On the city wall, Ciwen's expression finally changed when he heard the words "fire burns Mist Hidden Mountain".
Before he could speak, Zhigang, who was standing to the side, could no longer hold back.
He shouted down towards the city walls, "Wu Shuangren! If you want to fight, I, the Buddha, will fight you!"
Upon hearing this, Liang An's expression changed, and he wanted to speak up to stop them, but Zhigang had already started talking to Wu Shuangren:
"Draw up your rules on how you want to fight, and I, the Buddha, will accept!"
And who are you?
"Zhigang, the Vajra Hall of Mount Liang!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Shuangren was secretly delighted.
In Guo Jiwang's plan, provoking Ciwen to his death was only the first step; now that it could be the Mount Liang leaders who suffered the same fate, that would be even better.
"Fine! If you can defeat me, I'll spare these monks and the Mist Hidden Temple!"
Wu Shuangren shouted loudly.
"You're someone of importance, so it's a deal!"
Zhigang shouted loudly, then turned around and ordered, "Go and get a rope!"
He was about to use the rope to jump directly off the city wall.
"Wait!"
Liang An stopped him.
Zhigang looked at Liang An with a serious expression. "Brother Liang, I must fight this battle, not only for the monks of Mist Hidden Temple, but also to avenge my Uncle Liaoming!"
Liang An sighed, knowing he couldn't stop the Vajra Hall Master, and could only say, "Even if we're going to fight, we need to agree on the rules beforehand, making their troops retreat several hundred feet to create distance. Otherwise, if you go down there, their troops will swarm you, and you'll have no chance of survival."
Ciwen then spoke up, "We also need to be careful of his mother, who wields a sword."
Lin Qian said from the side, "Master, please feel free to fight. If anyone breaks the rules, I will take action!"
He killed an official in the capital and was subsequently hunted down. It was Zhigang saved his life and took him to Mount Liang. Therefore, among the leaders of Mount Liang, he had the best relationship with Zhigang.
Seeing that Zhigang was determined to fight, he offered his support and backed the other side up.
Ciwen also said, "This old monk will also stand up for my junior brother."
Lin Qian snorted coldly, already quite dissatisfied with this abbot.
Why did Ciwen dare not stand up for the survival of his own disciples, instead letting an outsider fight for him?
Ciwen remained silent, seemingly unaware of the disdain of those around him, which only fueled Lin Qian's anger.
"Militia Commander Wu, if you insist on fighting on the battlefield, please have your men retreat three hundred feet!"
Liang An activated his Internal Skill and shouted loudly.
"Can!"
Wu Shuangren acted decisively, raising one hand to signal the militiamen behind him to retreat.
So several thousand people began to retreat.
Taking the opportunity, Liang An observed the militia formation outside the city and noticed that the twenty-odd square formations in the center turned around in unison and then marched backward in step, maintaining their orderly ranks even as they retreated.
This made Liang An's heart skip a beat!
In contrast, the Rong Province Militia on the left and right flanks seemed much more normal. As soon as they retreated, they immediately revealed their true colors, and their once-organized formation became chaotic again.
After everyone had retreated three hundred zhang, and were about six hundred zhang (nearly two thousand meters) from the city wall, Liang An shouted again:
"Zhigang is a man of the martial world, not skilled in mounted combat. If Militia Commander Wu insists on a mounted combat contest, we are afraid we cannot agree!"
He was worried that Wu Shuangren would take advantage of cavalry warfare, so he preemptively blocked the possibility.
Wu Shuangren didn't say anything, but dismounted, turned around, and gently patted the horse's rump, letting it walk away on its own.
Soon someone ran up and led the warhorse away.
Seeing Wu Shuangren's decisive action, Liang An felt a vague unease.
Is the other party really that confident?
But things have come to this point, and if we still don't dare to go out of the city to fight, then it's a bit unreasonable.
Liang An said to Zhi Gang, "Be careful. If you are outmatched, run down to the city wall immediately. We will cover you."
Zhigang nodded in agreement.
Several monks lowered a thick rope from the city wall. Zhigang grabbed the rope and, with two or three leaps, landed below the city wall.
He was dressed in full iron armor, wearing a helmet, and carrying a steel staff. He strode towards Wu Shuangren.
Wu Shuangren stood at his Mo Dao outpost, quietly waiting for the other party to arrive.
On the city wall, thousands of eyes in the rear ranks were watching this battle.
When the two were ten zhang apart, Zhigang stopped, his breathing became rapid, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes. The excitement of a martial artist surged up.
He possesses Second Rank Internal Skill cultivation level, but he is born with superhuman strength. When he unleashes his full power, he is strong enough to fight against First Rank- grade expert!
Among all the masters of Mount Liang, Zhigang is definitely a shoo-in for the top ten!
A morning breeze blew by, stirring up a cloud of dust that swirled between the two of them.
Zhigang held his staff horizontally in front of him, shifted his feet, and nodded his Wu Shuangren:
"Please!"
Wu Shuangren lowered his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) diagonally, the tip touching the ground.
"Please!"
139. The blade is like a raging sea, yin and yang united.
Yi Prefecture City.
The two stood facing each other, taking steps forward almost simultaneously.
Wu Shuangren's footsteps appeared very light. Although he was wearing a heavy infantry armor weighing several tens of kilograms, his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) dragged behind him, and the tip of the sword only stirred up a very fine dust as it sliced across the ground.
Zhigang, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Every step he took was like a boulder crashing into the ground, his armor rattling and his boots sinking into the soil, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust when he pulled them out.
The two walked faster and faster, from a slow pace to a brisk walk, and from a brisk walk to a sprint.
They are ten steps apart.
Zhigang roared, gripping his staff with both hands, and launched the first attack.
He pushed off the ground with his back foot, his entire spine like a fully drawn bow, the power flowing from his heel all the way to the tip of his staff, the iron staff rising high and smashing down on Wu Shuangren's head.
Before the staff even arrived, the strong wind had already blown the dust around Wu Shuangren into a whirlwind!
Wu Shuangren suddenly twisted his stance, his body sliding to the right like a cloud swept up by the wind. The monk's staff grazed his breastplate and crashed to the ground with a thud, leaving a foot-deep crater and sending dust flying.
Wu Shuangren turned again, like a tiger pounced down from the cliff, taking a step forward and sweeping his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) at the waist.
Zhigang neither dodged nor evaded, but raised his staff and swept it horizontally, clashing head-on with Wu Shuangren.
Clang!!!
The sound was like a thunderclap.
The tin ring hanging from the head of Zhigang's staff bounced violently, emitting a series of rapid clanging sounds. Wu Shuangren's Mo Dao was jolted upwards by the shock, its blade humming and trembling.
Zhigang only took one step back, while Wu Shuangren took three steps back, his boots scraping two long marks on the ground.
In a direct confrontation, Wu Shuangren was at a disadvantage.
[Match for One Person] enhanced his Internal Skill to a level even stronger than Zhigang's, because Zhigang was born with superhuman strength, which was further enhanced by him.
However, Wu Shuangren's Internal Skill cultivation was too low, making it difficult for him to fully utilize the enhanced Internal Skill. Therefore, in terms of strength, he was not as strong as Zhigang, who was born with superhuman strength and could fully utilize it.
Zhigang shouted, stepped to the side, and swung his staff at the end, aiming for Wu Shuangren's chest and abdomen. This change of move was extremely fast; the staff end was like a spear or lance, accompanied by a piercing whistle!
Wu Shuangren leaned back, the end of his staff brushing past his nose. He kicked upwards with his left foot, striking the front of the hilt of the sword. The long sword in his hand rose like a dragon raising its head, suddenly slashing upwards, the blade cutting towards Zhigang's wrist holding the staff.
Zhigang immediately withdrew his hand, gripped the staff with his right hand, and spun around in place. The staff head swayed with his body as he spun, sweeping towards Wu Shuangren's shoulder with an even heavier whistling sound!
Before Wu Shuangren could fully unleash his sword strike, he used his waist and abdomen to kick his left foot, which slammed heavily into the ground, causing his body to slide backward and dodge the sweeping staff. He used the hilt of his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to push off the ground, straightening his body and regaining his balance.
The two exchanged blows in a single exchange, their moves changing with lightning speed. From a distance, all that could be seen were two figures clashing, their swords flashing and staffs gleaming, a blurry blur.
In a flash, both men roughly gauged each other's strength.
Zhigang charged forward again, two streams of white breath coming out of his nostrils, veins throbbing on his forehead, his whole body like a boiling bronze furnace!
He stopped testing the waters and gradually pushed his Internal Skill to its limit, swinging his staff in circles to chop, smash, sweep, and flick, one move after another.
His staff techniques were expansive and powerful, with the tin ring at the head of the staff constantly pulsating, producing a unique rhythmic metallic clanging sound, like chanting in the air.
Zhigang's nickname in Mount Liang was "Vajra," and when he fought, the sound of chanting was indeed accompanied by the sound of Vajra descending to earth!
Wu Shuangren weaved through the shadows of his staff, advancing and retreating like surging waves, his movements as unpredictable as drifting clouds. His long-handled broadsword danced with the ferocity and domineering power of a tiger.
One forceful, the other gentle; ever-changing and unpredictable!
The flashes of swords and the shadows of staffs intertwined, their clanging and the whooshing of air blending together. The two figures leaped and chased each other, the dust on the ground whipped up more than ten feet high by the strong wind.
Their clash seemed to have unleashed a storm!
"This young man's martial arts skills have already reached a state of simplicity and naturalness; it's truly unbelievable!"
On the city wall, Lin Qian suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with admiration.
He practiced martial arts from a young age and possessed exceptional talent. By the age of thirty, he had reached the First Rank level and was recognized as a martial arts prodigy.
Therefore, he has always had very high standards. In the past, there were few people he admired, including the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Palace, and now Mount Liang.
Having witnessed this fight firsthand, Lin Qian admitted that at Wu Shuangren's age, his martial arts skills were far inferior to his opponent's.
Liang An looked at him. "Does Instructor Lin think this person has reached the First Rank rank?"
Lin Qian said, "Your Internal Skill may not have reached that level yet, but your martial arts skills have already reached that level."
In the martial arts world, the phrase "Heavenly Cycle Breathing body's energy Thunder Sound Arises Naturally" is used to assess the First Rank realm, but this only refers to Internal Skill cultivation.
A martial arts contest isn't just about who has the greater strength.
The level of martial arts skill is not only determined by Internal Skill, but also by the level of mastery of the techniques.
However, there are countless martial arts techniques in the world, each with its own unique characteristics, making it impossible to establish a unified standard like Internal Skill.
Lin Qian said that Wu Shuangren's martial arts had reached the First Rank rank, which was his own assessment from the First Rank rank.
Liang An was surprised that Lin Qian had such a high opinion of Wu Shuangren; he had thought that Wu Shuangren was at most Second Rank martial artist.
Hearing Lin Qian's words, Liang An frowned. "In your opinion, who will win this duel?"
Lin Qian pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Master Zhigang's advantage lies in his innate superhuman strength, while Wu Shuangren's advantage lies in his skillful techniques. However, Master Zhigang has a stronger innate constitution, and if he were to unleash his potential, he would have an even greater advantage. The outcome between the two... is about 60/40."
Below, Zhigang's attacks became faster and faster, and his power continued to increase!
His eyes were wide open in anger, his skin was crimson, and hot white breath kept coming out of his mouth and nose, like a wrathful Vajra in a temple.
This uses a secret method to unleash potential!
Zhigang was born with superhuman strength, so the potential he unleashed was even greater than that of ordinary First Rate masters. He wielded the 60-pound Zen staff like a windmill, and all that could be seen was a long, gray-black shadow that surged like a black dragon, constantly shattering the air!
Even if Wu Shuangren was wearing infantry armor, if he were hit solidly, even if the armor didn't break, the flesh and blood inside wouldn't be able to withstand it, and he would definitely be seriously injured!
"They're getting serious."
Lin Qian unconsciously tightened his grip on the spear in his right hand, and leaned forward slightly.
Liang An also tensed up, staring intently at the ground below.
Normally, even if Wu Shuangren also used the secret method to stimulate potential, the difference in their innate physiques would prevent him from keeping up with Zhigang's improvement, Zhigang should have started to gain the upper hand.
But it's like the saying goes, "The righteous are one foot high, but the evil are ten feet high."
Zhigang's strength increased further, Wu Shuangren also rose accordingly!
Each time the sword and staff clashed, Wu Shuangren would tilt the blade to the side, allowing the immense force of the staff to slide off the blade.
He circled around Zhigang, faster and faster, like the tide swirling around a reef, wave after wave!