Ninety-Second Section: A Dangerous Attempt

Tang Tian stared at his own fist, astonished. Suddenly he drove a punch forward; the air around his fist rippled like wrinkles stirred by the wind, sending out countless intricate rings of shock. A cold glint flashed through his eyes, and he struck again. When his fist whipped out, it gave off a low trembling hum, like a string of music vibrating.

A strange familiarity seemed to rise from the depths of his bones. Tang Tian did not pause. Boom, boom, boom—one punch after another, each faster than the last.

Only after he had completed a full round of the shock technique did he reluctantly lower his hands, still unsatisfied. The golden card contained an immensely rich body of information, a profound understanding. Those insights felt as though they had been accumulated by Tang Tian himself through years of bitter cultivation, far richer, subtler, and deeper than what the silver card could provide. A golden card could preserve a cultivator’s comprehension in its entirety.

“So the golden card really is worthy of its name. Amazing!” Tang Tian sighed with admiration. Then a thought struck him. “Hey, uncle, what would happen if I used several golden cards at once?”

Bing froze, equally stunned by the sudden idea. “I don’t know. In my time, soul general cards weren’t nearly as developed or as common as they are now.”

Tang Tian scratched his head, but the thought only drew him in further.

After hesitating for a long while, he finally could not restrain himself. “Why don’t we try it?”

He now had the mentality of a newly rich man, convinced that he had enough wealth to spare a few hundred points on an experiment. The moment the thought arose, he acted on it. Without another word, he used a second card.

“Huh? It really doesn’t clash!” Tang Tian said excitedly.

Indeed, there was no conflict. The card Tang Tian used was the Crescent Moon Saber. He formed his hand like a blade and swept it out. A faint glow covered his palm as he unleashed several lightning-fast slashes, crescent-shaped beams flashing in the air. The Crescent Moon Saber was peculiar in its attack method, relying mainly on cutting strikes with very small arcs, often pivoting through the shoulder, elbow, and wrist in bizarre, swift changes.

Overcome with excitement, Tang Tian used the other two golden cards without another word.

When he activated the fourth golden card, Tang Tian immediately sensed something wrong. The true force within his body suddenly became wildly chaotic, and he could not help but grunt in pain. Tang Tian did not understand that using too many soul general cards all at once could easily lead to disaster. The disordered true force surged through his body like needles, stabbing and racing in every direction.

At the same time, the tangled, complex insights crashed into his mind, and his head felt as though it had been struck by a heavy fist. With a buzzing sound, his thoughts went blank.

But just then, his martial soul suddenly shone with a faint silver light. Countless insights and fragments of information were drawn into Tang Tian’s martial soul like a tide. The chaotic true force inside him abruptly settled down, as if the disorder had only ever been an illusion.

Tang Tian came fully awake at once.

His martial soul!

It was his martial soul!

With a thought, countless insights rose once more in his heart. Whether it was the Shock Fist, the Crescent Moon Saber, the Tyrant’s Fury Finger, or the Cloth-Contacting Fall, Tang Tian merely focused his mind and those understandings reflected in his heart like flowing water.

His martial soul could actually do this.

Tang Tian was shocked, delighted, and also shaken with lingering fear. That moment had been far too dangerous.

“You’d better spend some time now absorbing those insights. Otherwise, once the time is up, they’ll all vanish into nothing,” Bing reminded him. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes. “You can go find Jing Hao and spar with him. I’m sure he’d be very willing.”

Tang Tian’s eyes lit up.

Ah, that was a great idea!

Without another word, he rushed toward where Jing Hao was. When Jing Hao heard Tang Tian’s proposal, he readily agreed; he had long wanted to probe Tang Tian’s depths. And when he heard that Tang Tian had used four golden cards at once, he was stunned on the spot.

After a moment, he recovered. “A silver-grade martial soul really is formidable. It can actually withstand four golden cards at the same time. Brother Tang, you’ll understand later that you must never use too many soul general cards at once. The higher the grade, the more true that becomes. If your martial soul had not been so extraordinary, this time would have been dangerous indeed.”

Tang Tian actually felt a little uncertain himself, and at those words he nodded repeatedly.

Jing Hao stood dazed for a moment. Being able to bear four golden cards at once only made him more eager to see the power of a silver martial soul.

He gathered himself, faced Tang Tian, and resumed his usual composure. “Brother Tang need not hold back!”

“Good!” Tang Tian’s spirits rose as well. He launched himself forward and struck with a punch.

The air trembled.

Countless ripples spread outward from Tang Tian’s fist.

Jing Hao’s expression did not change. With a sharp ring, his long sword left its scabbard, and a point of cold light struck directly at Tang Tian’s fist. Tang Tian only felt an incomparably sharp true force drilling into his meridians along the sword tip. He grunted, turned his left hand into a blade, and with a flick of his elbow unleashed three crescent slashes in a triangular formation straight for Jing Hao’s centerline.

Jing Hao’s eyes brightened. His sword trembled like a serpent flicking its tongue. Pop, pop, pop—the three crescent slashes vanished in midair.

Using that brief opening, Tang Tian had already dispelled the sword intent attacking him. He let out a long cry and struck again with a punch!

This time, the momentum was entirely different. Fine crackling sounds rang out endlessly, like dry bamboo thrown into a bonfire.

This shock fist from Tang Tian carried the Dragon-Emperor force.

Although he had only just begun to grasp the Dragon-Emperor force, its fierce and explosive nature was already fully apparent.

“Excellent!” Jing Hao praised loudly. A strange light flashed in his eyes, and his fighting spirit surged even higher. He neither dodged nor retreated; with a flash like lightning, the brilliant sword light precisely pierced Tang Tian’s fist.

Tang Tian only felt a force several times stronger than before surge into his body. Unable to control his stance, he staggered backward seven steps in a row.

Yet Jing Hao’s experience was entirely different. Tang Tian’s punch actually contained three layers of force.

The shock power of the Shock Fist itself, the fierce and explosive Dragon-Emperor force, and the sharp, slicing crane force.

Even though his true force was two tiers higher than Tang Tian’s, Jing Hao still had to retreat three steps.

It was the first time Jing Hao had encountered such an absurd and astonishing force, and he became greatly excited. With a long howl, he changed from passively waiting for Tang Tian to come forward to taking the initiative.

Sword intent hissed through the air; cold light flooded the field.

In that instant, it seemed the entire rift had been illuminated by Jing Hao’s single strike.

Tang Tian showed not the slightest fear. He sank his hips, planted his stance, and assumed a defensive posture. His left hand became a moon blade, while his right hand took on the Tyrant’s Finger. The cold crescent blade flashed like a fresh moon and went straight for Jing Hao’s lower openings. At the same time, the Tyrant’s Fury Finger of his right hand pointed out, releasing a fiery crimson beam with a low, piercing cry.

Clang!

Jing Hao’s sword suddenly seemed to come alive. Like a serpent unfurling its body, it twisted once around the blade.

Tang Tian’s moon blade and Tyrant’s Fury Finger were gathered in an instant, then forcefully twisted apart.

True force burst everywhere. Both figures shook. Tang Tian’s mind became utterly clear, and a cold flash lit his eyes. His Eight Trigrams Footwork shifted, and like a ghost he appeared at Jing Hao’s side, his toe striking out!

Pop, pop, pop!

Tang Tian moved nimbly, his legs firing off in a rapid chain of kicks at astonishing speed.

Jing Hao’s body shifted in response, using a measuring-step technique.

Only after experiencing it personally did Tang Tian realize just how fast Jing Hao’s footwork truly was. In the blink of an eye, Jing Hao seemed to vanish from sight, but Tang Tian’s instincts were incredibly sharp. Without even thinking, without any adjustment, he continued kicking in rapid succession.

The fierce and explosive Dragon-Emperor force merged into the chain kicks, and the sound immediately became like firecrackers being lit, crisp explosions rolling on without end. Tang Tian’s leg shadows surged like a raging tide and crashed toward Jing Hao.

Jing Hao was greatly astonished. Tang Tian’s variations were too many, too bizarre; he had never faced an opponent like this before.

He steadied himself and flicked his wrist. The sword tip trembled lightly.

Ding ding ding!

The sounds of their clashes were bright and dense.

Tang Tian’s stamina could not compare with Jing Hao’s, so after several dozen exchanges his kicking rhythm slowed ever so slightly. Yet that tiniest change was immediately caught by Jing Hao, who without another word let his sword light explode and sweep back.

It was as if a dazzling mass of sword rain had suddenly burst open.

Tang Tian’s figure was completely swallowed by the sword light.

Jing Hao’s swordsmanship was terrifyingly strong. Every strike was clear and direct, yet it left one with the sensation that there was nowhere to evade, and it was unbelievably fast besides. Tang Tian immediately felt immense pressure. For a time, it was as though he had returned to the days of training through beatings, blocking left and right in utter disarray.

For a full ten breaths, he failed to land even a proper counterattack.

Complete suppression.

Jing Hao was equally shocked. Tang Tian was only at the fourth tier, not even broken through to the fifth, while he himself had long since reached the sixth tier. Sixth tier against fourth tier should have been effortless by rights. Yet reality was wholly unlike what he had imagined.

Though Tang Tian was being suppressed and looked miserable, he still managed to withstand his tempest-like assault. Tang Tian’s true force was only fourth-tier and far weaker than his, but it contained both Dragon-Emperor force and Crane Body force. When these two kinds of force fused together, they became extraordinarily strange and difficult to deal with.

But Tang Tian’s greatest strength was his instincts—his shockingly formidable instincts. Several times Jing Hao had seized what seemed to be openings, only for Tang Tian to mend them a step ahead, as if he had foreknowledge. More than once Tang Tian looked so battered that Jing Hao thought a single sword stroke should have ended the fight, yet every time Tang Tian somehow blocked it.

The exchange was extremely fast.

Yet even after ten minutes, Jing Hao still had not defeated Tang Tian.

How could this be...

Jing Hao grew more and more shocked. He could feel the resistance from Tang Tian growing greater and greater. Tang Tian’s understanding of martial techniques was rising at a rapid pace, especially his Dragon-Emperor force, which had begun to show its power gradually. But what surprised Jing Hao most was that Tang Tian’s true force could actually sustain him for so long.

Wasn’t he only at the fourth tier?

Fortunately, Jing Hao soon discovered that Tang Tian’s true force was beginning to show fatigue, and only then did he let out a breath of relief.

This fellow...

However, Tang Tian stubbornly held on for another five minutes. The borrowing of strength through Cloth-Contacting Fall was used by Tang Tian with remarkable skill. Jing Hao had not expected that even in such an utterly exhausted state, Tang Tian would still maintain such a calm mind. Too frightening...

Bang!

Tang Tian’s defenses finally gave way, and Jing Hao sent him flying with the flat of his sword. He tumbled away like a sandbag, thrown far into the distance.

Jing Hao actually let out a long sigh of relief. Only after he reacted did he suddenly realize that, without him noticing, Tang Tian had already put him under such immense pressure.

He had also consumed a great deal of true force. Sitting down, he began to recover.

An hour later, Tang Tian suddenly sprang up from the ground and shouted, “Again!”

Jing Hao’s spirits were lifted as well. “Good!”

One fight an hour.

...

Six hours later, Tang Tian jumped up again and cried out, “Again!”

Jing Hao’s expression stiffened, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself onward. “Good!”

...

Ten hours later, Tang Tian leaped up and shouted, “Again!”

The corner of Jing Hao’s mouth twitched. Weakly, he said, “Good...”

...

Twenty hours later, Tang Tian sprang up from the ground and roared furiously, “Again!”

Jing Hao stared blankly.

In the study program at the Lu Institute, the classes have been rather many these past few days. When there are fewer classes, I’ll do my best to update twice a day! Even with classes, I still never miss an update. I really am a godlike youth! Hurry and use your red votes to praise this godlike youth!