Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Shi Xiaole’s Strength
To become a top-notch prodigy in the Floating River Area, there are two standards.
First, one’s cultivation must at least reach the second stage of Qi Absorption.
Second, one must have practiced second-tier low-grade internal power.
Given these two premises, the internal power of a top-notch prodigy could roughly match the usual Qi Absorption masters of the fifth tier. Combined with the advantage of techniques, they could easily defeat these masters.
Xue Ang was such a person.
In the late period of the second stage of Qi Absorption, he was cultivating second-tier low-grade internal power, the Black Cloud Technique. While he was still far from perfecting the Black Cloud Technique, his internal power fell no short of the peak of the fifth tier in Qi Absorption.
At this moment, layers of faint black qi continuously revolved like clouds around Xue Ang, blurring his figure and making him look like an eerie shadow.
"Such a strong aura."
Zuo Feiyang and Ba Renxiong exchanged glances.
At this moment, their hearts were shaken.
It’s undeniable that Shi Xiaole killed Qiu Wunan, but Xue Ang was clearly not a piece of stuff either. Especially such prodigies, with unending cards up their sleeves, killing higher-level opponents was as easy as eating and drinking, dealing with people at a lower realm...
"I am going to break your four limbs, then I will reach into your chest and squeeze your heart slowly until it explodes."
Xue Ang laughed fiercely and moved swiftly toward Shi Xiaole, bringing with him a massive black qi to suppress Shi Xiaole.
Even before the qi was close, it caused the surrounding stone walls to reverberate with pounding sounds.
Liu Mengse and two others quickly retreated, finally giving themselves a big gasp of breath.
"His internal power level is not weaker than mine."
Shi Xiaole came to the realization.
Both being second-tier low-grade internal power, logically they were on the same level. Nevertheless, it seemed that the opponent’s realm of internal power wasn’t very high.
Quietly running the Purple Light Divine Skill, Shi Xiaole swung his arm out with a sword technqiue.
The Void Mistake Hand.
Bang!
Two utterly different, yet equally powerful internal powers collided through punches and palms, instantly causing a deafening noise. The surrounding stone walls shook further, causing small rocks to fall.
"So you have also practiced second-tier low-grade internal power."
Xue Ang was slightly shaken, with a thick trace of greed sweeping across his face.
Though quality matters more than quantity in internal power, having references from multiple techniques could undoubtedly aid in his cultivation of the Black Cloud Technique. Looking at Shi Xiaole, Xue Ang saw an opportunity to improve himself.
"Moyun Chaotic Hand!"
Xue Ang’s Black Cloud Tehniuqe operated at full capacity. His hands lashed out to form complicated patterns, surrounding Shi Xiaole.
The qi in the patterns changed into black and sticky substance, like ink that wouldn’t dissipate, controlling Shi Xiaole’s every move.
Although Moyun Chaotic Hand was only a third-tier top-grade technique, Xue Ang had long brought it to Transformation Phase mastery. Coupled with the Black Cloud Technique, even usual masters at the peak of Qi Absorption’s fifth tier would face defeat.
"Cotton-coated Iron."
Purple qi exploded as Shi Xiaole swung a punch calmly.
The fist technique was the combination of flexibility and rigidity from the previous Hundred Flowers Mistaken Fist, but now it was a genuine fatal fist technique, the Cotton-coated Iron.
A fist qi as soft as cotton collided with layer after layer of black shadow. Upon contact, an unmatched Yang power exploded like a volcano, causing the void to tremble.
Thump!
Both were pushed back simultaneously.
"How is Brother Shi’s internal power also so strong?"
This scene made Liu Mengse cry out in surprise. He couldn’t understand how the opponent had cultivated to this extent within several months.
"The rumors turn out to be true."
Clutching his fist, Ba Renxiong was trembling.
Zuo Feiyang’s face darkened as he grasped his long sword firmly, determined to neither stand by idly nor intervene unless Shi Xiaole showed signs of falling short.
"How could this be, his realm is clearly not as advanced as mine."
Equally astonished was Xue Ang.
He had apparently deployed all his internal power just now yet didn’t overpower Shi Xiaole—this was simply beyond belief.
If only Xue Ang knew, Shi Xiaole had once reached full mastery of Fuyang Qi Skill, making his internal power much purer than Xue Ang’s. Through the application of the Purple Light Divine Skill, he maximized its power even further.
Therefore, even though his total internal power was less than Xue Ang’s, it was more than enough with the combination of a fatal technique in contests.
"Good, very good, no wonder you’re so arrogant. It seems I have to go all out."
Xue Ang’s tone was bone-chilling cold as he drew a black knife from his waist while speaking.
A black knife.
"I have killed a total of 362 people with this knife since I set out on my journey. You will be the 363rd. You should be proud to die under this knife."
Xue Ang let out a creepy chuckle, licking the blood-stained blade.
Whoosh!
The next moment, he made his move.
The black knife’s light, looking like the soul-hooking devil light from hell, swung to attack Shi Xiaole no less than nineteen times. The densely connected knife shadows left no gaps, attempting to hack at Shi Xiaole with an invincible might.
Shi Xiaole held the sword hilt with his thumb and promptly swung out a sword.
Clang, clang, clang...
As though it was a single sound, or nineteen sounds, the black and white blade shadows shattered at the same time, causing a flurry of explosive noises.
"Soul Chasing Seven Styles!"
Xue Ang unleashed his lifelong supreme technique by a shake of his wrist.
The second-tier low-grade knife technique, Soul Chasing Seven Styles.
Xue Ang had long perfected the Soul Chasing Seven Styles into the Spirit Integration realm after half a year of practice. Coupled with the Black Cloud Technique, its power could only be described as horrifying.
Instantaneously, an eerie, gloomy, and icy killing intent spread out with the knife trail, sinking into the marrow of everyone present.
Liu Mengse and the other two, with alarmed looks on their faces, simultaneously sensed danger.
Such a knife technique, combined with Xue Ang’s own internal power, is likely enough to kill them in one stroke. Can Shi Xiaole withstand this?
Liu Mengse and the others don’t know. At this moment, there is no panic or agitation in Shi Xiaole’s heart, only a faint excitement.
This is the second time he has truly sparred with a young prodigy who has practiced second-rate martial arts.
The first time was with Shen Canghai.
But at that time, the realm of Shen Canghai was too high, although he suppressed 70% of his internal power, it still made Shi Xiaole somewhat uncomfortable.
In contrast to Xue Ang, he is talented and his realm is only one tier higher than Shi Xiaole. He is the perfect opponent to test his combat power against.
With his mind immersed in emptiness, Shi Xiaole’s long arm swings, and the green-fronted sword transforms into rays of light.
"Your sword technique is too poor, you can’t withstand me."
Xue Ang smirked, the dark blade carried a rush of vigour, easily shattered the sword light, continued its momentum, and slashed towards Shi Xiaole’s right hand, intending to sever it.
"If one sword doesn’t work, how about adding a knife too?"
In a calm voice, Shi Xiaole drew his left-handed sword, while at the same time, his right hand raised skyward, swung down quickly, casting out a sword light.
Left hand, Bloody Chaos Kill.
Right hand, Lifeline.
Double kill move with a sword and a knife.
Boom boom.
Sparks splashed, shocking the onlookers beyond words.
"Left-handed knife, right-handed sword, each with a kill move, you really possess such dual-minded ability."
Zuo Feiyang’s breathing halted, unable to suppress his racing heartbeat.
Since coming out of seclusion, he heard too many rumors about Shi Xiaole, those miraculous talks, which at one point made Zuo Feiyang hard to believe.
Now, he had no choice but to believe it.
Only Ba Renxiong knew to widen his eyes, thinking back to the scene from the YunTian Convention, it felt like a dream.
"This..."
Liu Mengse was even worse off than the two others.
Zuo Feiyang and the others had at least heard rumors and had some mental preparation. Liu Mengse, however, knew nothing, so the impact she received was naturally unimaginable.
"Who is this person?"
Unbeknownst to them, in the left passage, a young man in yellow clothes was watching the fight in the stone chamber with great interest, showing a thoughtful expression.
On the other side, a beautiful young girl with dual swords on her back, her eyes deep and clear, seemed as if she wanted to look through Shi Xiaole’s body and peep into his inner world.
Seeing the same double-handed stream, the young girl saw some strong potential in Shi Xiaole.
"Dual stream of sword and knife?"
Xue Ang shouted out, his face changing several times.
If at the beginning, his motive was only to learn the martial arts skills from Shi Xiaole, at this moment, it had turned into pure killing intent.
If he is an enemy, such kind of person cannot be allowed to live!
Clang, clang, clang...
Xue Ang exhausted all his abilities, dark knife lights kept attacking Shi Xiaole.
As for Shi Xiaole, both hands were in action, a knife and a sword came out together. Although the power displayed was not as good as any regular move, combined it was even better.
The two of them fought from the ground to mid-air, and from mid-air back to the wall, filling the entire stone chamber with their figures. The lights from the sword and knife followed them like shadows, sending shivers down people’s spines.
Fifty moves.
One hundred moves.
Two hundred moves.
Unconsciously, the two of them exchanged more than three hundred moves.
"I’m tired of dealing with you, go to hell!"
Seeing that he couldn’t defeat Shi Xiaole, Xue Ang’s face twisted and during one of their exchanges, he suddenly flung out a golden pellet from his left hand. The golden pellet expanded at an extremely fast speed under force.
"Not good, it’s a Thunder Bomb!"
"Despicable!"
Liu Mengse and the others were greatly alarmed.
The Thunder Bomb, one of the Tang Sect’s hidden weapons, has a lethality three times that of a fire bomb. Within a radius of three zhang, even a low-level Xuanqi Realm master cannot escape unscathed.
"Hehe, I want to see how you dodge."
A moment before throwing the Thunder Bomb, Xue Ang had already been running outside at full speed, not forgetting to look back and mock.
"Lowly sneak attack."
How strong is Shi Xiaole’s soul? How could he not detect Xue Ang’s movement?
Just as the Thunder Bomb appeared, a blast of purple internal power, with Shi Xiaole at its center, surged out with huge momentum in all directions.
The Thunder Bomb, which was nearing three zhang, was pushed by the force and flew directly to the side, blowing a hole in the wall of the stone chamber with a loud bang.
"What?"
Xue Ang’s eyes bulged, doubting if he had seen correctly.
A release of inner power from the body, how could this kid release inner power from his body? What was the meaning of just now? Was he playing with him?
Shi Xiaole really didn’t mean to play at all.
He just wanted to test his strength while seeing more possibilities of the dual sword and knife technique. Otherwise, Blood Battle Ten Forms, Soul Transfer Great Method, or even half a move, any one of them would have brought victory already.
However, since Xue Ang took the initiative to break the rules, he also lost the mood to continue the game.
With a thought, Shi Xiaole performed the Golden Goose Skill while the Purple Light internal power burst out again.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, Xue Ang was hit and felt as though he had been heavily hammered. He spat out blood, and his body fell to the ground like a sack, not moving for a long time.
