Inside his dwelling, Chen Zong finished his sixth session of cultivating the Tiger's Roar Manual. He quickly retrieved a Vitality Pill and swallowed it.
"Sixth cycle complete. Almost there."
After regulating his breathing, he opened the Little Sword Manual to the first page. Although the text was concise, he found that each careful reading brought new insights—a deeply satisfying experience.
Suddenly, a knock echoed at the door.
"Is Chen Zong here?" a slightly panicked voice called out.
Setting aside the manual, Chen Zong strode to the door. Chen Yidao stood outside, gasping for breath.
"Yidao, what's the matter?" Chen Zong asked calmly.
"It's urgent! Come quickly!" Chen Yidao gasped, catching her breath. "A Martial Apprentice from another clan has come to challenge us. No one can match her, and she specifically requested to fight you."
"Oh? Who is it?" Chen Zong's eyes lit up with anticipation.
Ever since Chen Fenghua, Chen Guzhan, and the other two had broken through to become martial artists, Chen Zong had felt a growing sense of loneliness. After all, those four had at least been able to exchange blows with him. Now, none of the other Martial Apprentices in the Chen Clan Hall could even withstand a single strike from his sword.
"Tang Junluo from the Tang Clan," Chen Yidao replied hastily. She didn't recognize the name and had no idea how strong the challenger was.
"Tang Junluo." Chen Zong's gaze sharpened like a sheathed sword being drawn, his eyes gleaming with keen anticipation.
Chen Zong had learned the name from Sister Yun—someone he needed to take seriously. He had wondered when their paths might cross, never expecting it to be like this.
"Let's go," Chen Zong said, his pace outpacing Chen Yidao's.
At the Martial Training Ground, nearly all the Martial Apprentices from the Chen Clan Hall were gathered, along with Elder Xing. Two strangers stood apart—an elderly man and a young woman.
"Has Chen Zong not arrived yet?" The young woman, Tang Junluo, wore a purple martial robe embroidered with golden dragons, radiating an air of mystery and nobility.
"He's been summoned," Chen Baiqi snapped, her voice laced with resentment. "You'll learn what a true master is when he gets here."
"I eagerly await it," Tang Junluo replied indifferently, clasping her hands behind her back with the bearing of a sovereign. Her detached tone, as if she were above it all, ignited fury among the Chen Clan Hall's Martial Apprentices. Yet they remained helpless, for they had already witnessed how none of them could withstand a single strike from her—and she hadn't even drawn the weapon sheathed on her back.
Now, all their hopes rested on Chen Zong.
But why was he taking so long? The delay was agonizing.
"Elder Tang Zhigu," Elder Xing remarked with a genial smile, maintaining his composure. "The Tang Clan has produced a remarkable junior." Such sparring matches between clan juniors were commonplace, and temporary victories held little significance in the grand scheme of things.
"Not at all," Elder Tang Zhigu said with feigned humility, deliberately emphasizing the words "seven times" as a smug grin spread across his weathered face, making one almost want to punch him.
Elder Xing was stunned.
Seven times!
No one in the entire history of the Chen Clan Hall had ever achieved such a feat. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, marveling at the unparalleled foundation of the Three Great Clans, far beyond the reach of the Five Great Clans.
"Could it be that you're challenging the Martial Apprentices of various clans to build momentum for your eighth tempering?" Elder Xing ventured cautiously.
"Precisely," Tang Junluo replied coolly, her tone flat yet carrying an unmistakable undercurrent of arrogance.
To temper one's Blood Qi eight times—that was a level no one in the entire history of Wind Martial City had ever reached.
The conversation between Elder Xing and Elder Tang Zhigu had not been concealed, and Chen Zong, who had just arrived, overheard it clearly. Instantly, a powerful gaze, akin to a king's stare, bore down on him, creating a strange pressure that involuntarily stirred his fighting spirit.
Without hesitation, Chen Zong locked eyes with the newcomer. One glance told him everything: this was Tang Junluo, the Tang Clan's Genius Martial Apprentice.
Their gazes collided like lightning, sending sparks flying and filling the air with the acrid scent of scorched earth.
"Chen Zong, come here," Elder Xing beckoned. Chen Zong tore his gaze away and approached.
"This is Tang Junluo of the Tang Clan," Elder Xing whispered. "She has already tempered her Blood Qi seven times, and she possesses extraordinary natural strength. At the peak of the third layer of the Qi Blood Realm, she could lift seven hundred pounds with a single arm."
"Seven hundred pounds... seven temperings!" Chen Zong exclaimed, a spark of martial intent igniting deep within his heart.
"Our Chen Clan practices the Tiger's Roar Manual for Blood Qi Tempering, while the Tang Clan uses the Hidden Dragon Manual, which symbolizes a hidden dragon in the abyss poised to soar to the heavens," Elder Xing continued, his voice barely audible. "The Hidden Dragon Manual emphasizes momentum above all else. It cultivates a kingly aura, forcing all others to retreat. The stronger your aura, the more effective your training—it can even help you break through your own limits. Tang Junluo has already defeated the genius Martial Apprentices of the Li Clan, Zhao Clan, and four other major clans. Once she defeats you and the other prodigies of Wind Martial City, she will have amassed enough momentum to attempt her eighth tempering, setting a new record for the city."
"So, she intends to use me as a stepping stone," Chen Zong muttered, his voice hardening with determination. "Then I'll show her I'm not some pebble—I'm an impassable mountain."
"Good!" Elder Xing couldn't help but applaud. Though he doubted Chen Zong could defeat Tang Junluo—in fact, he thought defeat was highly likely—he greatly admired Chen Zong's unwavering spirit.
"You're Chen Zong? Take my first punch," Tang Junluo declared, stepping forward with the lithe grace of a swimming dragon. Her fist shot out, carrying a howling force like a giant python emerging from its lair, radiating an oppressive aura. It was none other than the Tang Clan's Foundation Establishment Martial Art, the Horned Python Fist Technique.
"Take my punch too!" Chen Zong didn't draw his sword. Instead, he hurled a fist of his own, transforming into a roaring Ferocious Tiger that shattered the air with its impact.
Neither combatant circulated their Blood Qi, and both had mastered their respective fist techniques to the Perfection Realm. The crowd imagined a colossal python locked in mortal combat with a ferocious tiger.
A thunderous crack shattered the air, sending shockwaves rippling through the arena and swirling dust into the air. Tang Junluo swayed slightly, while Chen Zong was forced to retreat a half-step.
In terms of raw arm strength, Tang Junluo surpassed Chen Zong by two hundred pounds. Though their martial arts mastery was equal, Chen Zong should have been directly repelled. However, the fifty-pound iron plates strapped to Chen Zong's left arm, while increasing his burden, also lent his punch greater weight. Thus, he only retreated a single step.
"To withstand my punch with your current strength and only be pushed back slightly—quite impressive," Tang Junluo remarked with the air of a seasoned senior. "However, you're still no match for me."
"I practice the sword, while you wield the spear," Chen Zong retorted calmly. "We haven't truly clashed yet. How can you claim I'm inferior?" He drew his iron sword, its tip pointed directly at Tang Junluo, his Blood Qi surging with excitement.
"I'll make you acknowledge your defeat wholeheartedly," Tang Junluo declared, reaching behind her. She produced two segments of a spear shaft, clicked them together, and revealed a golden, dragon-engraved spear stretching 1.7 meters. Its quality was evident at a glance, far surpassing Chen Zong's iron sword.
With the golden dragon spear in hand, Tang Junluo's aura transformed dramatically, as if she were a general who had charged through enemy ranks countless times.
"My spear technique is called Hidden Dragon," Tang Junluo announced, her voice now imbued with an inexplicable authority that weighed heavily on the onlookers. She twisted her body into a coiled stance, resembling a hidden dragon lurking in the depths, poised to soar into the sky.
"Begin," Chen Zong replied, assuming the starting posture of the Phantom Shadow Sword Technique, a subtle aura of seamless fluidity radiating from his movements.
Tang Junluo sprang into action, a cold light blooming before her as her spear shot forth like a dragon.
Chen Zong swayed, his iron sword whistling through the air, its shadow weaving a chaotic dance.
The crowd stared wide-eyed, desperate to follow the action. But the combatants moved too fast, leaving only blurred streaks of spear light and sword shadows colliding again and again.
With a long spear in hand, Tang Junluo wielded the Perfection Realm Hidden Dragon Spear Technique with effortless versatility, seamlessly transitioning between close and long-range combat. Her spear tip and shaft flowed between offensive and defensive maneuvers with perfect ease.
He alternated between three Foundation Establishment sword techniques, each honed to Perfection, intertwining seamlessly like interlocking gears, their combined power unfathomable.
"He's actually cultivated three Foundation Establishment sword techniques to Perfection!" Elder Tang Zhigu exclaimed in astonishment.
As the Tang Clan's Genius Martial Apprentice, Tang Junluo had only mastered two Foundation Establishment Martial Arts—the Horned Python Fist Technique and the Hidden Dragon Spear Technique—to Perfection. Yet this Chen Clan Martial Apprentice had three, no, four, including the fist technique he had just displayed.
"Such astonishing comprehension," Elder Tang Zhigu marveled again.
"Indeed," Elder Xing chuckled warmly, "though his physical talent may be average, his aptitude for learning is remarkable."
"No matter how talented he is, he's no match for Junluo," Elder Tang Zhigu scoffed.
"That remains to be seen," Elder Xing retorted, refusing to concede while the outcome remained uncertain.
Achieving Great Perfection in the Hidden Dragon Spear Technique tempered seventy percent of the body, making it naturally more potent than techniques like the Eagle Strike Sword Technique. Only by pushing his three sword techniques to their absolute limits had Chen Zong managed to withstand Tang Junluo's relentless spear assault. For a time, the battle remained evenly matched, a testament to Chen Zong's relentless training in the Basic Eighteen Forms and his mastery of the principles of "Quick, Accurate, Steady," which had sharpened his reflexes, enhanced his agility, and allowed his sword to move with greater speed, precision, control, and instinct.
The spear shadows swept across the arena like a Hidden Dragon emerging from the depths, soaring into the turbulent sea of clouds.
Sword light pierced the air, its shadows overlapping. At times, the blade swayed like a willow branch, only to suddenly transform into an eagle, diving with lethal precision.
Gradually, Chen Zong gained fresh insights into his sword techniques. With each strike, the distinctions between the three styles seemed to blur, as if on the verge of merging into a unified whole.
"His sword moves with his heart, his intent flows effortlessly through every strike. This child possesses extraordinary talent for swordplay," Tang Zhigu exclaimed, his astonishment tinged with envy.
Though he still believed Chen Zong inferior to Tang Junluo, Tang Zhigu recognized that with proper nurturing, this innate aptitude for swordplay would undoubtedly make him a peerless swordsman—an invaluable asset to any clan.
Tang Junluo was inwardly shaken. She had assumed her strength alone would suffice to defeat Chen Zong without resorting to Blood Qi, yet the match had reached a stalemate. Gradually, Chen Zong's sword technique seemed to grow more refined, threatening to overwhelm her.
"Coiling Dragon Stance!" Tang Junluo roared, gripping her spear with both hands and whirling it to block Chen Zong's iron sword. Simultaneously, she channeled her Blood Qi, her skin flushing crimson like a boiled shrimp.
"Soaring Dragon Stance!" Her spear danced through the air before unleashing a devastating horizontal sweep. Propelled by fourteen hundred pounds of terrifying force, the strike erupted with thunderous power, shaking the very foundations of the arena. The roar echoed like a primordial beast, as if a soaring dragon had shattered the heavens, instantly shattering all of Chen Zong's sword shadows.