Chapter 311: Chapter 266: Opening the Meridians
"The next contestant to take the stage is Qi Shuo from Jing Country. As a Postnatal Martial Artist, he wields a nearly six-foot-long Wolf Fang Club entirely forged from Indomitable Steel," Huang Donglai articulated with varied intonation. "Just from the weapon he’s using, we can tell his strength is formidable. Indeed, he is among the elites of Jing Country’s younger generation."
"Oh?" Sun Yixie feigned ignorance and asked, "And why is that?"
"The process for Jing Country’s Indomitable Steel involves taking a piece of iron, melting it at high temperatures, folding it, and hammering it repeatedly. During this process, Mystic Iron powder is mixed in using secret techniques. The Indomitable Steel forged this way not only surpasses the strength of ordinary steel but also possesses some of Fine Gold’s toughness. That’s why it can replace the wooden handles typically used for polearms."
Huang Donglai explained, "But the weight of Indomitable Steel is also much greater, especially for a nearly six-foot-long Wolf Fang Club. The fact that Qi Shuo, a Postnatal Martial Artist, can swing it proves he has extraordinary physical strength. Especially considering he is only sixteen years old—his potential is boundless."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Accompanied by the commentators’ voices, a tall, burly man with a fierce, fleshy face and a beard that reached his neck ascended the steps, carrying an enormous Fine Steel Wolf Fang Club. He casually planted the club on the ground. The head of the Wolf Fang Club struck the floor, causing a circle of luminous ripples to spread over the arena’s surface due to the Arena Restriction.
"That’s natural Divine Power right there!" Li Wei remarked in amazement from the audience. "That Wolf Fang Club probably weighs more than two hundred pounds."
"Could you swing it?" Yang Yu asked curiously.
"I can swing it, but for a Martial Artist, being able to lift, swing, and wield smoothly are three entirely distinct concepts," Li Wei explained. "The biggest difference between Body Refining Martial Artists and cultivators of other Dao Paths lies in the fact that Martial Artists wear Heavy Armor and charge into enemy lines to fight for extended periods. Their biggest threat comes from other Martial Artists of the same realm. Hence, the handiness of a weapon is much more important than its weight. It’s like street brawls, where people pick up whatever short stick or steel knife is easy to handle; no one would bring a grinding wheel to a fight. Below the Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm, even Innate Martial Artists equivalent to the Cloud Patrol Realm often use weapons weighing around eighty to one hundred pounds. A two hundred-pound Wolf Fang Club... either he’s a Clown playing to the gallery, or he has natural Divine Power."
Clearly, the answer was the latter. Qi Shuo casually kicked the head of the club, effortlessly hefting the entire Wolf Fang Club onto his shoulder. Chewing on an Astronomy Grass leaf, he stared indifferently at his opponent ascending the steps.
"Now stepping onto the stage, from our Academic Palace, a third-year Zaiqian Disciple of Sword Study, is Pei Jing," Huang Donglai continued. "He is one of only two disciples in the third year of Zaiqian to have reached the Rain Listening Realm. His talent in Sword Study has also been praised by Cui Yixian, the Master, as ’rare in four decades.’ As for his weapon..."
Pei Jing stood firm upon the arena. His gaze sharpened, and a piercing hum burst from the sword scabbard at his waist. A Longsword flew out, circled him several times, and finally hovered beneath his fingertip. A faint blue glow emanated from the sword’s body.
"Hm?" Li Ang’s brows furrowed slightly. The blue glow surrounding Pei Jing’s Canghai Sword was like a thin, illusory mist, appearing and disappearing intermittently—unlike ordinary Sword Qi.
"That’s Cherry Stone," He Fanshuang said faintly, looking up from her book. "It’s a special product of the Endless Sea, only found in the deep sea at depths exceeding one thousand zhang. Incorporating a small amount of Cherry Stone into a weapon’s forging process gives the Sword Qi a mist-like quality that can strip away large chunks of flesh upon the slightest touch. It’s said that the Fish Intestine Sword used to assassinate King Liao of Wu was forged with Cherry Stone."
"Pei Jing mentioned last time that he went to the fringe of the Endless Sea with his family’s fleet during the holidays..." Yang Yu paused for a moment. "I remember that mining Cherry Stone is quite difficult, isn’t it?"
"The term ’mining’ doesn’t apply here," He Fanshuang said quietly. "According to ’Exotic Beast Taxonomy’ compiled by Dr. Du’er, Cherry Stone is actually the shell of a giant clam demon. It is named for the sakura-like patterns on its surface. This clam lives in the deeper, colder depths of the lightless seabed. Only when it is killed by predators and its shell shatters, getting carried by strong currents to shallower waters, is there a slight chance for fishermen to discover it. Small amounts of Cherry Stone can also be found in the guts of some surface-dwelling sea fish." Like many other exotic treasures of the Endless Sea, Cherry Stone was a rare item that, while having a theoretical price, was seldom available on the market. Without the right power and influence, money could not buy it.
On the arena, Qi Shuo from Jing Country also recognized the extraordinary nature of the Canghai Sword and smirked, "Quite the aristocratic young master, aren’t you? Did you forge all the strange metals you could find in Yu Country into your sword? Others have patchwork robes; do you have a patchwork sword?"
A patchwork robe is made from countless pieces of old, assorted fabric discarded by families, cleaned, then sewn together anew. Some parents would make such clothes for their sickly and disaster-prone children, hoping to accumulate the blessings of numerous families and ward off illnesses and disasters. A minority of ascetic monks, in order to break free from the vanity of greed, anger, and ignorance, would also forsake their kasayas for patchwork robes.
Pei Jing’s eyes were closed. He turned a deaf ear to the mockery. His opponent’s cheap tactic of trying to disturb his focus with pre-fight trash talk could no longer affect him.
All he needed was victory.
CLANG—
Accompanied by the clang of the gong struck by the referee, the match officially began.
Qi Shuo leaned forward instantly, stamping his foot heavily on the ground, creating ripples of light from the Arena Restriction.
WHOOSH!
With a speed that belied his large frame, he shot forth like an arrow. The Wolf Fang Club in his hands swung in a half-circle. Its numerous spikes tore through the air with a whistle as they aimed for Pei Jing’s head.
"A solid and straightforward strike!"
Huang Donglai spoke rapidly, "If this blow had landed offstage, even someone with a body of copper and iron would have had their brains smashed out. Even on the arena, it would definitely trigger the Arena Restriction, resulting in an immediate loss."
"Contestant Pei Jing is standing his ground, not dodging!"
Sun Yixie took over without missing a beat, "First, he commanded the Canghai Sword with a Sword technique to thrust forward, hitting the tip of the Wolf Fang Club. He sliced off a dozen spikes with Sword Qi, then recalled the Canghai Sword. Gripping the hilt with his right hand and bracing the pommel with his left, he used the rebounding force to retreat rapidly, his toes skimming the ground. He deftly neutralized the brute force of the Wolf Fang Club."
SNAP!
Pei Jing’s rear heel stamped down hard, halting his retreating momentum. The Canghai Sword, with its fog-like Sword Qi emanating from the Cherry Stone, easily severed the spikes atop his opponent’s club. This made the Wolf Fang Club appear as if it were balding, and the clubhead itself was riddled with scars.
"Die!"
Qi Shuo charged forward with long strides, swinging the Wolf Fang Club from left to right once more, its power undiminished, thundering towards Pei Jing.
Pei Jing formed a sword seal with his fingers and once again neutralized the force, retreating to find an opening.
However, while Qi Shuo appeared reckless and impulsive, his Martial Arts far exceeded those of his peers. Each time Pei Jing was about to stab him, Qi Shuo’s arms, wielding the Wolf Fang Club, would emit a strange pale-red glow and suddenly accelerate. This forced Pei Jing to withdraw his sword to counter, leaving him stuck on the defensive.
"Five Elements Opening Veins."
Huang Donglai spoke gravely, "Qi Shuo’s arms are bulging with green veins, his skin flushed red. This is actually the Jing Country Army’s unique Five Elements Opening Veins Skill. It forcefully stimulates Qi and blood to enhance strength."
"That’s right. This Cultivation Technique has five levels. It’s easy to learn but difficult to master. It harms the body when used, and one must promptly apply medicinal pastes and oils afterward to recover."
Sun Yixie continued, "It looks like contestant Qi Shuo is pushing for a quick finish. I’m not sure if Pei Jing can hold out."
Sun and Huang both worked for the Academic Palace press. They were brought in as commentators because they were skilled, spotting the Cultivation Technique Qi Shuo was using at a glance. Since the Arena Restriction blocked sound, they didn’t have to worry about their commentary being too loud and disrupting the contestants.
"Pei Jing is in a tough spot now," Li Wei, a Martial Artist, said with a frown. "Instructor Ren Xin once said that Jing Country Martial Artists would only use the Five Elements Opening Veins Skill in a life-or-death situation, activating it and keeping it active until the end. But that Qi Shuo can activate and deactivate it at will. He obviously possesses the rare Innate Meridian Misplacement, which allows him to suppress the side effects of the Five Elements Opening Veins Skill. With him activating and deactivating it unpredictably, his changes in speed and strength are erratic. Pei Jing is bound to make a mistake sooner or later."
"Do we have the texts for this Cultivation Technique in our Academic Palace?" Li Ang asked in a deep voice, his eyes suddenly gleaming.
"Uh?" Li Wei was momentarily startled. Li Ang isn’t even a Body Refining Student. "I don’t know. We might have to ask Master Xue Che. Are you interested too, Risheng?"
"Yeah." Li Ang gazed at the bulging veins on Qi Shuo’s arms on the arena and said seriously, "The veins in his hands... they’re controllably expanding. If this Cultivation Technique could be modified and popularized, it would make injections much easier for doctors in the future; they’d hit the mark every time."