Chapter 766 Martial Arts Master
Brother Hao did not rush to agree, but instead conducted an observation first.
Ao Pan, with his chest hunched and back stooped like an old ape, moved forward slowly.
He appeared calm and composed, yet he still held the lead. He had already acquired five bronze artifacts.
However, his most proficient bronze whip was worn out and was no longer in use.
He used a bronze staff most often.
Ao Pan has a profound foundation in martial arts and can use all eighteen kinds of weapons.
The second one is Tie Zheng.
This Golden Core level martial artist is currently collecting his fifth bronze artifact.
Surrounding him were four weapons: a bronze knife, a sword, a spear, and a sickle.
They cooperate seamlessly with each other, moving freely in and out of the way, and occasionally unleashing combo attacks or combined strikes.
Tie Zheng wore a bronze beast mask, and his skill in manipulating divine sense was in no way inferior to that of mechanical cultivators of the same cultivation level!
Lu Zeng is ranked third.
He held a bronze spear and had just begun fighting the fifth bronze sword.
He used four weapons, including the bronze hammer, in turn.
The bronze swordsmanship had reached the point where no moves were better than moves. It suddenly slashed, seemingly ordinary, yet Lu Zeng was caught off guard by its weakness.
He could only sigh, let go of the bronze spear, and roll away to avoid the blade.
He grasped the bronze knife with both hands and smashed it down.
In an instant, the bronze hammer that had been floating beside him was placed into his hand.
Bang.
He missed, but he managed to force the bronze sword back.
The cultivator surnamed Hao found this scene quite interesting: "Tie Zheng, as a Golden Core level martial artist, uses Xuanbing Armor like a mechanical cultivator. Lu Zeng, on the other hand, as a mechanical cultivator, fights in close combat like a martial artist."
"Their identities may seem mismatched, but in reality, both of them are consciously training themselves and working on their weaknesses."
"They are all preparing for the third level."
The fact that the top three spots were occupied by three Golden Core cultivators fully reflects the importance of cultivation level.
Becoming a Golden Core cultivator is a qualitative leap; possessing a Golden Core brings comprehensive improvement to a cultivator.
The fourth one is the Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Zhang Wangxing smiled confidently: "Come, let me see what the fourth bronze artifact is?"
Relying on the "Many Changes in Flesh and Blood Sutra," he did not engage in a normal battle, but instead used his strange and ever-changing physical advantages to directly imprison the bronze artifact.
This precisely restrained the effectiveness of the Xuanbing Armor.
After all, the Xuanbing Armor in the previous rounds was basically used for close combat.
Only upon acquiring the sixth piece and beyond will the Xuanbing Armor unleash its magical offensive.
Zhang Wangxing made full use of his strengths and took advantage of the situation three times in a row, which greatly boosted his confidence.
"I can overcome the first five Xuanbing Armor pieces. The real challenge lies in the sixth one!" he said confidently.
Zhang Wangxing also knew about the preliminary test of the Ninefold Mystic Armor.
His strategy was to quickly refine the first five Xuanbing Armor pieces to greatly increase his strength, and then fight the sixth Xuanbing Armor piece with all his might.
From his participation in this pilot project of Xingyun, everything has developed in accordance with his expectations.
This is the fourth piece of Xuanbing Armor.
A huge bronze mace was displayed before Zhang Wangxing's eyes.
“It’s really big…” Zhang Wangxing’s eyes twitched, and he looked embarrassed.
The bronze mace sensed Zhang Wangxing and slowly pressed down on him.
Zhang Wangxing gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and bared his chest: "Come on, come and hit me!"
The next moment, the bronze spiked club slammed down on Zhang Wangxing.
Blood gushed out, and the flesh, like rotten mud, deformed violently and surged upwards, attempting to cover the spiked club.
The spiked club lashed out fiercely, sending countless fragments of mangled flesh flying as it was pulled back.
The excruciating pain made Zhang Wangxing grimace, sweating profusely from the agony.
He steeled himself, spread his arms, and threw himself onto the spiked club.
"Become one with me!" Zhang Wangxing roared.
The spiked club, naturally unwilling to accept this, continued to thrust and smash, inflicting a series of massive injuries on Zhang Wangxing!
"I……"
"you……"
"So... even a spiked club is effective against me!"
Zhang Wangxing was writhing in pain, hissing and gasping for breath, but he could only continue to endure it.
Under Zhang Wangxing's influence, the fifth-ranked person was not Banji, but the Rust Disaster Craftsman.
He was surrounded by bronze knives, swords, and other weapons, and the surface of each piece of Xuanbing armor showed signs of rust.
When the monk surnamed Hao checked on the rust-damaged craftsman's condition, his brows furrowed unconsciously.
He loathed the other man to the core. In fact, this wasn't just his prejudice; almost all the cultivators in the Xuanjia Cave disliked the Rust Disaster Craftsman.
"This person possesses inferior talent, capable of corroding other objects."
"The magic array inside the cave could not contain his talent, so he took a shortcut—by corroding bronze artifacts, he greatly reduced the difficulty of subduing him."
"Therefore, this person ranks among the top talents."
The trial of the Ninefold Mystic Armor was intended to promote the Mystic Armor, allowing more people to use it and to establish close ties between more outstanding cultivators and the Mystic Armor Cave.
However, the Rust Disaster Craftsman's actions damaged the Xuanbing Armor, which contradicted the purpose of the Xuanjia Cave. Therefore, everyone secretly harbored resentment towards him.
Finally, it was Banji's turn to be in sixth place.
The cultivator surnamed Hao saw Ban Ji wielding a spiked club and a chain hammer, occasionally using throwing knives, fighting against a nunchaku.
He glanced at it a few times and then chuckled.
"Ban Ji's use of these weapons clearly shows traces of knife and sword techniques."
"I think I understand."
"Why should I operate behind the scenes and arrange bronze swords for him?"
The cultivator surnamed Hao looked back again and couldn't help but reveal a strange expression.
He noticed that the first five cultivators all had swords and knives, but Banji didn't have a single one.
"These bronze weapons were arranged and deployed arbitrarily according to the formation."
"Swords and knives are the most common, and therefore the most numerous."
"Ban Ji practiced swordsmanship diligently, but he didn't encounter a single decent piece. More importantly, none of the bronze artifacts he acquired were of any worthwhile."
"If he had something like a mace or axe, he could at least use sword and saber techniques. But he doesn't have any of those. How unlucky is he?"
The cultivator surnamed Hao watched the battle.
As he watched Banji use throwing knives, chain hammers, and spiked clubs, his strange expression deepened when he faced nunchucks.
"Let me see, what is his fifth bronze artifact?"
The cultivator surnamed Hao used his privileges to secretly observe the follow-up.
"Uh...it's a shield."
And then... there were still no swords!
"What heinous crime did this kid commit?" Even the cultivator surnamed Hao felt a pang of sympathy for Ban Ji.
Ban Ji wielded his weapons, but instead used sword and saber techniques, making his fighting style look awkward and out of place. Every movement seemed to be a heartfelt cry: "I want swords and sabers! I want swords and sabers!"
Banji also practiced with other weapons, but the problem was that he devoted almost all his time to martial arts to swords.
In the heat of battle, he had no time to think and his body instinctively used knife and sword techniques.
There's no way around it, I've practiced it too much!
The cultivator surnamed Hao thought to himself, "However, as long as Ban Ji waits for a while, he will be able to enter the third level."
"By the time he reaches the third level, he will at least obtain a blank Xuanbing Armor."
"He also focuses on cultivating his upper dantian, and his spiritual sense is abundant. Given his foundation, it is highly likely that he will obtain two items. This means that he will eventually be able to acquire the knife and the sword."
"The Ban family wants me to secretly help him, probably because they want him to do well in the second round."
"The more bronze artifacts you obtain in the second stage, the better your final score will likely be in the third stage."
"Only by collecting nine items can one qualify for first place in Xuanjia Cave."
“I understand. The Ban family wants Ban Ji to get first place so that he can catch up with the first wave of geniuses and squeeze into their ranks.”
Thinking of the genius, the cultivator surnamed Hao skipped over the seventh and eighth, his gaze unconsciously leaping to Ning Zhuo on the other side.
Ning Zhuo was engaged in a fierce battle, wielding a sword and gauntlets.
The cultivator surnamed Hao immediately noticed that Ning Zhuo was at a disadvantage and thought to himself, "Our Xingyun Trial here counts five in the second stage. As long as a certain number of cultivators obtain five sets of Xuanbing Armor, the third stage will automatically open and eliminate cultivators who obtain fewer than five sets."
"At Ning Zhuo's current pace, I'm afraid it won't be enough time."
"He's incredibly ambitious to be able to learn and practice at the same time."
The cultivator surnamed Hao thought for a moment: "However, if he really intends to intercept Ban Ji, given his strength, this is probably the only thing he can do. After all, in the third level, the formation still prohibits cultivators from using other means, and they can only use these Xuanbing armors and their physical abilities."
"In other words, Ning Zhuo is actually very confident that he can hone his skills at the last minute and stop Ban Ji after he has mastered them."
"Such confidence...this is perhaps what makes genius cultivators different from us ordinary people."
The cultivator surnamed Hao collected his thoughts, secretly transmitted his thoughts, and formally agreed: "Okay. I can help with this."
“However…” He gave a strange look.
He had just done a check and found that almost all cultivators possessed either a saber or a sword, or both. There weren't many sabers and swords left, and they all, to varying degrees, possessed special properties.
The Xuanbing armor collected in Xuanjia Cave comes partly from their own crafting and partly from feedback from countless cultivators.
If the Xuanbing Armor they return is of high value, Xuanjia Cave will also give them other treasures as compensation.
Every year during the Xingyun Trial, Xuanjia Cave would send out many Xuanbing Armor. But every year, cultivators would return here to fulfill their promise and return the Xuanbing Armor they had forged to Xuanjia Cave.
The Grand Formation will randomly select some Xuanbing armor from the armory and distribute them to the cultivators participating in the trial as opponents.
The remaining Xuanbing Armor is quite special and cannot be used at will.
“These swords and blades are generally very powerful; even a Golden Core cultivator would struggle against them. If we assign them to Ban Ji, could he withstand them?”
"Actually, the bronze shield he's about to face is of very high quality. This is the only shield in the second stage of this Xingyun trial. Shield-type Xuanbing armor is often very helpful in the third stage."
The cultivator surnamed Hao thought about it and felt there was no need to tell Ban Jie, as it would only increase the time and cause more complications.
He immediately took action in secret, using his authority to manipulate the grand formation and quietly insert the two bronze swords into the original sequence, thereby disrupting the bronze artifacts that everyone was supposed to face.
The cultivator surnamed Hao was not worried.
To achieve this level of success is actually within the tacit approval range of higher-ups.
After all, high-ranking officials are also human, with descendants and friends to take care of. The extent of this backdoor opening is just right; even if it is exposed, the price that the Hao surname cultivator will bear will not be too great.
Ning Zhuo's blade swept diagonally, while his sword tip thrust straight forward. One attack from the left, one from the right, one forceful, one gentle, both aimed at the gauntlets simultaneously.
The bronze gauntlets struck first, the left fist drawing an extremely precise and short arc to avoid the blade.
Ning Zhuo immediately changed his move, switching from a slanted slash to a downward chop. As a result, the bronze gauntlets landed precisely on the point where the bronze sword was generating power in its new move.
With a muffled clang, Ning Zhuo's sword strike vanished instantly.
Ning Zhuo attacked with his right sword, but another bronze gauntlet grazed the blade, using a clever force to deflect the bronze sword outward, causing the tip to slip through the air.
The bronze boxing gloves employed both hard and soft techniques, alternating between light and heavy blows, putting Ning Zhuo at a disadvantage.
Ning Zhuo frowned, feeling quite troubled.
He had changed his offensive tactics many times, but the bronze gauntlets were only "panicked and at a loss" at the beginning, and then "adapted" and suppressed Ning Zhuo again.
This gave Ning Zhuo the illusion that the bronze gauntlets belonged to someone, but that the owner was completely transparent and could not be observed with the naked eye.
But Ning Zhuo also knew that this was just an illusion.
"This is a higher realm of martial arts!"
"The previous bronze swords and sabers were only at the apprentice level. The swords only had basic moves, while the sabers were stronger, not only having basic saber moves, but also combos and small routines."
"By the bronze gauntlets, the martial arts level has already surpassed the apprentice level and reached the craftsman level."
"The bronze boxing gloves not only allow for mastery of various moves and combinations, but also enable on-the-spot adjustments based on the opponent's, i.e., my, actions."
“Martial arts apprentices simply practice on their own, focusing on perfecting each move to a standard and proficient level, and combining them together.”
"Martial arts masters incorporate a certain degree of tactical thinking, perceive their opponents, and engage in tactical maneuvering."
"I understand now, so that's how it is."
Ning Zhuo used the Burning Boat Soul Transfer Technique to gain a wealth of life experience and possess a vast amount of tactical wisdom.
Ning Zhuo's review of the past and his new insights were profound.
He himself is capable of improvising, using both feints and real attacks, and is flexible and independent. The bronze gauntlets in front of him are like a hands-on teaching tool for him.
He wasn't a beginner; it was more like a revival or a return to learning.
Therefore, it was mastered extremely quickly.
"Take this combined sword and saber attack!" Ning Zhuo used a saber in his left hand and a sword in his right, unleashing the Wave-Breaking Star Strikes.
The bronze saber slashed three times, breaking through the waves, while the bronze sword assisted with a series of thrusts, knocking one of the bronze gauntlets off the ground.
Ning Zhuo could have pressed his advantage, but he remained where he was, letting the bronze gauntlets fly back to regroup.
After fighting for several dozen more breaths, Ning Zhuo finished his preparations and suddenly unleashed the Entangling Silk Mountain Collapse Technique.
The bronze gauntlets were overwhelmed and unable to defend themselves; one of them was cleaved into the ground by the bronze sword.
Ning Zhuo let go of the boxing gloves again, stopped moving, and let them attack again.
After several more rounds of attack and defense, Ning Zhuo had completed his preparations.
Swords and blades combined – parting the water and slicing the moon!
Ding ding ding...
The swords and blades struck the bronze gauntlets like a sudden storm, producing a series of crisp sounds and sparks.
The bronze gauntlets couldn't withstand the attack and were both knocked off.
This time, Ning Zhuo held back. He immediately abandoned his swords and knives, grabbed them with both hands, pressed them against the back of his fists, and quickly refined them, subduing them for his own use.
Several cultivators who witnessed this scene widened their eyes slightly.
The third move, the combined sword and saber attack, which they least expected to be effective, turned out to be the most powerful in actual combat!
"We need to speed things up." Ning Zhuo estimated the time, put away his boxing gloves, and continued on his way.
Soon, he encountered the fourth piece of Xuanbing armor—a bronze shield.
(End of this chapter)
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