Chapter 682: A Great Challenge
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was fixed on the upper left part of the stone wall, where a character “Heaven” was located.
As his own sword intent overlapped with the sword intent of the character, the text on the stone wall gradually spun and flew out, transforming into a translucent guardian.
The guardian of the first gate on the third mountain was clearly many times more powerful than those on the first two mountains, formed from the condensed sword intent of a Sword Saint.
As soon as the guardian flew out and stood casually across from him, it exerted immense pressure on Zhang Ruochen.
“Defeat me, and you may pass this gate.”
The guardian clasped his hands together, and a dazzling light radiated from the point where his palms met.
A three-foot-long sword flew out from the light.
“Shua!”
Zhang Ruochen immediately drew the Gushui Sword, channeling all his sword intent and inner true qi into the blade.
Instantly, within a radius of thirty zhang, hundreds of sword-shaped sword qi appeared, swirling around him like a vortex.
The guardian had cultivated Sword One to the ninth level, on par with Zhang Ruochen.
However, since the guardian was formed from the sword intent of a Sword Saint, his abilities in certain aspects far surpassed Zhang Ruochen’s.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen dared not act rashly. Instead, he focused entirely on his opponent, preparing to adapt to all changes with stillness.
The burly man stood with his arms crossed, looking composed and at ease, watching Zhang Ruochen from a distance. “I hope you don’t disappoint me.”
“Shua!”
The guardian struck first, thrusting his long sword forward.
Both man and sword transformed into a streak of white light, like a meteor piercing the sky, reaching Zhang Ruochen in an instant.
Such speed.
This was Zhang Ruochen’s first encounter with such a formidable sword cultivator, and he lacked experience. Consequently, he was caught off guard, unable to devise any move to counter the attack.
Thus, he could only block with his sword, pushing all his saintly qi forward.
The blade of the Gushui Sword clashed with the guardian’s thrust, bending slightly before releasing a rebounding force that sent Zhang Ruochen flying backward.
Zhang Ruochen flew hundreds of meters away, landing at the edge of the cliff, on the verge of falling off the Ancient God Mountain.
Suddenly, he mobilized the power of the Five Elements. The spiritual qi of earth, water, and wood converged toward him endlessly, forming a three-colored cloud of spiritual energy.
Stepping on the cloud, Zhang Ruochen charged back and landed at the foot of the third mountain.
“What a formidable guardian. Just one strike carries such immense power.” Zhang Ruochen held his breath, silently reminding himself to be more cautious.
In direct combat with the guardian, Zhang Ruochen truly realized his lack of battle experience, especially against top-tier sword cultivators.
Qi Feiyu had only cultivated Sword One to the eighth level, yet she could fight the guardian for over two thousand moves, losing only when her saintly qi ran out.
He had already reached the ninth level of Sword One, surpassing Qi Feiyu, yet under the guardian’s attack, he was caught off guard and nearly failed to withstand a single move.
Ultimately, it was due to his lack of experience.
In truth, Qi Feiyu might not have been more skilled than Zhang Ruochen; the key was that she had fought the guardian before and knew many counter-strategies.
When the burly man saw the guardian repel Zhang Ruochen with a single move, disappointment flickered in his eyes, and he shook his head slightly.
He had thought the sect had produced a true sword prodigy and was eager to meet him, only to find his swordsmanship so lacking.
Could it be that Lin Yue had merely gained a fortuitous encounter, becoming powerful in a short time?
A fortuitous encounter could indeed boost a cultivator’s strength rapidly, but relying solely on luck would never make one a top-tier expert.
Zhang Ruochen was not discouraged. Although the guardian’s attack had caught him off guard, he now had a better understanding of the guardian’s strength and knew how to respond.
“Hua!”
Zhang Ruochen controlled his Martial Soul and released it.
The Martial Soul’s aura was extremely powerful, manifesting as a three-zhang-tall shadow behind him. Under its command, the surrounding spiritual qi surged like a tide, converging toward Zhang Ruochen.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen’s momentum soared, and his entire spirit and energy greatly improved.
Having refined half-saint light and absorbed the saintly dragon qi from the Dragon Pearl, Zhang Ruochen’s Martial Soul was naturally formidable.
The burly man, who had been about to leave in disappointment, paused when he saw Zhang Ruochen’s Martial Soul, a glimmer of interest appearing in his eyes.
“At the Fish-Dragon Realm, few have a stronger Martial Soul than his,” the burly man thought. He could clearly sense that Zhang Ruochen’s sword intent had also increased.
Could it be that he hadn’t been using his full strength earlier?
If so, the upcoming battle was worth anticipating.
The guardian held his sword with one hand, drawing a three-zhang-diameter circle of sword qi in the air. Eighty-one powerful sword qi spun rapidly within the circle, producing sounds of wind and thunder.
As the guardian swung it out, the circle of sword qi created a massive storm, enveloping Zhang Ruochen.
“Bang!”
Zhang Ruochen slammed the Gushui Sword into the ground, causing a violent tremor that split open a long chasm extending toward the guardian.
“Sword Control.”
The Gushui Sword shot through the chasm, rising from the ground with a chilling coldness. Even though the guardian retreated swiftly, half of his body was frozen by the sword’s cold qi.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Ruochen charged forward, pointing his finger to release a sword wave that struck the center of the sword qi circle.
Without the guardian’s control, the power of the sword qi circle had diminished, and it shattered upon being hit by the sword wave.
Breaking through the sword qi circle, Zhang Ruochen rushed forward, attacking the guardian rapidly.
“Bang! Bang!”
The two clashed quickly, exchanging sword techniques evenly.
After a hundred and thirty-eight moves, the guardian ultimately proved superior, piercing through Zhang Ruochen’s protective saintly aura with a single strike. The sword tip grazed the skin over his heart, leaving a blood spot.
In truth, even if the guardian had pressed further, he couldn’t have harmed Zhang Ruochen.
The Dragon Pearl in Zhang Ruochen’s heart would have repelled the guardian’s sword.
Unaware of this, the guardian believed he could have pierced Zhang Ruochen’s heart.
The guardian withdrew his sword and said expressionlessly, “First attempt failed. You have another chance in one hour.”
With that, he retreated swiftly, leaping back into the stone wall and reverting to a character.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the blood spot on his chest and smiled helplessly. Although he could have defended against the strike, he couldn’t deny that he had lost to the guardian.
For the first gate of the first mountain, there was only one attempt per month on the first day.
For the first gate of the third mountain, there were three attempts per month on the first day.
Having sustained no serious injuries and only consumed some true qi, Zhang Ruochen wasn’t in a hurry. He swallowed a mouthful of Wood Spirit Red Chan, sat cross-legged, and began recovering his true qi.
Of course, he also split off a strand of spiritual power to keep an eye on the burly man.
After all, he had offended many in the Liangyi Sect. Qi Feiyu and Xu Changsheng might hire experts to deal with him, so caution was wise.
“Quite cautious.”
The burly man smiled slightly, raising his hand to repel Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power, pushing it back three zhang, unable to approach his body.
After an hour, Zhang Ruochen not only restored his true qi to its peak but also used the time to digest the previous battle.
In his Qi Sea, he used the Sword Intent Heart to break down each of the guardian’s moves, carefully studying their intricacies and seeking weaknesses.
Though only an hour had passed, Zhang Ruochen’s understanding of the sword path had improved significantly.
“Let’s try again.”
Zhang Ruochen stood up, a sharp glint in his eyes, and strode toward the stone wall.
This time, he focused again on the character “Heaven,” and the guardian flew out from the wall once more.
Without a word, the two clashed.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t initiate attacks but merely countered the guardian’s moves, observing his techniques.
Soon, a hundred moves passed, and Zhang Ruochen remained composed, showing no signs of collapse.
Then came two hundred, three hundred, four hundred moves…
When Zhang Ruochen and the guardian had exchanged over a thousand moves, the burly man finally showed some emotion, nodding in approval. “Remarkable progress in just an hour. This kid’s comprehension is astonishing. It seems the second gate of the third mountain won’t stop him.”
After two thousand moves, neither Zhang Ruochen nor the guardian had gained the upper hand.
Yet Zhang Ruochen voluntarily conceded.
He took another dose of Wood Spirit Red Chan and resumed recovering his true qi.
Spending another hour, Zhang Ruochen restored his true qi to its peak.
He glanced toward the mountain peak, locking onto the Sword Pavilion, and took a deep breath, muttering, “This time, it should be enough, right?”
Even the burly man was looking forward to it.
He wanted to know how much Lin Yue’s strength had improved after this training.
Could he defeat the guardian?