Chapter 54: Power Overwhelming
The final punch!
A faint golden light flickered in Shui Wenxin's pupils, and his black hair stirred without wind, strands of true qi weaving between the strands. Even his gaunt frame seemed to have grown taller and more imposing.
If one looked closely, they would notice that the skin on Shui Wenxin's arms was covered in a metallic sheen, as if they had transformed into two iron walls.
"Spirit-grade lower-rank martial technique, Vajra Divine Fist!"
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised, recognizing the martial technique Shui Wenxin was executing.
"Haha! That's right, it's the Vajra Divine Fist!" Shui Wenxin laughed.
Among spirit-grade martial techniques, the Vajra Divine Fist was relatively ordinary, widely circulated, and its manual could be found in many commanderies. Of course, no matter how widespread or ordinary it was, it was still a spirit-grade technique, only preserved in major commandery palaces, sects, and clans.
For an ordinary martial artist, learning the Vajra Divine Fist was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Shui Wenxin had only learned one of the eighteen forms of the Vajra Divine Fist by chance—Blazing Fire Vajra.
Executing this form, Shui Wenxin could unleash a force of seventy-eight oxen, a burst of power that even the current number one on the Yellow Board could not match. In other words, by using the Vajra Divine Fist, Shui Wenxin possessed the strength of the Yellow Board's top rank.
A female Yellow Board martial artist in her thirties said, "Shui Wenxin has actually mastered a form of the Vajra Divine Fist. With this move, even Hei Changji, the Yellow Board's number one, might not be his match."
A Yellow Board martial artist who had previously been defeated by Zhang Ruochen added, "Before learning a spirit-grade technique, Shui Wenxin was not far behind Hei Changji. She could only barely beat him by one move using the spirit-grade lower-rank Unconstant Sword Art. Now that he has cultivated the Vajra Divine Fist, his explosive power is even greater, and defeating Hei Changji is no longer difficult."
"If Shui Wenxin can defeat the Ninth Prince, after this battle, his ranking on the Yellow Board will surely be moved to the top spot."
A slightly younger girl asked, "If the Ninth Prince defeats Shui Wenxin, wouldn't that mean the Ninth Prince becomes the Yellow Board's number one?"
An elder standing beside her laughed, "Shui Wenxin has even brought out a spirit-grade technique, so he must be confident of victory. The Ninth Prince has no chance of winning."
"The Ninth Prince is indeed still a bit behind Shui Wenxin. It seems A Le won't need to step in!" Lin Ningshan's face showed a hint of disappointment.
If A Le stepped in, Zhang Ruochen's defeat would not be so simple.
It would be death.
Lin Ningshan felt an inexplicable hatred toward Zhang Ruochen, especially when she saw him basking in glory. The more he shone, the more she wished he would die right before her eyes. She herself did not understand why she hated Zhang Ruochen so much.
"Blazing Fire Vajra!"
Shui Wenxin gathered his momentum and struck out with both fists simultaneously.
True qi ignited, turning into two flaming iron fists, unleashing a force of seventy-eight oxen. On a battlefield, this single punch from Shui Wenxin, with its sheer momentum, could scare off a hundred soldiers.
Zhang Ruochen not only did not retreat but charged forward, his aura like a wild elephant. The power of his muscles and bones surged, channeling into his arms.
"Wild Elephant Stomps the Ground!"
He struck out with a palm, unleashing a force of eighty-eight oxen.
The result was clear.
The moment Shui Wenxin's fists touched Zhang Ruochen's palm, his entire body flew backward, landing unsteadily more than ten meters away, barely avoiding falling off the platform.
In contrast, Zhang Ruochen stood calmly at the center of the platform, slowly withdrawing his hand.
It was a complete power overwhelming.
Shui Wenxin looked at his own fists, then at Zhang Ruochen, and let out a long sigh. "The younger generation is formidable! Truly formidable! From now on, the Ninth Prince is the Yellow Board's number one. With the Ninth Prince's talent, he will soon break through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm, so he likely won't care much about being the Yellow Board's top rank. Sigh!"
With another sigh, Shui Wenxin looked somewhat dejected and walked off the platform, conceding defeat.
Only he knew how vast the gap between him and Zhang Ruochen was. If Zhang Ruochen had not pulled back some of his power at the last moment, that palm strike would have severely injured him.
Zhang Ruochen's strength was greater than everyone imagined.
As Shui Wenxin said, Zhang Ruochen had little interest in being the Yellow Board's number one; he was mainly after the reward of one million silver coins. After all, the Yellow Board only recorded martial artists from the Yunwu Commandery, a narrow scope with low value. If it were the Mysterious Board's number one, the value would be much higher, and almost all martial artists would fight desperately for that ranking.
Of course, it could only be said that Zhang Ruochen's standards were too high. If another young martial artist won the Yellow Board's top spot, they would immediately become a celebrity across the entire commandery, the object of admiration for countless young girls.
Amid the clamorous discussions of the onlookers, the fifteen-year-old life-taking swordsman, A Le, finally stepped onto the platform, becoming Zhang Ruochen's ninth opponent.
The watching martial artists grew even more expectant.
After all, in his previous ten matches, A Le had killed every opponent with a single sword strike. No one knew how strong he truly was.
Zhang Ruochen, too, had never lost, having even defeated Shui Wenxin.
Both were sharp-edged young martial artists. Who would be stronger?
"This is getting interesting! Both are young swordsmanship masters, equally unfathomable. Who will win?"
"It's really hard to say. That life-taking swordsman has only used one move from start to finish. Maybe he's even stronger than Shui Wenxin?"
Around the gambling platform, many people were placing bets.
Zhang Ruochen wins: bet one, pay three.
Zhang Ruochen dies: bet one, pay two.
A Le wins: bet one, pay two.
A Le dies: bet ten, pay one.
Draw: bet one, pay four.
Some bet on Zhang Ruochen winning, some on A Le, and a few on a draw.
The Ninth Princess had full confidence in Zhang Ruochen and directly bet ten thousand silver coins on him winning, nearly emptying her savings.
On the platform.
The two young swordsmen stood ten steps apart, staring at each other.
A Le held his iron sword, his eyes unblinking, like a statue. "You are indeed strong."
Zhang Ruochen said, "For your age, reaching such a height is impressive. But your swordsmanship has a fatal flaw. If you fight me, you have no chance of winning, and you might even die by my sword. I advise you to concede."
A Le's swordsmanship was indeed terrifying, forcing even Zhang Ruochen to go all out. Once he did, he could not hold back.
It would be either A Le's death or his own.
A Le glanced briefly toward Lin Ningshan, a strange light flickering in his eyes. He looked back at Zhang Ruochen, his gaze growing more resolute. "Only through battle will we know who lives and who dies."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head gently. "You cultivate the forbidden technique, Life-Taking Sword Art. It not only kills others but also kills yourself. You can kill a Yellow Board martial artist with one strike, but every swing of your sword deals massive damage to your martial body."
Forbidden techniques referred to martial skills that required a price to execute.
For example, the Life-Taking Sword Art. Every swing consumed the user's life force.
If A Le used the Life-Taking Sword Art ten times in a row, he would exhaust himself to death without anyone else needing to act.
Of course, A Le's swordsmanship was indeed far beyond his peers. As long as he wasn't facing a Yellow Board martial artist, he didn't need to use the Life-Taking Sword Art to kill his opponent with a single strike.
Being called a forbidden technique, its power was naturally terrifying, and not just anyone could cultivate it successfully.
A Le said calmly, "Since you know I cultivate the Life-Taking Sword Art, you should understand its power. At the same realm, no one can withstand a single strike from me. Not long ago, I killed a Mysterious Extreme Realm mid-stage martial artist with one sword."
Zhang Ruochen smiled lightly. "I told you, you have no chance of winning against me. Because the Life-Taking Sword Art you cultivate is incomplete, with a fatal flaw. You only obtained a fragment of the manual, didn't you?"
A Le remained composed, unfazed. "Are you trying to break my will with this?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head again and said no more. "Since you still refuse to concede, let me see how strong your Life-Taking Sword Art really is."
In truth, Zhang Ruochen did not dislike A Le. He rather admired his swordsmanship, seeing the potential of a great swordsman rising. In both his past and present lives, Zhang Ruochen had never killed anyone, and he dearly hoped that the first person to die by his hand would not be a youth like this. That was why he had offered more advice.
Facing A Le, Zhang Ruochen drew his Flash Soul Sword.
Two streams of sword qi erupted from Zhang Ruochen and A Le simultaneously, clashing in the air.
Watching Zhang Ruochen and A Le face off on the platform, Lin Ningshan felt a surge of excitement.
If A Le killed Zhang Ruochen, that would be best. If Zhang Ruochen killed A Le, she would also feel an indescribable thrill.
A genius swordsman dying for her at the hands of another genius swordsman—shouldn't she be excited?
This feeling was too wonderful!
"Life-Taking!"
A Le murmured softly, turning into a blur as he charged forward without hesitation. At the same time, he raised his arm, thrusting his iron sword out at lightning speed.
Zhang Ruochen also moved, turning into a blur as he met the charge.