Chapter 34: Chapter 34: The Deal
"Do it."
The moment the words fell, killing intent erupted.
Yun Jinghong’s sword was like a rainbow, striking straight for the Cold Jade Flood Dragon’s vital spot.
Liang Cheng, on the other hand, turned and crashed into the swarm of Ice Armor Crocodiles. His Fist Force exploded with a thunderous roar, blasting a path straight through them.
The two of them worked in perfect concert, their objective clear: the Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchid.
The three Cold Jade Flood Dragons counterattacked madly. Their Ice Breath spread across the Cold Pool, coating it in frost. Yun Jinghong’s Sword Momentum shifted, his longsword blooming like a lotus as it precisely sliced off three Reverse Scales from the lead dragon, sending blood spraying into the air.
Liang Cheng seized the opportunity and erupted with power. Relying on his Stone Armor Skill, he smashed through the weaker parts of the Soldier Armor Crocodiles’ scales with devastating force, killing a Crocodile Beast with a single blow. He then strode forward, plucked three Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchids, and stored them in the Jade Box he carried.
At almost the same moment, Yun Jinghong also succeeded. With a sweep of his sword’s light, he secured the other three Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchids.
With the Spirit Grass in hand, the two exchanged a look and retreated explosively at the same time.
"Let’s go!"
Yun Jinghong was the first to break through a fissure in the cavern ceiling and shoot into the sky. Liang Cheng hoisted Zhou Hu onto his back, pushed off with his feet, shattered the ice, and followed close behind.
The three injured Cold Jade Flood Dragons pursued them to the cave entrance, their roars shaking the heavens. But with their wounds bleeding uncontrollably, they could only stop the chase and return to the Cold Pool to recover.
The three of them sped forward for several miles before finally stopping on a mountain ridge.
Yun Jinghong’s white robes were stained with blood and his breathing was slightly ragged, but the hand gripping his sword remained steady as a rock.
He looked at Liang Cheng and said coolly, "As of today, we are even."
Liang Cheng set Zhou Hu down, letting him lean against a tree to regulate his breathing, before turning to reply, "As you wish, Senior Brother Yun."
Yun Jinghong didn’t stand on ceremony. With a flicker of his body, he vanished into the forest mist.
After taking an Elixir, some color returned to Zhou Hu’s face. He said in a low voice, "Junior Brother Liang, let’s go quickly. We shouldn’t stay here for long."
Liang Cheng nodded but didn’t move immediately. He glanced back toward the Cold Pool and was silent for a moment. "Wait here a moment, Senior Brother."
He took out the map he had gotten from Wu Xiao from inside his robes. His fingertip tapped on the map’s notation: ’Ling·Cold Pool’.
’I’m afraid there’s something else in the Cold Pool.’
Zhou Hu was taken aback. "You mean..."
"The Lie Mountain Iron Order," Liang Cheng said, putting the map away.
Hearing this, Zhou Hu sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. "You want to go back? No way!"
"Since we’ve come all this way, I can’t leave empty-handed," Liang Cheng said, looking at Zhou Hu. "Don’t worry, Senior Brother. You rest and regulate your breathing here. I’ll be right back. We have the Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchids now, so if anything happens, crush the Vitality Order immediately."
"No!" Zhou Hu said anxiously. "Those three Cold Jade Flood Dragons... only someone at Transformation Force can fight them! You can’t do something so foolish."
But before he could finish, Liang Cheng had already set off, heading back the way they came.
Zhou Hu slapped his thigh in frustration. Helpless, he could only sit down cross-legged and focus on recovering as quickly as possible, trying his best not to be a burden to Liang Cheng.
...
「Deep within the cavern.」
In the Cold Pool, the three Cold Jade Flood Dragons were coiled by the water’s edge, licking their wounds. A vicious light glinted in their eyes. Liang Cheng hid behind a stalactite on the cavern ceiling, holding his breath and focusing his mind.
His gaze swept across the pool’s surface, finally locking onto an inconspicuous whirlpool in the center. The water there was dark and deep, with a faint Dark Gold luster swirling within it.
’There really is something there.’
But he didn’t make a move just yet.
Because thirty zhang away on the opposite side, another figure in white was also hidden in the shadows. Yun Jinghong had the exact same idea.
They stared at each other from across the pool. Their eyes met for an instant in the gloomy cavern before breaking away. There was no awkwardness, only a mutual acknowledgment that the other was no simple character.
Time slowly trickled by. One of the less injured Cold Jade Flood Dragons slid slowly into the pool, submerging itself to recuperate at the bottom.
The very instant its body disappeared beneath the surface—
Yun Jinghong moved!
His sword light fell like a meteor from the sky. Though he moved second, his attack arrived first, precisely piercing the Reverse Scale that had been injured earlier. The dragon’s blood gushed out, instantly dyeing the pool red.
The other two Cold Jade Flood Dragons roared in fury and lunged at Yun Jinghong. Liang Cheng struck at almost the same time, landing a punch on the Reverse Scale of the other, slightly smaller dragon.
Neither of them followed up with another attack. Instead, their bodies shot like arrows straight toward the whirlpool at the pool’s center. Liang Cheng was closer. He pushed his Stone Armor Skill to its absolute limit, a gray-white light flowing over his body as he slammed through the water’s surface and threw a punch downward.
BOOM!
The punch sent a wave of water exploding outward. The reef at the bottom of the pool shattered at the same time, revealing a dark Iron Order half-embedded in the rock.
It was the Lie Mountain Iron Order from the core area!
Liang Cheng reached out to grab the Iron Order.
SHING!
Yun Jinghong broke through the water with his longsword, aiming straight for Liang Cheng’s wrist. Liang Cheng had no choice but to change his grab into a strike, slapping his palm against the sword while his left hand simultaneously snatched for the edge of the Iron Order.
But Yun Jinghong’s left hand also shot toward the Iron Order. The two men each grabbed one end, neither gaining an advantage.
By now, the three Cold Jade Flood Dragons had charged over frantically. Their Ice Breath wove into a net, and with brutal ferocity in their eyes, they snapped their jaws shut.
"Retreat first!"
Yun Jinghong barked a cold command. His sword light flared, shattering a blast of Ice Breath. At the same time, Liang Cheng exerted his strength. Fierce Bull Force surged through his arm, and he ripped the Lie Mountain Iron Order straight out of the rocky reef.
Each holding one end of the Iron Order, they used the momentum to launch themselves backward, flying out of the Cold Pool and landing on the bank.
"How about we kill the dragons first?"
"Agreed!"
They reached an instant agreement. As the three Cold Jade Flood Dragons chased them out of the water, the two men flung the Iron Order, embedding it in the cavern wall, and attacked simultaneously.
One’s longsword was like a rainbow; the other’s fists were like mountains. Yun Jinghong held nothing back with his Transformation Force, and Liang Cheng pushed his Stone Armor Skill to its full power. For a moment, water from the Cold Pool shot everywhere as the Cold Jade Flood Dragons shrieked incessantly.
The glint of the sword and the shadow of the fist intertwined, making the Cold Pool boil. A few dozen breaths later, the corpses of the three dragons were floating on the surface, all of them slain.
"Exhilarating!"
Yun Jinghong looked at Liang Cheng without a trace of his usual superiority. Although his opponent only had an Anjin Cultivation, his fighting strength, combined with his Hard Skills, was nearly on par with his own.
"A single Lie Mountain Iron Order is enough to secure a top-three spot in the Spring Hunt," Yun Jinghong said, speaking first. "As for your senior brother, Zhou Hu... if he wants to break through to Transformation Force, three Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchids might not be enough."
Hearing this, Liang Cheng’s pupils contracted.
"I once looked through the Martial Arts Academy’s records. The Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchid is effective, but if a Cultivator’s foundation is damaged, or if they have failed a breakthrough attempt before, the Medicinal Power needs to be doubled to guarantee success."
Yun Jinghong’s tone was calm. "Your senior brother damaged his foundation when he failed his first breakthrough attempt. With three orchids, he has a fifty percent chance at best. If he fails again, he will never reach Transformation Force in this lifetime."
"I can give you the other three I have. Six Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchids will be enough to ensure his breakthrough succeeds. How about it? I’ll trade them for this Iron Order."
Liang Cheng’s gaze turned cold. "You’re quite well-informed, Senior Brother Yun."
"The Feiyun Martial Arts Hall has its own sources," Yun Jinghong said frankly. "Besides, for your senior brother, this is about the future of his Martial Dao. Six Bone Tempering Orchids in exchange for Zhou Hu reaching Transformation Force, which means the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall will have another Transformation Force master in the future. You’re not losing out on this deal. And you can have the Cold Jade Flood Dragon Demon Cores as well."
Liang Cheng glanced toward the cave entrance. Zhou Hu was still waiting outside. For someone who had already failed to break through to Transformation Force once, a second failure meant they would never have another chance.
Yun Jinghong didn’t press him, just waited quietly. After a long moment, Liang Cheng slowly spoke.
"Give me the orchids."
A hint of a smile flashed in Yun Jinghong’s eyes. He tossed the Jade Box containing the three Ice Heart Bone Tempering Orchids over and simultaneously flew up to retrieve the Iron Order.
"Decisive."
He weighed the Iron Order in his hand and looked at Liang Cheng. "Actually, you and I don’t have to be enemies. After the Spring Hunt is over, I’ll see you at the Martial Arts Academy. In this whole Spring Hunt, the only ones who can be called heroes are the two of us."
After saying this, his figure flickered, and he left.
Liang Cheng took the Jade Box, went into the water to retrieve the Demon Cores, then turned and departed.
...
「On the mountain ridge.」
When Zhou Hu saw Liang Cheng return, he let out a sigh of relief. He took the Jade Box from Liang Cheng, opened it, and froze.
"This is..."
"Six Bone Tempering Orchids," Liang Cheng said, handing over the Jade Box. "It’s enough for your breakthrough, Senior Brother."
Zhou Hu shot to his feet. "What did you trade for them?"
"That Iron Order," Liang Cheng replied, his tone calm. "Yun Jinghong said that just three orchids might not have been enough for you."
Zhou Hu clenched the Jade Box, his eyes turning red. After a long moment, he said hoarsely, "The Iron Order... that’s proof of a top-three finish in the Spring Hunt..."
"Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I actually already have one Iron Order. Besides, you reaching Transformation Force is more important than a top-three finish in the hunt."
Zhou Hu tried to say more, but Liang Cheng cut him off. "Let’s go, Senior Brother. Your injuries haven’t healed yet. You need to recuperate as soon as possible to prepare for your second breakthrough attempt."
Zhou Hu nodded heavily and gave Liang Cheng a deep look. Then, he decisively took out his Vitality Order and crushed it.
"Take care, Junior Brother!"
