Chapter 202 - 116: Mixed Element Gang Body (Part 2)
He felt as if the tip of his sword had struck Ten Thousand Years Profound Iron. It wouldn’t budge an inch, and the rebound force was so strong it made his arm go numb!
The Black-robed Steward’s expression changed.
"Hard Skill Perfection?!"
Fu Qingyun didn’t know Liang Cheng had achieved Hard Skill Perfection, but he reacted with extreme speed. His Sword Momentum changed, transforming into a fine, continuous rain that shrouded Liang Cheng’s vital points.
Cyan Mist Swordsmanship - Fine Rain Technique!
The sword light fell like rain, leaving no room to escape.
Liang Cheng still didn’t draw his blade.
His body shifted slightly as he executed the Wandering Dragon Step, moving like a dragon in shallow water as he weaved through the rain of sword strikes.
His right hand formed a Finger Sword, tapping continuously, each strike landing precisely on the weakest points of the sword’s blade.
Profound Yin Sword Technique.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks flew in all directions.
The longer Fu Qingyun fought, the more horrified he became.
His opponent easily deflected every single one of his strikes, making it impossible for him to maintain his Sword Momentum.
What was even more terrifying was the mountain-like force transmitted from his opponent’s fingertips. It made the web of his thumb ache, and for a moment, he found it hard to believe.
’Impossible! He’s only at the True Essence Realm Early Stage!’
Fu Qingyun gritted his teeth and unleashed his True Essence at full power. The light from his sword surged!
Cyan Mist Swordsmanship - Peak Technique!
The longsword transformed into a cyan rainbow. Man and sword became one as he thrust straight for Liang Cheng’s heart!
This was his ultimate killing move. Ten years ago, he had used this very technique to slay the top True Inheritor of Lin Wu City!
The crowd below gasped in alarm.
"Fu Qingyun’s finally getting serious!"
"An ordinary practitioner at the early stage of the True Essence Realm wouldn’t dare to face that strike head-on!"
A sharp glint flashed in Liang Cheng’s eyes.
’I’ve been waiting for you to use your full strength!’
He held back no longer. The nine True Essence Light Groups within his Dantian trembled in unison, and a vast torrent of True Essence surged forth!
Empowered by the Broken Wave True Essence Ninth Layer Force, his right Finger Sword suddenly erupted into a Sword Aura as he thrust it forward!
Profound Yin Sword Technique: Shattering Origin!
The finger and the sword collided once more!
CRACK—!!!
A crisp cracking sound echoed!
The longsword in Fu Qingyun’s hand had actually been shattered by a single finger!
The broken sword flew backward, sending fragments scattering in all directions.
The momentum of Liang Cheng’s finger strike undiminished, his True Essence exploded forth as he viciously jabbed Fu Qingyun’s chest!
BANG!!!
As if struck by lightning, Fu Qingyun was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the edge of the platform and violently coughing up blood!
He struggled to get back up, only to find that the meridians in his chest had been sealed by a chillingly sinister True Essence. The circulation of his own True Essence was sluggish, and he couldn’t summon any strength.
The Black-robed Steward’s expression changed once again.
’The Profound Yin Sword Technique, at the Great Success realm!’
’What is this Liang Cheng’s background? For his Combat Technique realm to be so terrifying!?’
At that moment, Liang Cheng stepped forward.
His eyes were devoid of emotion, holding only an icy chill.
’Since you wanted me to slap myself and get kicked out of the Main Courtyard, I’ll let you have a taste of your own medicine.’
He raised his right hand, poised to strike.
"Stop!"
The Black-robed Steward who had been below the platform shouted sharply, his figure flashing onto the stage to stand in front of Fu Qingyun.
"He has already been defeated."
Liang Cheng lowered his hand and looked at the Steward. "He hasn’t conceded, he hasn’t been knocked off the platform, and he hasn’t lost his ability to fight."
The Steward frowned. "His meridians are damaged. He no longer has the strength to continue."
’Looks like the Main Courtyard is different from the Martial Arts Academy. The Main Courtyard protects its Inner Courtyard disciples, not just pitting them against each other in a brutal contest to see which true prodigy emerges.’
Thinking of this, Liang Cheng fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Fine."
"However, there’s still the matter of our prior bet. He needs to kneel before me, kowtow, and admit he was wrong."
The Black-robed Steward’s brow furrowed. He glanced at Fu Qingyun, whose face was currently alternating between flushed red and pale white. He had never imagined he would be defeated.
"I’ve heard about the ambush you suffered on your way here," the Steward said. "The investigation isn’t complete, so you can’t settle this matter privately for now."
Liang Cheng was displeased to hear this, but thankfully the Steward continued, "However, for defeating Fu Qingyun, he is required to give you two thousand Contribution Points!"
’Two thousand?’
Hearing this, Liang Cheng reluctantly let the matter go. With the Steward having intervened, this was the only possible outcome for now.
The Steward then had Fu Qingyun hand over his Identity Jade Token and transferred two thousand Contribution Points to Liang Cheng right then and there.
Liang Cheng turned to leave the platform but was stopped by a Steward Disciple.
"Hold on. The Main Courtyard has a special regulation. Any new disciple who defeats someone in the top 100 of the Hero Ranking is awarded an extra two thousand Contribution Points."
Liang Cheng was stunned. This was an unexpected, pleasant surprise.
After the Contribution Points were settled, Liang Cheng finally turned and left. Behind him, Fu Qingyun’s shame and rage aggravated his injuries, causing him to spit up another mouthful of blood. Liang Cheng didn’t even glance back.
Below the platform, the crowd was deathly silent.
All the disciples watched his retreating figure, their expressions complicated.
Fu Qingyun, a cultivator at the True Essence Realm Middle Stage, ranked ninety-third in the Inner Courtyard, had been defeated by a newcomer with just three finger strikes?
If the Steward hadn’t intervened, Fu Qingyun would have been forced to slap his own face and kneel to admit defeat!
"Just who is this Liang Cheng?"
"I think he’s also from Central Origin Island. When Fu Qingyun first arrived, he was nowhere near this powerful!"
The discussions gradually grew louder as Liang Cheng passed through the crowd and left the platform area.
’After this battle, no one in the Inner Courtyard will treat me like an ordinary newcomer anymore.’
...
「Building C-42」
Liang Cheng took out his Identity Token. The moment he stepped through the door, his spirits lifted.
The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here was just as dense as on Lin Wu City’s Ascension Platform, if not more so. This was the Main Courtyard, after all.
Once he closed the door, all the outside clamor vanished completely, as if he were in a separate dimension. Such a miraculous feat made him take a deep breath.
’The pinnacle of the Martial Dao is truly divine!’
Liang Cheng calmed himself and put away his belongings, taking special care to properly hide the cowhide paper he kept on his person.
He then looked at his Main Courtyard Identity Token; it now recorded a balance of five thousand Contribution Points. This whole affair with Fu Qingyun had certainly been a pleasant surprise.
Then he took out the general-purpose Token Bai Hong had given him. To his surprise, it held a full twenty thousand Contribution Points. Liang Cheng couldn’t help but feel moved.
The Headmaster and the City Lord had high expectations for him. For the time being, however, he decided not to transfer the points from the general-purpose token to his Identity Token.
Afterward, he took out the Main Courtyard’s rulebook. The regulations were mostly the same as the Martial Arts Academy’s, with one notable exception: after entering the Main Courtyard, new disciples had to undergo an initiation trial.