A Blade for Six Fists

Clang, clang, clang!

The clanging rang without end. However fast the light was, so fast was the sword; the light was boundless, and so was the sword. It slammed into Lin Huang, leaving faint white marks all over him. The seven watched in terror until their leader finally barked, "Change formation!"

At his command, the seven moved, shifting and circling as they stepped through the astral pattern. Their sword formation changed, growing powerful and scorching, as if the stars had transformed into blazing suns.

"Kaiyang!"

With a loud shout, their sword formation shifted. Its power blazed with arrogance. The vast, surging Xinghe condensed and split apart, becoming seven scorching suns. Each sword thrust brought a sun crashing down.

Seven suns rose into the sky, transforming into seven swords that thrust forward. Each sword seemed to carry the scorching power of a blazing sun, its force beyond belief.

Lin Huang's expression remained calm. He jabbed a finger, kindling a spark in his palm, then grasped and closed his hand. A Flame Lotus took shape, flickering and blooming around the seven swords that had lifted the suns.

Without a sound, the Flame Lotus suddenly blossomed—and the seven swords were caught in Lin Huang's palm.

The seven members of the True Martial Dojo were utterly aghast, unable to believe their eyes.

Lin Huang turned his palm over. His overwhelming strength twisted through the air. The seven cried out as their swords flew from their hands; they flipped and landed on the ground, then hurriedly stepped into a new formation.

"Tianji!"

With a sharp shout, the man leading the seven suddenly transformed into a streak of light. The other six grunted and struck their own chests with their palms, spitting out mouthfuls of heart's blood. They drew their fingers through the air, then pointed, writing six bloody characters in midair and imbuing the leader with their power. In an instant, the man had become a streak of sword light, turning his body into a sword, fierce and blazing.

It was like the final calamity of heaven and earth, a desperate struggle for that one sliver of life.

This sword strike was fast, precise, and ruthless.

But even more soul-stirring was the spirit it revealed: a brutal fight to the death, all for that one sliver of life.

Lin Huang's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected the seven to be so decisive. Under the pressure he exerted, they had broken through once more, casting aside life and death to unleash a desperate sword strike.

"Die!" the True Martial Dojo disciples growled, staring fixedly at Lin Huang.

This was a strike born from being driven into a dead end. If it failed, they would die.

Lin Huang stepped forward, raised his hand, and clenched his fist. He made no apparent preparation, yet in an instant, his fist became a boundless ocean. The sword thrust into it, meeting nothing solid, while immense pressure made the man who had turned his body into a sword gasp in alarm.

"This fist is called Water!"

Lin Huang nodded, acknowledging the merit of their formation. His fist technique shifted, divine light flaring as the ocean surged. A colossal beast, as mighty and vast as the boundless sea, raised its head and let out a ringing cry before suddenly rising.

"A fist transformed into a Kunpeng?!"

The True Martial Dojo disciples were well-informed. They recognized the beast conjured by Lin Huang's fist at a glance and cried out in disbelief.

Legend spoke of the Divine Kunpeng, whose body became an ocean, and which could soar straight to the Ninth Heaven, blotting out the Sun Moon.

Lin Huang's Water Fist drew upon the Kunpeng's essence: the Kun's boundlessness and the Peng's limitlessness.

With one punch, the True Martial Dojo disciples went ashen.

Fist energy swept and surged, crashing against the shore like raging waves. Beneath that single punch, disaster descended and swallowed everything.

Lin Huang withdrew his hand and lowered his eyes, thinking for a moment. The True Martial Dojo's formation was ingenious, offering him a rare insight.

He lifted his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, and looked into the distance. With his hands behind his back, he nodded. "Come out."

Qianshan Huo stared at Lin Huang, unable to conceal his shock. His whereabouts exposed, he slowly emerged with a disciple of the Peerless Sword Saint.

"He broke the True Martial Dojo's Big Dipper Seven Star Formation completely with just two punches. His strength is truly beyond belief."

"Qianshan Huo, even if we join forces, we might not be his match."

The Peerless Sword Saint's disciple could not hide his astonishment as he spoke quietly to Qianshan Huo.

They had arrived just in time to witness Lin Huang unleash his might, casually shattering the True Martial Dojo's Big Dipper Seven Star Formation. They were too shocked for words.

Qianshan Huo, especially, had recognized Lin Huang at a glance. Yet the difference in their strength was so great that he could hardly be sure.

In the end, Qianshan Huo simply didn't want to accept that anyone in the world could be so terrifying—that in just two days, someone could raise his cultivation to such an inconceivable level.

Or had he been toying with me from the start? The thought flashed through Qianshan Huo's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He had seen with his own eyes that Lin Huang had fought with all his strength that day.

Perhaps they aren't the same person.

Qianshan Huo still clung to a faint hope, but Lin Huang shattered it the moment he spoke.

"We meet again." Lin Huang nodded and looked at Qianshan Huo.

"It really is you?" Qianshan Huo cried out, his expression turning ghastly.

Two days ago, he had barely been able to hold his own against Qianshan Huo. Now, after only two days, even if he teamed up with someone else, he had no confidence of victory. The speed of that progress was truly earth-shattering.

"That blade strike of yours taught me a great deal. Today, I'll repay you with six punches. How much you grasp will depend on your own understanding."

Lin Huang waved a hand, his words firm and final.

The challengers who had come before had given him insights, and Lin Huang had been generous in return, demonstrating the Six Paths Divine Fist he had comprehended. But he had never shown more than two punches.

Only Qianshan Huo's Blade Slashing the Six Paths had taught Lin Huang so much, laying the foundation for his breakthrough. So today, he had no qualms about sharing what he had learned, and decided to demonstrate all six punches of the Six Paths Divine Fist for Qianshan Huo.

"You're far too arrogant." The Peerless Sword Saint's disciple snorted. He had already acknowledged Lin Huang's strength, but the man's lofty tone, as if he were there to instruct them, was more than he—someone who considered himself a genius—could stand.

Lin Huang didn't even glance at the disciple of the Peerless Sword Saint. He clenched his fist and struck.

"This fist is Earth!"

The punch shot out. The Peerless Sword Saint's disciple had no chance to draw his sword before he was blasted apart. The might of that single punch was terrifying.

Qianshan Huo's expression changed drastically. His heart stirred, and he could hardly believe it.

After throwing the punch, Lin Huang raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue. The sound rang out like wisdom poured straight into Qianshan Huo's head, like a staff striking him awake. In an instant, Qianshan Huo grew calm.

"Five punches remain. Make the most of them."

Lin Huang spoke again, then threw another punch. It began on the earth and soared through the sky, exhausting every variation, impossible to fathom.

"This is Wind Fist! Wind rises from the earth and soars through the sky. It is the beginning of all change and the teacher of all living things."

Qianshan Huo felt a gust of wind pass. Then he heard screams rising one after another. The punch had swept all the way to the edge of the Eternal Silence Plain. Everything in its path was like a land invaded by a gale: no one could stand against it, no one could resist.

After the punch, Lin Huang's hand shifted. He pressed his palm down, and in an instant, the gale plunged into the sea, embracing all things. A ringing cry sounded, and his fist transformed into a Kunpeng.

"This is Water Fist!"

"This is Fire Fist!"

"This is Yin Fist!"

"This is Yang Fist!"

Rumble!

As if heaven and earth were being opened, Lin Huang demonstrated all six punches of the Six Paths Divine Fist to Qianshan Huo in one breath. After Lin Huang's wake-up call, Qianshan Huo suppressed his shock, jealousy, and every other emotion. His mind grew clear as he absorbed Lin Huang's six punches. When he opened his eyes, Lin Huang stood before him with an impassive face and his hands behind his back.

"One blade for six punches. From now on, I owe you nothing, and you needn't owe me anything."

With that, Lin Huang's figure slowly faded away.

Qianshan Huo's heart jolted. A voice, arriving belatedly, sounded in his ear.

"Two survivors. The match is over."

His vision blurred, but Qianshan Huo was startled once again. Only then did he realize that Lin Huang's six punches had killed everyone across the entire Eternal Silence Plain. They had struck so swiftly that even the Dream God Realm hadn't reacted. It was truly terrifying.