Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

"You should know how much Inner Strength I absorbed from him during our exchange just now!"

"As his strength wanes, mine waxes. How much power could he possibly have left to challenge me?"

But Jiang Ran just shook his head.

"Still bluffing at a time like this?"

Tang Huayi added softly,

"If you were really absorbing his Inner Strength for your own, you would’ve been dead long ago. You clearly don’t realize that the man before you is an anomaly, the likes of which the martial world sees only once in a millennium."

"You can neither covet nor withstand his Inner Strength."

"The Death Building is the Death Building, I suppose. It seems even its own Assassins don’t truly understand the nature of you Five Poisons."

Hearing this, a thought struck Ruan Yuqing. She suddenly reached out a finger, touching the gale of energy stirred up by their clash.

Though her finger was instantly repelled, a look of sudden understanding dawned on her face.

"It’s the Scripture of Righteous Creation!"

"This is all power from the Scripture of Righteous Creation! There’s no trace of Greed Poison’s technique in it at all!"

"He... he isn’t absorbing Inner Strength for himself. He’s redirecting it! All this time, despite the terrifying display, he hasn’t actually used a single ounce of his own power. It’s all been Young Hero Jiang... fighting himself!?"

"That’s why it’s been going on for so long,"

Tang Huayi said with a sigh. "If it were anyone else, their Inner Strength would have been exhausted long ago. Then, it would have been certain death. But... his Inner Energy is as profound as a bottomless abyss."

"That’s why they’ve been locked in this stalemate without a break..."

"If we just leave them be, they’ll probably be stuck like this for days."

After saying this, she paid them no more mind, found a step to sit on, and waved Ruan Yuqing over.

"Come on. Let’s watch the show."

Ruan Yuqing laughed at that.

Ever since leaving Red Maple Manor with Jiang Ran, she had grown used to seeing him absolutely crush any opponent he faced.

Even someone like Shi Pingzhang couldn’t gain any ground against him.

This was the first time she’d seen anyone who could "match" Jiang Ran so evenly, and she had to admit, her heart had been in her throat.

It wasn’t that she was unused to seeing experts, nor was she overly concerned about the consequences of Jiang Ran losing...

She was simply worried about what kind of injuries he might suffer, what kind of blow it would be to his spirit.

She had even run through a thousand different plans in her mind to get him out of danger at all costs, should he fall.

Now that she knew the truth, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

And so, she actually went and sat down right next to Tang Huayi.

Not a trace of his earlier ease remained on Greed Poison’s face, but he still forced a smile through gritted teeth.

"So what if you’ve seen through my technique?"

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll launch a surprise attack the moment you withdraw your strength?"

"A duel is truly like two armies clashing on the battlefield."

Jiang Ran ignored Greed Poison’s threat and said softly,

"There are honorable tactics, and there are devious ones."

"The contest is never just about Inner Energy or techniques... but also about strategy and cunning."

"You have helped me greatly in this exchange. For that, I thank you."

"You!"

Greed Poison felt a growing sense of dread.

Then he heard Jiang Ran continue,

"But before you die, I have to say this: you never had a chance of winning this fight from the very beginning."

This was no bluff.

Jiang Ran’s Inner Strength was vast and profound. With the Scripture of Righteous Creation, his power was nigh infinite.

He could last for hours. He could last for days.

But how long could Greed Poison last?

His technique of absorbing an opponent’s Inner Strength and turning it back on them was nowhere near as simple as it looked.

In the beginning, Greed Poison had taken the force from Jiang Ran’s right palm, gathered it in his own right hand, and sent it back.

The second palm strike that Jiang Ran was forced to receive was, in reality, his own power.

But with all four palms locked, Greed Poison was channeling power from both of his hands—all of it Jiang Ran’s own Inner Strength.

This forced Greed Poison to maintain an absolute, flawless balance between "absorbing" and "releasing," between the offense and defense of his left and right palms. The slightest mistake would cause his entire technique to collapse.

The mental fortitude required for such a feat was unimaginable for an ordinary person.

It was only because he had been steeped in this art for many years that he had managed to hold on for so long.

Of course, against an ordinary person, it would be a different story. Their Inner Strength would be depleted long before Greed Poison’s concentration faltered, and he would have killed them on the spot.

But he was facing Jiang Ran.

By now, Greed Poison was completely trapped—he was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off.

After saying his piece, Jiang Ran spoke no more. With a shift of his internal breath, the intensity of his power suddenly changed.

Although Greed Poison had been prepared for this, he was still caught off guard.

Jiang Ran’s left palm suddenly pulsed with a bone-chilling cold, while his right palm radiated a warm, sacred light!

These were clearly two completely different types of Inner Energy.

Against a single type, he could still use his Art of Greed to absorb and release the power.

But with both at once, he couldn’t balance them.

A moment’s lapse in concentration created an opening.

Jiang Ran seized the opening. He stomped his foot, and his entire aura transformed. A vast, righteous presence filled the air, as if it were a fundamental part of the world itself.

Greed Poison’s spirit trembled. It was as if he was no longer facing Jiang Ran, but a saint filled with boundless, righteous aura!

His heart leaped into his throat, and he involuntarily took a step back.

At that moment, he felt the pressure on his palms vanish. Looking down, he thought with dread, ’This is bad.’

Jiang Ran’s hands had broken contact with his.

No longer locked palm to palm, Jiang Ran retreated three feet in an instant.

From three feet away, he gripped his saber with one hand.

The next instant, a stream of gold glittered, filling the sky with its dazzling light!

The Shattered Gold Saber was drawn.

It was a strike that defied description.

All who witnessed it shared the same illusion.

It was as if the blade wasn’t aimed at Greed Poison, but at every single person who laid eyes on it.

An imperceptible scar formed upon their hearts.

A scar that could not be parried, no matter the angle or the technique.

This scar decided yin and yang, divided life from death!

But to Ruan Yuqing and Tang Huayi, the scar felt familiar...

It looked just like the one left upon the ruined walls of the Slaughter Tower in the Ghost King Palace.

Only this time, the scar was etched upon Greed Poison’s body.

It split his body in two, right along that very line!

...

...

PS: Thanks for all your concern~ I’m not fully recovered yet, but my concentration issues have improved a lot. At least I can finish writing the update now.