Chapter 485 - 212: True Martial (2)
The cyan light on the Cloud-Coiling Spear flared to its peak. The Cyan Wood True Gang condensed into a single point on the spear’s tip, unleashing a pressure as heavy as a mountain.
"Break!"
PFFT!
The long spear tore through the Fist Puppet’s chest core with perfect precision, as if ripping through silk.
The Fist Puppet’s movements abruptly froze. The glint in its eyes quickly dimmed, and with a final CRASH, it collapsed into a pile on the ground.
Twenty-sixth layer, cleared!
Chen Qing leaned on his spear, sweat rolling down his forehead. His True Astral had been massively depleted, and his arms were numb and sore.
"The twenty-sixth layer... is truly something else!"
He was still shaken. ’It was like facing a Mid-stage Astral Force expert with extensive combat experience who had mastered a Superior Boxing Technique to the Extreme Realm. If my Eight Extremes Vajra Body hadn’t absorbed some of the damage, and if I hadn’t used the True Martial Seal to create a momentary opening at the end, it would have been a lot of trouble.’
This puppet was, in fact, a genuine Mid-stage Astral Force expert.
Chen Qing calculated silently. ’Five hundred points for clearing the twelfth layer for the first time. The thirteenth to the nineteenth layers are seven layers, one hundred points each, so that’s seven hundred points. The twentieth to the twenty-sixth layers are another seven layers, two hundred points each, for a total of one thousand four hundred points. All together... that’s two thousand six hundred Contribution Points! It’s enough to exchange for the Sharp Gold Essence!’
The rewards were immense, but Chen Qing also had a clear understanding of his own strength. ’If I go higher, to the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth layer... the opponents will definitely be stronger. I’d probably face at least two or three Mid-stage Astral Force puppets, maybe even Late Stage ones! Without playing my trump card, the Fusion True Gang, it would be impossible to pass.’
He didn’t want to reveal all his strength too early. A ranking for clearing the twenty-sixth layer already placed him among the top new disciples, but not so high as to be overly conspicuous.
Chen Qing was certain that among the people ahead of him from Xu Wang Mountain, some were definitely holding back and keeping a few trump cards up their sleeves.
After all, their true goal was to become a True Disciple.
’Why should I beat my head against a wall?’
His objective was achieved. It was time to quit while he was ahead.
Besides, Chen Qing couldn’t be sure if someone was constantly watching the Celestial Treasure Tower, and it was impossible to know if such a person had good or ill intentions.
「...」
「Meanwhile, deep within the Hidden Peak, inside a cloud-shrouded cave abode.」
An old man in dark hemp clothes was sitting cross-legged. His aura seemed to merge with the entire Hidden Peak, making him seem unfathomably deep.
Suddenly, his tightly closed eyes snapped open, shooting out a terrifying glint of light. The very air in the cave abode seemed to freeze!
"The True Martial Seal!? That fluctuation... there’s no mistaking it!"
Shan Jiweng’s withered face was filled with shock and disbelief.
’The True Martial Seal is a core secret of my True Martial Lineage. It integrates offense and defense, contains the momentum of heaven and earth, and is endlessly profound! But two hundred years ago, because of that... incident, the inheritance was nearly severed. No less than thirty percent of our Core Techniques were destroyed, and the True Martial Seal was one of them! It has long been lost!’
"How could this kid possibly know the True Martial Seal, which my True Martial Lineage lost so long ago?!"
The Mountain Monster’s heart trembled. He instantly sent a sliver of incomparably powerful Intention toward the Celestial Treasure Tower, intending to investigate closely.
But soon, his brows furrowed tightly, as if he had encountered some kind of obstacle.
’Hmm? Strange... The trace of the True Martial Seal’s aura vanished in a flash. Now when I probe again, the boy’s aura seems to be shrouded in a thin mist, blocking my Divine Thought from investigating further? This shielding method is quite sophisticated. An ordinary True Essence Realm expert would have a hard time even noticing it, let alone setting it up...’
He rose abruptly and paced back and forth, the look of shock and uncertainty on his face deepening.
The Mountain Monster hurriedly got up and went outside the cave abode.
A capable-looking middle-aged woman who had been waiting outside saw him and quickly stepped forward respectfully. "Uncle-Master, you’ve come out of seclusion? What are your orders?"
Shan Jiweng suppressed the turbulence in his eyes and said in a low voice, "Go. Immediately retrieve all the information on the disciple who is currently challenging the tower. Be quick! And remember, no one else is to know of this matter."
The middle-aged woman’s heart skipped a beat. Although she was completely baffled as to why her reclusive Uncle-Master would suddenly take such an interest in a disciple challenging the tower, she didn’t dare ask questions. She immediately bowed and replied, "Yes! Uncle-Master, I will see to it at once!"
Soon, the woman used a special channel to deliver a detailed file on Chen Qing to Shan Jiweng.
Shan Jiweng quickly scanned it. ’Chen Qing... from the Wutai Sect in Yunlin Prefecture. Not yet thirty, Early-stage Astral Force, ranked twenty-ninth in the selection. Excellent comprehension of Spear Technique, also cultivates a Hard Skill... His record is clean, and his talent is outstanding, but among the geniuses from the Hundred Sects this time, he’s not considered one of the very best...’
His frown deepened, his mind filled with growing doubts. ’Just now, when I probed with my Intention, I was faintly blocked. This boy definitely has a secret! An ordinary True Essence Realm expert probably wouldn’t even be able to detect that shield... Where did he learn the True Martial Seal? Could he have obtained some unknown fortuitous encounter inside the Celestial Treasure Tower? Or could it be...?’
All sorts of conjectures churned in his mind.
"Uncle-Master, is there... something wrong with this person?" the middle-aged woman asked cautiously.
No one knew better than her just how important her Uncle-Master was.
Shan Jiweng glanced at her and said nonchalantly, "I just happened to notice his Cultivation Technique was a bit unusual, so I asked casually. You may leave."
The middle-aged woman’s heart tightened. She quickly lowered her head. "This disciple takes her leave!"
After the woman left, Shan Jiweng once again looked toward the Celestial Treasure Tower, his gaze profound. ’It seems I’ll have to keep a close eye on this boy, Chen Qing...’
「...」
On the twenty-sixth layer, just as Chen Qing was about to leave, the scattered puppet parts began to hum softly. In an instant, they reassembled, restoring it to its original state!
"It’s reanimating!?"
Startled, Chen Qing instinctively tightened his grip on the Cloud-Coiling Spear, his True Astral surging around him.
However, the restored puppet did not attack. It just stood silently in the center of the stone chamber, its eyes, which glowed with a faint light, seeming to stare straight at him from across the void, exuding an indescribable strangeness and silence.