Chapter 926 - 412: Power!
"Gulp--"
On the dueling arena, Xu Ran glanced sideways at the Red Tassel Spear that nearly pierced his skull, and couldn’t help but swallow hard.
But it was only for an instant before he reacted.
The Iron Spear embedded in the ground was grasped firmly by Xu Ran, and with a powerful swing, the force generated by the spear’s tip and the ground propelled Xu Ran ten meters away.
"Wow--"
Xu Ran’s small figure, combined with the massive shaft of the Iron Spear, left a long track on the ground.
Just as Xu Ran stopped, he was preparing to stand upright.
Then.
A dark shadow shot toward him like black lightning.
"Not good!"
Xu Ran sensed a gust of wind coming from in front of him.
Having long mastered the [Wind Control Skill], even though it was sealed during the trial in the Nine-Layered Giant Tower,
the connection between his body and the wind still existed to some extent.
At the instant the gust blew by, a sense of danger surged in his heart.
Immediately after.
Feeling the danger, Xu Ran instinctively raised the Iron Spear in both hands, once again blocking it horizontally in front of him.
"Clang---"
At the moment it was raised, a crisp metallic clash rang out, sparking a shower of sparks.
This clear metallic clash contained no other noise, only the heavy collision.
Simultaneously, at the moment this clash occurred,
centered on Xu Ran’s body,
upon closer inspection, a radius of ten feet around him revealed cobweb-like cracks on the ground.
"Boom---"
After these cobweb-like cracks appeared, not long after, the ground collapsed with a bang, sending up a cloud of dust.
Then, a small figure leaped out of the dust cloud; upon closer look, it was Xu Ran.
As this small figure leapt, from beyond the dust cloud rose another imposing figure.
Upon closer inspection, it was the Gatekeeper, an unnamed bald man.
He held a Red Tassel Spear, eyes glaring wide, veins bulging on his forehead and muscular arms, seemingly channeling all his power into the Red Tassel Spear.
"Clang---"
Likewise.
The first thing the towering bald figure did upon appearing midair was to head directly for Xu Ran.
Midair, and still within the Nine-Layered Giant Tower, at this moment, Xu Ran’s Divine Techniques were sealed, and this level was a trial focused on Spear Techniques.
With these two restrictions, not only Xu Ran, but even the bald man couldn’t linger midair for long.
After all, both wielded weapons weighing hundreds of pounds.
But.
For the bald man, that little time was enough.
The moment he appeared, he charged straight at Xu Ran’s small figure.
Again, a crisp metallic clash echoed within the dueling arena.
Following the source of the sound.
It was seen that the bald man’s full-strength strike was once again blocked by Xu Ran.
"Clang---"
"Clang---"
"Clang---"
"Clang---"
"..."
Though.
Given the current situation between the bald man and Xu Ran, neither could remain midair for long.
But, being familiar enough with his own body, even in this state, holding a spear weighing hundreds of pounds, he could still stay aloft briefly.
It was in this brief moment that, high above, amidst the flashes of light, the two exchanged blows countless times.
Anyway, the sound of metal clashing no less than a hundred times.
With every sound indicating a clash, they had exchanged a move.
By now, they had clashed hundreds of times.
"Once."
"Twice."
"Thrice."
"Four times."
"..."
With each collision, Xu Ran silently counted in his heart, his mastery over time growing ever more adept.
Whenever Xu Ran whispered the count in his mouth, his understanding of Spear Techniques became increasingly remarkable.
It was seen that the two constantly flickering figures clashed, each collision bringing with it a burst of sparks.
"This kid..."
At that moment, as the bald man rapidly closed in on Xu Ran, looking at the child not yet two years old before him, his face unwittingly showed a difficult expression.
From the moment he initiated the attack on Xu Ran until now, nearly a thousand moves had passed.
However.
In these nearly thousand moves, apart from the very first strike, every subsequent move made the bald man feel Xu Ran growing stronger.
Every time he painstakingly deflected his attack, the subsequent defenses became increasingly simpler.
The hundreds of attacks had significantly enhanced Xu Ran’s Spear Techniques.
"At this rate, he might actually pass the level!"
As the Gatekeeper, the bald man’s fundamental ability was to discern the trialist’s actual capability.
Across nearly a thousand exchanges, Xu Ran transitioned from initial struggle to gaining agility.
This indicated that Xu Ran’s understanding of Spear Techniques was becoming increasingly outstanding.
"His comprehension ability is really high; in such a short time, the techniques no longer pose any threat to him."
Having said that, the bald man turned his gaze towards Xu Ran, once again tightening his grip on the Red Tassel Spear.
"Come on!"
At this moment, Xu Ran, exuding a normal aura, likewise widened his eyes, staring intently at the bald man. Though these three words were what he desired most, he did so to guard against another sneak attack.
Sure enough.
Even before his words were completely spoken, the bald man charged at Xu Ran like a bolt of black lightning.
In front of him stood a Red Tassel Spear.