All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 416 - 59: Two Great Moves (3/3)

Chapter 416: Chapter 59: Two Great Moves (3/3)

Meanwhile,

Inside Nian Quan’s room.

Nian Quan stared at the ’Life-prolonging Seed’ in An Jing’s hand, surprised, "Is this... the Spirit of Vitality from a purebred Dang Kang?"

"You..." He looked at An Jing incredulously, "You hunted a purebred Dang Kang?"

An Jing thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "Not really, we just have a good relationship, and it gave me quite a few as gifts."

"Gifts?"

This time, even Huo Qing couldn’t hold back, "An Jing, do you know how precious this thing is to Dang Kang? It’s equivalent to a second life for them!"

Although surprised, he actually knew that what An Jing said was the truth because, generally speaking, during the hunting of Dang Kang, they would surely use up these Spirits of Vitality to heal their wounds. Only a strike that kills instantly, taking down the prey before it could react, could one possibly harvest a Spirit of Vitality... and even then not for sure!

This was because the vegetation in the Tianyuan Realm wasn’t very lush, and it was quite troublesome for Dang Kang to accumulate the essence of plants and trees. Many Dang Kang would die without ever condensing one.

Huh?

As An Jing blinked, he recalled how the Snow Climbing Tooth effortlessly condensed six Life-prolonging Buds at once, as easily as handing over six pine cones. It didn’t seem precious at all to him, "So even the Demon Beasts in the Wilderness in the Tianyuan Realm are this poor..."

But An Jing didn’t show his thoughts; he still spoke seriously, "Anyway, wood is nourished by wood, so this Life-prolonging Bud can help block the poison of the Wood Fiend, preventing your arm from being damaged. It might even gradually nourish your tendons and bones while the wood energy fades away."

"This is too precious..."

Nian Quan murmured to himself, while An Jing seemed unconcerned, holding up his index finger, "Though that’s the case, it won’t allow your right hand to quickly recover its battle capability, so I’m planning to teach you two moves."

"The first move is called Piercing Armor True Strength—I almost mastered it just by looking once, and even Huo Qing grasped it quickly using Formation as an analogy overnight. I believe you can absolutely do it too if you spend a day and a half learning."

In the midst of Huo Qing’s confused expression that seemed to say ’Me? Didn’t I learn over a few months and still encounter a life and death crisis overnight before I understood?’, An Jing calmly downplayed the difficulty of Piercing Armor True Strength, "This move requires high physical quality and detail in exerting force. I’m not worried about the latter, but you lack the foundation of Body Refinement for the former, which could be problematic."

"However, it just so happens that your right hand has been petrified by the wood quality. Although it’s stiff and can’t execute Sword Arts, it can be regarded as a tough wooden sword—Nian Quan, people often say that for a Sword Cultivator, the sword is a new limb, so why can’t your original limbs serve as a sword?"

"When the time comes, use your arm as the sword, and unleash Sword Qi and Sword Intent with Piercing Armor True Strength; you’ll certainly surprise everyone with a unique twist!"

"To use my body as the sword..." Nian Quan’s eyes widened in amazement, he was completely taken aback, while An Jing confidently raised a second finger, "As for the second move, it’s called Wounding Sword Qi—this one is a bit challenging, even for you. I think it’ll take a few days to learn, so no rush."

"It’s one of my ultimate Skills. Once... my ancestor used it to kill a Foundation Establishment Incarnation of a Purple Mansion True Person!"

"Incredible!"

Though it sounded exaggerated, both Huo Qing and Nian Quan could hear the overflowing confidence in An Jing’s words—The heritage of the Mysterious Sect behind An Jing was truly extraordinary. Perhaps... they really had confronted a True Person and even slain the True Person’s Foundation Establishment Incarnation!

With the support of the Life-prolonging Seed and Nian Quan’s talent, mastering Piercing Armor True Strength before the upcoming competition wouldn’t be difficult. Both An Jing and Huo Qing were feeding him moves, allowing him to quickly adapt his new techniques for combat.

During the process where the trio were healing wounds and diligently practicing new moves in the room, time sped by swiftly.

On An Jing’s third day in the Tianyuan Realm.

Special City tournament, individual contest, the first round of the top eight eliminations.

Principal He Yongzhi of Third Middle School furrowed his brows, seated in the VIP section, while beside him sat the principal of First Middle School, a fat old man with kind eyes and white eyebrows, stroking his goatee with a smile.

"I heard that your little Sword Immortal from Third Middle School actually didn’t forfeit the match?"

The fat old man’s tone was gentle as he spoke, shaking his head as if dissatisfied, "That’s not very good, Little He. You should always put people first. If someone is injured, they need to heal. Acting recklessly can cut a promising young life short."

Principal He also didn’t understand why Nian Quan, who had clearly agreed to forfeit, suddenly changed his mind—making it to the top eight had already satisfied him, and the higher-ups had also expressed their approval that Third Middle School had done well this time, with a promising talent nurtured among their ranks.

Nian Quan had already exceeded all his tasks, and he had planned to reward this somewhat imprudent student who, nevertheless, had undeniable strength.

He had originally intended to force Nian Quan to withdraw from the competition, but Nian Quan was very adamant about continuing, which left him with no ability to sway the decision.

"...These methods, they’re not very honorable."

Feeling aggrieved and being a Sword Cultivator himself, Principal He spoke with a tone that wasn’t very pleasant, "I have always admired the tangible strength of First Middle School, so why stoop to such petty tactics?"

"Little He," the fat principal shook his head indifferently in response to Principal He’s accusations, "What’s dishonorable about this? Naivety is just innocence; if you can be tricked by petty tactics, it just shows that your student’s comprehensive quality isn’t high enough. Matters on the stage should be settled on the stage. When you speak like this, you seem a bit like a sore loser, too childish."

"At the end of the day, it’s not our era anymore. You were first place back then just because two leaders from our First Middle School were infighting. Now the children of First Middle School are more unified, so you never really stood a chance."

"Heh," Principal He let out a cold laugh. Hearing the other side make snide remarks about his past achievements being mere luck infuriated him so much that he could barely resist drawing his sword and dueling this insolent fat man on the spot.

But it wasn’t the right time. Not now.

The other man was no longer just a minor character that he had beaten in the past, who existed as a footnote in his story; he was the principal of First Middle School, a person who held resources beyond his imagination.

And he was no longer that bold young man with a sword in hand, fearlessly facing his enemies...

Principal He suppressed the rage in his heart and patiently watched the stage.

The two battles in the losers’ bracket were internal conflicts of First Middle School, with both sides fighting splendidly. In the first match, the student who attacked first was proficient in Escape Skills, hovering in the air, waiting for an opportunity to use Airborne Sword Momentum to dominate, but when he got close in his attack, he was struck down by a nearly instant ’Lightning Struck Skill’ from the student who had plotted to act later.

The two opponents in the second match were both Skill Cultivators, using the Five Elements Skills to cast and counter spells in rapid succession. The colorful special effects thrilled the audience, and the outcome was extremely tense—the student trapped in the ’Water Prison Skills’ was about to suffocate and lose when the other, believing he had won, attempted a finishing blow, but was caught off guard by a ’Traction Skill’ hidden underground and thrown off the stage, resulting in his defeat.

"It’s all scripted."

But with Principal He’s eye for detail, how could he fail to see the acting beneath the fierce battle? Both fighters appeared to go all out, but the winners, one who had used only a ’Lightning Struck Skill’ and the other who had been restrained by the Water Prison yet preserved most of his strength, didn’t reveal any more of their cards.

And the winner’s bracket was even more obvious: the taller student who took the first move lifted his Red Ruyi Magical Instrument and immediately, several Burning Flame Skills surged forth, knocking down an opponent who had just managed to raise a Spirit Shield off the stage.

After the first three matches ended, it was now Nian Quan’s turn. Principal He turned his head with a trace of concern toward the side corridor where the entrants appeared, escorted by An Jing and Huo Qing.

He had learned yesterday that these friends of Nian Quan had come to visit, but he didn’t intervene as he thought, ’Letting Nian Quan feel better is okay.’ Now it seemed that although Nian Quan’s injuries hadn’t healed, at least his complexion and mood were not bad.

Principal He Yongzhi: [Don’t push yourself if you’re not feeling well but as long as you don’t aggravate your injuries, all is well. Little Nian, you’ve already done very well. When we get back, I’ll settle your reward. Just please don’t be rash.]

Nian Quan: [Typing...]

Nian Quan: [I will win.]