Above Dragon Gate Waterfall.
Atop Dragon Head Peak, beside the cliff.
Though An Ning'er had trained in martial arts, she knew nothing about spear techniques. Seeing Uncle Chen still regulating his breath with his eyes closed, she turned and quietly asked Guo Xi'wu beside her:
"Big Brother Guo, can you tell what spear technique Constable Zhang is using?"
Guo Xi'wu had once studied spear techniques under Uncle Chen, so he answered at once. "The basic stances include thrusting, jabbing, lifting, deflecting, blocking, seizing, twisting, flicking, sweeping, pressing, chopping, and flourishes.
"But most of these stances require holding the spear with both hands. Judging by Constable Zhang's posture, he intends to wield it one-handed."
An Ning'er asked, "One-handed? Is there anything special about that?"
"I once heard Master Chen say that one-handed spear techniques usually begin with moves such as sweeping, chopping, and smashing. But these moves place tremendous demands on the user's physique and arm strength,
"and they consume a great deal of stamina in actual combat. That's why masters of the spear rarely use them as opening moves in a real fight."
At his words, An Ning'er immediately recalled what Meng Qingshan had said when he appeared from behind the cliff. She murmured anxiously, "If Constable Zhang can't defeat those people, won't we have inadvertently put him in danger...?"
"We're already hanging by a thread ourselves, yet Ning'er, you're still worrying about other people?" Guo Xi'wu thought to himself.
But mindful of what the girl beside him might think, he kept those words to himself.
Instead, he offered a somewhat unconvincing reply. "Since Constable Zhang chose to step in, he must be no ordinary fighter. Let's wait and see!"
In truth, Guo Xi'wu wasn't wrong. Meng Qingshan's stance was the opening move of Mountain Breaking Spear Technique called "Grandfather Fishing"—a stance that used stillness to control movement.
The moves that followed were just as Guo Xi'wu had said: they demanded tremendous physique and arm strength, and consumed a great deal of stamina.
Although Meng Qingshan had recovered some of his stamina after drinking the fine liquor called White Jade Fat, he couldn't possibly keep fighting these black-clad men for long in his current state.
As the saying went, speed was of the essence in battle. Getting bogged down was no wise choice.
Besides, drinking White Jade Fat had given him a substantial boost to his attributes, greatly increasing his physique and strength.
With a heavy weapon like the Divine Might Hundred Refined Spear, using Mountain Breaking Spear Technique to end the fight quickly was undoubtedly the best solution under the circumstances.
Meng Qingshan held the spear in his hands, standing straight as a pine, his feet firmly rooted to the ground. He seemed to have become one with the weapon.
He drew a deep breath. True Qi surged through his body, and the spear trembled slightly, emitting a series of humming sounds as if a dragon or serpent were coursing through it.
Only when the black-clad men were about to reach him did he suddenly kick the shaft.
The spear took the force and sprang up like a hidden dragon leaping from the depths.
A thunderous bang rang out, accompanied by the crack of breaking bone.
The spearhead struck one black-clad man beneath the chin. Meng Qingshan had put seventy percent of his strength into the kick, making it astonishingly powerful.
That blow must have carried at least six or seven hundred pounds of force.
The man couldn't withstand the crushing impact. His jaw shattered, blood sprayed everywhere, and he was hurled away like an object tossed by immense force.
Before the man could hit the ground, Meng Qingshan followed through, swinging the spear with a turn of his arm. The seventy-two-pound Divine Might Hundred Refined Spear became a whirlwind, carving a perfect arc through the air as he pivoted around his right foot.
This move was Sweep Through a Thousand Armies, from Mountain Breaking Spear Technique.
The spear was now like a ferocious dragon that had broken free of its chains, roaring up from the abyss, ready to devour every life daring enough to challenge it.
Seven or eight black-clad men were blasted away at once. Some had their hand bones broken; others had their chests crushed. Their deaths were horrific.
Wielding the Divine Might Hundred Refined Spear, Meng Qingshan was like a god of war returned to the mortal world. His power was overwhelming, and wherever he struck, none survived.
The seven or eight men he had sent flying crashed into those behind them, knocking down a whole row. Screams rose one after another.
The remaining black-clad men saw this and were immediately gripped by fear. None dared approach.
[You successfully killed Beyond Heaven assassin Chen Zhan and gained 1200 cultivation points!] [You successfully killed a Beyond Heaven assassin...] [You successfully killed...]
Watching the kill notifications continually appear before him, Meng Qingshan felt his blood surge and his spirits soar.
He thought back to half a month ago, when he had struggled against Chen Sandao and his bandits. If he hadn't come up with a clever idea, he would have nearly lost his life.
But now, he hadn't even completed a single move, yet he could effortlessly kill seven or eight men whose strength was comparable to Chen Sandao's.
The exhilaration was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Meng Qingshan looked toward the leader of the black-clad men and laughed heartily. "Didn't you say you wanted to see what a constable of the Seven Mysteries Sect could do? Then hurry up and come fight me!"
In the space of a single breath, Meng Qingshan had laughed and killed several men.
An Ning'er knew nothing about spear techniques, but she had just watched Meng Qingshan defeat those black-clad men with a single move, scattering them so completely that none dared approach. She was deeply shaken and couldn't help exclaiming, "What a splendid spear technique!"
Guo Xi'wu, on the other hand, had studied spear techniques under Master Chen. Seeing this, he felt something entirely different deep down, and...
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