In the arena.
Fang Ping put on a serious expression instead of his normal insouciant, flippant smiles he habitually wore, saying, “This battle, I have waited for it for a long time.”
“Same here.”
“Don’t hold back.”
“I won’t.”
“…”
While the two men exchanged quips, the Peak Rank-6 referee arrived, treading on air. He shouted, “Start!”
Bang!
Something exploded in the air!
As the referee sounded his command, Wang Jinyang swung his saber at somewhere far away. His Vitality exploded in a blast.
Fang Ping’s face whitened, but then he recuperated quickly, guffawing. “Not enough!”
As he spoke, countless incorporeal blades, passing through some other dimension entirely, materialized in front of Wang Jinyang in the blink of an eye.
Fang Ping had used his Mentality on him at the start of the battle.
Wang Jinyang was unruffled. He swung his saber, which he wielded with both his hands. Although his Mentality was not so powerful he could use it externally, it was not weak either.
He was able to sense Mentality attacks.
Although Mentality was incorporeal and shapeless, it did not mean that he could not counter it––Fang Ping was not that strong. His Vitality was channeled all over his saber, and it erupted in blades of energy that shattered the incorporeal blades one by one.
“Child’s play!”
Wang Jinyang had no intention of wasting his Vitality on him any longer. He stomped on the ground and flew up. The Vitality channeled all over his body exploded in an outburst. The sound of his Vitality rushing out could be heard in all corners of the arena.
“Ha!”
Wang Jinyang shortened the distance between him and Fang Ping immediately. His saber, as swift and threatening as lightning, hacked downward as he let out a loud growl!
“Did you think I was Xiao Yuming?”
Fang Ping growled in retaliation. He raised his saber, holding the hilt tight with both hands, and hacked horizontally!
Bang, bang, bang!
The sounds of their sabers clashing repeatedly could be heard. The extremely potent Vitality outburst illuminated the entire stadium a bloody red.
They were both immensely fast. They were initially on equal ground when their sabers clashed together, but then Wang Jinyang fended Fang Ping off with a loud growl, his saber glowing blood-red!
“Not enough!”
Fang Ping growled. He leaped up into the air and swooped down again, his Mentality flowing out again. At the same time, the saber in his hands shrieked loudly as it cut through the air. He materialized on top of Wang Jinyang’s head!
Bang!
A loud noise boomed and Wang Jinyang appeared on top of Fang Ping. Fang Ping’s saber hacked down on the arena.
The massive arena vibrated incessantly. The bottom of it sunk down into the ground.
Wang Jinyang dodged his attack, but Fang Ping was unfazed. Suddenly, several huge Vitality blades appeared on top of their heads!
They swooped down on Wang Jinyang.
At the same time, Fang Ping’s Mentality morphed into a thin barrier that contained Wang Jinyang!
“You can’t lock me in!”
Wang Jinyang snarled coldly. His saber was again emitting a bright light. He shattered several Vitality blades with one hack of his saber. The Vitality in them exploded instantly, but he did not pause. He hacked again!
Crack!
There was an almost indecipherable crackling sound, and the thin Mentality barrier was shattered instantly.
“I didn’t expect it to!”
Fang Ping laughed loudly, having already approached Wang Jinyang, and his saber swept toward him again!
“Seven collective slashes!”
Fang Ping was not using Royal Decapitation. Although Manic Explosion was weaker in terms of penetrability, the seven collective slashes move was still the most powerful combat technique he had mastered. If he severed his opponent’s flesh, they would lose to him anyway!
The sounds of airborne explosions were incessant.
The explosions reverberated in the heavens. And flames appeared out of the blue––under high velocity and temperature, the air was ignited!
Wang Jinyang growled and swung his saber outward!
Seven collective slashes!
Fang Ping had mastered Zhang Dingnan’s saber combat techniques, and so did he!
Bang!
Both of them flew backward after a loud bang.
As Wang Jinyang was airborne, he sheathed his saber and retrieved his bow from his back, where he had strapped it on. He took out an arrow, nocked it, and fired!
Bang!
The arrow shot through the air, faster than sound. The sound of an explosion could be heard when it neared Fang Ping.
…
“That was fast!”
The announcer exclaimed, “That arrow was so fast!”
“Fang Ping was faster!”
Before the female announcer could finish, Fang Ping had already risen up into the air. The arrow behind him followed after him relentlessly, but it failed to catch up to him. Countless mirages appeared in everyone’s sight above them in the gymnasium.
The skill Fang Ping was always proud of was not the power behind his combat techniques. Since entering Rank-4, he had been practicing his Flight Step.
His prowess in that skill was not known because there was no need to show it.
Fang Ping was not willing to be shot, but Wang Jinyang did not mind. He continued to fire his arrows!
Three consecutive arrows!
They lit up as they traveled through the air, only to block Fang Ping’s escape routes.
Somewhere far away, Fang Ping growled. He spun in the air and kicked the arrow behind him off course.
The arrow swooped down somewhere outside the venue.
Bang!
A loud noise. The arrow landed on the Mentality barrier the Grandmaster-level powerhouses had erected. There was a Vitality outburst so strong the air vibrated. The running track some ways down exploded, leaving a huge crater.
…
On the grandstand.
Several Grandmasters nodded. The two of them had reached the most extreme limit a Rank-4 martial artist could reach!
Fang Ping’s moves were not powerful or explosive enough, but his Vitality was extremely strong.
Fang Ping, with a Vitality of more than 3000cal, could be compared to Rank-5 martial artists in that regard.
His control over his power was weaker compared to them, of course, but even a fragment of his current power was not something the average Rank-4 martial artist could aspire to have.
Wang Jinyang was excellent in that regard, on the other hand.
“Who can win?”
A Grandmaster present asked.
Their observation skills were out of this world, but the two of them made it difficult to decide between them.
Huang Jing said thoughtfully, “If that’s all Wang Jinyang’s capable of, he’ll definitely lose!”
He did not make this statement because Fang Ping was a student of MCMAU.
Wang Jinyang was strong, but he was not able to incapacitate Fang Ping in seconds––his move could not injure Fang Ping seriously. If that went on, and Fang Ping rose up with a better advantage, he would definitely lose!
Fang Ping was extremely fast, and his defense and recovery speed was extremely strong!
As they talked, Fang Ping laid a Mentality barrier and a thick Vitality barrier down. He stood, taunting, as he opted not to escape but to take Wang Jinyang’s three arrows directly!
The loud explosion roared through the skies!
The Vitality arrows exploded and dismantled Fang Ping’s several barriers, but Fang Ping caught them with his bare hand and threw them up in the air. They landed in front of Chen Yunxi, still vibrating.
Fang Ping’s message was clear. ‘These arrows are now mine!’
On the grandstand, the Grandmasters’ faces soured. It was not because Fang Ping was too strong, but because of his shamelessness!
‘You still have the nerve to seize other people’s weapons even now?’
The NMAU Vice-chancellor looked on, helpless. NMAU was poor and those few arrows were expensive. Fang Ping would not take them, would he?
Huang Jing said nothing. The possibility of NMAU reclaiming them was low.
On the grandstand, Chen Yunxi hesitated. She pulled the arrow out from the ground, looking around surreptitiously, before wrapping them up with her scarf with an exhale. Her message was also clear. ‘These arrows now have a new master.’
Chen Yaoting’s expression darkened. He glared hostilely at Fang Ping. ‘My granddaughter’s been led astray!’
Huang Jing acted as if he did not see her actions. He said seriously, “Watch the competition!”
“They’ve started to get serious!”
Everyone turned to look at the two men onstage. It was as if their grand confrontation prior was just an appetizer.
…
Just as Fang Ping took the three arrows for himself, Wang Jinyang’s aura shifted!
In the blink of an eye, Wang Jinyang became a man made of blood!
The aggressive sounds of blood flowing reminded everyone of the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against one another.
Fang Ping did not just lay in wait for the other to attack. Just as Wang Jinyang’s aura changed, Fang Ping’s silhouette flickered, as if he had traveled through air. Before the mirage could dissipate, he had already appeared on top of Wang Jinyang’s head!
At that moment, Wang Jinyang did not pull his bow. His bow and arrows gleamed a bloody red. That thick blood-red Vitality arrow made the air around them tremble as Wang Jinyang pulled his bow.
In the blink of an eye, the blood-red arrow shot toward Fang Ping silently!
This was not the end. Wang Jinyang growled as the Vitality enveloping his body thickened to a limit. He shot arrow after arrow. They seemed to materialize out of nothing as he aimed and shot without pause. They passed through the air, heading toward Fang Ping!
Wang Jinyang, with his jade marrow, had a strong Vitality that recovered extremely fast.
At this moment, he, who had finally shown the full extent of his power, shot arrows that contained extremely potent Vitality.
Fang Ping continued to lay down Mentality barriers midair.
They were shattered by a blood arrow immediately after completion, though. The arrow did not slow down as it chased after him.
A thick Vitality barrier materialized, protecting Fang Ping’s exterior. He said furiously, “You’re bullying me! You weren’t like this when you fought Ironhead Li!”
Fang Ping was flabbergasted!
‘You didn’t channel Vitality so strong when you fought Li Hansong!’
“There’s been a breakthrough in my Vitality!”
Wang Jinyang replied as he kept shooting arrows.
‘Sorry, just count yourself unlucky. I’ve really achieved a small breakthrough.’ It was related to Li Hansong, too. Ironhead Li’s cranial bones had mutated, and he had good control over his cranial bones. Wang Jinyang had not considered that before, so he tried after going back into his room. He discovered that he… Could control the marrow in his cranial bones!
He then talked to Li Hansong about that, and… He discovered the extremely potent power that his cranial marrow held!
Fang Ping harrumphed coldly. ‘F*ck if I believe you!’
‘But if your Vitality is strong, can you be stronger than me?’
“You forced me to do this!”
Fang Ping growled angrily, and five Celestial Bridges appeared outside his body.
The next moment, his never-ending flow of Vitality combined with Mentality rushed into the Bridges. The Bridges, originally invisible to everyone else, glowed a crystalline blood-red.
And as the currents of Mentality and Vitality flowed inside, Fang Ping raised his saber. The combined currents of power on the Bridges surged into the saber, and the saber started to shake violently, so violently that it started to creak!
…
“My saber!”
Qin Fengqing’s eyes turned red. He had heard the creaking sounds. Fang Ping was doing something and power surged in and shattered his saber!
“My saber, Fang Ping, you bastard!”
That was his B-grade saber that he managed to obtain with so much difficulty! Would that bastard Fang Ping compensate him for his loss?
If he had… Would this bastard bring up the 40 million he owed him again?
Qin Fengqing was both anxious and angry. Who knew that this guy could destroy a B-grade saber?
…
At the same time.
On the grandstand, several Grandmasters stood up.
“Outrageous!”
“Mentality-Vitality Fusion!”
“He’s forcing these two currents of power together through the Bridges. He’s playing with his life!”
A Grandmaster shouted furiously.
Only Peak Rank-6 martial artists would attempt a Mentality-Vitality fusion normally. Not the average Peak Rank-6, either. Tang Feng could do it, for example, but Lu Fengrou could not!
The power birthed by a Mentality-Vitality fusion was another new type of force entirely.
The Grandmasters called it Celestiality, a whole new force that could shake the heavens!
The two combined were much stronger compared to them individually. This was the reason why Grandmasters could overpower non-Grandmaster martial artists completely!
“The Bridges will shatter!”
Everyone looked at Huang Jing? ‘What are you doing, not stopping him?’
Huang Jing was baffled. ‘Where did he learn that?’
‘Who taught him that?’
After Fang Ping could use his Mentality externally, he could already attempt a fusion of his Vitality and Mentality, but Huang Jing and the other instructors did not tell him that because it was highly dangerous.
He was not at Peak Rank-6 yet, his Sanjiao Gate isn’t closed, and he hasn’t honed all his internal organs yet.
If he tried to fuse them and produce Celestiality, he would fail to withstand the aftershocks.
They were difficult to fuse together, too, so he did not expect Fang Ping to go at it the unconventional way––using his Celestial Bridges to be the medium!
This was Fang Ping’s own idea. The others did not know of that.
It was not that they did not know, actually. Someone else had attempted this as well, including Peak Rank-6 martial artists, but they all shattered their own Bridges!
Huang Jing did not know where Fang Ping had learned this from, and Fang Ping did not tell. He had thought of this when he channeled Mentality to Old Man Li.
During the long period of time he spent nurturing his saber, he had tried fusing his Mentality and Vitality a few times and discovered that they were indeed hard to fuse.
In a completely unintended way, when he was checking the stability of his Celestial Bridges, his Mentality and Vitality both showed weak signs of fusing.
This made him think of the outrageous idea of making the Bridges the medium for fusion.
Old Man Li could use his Longevity Sword as his medium because he had reached a stage where he was able to do so. The Sword was almost part of him now.
…
In the gymnasium.
Wang Jinyang expressed his surprise!
The force channeled after a Mentality-Vitality fusion made him feel as if a Grandmaster had come!
Fang Ping was indeed a genius!
“Did you think that you would definitely win?”
Wang Jinyang’s gaze sharpened. He could accept a defeat to anyone else.
Losing to Fang Ping? That was out of the question!
Just as Fang Ping fused his Mentality and Vitality, Wang Jinyang released a concentrated burst of Vitality. Blood slowly seeped through the pores of his skin in small droplets!
On the grandstand, the NMAU vice-chancellor watched with mixed emotions.
The power in his marrow was so great, it was seeping through his skin!
Wang Jinyang would definitely suffer dire consequences after this stunt. He would have to rest for a long time before recovering. NMAU’s battle against FMS could end early.
Wang Jinyang would be unable to battle after this round.
The vice-chancellor sighed. He said nothing. From the school’s point of view, Wang Jinyang was being reckless and completely ignoring the big picture.
Wang Jinyang had achieved a breakthrough in his strength. He might be able to win against the Rank-5 Yao Chengjun. Third place had been a possibility.
Now, just to battle Fang Ping, he had ignited his power without a second thought about his future. Third place was now out of the picture.
The vice-chancellor had nothing to say to this.
The two of them on stage were really invested in this battle now. Fang Ping was technically a quasi-disciple of Wang Jinyang’s. Being his introductory mentor in martial arts, he had played an important role in Fang Ping’s life!
Wang Jinyang could be calm in the face of his defeat to someone else, but he could not accept himself losing to Fang Ping!
…
As the two of them released their maximum power, in the gymnasium, it looked as if everything had changed!
The Peak Rank-6 referee in the arena looked deathly serious!
The two announcers said nothing as well.
The silhouette of Fang Ping’s saber was extremely colossal, so huge that it completely obscured the sky. It shook so violently that the Mentality barriers around it started to tremble.
Wang Jinyang’s bow was starting to break as well. He did not create arrows this time but materialized a blood-red changdao. The clash of aura made the powerhouses present feel pressured!
Their moves, if backed up by their full power, could be compared to the outburst of an upper-stage Rank-5 martial artist!
When they clashed, the power produced was comparable to a Rank-6 martial artist’s!
“Ha!”
“Ha!”
The next moment, both of them yelled at the same time. Fang Ping hacked down from higher ground. Before his saber could hit his target, the B-grade alloy saber was already starting to break!
Wang Jinyang’s alloy-made bow had directly broken cleanly into two!
Before their two weapons could clash, explosive sounds could already be heard. Gusts of wind rampaged, and the ground around them started to collapse!
Wang Jinyang surged up into the air, a blood-red demon. Rivulets of blood rained down on the ground, but he did not care, dashing toward Fang Ping!
Fang Ping’s skin was already crackling midair. Celestiality was not something he could fully wield. His hands, holding his saber, had already become indecipherable clumps of flesh and blood. The explosion was going up and up, his flesh continuing to implode.
…
Bang!
The loud noise deafened everyone present and made them dizzy.
The gymnasium looked like it had been assaulted by countless bombs. Massive quantities of soil were blown up, and they shot out, colliding with the Mentality barriers around the venue.
The air was rife with sand and dirt, so no one could see for themselves what was happening.
…
Outside.
Yao Chengjun and Li Hansong both looked deathly serious!
Yes, this was only a friendly championship, so everyone did not use the full extent of their strength and fight to the death.
But it did not mean that they had preserved much of their strength.
Despite that, Fang Ping and Wang Jinyang were much stronger than before after unleashing their full power!
It could be said that the united efforts of the two of them were able to kill a lower-stage Rank-5 martial artist before, or even a middle-stage one, but now, if the two of them collaborated, they could kill a Peak Rank-5 martial artist, or even a Rank-6 martial artist whose Sanjiao Gate was closed if he had underestimated the two of them and did not give his all.
The two geniuses looked bitter for a moment, but they recovered soon.
At this stage, the two of them onstage had been fighting to the death almost. If they were to risk their lives as well, they could reach this level too.
…
The explosions rang in their ears for a long time.
It was until the sand and dust fell down to the ground that they could see what was happening in the arena. The first look there, the audience all exclaimed with surprise.
The gymnasium was totally different!
The arena was still there, but the gymnasium had completely transformed. Only a plot of black soil was left, together with countless craters.
The arena looked much higher up than before.
Fang Ping stood proudly on the arena, the changdao in his hands jagged.
He stood anchoring himself on his saber. Blood covered every inch of him.
Wang Jinyang on the other side had lost his shirt early on. Scars ran all over his body, which looked like a shattered vase.
“I win!”
As Fang Ping spoke, currents of blood surged out from his mouth so swiftly he could not even swallow them down!
‘This bastard Old Wang risked his life against me. I should’ve landed another blow on him and killed him!’
Wang Jinyang appeared confused. He then raised his hand to wipe at the blood at the corner of his mouth, chuckling. “It’s not your victory yet, is it?”
Fang Ping harrumphed, and then his body burned up with Vitality!
“I can still fight another round against you!”
Wang Jinyang looked taken aback. He was helpless and dejected and wanted to curse at someone else, but there was nothing he could do.
He sighed.
“Don’t push it. Your internal organs are injured seriously. Let’s count it as your win, then.”
Wang Jinyang shook his head. He walked down the arena, coughing up blood throughout. A loss was a loss. It could also be his motivation.
A smile bloomed on Fang Ping’s face. He walked down the arena as well, spine straight. Wang Jinyang was completely limp, while Fang Ping still had the time to tidy his own hair.
…
On the grandstand.
Huang Jing was helpless. He glanced at Tang Feng. The other man nodded and walked out. That kid, his internal organs were already seriously hurt, but he was still keeping up appearances! Did he not fear that his organs would break down?
