The Road to Legend

"So it's a fire-attribute Profound Armor). Perfect, I'm also very skilled with fire."

Huyan Lie's eyes sharpened, and he struck first. Purple lightning surged around him, and his blade moved like lightning. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed hundreds of sword energies, crisscrossing and slashing out.

He said he would use fire, but he actually unleashed the power of thunder, demonstrating the principle of "all's fair in war" to the fullest extent.

Since the temperature of the Vermilion Flame Sword had not yet reached its optimal range, Si Ming was in no hurry to launch an attack. He held the sword upright in front of his chest with his right hand and formed a sword seal with his left. Powerful Sword Qi burst forth and condensed around his body into a large cauldron, its three legs firmly planted on the ground, as stable as Mount Tai.

"Juntian Sword Art - Cauldron Armor Seal!"

Endless blade energy slashed against the sword armor, producing clanging sounds, but it couldn't budge Si Ming even half a step. Although the Vermilion Bird Machine was a mobile type and its armor was a weakness, that was relative to the specially made Profound Armor of the same level. Compared to ordinary mass-produced Profound Armor, its defensive capabilities were actually higher than the average level. The activated protective Edict Circuit was like True Qi true qi, thickening the sword armor.

Huyan Lie, Hu Yanlie knew that the scattered attack was too weak to break through the defense. He snorted coldly, stepped in, gathered his energy and unleashed a powerful palm strike, creating a hurricane and raging waves, demonstrating the profound cultivation of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, and forcefully shattering the sword armor.

The Vermilion Bird Machine spread its wings, Si Ming used the force to fly backward. The remaining palm force struck him, but it didn't hurt him at all.

Huyan Lie refused to let up easily. With a flick of his blade, flames erupted as he unleashed his full Cultivation Body, ignoring the backlash from his injuries, determined to finish the battle in one swift move.

"War Flames Burn the Heavens!"

The air pressure around them suddenly changed, all the oxygen in the surrounding area was burned up, the sky darkened, and in the dimness only a blazing blade of fire could be seen slashing down from the sky!

Even with the help of the Xuanjia Profound Armor, Si Ming still had no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation with Spirit Transformation Grandmaster. However, he showed no fear or doubt on his face and formed a sword seal again, merging it with the Vermilion Flame Sword.

"Juntian Sword Art - Light Lotus Seal!"

In an instant, a giant lotus flower formed from intense light bloomed brilliantly, dazzling the world and turning the dim sky into a vast expanse of white.

Huyan Lie's eyes were affected, causing his nerves to twitch and his internal energy to become disordered. In a moment of distraction, he lost his target. The Soaring Flame Blade cleaved through the light lotus, but did not feel any physical impact.

The next moment, the light lotus transformed into a sword rainbow that shot out in all directions, sweeping across the land as if it had been plowed a thousand times, with crisscrossing ravines and only the intersecting sword light remaining between heaven and earth.

The original Light Lotus Seal did not have a visually striking effect, and the light it emitted was not strong. Its threat lay entirely in the subsequent diffraction of sword light. However, Si Ming combined it with the "Solar Flare" from the "Blazing Yang Battle Art," giving it the effect of striking first and achieving great success.

Huyan Lie was already wounded and staggering, at his last gasp. Suddenly, he saw flames shooting into the sky and a pair of crimson phoenix wings flapping and swooping down toward him.

"The flames of war are raging... Ugh!"

Huyan Lie forcefully raise his inner energy and unleash another ultimate move, but the accumulated injuries finally became uncontrollable. His body went into chaos, and the gathered Primal Qi scattered before it could take shape.

The crimson phoenix wings were upon his face in the blink of an eye. Huyan Lie raise his sword to block, but a flash of red light appeared, and the battered blade instantly melted away. Then he felt a sharp pain in his right arm and lost all feeling.

The two brushed past each other, the outcome of the contest now decided.

A severed arm lay on the ground, scorched by the high temperature, its blood evaporated, making regeneration impossible.

Si Ming did not turn to look at the defeated figure behind him. He flapped his wings and silently left the battlefield.

The outcome of this battle was already predetermined.

Chapter 249 The Road to Legend

"The operation was a success; I severed Huyan Lie's arm."

After returning to the Black Earth Gang headquarters, Si Ming reported the results of the battle to everyone.

"That's enough. Although Spirit Transformation Grandmaster has the ability to regenerate severed limbs, it takes anywhere from six months to three to five years to recover. In addition, the severity of his injuries will also slow down his recovery. We don't need to worry about him making a comeback for at least three years."

Zhu Hao sighed deeply. After all, this was an old rival he had been fighting against for several years. He never expected to be defeated like this. If the purpose of this operation had not been to seriously injure rather than kill, he probably would not have been able to save his life.

Limb regeneration is different from ordinary serious injury. Bone growth is a very troublesome thing. It requires careful adjustment during the process to avoid it growing crooked. Even with the microscopic control ability of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, one must be cautious at every turn. You see, Saiyans can destroy planets, but they still can't regenerate limbs.

Yu Shuying said to Si Ming, "Then my mission is complete. Now you need to hurry up and investigate the Rust Disease thoroughly. I don't want to stay in this awful place for too long."

"Don't worry, if I really have no other choice, I'll ask you for help."

Si Ming had contributed a lot to the ambush on Huyan Lie, and Yu Shuying felt obligated to repay him, so she didn't refuse, but returned to her room with a helpless expression.

Lin Qingtong looked at the not-so-strong figure and clicked her tongue, saying, "When she first said she could take down the Thousand Ren Society in ten days, I thought she was just ignorant and fearless. Later, when she said she could get the Thousand Blade Society out of the top ten in five days, I just thought it was a joke. I didn't expect her to actually do it, and in just four days... This kind of person is really terrifying. Family, friendship, and love are probably just pawns that she can use at will."

Zhu Hao retorted, "Don't you believe in strength above all else? This is also a kind of power—eliminating the opponent without bloodshed, trapping the enemy with mere words. In military strategy, this is called 'the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting.' You should learn more from her."

"Forget it, I'll just stick to my martial arts path. As long as I train hard, my martial strength will definitely improve, but how can I improve my intelligence? Is reading more books enough? Reading books increases knowledge, not wisdom, right? I don't have any talent in that area, so I'd better not humiliate myself."

Lin Qingtong shook her head, declining the suggestion, and continued, "I just wonder, is it really okay to let Yu Shuying become Grandmaster? I always feel that no one would want to be her friend, and cooperation with her would only be based on self-interest."

Zhu Hao shook his head and said, "In a sense, it's indeed better for Grandmaster to avoid getting involved with any groups or organizations. Without personal connections, the trial can be fair and impartial without any scruples. Look at the Grandmaster throughout history; they rarely had close relationships with representatives of any organization. Their friends were often lone wolves, which ensured the Grandmaster's detached status and prevented bribery. Of course, it would be better if she modified her personality a little. Even if she doesn't need friends, there's no need for her to be prickly and drive people away."

Si Ming found interacting with Yu Shuying quite pleasant. She was straightforward, didn't beat around the bush, and was very efficient in handling matters. As for her sarcastic remarks, he simply ignored them, assuming they were just her sharp tongue.

Why must human relationships always involve friendship and affection? What's wrong with purely mutually beneficial relationships?

Listen to her words and observe her actions. What she says is not important; what matters is what she does. If she can bring victory after victory or provide significant help, then there's nothing wrong with tolerating her prickly personality.

The key is to correct each other's positions. If you regard Yu Shuying as a confidante, you will naturally find her personality terrible and unbearable. But if you only regard her as a business partner, this flaw seems insignificant compared to her abilities.

Of course, being enemies with Yu Shuying would be a terrible thing. All his thoughts would be seen through, and he would be powerless to fight back in terms of strategy. Si Ming felt that if he and Yu Shuying were to become enemies one day, the best way would be to gather the strongest people on his side and launch a direct attack to destroy the Yellow Dragon's stronghold. He would use force to push through and minimize the influence of strategy.

"I'll go back to my room to put my things down and rest for another day. Fighting Spirit Transformation Grandmaster is really exhausting. Even if you have the advantage, you have to concentrate, for fear that you might let your opponent escape if you're not careful."

After bidding farewell to everyone, Si Ming headed towards his room, where he bumped into Qingyan.

"Hey breakfast uncle, is there anything you need from me?"

"That's a strange title... Anyway, I have a favor to ask you. The unemployment rate in Russia is extremely high, and most stable jobs require working for gangs. So I was wondering if there are any vacancies in the Black Earth Gang. I just recently obtained a certificate..."

Before he could finish speaking, Si Ming readily agreed, "No problem, I'll talk to the cafeteria. You don't need a chef's certificate; just report to the cafeteria tomorrow." He should repay this favor.

Qingyan was taken aback. He originally wanted to say that he had passed the medical qualification exam and was qualified to perform some minor surgeries. Since gang members were constantly fighting, this position was always in short supply and was the most sought-after position. Once he became the Black Earth Gang's doctor, he could freely enter and leave the base and find opportunities to assassinate targets at any time.