My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

His figure didn’t seem fast, but it was as if he were Shrinking Inches, crossing dozens of feet in a single step. His right hand formed a claw, his hazy gray True Essence condensing into a tangible claw shadow that clawed down with a piercing shriek!

Even before the claw arrived, its cold, sinister Evil Qi made Liang Cheng feel as if his blood was about to freeze.

"Get back!"

Liang Cheng let out a low roar and shoved Yang Wei and Zhou Hu back. He took a deep breath. The nine True Qi Seeds within his body spun frantically as he pushed the True Qi of his Broken Wave Technique to its absolute limit. A pale blue Qi Force erupted from the Zhenxian Saber, accompanied by a booming crash of wind and thunder!

Golden Armor Realm Perfection, unleashed with full force!

He executed the Wandering Dragon Step, shifting and weaving within inches to narrowly dodge the strike. Then, using his momentum, he gripped the saber with both hands and met the hazy gray claw shadow with an upward slash of his full strength!

Wind and Thunder Slash·Po Yue!

"CLANG—!!!"

The instant the saber and claw collided, a deafening explosion ripped through the entire rear courtyard!

A shockwave rolled out, shattering the green flagstones inch by inch. Yang Wei and Zhou Hu, who were standing nearby, were thrown back several steps, their Qi Blood roiling as they coughed up another mouthful of blood.

The webbing between Liang Cheng’s thumb and forefinger split open, and his arms trembled violently. An irresistible, immense Cold Yin Force surged up from the Zhenxian Saber, sending a sweet taste to the back of his throat as blood rushed up!

But he didn’t retreat a single step. His feet sank deep into the ground, plowing two furrows as he forcibly withstood the claw attack!

A trace of surprise flashed in Wu Zhenshan’s eyes.

Although he hadn’t used his full strength in that attack, it still contained seventy percent of his True Essence’s power.

An ordinary cultivator at True Qi Realm Perfection would be dead or crippled after taking such a direct hit. Yet Liang Cheng had merely coughed up some blood. His aura, while fluctuating, showed no signs of collapsing.

Moreover, the pale blue True Qi on Liang Cheng’s saber, while far inferior in quality to his own True Essence, was exceptionally dense and pure.

’Not to mention his Hard Skills...’

’No wonder he was able to kill Xu Jinjiang...’

The killing intent in Wu Zhenshan’s heart grew stronger. ’This boy absolutely cannot be allowed to live!’

His claw technique changed, shifting from a grab to a palm strike. His True Essence surged as he slammed his palm toward Liang Cheng’s chest!

Liang Cheng gritted his teeth, unleashing his Wandering Dragon Step. His body shifted half a foot to the side like a phantom as he simultaneously swung the Zhenxian Saber in a diagonal slash, aiming the blade at Wu Zhenshan’s wrist.

This was a fight for his life; offense was the only defense!

Wu Zhenshan snorted coldly, flipped his wrist, and actually met the saber’s edge with his bare palm!

"CLANG!"

Another sound of metal striking metal rang out!

The edge of Wu Zhenshan’s palm was wreathed in gray mist. Coated in True Essence, it was as hard as refined iron. Liang Cheng felt the saber tremble violently as a bone-penetrating Cold Yin Force shot straight up the blade!

He decisively forced his Broken Wave Technique’s True Qi to circulate, sending out successive waves to wash away and neutralize the Cold Yin Force. Simultaneously, he used the force of the blow to retreat and create distance between them.

In a flash of rapid exchanges, they traded more than ten blows in the blink of an eye. Liang Cheng was completely on the back foot, accumulating more wounds. Blood trickled ceaselessly from the corner of his mouth, and his aura began to destabilize.

But his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He had discovered that although Wu Zhenshan was in the True Essence Realm, his True Essence was impure and mottled. That cold, sinister Evil Qi seemed terrifying, but it lacked the purity and harmony that proper True Essence should have. It was more like it had been crudely cobbled together, and there was a slight, uncoordinated stagnation whenever he circulated it.

Furthermore, while Wu Zhenshan’s True Essence was abundant, its quality was far inferior to that of the mysterious, black-robed assassin from before.

To put it simply, Wu Zhenshan’s True Essence was dim and murky, its Evil Qi exposed. It was overflowing with brute force but deficient in purity.

’There’s a problem with his breakthrough! Or rather, he used some kind of shortcut to force his way into the realm!’

The thoughts raced through Liang Cheng’s mind.

’His True Essence Realm is flawed!’

This discovery bolstered his resolve.

If he were facing a true True Essence Realm expert who had achieved a natural breakthrough with a solid foundation, there was no way he would have escaped with only minor injuries. ’In that case,’ he thought, ’I might actually be able to hold my own!’

"You’ve got a sharp eye, boy."

Wu Zhenshan noticed the change in Liang Cheng’s eyes and sneered. "A pity. Even if my realm is flawed, I’m still in the True Essence Realm. And that’s more than enough to kill you."

He no longer held back. The gray energy around him flared as he pushed his True Essence to its absolute limit. He shot out both palms, filling the sky with a storm of Palm Shadows and sealing off all of Liang Cheng’s escape routes!

The pressure on Liang Cheng instantly skyrocketed!

Liang Cheng gritted his teeth and pushed his Wandering Dragon Step to the absolute limit, weaving and dodging within the tight space, his saber flashing like a dragon as he desperately parried the blows.

But against a True Essence Realm expert fighting with his full strength, the gap was simply too vast. The number of wounds on his body grew, staining his robes red, and his movements began to slow.

"Brother!"

Zhou Hu’s eyes were bloodshot. He tried to rush forward to help but was held back firmly by Yang Wei.

"Don’t cause more trouble!"

Yang Wei growled, his own eyes shot with blood.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help.

But he knew better than anyone that in a battle of this caliber, they would only be a distraction for Liang Cheng if they joined in.

Inside the West Wing, Qiao Zhi’s groans had faded to near silence, leaving only the tearful shouts of the midwife and the weak cries of a baby.

Just as Liang Cheng was sent flying once more, crashing through and collapsing half a decorative rockery; just as he was struggling to his feet while Wu Zhenshan closed in with a savage grin, bringing a hazy gray Palm Shadow down upon his head—suddenly...

"Sigh."

A familiar sigh echoed in the courtyard.

Wu Zhenshan’s descending palm froze in mid-air.

Not because he wanted to stop, but because he was forced to.

A tremendous pressure had silently descended upon him. The roiling gray True Essence surrounding his body, like snow under a blazing sun, rapidly melted away and calmed.

He struggled to even move a finger.

Slumped amidst the rubble, Liang Cheng looked up.

Beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, a stooped figure had appeared at some unknown time.

Elder Huang was holding a wine gourd. He tilted his head back for a long swig, smacked his lips, and only then did he slowly turn his gaze toward Wu Zhenshan.

"Young Wu," Elder Huang’s voice was level, "you’ve just achieved your breakthrough. Instead of properly entering seclusion to stabilize your Realm, you’re out here brawling and killing. What is this nonsense?"

Wu Zhenshan’s face went deathly pale, the veins on his forehead bulging. He desperately tried to circulate his True Essence to resist, only to discover in horror that the True Essence he had painstakingly cultivated refused to obey his commands!

"Elder Huang, I never thought..."

Wu Zhenshan let out a bitter laugh.

He and Situ Lang had calculated everything. With Bai Hong from the Martial Arts Academy gone, there were no other True Essence Realm experts left. Who could have possibly expected this hidden master, Elder Huang, to exist?

Elder Huang shook his head and ambled over. He stopped in front of Wu Zhenshan, extended a withered finger, and pointed it toward the Dantian in Wu Zhenshan’s lower abdomen.

The movement was slow, almost casual.

But Wu Zhenshan’s eyes revealed absolute terror!

He wanted to dodge, but his body refused to obey!

"NO—!!"

"Pfft."

With a soft sound, Elder Huang’s finger gently tapped Wu Zhenshan’s Dantian.

Wu Zhenshan convulsed violently, as if every bone had been pulled from his body, and collapsed to the ground. The gray True Essence around him instantly disintegrated, vanishing without a trace.

His once-tyrannical aura deflated like a punctured balloon, weakening rapidly. In the blink of an eye, his power dropped to the True Qi Realm, and it was still plummeting.

His face was ashen, his eyes filled with despair and venomous hatred. He stared fixedly at Elder Huang, lips trembling, unable to speak a single word.

Elder Huang had destroyed the very foundation of his True Essence!

He had sealed the source of his Martial Dao!

"I’ve crippled your Cultivation and sealed your Dantian."

Elder Huang retracted his finger, his tone still placid. After speaking, he paid no more attention to the boneless heap that was Wu Zhenshan, turning to walk over to Liang Cheng and glance at him.

"Not dead yet?"

Liang Cheng struggled to stand, but the effort aggravated his injuries, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Elder Huang crouched down, his withered fingers rapidly tapping several major acupoints on Liang Cheng’s chest before stuffing an Elixir into his mouth.

The Elixir dissolved in his stomach, transforming into a gentle, warm current that spread rapidly throughout his limbs and torso, suppressing his injuries and nourishing his organs.

Liang Cheng felt the piercing, cold pain in his chest lessen significantly, and his breathing grew a little easier.

"Thank you, Elder Huang," Liang Cheng said hoarsely.

"Don’t be so quick with your thanks." Elder Huang stood up. "Don’t forget about testing those elixirs later."

He glanced at the West Wing. "The girl in there... she can’t be saved."

Liang Cheng’s heart went cold, and he looked toward Yang Wei.

Yang Wei had already rushed into the delivery room.

Elder Huang sighed, and his figure vanished from the courtyard. "Remember to come find me on the back mountain after you’ve handled things here."

Zhou Hu helped Liang Cheng to his feet. The two looked at the despairing Wu Zhenshan, collapsed on the ground, and couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief.

Tonight was finally over.