Chapter 464: Three Swords Breaks the Divine Armor
Hum! A sudden stream of air appeared at the tip of the black iron spear—the distortion caused by the spearhead vibrating at high speed.
With a sharp hiss, the razor-sharp spearpoint pierced through that stream of air, carrying unimaginable speed and momentum as it thrust straight at Chen Changsheng on the stone steps.
Truly worthy of his reputation for sinister ruthlessness, the Gravekeeper's spear strike came without any warning, utterly uncanny.
But uncanny did not mean lacking in power. Countless flower petals were swept up from the ground by the force of the air, surging toward the stone steps along with the iron spear. The entrance of the National Academy was covered in pink and white petals, obscuring Chen Changsheng's vision and the eyes of many onlookers.
All anyone knew was that the short spear lay hidden behind that sea of flowers.
The swirling petals were rapidly turning black—a sign of the poison on the spearhead spreading.
In an instant, this so-called sparring challenge turned deadly dangerous, and everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.
A rain of petals danced wildly through the air as the iron spear broke through the void, eerily like a mottled, slender snake slithering out from a flower sea.
Yet no matter how bizarre the trajectory of that short spear, it could not break through Chen Changsheng's sword.
Because it was the Clumsy Sword that even Su Li could not master.
The world's greatest defensive sword, achievable only by those clumsy with the blade.
Clang!
In truth, the sharp, poison-laden spearhead had already clashed with Chen Changsheng's sword countless times.
Back in Xunyang City, even Xiao Zhang's iron spear, renowned for its painted armor, could not surpass this sword—let alone this one.
But the tip of this broken spear was steeped in a terrible poison. Would that poison seep through the sword and into Chen Changsheng's body?
That was exactly what the Gravekeeper thought. In years past, he had defeated many opponents whose cultivation was not inferior to his own because, as the battle dragged on, the cold poison in his spear would ride the wind, drift with his intent, silently corrode the enemy's weapon, and then invade their organs and meridians through the blade or even the air itself, leaving them too weak to fight.
None of that would happen today.
Chen Changsheng's sword, seemingly ordinary but unusually bright, contained unimaginable dragon might and energy. How could it be tainted by mortal poison?
The sword was named Stainless, and for good reason.
The sword was fine, and so was the man—because the man was also stainless.
Chen Changsheng was skilled in medicine. After receiving the intelligence from the Pontifical Council yesterday, he had made the necessary preparations. Even if he hadn't taken the antidote in advance, the cold poison on the iron spear could not harm him in the slightest. A fragment of the Frost Dragon's departed soul had once dwelled within his body, and he had bathed in the true blood of that same Frost Dragon. His physical constitution far surpassed perfect marrow cleansing. In a sense, his physique was now less like that of a mighty human and more like that of a true dragon...
Unless it was a poison on the level of Nanke's Peacock Feathers, what could such so-called venom from the Southern Dark Mountains do to him?
The rain of petals fell. The spear and sword separated, revealing the Gravekeeper's shocked and bewildered eyes.
Chen Changsheng moved with the Yashī Step, turning into a blur as he closed in.
The Gravekeeper let out a furious roar and retreated, while his black short spear crushed countless petals, forming a barrier of pink, white, and black before him.
This was his Star Domain.
After the battle with Zhou Ziheng, the entire continent knew that Chen Changsheng could challenge Star Condensation cultivators across realms. The Gravekeeper dared not be careless, and he had clearly learned from Zhou Ziheng's mistakes in that fight—his retreat was resolute and decisive. More importantly, he deployed his Star Domain early and swiftly, enveloping his entire body before Chen Changsheng could even strike.
Like many others, he still clung to the belief that the iron laws of the cultivation world were absolute. If Chen Changsheng had broken Zhou Ziheng's Star Domain in one blow that day, it was because Zhou Ziheng's heart was unsettled, or because Chen Changsheng's sword was too sharp and his luck too good. He believed his own Star Domain was stronger and more solid than Zhou Ziheng's. Most crucially, he thought that, being prepared, his heart would not waver. So he refused to believe Chen Changsheng could break his Star Domain so easily again.
But how could he—or those who stubbornly clung to those so-called iron laws—understand the lofty, unbound brilliance of a genius like Su Li? How could they know what the Wisdom Sword truly was?
The Wisdom Sword was not a sword technique at all. It was a way of fighting.
When the flower petals at the National Academy's entrance cascaded upward like an inverted waterfall, when that iron spear insidiously pierced through the rain of petals, when Chen Changsheng held his sword before him...
He had already unleashed his Wisdom Sword.
This sword began with the calculations and deductions of the previous night and landed amidst the rain of petals at this moment.
A flash of light appeared at the National Academy's entrance, like lightning.
The Stainless Sword seemed to aim for the sky above the flower rain, but in the end, it only pierced through a single soft petal.
Yet behind that soft, fingernail-sized petal lay the Gravekeeper's eye.
His Star Domain had been so easily breached by Chen Changsheng, who found its flaw.
Chen Changsheng's sword technique was the most ordinary National Academy True Sword, but at this moment, it was the most fitting move.
The short sword broke through the petals and thrust toward the Gravekeeper's eye.
Shock filled his eyes, but deep within, there seemed to be something else.
He let out a sharp cry.
With a soft *pfft*, the Dragon's Roar Sword pierced his chest.
But unlike the battle with Zhou Ziheng, the peerlessly sharp Dragon's Roar Sword failed to penetrate his body—it was blocked by something!
Sensing the resistance at the sword's tip, Chen Changsheng's pupils contracted.
The Gravekeeper wore a soft armor beneath his clothes.
The question was, what soft armor in the world could stop his sword?
His knowledge was still too limited. If it were Tang Thirty-Six, he would have already guessed that the soft armor under the Gravekeeper's clothes was one of the Tianhai family's treasured heirlooms—the Six Imperial Divine Armor!
The Six Imperial Divine Armor was ranked seventy-ninth on the Hundred Artifacts List. Legend had it that it once belonged to the Tianliang Wang family, was later seized by the founding emperor into the palace, and then given to Empress Tianhai by the late emperor to protect her from assassination in the Hundred Herb Garden. When the Empress reached the Saintly Realm and no longer needed any defense, she passed it on to her father, who had not yet returned to the Star Sea. Since then, this Six Imperial Divine Armor had been kept in the Tianhai Mansion. Now, it seemed the Gravekeeper was wearing it.
One had to admit, the Tianhai family had spared no expense this time. No wonder Tang Thirty-Six had pulled out such a thick stack of banknotes earlier without swaying the greedy Gravekeeper.
As expected of an artifact on the Hundred Artifacts List, the Dragon's Roar Sword could not pierce it in one strike. Chen Changsheng's sword technique was forced to halt mid-stroke.
The terror in the Gravekeeper's eyes instantly turned into a savage killing intent.
With a sharp cry, his short spear thrust viciously at Chen Changsheng's throat.
Even more terrifying, his spear momentum surged, and in an extremely short time, he reconstructed his Star Domain, trapping Chen Changsheng inside.
In theory, a Star Condensation cultivator's most important tool was their Star Domain, and they would never allow an opponent inside it. But this situation was special. Yes, he had to admit that the iron laws of the cultivation world had failed before Chen Changsheng's sword. So he would simply use his Star Domain to trap Chen Changsheng and face him head-on!
All those who had challenged the National Academy in recent days had studied Chen Changsheng deeply, especially his first battle with Zhou Ziheng. Everyone could see that his sword intent, inherited from Su Li, was exquisitely refined, his sword techniques vast and boundless like an ocean, and his Yashī Step, though incomplete, made his movements lightning-fast. But Chen Changsheng had one major weakness.
He was not yet sixteen, just a youth. He had only begun cultivating after confirming his life star a year ago. Even if he were the reincarnation of Zhou Dufu, the amount of true essence in his body could not match those who had cultivated for decades or even centuries.
This was still without people knowing that his meridians were also flawed, making his true essence output terribly inefficient.
In short, Chen Changsheng's greatest weakness was his quantity of true essence.
However, the Gravekeeper did not know one thing, nor did he remember certain events.
In Xunyang City, Liang Wangsun had once tried the same tactic against Chen Changsheng. If Chen Changsheng's true essence were truly so weak, how had he withstood Gou Hanshi's storm-like attacks during the Grand Examination, and how had he broken Liang Wangsun's Star Domain in Xunyang City? If even Liang Wangsun's Star Domain could not trap him, who below the Star Condensation realm could?
Many under the awning thought Chen Changsheng might lose this battle and stood up in shock.
But those in the teahouse, and the people in the quiet carriages at both ends of the street, thought otherwise. They knew and would not forget what Chen Changsheng had done in Xunyang City. They were well aware that Chen Changsheng had the ability to break free. This battle was far from over; victory and defeat were still undecided.
Yet what happened next caught even them off guard.
Chen Changsheng did not choose to unleash the Wisdom Sword again, break the Gravekeeper's Star Domain, retreat first, and then plan his next move.
His Stainless Sword remained thrust into the Gravekeeper's chest, and he continued pressing forward.
It seemed he had never considered escaping, cared nothing about the Six Imperial Divine Armor under the Gravekeeper's clothes, and only thought of victory.
A clear shout!
A blazing aura suddenly erupted at the National Academy's entrance. The cold, sinister air the Gravekeeper had brought vanished instantly, like snow meeting scorching sun.
The swirling flower petals actually caught fire, turning into a blinding expanse of light.
The Gravekeeper's face was illuminated a ghastly pale. Standing in the midst of it, he felt it most clearly—that violent, scorching aura... Chen Changsheng's true essence had become overwhelmingly vast!
His supposed lack of true essence... it had all been a facade!
His expression changed drastically, genuine terror flooding him. With a furious roar, he abandoned any thought of striking and desperately retreated.
But Chen Changsheng would not give him that chance. The Stainless Sword in his hand drove straight into the Gravekeeper's chest and pierced through!
The violent sword intent shattered all of the Gravekeeper's fighting spirit. That terrifying force blasted him off the sharp blade.
A thunderous boom echoed at the National Academy's entrance.
The Gravekeeper turned into a black shadow, flying backward dozens of yards.
A barrier formation stood before the awning on the street.
He slammed heavily into it, then slid weakly to the ground, unable to rise.
Faint blue light flickered in the air before the awning, accompanied by the low sound of tearing. Dust rained down from the awning's beams, covering many people's heads and faces.
The Gravekeeper sat slumped on the ground, coughing up blood continuously, his eyes filled with utter shock and terror.
What was going on? How could Chen Changsheng's true essence become so violent and powerful in such a short time?
The people under the awning were equally stunned, forgetting the dust on their clothes as they stared dumbfounded at Chen Changsheng.
His single sword strike had nearly shattered the barrier formation on the street!
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(Only one chapter today.)