In the days that followed, Wang Hong practiced Spear Techniques during the day, then ate, cultivated Internal Energy, and entered the space at night to read.
During this time, several more unidentified outsiders infiltrated the academy. They were all discovered by the academy patrols, either killed on the spot or captured alive.
The academy also increased the manpower for patrols and vigilance. The academy patrols were all composed of students with a certain degree of strength, and with the Battle Formation Combined Attack Technique added in, even ordinary Houtian Realm Martial Artists would find no advantage against them.
Through this period of study, Wang Hong gained a certain understanding of Medicinal Herbs. The Ginseng, Solomon's Seal, and Purple Ganoderma in his space were all beneficial for cultivating internal arts. There were many ways to take them: they could be decocted into medicinal soup, made into pills, combined with food into medicinal cuisine, or steeped into Medicinal Wine. Every method had its own strengths and weaknesses.
At this moment, Wang Hong was wholly focused on stewing a pot of soup. Earlier that day, Zhang Tiemao and the others had gone hunting in the mountains and caught a wild boar weighing three or four hundred jin, so they had sent Wang Hong a large piece of ribs. Wang Hong then dug up a stalk of Solomon's Seal that had over forty years of medicinal age from his space and stewed it with the pork ribs. Solomon's Seal had a relatively mild nature and flavor, and could strengthen the spleen, replenish qi, nourish the kidneys, and restore essence. It was most suitable for medicinal cuisine.
White steam was bubbling out from the edge of the clay pot's lid. "It has been stewing for two hours. It should be ready to eat." Wang Hong lifted the lid and saw milky-white soup rolling and bubbling inside. The rich aroma of meat was mixed with a faint medicinal fragrance. Solomon's Seal did not have an overly strong medicinal taste. If he used herbs with too heavy a medicinal flavor, the medicinal cuisine would lose the food's original taste.
Wang Hong picked out a rib, grabbed it directly with his hand, blew on it a few times near his mouth, then took a savage bite. "Mm! The bones are tender and crumbling, and the meat is soft and glutinous." Wang Hong finished the meat in two or three bites, not forgetting to suck out the broth within the rib, making loud slurping sounds. Afterward, he chewed the bone to pieces. With every chew, thick marrow flowed from the bone into his mouth.
Wang Hong was happily eating meat and drinking soup when a hoarse voice entered his ears. "Boy, you seem to be eating well. Don't you know to respect the old and cherish the young? Why not invite this old man to have a sip?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Wang Hong looked toward its source and saw a figure standing at the doorway. The person wore black night clothes, had his face covered by a black cloth, and held a gleaming single-edged saber.
Wang Hong's heart tightened. How had someone slipped all the way into his home? This person was at least a Houtian Realm Martial Artist. Although Wang Hong had also entered the Houtian Realm, he had no actual combat experience, and had only just begun practicing Spear Techniques. He had no confidence at all that he could defeat this masked man.
"Boy, don't be nervous, and don't get any clever ideas. I only have a few questions. Just answer them honestly." As he spoke, he raised the saber in his hand and waved it a few times at Wang Hong.
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Wang Hong immediately put on a broad smile. "Please ask whatever questions you have, sir. This little one will tell you everything he knows and hold nothing back. To tell the truth, the people I admire most in my life are great heroes and bold champions like you. If you think highly of this little one, feel free to give me any orders. I'll make sure they're handled properly and neatly."
Seeing that Wang Hong was willing to cooperate, the masked man relaxed considerably. The boy knows what's good for him. A child of twelve or thirteen who hasn't wet himself from fright is already not bad. I'll let you die quickly later.
The masked man pulled over a chair and sat down in the doorway. "I heard that an immortal descended here not long ago. Is that true?"
The moment Wang Hong heard this, he knew it was indeed about that matter. He immediately replied, "It is true. Several thousand people witnessed it with their own eyes. That immortal master could control a flying sword and make it several zhang long in midair. With a gentle point of his finger, he shattered a huge boulder into pieces. In the end, the immortal master sat atop the flying sword and vanished in the blink of an eye like a bolt of lightning." As Wang Hong spoke, he ladled himself a bowl of soup and drank it slowly.
The masked man's pupils contracted. Clearly, his heart was far from calm. "What did that immortal master come here for? Did he leave behind any treasures? Such as Immortal Elixirs or secret manuals of immortal arts?"
Wang Hong took a sip of soup to moisten his throat, then continued, "The immortal master should have come to select disciples for his Immortal Sect. He used a Magic Treasure to inspect everyone, then accepted one disciple. As for Immortal Elixirs, there naturally were some." Wang Hong ladled more soup into his bowl and paced around the room with it in hand as he spoke.
"That Immortal Elixir was truly miraculous. Just opening the bottle and taking a sniff made one feel that their cultivation had greatly increased. Our old headmaster only ate one, yet his cultivation advanced tremendously—even his white hair turned black. As far as I know, there was still one more Immortal Elixir, but unfortunately..." Growing animated as he spoke, Wang Hong unknowingly paced to within two chi of the masked man. The masked man was listening with excitement, and this boy had deliberately left him hanging. He subconsciously pressed, "Unfortunately what?"
"Unfortunately, someone ate that one too!" At the same time, Wang Hong flung the bowl of soup toward the masked man's eyes.
At the same time, an iron spear appeared in his hand, and he swiftly thrust it straight toward the masked man's chest. Wang Hong had practiced this move of swiftly retrieving a weapon from the space and immediately throwing himself into battle for a long time.
The masked man had not yet fully processed the words "someone ate that one too" when, in that brief moment of distraction, he saw a bowl of soup splashing toward him. The masked man was quite experienced in combat. He hurriedly swung his left arm and used his sleeve to block it, while his right hand slashed the single-edged saber diagonally upward from below. Since he was seated in the chair and could not dodge conveniently, he could only hurriedly shift a few inches to the left.
Wang Hong's close-range ambush thrust was also incredibly fast. When the spear tip was only an inch from the masked man's heart on the left side of his chest, the saber's diagonal slash deflected it slightly. Combined with the man's shift of a few inches, there came a pfft as the spear tip entered flesh. The spear pierced the upper-right portion of the masked man's chest, sinking more than three inches deep.
Wang Hong wanted to press his advantage and drive the spear tip farther forward, but though wounded, the masked man's reaction was not slow at all. He retreated and slid his saber along the shaft toward Wang Hong's fingers. Left with no choice, Wang Hong could only twist the spearhead once inside the wound before rapidly pulling it back, tearing out a large mass of blood and flesh.
Wang Hong lunged forward again, launching a rapid assault. While the enemy was sick, he would take his life. He gave the other man no time to catch his breath, while also seizing the doorway to prevent him from escaping.
Wang Hong knew that although he had not struck the heart and could not kill him immediately, he had definitely punctured his lung. External air would enter the chest cavity, and at most, within two hours, the man would lose consciousness. Moreover, the lungs were rich in blood vessels. If he bled heavily, the masked man would not be able to hold on for long. Wang Hong only needed to keep him occupied and wait for him to faint. Then he would win.
Wang Hong had practiced Spear Techniques for only three months, so his true strength was naturally far inferior to the masked man's. Now, he could only make use of his existing advantage and attack rapidly, every move aimed at the man's vital points, attacking where the enemy was bound to defend.
Wang Hong's rapid attacks at first were largely caused by nervousness. After all, it was his first time fighting someone to the death, and his opponent was far stronger in martial arts. But as the battle continued, he grew increasingly at ease, and his understanding of the Thunderclap Spear deepened more and more.
The masked man opposite him was furious beyond measure. He had roamed the martial world for many years, only to have his boat capsize in a gutter today.
At first, he had not taken this half-grown boy, who looked only twelve or thirteen, seriously at all. Even if he had started training martial arts from inside his mother's womb, how capable could he be? He had relaxed his guard by only the slightest bit, yet that slightest bit had led him into Wang Hong's trap.
The longer the masked man fought, the weaker he became. He felt it becoming harder and harder to breathe. Exhaling was easy, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not draw the outside air in.
His hands and feet became increasingly weak, unable to exert any strength. His eyelids were heavy, and all he wanted was to sleep soundly.
The masked man bit the tip of his tongue and forcibly roused his spirits, ruthlessness rising in his heart. You want to kill me? Even if I die, I'll drag someone down with me.
Wang Hong used White Snake Spits Tongue, thrusting toward his abdomen. This time, the masked man neither dodged nor blocked. The spear plunged straight into his abdomen, and the spearhead emerged from his lower back.
The masked man's eyes turned bloodshot, revealing a crazed expression. His left hand grabbed the spear shaft as he lunged forward, while the single-edged saber in his right hand slashed toward Wang Hong's neck. He actually intended to perish together with Wang Hong. Wang Hong hurriedly released the spear and leapt backward, but the saber tip still carved a long wound across his chest.
With his last strength, the masked man continued pursuing and hacking at Wang Hong. The room was too small to escape more than a few steps. After Wang Hong retreated several steps, another iron spear suddenly appeared in his hand. He then unleashed a Returning Horse Spear, catching the masked man off guard and piercing him straight through the heart.
The masked man fell to the ground, his limbs twitching for a while before he finally died. Until his death, he could not understand where this spear had come from.
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