Chapter 768 The Best Strategies Are Without Techniques

Ning Zhuo clutched his abdomen and slowly sat cross-legged on the ground.

The wound on my abdomen was still slowly bleeding, and the pain came from time to time.

Ning Zhuo took a few breaths, his breathing gradually becoming lighter.

The bronze shield lay motionless on the ground. He looked at it, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

He originally wanted to continue with real combat. Under the pressure of the bronze shield, he could learn something every second and feel his own progress.

Unfortunately, his abdominal injury prevented him from fighting for long.

Ning Zhuo manipulated the bronze shield with his divine sense, instantly deforming the edges of the shield into dense, huge serrations.

Ning Zhuo looked at the cold light on the serrated edge and thought, "This shield actually has this kind of attack posture, it's really insidious. I wonder who its original owner was."

Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged without moving, his breathing gradually becoming long and deep.

He was trapped in the magic array, unable to use magic to heal himself or take any pills, and could only let his body recover on its own.

His wound has stopped bleeding and he is experiencing intermittent tingling sensations.

Ning Zhuo knew that his own flesh and blood were growing and his wounds were healing rapidly.

But this time, the wound healed much slower than before.

Ning Zhuo keenly noticed this, a look of solemnity flashing in his eyes. He knew in his heart: "The physical body has its limits. I have been injured many times, and this time it is a serious injury. My physical body needs a long period of rest and recuperation to recover to its peak condition."

"But I still have many battles to fight!"

Ning Zhuo patiently waited for his injuries to heal before standing up.

With a thought, the bronze shield flew into his hand.

Ning Zhuo held a shield and practiced on the spot, making many cultivators secretly anxious.

"Is he really not in a hurry at all?"

"He's already fallen far behind. If this continues, he'll probably be eliminated."

Some people had dark thoughts: "Since Ning Zhuo looks down on our Xingyun trial so much, let him lose! Let's teach this genius a profound lesson."

Some cultivators, seeing Ning Zhuo's outstanding performance, couldn't help but feel jealous.

Why are you so outstanding, with such exceptional comprehension, and able to make such progress in such a short time? And what about me? All my hard work, training, and accumulation of knowledge, all the time and effort I've spent—what does it all amount to?

Compared to Ning Zhuo, many people seem quite incompetent.

But Ning Zhuo's subsequent actions dashed the hopes of those who secretly wished for his defeat.

To their surprise, Ning Zhuo only practiced a few times before continuing on his way.

Ning Zhuo thought to himself, "There isn't much time left."

He was cautious by nature and acted prudently; how could he possibly disregard the situation? Before coming here, he had naturally gathered relevant intelligence. In addition to the content of the Xingyun Trial itself, he also gathered information on many participants from previous trials.

Ning Zhuo knew very well how long it would take for the number of cultivators who had obtained the fifth Xuanbing Armor to reach the target under normal circumstances.

Once the standard is met, the cultivator will proceed to the third stage. Other cultivators will be automatically eliminated.

"I need to speed things up."

"After all, the difficulty must be taken into account. The later the Xuanbing Armor is, the more powerful it becomes."

“The Xuanbing Armor that cultivators can encounter will be different. I need to leave room for error later.”

Ning Zhuo quickly reviewed the sequence: the initial bronze sword techniques were just basic sword moves. The subsequent saber techniques went beyond basic saber moves, incorporating combos. With the bronze gauntlets, tactical thinking began to emerge, allowing them to be adjusted according to Ning Zhuo's tactics, as if someone were truly controlling them.

In the bronze shield, the martial arts prowess of this Xuanbing armor has taken another step forward—it can make full use of the terrain.

"Bronze swords and sabers represent the martial arts apprentice realm. Cultivators diligently practice, striving for the completeness of their moves, the coordination of their strength, and the combination of their techniques. Reaching the pinnacle of this realm is called 'entering the microscopic,' which means being able to execute standards to an extremely precise degree."

"Bronze gauntlets and shields represent the level of a martial artist. A cultivator's attention expands from themselves to the outside world. They think about how to be more effective against enemies, and therefore they will design feints and even traps."

As Ning Zhuo thought about this, the scene from the battle just now flashed through his mind. The bronze shield could have been quickly pulled out of itself, but it pretended to be stuck in the brick wall, luring Ning Zhuo into a frenzied attack, patiently waiting for Ning Zhuo to make a mistake.

"The level of a martial arts master is that the moves will become more practical and 'free' from the initial standard and rigid ones, but will still be full of craftsmanship and easy to figure out and predict."

"I have grasped the essence of illusion and reality, and I can 'predict' my opponent's next move by sensing changes in force, all because the bronze boxing gloves are too heavily crafted."

"But next, with the fifth Xuanbing Armor, one reaches the realm of a master craftsman, beyond the level of a craftsman! The moves become even more free, based on the current situation. They may seem casual, like a child's scribbles, but because they are so specifically tailored to the battle, they are exceptionally sharp and powerful. It is to forget the form once you have grasped it, to win without using any moves!"

The Ninefold Mystic Armor Rising Cloud Trial has been held many times and can be considered a classic trial. The difficulty of the Mystic Armor encountered by cultivators in the second stage increases gradually, and there is a reason for each.

"I was already seriously injured when I dealt with the bronze shield."

"For the fifth piece of Xuanbing Armor, we must go all out and finish the battle quickly. The slightest carelessness could lead to defeat!"

By the time Ning Zhuo reached the Bronze Shield area, he no longer had a suitable environment for sparring.

Fortunately, he had made good use of the previous opportunities for practical training. If he had prioritized speed and saving time, given his weaker strength, he would likely have already lost against the Bronze Shield.

"How much do I weigh?"

"I'm somewhat confident when it comes to the Five Elements magic. But I'm really not good at martial arts and close combat."

"Actually, my mastery of the Five Elements magic is only based on the work of predecessors and sages, and cannot be considered my own true skill."

"Only by constantly learning and making every effort can we possibly overcome some disadvantages."

"Of course, even if I can't stop Banji this time, I've learned a lot and improved my strength considerably. It won't have been a wasted trip!"

From this perspective, Ning Zhuo could already see the many benefits of his previous practical training from the bronze shield.

"At the same time, the experience I gained using the Soul Searching Technique also revealed its limitations."

Shields are weapons that very few cultivators actually use!

None of the demonic cultivators who used Ning Zhuo's Soul Search technique had ever seriously used it, let alone studied it.

Without this foundation, Ning Zhuo found it difficult to use the shield and was unable to make the rapid progress he had made before.

This is one of the reasons why he only practiced a few times before stopping and continuing to try his luck.

This reminded Ning Zhuo of a certain cultivator, and he felt a deep sense of envy.

This cultivator is none other than Lord Wangchuan!

"The River of Oblivion, this long river, has existed since the formation of the underworld. The accumulation of countless years has made the river water contain countless memories."

"If the Lord of the River of Oblivion were to master the art of selflessness and then enter the River of Oblivion, he could grasp at it with ease. What a terrifying qualitative change that would be!"

"It's a pity that I ruined it, but it's also fortunate that I ruined it."

"A tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind. Lord Wangchuan, you are too outstanding, even the heavens cannot tolerate you."

Others envy and are jealous of Ning Zhuo's excellence, and Ning Zhuo also envies those who are even more outstanding.

What he didn't know was that the Lord of the River of Oblivion was also "thinking of" him.

The Palace of the King of Wangchuan.

The Lord of the River of Oblivion sat upright on his throne, maintaining the state's martial arts. His eyes were filled with drifting clouds and mist, as if he were looking down upon the entire underworld from beyond the nine heavens.

Along the borders of the River of Oblivion, hundreds of beacon towers were burning, their phosphorescent flames emitting the shrill cries of vengeful spirits, like ghastly green pillars piercing the dark sky.

Five armies from the Ghost Fire Underworld, like five bone-corroding daggers, are tearing through lines of defense and piercing into the heart of the River of Oblivion.

The eastern route is a poisonous flow of decaying bones.

Strictly speaking, this is not the direct force of the Ghost Fire Underworld, but a rebel army formed by winning over separatist forces within the Forgotten River Underworld.

The commander is Yin Viper, also known as the Drowning Soul Poison Commander. The main force consists of 100,000 drowned ghosts, with webbed feet and bodies entwined with aquatic plants, skilled in naval warfare. There are also 30,000 poisonous miasma leeches, with wingspans of over ten feet, capable of spewing poisonous mist.

They set out from the stagnant mire, crossed the shattered ice lake, and headed straight for the hub downstream of the River of Oblivion—the Immortal City of the Underworld.

The western route is a frenzy of skeletons.

Led by Zhao Haishan, a general from the Ghostfire Underworld. The main force consisted of 150,000 skeleton soldiers and thousands of bone-crushing war chariots.

This army has broken through the defenses of Buried Bone Hills and is advancing rapidly along the Bloodstained Ancient Road, with its target being Sharp Edge Immortal City.

The southern route is led by Yan Yan, a ghost cultivator who is as famous as Zhao Haishan and is one of the generals of the Ghostfire Underworld.

Its army consisted of 80,000 Burning Ghosts, nearly 10,000 Soul-Melting Ghost Riders, and hundreds of Crimson Roar Cannons.

After lying in wait for many days in the Boiling Water Rift Valley of the Ghost Fire Underworld, they suddenly set out and launched a rapid attack, capturing three immortal cities in succession. They are currently the most formidable enemy force.

The northern route was occupied by guest troops from the Ghostfire Underworld, who took in a female marquis from the Frost Silence Underworld.

The female marquis Gongsun Hansha brought with her 50,000 frozen ghosts, 40,000 snow-vengeful ghost soldiers, and 500 ice bone tombstones.

They traveled in a roundabout way, failing to conquer any villages, towns, or immortal cities along the way, and their current whereabouts are unknown.

In the middle was Wanli Yantu's massive army.

Thirteen thousand terracotta warriors, three thousand giant ghost spirits, one thousand soul-splitting battering rams, and five hundred soul-cursing cultivators.

They launched a frontal assault, which took many days to conquer the Ghost Gate Immortal City and capture this important military stronghold on the border of the Forgotten River Underworld. They have been recuperating and have not made any further moves.

In the eyes of the Lord of Wangchuan, there were not only these five armies, but also the enemy's national martial arts covering the armies.

Under the influence of the enemy's martial arts, and with five armies as a bridge, they are severely shaking the morale of the people and the army throughout the Wangchuan Underworld!

Lord Wangchuan slowly closed his eyes, his hands forming complex and ancient hand seals. He chanted, each syllable eliciting a furious roar from the realm of cultivation in the darkness: "Alas! The foreign invaders are ferocious, tearing apart our land! Our souls grieve together, our blood burns in the fire! Now I hold the royal seal, acting on behalf of Heaven! The national policy is clear—we are united against the common enemy!"

In an instant, the nation's power surged forth, bursting forth into the seal before them.

The seal suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly intense light.

The light pierced through the top of the Senluo Palace, transforming into a dark blue pillar that pierced through the heavens and earth, soaring straight to the top of the Nine Netherworlds!

Within the territory of the Wangchuan Underworld, the wavering morale of the army and the people was quickly stabilized.

The light faded, the seal was full of cracks, and then crumbled into dust.

Lord Wangchuan narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth inwardly.

His royal seal was missing, so he could only use a fake seal to barely activate the national martial arts and confront the Ghostfire Lord from afar.

But a counterfeit seal is still a counterfeit seal. It will be completely damaged and disintegrated after being used once, consuming a huge amount of stored resources.

"We must retrieve the main seal!"

"Otherwise, how could we withstand Lord Ghostfire's repeated attacks on martial arts?"

"Ning Zhuo!"

"You have ruined my path and taken my royal seal. You deserve to die a thousand deaths, but even a thousand deaths cannot quell my hatred!"

It wasn't just Lord Wangchuan who was thinking about Ning Zhuo; there were other people who missed him too.

Banji stared at the bronze knife before him, his eyes widening at first, then his mouth twitching into a wide grin as he burst into laughter: "I've found it! I've finally found a bronze knife! Hahaha, ahahaha..."

His long-awaited pursuit and expectation were fulfilled at this moment.

Ban Ji excitedly raised his spiked club high and charged forward, his arm muscles bulging, so that he aimed the club directly at the bronze knife and smashed it down.

The bronze knife floated silently in mid-air until the spiked club was about to strike, at which point it suddenly trembled.

It didn't clash head-on, nor did it dodge; instead, it spun gently, as naturally as a willow leaf blown by the wind.

At an extremely subtle angle, just as the mace was about to touch the blade, the blade made an incredibly precise and swift "touch" on the side of the mace head.

Ban Ji's powerful, all-out attack was derailed by this seemingly casual touch. The massive spiked club grazed the bronze blade and slammed heavily onto the blue brick floor.

Then, the bronze knife pierced Banji.

Banji used his divine sense to control throwing knives, chain hammers, and nunchucks to protect himself, but the triple defense was still no match for the bronze knife. It twisted and turned several times and broke through quite easily, with the tip of the knife piercing Banji's vulnerable ribs.

Banji let out a low growl of pain and staggered backward. A deep gash had appeared under his ribs, and blood quickly stained his clothes.

Banji quickly reached out, grabbed the handles of the three throwing knives, and hurled them out.

The bronze sword casually swayed a few times, dodging all the flying knives. It was so effortless, without any trace of a sword technique, yet with such casual swaying, it truly avoided all the flying knives.

“This is the best strategy without using any moves!” Ban Ji frowned, recalling the intelligence report.

He licked his dry lips, a sense of foreboding rising within him.

"Never mind! I must get this bronze knife!" Banji's eyes gleamed with greed as he lunged forward again.

Pfft!

Ding ding ding...

"Well!"

"Ugh!"

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

Banji's muffled groans, painful roars, and gasps of cold air rang out one after another.

He stared intently at the bronze knife before him, puzzled.

"I have intelligence, and I know the level of the fifth bronze artifact."

"But this bronze sword is clearly beyond the norm; its power is far too ferocious!"

"Who sent it back? It couldn't be some nobody!"

(End of this chapter)