Flowing Cloud

Facing the spear thrust directly at him, Ye Shuanghen merely smiled. In an instant, he swung his sword against the spear, then used the force to leap over Chu Kuang and land behind him.

As he turned, his blade carved seventeen afterimages through the air—this was the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique's Flowing Cloud Sword Curtain!

This was the most commonly used move of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. Legend had it that once mastered to perfection, a single swing of the sword could unleash forty-nine sword shadows, slaughtering powerful foes like a raging tempest.

Faced with such an attack, Chu Kuang activated his Iron Armor Technique. Dark golden force surged around his body as he raised the Gold-Splitting Spear horizontally to block. When sword and spear collided, they rang out like clashing gold and jade.

Ye Shuanghen's sword momentum came in waves, one after another. Yet Chu Kuang stood firm as a rock. With a shake of his spear shaft, he thrust straight at Ye Shuanghen's throat with Split Gold Shatter Jade.

In response, Ye Shuanghen chuckled. The Flowing Cloud Willow Shadow movement technique activated, and his figure dissipated like mist. The spear tip pierced nothing but an afterimage.

After evading the strike, Ye Shuanghen transformed into layers of misty phantoms. One Flowing Cloud sword move after another targeted the vital points across Chu Kuang's body.

"Flowing Cloud Willow Shadow truly lives up to its reputation."

Chu Kuang stomped forward fiercely and activated the Blood Battle in All Directions movement technique. In an instant, his eyes saw through the countless phantoms and located Ye Shuanghen's true body. Then he drove his spear forward with all his strength.

This strike split gold and shattered stone, blossoming with deadly golden radiance. It was the ultimate technique that could only be mastered after bringing the Gold-Splitting Spear to great mastery—Stone Crushing Gold Splitting.

Ye Shuanghen's brow furrowed slightly. He knew it was already too late to dodge.

So his sword momentum shifted. The previously howling sword light became like entwining threads of cloud, each stroke attempting to guide the spear's trajectory away.

Though Chu Kuang's Gold-Splitting Spear was fierce and powerful, it felt as though it had struck cotton. Seven-tenths of its force was dissipated.

This was the unique Flowing Cloud internal force that could only be mastered once the Flowing Cloud Art reached perfection. It was even three parts more exquisite than the Purple Cloud Divine Art. When infused into the sword, it became as elusive and unpredictable as mist.

"I didn't expect you to have mastered Blood Battle in All Directions. Unfortunately, this movement technique cannot be controlled by anyone but a fierce general."

"With your strength, I'm afraid you still can't bring out this movement technique's full power."

Having defused Chu Kuang's full-powered strike in one move, Ye Shuanghen let out a long howl. His figure drifted unpredictably, like an idle cloud or wild crane wandering the world. Every time he swept past Chu Kuang, he searched for an opportunity to kill with a single blow.

Suddenly, Ye Shuanghen seized the instant Chu Kuang's spear momentum was spent. His sword blade slid down alongside the shaft, slashing straight for Chu Kuang's wrist!

Chu Kuang's expression changed sharply. He forcibly switched moves with his right hand and released the spear, then caught it with his left hand at the critical moment. Instantly, the spear butt swept back, trying to force Ye Shuanghen away.

"Sword Rises Flowing Cloud!"

In that instant, Ye Shuanghen's gaze turned cold. The Flowing Cloud Art circulated at full force, and hazy cloud energy rose from his blade. His body moved like a phantom as he thrust his sword forward. Nine sword shadows seemed to attack the vital points all over Chu Kuang's body at once.

Chu Kuang's pupils suddenly contracted. He understood that this was an ultimate technique only available after mastering the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.

"Just in time."

Faced with such an attack, Chu Kuang had no time to think. He made the most decisive choice in an instant.

He pushed the Iron Armor Technique to its limit, his entire body taking on a bluish-black hue. Like an indestructible iron man, he chose to take the attack head-on.

At the same time, the Gold-Splitting Spear stabbed fiercely into the ground. Its shaft sprang up like a giant python, sweeping in every direction and meeting the sword shadows head-on!

Boom—!

Force exploded, massive rocks shattered, and several cracks more than thirty feet long spread across the Starry Arena.

Then Ye Shuanghen flew backward, coughing blood. On the low-gravity arena, he was nearly flung into the starry void. At the crucial moment, he plunged his sword into the ground, yet still slid more than a hundred feet before finally bleeding off the force.

At that moment, Chu Kuang charged out from the rubble. Deep sword wounds that exposed bone covered his body, but he still rushed at Ye Shuanghen through the blood.

He was like a war spear, charging forward with unstoppable force and crossing the distance of more than a hundred feet almost instantly.

"Thousand Jun Formation Breaker!"

Ye Shuanghen's expression changed drastically, but it was too late to evade. He could only force his sword up to defend.

If Ye Shuanghen had cultivated the Purple Cloud Divine Art, which was renowned for its immense internal force, he could still have forcibly gathered his internal force and taken this move head-on.

But the Flowing Cloud Art was known for its subtlety. In terms of the depth of its true qi, it could only be considered below average among beginner internal arts.

Thus, this clash was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The outcome was decided in an instant.

"Puh—"

Ye Shuanghen spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying sideways like a kite, crashing into a Shattered Star suspended in midair.

Before he could recover his senses, a spear tore through the air and nailed him firmly to it.

"To withstand Sword Rises Flowing Cloud head-on... I didn't lose unfairly."

Ye Shuanghen sighed softly, then his entire body dissolved into illusory data.

Chu Kuang's expression remained calm. He merely glanced at the several bone-deep sword wounds on his body, and a trace of emotion appeared in his eyes.

He had been severely wounded in this battle. If not for the Iron Armor Technique's attribute bonus, which had increased his defense by an additional fifty percent, he would likely have already lost in that clash of ultimate techniques.

This Ye Shuanghen was far from simple. He had cultivated both Basic Internal Martial Arts and the Flowing Cloud Art to perfection, while also bringing both Flowing Cloud Willow Shadow and the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique to great mastery.

However, Ye Shuanghen had also taken the path of cultivating internal arts first. His external martial arts were extremely weak, which was what gave Chu Kuang the opportunity to defeat him.

"To cultivate the Flowing Cloud Art to perfection in his first year of high school, Ye Shuanghen's comprehension is at least at the Ninth Grade level, and his talent for internal arts must be exceptionally high."

"Still, his innate physique is probably rather ordinary. Otherwise, if he had brought an advanced external art to great mastery, I wouldn't have stood much chance in this battle."

Thoughts flashed through Chu Kuang's mind. Such geniuses with extraordinarily high comprehension were rare. Even if their innate physiques were lacking in the early stages, they would gradually catch up later on.

After all, once internal arts reached perfection, they could feed back into one's external martial arts cultivation and increase the speed of external martial arts training.

Before he could think any further, he was teleported back into the Tian Heng Star Realm.

After returning to the Tian Heng Star Realm, Chu Kuang checked his ranking, and a smile immediately appeared on his lips.

Chu Kuang

School: Tian Heng Third Middle School

Rank: 500

"top 500."

Looking at his ranking, Chu Kuang smiled. Then he claimed the reward and applied for a loan. One hundred and ten thousand Federal Coin soon arrived in his account.

"I can't spend too much of this money."

Remembering that he would be attending Special Training tomorrow, Chu Kuang first ordered thirty thousand Federal Coin worth of Nutrient Solution.

After leaving the Tian Heng Star Realm, he was about to transfer the sixty thousand Federal Coin he owed Xu Yue when he discovered that Xu Yue was already calling him.

"I'll be right over. Wait for me at home."

Xu Yue spoke, then immediately hung up.

Chu Kuang froze for a moment before quickly realizing that Xu Yue had most likely received a notification from the Tian Heng City Government after he entered the top 500.

Chu Kuang was not particularly surprised. After all, those who could enter the top 500 were basically elites from the Key Classes of their respective schools.