Chapter 174 : Fourth Grade
Chapter 174: Fourth Grade
"You, must, not, kill, him!"
Su Zhi Ning’s white robes fluttered as she soared into the air. A wave of soul-shaking energy burst forth in all directions, and a faint blue misty glow shot from her eyes. Her cool voice carried a strong aura of cold killing intent.
Her flowing long hair emitted threads of electricity. Above her head, dark clouds rapidly gathered, and streaks of lightning churned within them.
The dark clouds that covered the heavens and blocked the sun caused the whole world to lose its color.
Chen Ming felt his scalp go numb. Had she just summoned one of the Heaven's Path Alliance’s experts who stood at the peak and beyond?
This aura was simply too exaggerated.
"Hmph!"
The man in black inwardly cursed—trouble! This female disciple from the Heaven's Path Alliance was actually attempting to break through to Third Grade at this moment. If she succeeded in stepping into Third Grade, he would surely be no match for her.
In a flash of thought, he made a decision. With a wave of his hand, a short baton shot out from his sleeve. A flick of the wrist, and each end of the baton extended in segments, transforming into a long staff.
With the staff in hand, his entire presence shifted. His eyes turned crimson, revealing a bloodthirsty and frenzied aura.
"Die!"
He shouted furiously, and the long staff in his hand swung fiercely. A terrifying burst of Gang Qi broke through the limits of space and instantly arrived above Chen Ming’s head, ready to smash him to pieces.
When he decided to come kill Chen Ming, he had already offended the boy. Even if he backed down now, would the other party let him go in the future?
This youth was a genius listed on the Azure Cloud Ranking. Once he stepped into Third Grade one day, how could he possibly contend with him?
He would rather kill him now in front of the Heaven's Path Alliance's female disciple and eliminate the future threat entirely.
Everyone knew that the Heaven's Path Alliance was the leader of the righteous path. No matter how badly one offended them, their family members wouldn’t be implicated.
Buzz!
The "Mingfeng Sword" in Chen Ming’s hand began trembling violently, but it was completely useless. When that Gang Qi arrived, he didn’t even have time to react.
In the next instant, that strand of Gang Origin vanished like a bubble, with a faint “pop”.
Only then did he realize what had just happened, breaking out in cold sweat.
So this was the true strength of a Third Grade expert?
It was simply terrifying. Before you could even react, you would already be dead.
The man in black looked at Su Zhi Ning floating in the air, both shocked and furious. "Are you insane? Just to save him, you’re throwing your life away?"
At this moment, she was at a critical juncture, with all her Gang Qi transforming into Gang Origin. One misstep and she would suffer shattered meridians.
And yet she still dared to forcibly act now? Wasn’t this just seeking death?
If she died, that wouldn’t matter. But once the Heaven's Path Alliance investigated, who knew how many people would die?
Ever since that incident three hundred years ago, under the witness of the Great Jin Imperial Family, the Heaven's Path Alliance and the other Eight Great Sects, along with several major families, had drawn a line.
The Heaven's Path Alliance would no longer interfere in the affairs of the martial world.
Likewise, if a disciple of the Heaven's Path Alliance suffered any mishap, all connected individuals would be eradicated.
If this female disciple of the Heaven's Path Alliance died here, not only he, but Qin Changyuan and all related parties, even his own children, would be completely uprooted.
Among the three people present, he was the one who least wanted this white-robed woman to die here.
Thus, as he watched Su Zhi Ning in the sky pointing her sword at him, for a moment, he was held back by scruples and didn’t dare strike again. He merely continued to pursue them persistently, trying to scare Chen Ming away.
However, Chen Ming wasn’t foolish. He vaguely guessed that the man was concerned about Su Zhi Ning, and kept circling, refusing to stray far from her.
For a time, the man in black couldn’t catch up to him.
In this manner, the standoff lasted nearly fifteen minutes. Floating in the air, Su Zhi Ning finally took the critical step—her Gang Qi fully transformed into True Gang.
Pfft!
At that moment, her body trembled, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
This was the backlash from forcibly taking action earlier. Her meridians had ultimately been damaged.
Upon seeing this, the man in black made his move decisively, swinging out his long staff again.
Almost identically, another strand of Gang Qi appeared instantly before Chen Ming.
Su Zhi Ning, still in the air, swung her sword once more, shattering the deadly Gang Origin.
"I’d like to see just how many times you can save him!"
The man in black shouted, hurling his staff again and again.
At this point, Su Zhi Ning had already stepped into Third Grade. Her cultivation had initially stabilized, and the risk of death from a rampaging Gang Origin was gone. He no longer had any scruples about striking.
At this stage, he had no other choice—he had to kill that boy.
Su Zhi Ning gritted her teeth and swung her sword repeatedly. With each swing, a strand of pale blue Sword Qi flew out, precisely blocking each strike of the man in black.
From this, one could see how precise her vision was, and how superb her swordsmanship.
Likewise, with every swing of her sword, her face turned a shade paler. By the end, she was as white as paper, with only her eyes still bright, fixed firmly on the man in black’s every move.
Amidst this, Chen Ming heard only thunderous explosions in his ears. He felt the terrifying might of the Gang Origin. The "Mingfeng Sword" in his hand kept buzzing in warning.
He deeply felt the helplessness of having his life and death out of his control.
So, he no longer hesitated.
"Add points!"
In one go, he raised the 《Five Elements True Art (Incomplete)》 to the sixth layer.
Immediately, he felt the True Qi in his Qi Sea swelling madly. In the blink of an eye, it reached the limit of what the Qi Sea could hold.
For a moment, he thought his Qi Sea was going to burst.
Just as his Qi Sea reached the limit of its endurance, his True Qi underwent a mysterious change. It began to collapse inward, compressing continuously from gaseous form until it became liquid.
Gang Qi, achieved!
Chen Ming took a deep breath and glanced at the panel.
【Level: 60】
【Current Points: 1270000】
【Cultivation Methods: 《Iron Horse Stance》 (Fifth Layer Perfection), 《Five Elements True Art (Incomplete)》 (Sixth Layer 3000/2400000)】
【Martial Techniques: 《Three Talents Fist》 (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Mastery), 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》 (Mastery), 《Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens》 (Third Layer 1322/300000)】
【Secret Arts: 《Disguise Technique》 (Mastery)】
Over the past thirteen days, he had gained over one million experience points, enough to push his level to around 65.
At this moment, he keenly noticed an opportunity.
After stepping into Fourth Grade, not only had his True Qi undergone a qualitative transformation, but even his five senses had greatly improved. With the help of the "Mingfeng Sword", he was finally able to "see" the attacks of that black-clad Third Grade expert.
Each strand of True Gang came with devastating power, hurtling toward him.
At the same time, Su Zhi Ning’s Sword Gang, falling from the sky like shards of crystal, intercepted each of the black-clad man’s deadly strikes with flawless precision.
Amidst those crystal-like slashes, there was a hidden strand of Sword Gang, extremely stealthy, silently shooting toward the black-clad man.
Not good!
By the time the black-clad man realized it, it was already too late. Focused entirely on killing Chen Ming quickly, he had completely overlooked his own safety.
In the end, he had underestimated Su Zhi Ning, who had just broken through and suffered severe internal injuries. He hadn’t expected that even in such a condition, she would still have the strength to launch an assault.
The black-clad man could only raise his Defensive Gang Origin to block it head-on.
Tss!
That thin layer of Defensive Gang Origin within his body was pierced by the Sword Gang, a burst of blood blooming from his chest—it nearly passed right through him.
The black-clad man didn’t even grunt. He countered with a reverse swing, smashing his staff toward Su Zhi Ning in the air.
He had finally realized one thing: if he didn’t eliminate this woman, it would be nearly impossible to kill Chen Ming.
Facing his attack, Su Zhi Ning neither dodged nor evaded. Her long sword stabbed out fiercely.
A life-for-a-life, mutual destruction approach.
She was truly insane!
Only now did the black-clad man feel a hint of regret. Had he known, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess.
Who among those listed on the Azure Cloud Ranking was easy to provoke?
He had mentally prepared before accepting this task. But he hadn’t expected to get entangled with a female disciple of the Heaven's Path Alliance.
This young woman had broken through to Third Grade right in front of him—she must be a true heir of the Heaven's Path Alliance. What made it worse was that she was willing to sacrifice her life to save Chen Ming.
This clearly meant she was determined to live and die together with him.
The black-clad man was truly terrified. Even if he managed to kill Chen Ming, she might still die alongside him. All his careful planning would be for nothing.
"Miss, why do this?"
He voluntarily stepped aside and pleaded earnestly, "A young woman like you with such astounding talent, in the prime of your life—why throw it away so carelessly?"
"For a man like that—can it really be worth it?"
"You’re so devoted to him. Can he truly treat you the same way in return?"
"Miss, please wake up. If you die, he’ll be moved for a while at most. In the end, he’ll still forget you and fall in love with another woman…"
But no matter how earnestly he spoke, her sword did not waver in the slightest. It continued to thrust at him with unwavering resolve, forcing him to retreat step by step.
The black-clad man found himself caught in a terrible dilemma—he couldn’t fight back, nor could he stop fighting. Frustration welled up within him. He couldn’t reason with this irrational woman.
Seeing her press in relentlessly, looking like she wouldn’t rest until he was dead, he finally erupted. "Don’t push me too far!"
Driven by fury, he held nothing back and unleashed his signature technique: three thundering strikes.
Three Saints Staff—not just his moniker, but also his strongest secret technique. Back when he had captured the pirate king’s wife and children alive, he had acquired these three staff techniques.
It was precisely through this staff art that he had earned his fame.
These three staff techniques were truly extraordinary—a genuine supreme art. The first strike knocked aside Su Zhi Ning’s sword.
Bang!
One end of his staff exploded into powder.
Though this staff was intricate, it couldn’t compare to Su Zhi Ning’s divine weapon.
The second strike slammed into her Defensive Gang Origin, blasting her away.
The third strike was flung out, colliding with the treasure sword she had thrown. It struck the sword off course.
Just then, the treasure sword, glowing with blue light, curved midair and flew toward him again.
"Sword Controlled by Qi?"
Seeing this, the black-clad man’s eyelids twitched. Such advanced swordsmanship was typically only within reach of Second Grade experts. It required not only a divine weapon capable of resonance, but also the bond of heart and mind to comprehend the Sword Intent within.
She had just stepped into Third Grade, yet she could already control the sword with Qi—this was absurd.
"Haaah!"
The black-clad man dared not slack off. He channeled all his power, layers of Gang Origin surging toward the divine sword.
In an instant, more than ten layers of his Gang Origin were pierced through. Under the sharpness of the divine weapon, his defenses crumbled like paper.
Still, no matter how strong the divine weapon, once it lost the power of its wielder, it would eventually run out of strength. When the sword tip was just one inch from his chest, it slowed and finally stopped.
He had made it!
The black-clad man rejoiced inwardly—then he felt a chill at his back. A sword tip emerged from his chest.
Before he could react, the sword twisted and pulled, reducing his heart and internal organs to a shredded mess. A massive clump of blood spilled from the gaping wound.
"Aaaaargh—"
He let out a sky-shaking scream. Turning his head, he saw Chen Ming already several zhang away, his eyes blazing red with endless resentment and hatred.
Then he heard the boy say, "Sorry, you just posed too perfectly."
"You—"
Darkness clouded the black-clad man’s vision. The hole in his body had drained his invincible Gang Origin without a trace.
He never imagined he would die at the hands of a Fifth Grade martial artist.
He had never taken this boy seriously. That’s why he hadn’t guarded against him at all. At the moment when his Gang Origin was used entirely to defend against Su Zhi Ning’s divine weapon, his old strength gone, new strength not yet gathered, and all caution dropped—that boy had delivered a fatal strike.
Even in death, he couldn’t understand how that mere Fifth Grade brat had pierced through his Defensive Gang Origin.
……
【You have killed an LV75 enemy. Experience gained: 450,000 points.】
Chen Ming glanced at the prompt. Upon seeing the massive figure of 450,000 experience points, he relaxed. Finally, dead.
"Miss Su!"
He didn’t even bother to examine the corpse of the Third Grade expert. He immediately chased after the direction where Su Zhi Ning had flown.
"Don’t you die on me now."