhelmed that he lost his composure.

His strongest sword art, 《Raging Tide Sword Art》, started with +120 attack. It was still capable of threatening a fifth-rank martial artist.

But Yan Tiannan saw at a glance the confidence and assurance Wangchuan was relying on. Smiling faintly, he slowly said,

“Sixth-rank inner cultivation method, 《Purple Haze Divine Art》, Entry-Level Mastery! +30 to all attributes, speed increased by twenty percent, defense increased by fifty percent, attack doubled! Restores 1 point of internal energy every thirty seconds!”

At last, Wangchuan could no longer keep himself composed!

He sucked in a sharp breath!

A sixth-rank inner cultivation method!

The technique Yan Tiannan cultivated was actually the superior inner cultivation method of the Huashan Sect, 《Purple Haze Divine Art》.

Among that +30 to all attributes was a full +30 Spirit...

Yan Tiannan’s internal energy reserves were probably astonishingly deep!

And...

It restored 1 point of internal energy every 30 seconds.

Even ordinary sixth-rank martial artists probably could not outlast him in a battle of attrition!

No wonder Su Wan had been searching everywhere for an Ultimate Art for him.

If Yan Tiannan had truly mastered an Ultimate Art, his strength would unquestionably have risen to an even higher level.

What a pity!

A fifth-rank martial artist with such a solid foundation had unexpectedly fallen beneath the Crimson Pavilion’s blade.

Only now did Wangchuan truly realize:

He had still underestimated the so-called third-tier players...

At the very least, Yan Tiannan was someone he would find very difficult to contend against.

The two stood facing one another.

Wangchuan quickly reviewed every sword art he had mastered.

《Basic Sword Technique》 at Perfect Mastery;

《Swift Sword Art》 at Perfect Mastery;

《Qingcheng Sword Art》 at Perfect Mastery;

《Water-Moon Sword Art》 at Integration;

《Raging Tide Sword Art》 at Entry-Level Mastery.

He rapidly compared the strength of both sides.

Yan Tiannan’s defense could break past 200 points!

No matter which sword art he used, he would not be able to break through that defense. At most, he could only inflict symbolic forced damage...

This sparring partner was even more formidable than Lu Ping’an.

He had to seize this opportunity and push his strength to the next level.

The moment that thought rose, Wangchuan called Li Na.

“Li Na, go back to the studio and bring me my gaming helmet! Quickly!”

“...Alright.”

Hearing the firmness in Wangchuan’s voice, Li Na agreed immediately.

A trace of admiration appeared on Yan Tiannan’s face.

“Smart.”

“This kind of training opportunity is extremely rare. If you have Lesser Rejuvenation Pills on hand, you can maximize the effect of sparring with me... How much you gain will depend on yourself.”

“Boss Yan, this junior is coming.”

Wangchuan cupped his fists and raised the opening stance of 《Water-Moon Sword Art》.

“Come.”

Yan Tiannan nodded calmly.

He stood there, steady as a mountain, his clothes stirring without wind, every inch of him exuding the bearing of a true master.

Wangchuan had seen fifth-rank experts fight before, but whether it was Wan Xiwen of Caobang, the Beggar Sect’s Inner Elders, or the Crimson Pavilion’s Silver-Ranked Assassin, none of them matched Yan Tiannan.

Even though Yan Tiannan had already entered decline...

What a pity!

Wangchuan thrust forward with his sword.

He cast aside every flashy and useless flourish. From the very beginning, he attacked with all his might, each move infused with internal energy, every strike carrying lethal sharpness.

Amid rippling water-light, the sword edge flashed and pulsed.

With his own attack power added to the martial art, and further boosted by 《Xuanwu Art》, his offensive power had risen to around 200 points. In theory, he truly could threaten Yan Tiannan...

But with 《Purple Haze Divine Art》 combined with 《Undying Body》, Yan Tiannan could effortlessly weaken part of that damage, suppressing Wangchuan’s attacks by thirty percent...

Before Yan Tiannan, Wangchuan was like a complete raw recruit. Every one of his attacks sank into a vast whirlpool of internal energy. The moment his sword moves drew near Yan Tiannan, they began to be affected, the edge deflected, the sharpness blunted, and the threat reduced.

Wangchuan went all out!

Move after move, he circled and attacked from every angle!

The experience of 《Water-Moon Sword Art》 began to rise continuously.

Not even when sparring with Lu Ping’an had Wangchuan ever fought with such abandon.

He poured out everything he had learned and gave everything he had.

Since he knew that his sword art could not truly injure Yan Tiannan, there was nothing left to fear. He devoted himself entirely to training, entirely to the fight.

Li Na hurried back to Sanjiang Studio in her high heels, took the gaming helmet, and returned to the Warring States Building, where she found Lin Jiahe already waiting at the entrance...

Lin Jiahe knew his boss was racing against time, so he ran at top speed with the gaming helmet in his arms.

By the time he delivered it back to the training grounds, his boss was already sitting cross-legged on the floor, utterly exhausted, circulating his internal energy.

With 470 points of internal energy, Wangchuan could only sustain a little over two hundred moves.

After exhausting all of his internal energy in one all-out burst and gaining more than two hundred points of experience in one go, Wangchuan took the gaming helmet from Lin Jiahe and put it directly on. He logged in, took out a Lesser Rejuvenation Pill in the game, and swallowed it.

Although the pill no longer retained its direct cultivation effect, after one circulation cycle, the medicinal power dissolved and spread through all four limbs and every bone in his body, making his recovery speed astonishingly fast!

After a single Greater Heavenly Cycle, his internal energy had already recovered completely to full.

A thousand taels of gold...

Spent just like that.

Wangchuan removed the gaming helmet and handed it back to Lin Jiahe. Then he said to Yan Tiannan, who was likewise seated and circulating his energy,

“Again!”

“Good.”

Yan Tiannan rose.

Wangchuan once more charged forward with sword in hand.

Amid the rippling water-light, the sword edge swept wildly, attacking madly from every possible angle.

Yan Tiannan blocked with both hands.

His hands and legs were all weapons, and his movements were even faster than Wangchuan’s.

His eyes were sharp and his movements agile.

Every contact came at exactly the right point, dissolving all of Wangchuan’s attacks.

Wangchuan was already experienced enough that if one attack failed, he withdrew and changed moves immediately, circling and unleashing a rainstorm of relentless strikes.

Yan Tiannan’s eyes filled with delight.

He had known Wangchuan possessed good talent.

But for Wangchuan’s fourth-rank sword art to have reached this level in only a year and a half was already remarkable enough to earn him a reputation within any prefectural city.

And...

Wangchuan’s speed was not that of an ordinary fourth-rank martial artist.

His speed was already close to that of an ordinary sixth-rank martial artist.

The fact that he could continuously unleash inner-energy sword moves also showed that his internal energy reserves were quite substantial.

A man like this would absolutely have no problem protecting my family until next year’s fifteenth day of the seventh month...

Yan Tiannan continued outputting steadily, while his internal energy consumption remained minimal.

Passive defense consumed little internal energy to begin with. On top of that, 《Purple Haze Divine Art》 had the effect of slowly restoring internal energy, something very few people could match.

Wangchuan swiftly poured out all of his internal energy, then immediately retreated and sat cross-legged to circulate it.

In only two minutes, he recovered his internal energy rapidly through the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill and once again leapt forward with sword in hand.

The more he trained, the more he understood just how rare and precious a sparring partner like Yan Tiannan was.

A fifth-rank martial artist with an exceptional body-protection technique, immensely powerful internal cultivation, and automatic internal energy recovery—he was even better than the gold-medal sparring partner Lu Ping’an.

Lu Ping’an could only spar up to a certain level. Higher-rank sword arts were almost impossible to practice against him, and it was too easy for him to get injured.

Yan Tiannan was stronger!

Wangchuan sparred for around five minutes, exhausted all of his internal energy, then circulated his energy for two or three minutes...

Over and over, the cycle repeated.

After roughly two hours had passed,

the edge of 《Water-Moon Sword Art》 became markedly sharper, its killing edge surging. Amid the broad rippling expanse of water-light, strands of sharp force began to split through the whirlpool of internal energy around Yan Tiannan’s body and land on his arms, leaving behind faint scratches.

Yan Tiannan reacted at once, raising his brows with a smile.

“You broke through.”

“Congratulations!”