Judgment (Part 1)

Sky Peak Cave.

Night.

Zhang Rongfang slowly opened his eyes, snapping out of his meditative state.

Inside the pitch-black cave, only a torch stuck in the wall emitted a faint yellow light.

The torch was burning out, and the light was growing dimmer.

Outside the cave, the dark blue sky was dotted with stars, and a gentle breeze seemed to be blowing in.

Splash!

He stood up, took a new human Leather Mask, stuck it on his face, and then slowly walked out of the cave.

A gentle night breeze brushed past him, like a soft veil against his skin.

Once outside Sky Peak Cave, you'll find yourself in a deep, White Mist Canyon.

But Zhang Rongfang's gaze was not on the canyon, but on a lower mountain peak on the opposite side.

At the summit of the mountain, a person was standing.

The man had gray hair, wore a black veil, and had fine crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, making him appear very Azure Elder.

But it still couldn't hide his extremely bright eyes.

It's as if the starlight in the night sky is being reflected and shone through it.

Smack

Suddenly, the man moved and flew down from the mountaintop out of thin air.

A pair of large, black bat wings suddenly unfolded from his back, which appeared to be equipment similar to wingsuit flying.

With the aid of this equipment, the man glided rapidly, hurtling towards the mountainside where Zhang Rongfang.

Without hesitation.

Zhang Rongfang quickly leaped into the canyon, his hands gripping the rock face tightly, and like a gecko, he slid down rapidly.

Before long, the two arrived at the bottom of the canyon one after the other.

The valley floor is rugged with jagged rocks, and tiny streams, like veins, meander through the crevices, their soft murmur barely audible.

The area is shrouded in mist, making the starlight and moonlight even more hazy and inaccessible, creating an even darker atmosphere.

To the average person, they would probably only see two figures sliding down gently, then standing facing each other.

But in Zhang Rongfang's eyes at that moment, everything was as clear as daytime.

A distant, unidentified animal roared, startling a series of monkey cries that rose and fell.

This only made the mountain valley appear even more desolate and primitive.

"Who are you?" Zhang Rongfang asked first.

"Didn't you already meet three good-for-nothings from our sect?" the old man replied calmly.

"So you're also from the Thousand Stone Sect? Here to seek revenge?" Zhang Rongfang's heart stirred.

"It's not about seeking revenge, it's just that I have some ideas about this Sky Peak Cave. Of course, you probably know more about the Great Dao Sect than we do. With your martial arts skills, you shouldn't be an ordinary person among them. Want to lend a hand?"

The old man spoke in a calm tone, not at all like someone who had come to fight for the Treasure Medicine.

This involuntarily reminded Zhang Rongfang of Zhang Yunqi, the leader of the Rebel Sect.

At this moment, he also vaguely sensed from the other party the aura of a leader similar to Zhang Yunqi.

Clearly, this time the people are no ordinary scum like the previous three.

"Good."

Immediately, his gaze sharpened, and he lowered his center of gravity to focus on the other person.

The old man's muscles tensed up, and his blood and qi swirled rapidly through his muscles like vortexes.

Bang! In an instant, the two moved at the same time and pounced on each other.

Two illusory figures simultaneously stepped on two large rocks in the darkness.

With a snap, the boulder shattered, and the two men's four arms clashed, like four cleavers, striking each other hard.

Clang! A huge, heavy impact rang out, and Zhang Rongfang's body trembled. He was actually forced to retreat backward by the force of the impact.

He took several steps back on the rocks, crushing several White Stone under his feet, before looking at the old man opposite him.

"Such great power!" He was somewhat startled at this moment.

His opponent was also like him, relying mainly on Hard Skill.

Moreover, the key point is that his current strength, combined with the Iron Shirt and Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, has now reached the seventeenth rank in terms of overall martial arts skill level.

This is already the limit of human potential at this stage.

He could clearly feel that after the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training broke through to a new level, the overall increase in strength was negligible.

Clearly, breaking through the grade level will be of little use afterward.

The Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, a Hard Skill, is divided into three levels: entry, mastery, perfection, and Breaking Limits. Each stage requires two points, so each level requires nine points to break through.

From this perspective, it's not a good deal for him.

If it weren't for his desire to cultivate Indestructible Body, which required tempering every part of his body, he would actually prefer to put all his Attribute Points into his health.

"Your strength is truly remarkable. I never expected to encounter such a master as you in such a remote and inaccessible place as the Sky Peak Cave."

The old man's tone at this moment was even more surprised than his.

He hadn't encountered such a formidable expert in a long time.

Since reaching the limit of the Three Voids and being unable to break through to the Grandmaster level, he could only Worship God the gods.

His power was increased by a significant margin once again.

The strengthening and amplification of his body through Worship God not only brought him back to his peak condition, but also further enhanced his original power.

I originally thought that this trip was just a formality, and that I would just force the experts of the Great Dao Sect to leave.

But to my surprise, someone said, "Again!"

He immediately took a step forward, and suddenly unleashed the full power of the Gold Stone Skill, the core martial art of the Thousand Stone Sect.

The Gold Stone Skill emphasizes strength; every movement and every move is imbued with immense power.

It is also the leading power-type branch among all Sensing Gate.

This martial art emphasizes speed over precision, aiming only to strike the opponent.

Because even a slight touch can cause considerable damage.

At this moment, Zhang Rongfang was equally unyielding. After the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training was transformed, his strength had increased, and he had already surpassed Han Shisan's martial arts level back then.

He honed his muscles to the limits of what the human body can achieve.

It can be said that at this moment, he is the one who is least afraid of head-on confrontation.

Immediately, the two men waved their palms and fists repeatedly at the bottom of the valley.

Their fists and palms rained down on their opponent, each collision producing a sound like muffled thunder.

After dozens of moves, Zhang Rongfang felt a stinging pain in his palm, which had begun to swell and bleed.

The old man opposite him remained unfazed, his hands unharmed, still rough like rotten wood, exactly the same as before.

Bang! Another heavy palm strike sent both men staggering back.

His gaze was deep and fixed on Zhang Rongfang.

"Which province are you a high-ranking member of the Great Dao Sect? May I ask your name?"

The opponent clearly didn't Worship God, yet he was still able to fight him to such an extent, which shows his strength.

After all, he was originally trained in Hard Skill, and Gold Stone Skill arts are known for their emphasis on physical defense.

After Worship God, his Spirit Vein strengthened his body, allowing his Hard Skill to reach new heights.

After Worship God, even ordinary Spirit Guard become invulnerable to swords and spears, and cannot be harmed by anything other than precious swords and firearms.

Not to mention his Three Voids Super Grade, which has an even greater increase.

Therefore, he was already surprised that the other party could go to such lengths to confront him head-on.

The old man continued, "I am Yan Shenjun, the Left Protector the Thousand Stone Sect." He first stated his name, which was a sign of sincerity.

Zhang Rongfang was taken aback; he had originally planned to continue the head-on confrontation.

His Breaking Limit Skill are useless now, he hasn't activated either of his Limit State, and even the Heavy Mountain Stacking technique is ineffective.

The opponent clearly wasn't using their full strength either; they didn't even use their Breaking Limit Skill in their Limit State.

Why did we start chatting right away?

In the darkness, his face was not clearly visible, but Yan Shenjun seemed to have guessed what he was thinking.

"You must have just left Heavenly Treasure Palace, right?" He smiled. "At our level, we don't usually fight to the death so easily. What are we striving for after all this hard training? Is it to kill each other at the drop of a hat?"

Of course not. What we seek is stability and the enjoyment of life. So most of the time, we test the waters first to see if we're on equal footing and have the right to talk. If not, we eliminate them. If we are, we try to chat. Who knows, we might even become friends later?

He paused for a moment. "After all, I'm getting old. Everyone has children, descendants, beautiful wives and concubines. Fighting and killing are things only hotheads and fools do. The more you have, the more afraid you are of dying."

These words brought Zhang Rongfang Lower Capital his senses.

That makes perfect sense. Only those who have nothing would risk their lives to steal things.

Anyone with a bit of wealth or attachments will cherish their life.

"Brother is absolutely right," Zhang Rongfang nodded. "But how can we determine if we are qualified to talk? Just based on that little test we just did?"

His hand had almost fully recovered, and with over a hundred health points, it was beginning to show its power.

Following the increase in endurance, recovery ability also begins to improve significantly.

"Young man, you are indeed cautious, but you are right. You killed a skilled member of my Thousand Stone Sect, and you must give an explanation." Yan Shenjun laughed.

"So, be careful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his body suddenly swelled up, grew slightly larger, his skin turned reddish-black, and countless blood vessels bulged on his face, which was exactly the appearance that most Limit State have.

"This is the Limit State my Thousand Stone Sect: Stone Rain. Be careful, sir."

Zhang Rongfang stopped replying and made a triangle shape with his hands.

"Critical State!"

His voice resonated, spreading throughout his entire body. The subtle vibrations acted like a key, rapidly activating the flow of all his qi and blood.

In an instant, his entire body swelled and enlarged, and countless blood vessels stained the whites of his eyes, converging at his pupils.

His size and height have also increased slightly, as if he has grown a whole size larger.

In this state, his ordinary moves, in terms of both power and speed, can maintain most of the level of using Breaking Limit Skill.

Using Breaking Limit Skill in this state will unleash extremely terrifying destructive power.

"Again!"

With a bang, the gravel beneath Yan Shenjun's feet exploded, and he charged towards Zhang Rongfang like a cannonball.

Boom! Their fists collided violently.

The muscles and bones on both sides were squeezed by the enormous recoil force, trying to push the other side back.

Unexpectedly, the two of them retreated simultaneously, their feet becoming unsteady from the recoil, and they stumbled back several steps.

A tiny Blood Spots dripped from Zhang Rongfang's hand.

This is a difference in Hard Skill level.

His Hard Skill were no match for Yan Shenjun's.

In the past, he relied on his agility and explosive power to defeat his enemies.

This is the first time we've had a purely head-on clash.

"It seems I'm still far from Hard Skill. But let's stop here."

Zhang Rongfang exhaled a breath of hot air, his eyes turning cold.