Chapter 545 - 327: Shock
Chapter 545: Chapter 327: Shock
Shen Qianshan wished he could kill Fang Xinghai!
Now that the geniuses on the Lingyun List had mostly been divided among the major factions, with Li Yunzhou dead, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion wouldn’t be able to recruit any other geniuses from the list no matter how many resources they offered.
He was no fool. Li Yunzhou and Xu Yang had no prior conflict; he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to kill Xu Yang for no reason. He had to have been instigated by someone.
As for who wanted Xu Yang dead the most, it was naturally Fang Xinghai, who had offended him before.
"I..." Fang Xinghai wanted to deny it, but upon seeing Shen Qianshan’s murderous glare, the rest of his words caught in his throat.
If he dared to deny it, it would mean treating Shen Qianshan like an idiot. Someone who managed a massive business like the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion couldn’t possibly lack such basic deduction skills.
The pavilion hadn’t held his previous actions against him because they hadn’t caused any serious consequences. But now that his actions had gotten Li Yunzhou killed, a minor issue had escalated into a major disaster.
"In consideration of your years of hard work, get out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion yourself," Shen Qianshan said coldly.
Fang Xinghai’s face instantly turned ashen. He had never expected such an outcome—he was actually being kicked out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
"Elder Tao..." He looked at Tao Xiancai, hoping the elder would put in a good word for him.
Tao Xiancai snorted coldly. "The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion only does business; we do not interfere in personal grudges. I cannot help you this time."
Since he was the one who had intentionally guided Shen Qianshan to punish Fang Xinghai in the first place, he naturally wouldn’t speak up for him now.
"Xu Yang!" Fang Xinghai’s expression twisted with venomous resentment. If it weren’t for Xu Yang, none of this would have happened.
"Lin Jingyu, it’s your turn." In the arena, Xu Yang turned to look at Lin Jingyu. At this point, his only option was to eliminate Lin Jingyu as well, minimizing the threat he posed as much as possible.
Taking a massive stride, he vanished from his spot like a streak of golden light and charged at Lin Jingyu. His domineering aura surged, cracking the ground beneath his feet along the way.
"Bring it on!" Lin Jingyu shouted fiercely.
Having just shattered Sun Tao’s Sword Aura with a single punch, his world-shaking Martial Dao Imagery manifested behind him as he raised his hand and threw another punch.
The overbearing Fist Intent struck like a landslide. Carrying a robust force that could crush anything in its path, it accurately blocked the Sword Aura from Xu Yang’s slash.
CRACK!
The Sword Aura fractured, sweeping out a tempestuous force and revealing Fenli’s true body.
As the fist clashed with the blade, a string of sparks actually flew into the air. This Spiritual Soldier, Fenli, surprisingly couldn’t even scratch his fist.
At this moment, Xu Yang finally understood why Sun Tao hadn’t been able to take Lin Jingyu down despite engaging in such a protracted battle. Lin Jingyu’s fists were harder than Spiritual Soldiers.
His terrifying talent indeed qualified him for eleventh place on the Lingyun List. However, he wasn’t too surprised. A genius like Lin Jingyu was bound to be just like him—lacking weaknesses in any aspect. Cultivating both Body Refining and Gang Yuan, his physical body was absolutely extraordinary.
"Is that all you’ve got!" Lin Jingyu shouted.
Xu Yang’s blade couldn’t even break his skin, so he wasn’t afraid of Xu Yang and Sun Tao teaming up at all. The only one he was truly wary of was Sun Tao. For experts of their caliber, sheer numbers couldn’t guarantee victory. If the opponents weren’t powerhouses of the same level, fighting one was no different from fighting three or five.
He suppressed the killing intent in his heart, thinking, "I really want to slaughter him right now!"
Naturally, it wasn’t that he couldn’t break Lin Jingyu’s defenses. If he used his Sword Intent, he could easily sever one of Lin Jingyu’s arms. However, doing so would completely expose his talent. Displaying such a powerful Body Refining Cultivation had already made him very conspicuous. If he easily cut down Lin Jingyu on top of that, factions like the Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family, the Xiao Family, and the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion—with whom he already had friction—would never give him the chance to grow.
He thought, "I’ll just display my Body Refining Talent. No matter how strong my Body Refining Talent is, in the eyes of outsiders, Body Refining is a Water Grinding Technique that can’t be achieved overnight. They’ll think they can crush me to death at any time."
Xu Yang sheathed the Burning Separation Saber. Without using the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture and the Fourth Layer of the Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique, his blade attacks were actually weaker than his bare fists. Especially against an opponent like Lin Jingyu, whose physical body had been tempered to be equally robust, heavy punches possessed greater lethality. The Force of a heavy punch could penetrate directly into the body, an effect that weapons simply couldn’t achieve.
"Senior Brother Sun, you attack the left, and I’ll take the right! Let’s eliminate him," Xu Yang called out.
"Alright!" Sun Tao nodded.
Seeing Xu Yang sheathe his saber, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of suspicion. Had Xu Yang failed to comprehend any Martial Dao Imagery? He quickly dismissed the idea as impossible. With Xu Yang’s talent, if even Li Chuyang had comprehended Martial Dao Imagery, there was no way Xu Yang hadn’t. The only explanation was that this guy was still hiding his true strength, or perhaps Xu Yang hadn’t yet grasped Martial Dao Imagery with his Saber Technique, but rather with a Fist Technique or Palm Technique.
He thought, "He’s really playing it safe!"
Taking a large stride forward, he blasted out a scorching Sword Aura.
Lin Jingyu’s fists vibrated, and the white tiger behind him roared, shattering Sun Tao’s Sword Aura. As the furious air currents exploded outward, Xu Yang charged in from the side, throwing a punch straight through the violent shockwave.
BOOM!
His fist punched right through the air like a massive golden hammer, causing the air to let out a muffled roar.
Mountain-Shaking Hammer!
This was a hammer technique Xu Yang had learned when he first entered the Purple Sun Sect in order to refine Profound Iron. It was merely a Gang Qi Martial Technique. Although it was only a Gang Qi Martial Technique, this hammer technique specialized in breaking Gang Qi and armor. It was a killing martial technique created specifically to counter Body Refining Techniques.
At this moment, using his Perfect Comprehension, he had transformed this hammer technique into a Fist Technique. Its momentum was incredibly fierce and unyielding, striking the air so hard that it created visible ripples.
"Bring it on!" Lin Jingyu shouted, though a heavy sense of gravity settled in his heart.
If Xu Yang was using a blade, he wouldn’t care, but Xu Yang putting his blade away actually made him take things seriously. It had to be because Xu Yang’s fists were stronger than his blade that he sheathed it. He also hadn’t forgotten that back in the Purple Sun Sect, Xu Yang had forcibly fractured his body using a pair of fists even harder than his own, forcing him to admit defeat.
"Celestial Spirit Dominating Body!"
His body emitted a rumbling sound, and his Qi-Blood nearly burst through his skin. Amidst the crisp cracking of his bones and tendons, his frame expanded a full size. His muscles bulged like mountain peaks, exuding a ferocious aura.
Lin Jingyu threw out a backhanded palm strike to block Xu Yang’s fist.
BANG!
A deafening, muffled explosion erupted. The ground within a ten-zhang radius shattered entirely. A visible shockwave swept outward, sending dust and smoke soaring into the sky as the two powerful physical bodies collided like two massive mountains crashing into one another.
Xu Yang’s entire body flickered with golden light. He could barely maintain the Golden Gang Skill, and the circulation of his Gang Yuan suffered a brief pause as his bones and tendons let out a series of sharp, popping sounds. He felt a force nearly equal to his own transmit from Lin Jingyu’s palm. His body trembled involuntarily, and he was forced back a step, his feet sinking deep into the ground.
He thought in astonishment, "His physical body is actually this terrifying!"
He hadn’t expected Lin Jingyu’s physical body to be only marginally weaker than his own. His talent was truly fearsome. Talent was one reason, of course, but the main factor was resources. The last time the two had fought was almost two years ago. Given Lin Jingyu’s talent, the Yellow Maple Valley must have invested heavily in him. Now that Lin Jingyu had become the son-in-law of the Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family, the Xiao Family, the resources he had obtained were beyond imagination. It would be strange if his strength was still far weaker.
"Ugh!" Lin Jingyu let out an involuntary grunt. He felt an overbearing force blast over from Xu Yang’s fist, nearly shattering his physical body entirely.
THUD, THUD...
He uncontrollably staggered back three whole steps before finally arresting his backward momentum. At this moment, his face was completely flushed. He felt his Qi-Blood churning like wild waves, and his internal organs had even shifted slightly. His enlarged frame, empowered by the Celestial Spirit Dominating Body, was battered right back to its original size, and his bones and tendons groaned under the overwhelming strain.
"What? Lin Jingyu is actually at a disadvantage?" Kong Cheng’s face was filled with horror.
Only the members of the Xiao Family knew just how many resources they had given Lin Jingyu. This was especially true for items related to Body Refining. Spirit coins were arguably the least valuable things they provided; what they gave him the most were Spirit Medicines specifically meant for Body Refining. He had assumed that under such circumstances, Lin Jingyu’s Body Refining Cultivation would allow him to look down upon everyone in his generation. He never expected Xu Yang’s physical body to be even stronger than Lin Jingyu’s, forcibly knocking him back three steps with a single punch and displaying even fiercer strength.
"No wonder the Lingyun List placed such emphasis on his Body Refining Talent. This Body Refining Cultivation is truly terrifying."
"To think that someone could actually cultivate a Water Grinding Technique like the Golden Gang Skill to the Great Success Realm at such a young age."
Outside the arena, countless big shots cast their gazes over.
They had thought Xu Yang was just making up the numbers by participating in the battle, but they never expected that in a head-on clash between him and Lin Jingyu, it would be Lin Jingyu who fell to a disadvantage. Xu Yang’s physical body gleamed with a metallic luster, and his strength was frighteningly vast. The attacks from his bare fists were even more powerful than slashes from a Spiritual Soldier.
"Xu Yang’s talent... is it actually on the same level as Lin Jingyu’s?" Tao Xiancai’s face was filled with uncertainty.
To think that a tiny faction like the Purple Sun Sect could produce geniuses like Xu Yang and Sun Tao at the same time.
Shen Qianshan shook his head. "His talent doesn’t match up to Lin Jingyu. He’s already twenty-six, almost twenty-seven, while Lin Jingyu is only twenty-one."
Only then did Tao Xiancai recall the age gap between the two. Xu Yang being able to suppress Lin Jingyu didn’t necessarily mean his talent was on par with his. If the two were the same age, Lin Jingyu could likely beat Xu Yang to death in a single move.
"However, even if Xu Yang’s talent can’t get him into the top twenty of the Lingyun List, it’s more than enough for the top thirty or forty," Shen Qianshan continued.
Speaking of this, he felt another surge of extreme anger and glared coldly at Fang Xinghai. "I really want to skin you alive right now."
Such a genius should have become an Honored Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, but Fang Xinghai had ruined it all.
"If a genius like Lin Jingyu gets eliminated by Xu Yang, I’d like to see how Chu Nanguai explains himself!"
There were indeed people cursing Chu Nanguai. Xu Yang’s talent was clearly inferior to Lin Jingyu’s; he was only able to suppress him by relying on the age gap. If Lin Jingyu were eliminated while Xu Yang successfully achieved Dragon Ascension, it would be a massive joke.
"If Xu Yang can defeat him once, he can defeat him a second time!" Yue Zhong shouted, his expression exceedingly excited.
He really hadn’t expected Xu Yang to be this fierce, having cultivated the Vajra Glazed Body to such an extent, and coupling it with the Minor Achievement of the Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength to knock Lin Jingyu back.
Huang You’s face was ugly, and he didn’t say a word. Judging by the current situation, there was a very real possibility that Xu Yang and Sun Tao’s joint effort would eliminate Lin Jingyu.
"How is this possible? How could his physical body be this tyrannical?" Lin Jingyu’s face was etched with sheer disbelief.
He had received a massive amount of resources from the Kong Family to temper his bones and tendons to this level. To think that Xu Yang wasn’t the least bit inferior.