Longevity by Grinding Skills

Aside from the supremely powerful sect leaders, the disciples in the front rows, and the guests from the various sects, everyone covered their ears, their heads buzzing.

The Profound Iron Hammer Head ground against the soft sword as it twisted upward, the eighteen spiral blood grooves on its face whipping up a visible vortex of air.

The Cold Pond Dragon Roar Sword let out a mournful cry as three inches of its tip were torn clean off. The severed piece flew like a silver star, embedding itself in a Coiling Dragon Pillar a hundred feet away.

Qi Huan staggered back seven steps. A spiderweb-like dent had appeared on the Heart Protection Mirror across his chest.

He stared at his empty right hand. His throat bobbed as he swallowed back a mouthful of blood, finally suppressing the unwilling rage that filled his chest.

"I’ve lost."

Skin Cultivation Perfection. The Golden Skin State.

Xu Yunfan was now on par with the prodigies from the most elite sects.

Qi Huan limped off the stage. Xu Yunfan’s final heavy hammer strike had sent a numbing shock through his entire body. If Xu Yunfan hadn’t pulled back his strength at the last moment, he would have undoubtedly been reduced to a bloody pulp.

Suddenly, a jade chime rang three times from the high platform.

When Zhan Yan stepped through the air to land in front of Xu Yunfan, the bluestone pavers beneath his feet remained utterly uncracked.

"Well done, my boy. You’ve made your master proud."

Xu Yunfan grinned. "Only because you gave me a great hammer, Master!"

’Without this Thunderfire Qilin Hammer in my hands, things really would have been tricky if Qi Huan had drawn that Wandering Dragon Cyan Mirage Sword.’

Zhan Yan turned to look down at the arena, waiting for the next challenger.

Xu Yunfan, too, let his gaze drift over the various head disciples.

Mo Shisan’s gaze drifted away. He tilted his head back to stare at the sky, as if pondering why it was so clear and blue today. On a normal day, with the thousand-some forges of the Celestial Craft Cave fired up and steam billowing from a dozen iron refining furnaces, a thick, perpetual cloud would hang over Guniu Mountain.

Yan Yuwei did her best to make her formidable, muscular frame seem smaller, forcing a perfectly harmless smile onto her pretty and delicate face.

As for the Head Disciple of the Foreign Affairs Hall, a man dressed all in white, he had turned sideways the moment he saw Xu Yunfan reveal his Golden Skin State. Cradling his sword, he stared at the distant walls of Celestial Craft City, seemingly pondering the most effortless way to slice one open.

Even Qi Huan had been effortlessly dispatched by Xu Yunfan and his heavy hammer.

The Jiuyao Sect envoy’s eyes flickered as he stared intently at Xu Yunfan, unable to hold back a quiet sigh.

’The Celestial Craft Cave certainly had a stroke of good fortune, digging up a prospect like that,’ he murmured. ’If only he belonged to my Jiuyao Sect... What a pity...’

He couldn’t help but glance at Zhan Yan, who stood beside Xu Yunfan. He felt a pang of hesitation. There were only a few Masters of Weapon Forging in all of Cangzhou who could craft Treasure Artifacts. Offending one would make future dealings difficult. As it stood, the Jiuyao Sect was able to purchase Treasure Artifacts from the Celestial Craft Cave at a discount every two or three years.

Seeing the conflicted expression on his master’s face, the young man beside him gave a soft snort.

"You’re impressed with him, aren’t you, Master?"

The Jiuyao Sect Elder sighed with emotion. "Across the Sixteen States of Yanbei Dao, Third Level Martial Artists are innumerable. But those who can bring one of the three stages to Perfection are as rare as a phoenix’s feather. Take Qi Huan from the Celestial Craft Cave’s Hidden Blade Pavilion. For all his considerable talent, he was ultimately unable to perfect even one stage, and his progress stagnated as a result."

"But this young man... his Hammer Technique is simply sublime. He shifts between light and heavy blows at will. His insight into the Martial Dao is truly rare."

The young man raised an eyebrow, letting his folded arms fall to his sides.

"You really think that highly of him, Master?"

"He is indeed exceptional," the Jiuyao Sect Elder said wistfully. "As long as he doesn’t meet an untimely end, the Celestial Craft Cave will have another Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster within twenty years."

A hush fell over the True Inheritance Ceremony. Seeing that everyone remained silent, the smile in Zhan Yan’s eyes grew wider. ’This disciple of mine has certainly made me proud,’ he thought. ’At the very least, that old bastard from the Hidden Blade Pavilion looks absolutely furious.’ Finally, he announced in a loud, clear voice:

"Since no one else is coming forward, the final victor of the True Inheritance Ceremony is Xu Yunfan!"

Before his voice had even faded, the clang of metal on metal suddenly rang out from the northwestern viewing platform. A moment later, a young man’s distinctly lazy voice echoed across the arena.

"Teng Lingchuan, True Inheritor of the Jiuyao Sect, would like to exchange a few pointers!"

The Jiuyao Sect Elder was caught off guard. Hearing the voice behind him, his expression flickered. He shot a fierce glare at the young Teng Lingchuan before closing his eyes and feigning a state of half-slumber, as if it had nothing to do with him.

The moment Teng Lingchuan spoke, the atmosphere in the entire Martial Arts Arena turned frigid.

All eyes turned to the northwestern viewing platform. A young man in a brocade robe was slowly getting to his feet. He was handsome, but his eyes held a trace of languor, as if he couldn’t be bothered by anything.

He held a long spear, its shaft engraved with intricate patterns that emanated a faint, extraordinary aura.

Teng Lingchuan then shattered the bluestone railing with the butt of his spear, using the recoil to vault into the arena like a swooping hawk.

CLANG!

The instant the twelve-foot, steel-tipped spear plunged into the bluestone pavers, qi and blood surged through it, causing the engraved patterns of the twenty-eight constellations on its shaft to light up one by one with a faint glow.

"The Pole Star Spear?"

The Celestial Craft Cave’s Sword Casting Elder accidentally snapped off a piece of his beard in his clenched fist. He shot a look at Zhan Yan, whose expression had soured.

"If I remember correctly, you’re the one who forged this Pole Star Spear three years ago, aren’t you?!"

Zhan Yan remained silent, his fingers gripping the True Inheritance Token he’d been about to present so tightly that it creaked audibly.

A smile touched Xu Yunfan’s lips as he looked at the young man before him, who stood no more than five-foot-eleven.

’The Jiuyao Sect is the number one sect in the Sixteen States of Yanbei Dao. Normally, they would just politely observe someone else’s True Inheritance Ceremony. Jumping out like this is quite rude.’

’Muscle Refinement Perfection.’

’Interesting. My master said that Martial Artists who have reached Perfection in any of the three stages are extremely rare, like a phoenix feather in the Mortal World. And now, one has just shown up at my own True Inheritance Ceremony.’

His qi and blood, which had been about to settle, instead flared up like water thrown on hot oil. In an instant, it was surging, and a scorching aura radiated from him.

"Please."

The words had barely left Xu Yunfan’s lips.

Teng Lingchuan’s spear tip flickered, producing a three-inch glint of cold light. His Beidou Star Pivot Step cracked the bluestone pavers beneath him. With a flick of his long spear, he executed a *Coiling Dragon Emerges from the Sea*, launching himself at Xu Yunfan.

Xu Yunfan stomped his heel down, instantly caving in the bluestone ground by half a foot. His knotted leg muscles strained his pant legs to the bursting point as a dark red flush raced up his neck to the crown of his head.

"Nice one!"

Instead of retreating, he advanced. He raised his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer, the muscles of his right arm bulging and rippling. As he swung it upward, it tore through the air with a deafening roar.

The stone pavers beneath his feet cracked like a spider’s web with a series of sharp POPS.

The Gang Wind from Teng Lingchuan’s spear thrust was powerful enough to rip up the bluestone pavers in its path.

The instant the spear and hammer collided.

The muscles in Xu Yunfan’s arms coiled like steel cables. The unique bronze luster of his Red Rope Copper Body at Perfection suddenly glowed with hints of gold. As he channeled his Celestial Zen Force, his bones vibrated with a low hum, and a shockwave exploded down the handle of his hammer.

CLANG!

The ringing clash of metal shattered every teacup in the viewing stands.

Teng Lingchuan’s expression finally shifted.

’Such immense strength!’

That single strike had bent the shaft of his spear into a crescent moon.

He immediately disengaged, sliding his hand to the butt of the spear and pressing down. Instantly, the starlight at the spear’s tip surged seven inches longer—it was the Nine Luminaries Spear’s killing move, *Yinghe Devouring the Moon*.