After the attack, the two quickly separated.
"You actually managed to withstand my Darkness Battle-qi?" Baird revealed himself in surprise and doubt. "How could Ninth-level Warrior possibly withstand the Battle-qi of Saint-level?"
Andrew recalled the force of the opponent's spear and seemed to understand something.
"It seems you have secrets not only in your soul, but also in your Battle-qi!" Baird's eyes gleamed with greed; his interest in Andrew had grown even stronger.
"I did the right thing this time! As long as I get your secret, what is the Yulan Empire? Hmph, if it weren't for the High Priest, they would have been wiped out long ago! It doesn't matter, as long as I can take that step, the first person I'll challenge is the High Priest! Defeat her, and everything in the Yulan Empire will be mine!"
Lost in his fantasies, Baird revealed his ambitions to Andrew, much to Andrew's amusement.
"This guy can become Saint-level? God has no eyes!"
Andrew sneered, his body swaying as he charged towards Baird. He already knew that, in terms of power, the Fusion Battle-qi was comparable to the Saint-level Late-Stage, so he decided to stop passively taking hits and instead take the initiative!
"Take this knife from me too!"
Andrew shouted, and nine sword shadows appeared in front of him, each slashing down at a different angle, sealing off all the space around Baird.
"You really think you're my match?"
Faced with such a frenzied attack, Baird actually laughed.
With a flick of his spear, nine spear shadows appeared in Baird's hand, each blocking a blade shadow. With a sudden tremor, the blade shadows were shattered. After the blade shadows Shattering, the nine spear shadows merged into one, transforming back into an ancient black spear.
Baird held a long spear, his face indifferent.
"What terrifying pressure!"
Andrew stared at the spear, unable to look away. He could feel an inexplicable power contained within it! At the same time, the space around him seemed to shrink... no, not shrink, but compressed! The air, which was originally weightless, now pressed down on him like a mountain, rendering him unable to move!
Andrew realized, this must be 'momentum'!
Baird calmly thrust out his black spear, his movements slow yet steady. This single thrust contained explosive power, yet not a trace of it dissipated! In other words, he had concentrated all his strength into this one strike.
What seemed like an ordinary shot was, in Andrew's eyes, like a tidal wave, a power capable of destroying the world!
" The Saint-level, this is the Saint-level! The 'power' of heaven and earth, the Laws of the World —to fight those below the Saint-level is like fighting against heaven and earth itself!"
As the spear drew ever closer, Andrew remained calm and composed.
"Heaven and earth, what a magnificent existence they are. Yet, they are not invincible! With enough power, even the Hongmeng Universe can be shattered, let alone this small Yulan Plane!"
Andrew gripped the Godslaying Saber and slowly, resolutely, raised it. Within his body, azure Battle-qi surged wildly, filling his entire being. That power, like a volcanic eruption, erected a Battle-qi shield around him. This Battle-qi shield actually forced back the immense pressure from the surroundings, and Andrew finally regained his mobility!
" The Fusion Battle-qi seems to have become even purer."
Andrew made a slight breakthrough, and his confidence in the fight increased considerably.
The Godslaying Saber, though arriving late, struck first, blocking the spear at the last second.
Baird was somewhat surprised that his opponent was able to break free from his control, which once again shattered his understanding.
"No, even if we can't catch him today, we have to kill him! This kid is too terrifying. Ninth-level Warrior can already contend with me. Once he breaks through to the Saint-level, I'm afraid I won't be a match for him!"
Baird's killing intent surged, and he thrust his spear forward with unwavering resolve.
"Clang!"
A powerful sound rang out as the Godslaying Saber the spear, but this time, it failed to stop the spear's advance!
A strike imbued with Baird's full power—it's not something that can be easily blocked!
"If one cut isn't enough, try another!"
Andrew did not give up; he retreated while slashing out with his sword again.
It still didn't work!
"If two cuts don't work, then three!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
After unleashing more than a dozen slashes, Andrew finally managed to neutralize the spear's attack.
"This is the true combat power of Saint-level expert! It's terrifying!"
Andrew, who had escaped unscathed, felt a tingling numbness in his arm and Vibration in his internal organs. To withstand the spear's attack, he used all his Battle-qi, enduring it head-on. On the spear, Darkness Battle-qi and an unknown power merged, their force like a monstrous wave, wave after wave, with tremendous staying power. Most of this force was neutralized by the Fusion Battle-qi, but some was transferred to him, causing him internal injuries.
"Phew!" Andrew breathed a long sigh of relief; the crisis was finally over.
" Baird, it seems you can't do anything to me today!" Andrew laughed loudly, while secretly sending a telepathic message to Golden Peng, instructing it to provide support at any time.
This battle was a chance for him to overcome his inner demons; from the very beginning, he had no intention of involving Golden Peng.
Baird was shocked and frustrated to discover that things were really as this kid said. As a Saint-level expert, he was actually no match for a Ninth-level Warrior!
Who would believe something like this if I told them?
Brandishing his spear, Baird sneered, "Boy, you certainly have many secrets, and you can withstand my strongest attack, but how much Battle-qi do you have left?"
He felt aggrieved as he spoke. A Saint Warrior had to rely on depleting the Battle-qi of Ninth-level Warrior to defeat him!
"This kid is just too strange. My greatest strength is speed, but his speed is no less than mine! And his Battle-qi is comparable to the Saint-level Late-Stage! Who has ever seen such a freak?"
Andrew laughed loudly, " Baird, you have completely lost the dignity of a strong person! You will stop at nothing to win. How can such a person become a strong person!"
"You can't kill me today, and I can't do anything to you. But remember this: in less than a year, I will face you again. By then, I hope you can withstand one of my blows!"
As soon as Andrew finished speaking, a golden figure descended from the sky, skimming the ground – it was the Golden Peng. He leaped lightly onto the Golden Peng's back. The Golden Peng cried out and spread its wings, soaring away. In the distance, Andrew's laughter echoed...
"Damn it!"
The sudden change startled Baird; he had completely forgotten that the other party had a flying magical pet!
"Arrogant brat, I will never let you get away with this!" Seeing the man and the roc disappear, Baird uttered these harsh words, his voice laced with bravado, though his expression betrayed a hint of panic...
Andrew gained so much from his match against Baird.
"This is my first battle since becoming Ninth-level Warrior, and it's against a Saint-level expert! This is so exciting!"
Andrew was still basking in the joy. To be able to fight against a Saint-level Late-Stage warrior with the strength of a level nine warrior—even the Dragonblood Warrior probably didn't have that kind of combat power!
"However, I'm afraid I was also lucky to survive..."
After the initial excitement, Andrew began to analyze the gains and losses of the battle. Through the fight, he gained a very clear understanding of Baird's abilities.
In Andrew's view, Baird's greatest strengths, which lay in cultivating Darkness Battle-qi, were speed and stealth. The latter, in particular, was incredibly difficult to defend against. However, Andrew had a certain advantage in these two areas. In terms of speed, Andrew, who was close to mastering the Explosive Steps, was definitely not weaker than Baird, and it could even be said that, within a small area, his speed was faster than Baird's. Baird would not deny this, otherwise, he would not have used his power to intimidate Andrew and fight him head-on.
Regarding concealment, Andrew indeed couldn't break it. However, after concealing himself, Baird's attacks were significantly reduced, and once he broke through Andrew's magic shield, he could no longer quickly break through the Battle-qi barrier. This gave Andrew time to react.
"If it were any other Ninth-level Warrior, they would have been instantly killed by him!"
Andrew thought again that Baird's attack wasn't strong, just that his Battle-qi was a bit thicker. Based on this, he deduced that what Byrd had comprehended was probably the Stealth Technique from the Profound Mysteries of Darkness.
"With the same cultivation level, the strength varies greatly depending on the profound Mysteries one comprehends. If one comprehends High-level Profound Mystery of that system of Laws, one's combat power will be at least several times higher than that of a cultivator of the same level who has comprehended Low-level Profound Mystery! Ultimately, Mysteries Laws are the foundation!"
Andrew recalled Baird's oppression, that feeling of being crushed and rejected by heaven and earth, which remained vivid in his memory.
"Even though Stealth Technique isn't good for combat, Baird was still able to restrain me. If it weren't for the Fusion Battle-qi, I definitely wouldn't have been able to break free this time."
Andrew's most pressing task right now is to comprehend 'momentum'. Only in this way can he further grasp the Laws and break through to the Saint-level. However, comprehending 'momentum' requires opportunity, and at least, he has no clue how to do it yet. No wonder, there are many Ninth-level Warrior on the continent, but very few who have comprehended 'momentum'.
"However, Baird did give me some inspiration..."
Andrew stared blankly ahead, his eyes flashing with lightning and flickering with flames.
" Golden Peng, go to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts and find a volcano to land on!" Andrew, having gained some insight, changed his plans.