Testing the Spear at the Breaking Clan

The morning mist had yet to disperse. A thin layer of dew coated the bluestone paving, and damp air swept past the village entrance with the mountain breeze.

You returned to the stone stele.

The same young man as before was patrolling there with several disciples. Seeing you approach, he stared at you for a moment, his brows gradually knotting together. With a swish, he swept his silver spear across your path.

"You again?" He waved impatiently and said coldly, "I told you, the Breaking Clan's spear techniques aren't taught to outsiders. Keep pestering us, and don't blame me if I really strike."

Your steps paused briefly. Your gaze calm, you drew a deep breath, mustered all your strength, and sent your voice thundering across the surroundings-

"I am Su Yi, a junior who has long heard that the Breaking Clan's spear techniques stand unrivaled beneath heaven. I have come to seek your instruction!"

Your shout rang out like thunder from a clear sky, echoing endlessly through the valley.

Everyone at the village entrance felt their eardrums buzzing. A faint commotion also rose from deep within the village, and startled birds took flight.

The young man's face turned livid, his knuckles cracking around his spear. In his eyes, this was naked provocation.

"Insolence!" he roared. His silver spear shot toward your throat like a venomous dragon bursting from its lair. "Is the Breaking Clan somewhere you can run wild? If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll really think our clan has no one capable!"

Your expression remained unchanged. With a turn of your wrist, a blue-and-gold spear instantly took shape.

You neither dodged nor retreated, merely nudging its tip aside-

Clang!

With a crisp ring, you deflected the young man's silver spear at an angle. Its tip passed beside your ear, striking empty air, and the wind it stirred fluttered the hair at your temple.

The young man was startled, never expecting you to react so swiftly. He hurriedly lowered his wrist and changed moves, sweeping the spear shaft back toward your waist.

You shifted your footing, drifting half an inch aside like willow fluff. The Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear flicked upward with the motion, striking his spear shaft precisely seven inches along its length.

Ting!

The silver spear shuddered violently. The web of the young man's hand went numb, and the weapon flew from his grip, clattering onto the bluestone paving.

Before he could recover, your spear tip was already poised three inches from his throat. Its icy edge made his throat tighten, fine goosebumps rising along the back of his neck.

Dead silence fell over the village entrance.

The disciples stared wide-eyed, still unable to believe it. After a stunned pause, they instinctively closed in, more than a dozen spear tips all pointing straight at you.

You withdrew your spear and stood calmly. "I sincerely came to seek instruction, with no intention of giving offense. If you would be willing to teach me, I would be deeply grateful."

"You-"

Your words only stoked their anger, and they were about to attack together.

"Stop."

An aged, resonant voice came from within the village.

Everyone turned to see an old man in a dark teal cloth robe striding toward them.

He was powerfully built, with a chiseled face. A silver spear emblem was embroidered on his chest, and his piercing, tiger-like eyes radiated authority. At that moment, they were fixed on the spear in your hand.

"Greetings, Seventh Elder!" The disciples all withdrew their spears and saluted.

The Seventh Elder waved them off, his gaze still locked on the blue-and-gold spear in your palm. Only after studying it for a long while did he ask, "Boy, what is this Martial Soul of yours called?"

You paused, then explained, "You misunderstand, Senior. This isn't my Martial Soul, but my Self-Created Soul Skill-the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear. My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass."

With that, you put away the spear and opened your palm. A sprig of Blue Silver Grass quietly appeared in it. Its slender leaves trembled gently in the breeze, pale golden patterns floating across its stems and leaves. A faint starlight flowed through its veins, setting it apart from ordinary Blue Silver Grass.

The Seventh Elder stared at the Blue Silver Grass in your palm for a while, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes. "Blue Silver Grass? Interesting."

After a pause, he continued, "Come with me!"

With that, he headed straight into the village.

You followed close behind.

You followed the Seventh Elder along a bluestone path. The houses on either side grew sparse as the ground rose, and before long, a training ground built against the mountain appeared before you.

It was a square set halfway into the mountainside, roughly a hundred zhang on each side. The ground was smooth and level, with several rows of weapon racks standing around it, all neatly stocked with spears of various kinds. An enormous character meaning "break" was carved into the center of the square, its strokes sharp and brimming with murderous intent.

Quite a few Breaking Clan disciples were practicing on the training ground. Seeing the Seventh Elder enter with an unfamiliar young man, they stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.

The Seventh Elder walked to the center of the training ground, swept his gaze around, and declared, "A guest has come today to seek instruction in our spear techniques. The usual rules apply: spear techniques only, not Soul Power. Who wants to try first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several young disciples were eager to step forward.

The Seventh Elder beckoned to a young man in the grounds. "Yang Cheng, you first. Stop short of injury."

The young man named Yang Cheng stepped forward at his call, holding a spear twelve feet long. Its shaft was silvery white, its edge like snow. "Please instruct me!"

You nodded slightly, the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear pointing diagonally toward the ground. "Please."

There was no starting command, no referee.

He advanced with his spear leveled, thrusting straight at your chest with a Void-Piercing Thrust. The attack was powerful and heavy, its wind howling, showing a fair degree of mastery.

You merely turned slightly sideways and angled the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear upward, diverting his spearhead with the leverage of four ounces moving a thousand pounds. Then you rotated the shaft, sweeping its butt toward his waist and ribs.

Yang Cheng held his spear across himself to block, but the force transmitted through your spear drove him back three steps, his feet scuffing faint white marks into the paving stones.

His expression shifted slightly. With a low shout, he changed techniques and immediately unleashed Chain Break. Layers of spear shadows poured down like a torrential rain, enveloping every vital point on your body.

Unhurried, you wielded the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear as though it had become a nimble snake, lifting, deflecting, twining, and circling. Every strike landed precisely at the weakest point of his attack.

Yang Cheng's offensive was like a clay ox entering the sea, dissolved entirely by you.

Just after the tenth exchange, you caught an opening and lightly tapped his wrist with your spear tip.

Yang Cheng grunted. His spear slipped from his hand, and he staggered back two steps. Clutching his sharply aching wrist, he stared in astonishment.

"Thank you for the match." You withdrew your spear and stood still.

The Seventh Elder raised his brows slightly and called up another man. "Yang Lie, your turn."

Before long, a man in his thirties entered the grounds with a spear.

He wielded a red-tasseled spear, his technique more seasoned than Yang Cheng's, his movements linked so tightly that not a drop of water could slip through.

You leveled your spear and met him in combat.

After more than twenty exchanges, you gradually grasped his approach-ample ferocity, but insufficient sustaining strength.

With a low shout, he suddenly unleashed Pressing Forward. His spearhead drove straight toward your heart, wrapped in fierce wind, its momentum sharp and unyielding, advancing without retreat.

You abruptly changed moves. Rather than overcoming strength with finesse, you lowered your spear's momentum and met him with the very same technique.

Clang!

The two spears collided with a metallic ring.

Your Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear bent slightly, yet used Blue Silver Grass's distinctive resilience to disperse all the recoil. Then its shaft sprang back, thrusting out again even faster.

Caught off guard, Yang Lie found your spear pressed against his throat.

An uproar swept through the training ground.

"That move... isn't that our Pressing Forward? How does he know it too?"

"No, Pressing Forward demands ferocity to the very end. His technique has a supple force to it, dispersing the force before springing back. It's completely different."

"But the opening stance and the way he channels his strength are exactly the same..."

"That's still impossible. Our clan never teaches its spear techniques to outsiders. Where could an outsider like him have learned them?"

"Could he really have stolen all our moves in such a short time?"

Everyone whispered among themselves, and the Seventh Elder's expression gradually grew grave.

He saw it more clearly-this was far more than an isolated move or two. Traces of the Soul Breaking Spear Technique ran throughout your entire spear technique.

The opening stance, the thrusts, the shifts in momentum, the withdrawal of the spearhead... every movement was born from the Soul Breaking Spear Technique. Yet atop its fierce force of "going forth without return," there was an added layer of supple resilience: "departing, then returning."

To probe the depths of your abilities, he called several more skilled clansmen forward, from Soul Elders to Soul Saints, to enter the grounds in turn.

You refused none of them, meeting each challenge.

Against Soul Elders, you won through finesse, finding an opening within three moves and then defeating them with a single strike.

Against Soul Ancestors, you pitted momentum against momentum, spearhead against spearhead, meeting them head-on and driving them back without inflicting the slightest injury.

Against Soul Kings, you finally revealed your true strength. In your hands, the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear was sometimes as fierce as a collapsing mountain, sometimes as gentle as willow fluff drifting on the breeze, shifting between hardness and softness without the slightest hitch.

For those skilled clansmen, lasting twenty exchanges against you was already difficult; by fifty, they could hold out no longer.

More and more Breaking Clan disciples gathered at the edge of the training ground, their discussions growing increasingly noisy.

"Where did this fellow come from? How come we've never seen him before?"

"I heard he's an outsider, and his Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass."

"Blue Silver Grass? Isn't that a Trash Martial Soul?"

"No idea..."

"Huh, look at that move. Isn't that the Cloud-Breaking Three Forms...? And that one looks like the Returning Horse Spear... even the stance he uses to withdraw his spear is exactly the same."

Watching you win match after match, the Seventh Elder's expression grew ever graver.

He marveled at your comprehension and talent, yet wariness also quietly arose within him-

An outsider who could comprehend the Soul Breaking Spear Technique to this degree-if he became an enemy one day, wouldn't he become a great scourge to the clan?

At last, he stopped watching and strode into the grounds.

Everyone instantly fell silent.

"All of you, stand down."

He approached a weapon rack and took down a spear that was black from end to end. Its shaft bore no decoration, only an ancient-looking character meaning "break" carved into its butt. Its iron surface was mottled with marks, yet carried the solid weight of something tempered a thousand times.

He gripped the middle of the shaft with one hand, its tip pointing diagonally toward the ground. His posture was casual, yet an invisible pressure spread from him, making even the surrounding air grow heavier.

"Boy," he said, looking at you, a keen light glinting in his tiger-like eyes, "let this old man test you."

Your heart tightened.

Among the Four Single-Attribute Clans, anyone qualified to serve as an elder had to be at least a level-seventy Soul Saint.

Though it had been stated beforehand that this was "spear techniques only, not Soul Power," there was no guarantee he would not suddenly strike to kill you. After all, you had already used several moves from the Soul Breaking Spear Technique, and had also displayed astonishing talent.

When faced with geniuses, these Soul Master clans and sects generally took one of two approaches-either make them serve, or snuff them out completely.

Yet you showed no fear. Crossing spears with a genuine Soul Saint was precisely the best opportunity to test your current strength.

You drew a deep breath, tightened your grip on the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear, and solemnly cupped your hands. "Please instruct me, Senior."

The Seventh Elder wasted no courtesy. His figure moved, and his black spear shot straight toward your chest like a venomous snake emerging from its lair.

The thrust was not fast, yet it left you feeling there was no way to evade it. It was as though that single spear had sealed off every direction, leaving you no choice but to meet it head-on.

You held your spear across yourself to block.

Clang!

With a dull crash, the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear shuddered violently, and a force as massive as a mountain surged through its shaft.

Even with its resilience dispersing the force layer by layer, the web of your hand still went numb from the impact. Only after retreating three steps did you barely steady yourself.

The Seventh Elder did not press his advantage. He withdrew his spear and stood, looking at you calmly. "You could withstand thirty percent of my strength. Not bad."

You flexed your numb wrist, yet your mind grew ever clearer. This was the true essence of the Soul Breaking Spear Technique-not those superficial trappings, but something that had returned to simplicity after being tempered a thousand times.