Nine Star Hegemon Body Art c1-2048

by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k

  That was because now they all knew that these disciples had all just gone through a great life and death battle. They were all true warriors, and they didn’t dare take them lightly again.

  “Let me.” Suddenly, another figure jumped onto the martial stage. That person carried a sword on his back, and he gave off a very proud and aloof feeling.

  “Yue Zifeng!”

  Long Chen smiled slightly. Although they had temporarily been opponents for a moment while fighting for the Profound Spirit Fruit, Long Chen had always felt that Yue Zifeng was a pretty good person. He acted like most sword cultivators: proud and aloof.

  Later, Long Chen had heard from other core disciples that it wasn’t just Tang Wan-er and Ye Zhiqiu who had achieved a perfect advancement. Gu Yang, Yue Zifeng, and Song Mingyuan had also reached that level.

  As for the other core disciples, they had all achieved flawless advancements. But a perfect advancement would make a person’s foundation even sturdier and allow them to reach even greater heights in the future.

  Yue Zifeng normally wasn’t very talkative, and people didn’t really understand him very well. Seeing him jump onto the martial stage, Long Chen was filled with anticipation.

  Yue Zifeng was now like an unsheathed blade, his powerful aura making it so others found it hard to breathe.

  Luo Bing’s pupils suddenly shrank. She hadn’t expected such a powerful person to have appeared within the 108th monastery.

  With her Xiantian-level eyesight, she could immediately tell that Yue Zifeng was a powerful sword cultivator.

  Sword cultivators weren’t the same as other cultivators. They believed in their sword, and through resonance with their sword, they were able to release a power that others were unable to comprehend.

  In the ancient legends, there was a sword god high above the nine heavens. All sword cultivators who focused wholeheartedly on the Sword Dao would receive the sword god’s blessing.

  But of course, such a saying was just a saying, and no one would believe it. However, it was publicly accepted that sword cultivators were much stronger than others in the same realm.

  Yue Zifeng’s imposing mannerism already contained a hint of the Sword Dao’s grace. He clearly had quite a high level of accomplishment when it came to the Sword Dao.

  Previously, he had always been staying in the back of the crowd, indifferently watching. That was why Luo Bing hadn’t noticed him. Now she had a bad feeling.

  “Are you prepared?” Yue Zifeng icily looked at his opponent. His right hand slowly grasped his sword hilt. The instant he gripped that hilt, a cold aura shot out in all directions.

  “Come.” Zhu Feng’s guard was at its peak. A spear appeared in his hands, and his aura also erupted out.

  “Careful!”

  Yue Zifeng’s voice rang out along with the unsheathing of a blade. That ringing was like a dragon cry, and a bolt of lightning seemed to have appeared in the martial arena. That bolt was the light from his sword.

  Fast. Too fast. The instant others saw Yue Zifeng take out his sword, his sword had already reached Zhu Feng’s body.

  Zhu Feng had long since been on guard, but he still had never imagined Yue Zifeng’s sword would be so terrifying. It was already next to him by the time he reacted, and he hastily went to block.

  With an explosive bang, Zhu Feng was sent flying by a terrifying force. Inside, he was absolutely horrified. If Yue Zifeng hadn’t purposely given him a warning at the beginning, he might not have been able to react in time and would have died.

  That sword of his was too terrifying. At the same time, he blessed his luck that he had been comparatively more humble than the other disciples. That was probably why Yue Zifeng had given him that warning.

  “Careful.”

  Just as Zhu Feng was retreating, a sharp attack went straight for his abdomen. In fact, he could practically feel the sword stabbing into his body.

  Zhu Feng used his full strength to twist his body, bringing his spear to block. The instant that blade was about to reach his body, he managed to block it.

  But although he had blocked it, that energy behind it sent him flying once more. When he once more landed on the ground, he stiffened, his neck suddenly cold. A sword was placed right next to his neck.

  “You’ve lost.”

  The entire crowd was silent. Both parties were unable to believe it.

  Yue Zifeng was standing next to Zhu Feng, his sword right next to his neck. With just a thought from him, Zhu Feng’s head would fall.

  A touch of admiration appeared in Long Chen’s eyes. He quietly said to Tang Wan-er, “Yue Zifeng really is a genius. He has already stepped onto the Sword Dao. He’ll definitely be an amazing figure in the future.”

  Sword cultivators were extremely rare. Although there were many people who used swords, those people were only using their swords as tools, and not their lives.

  Each true sword cultivator was worthy of respect. That was because their Sword Dao would have to be comprehended on their own. Others were unable to help them.

  Otherwise, with Yue Zifeng’s talent, Ling Yunzi would have long since taken him as an apprentice. But sword cultivators were different from other cultivators, and there was nothing Ling Yunzi could do as a master for Yue Zifeng.

  Among ten thousand sword cultivators, there would be ten thousand different Sword Daos. None of them were the same. That was because each sword cultivator’s path would have to be comprehended on their own.

  Tang Wan-er nodded. She also was surprised to see that the low-key Yue Zifeng was actually so powerful.

  But the two of them also knew that his shocking growth definitely had to do with the huge Righteous and Corrupt battle he had experienced. In the moments between life and death, he had comprehended his own Sword Dao.

  Now, he had defeated a core disciple in just three moves, and he clearly still had strength to spare. That kind of combat ability was shocking.

  Zhu Feng sighed and nodded. “I’ve lost. Thank you for your leniency.”

  Yue Zifeng sheathed his sword behind his back, turning and jumping back into the crowd behind Long Chen.

  Tu Fang and the other Elders were delighted. Yue Zifeng had actually stealthily soared to such a level. Another amazing expert had appeared in their monastery. In the future Monastery Competition, that would definitely be helpful.

  “Hey, can a certain someone be more conscientious and not keep waiting for other people to urge them? How do you not have the slightest bit of shame? Hurry and pay up,” shouted Guo Ran.

  Luo Bing had only just recovered from her shock. Hearing Guo Ran’s ridicule, she almost lost control.

  She once more threw out her badge, and Tu Fang laughingly received it, withdrawing another eighty thousand merit points.

  This was already the third time, so it had been a total of two hundred and forty thousand merit points.

  Even for Luo Bing, the number one person besides the sect leader of the thirty-sixth monastery, someone with a great deal of wealth, this kind of loss was still unacceptable.

  Even Tu Fang, an Enforcement Elder, only obtained forty thousand merit points a year. Those merit points had to be exchanged for required items, and so he didn’t have many of them.

  Most importantly, Tu Fang was an upright person and would never use little tricks to give himself more benefits. So in truth, even Elder Sun had had more resources than him. Of course, those savings had all been left to Long Chen now.

  Perhaps that was just fate. Elder Sun had used a bunch of contemptible means to acquire all kinds of things. But in the end, they had all been used to raise the monastery’s disciples.

  Luo Bing possessed a high authority and also used some underhanded means to gain more profit. It was already a common affair for her to abuse her power for her own benefit. There wasn’t a single Elder in the thirty-sixth monastery who hadn’t been vexed by her.

  So, it was a fact that she possessed a huge amount of wealth. But those two hundred and forty thousand
merit points still caused her incredible pain. Other Elders might work for their entire lives without saving up that much.

  In the following rounds, Luo Bing continued to be ruthless, sending out four core disciples consecutively.

  As for Long Chen’s side, Long Chen didn’t send out anyone in particular. Whichever core disciples wanted to go up, could. In any case, winning was good, but losing also wasn’t anything major.

  In those four battles, only one of their core disciples had been unlucky, losing by just a single move and being forced off the martial stage. The others had all won.

  Of seven rounds, they had won six and taken in four hundred thousand merit points. No matter how Tu Fang tried to remain calm, that excited light in his eyes still sold him out.

  Luo Bing’s expression was incredibly unsightly now. Their cultivation base and strength was clearly a level higher than their opponents, but they were still defeated. That angered her so much, she was about to snap and start killing.

  Seeing her own merit points flowing away like this, Luo Bing’s heart dripped blood. That was over half her savings.

  If she really was unable to reach her goal, then those merit points would all have been wasted. Taking a deep breath, she glanced stealthily at a man beside her and muttered a few things.

  That man nodded and smiled sinisterly. He jumped onto the martial stage, icily glancing at everyone.

  “I am a Favored. I’d like to challenge that beautiful girl to come up. I’ve taken a liking to you.”

  Hearing that, Long Chen’s eyes narrowed, and killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

  Chapter 292 Gu Yang Battles a Favored

  Following that person’s shout, Long Chen’s expression became slightly colder.

  When it came to controlling his emotions, Long Chen was definitely an expert. But the instant that man’s gaze fell on Tang Wan-er, his killing intent was ignited.

  If others insulted him, Long Chen would just smile. But if someone touched one of his taboos, he would be unable to control his feelings.

  Tang Wan-er’s expression was icy cold, and killing intent surfaced in her eyes as well. She was just about to jump onto the stage when a voice rang out:

  “Long Chen, let me battle.” That voice came from Gu Yang.

  Both Long Chen and Tang Wan-er were startled. Although Gu Yang was powerful, he wasn’t a Favored. The odds of losing were too high.

  Long Chen thought about it for a while before nodding. “You can go.”

  Gu Yang was delighted. He knew that this was extremely risky, but he was unable to suppress his battle intent. He was looking forward to having a one on one fight with a Favored.

  According to common sense, Long Chen should not have accepted. Gu Yang might be strong, but his chances of victory were low. That was something that involved eighty thousand merit points.

  But Long Chen could understand Gu Yang’s thirst. In Gu Yang’s eyes, this battle wasn’t in order to gamble for resources, but a way for him to see what level he had reached.

  As for that Favored, seeing that it wasn’t Tang Wan-er, but a random core disciple, who had come to face him, he was infuriated.

  This was clearly their attempt at humiliating him. He icily glared at them.

  “Good, since you want to court death, don’t blame me!”

  Gu Yang got on the martial stage and glared at that Favored. “I hope that when you die, you also won’t blame me!”

  “Hahaha!” That Favored’s fury somehow turned into laughter. “Someone like you dares to be arrogant? Die you little pig!”

  That Favored suddenly roared, and his aura exploded out. The berserk energy caused his feet to leave behind two footprints on the martial arena as he suddenly charged out at Gu Yang, smashing out with his fist.

  Gu Yang had long since circulated his spiritual qi to its peak. With a harsh shout, runes lit up on his body and a vast aura shot out of him as well. He punched out.

  BOOM!

  The instant their two fists met, the entire martial stage shook. Powerful gales shot out in every direction, causing everyone’s clothes to blow back.

  The both of them then instantly retreated a couple of steps. The Favored couldn’t help being astonished.

  “So you have a few tricks. But let me see just how many of my fists you can receive!” The Favored snorted, and his fists began to smash at Gu Yang.

  This was the first time Gu Yang had an opportunity to fight a Favored one against one. Battle intent soared off him. He repeatedly roared, facing off against him with his own fists.

  BOOM!

  BOOM!

  BOOM!

  The two of them were both brute strength style fighters. Each time their fists connected, the entire martial arena would shake, and powerful gales would explode out, chilling everyone.

  “Gu Yang is so powerful! He can actually withstand a Favored,” exclaimed Tang Wan-er.

  Favored were all supposed to be incomparably powerful. The fact that he could exchange over ten blows without losing was already out of everyone’s expectations.

  “This is still just the warm-up, so it’s still too early to say.” Long Chen shook his head. How could a Favored only have this little skill?

  And as he expected, after over a hundred intense collisions, they once more separated.

  “Not bad. It’s been a while since I’ve exercised my body. But if you think this the limit of my power, you would be gravely mistaken. Now I’ll let you see what true strength is! Earthen Armor!”

  A mark appeared over his forehead, and a powerful energy exploded out, causing the land to tremble.

  That Favored’s clothes burst off his upper body, revealing his skin that looked like it was made of rock. In fact, his entire body grew taller, and the lines covering his arms were very rock-like.

  He roared, and stamping on the ground, he charged at Gu Yang with a fist. “Rock Fist!”

  Gu Yang used his full strength to block, but he was still sent flying dozens of meters away. Even once he landed on the ground, he still stumbled back several steps before stabilizing.

  In the end, he even coughed up a mouthful of blood, causing Tang Wan-er’s expression to change. Gu Yang had finally been injured.

  “Crap!” Song Mingyuan and the others were all shocked. If he was wounded with just one blow, how could he fight?

  “Don’t worry about it. Gu Yang still has moves,” consoled Long Chen.

  Long Chen had exchanged blows with Gu Yang before, and he knew his physical body was extremely powerful. This little injury was unable to affect his strength.

  “Looks like you’re quite stubborn. That’s good. I’ll just have to smash you to mincemeat.” That Favored once more charged at Gu Yang.

  Gu Yang’s blood was roiling inside, but his battle intent was still soaring. Seeing that person charge at him, Gu Yang smiled coldly.

  His spatial ring shook, and a golden spear appeared in his hands. Gu Yang’s feet sank down slightly.

  “Ancestral blood support!” A rune lit up atop Gu Yang’s forehead. His runes had originally just been covering his four limbs, but now they spread to cover his entire body, even densely covering his face. He appeared very frightening now.

  This was one of Gu Yang’s trump cards. By activating his ancestral blood support, his strength would explode to an unprecedented level.

  He viciously smashed that spear straight at the charging Favored.

  BOOM! The instant that spear collided with the fist that was covered in earthen lines, a metallic explosion rang out. The martial stage beneath their feet caved in from their impact.

  That Favored’s arm shook intensely, and a force he couldn’t block sent him flying. He hastily stabilized himself, appalled.

  Gu Yang’s golden spear had been snatched from the Corrupt path’s genius, Yin Luo. Its weight was alarming, and that Favored was knocked back almost three hundred meters before just barely managing to stabilize himself.

  When he finally stabilized, Luo Bing’s discip
les all breathed a sigh of relief. As for the disciples on Long Chen’s side, they all sighed that it was a pity.

  That Favored was just a couple inches from the edge of the martial stage. If he had just been pushed back slightly more, then according to the rules, he would have lost.

  Turning back to look behind him, that Favored sighed in relief at his close call. Turning to look at Gu Yang’s spear, greed sparked in his heart.

  “Your weapon. I want it.”

  That Favored could instantly tell that Gu Yang’s spear was a treasure and immediately wanted to take it for himself. It seemed he had already forgotten that this wasn’t the thirty-sixth monastery.

  “You want it? Come take it.” Gu Yang roared, his spear attacking that Favored.

  In response, that Favored didn’t hold back any of his spiritual qi, and his fist smashed into Gu Yang’s spear.

  With another loud metallic ringing, everyone was shocked to see sparks flying the instant that fist and spear met. It was as if that fist was made of steel.

  “A rare earth cultivator!” Tu Fang exclaimed.

  This Favored had been someone born with an innate earth energy. But because he was a Favored, that earth energy had transformed, becoming more like rock energy.

  Not only did that increase his physical strength, but it also made his physical body incredibly hard. In other words, both his attack and defense had been sharply improved.

  Gu Yang’s spear continuously collided with his fists over and over again. Gu Yang’s blows were incomparably valiant, and he surprisingly was forcing back that Favored step by step.

  “Excellent! If this continues, Gu Yang should win!” Luo Cang’s blood was boiling just from watching this.

  “You’re wrong. If this continues, Gu Yang will lose.” Long Chen shook his head.

  “What? Gu Yang has clearly taken the advantage.” Luo Cang didn’t understand.

  “I’ve heard that earth cultivators are specialized in battles of attrition just like wood cultivators.

  “Looking at Gu Yang right now, his attacks are like a torrent of rain, and it looks extremely impressive as if he has taken the advantage. But in reality, this is extremely unfavorable for him.