The Programmer Cultivator

Two Wind Blades grazed past Zhang Deming’s back.

They carved a long gash across his back.

In that brief moment, the Light Wings on Zhang Deming’s heels vibrated at high speed.

Zhang Deming seemingly pushed off the air itself, managing to right his body and dodge the still-pursuing Kongyan. He landed steadily on the ground.

The moment he landed, blood gushed from the wound, staining his back red. It dripped onto the arena floor as the metallic tang of blood filled the air.

The Kongyan smelled the blood in the air, and a predatory glee flashed in its eagle-like eyes.

’It’s clear the creature conjured by this arena possesses extremely high Wisdom. It wasn’t just some simple manifestation.’

’And to achieve this, the master of this Array must be a Cultivator who started as an Array Cultivator, then specialized in Summoning and Illusion Skills.’

’If this is a trial within some ruins, then the possibilities are numerous.’

Zhang Deming stared coldly at the Kongyan. He’d been played by the beast.

The main issue was the creature’s speed; it truly put him on the defensive.

’Unless I create an opportunity, I can’t risk using my trump card. Not with its speed.’

’After all, it has decent defenses. If I just throw it out blindly, between its speed and its tough hide, it won’t have any effect at all.’

He circulated his Spiritual Power, slowing the bleeding from his wound, all while constantly dodging the Kongyan’s melee attacks.

Most of his focus, however, was on its scorpion tail.

’According to the records, a Kongyan Beast’s abilities can vary depending on its Bloodline, but its most powerful weapon is always its tail.’

’But this beast has treated its tail like an ornament since the fight began. Clearly, just like me, it’s holding back, waiting for the right moment to strike.’

The man and the beast dodged, weaved, and attacked across the sizable arena.

With his Spiritual Shield broken, Zhang Deming had to concentrate with every fiber of his being. It felt like he was dancing on a knife’s edge.

Throughout the Combat, Zhang Deming continuously sprouted Vines.

But because of their incredible speed, most of the Vines were destroyed the moment they finished growing, or the man and beast had already moved elsewhere.

Yet Zhang Deming didn’t give up. He kept consuming Spiritual Power to sprout more and more Vines.

Aside from the Vines on his body, all the others became little more than decorations for the grassy floor.

Zhang Deming relied on the sharp Vines covering his body to tangle with the Kongyan—though, for the most part, he was simply dodging its attacks.

After one such dodge, the Kongyan abruptly opened its mouth and spat several Wind Blades at him point-blank.

To evade, Zhang Deming launched himself into the air. In that instant, several Vines shot out at high speed and anchored themselves to the ground, preventing him from being left hanging helplessly in the air.

It was as if the Kongyan had been waiting for this very moment. Having forced Zhang Deming into the air, it opened its mouth again and spat out several more Wind Blades.

The moment Zhang Deming leveraged them to move, the blades instantly severed his spider-leg-like Vines.

At that moment, the two were not far apart; in fact, the Kongyan was directly below Zhang Deming.

The instant Zhang Deming was left hanging in the air again, the Kongyan raised its tail without hesitation.

Like a rubber band, the scorpion tail stretched out with incredible speed, shooting straight toward Zhang Deming.

’I’ve been waiting for you. Did you really think I’d fall for the same trick twice?’

The rapid extension of its tail forced the Kongyan to remain rooted in place, focusing all its intent on skewering Zhang Deming.

But at that very moment, all across the arena, every Vine that hadn’t been destroyed began to grow wildly in unison.

And as it happened, their position was right in the very center of these Vines.

An instant before the scorpion tail could impale him, the fastest-growing Vine wrapped around Zhang Deming, yanking him downward at an angle and accelerating his fall.

The Kongyan’s scorpion tail tried to change direction to continue its pursuit.

But by now, the surrounding Vines had finished growing. Like massive hands erupting from the earth, they instantly buried the Kongyan.

Zhang Deming acted without a moment’s hesitation. To ensure he could shatter its Shield and pierce its scales in one blow, he decided not to hold anything back.

"Summoning: Spirit Nurturing Summoning!"

A white orb of light appeared between his hands.

At the same time, the Enhancement Rune within his body merged directly into the Spirit Nurturing Technique.

Once again, Zhang Deming wielded power at the initial Tai Chi Stage.

"I’ve heard a rumor... they say that Vine Thorns have excellent armor-piercing properties."

Then, empowered by the Rumors, Zhang Deming grabbed a Vine with one hand, braced himself on the ground with the other, and launched his most powerful attack.

"Technique: Thorny Ground Vine Thorns!"

From the ground where the Kongyan was trapped, dozens of sharp vine thorns first erupted, shooting skyward.

Simultaneously, the very Vines encasing the beast also began to sprout countless sharp spikes.

The densely packed spikes stabbed at it from every direction, leaving no blind spots. They struck almost simultaneously, and every single one carried the force of the Tai Chi Stage.

The Shield lasted for only an instant before it shattered.

Immediately after, some of the spikes snapped against its scales, but because the assault was so dense, many of them still managed to pierce through.

The beast’s defense was undeniably strong. Even under such an assault, most of the spikes only barely pierced its flesh and failed to run it through.

’But as long as they get inside, as long as they reach its internal organs, that’s enough.’

Countless spikes ejected Seeds of Spiritual Power, which all erupted in unison at that very moment.

Innumerable Seeds of Spiritual Power surged into the beast’s body.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Deming initiated the final, decisive blow.