Chapter 86 - 86 85 The Agreed Battle

86: Chapter 85 The Agreed Battle 86: Chapter 85 The Agreed Battle “Not enough?” Lin Xuan frowned, his strength had already allowed him to crush the majority of Eighth Rank of Pulse Condensation martial artists, could Zhang Qian really be that formidable? “Upon returning, Zhang Qian’s cultivation had already reached the peak of the Eighth Rank of Pulse Condensation, and with his rich combat experience, he could even fight against a Ninth Rank martial artist.” “Moreover, he hasn’t shown himself lately, and rumors from the outside suggest that he has broken through to the Ninth Rank of Pulse Condensation and is about to challenge the Core Disciples.” “Challenge the Core Disciples?” Lin Xuan’s expression turned grave, no wonder no one was optimistic about him, so Zhang Qian indeed had such strength! “I will now teach you a Body Protecting Sword Technique, though it won’t enhance your attack, it can increase your chances of survival,” said Murong Qianling. “Body Protecting Sword Technique?” Lin Xuan was moved, so Instructor Murong intended to privately teach him martial arts, no wonder she had summoned him alone. “There’s little more than a day left, what you can learn all depends on your insight.” Next, Murong Qianling demonstrated a defensive martial art, her body’s glazed-colored spiritual power turning into strands of purple sword light, twining around her body and flowing at will. Sword Qi, an extremely strong offensive attack, but when used defensively, the effect is surprisingly good. Lin Xuan concentrated and watched, capturing every detail with his eyes. After just one demonstration, he had memorized the entire route of energy flow. “It seems your talent in the Sword Dao is nothing short of heaven-defying!” Murong Qianling could not hide the shock in her eyes. After parting with Murong Qianling, Lin Xuan returned to his residence and began studying the Body Protecting Sword Technique. This martial arts technique was known as the Slicing Origin Body Protection Sword, divided into three levels. At the First Level, the Sword Qi is green in color, and ordinary swords and sabers cannot hurt it; at the Second Level, the Sword Qi turns purple, able to block attacks from the same level for a short period, and there is a chance to reflect damage back to the attacker. At the Third Level, the Sword Qi turns red, capable of blocking an attack from a higher-ranked martial artist once, with the difference between their realms not exceeding two minor levels. That is to say, if Lin Xuan could now cultivate the red Protective Sword Energy, he could block an attack from a Ninth Rank martial artist, and if used well, he might even emerge unscathed. This indirectly provided him the possibility of fighting across levels. With his Sword Force at small success, he could do a lot of things in the moment of defense. “Instructor Murong has purple Sword Energy, it seems she has reached the Second Level, I wonder to what extent can I practice it?” Lin Xuan slowly closed his eyes. Following the incantation, Lin Xuan activated the spiritual power within his body along a complex path. During this period, the Mysterious Small Sword inside him emitted a glazed-colored glow. Under the illumination of the glazed light, Lin Xuan’s spiritual power flowed smoothly, and he managed to condense Protective Sword Energy in just one try. Buzzing! Around his body surface, a strand of green Sword Qi twined itself, covering him. From a distance, it looked like a green serpent coiled around him. Lin Xuan pointed his fingers like a sword, with sword light spurting from the fingertips. He urged the sword light, slashing towards the Protective Sword Energy. As the two collided, a hissing sound was emitted. Lin Xuan could distinctly feel a strong resistance originating from the Protective Sword Energy, growing stronger and stronger. By the time it was half through, the sword light at his fingertips had become very weak, still maintaining a distance of more than a foot from Lin Xuan’s body. He stopped and sat down cross-legged. The first use of the Protective Sword Energy was surprisingly effective, but he was still not satisfied. In his opinion, he had to at least reach the Second Level or modify the First Level. The remaining time, he devoted himself to the study of Protective Sword Energy. With the help of the Mysterious Small Sword, after half a day, his Protective Sword Energy already exhibited a dark cyan hue, which indicated the Great Success of the First Layer. If Murong Qianling knew about this, she would surely exclaim in surprise. It took her more than half a month to master the First Layer, yet Lin Xuan achieved it in just half a day, the gap between them was simply too vast. It should be noted that Murong Qianling was once a Core Disciple, so her talent definitely wouldn’t be lacking, yet compared to Lin Xuan, the difference was too great. Of course, much of the credit went to the Mysterious Small Sword inside Lin Xuan’s body, which made him into a Sword Dao prodigy. Now his defensive power was much stronger than before. When he used the sword light at his fingertips to test it, the light could only brush the edge before it quickly extinguished. Lin Xuan stroked his chin, deep in thought. What would be the effect if he combined it with Thunder and Lightning? At any rate, he could not advance to the Second Level for the time being, so he might as well experiment with the golden lightning. Activating the Sword Intent Seed, he released arcs of golden electricity which, under his guidance, quickly climbed atop the Protective Sword Energy. Around the dark cyan Protective Sword Energy raged a layer of surging golden arcs, crackling fiercely and creating an imposing sight. However, Lin Xuan showed no joy, as he found that the two did not integrate well. Undeterred, he continued exploring, trying different ways to utilize Thunder and Lightning in the subsequent time. Eventually, he discovered a method: instead of directly overlaying the golden arcs on the Protective Sword Energy, he would release the golden lightning suddenly when utilizing the Sword Energy Defense. This would catch his opponent off guard, and not only would it exert mental pressure, but also use the golden lightning’s numbing effect to paralyze the adversary, leaving the enemy in a state of electric shock. He kept trying, and when tired, he would comprehend the Sword Intent Seed. Soon, two days passed. A new day dawned, the sunlight obscured by dark clouds, and the weather was slightly cold. Although the weather turned chill, the mood among the Inner Sect Disciples was anything but, it was fiery hot. Today was the day of Lin Xuan’s life-and-death duel with Zhang Qian, and many disciples within the Inner Sect appeared, one could say that aside from those out on missions, the other Inner Sect Disciples all rushed towards the Life and Death Platform. Accompanied by Luo Qingshan and Ye Qing, Lin Xuan also made his way to the Life and Death Platform. Along the way, the three of them were met with innumerable gazes – filled with curiosity, sympathy, as well as disdain and mockery. “Brother Luo, good morning!” Ling Ze, dressed in blue, came over, his eyes holding a hint of coldness as he looked at Lin Xuan. “So, this is the person who is going to duel Brother Zhang. I guess he’ll probably die miserably on the platform, what a pity!” Ling Ze, followed by a group, mocked without mercy. “Scram!” Lin Xuan’s expression was icy as he directly rebuked Ling Ze. “You dare insult me?” Ling Ze was initially stunned, then flew into a rage. He had long wanted to kill Lin Xuan, and now, with Lin Xuan participating in a life-and-death battle, he wanted to see helplessness, fear, regret, and other emotions on Lin Xuan. But Lin Xuan was unexpectedly calm and even dared to insult him. “Mr. Ling, don’t bother with him. He has only a little time left to live, so naturally, he acts wildly,” someone beside advised. “Hmph! Kid, I will thoroughly enjoy watching the expression on your face as you die!” Ling Ze walked away with a cold laugh, followed by his group. “Brother Lin, you…” Luo Qingshan and Ye Qing started to speak but stopped themselves. They had advised Lin Xuan more than once, but to no avail. “Don’t worry, I will win!” Lin Xuan’s eyes flickered with sword light as the three hurried towards the Life and Death Platform.