Master

Chapter 12: Master

Zhao Jinzhi had also experienced the feeling of Zhou Ran's body hitting steel.

However, he wasn't as helpless as Zhou Ran. It seemed he had also practiced a body-hardening technique, though he hadn't mastered it yet, and was no match for Lu Zhaojin.

Moreover, Lu Zhaojin's strength was immense, easily over a thousand jin, far exceeding the capabilities of an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist. Zhao Jinzhi himself was an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, yet Lu Zhaojin's push sent him staggering back two steps.

Lu Zhaojin pressed his advantage, swinging his sword towards Zhao Jinzhi's neck. This full-power strike was intended to decapitate him.

A beam of sword light shot forward, swift as lightning, sharp as a flash of cold light. Even Zhao Jinzhi couldn't track its trajectory. The blade was mere inches away, stirring up a cold wind that made his hair stand on end.

"Jade Palm."

He fully channeled his Internal Energy, which even showed signs of transforming into True Qi. His entire hand turned a jade green, faintly shimmering with a lustrous sheen.

Empowered by True Qi, this jade-like palm was incredibly hard. Lu Zhaojin's sword strike couldn't cut through it. However, the Jade Palm wasn't entirely unscathed; a bloody gash ran across its palm, and blood seeped out.

Zhao Jinzhi's expression was grim. In recent times, he had fought and even killed inner disciples of the Dingshan Sect, but he had never felt so humiliated as he did today.

Most of his victories had been against weaker opponents, so he didn't truly understand their despair or their subsequent hysterics.

But today, he understood.

He understood it thoroughly.

Lu Zhaojin felt a pang of regret that his sword strike hadn't succeeded in beheading Zhao Jinzhi. He hadn't expected Zhao Jinzhi to have hidden abilities. Still, if one strike failed, there would be another.

Seeing that Lu Zhaojin was determined to kill him, Zhao Jinzhi became enraged and decided to stop holding back. He took off his cloak and flung it towards Lu Zhaojin like a casting net. However, with just a few flashes of sword light, the cloak was reduced to tattered rags.

This was merely a feint to delay Lu Zhaojin and buy himself time to assemble the three-sectioned spear behind him.

He quickly put the spear together. Including the tip, it was six feet and three inches long.

As the saying goes, an inch longer, an inch stronger.

Zhao Jinzhi gained the advantage of reach, and the fight with Lu Zhaojin became a back-and-forth struggle.

Seeing their stalemate, Li Yue intended to snatch the Blood Ginseng Grass and flee, then report the day's events to his sect elders so they could decisively crush those who dared to defy the Dingshan Sect.

However, a spear shot towards him, embedding itself in the ground and blocking his path. Immediately after, a palm strike landed on his chest. The palm was jade green, clearly Zhao Jinzhi's doing.

Li Yue felt the heavy impact, spat out a mouthful of blood, and stumbled back repeatedly, glaring at Zhao Jinzhi as if he could devour him alive.

Lu Zhaojin also found Li Yue to be a nuisance, but he couldn't let him go to waste. In a flash, he unleashed several sword strikes, all aimed at vital points. The fatal blow, naturally, was a sword to the throat.

[Killed Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, Experience +500]

[Experience: 1649]

His experience points had once again surpassed the 1500 mark.

Yet, it still didn't quench his thirst.

The Golden Body Technique couldn't be upgraded further without subsequent cultivation methods.

The Flowing Water Art, however, could be advanced to the Minor Accomplishment stage.

[Do you wish to consume 1600 experience points to upgrade Flowing Water Art?]

At a sixty-to-one ratio, Lu Zhaojin naturally chose to upgrade.

[Flowing Water Art (50/100)]

That warm current surged through his body again, more potent and fierce than before. It forcefully opened the Dai and Chong meridians before flowing into his Dantian and spreading throughout his body. The comforting warmth returned.

[Cultivation Realm: Eighth-Rank Mid-stage]

A breakthrough during battle!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Zhao Jinzhi was completely unable to react and couldn't believe it. How could killing Li Yue lead to a breakthrough to the Eighth-Rank Mid-stage?

His expression grew somber. They had fought to a draw when Lu Zhaojin was in the early stage; wouldn't a sudden advancement to the mid-stage make things even more difficult?

Just what kind of monster was this Lu Zhaojin?

The onlookers were also astonished, thinking that after this battle, this young man would surely become famous on Mount Qi.

Zhao Jinzhi was now in a dilemma: should he abandon the Blood Ginseng Grass and flee, or fight Lu Zhaojin with all his might, kill him, and claim the victor's prize?

Zhao Jinzhi was unwilling to retreat like this. The Blood Ginseng Grass was of great use to him; how could he give it up so easily?

Furthermore, if he retreated today, wouldn't it imply he feared Lu Zhaojin, potentially creating inner demons?

While Zhao Jinzhi was deep in thought, Lu Zhaojin's sword strike had already arrived.

Zhao Jinzhi gripped his spear with both hands to block.

Clang!

Metal struck metal, emitting a resonant hum.

Lu Zhaojin's sword strike made Zhao Jinzhi's situation precarious. It felt like being hit by a thousand-jin hammer, numbing his arms and making it difficult to hold onto his spear.

"Po Jun Spear Art."

Zhao Jinzhi attempted a counterattack, thrusting his spear forward like a general single-handedly breaking through enemy lines on the battlefield, charging forward relentlessly.

Facing this spear thrust, Lu Zhaojin deflected it with his sword, causing the momentum his opponent had painstakingly gathered to dissipate.

Then, amidst Zhao Jinzhi's hurried retreating steps, Lu Zhaojin pressed forward relentlessly, making him feel stifled and enraged. Zhao Jinzhi fought more desperately, his mind in disarray.

A mysterious voice suddenly echoed in his mind, "Disciple, do not rush."

Zhao Jinzhi seemed to be doused with a bucket of cold water, becoming surprisingly calm. His heart leaped with joy, "Master, you're awake!"

This was the voice of his thoughts.

Lu Zhaojin, of course, could not hear it, but he saw Zhao Jinzhi's transformation clearly.

He narrowed his eyes, sensing something was amiss, and thus intensified his attacks, making them fiercer and more rapid, like a storm.

However, Zhao Jinzhi seemed to have transformed into someone else. An invisible aura emanated from him, his long hair moved without wind, and his robes fluttered, as if he had condensed an intangible field. Lu Zhaojin's sword strike felt as if it had plunged into mud, encountering resistance and slowing down, allowing the opponent to dodge with ease.

"Jade Palm."

The spear swept away the Hundred Refinements Sword.

This time, Zhao Jinzhi's right palm had become almost entirely jade-like, shimmering with a radiant, lustrous glow, and imbued with an inexplicable power as it lunged towards Lu Zhaojin.

This palm strike sent a jolt of fear through Lu Zhaojin. If he were hit, he would be crippled, if not killed.

Simultaneously, this sense of mortal danger caused his blood to boil and his Blood Essence to surge. He unleashed the Golden Body Technique at full power, his skin taking on a bronze hue. He braced himself with all his might to meet the palm strike head-on.

Bang!

Unlike the dull thud of their previous palm clash, the sound this time was like that of a bell, resonating far and wide.

Lu Zhaojin stumbled back five steps, each one heavy, leaving footprints on the ground. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Zhao Jinzhi's palm strike had shaken his internal organs.

Moreover, the energy contained within that palm was far more refined than True Qi. If it had entered his body, it would have been more than just internal injuries; his organs would have been shattered.

In contrast, Zhao Jinzhi remained unmoved, but his right palm was covered in cracks, like a precious jade dropped on the ground, on the verge of shattering.

It was clear he could not unleash that palm strike again.

Zhao Jinzhi's Master dared not exert too much force, otherwise Zhao Jinzhi's physical body would not have been able to withstand it.

At the same time, he hadn't expected the young man opposite him to be able to block it. Recalling the hardness he felt during their palm clash, he was inwardly astonished, "I didn't expect an ancient body-refining method to still exist. For this young man to have mastered it, he must have great luck, skill, and perseverance."

Zhao Jinzhi's mind trembled. He recalled his Master mentioning the ancient path of body refinement and felt a pang of envy. "What should we do now?"

He hadn't expected even his Master's intervention to be unable to defeat the opponent.

A sense of jealousy and hatred, which Zhao Jinzhi himself hadn't noticed, began to stir within him.

Zhao Jinzhi's Master spoke, "I cannot borrow your physical body for too long, or it will leave hidden dangers. The medicinal effects of the Blood Ginseng Grass are also potent enough for you to break through to Seventh Rank."

Zhao Jinzhi's thoughts did not escape his Master's notice. "Do not be greedy. There is something strange about that young man. His innate talent is extremely poor, yet he managed to cultivate a body-refining technique of extremely high grade. He must have had some extraordinary encounter. For now, he is not an enemy you can contend with. Your innate talent is exceptional. Once you break through to Seventh Rank, or even Sixth Rank, he will be nothing more than an ant to you."

Zhao Jinzhi could only nod.

Seeing Zhao Jinzhi's movement, Lu Zhaojin thought he was about to attack again, so he braced himself, ready to respond at any moment.

To his surprise, the opponent directly went to pick the Blood Ginseng Grass. He ignored the Blood Ginseng on the ground, grabbed the Blood Ginseng Grass, and fled into the dense forest where no one was blocking his path, disappearing without a trace.

Lu Zhaojin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that indeed, people favored by destiny were hard to kill. However, the experience points gained from killing such a "Child of Destiny" would undoubtedly be incomparable to others.

Disregarding the gazes of those around him, Lu Zhaojin went to dig up the Blood Ginseng.