Selecting Martial Skills

No one had expected that what was supposed to be a fierce battle would end like this!

Guo Gang and Ma Yunlong were filled with jealousy and regret!

The person they had always regarded as their target to surpass had suddenly broken into the Blood Refining Realm, leaving them far behind—how could this not drive them mad with envy! And the chance to win without a fight had been snatched away by Zhou Heng, how could they not regret it?

Now, they were supposed to challenge Zhou Heng! Challenging a newcomer who had just entered the sect—even winning would carry no weight!

"Zhou Heng, I challenge you!" Ma Yunlong was the first to jump out, since Zhou Heng hadn't fought earlier, the twenty-minute rest period naturally didn't apply.

Zhou Heng didn't say a word, only making a beckoning gesture.

"Arrogant brat!" Ma Yunlong roared, stepping forward.

Ranked third, Ma Yunlong's strength was indeed extraordinary, nearly at the limit of the Ninth Layer of Body Refining, barely possessing combat power on par with the Blood Refining Realm. Unfortunately for him, Zhou Heng had already fought a peak Twelfth Layer of Body Refining expert—why would he need to take a same-realm martial artist seriously?

He didn't use Flying Cloud Steps this time, but charged head-on, exchanging heavy blows with Ma Yunlong.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Zhou Heng's fists repeatedly broke through Ma Yunlong's defenses, landing on his body, yet this tall youth seemed like a human bear—such strikes couldn't harm him at all!

"Hahaha, I've cultivated the Iron Wall Technique, and I've already reached the sixth layer—my whole body is as hard as iron! In terms of defense alone, no one in the outer sect can compare!" Ma Yunlong laughed heartily. "Your footwork is indeed strange, but unfortunately, against my absolute defense, you're helpless!"

"What, the sixth layer of the Iron Wall Technique!"

"Tsk, that's practically the limit of the Ninth Layer of Body Refining—they say only those who reach the Tenth Layer of Body Refining can cultivate the seventh layer!"

"Likewise, the sixth-layer Iron Wall Technique is absolute defense within the Ninth Layer of Body Refining—no one can break it!"

"If Senior Brother Jing Tian hadn't broken into the Blood Refining Realm, could he have broken through it?"

"Zhou Heng is known for his footwork—he's met his match now!"

"Heh, the seat under his backside hasn't even warmed up yet, and he'll have to move!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion again, everyone's face carrying surprise—they hadn't expected Ma Yunlong to be equally monstrous, though not as good as Jing Tian, still not far behind.

Zhou Heng revealed a faint smile and said, "That's not necessarily true!"

"All you can do is talk—come on, break my Iron Wall Technique!" Ma Yunlong laughed wildly, swinging his fists like two giant hammers, smashing heavily toward Zhou Heng.

Under the effect of the Iron Wall Technique, his fists had turned pitch-black, as if they had become iron blocks!

"Come on, kid, I'll smash your bones!"

Zhou Heng's heart was as calm as a still lake. He stared at Ma Yunlong, the sword intent of the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles surging within him, releasing a terrifying aura.

Ma Yunlong's mind was involuntarily affected—though his movements didn't visibly stall, his reaction speed was half a beat slower. In his eyes, Zhou Heng seemed like a lofty deity, supreme and unrivaled.

"My heart is invincible!" Ma Yunlong roared, his eyes suddenly turning bloodshot. His momentum didn't diminish but instead increased, erupting with even greater combat power under Zhou Heng's pressure.

Zhou Heng silently praised him—this was a true martial artist, fearless in the face of a strong enemy, his fighting spirit only growing. Zhou Xianming might be a peak Twelfth Layer of Body Refining expert, but in pure willpower, Ma Yunlong was superior!

As expected of a disciple of the Nine Spirits Sect!

But so what?

Zhou Heng kept throwing punches, each one slipping through Ma Yunlong's defenses and landing on his body. Yet against that iron-like frame, his own fists were split open and bleeding from the impact.

"You can't do anything to me!" Ma Yunlong was full of confidence—his target to surpass was Jing Tian, who was this brat?

Zhou Heng said nothing, only concentrating his strength into his fists and striking relentlessly.

Ma Yunlong's defense was indeed formidable, but his technique-based defense was utterly useless against Zhou Heng—his body was constantly hit by fists. He didn't care, relying on his iron-hard physique to endure Zhou Heng's attacks and press forward.

Boom, boom, boom—the fists kept pounding, like playing a melody.

"Give up, you're destined to fail!" Ma Yunlong laughed loudly. The throne of first place was getting closer and closer to him—pity he hadn't defeated Jing Tian to claim it, which was a slight flaw.

"Pfft—" Suddenly, his steps faltered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his robe.

Ma Yunlong looked down, his face showing disbelief. He raised his head to look at Zhou Heng, then fell backward, crashing to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"What happened, how did Ma Yunlong lose?"

"Doesn't he have the sixth-layer Iron Wall Technique?"

"Does Zhou Heng have the killing power of the Blood Refining Realm?"

Amid the clamor of discussion, Ai Songtao stepped forward, raising his hand to signal for silence, and said, "This match, Zhou Heng wins!"

"Zhou Heng doesn't have the combat power of the Blood Refining Realm—rather, every punch he threw landed on the same spot on Ma Yunlong, accumulating force, penetrating the Iron Wall Technique's defense, and damaging Ma Yunlong's internal organs."

With this explanation, the crowd suddenly understood—but could this method of breaking through be replicated?

Ma Yunlong wasn't a wooden dummy that could be pounded at will. Aside from a freak like Zhou Heng, who could hit him so many times in a row, and all on the same spot?

To be fair, Ma Yunlong was quite unlucky—if he hadn't been so overconfident and had just protected himself a little, spreading out the force of the blows, with the Iron Wall Technique's defense, Zhou Heng could never have hurt him.

The challenges continued.

Twenty minutes later, Guo Gang did not challenge Zhou Heng, seemingly admitting defeat, which drew another wave of surprise from the crowd.

Even Guo Gang had given up, so no one else was foolish enough to step forward. As the sun set, the new Top Ten of the Outer Sect were decided.

Two new faces appeared—Zhou Heng and Shen Xinqi—and they hadn't just barely squeezed into the top ten. One was sixth, and the other was even ranked first, something no one could have foreseen.

But even more shocking was Jing Tian—a nineteen-year-old in the Blood Refining Realm had even caught the attention of the Nine Spirits Sect's higher-ups. It was said that several senior elders were fighting over who would take him as a disciple, nearly coming to blows over it.

In the Nine Spirits Sect, advancing to the Spirit Gathering Realm meant becoming an elder, but the Spirit Gathering Realm itself was divided into three heavens. Though the gap between each minor realm wasn't as vast as that between heaven and earth, it was close enough.

How could the First Heaven of Spirit Gathering stand on equal footing with the Second Heaven of Spirit Gathering? Thus, even among elders, seniority was determined by which heaven they belonged to, and the elders who nearly came to blows over Jing Tian were great cultivators of the Third Heaven of Spirit Gathering!

Zhou Heng paid it no mind at all. As long as he completed the accumulation of the Ninth Layer of Body Refining, the barrier of the Blood Refining Realm would likewise be unable to trap him. Jing Tian had merely taken a step ahead of him.

The treatment of the Top Ten of the Outer Sect was indeed unmatched by others. They were provided with demon beast meat every day and fifteen Gathering Essence Pills each month. Calculated, that was three thousand silver—practically burning money. Moreover, there was an even more important point: they could go to the Library Pavilion to select a martial technique!

Ma Yunlong's Iron Wall Technique came from there.

Although Zhou Heng possessed Flying Cloud Steps, Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles, and the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique, none of them could be considered proper martial techniques. Flying Cloud Steps and the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique only had their forms, lacking the corresponding cultivation methods to operate them, while Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles was too profound, also without a formula, instead fused into his body and bloodline, requiring constant contemplation.

For this reason, he was very interested in martial techniques and headed straight to the Library Pavilion.

The Library Pavilion was not large, just two floors. A fifty-something-year-old man in blue robes sat guarding it, appearing utterly unremarkable. But one shouldn't judge by appearances—sent to guard this place, this old man was surely a Spirit Gathering Realm powerhouse!

Zhou Heng entered the pavilion, bowed respectfully, and said, "This junior is Zhou Heng, a newly promoted Top Ten disciple of the Outer Sect, here to select a martial technique!"

The old man glanced up at him and said, "You may browse freely on the first floor. Once you've chosen, come find me!"

"Yes!" Zhou Heng nodded in agreement and looked around the room. He saw that this floor had twelve bookshelves, each taller than a man. At a glance, he couldn't tell if anyone else was inside.

He walked to the front of the first bookshelf, picked up the manuals placed there, and briefly flipped through them. Frowning, he noticed they only had covers and descriptions of the techniques, lacking the actual content. That made sense—if the complete diagrams and formulas were present, there would be no shortage of people with exceptional memories like Zhou Heng, who could memorize three, five, or even ten techniques at once.

What technique did he need? Zhou Heng asked himself. In terms of offense, Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles was absolutely domineering, and though the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique lacked its corresponding essentials, the sword intent of Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles was enough to compensate, so he wasn't lacking in that area. As for movement techniques, there was no need to mention it—Flying Cloud Steps, even without its proper formula, far surpassed other movement techniques. There was no point in throwing away a watermelon for a sesame seed.

So, he could consider a defensive art. The Iron Wall Technique had left a deep impression on Zhou Heng. It didn't just increase defense; it was also quite powerful on the offensive end, tempering the fists to be as hard as iron, fully capable of clashing with sharp weapons.

With a clear direction, he naturally had a target for his choice. After going through two bookshelves, he had picked up three techniques but hadn't decided which to take. He planned to look through them all first and then consult the elder stationed there.

When he reached the seventh bookshelf, a fragrant breeze hit his nose, and a beautiful woman with a peach-blossom face and rosy cheeks suddenly appeared before him—it was Shen Xinqi. Seeing her here wasn't surprising, as she was also one of the newly promoted Top Ten of the Outer Sect, equally qualified to choose a martial technique.

"Junior Brother Zhou!" The beauty's eyes lit up when she saw Zhou Heng. Among Outer Sect disciples, seniority was determined by age. Her gaze swept over the techniques in Zhou Heng's hands, and she smiled, "So you're looking for a defensive technique. I have one to recommend to you!"