Chapter 149: Bathed in Blood, Draw the Sword, Soar on Clouds, Pluck the Beard
A gentle breeze landed on the cliff rock and naturally dissipated.
That was the feeling of the Broken Army Fist landing on Chen Changsheng's shoulder.
But of course, it couldn't truly be a gentle breeze, so his academy uniform shattered, and his body, already a blur, was forced to pause for a single instant.
Just an instant.
His left foot stomped onto the ground. His brand-new boots shattered into strips without any surprise, and cracks appeared once again on the hard earth.
Almost simultaneously, several blows of the Broken Army Fist landed on him in rapid succession, impossible to distinguish which came first. His academy uniform was severely damaged, fluttering in the air. Several clear fist imprints appeared on the surface of his body, but they failed to penetrate deeply.
From this moment's perspective, it didn't look like the Broken Army Fist was striking him at all. Instead, it seemed as if he was using his body to actively collide with those fierce fist intents.
The howling rose again. Chen Changsheng once more transformed into a blur, accompanied by the terrifying sound of bone-jarring impacts. He forcibly broke through the storm of dozens of Broken Army Fist strikes and vanished without a trace.
Only a single shattered boot remained on the cracked ground, like a flower blooming from stone. The tattered remnants of his academy uniform drifted slowly down, like willow catkins falling from the sky.
The Zhaowen Hall could no longer maintain its silence. The scraping sound of chairs moving arose.
Moyu stood up, staring at the image on the light mirror. Her beautiful eyes were filled with shock.
The dean of the Star Gathering Academy was speechless with astonishment. The bishop of the Ancestral Temple beside him lost control of his emotions and cried out in surprise.
Xu Shiji's expression remained as indifferent as stone, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
The two bishops who had just arrived at the Zhaowen Hall showed slight changes in expression.
Xue Xingchuan leaned forward again, staring at the light mirror, his expression becoming unusually grave.
"Even the most perfect marrow cleansing couldn't bring a cultivator's body to this level of toughness. Not even the demon race could achieve this."
Why was Chen Changsheng's defensive ability so terrifying? Even if he had encountered incredible fortune, even if he had refined and consumed every rare herb in the Hundred Herb Garden into pills, he still couldn't have achieved this.
The people in the Zhaowen Hall were all well-traveled and knowledgeable. The two bishops, like Melisarius, were among the six great leaders of the state religion. Yet none of them had ever seen anything like this.
Chen Changsheng's body was unimaginably strong, utterly incomprehensible.
So they were shocked.
Yes, Chen Changsheng's defense was certainly not perfect. It likely couldn't withstand the attacks of magical artifacts or sharp weapons. But this basic capability was simply baffling.
Xue Xingchuan thought more deeply, so his expression grew even more solemn.
Because he recalled a name that hadn't been heard in a long time.
Zhou Dufu.
For a thousand years, he was recognized as the strongest on the continent.
Whether it was the demon lord who once swore to conquer the entire continent, or His Majesty the Taizong Emperor, as dazzling as the sun, neither could compare to this man in personal martial prowess.
Even looking back to the descent of the Heavenly Book, Zhou Dufu could at least rank in the top three.
Many years ago, when Zhou Dufu was still a youth, he was far from being invincible. But even then, he was very famous on the continent because he possessed a defensive ability even stronger than perfect marrow cleansing.
Everyone knew that was because, as an infant, due to a great opportunity, he had bathed in dragon's blood.
But the continent had been at peace for many years. The dragon race had vanished. For centuries, not even a dragon had been seen. Where could Chen Changsheng possibly obtain dragon's essence blood?
Xue Xingchuan didn't continue this line of thought, because that speculation was even more incredible than the physical toughness Chen Changsheng had displayed. Also, the image on the light mirror once again captured all his attention. Watching Chen Changsheng charge straight at Huo Guang like a blur, he understood why Chen Changsheng hadn't moved at the very beginning.
No matter how strong the defense, it couldn't withstand the endless bombardment of the Broken Army Fist. Even if he could endure it, he would definitely be injured, possibly severely. In that case, even if he defeated Huo Guang, he wouldn't be able to continue winning in the inevitably more difficult battles to come.
So Chen Changsheng waited. He waited for his opponent to build up the momentum of the Broken Army Fist, waited for that storm to shrink from covering the entire floor of the Dust Washing Pavilion to just a few feet around him. Once the momentum was built, the Broken Army Fist would naturally be more powerful. But he only needed to break through one layer to break through everything. He wanted to use the number of Broken Army Fist strikes he endured per unit of time to buy time, thereby taking fewer punches in the overall fight.
Xue Xingchuan's expression changed again. He thought, what a confident battle tactic this was.
Chen Changsheng was the focal point of the Grand Examination. Many important figures, including the two Holy See masters, had paid close attention to him. Many people, like Moyu, thought they had grasped all his methods or trump cards. But in truth, no one knew what he truly possessed. Not even the bishops, not even Luoluo.
The Huaiyuan scholar Huo Guang's Broken Army Fist was indeed terrifying, and his timing was perfect.
If it were based on people's impressions, even with the greatest expectations of his strength, facing such a powerful and well-prepared opponent, he would surely be defeated. But no one expected that his current strength and the fortunes he had encountered were even more exaggerated than the most fantastic imagination.
Even he himself, at this moment, still didn't fully understand what he had experienced. He didn't know he had bathed in dragon's blood. He could only guess a little from the changes in his body. But he knew he was strong.
Now, he had at least four ways to break through the storm-like Broken Army Fist.
He chose the method that seemed the most direct, and also the most foolish.
Because no one would think of this method.
Just like in the battle between Tang Thirty-Six and Liang Banhu, he never imagined that Gou Hanshi would make Liang Banhu fight so stupidly. Tang Thirty-Six never imagined that Liang Banhu would actually fight so foolishly.
He could use the Yashiki Step to evade his opponent's Broken Army Fist. Yes, even if the Broken Army Fist had built momentum, he could still evade it. Because the Yashiki Step he had mastered wasn't complete, but it wasn't the same as the Yashiki Step Luoluo had used at the Ivy Banquet in people's memories. It was more unpredictable and profound than imagined.
But he didn't use it.
He could also draw the short sword at his waist and use the first form of the Zhongshan Rain Sword, "Rising from the Yellow Turmoil," to directly engage the overwhelming fist intent in battle.
But he didn't do that either.
Because this was only the second round of the Grand Examination battle. He hadn't yet encountered those truly powerful enemies. He couldn't reveal his strongest methods and trump cards.
That Huaiyuan scholar named Huo Guang wasn't qualified enough to make him use those methods.
In the blink of an eye, the Broken Army Fist was broken, and the situation reversed.
Chen Changsheng, like a blur, instantly flashed before Huo Guang.
Huo Guang was shocked, but his cultivation level was far above that Yellow Mountain Valley disciple. Moreover, Huaiyuan disciples placed the greatest emphasis on maintaining a calm and steady mind. Faced with this sudden change, he showed no panic and threw a punch.
He didn't draw his sword, because Chen Changsheng was too fast. This punch was a continuation of his previous Broken Army Fist strikes, the most natural and fluid connection, so it was the fastest.
His punch wasn't aimed at Chen Changsheng, but at the ground. Moreover, the fist intent was extremely ethereal.
With a soft hum, the yellow sand before his feet swirled up, and the fist intent lingered subtly within it.
Using the rebound of the fist intent, he rapidly retreated backward. His ochre scholar's robe even trailed several afterimages, showing how fast and resolutely he retreated.
While retreating, his right hand reached behind his shoulder, preparing to draw his sword.
He had been carrying a sword on his back all along.
That sword was very large, with an odd shape. The middle was actually curved.
This sword was called Righteous Intent, one of the seven Disciples' Rule Swords of Huaiyuan. It was extremely sharp and contained hidden mysteries. Although it couldn't rank on the Divine Weapons List, it was still an extraordinary object.
He firmly believed that once he held the sword in his hand, no matter how terrifying Chen Changsheng's defensive ability was, he couldn't possibly be his opponent.
He felt a slight regret. If, upon entering the Dust Washing Pavilion, he had immediately drawn the Righteous Intent Sword and ignored that priest's advice, how could he have ended up retreating so disgracefully like this?
Before the Righteous Intent Sword, all demons and ghosts would flee. With just one move, he could defeat Chen Changsheng.
As he thought these things, his right hand had already grasped the sword hilt. It would only take an extremely short time to draw the sword from its sheath.
The action of drawing the sword was simple. He had practiced it countless times. The time required was so short that it could almost be considered nonexistent.
But time, after all, is an eternal existence that cannot be destroyed.
No matter how short, it still takes a moment.
Huo Guang's pupils suddenly contracted.
Chen Changsheng didn't give him that moment.
Outside the Dust Washing Pavilion, Huo Guang had received information from the Li Palace priest, knowing that Chen Changsheng had displayed astonishing speed in the first match. He was mentally prepared for this and had fully considered it when designing the battle. But he never expected that Chen Changsheng's so-called astonishing speed was... this astonishing.
Chen Changsheng was too fast. By the time his hand landed on the sword hilt, Chen Changsheng was already before him.
The Righteous Intent Sword was half a foot out of its sheath, and Chen Changsheng's fist was only half a foot from his chest.
Huo Guang knew it was too late. His face turned slightly pale. His true essence erupted violently, turning into a fierce roar that burst from his lips.
At the same time, his right foot lightly stepped down.
Yes, not a heavy stomp, but a light step.
Even in such a tense moment, his step was still gentle, as if stepping on a cloud.
Earlier, his fist had struck the ground with ethereal intent, and the yellow sand before him had risen, looking like a cloud.
His right foot lightly stepped onto this cloud formed of yellow sand.
Very gentle, very graceful, very magical.
He seemed to transform into drifting clouds, floating upward.
"Excellent! Soaring on Clouds!"
Exclamations of praise arose in the Zhaowen Hall.
Whether it was the bishop of the Ancestral Temple or someone else, they had begun to cheer for the southern Huaiyuan student. One could imagine how much pressure Chen Changsheng's participation in the Grand Examination and his declaration had brought upon these people. As for the three southern sect teacher representatives sitting in the guest seats, their expressions were even more satisfied. They stroked their beards in silence.
Huo Guang's performance was indeed worthy of praise. A young cultivator who hadn't yet reached the Tongyou realm could execute the Huaiyuan movement technique, Soaring on Clouds, so perfectly. In such a tense moment, he still displayed an air of calm and lightness. It had to be said that Huaiyuan's training of its disciples was truly remarkable.
More importantly, this Soaring on Clouds movement technique could bring a major turning point to this battle.
Chen Changsheng was fast, so he couldn't stop. His fist was strong, so it couldn't bend.
For something moving in a straight line to suddenly change direction, the faster the speed, the greater the force required, or an extremely advanced technique for controlling true essence.
Such techniques were very rare. Looking across all the sects and academies of the continent, there were only three or four.
In the capital, no academy had such a technique. The White Emperor City lineage also had no such move.
Even if Chen Changsheng wanted to learn it, he wouldn't know where to go.
So his fist could only miss.
And Huo Guang had already soared on the clouds.
The two would be in a high-low position. Huo Guang would hold the Righteous Intent Sword in his hand.
The outcome of this battle might change from this point.
But the next moment, the hands of those three southern sect teacher representatives suddenly stiffened.
One of the elders even plucked out several strands of his white beard.
In the Zhaowen Hall, cries of shock erupted.