Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44: Victory
East Courtyard, Arena Number One.
The bluestone arena was five zhang wide and half a chi tall. Faint, dark red stains marked its surface—the blood of those who had fought to the death over the years. No amount of scrubbing could ever completely wash them away.
The arena was already surrounded by Martial Arts Academy disciples, no fewer than a hundred of them. There were old disciples from the Earth Dormitory smirking with their arms crossed, new disciples from the Human Dormitory watching with bated breath, and even some Steward Disciples mixed in with the crowd.
Among them was none other than Liu Meng’s cousin, Zhao Ming.
Liu Meng now stood in the center of the arena, his dark gray martial robe stretched taut over his body, revealing knotted muscles. A Thick-Backed Mountain-Cutting Saber hung at his waist. Its scabbard was old, but the hilt was polished to a shine from use.
"That kid actually dared to show up?" someone whispered.
"I heard he even went to eat a meal first. He’s either crazy or truly confident."
"Confident, my ass! Even Yun Jinghong, one of the top three new disciples this year, lost in twenty moves. What’s a guy in the early stage of Transformation Force got to be confident about?"
Amidst the murmuring crowd, Liang Cheng finally stepped onto the arena’s stairs.
He was dressed in a gray-white martial robe with an ordinary long saber at his waist. His steps were steady. Liu Meng stared at him and grinned. "Junior Brother Liang, you’ve got guts."
Liang Cheng came to a stop on the other side of the arena and cupped his fist in a salute. "Senior Brother Liu."
"No need for me to explain the rules, right?" Liu Meng drew his saber, its dark blade gleaming with a cold light. "The wager is five hundred Contribution Points. Surrender now, get on your knees and kowtow three times, and I’ll let you keep one of your arms."
Below the stage, Scarface and the others roared with laughter.
Liang Cheng didn’t respond, only slowly drawing his long saber. "Proceed."
"You’re courting death!" A vicious glint flashed in Liu Meng’s eyes. Without another word, he stamped his foot and charged forward!
With his first step, the arena’s bluestone trembled slightly.
With his second, his aura was like a tiger’s!
By his third step, his saber was already drawn, its gleam like a bolt of white silk as it slashed toward Liang Cheng’s face!
Fast! Vicious! Precise!
This slash had no fancy moves; it was the most basic of chops. But empowered by his late-stage Transformation Force Inner Cultivation Method, it let out a piercing shriek, as if it were tearing the very air apart!
A wave of gasps rose from the crowd below.
Instead of retreating, Liang Cheng advanced. He shifted his body half a chi to the side, narrowly dodging the blade’s edge, and simultaneously swung his own saber in a diagonal upward slash, aiming straight for Liu Meng’s wrist.
Gale Saber Technique!
CLANG!
Liu Meng changed the momentum of his saber, parrying the long saber, and followed the motion with a horizontal slash at Liang Cheng’s waist. The wind from the blade rushed at his face, and Liang Cheng could feel the sharp Power behind it!
’So this is the might of an Inner Cultivation Method!?’
He only had time to move his vital organs out of the way. Activating his Stone Armor Skill, the muscles of his waist and abdomen instantly tensed like iron, and he took the blow head-on!
CLANG!
With a sound like colliding metal, Liang Cheng’s robe tore open, revealing grayish-white skin underneath. A white mark appeared, but the skin was not broken.
"What?!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
Liu Meng’s pupils shrank. "Hard Skill Perfection?"
’If he hadn’t reached Hard Skill Perfection, there’s no way he could have blocked that slash.’ At this thought, his attacks became even more vicious. Anyone who could achieve Hard Skill Perfection was a ruthless individual. He had to crush this opponent completely, or face endless retaliation later.
Liu Meng didn’t pause. His Saber Momentum became a continuous chain, each slash faster than the last. He unleashed his Broken Wave Saber Technique, the light of his blade coming in wave after wave, pressing down on Liang Cheng!
At this point, Liang Cheng was purely on the defensive, his saber parrying left and right. Backed by the Perfection of his Mixed Element Stance, he was like a small boat on a stormy sea amidst the flurry of blades, barely managing to dodge each attack.
"Is hiding all you know how to do?!" Liu Meng roared. His Saber Momentum suddenly shifted. The flashing light of his blade retracted, only to erupt like a volcano in the next instant!
"Broken Wave Slash!"
The body of the saber trembled, emitting a roar like waves crashing against a shore. The slash descended, cutting off all of Liang Cheng’s escape routes!
This was the very slash that had defeated Yun Jinghong!
Below the stage, Yun Jinghong had appeared at some point. Their left arm was in a sling, their face pale, and their expression grave.
Liang Cheng took a deep breath.
’I can’t hide my strength any longer.’
He stomped his feet hard on the ground. The foundation from his Perfection-level Mixed Element Stance erupted completely. The Qi Blood in his body surged like a mighty river.
No retreat!
No evasion!
He met the attack head-on with his long saber!
CLANG!!!
A deafening screech of metal on metal exploded outward. A shockwave rolled out from the two combatants, kicking up dust. When the dust settled, the crowd stared with bated breath.
Liang Cheng had been forced back three steps, each step leaving an inch-deep footprint in the bluestone. The long saber in his hand had snapped, leaving him with only half a blade.
Liu Meng had also been pushed back half a step, and a rice-grain-sized chip had actually appeared on his Thick-Backed Mountain-Cutting Saber!
"How is that possible..." Scarface choked out.
Liu Meng stared at the chip on his blade, then looked at Liang Cheng, his expression finally changing. A savage light erupted in his eyes. "If I don’t cripple you today, then my name isn’t Liu Meng!"
He tossed his saber aside. Clenching his fists, his knuckles cracked like thunder. The aura around him surged once more, and his skin took on a dark red hue.
This was the sign of an Inner Cultivation Method being pushed to its absolute limit!
"Let me show you a true Inner Cultivation Method!"
Liu Meng strode forward and threw a punch. Before the fist even arrived, the force of the blow was already pressing Liang Cheng’s robes tight against his skin. The Power contained in this punch was even more terrifying than his saber strikes!
A sharp glint flashed in Liang Cheng’s eyes.
He also tossed aside his broken saber. He clenched his right fist as the perfected Fierce Bull Force surged through his body. The grayish-white halo of his Stone Armor Skill erupted to its full extent.
A direct clash!
’With Hard Skill Perfection, who was there to fear!?’
BOOM!!!
The two fists collided like a pair of mountains crashing into each other. A shockwave exploded outward, and the arena’s bluestone cracked and splintered. The horrified crowd saw Liu Meng stagger back five full steps, his right fist split open and dripping with blood!
Liang Cheng, however, had only taken three steps back. His knuckles were slightly red, but he was otherwise unharmed!
"Just what is your Cultivation level?!" Liu Meng hissed.
Liang Cheng didn’t answer at all, instead pressing his attack!
’He’s hurt. I’ll finish him!’
He drove his left fist straight toward Liu Meng’s chest. Liu Meng blocked hastily, but the force of the blow made his arms go numb, and the Qi Blood in his chest roiled violently!
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Terror finally appeared in his eyes.
But Liang Cheng’s third punch was already on its way!
This punch condensed the full power of his three perfected Cultivation Techniques. As it flew, the air let out a sharp whistle!
Liu Meng could only grit his teeth and hold on, gathering all his Inner Strength into his right fist for a desperate, final clash!
BANG!!!
The fists collided once more!
This time, Liu Meng was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string. He crashed heavily against the edge of the arena, his right arm hanging limp, clearly broken!
Liang Cheng withdrew his fist. His breathing was slightly ragged, but his stance was as steady as Mount Tai.
The arena fell deathly silent.
Everyone was frozen in place, stunned.
’An early-stage Transformation Force user crippling a late-stage one in three punches?!’
’And a late-stage user who cultivated an Inner Cultivation Method at that?’
’What kind of monster is this?!’
Scarface and his cronies turned deathly pale and took an unconscious step back.
Liang Cheng walked to the edge of the arena and looked down at Liu Meng, who was struggling to get up. "Do you surrender?"
Liu Meng’s mouth was full of blood, and his eyes were filled with unwillingness, but the searing pain in his right arm told him that if he kept fighting, he would die.
"I surrender."
He forced the two words through his gritted teeth.
Liang Cheng held out his hand. "Contribution Points."
Trembling, Liu Meng fumbled for his Identity Jade Token. Liang Cheng took it, transferred five hundred points, and the number on the back of his own token changed: 900.
"My thanks for the gift, Senior Brother Liu."
He tossed the Jade Token back and turned to leave the stage.
The crowd automatically parted to form a path.
All eyes were fixed on him.
Shock, caution, fear, curiosity...
Liang Cheng’s steps remained steady as he walked through the crowd, heading in the direction of the Human Dormitory.
Behind him, Yun Jinghong watched his retreating figure, a complex look in their eyes.
’So you’ve been hiding your true strength all this time...’
In a distant Tower, Zhao Ming’s expression was grim.
And in the shadows even farther away, Wang Li and Sun Yan’s faces were as white as paper.
"He actually beat Liu Meng..." Sun Yan’s voice trembled.
Wang Li gritted his teeth. "Looks like we’ll have to make new plans."
The two of them hurried away, a vicious glint in their eyes.
...
Liang Cheng returned to his room and shut the door.
Then, he could no longer hold it back and spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sat down cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing.
With that third punch, he had seemed to achieve a complete victory, but in reality, he had also suffered a minor internal injury. The Inner Strength from Liu Meng’s final blow had penetrated his organs. If not for the protection of his Stone Armor Skill, he would be the one lying on the ground right now.
"Inner Cultivation Methods..."
Liang Cheng murmured to himself.
’The gap really is huge. If I hadn’t perfected three Cultivation Techniques and built a foundation far beyond that of an ordinary person, I would have been the one to lose today.’
’I have to get the Complete Stone Armor Technique as soon as possible. Then I’ll do missions to exchange for an Inner Cultivation Method. But for now, I need to heal. I can’t afford any lingering problems.’
With this in mind, Liang Cheng stood up and assumed a Posture Stance, regulating his breath to heal his injuries.
