Daqian Martial Saint

"Not Hard Skills? Could it be Treasure Armor!" Xing Rongzi’s expression was grim.

CLANG!

Chen Ping’an struck the Longsword in Xing Rongzi’s hand, making it tremble violently. The faint glow shimmering on the blade was completely extinguished by Chen Ping’an’s blow. Bypassing the Longsword, Chen Ping’an’s hand slapped toward Xing Rongzi’s head.

’It’s not Treasure Armor!’

Xing Rongzi’s face was a mask of horror as he stared at Chen Ping’an’s chest. The cloth was torn, but it didn’t reveal the Treasure Armor he expected—it was genuine, unadorned skin.

’A Divine Skill! It’s a Protective Divine Skill!’

At this moment, even a fool would have understood.

This Chen Ping’an actually possessed the legacy of a Divine Skill!

VMMMM—

A Golden Light pulsed from Chen Ping’an’s body, and the bones in Xing Rongzi’s fingers—which had been glowing with a faint blue light—instantly fractured, their glow extinguished.

The Longsword and the Finger Technique, one overt and one covert, had both failed.

Xing Rongzi’s eyes were wide with terror. He watched Chen Ping’an’s palm approach, but there was nothing he could do!

WHOOSH!

The sound of a fierce, powerful wind howled past his ears, carrying with it an incomparably potent Tyrant Dao True Qi and the faint pressure of a superior Realm. In this moment, he no longer had a single doubt about Chen Ping’an’s status as an Absolute Master.

Mang Blade! Mang Blade!

"Hahahaha..." The title from the Rising Star Chart only made Xing Rongzi want to laugh.

’Unparalleled Sword Skill?’

To say nothing of the man’s hidden Protective Divine Skill, the very fact that he chose to end this with his hand, not his blade, was proof enough. The so-called Sword Skill was merely a common technique he showed to the world!

His true expertise was definitely not in Sword Skill!

’An Absolute Master under the age of twenty-one, with the legacy of a Divine Skill...’

’Chen Ping’an, you’ve hidden yourself so well! To possess such terrifying strength at such a young age, this man...’

WHOOSH!

The palm struck his head. With a POP, it burst like a melon.

’Could he be a reincarnated Celestial Human?’ This was the last thought Xing Rongzi had before he died.

As he died, this final wisp of a thought vanished between heaven and earth.

The Hall Master of the Celestial Net Sect, Xing Rongzi, was dead!

THUD!

Xing Rongzi’s body fell limply to the ground. The immense force from the blow had completely shattered his insides, leaving his body without any support.

Watching the body fall, Chen Ping’an sucked in a sharp breath and winced.

"Hiss... what was that? It actually hurt a little!"

Chen Ping’an rubbed his chest with his hand, looking down at the lifeless Xing Rongzi.

’As expected, none of these masters are easy to deal with. Everyone has an ace up their sleeve. These old-timers who have been immersed in the Profound Light Realm for years... you can’t underestimate a single one of them!’

If their strengths were comparable and he had let his guard down for even a moment, he might have fallen into a trap. One misstep could have led to a point of no return.

’Indeed, Cultivation is the cultivation of one’s life. When it comes to fighting, one must be exceedingly cautious!’

Take this encirclement, for example. If Chen Ping’an hadn’t broken through to the Profound Light High Realm, who knows how many setbacks he would have faced. In this fight with Xing Rongzi, if he didn’t have the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill, he would have been injured to some degree, even if he could have easily defeated him.

It wouldn’t be like now...

...where, aside from a little pain, there was no real harm done.

’Just reaching Great Success with the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill is far from enough! I must push it to Perfection as soon as possible and enter the Golden Body Unbreakable Realm! Only then will I have the confidence to face Absolute Masters of the Same Realm!’

This Xing Rongzi was only at the Profound Light Middle Realm, and not even a particularly powerful figure within it, yet he possessed a hidden card that posed a faint threat to him.

’Well, he almost broke through my Protective Divine Skill... uh, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But the point is, he made me feel pain.’

If a Profound Light Middle Realm expert was like this, then a Profound Light High Realm expert would be even more formidable. Their various techniques could not be underestimated!

Even among Absolute Masters, there are different levels of strength: ordinary, strong, top-level, and the pinnacle masters on the level of the Dragon and Tiger Chart.

Although he hadn’t truly faced a master of the Same Realm, based on records and intelligence, Chen Ping’an assessed his own position as being at the ordinary level among Absolute Masters.

’Well, with the perfect breakthroughs from the Golden Finger Panel and my various insights, I should be extremely strong within the ordinary tier. But I’m probably still not a match for the strong among the absolute masters.’

Just reaching the level of an Absolute Master is a testament to one’s supreme talent, wisdom, and Heart Nature. Those who can be called "strong" among Absolute Masters are even more outstanding, having reached an extremely high level in their Cultivation Techniques, weapons, and combat experience.

After all, Chen Ping’an had only recently stepped into the Profound Light High Realm; he was still lacking in accumulated foundation and other aspects.

However, that was his combat power under normal circumstances. If he were to fully Activate his Vajra Unbreakable and transform into the Unbreakable Copper Body’s Little Giant state, his combat power should be able to firmly place him among the ranks of the strong!

And even... relying on the versatility and uniqueness of the Vajra Unbreakable, he could contend with top-level masters for a short period.

But if the Little Giant state wore off and he still couldn’t escape the battle, the outcome would be... interesting.

’If the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill can reach Perfection and I achieve the Golden Body Unbreakable... then...’ A light flashed in Chen Ping’an’s eyes.

Once the Cultivation Technique reaches Perfection, with the help of the Golden Finger Panel, his Realm could advance again. Combined with the buffs from the Golden Body Unbreakable state, the two effects would stack, and his combat power would be infinitely close to the top-level!

In his Golden Body Unbreakable form, he would even have the confidence to challenge the pinnacle masters on the Dragon and Tiger Chart.

At this thought, Chen Ping’an felt a boundless excitement for the future well up inside him.

However, now was not the time for excitement. He needed to quickly clean up the loose ends and return to the place where Gu Wu had died.

His gaze fell upon Xing Rongzi’s corpse.

Having learned his lesson from the incident with Guan Yu Ping and the others, he had been very careful with his methods this time. There should be quite a few things left behind.

He quickly bent down and began to search.

Without taking the time to inspect them carefully, Chen Ping’an took all of Xing Rongzi’s belongings and tucked them away.

After taking the ink-black Longsword, True Qi surged through Chen Ping’an’s body.

POP! With a soft sound, the job of destroying the corpse and erasing all traces was done. He then took care of the other loose ends in the area before his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.

...

Xing Rongzi’s Longsword was still extremely distinctive. Chen Ping’an didn’t carry it with him; he buried it deep underground when he passed through a dense forest.

Moving at full speed, Chen Ping’an was incredibly fast. He concealed his aura and sped toward the place where Gu Wu had died. Along the way, he encountered a small team from the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

’Is the encirclement already wrapping up?’

Chen Ping’an’s gaze narrowed slightly as he watched them. By intentionally avoiding them, the small team failed to notice his presence.

After a series of leaps and dashes, Chen Ping’an returned to the place where Soul-Breaking Spear Gu Wu and Sheng Yanshan had died.

Although a considerable amount of time had passed, no one had discovered this place yet, which made Chen Ping’an sigh in relief.

"The worst-case scenario didn’t happen, after all."