"First shot, heavy!"
With a low growl, the skeleton slammed its broken spear down! There were no fancy moves, only pure power and heavy spear intent, as if a mountain had crashed down on it, the air itself being compressed by the spear's force, emitting a mournful "whooshing" sound.
Xiao Chen's pupils shrank sharply. This shot, though seemingly simple, blocked all his angles of evasion, leaving him no choice but to take it head-on!
"Drink!" He poured his Nascent Soul spiritual power into the spear, and the rusty iron spear drew an arc, with the spear tip firmly pressing against the broken spear shaft.
"clang--!"
The immense force sent Xiao Chen's legs sinking half a foot into the ground, his tiger's mouth splitting open, blood flowing down the shaft of the spear. He felt his internal organs trembling, his vision blurring, as if every bone in his body was about to shatter.
But he did not retreat. He gritted his teeth and felt the "heavy as Mount Tai" quality in his opponent's spear technique—this was the composure he lacked most in his spear skills.
"Not bad, you withstood the first shot." The withered bone's voice carried a hint of approval, but the gun's momentum didn't stop. "Second shot, change!"
The broken spear suddenly changed its move. Just moments ago it was as heavy as a mountain, but now it suddenly became as agile as a snake. The spear tip drew seven or eight afterimages in mid-air, simultaneously stabbing at seven vital points in Xiao Chen's chest, shoulder, and lower abdomen. The angles were tricky and the changes were so fast that they far exceeded Xiao Chen's expectations!
"So fast!" Xiao Chen was shocked. In a hurry, he twisted his body and turned his spear. The spear shaft swayed like a snake's tail, barely blocking the first five afterimages. However, the last two afterimages grazed his shoulder, bringing two streams of blood!
The excruciating pain made him even more awake, and he suddenly realized that the changes in the spear techniques of the senior skeleton contained the profound principle of "going with the flow" from the "Prairie Fire Spear Manual"—not to block head-on, but to use the momentum to guide!
Xiao Chen subconsciously imitated the changing trajectory, and the tip of the spear trembled slightly, actually dissipating the last bit of spear wind.
"Hmm?" The ghostly blue flames on the withered bones flickered, clearly not expecting Xiao Chen to comprehend the changes amidst the excruciating pain. "Interesting."
Before Xiao Chen could catch his breath, the third shot had already landed!
"Third shot, let's call it a day!"
This spear strike contained both the "heavy" and "change" of the previous two strikes. The spear tip first crashed down with the might of a mountain, and just before it hit his body, it suddenly transformed into a sky full of spear shadows, heavy as a collapsing mountain and changeable as lightning. The two completely different spear intentions were perfectly integrated, making Xiao Chen almost unable to breathe!
"Now is the time!" A flash of enlightenment appeared in Xiao Chen's eyes. He incorporated all the weight and agility he had just learned from the two spear strikes into his spear technique. The rusty iron spear no longer took the hit head-on, but instead wrapped around the broken spear like flowing water. He used the opponent's force to rotate and deflect the force, while at the same time, the spear tip looked for an opening to counterattack!
"Clang—Pfft!"
The moment the spears clashed, Xiao Chen was thrown backward, crashing heavily into the stone wall. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his body bearing several more deep, bone-revealing wounds. But his rusty iron spear ultimately managed to block the third spear.
The skeleton holding the broken spear paused, a hint of surprise appearing in the eerie blue flames.
Xiao Chen struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes even brighter than before: "Senior, this disciple...accepts."
"You caught it, and you caught it well." The withered bones slowly lowered the spear, and the ghostly blue flame looked Xiao Chen up and down. "After three spear strikes, you not only withstood my spear momentum, but you were also able to sense the changes in the spear intent when you were hit. This temperament and comprehension are much stronger than mine back then."
He paused, his voice tinged with emotion: "Especially the third shot, you fused 'weight' and 'change' into one shot. Although it's still raw, you've already touched the threshold of 'spear technique'—if you hone it well, your future achievements are limitless."
Xiao Chen bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, senior." He could sense that the three shots just now, which seemed to be a test, were actually more like a lesson. Senior Kugu's changes in each shot were deliberately guiding him to experience different levels of the way of the spear.
"Sit down, and I will pass on the complete inheritance of 'Wildfire Spear Intent' to you." As the withered bone spoke, two balls of dark blue flame flew out from his eye sockets, turning into two streams of light that entered Xiao Chen's brow.
Xiao Chen immediately sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to digest this massive inheritance. Countless insights, techniques, and artistic conceptions about the way of the spear flooded his sea of consciousness like a tide, subtly echoing the "Prairie Fire Spear Scripture" he had previously cultivated, instantly elevating his understanding of the way of the spear by several levels.
Half an hour later, Xiao Chen slowly opened his eyes. The wounds on his body had scabbed over under the nourishment of the inherited power. His eyes were filled with the intent of a spear, and his whole demeanor was much more composed. Not only had he fully absorbed the inheritance, but his cultivation was also showing signs of breaking through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
"Thank you for your kindness, senior!" Xiao Chen bowed again in gratitude, his tone extremely solemn.
The skeleton waved his hand, and the ghostly blue flame looked at the rusty iron spear in his hand, suddenly asking, "The 'Entangling Technique' you used when dealing with the third spear just now seemed simple, but it contained a profound principle of spear fighting that I have never seen before... Where did you learn your spear technique?"
Xiao Chen answered honestly, "It was taught to me by my master and is called the 'Prairie Fire Spear Manual'."
"The Wildfire Spear Manual?" The withered bone's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief and trembling. "This spear technique... is a hundred times more complete than my incomplete 'Wildfire Spear Intent,' and even faintly surpasses it! Who... is your master?"
Xiao Chen recalled Lin Zhou's lazy demeanor and smiled, "My master, Lin Zhou, is the sect leader of the Qingyun Sect."
"Qingyun Sect?" The withered bone's eerie blue flames flickered violently, clearly indicating that it had never heard of this sect. "To create such a spear manual, one must be at least a great power of that caliber, or even... perhaps have touched upon the level of 'Spear Dao Principles'!"
He remained silent for a long time, his skeletal shoulders trembling slightly, as if in excitement or awe: "I thought that the only person in this world who could master the 'Wildfire Spear Intent' to its fullest extent was my senior brother from back then... I never imagined that there would be such a powerful figure who could create an even more superior spear manual..."
"The younger generation is truly formidable, and with such a master as you, your future is... limitless." The voice of the withered skeleton carried a hint of relief. "So be it, my remnant soul should also dissipate. Keep this broken spear; though it's broken, it can still serve as a memento."
Before the words were finished, the eerie blue flames on the skeleton gradually dimmed, eventually turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air. The skeleton collapsed with a thud, completely lifeless, leaving only the broken spear lying quietly in place, as if telling the legendary tale of the spear from ancient times.
Xiao Chen picked up the broken spear, bowed deeply in the direction of the withered bones, and then turned and walked out of the valley.
He gripped the rusty iron gun, feeling that the gun fit him even better than before, and his awe of Lin Zhou deepened even further.
Even ancient powerhouses were amazed by his marksmanship, yet his master simply tossed it to him casually... Just how many secrets does his master hold?
At that moment, Lin Zhou sneezed in the courtyard of the Qingyun Sect.
"Who's talking about me?" He rubbed his nose, rolled over, and continued sunbathing. "It must be those two little guys talking bad about me outside... When I get back, I'll have to make them do more work."
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