NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 422 - 422: The tables have turned_1
Chapter 422: Chapter 422: The tables have turned_1
“Indeed!”
Li Fuqiang’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint as his rolling True Qi, like boiling seawater, surged tumultuously. While forming hand seals, the True Qi violently overflowed his body and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a glowing red Fire Qi Shield. It appeared to be merely a thin layer that could be punctured with a poke, but in reality, it operated with the mysterious principles of fire attributes, containing astonishing defensive power.
Bang!
No sooner had the Fire Qi Shield materialized than it was struck by Sword Control Finger, and upon impact, it produced a deafening explosion, resonating loudly.
Both men were very close to the water’s surface, and the repercussion of the clash of Qi Forces, like a series of torpedoes exploding underwater, immediately threw up several zhang high walls of water, spreading out in all directions.
Qian Zongsheng, who was watching the battle from the Heart of Heaven Pavilion, saw the wall of water rolling towards him, shook his head, and with a sweep of his hands, unleashed a gust of wind, attempting to stop the advance of the water wall.
However, he had underestimated the strength of the water wall; it directly scattered his gust of wind, and with a splash, the water surged upside-down, dousing the four of them like drowned rats.
Qian Zongsheng helplessly smiled at Xiao Bai and the others, but didn’t pay it too much attention.
Not to mention that they were unlikely to catch a cold because of this, even if they were certain to get sick, none of them would miss witnessing a battle of this level.
After all, such a fight was a rare occurrence in one’s life. They might even gain some enlightenment, which would be beneficial for both their martial arts techniques and cultivation advancement.
On the river’s surface.
As Sword Control Finger struck the Fire Qi Shield, the collision of power caused Li Fuqiang’s figure to move back in a split second. Although imperceptible to most people, this undoubtedly demonstrated Xu Fan’s strength had exceeded his expectations.
At the same time, it also highlighted the value of Sword Control Finger, which was higher than he had anticipated.
This exchange allowed Li Fuqiang to assess Sword Control Finger more accurately, and the outcome pleased him.
With Xu Fan displaying the complete skill of a Grandmaster while executing this move, its power was not to be underestimated. If the opponent were of the same level and did not possess top-grade protective Treasure Instruments or specialized in high-ranked defensive martial arts techniques, they would likely be unable to block it, ending up dead or crippled.
While Li Fuqiang was thinking this, he was about to give up on the Fire Qi Shield, when suddenly his gaze sharpened. After Sword Control Finger’s strike had unleashed its terrifying aftereffects, it still hadn’t dissipated.
This shouldn’t be possible!
The Golden Sword was condensed and shaped by True Qi, and once True Qi left the body, it could not be maintained for long. Even an Ancient Martial Artist at the level of a Grandmaster, who could manipulate objects in the void, couldn’t sustain it for too long.
Even Martial Kings had no good solution for this, with only limited enhancement in strength.
Yet Xu Fan’s Golden Sword, after releasing its terrifying power, did not disperse its True Qi. It remained stabbed in the Fire Qi Shield, continuing to exert force, albeit with diminished power.
Li Fuqiang’s eyes widened in shock…
Suddenly, he heard a sound like metal scraping, especially at the point where the tip of the Golden Sword touched the Fire Qi Shield, where sparks flew out with a crackling noise.
Five seconds later, Sword Control Finger finally ran out of energy and shattered with a ‘pop’, dissipating into a flow of Qi.
Li Fuqiang’s Fire Qi Shield quickly vanished as well.
The spectators thought Li Fuqiang had actively dissipated the Fire Qi Shield.
But that wasn’t the case. In reality, the Fire Qi Shield couldn’t withstand the strain anymore and shattered.
Li Fuqiang stared intensely at Xu Fan, a flicker of shock passing through his eyes.
This was his signature technique.
It was this Sixth Stage fire attribute martial arts technique that made him famous in the Ancient Martial World.
Fierce Prison Heavenly Gang, rated as a Sixth Stage technique, genuinely possessed attributes comparable to those of Seventh Stage martial arts techniques because of its comprehensiveness. Whether for attack or defense, it was top-tier among Sixth Rank martial arts techniques.
That Fire Qi Shield was Fierce Prison Heavenly Gang’s defense technique; even an opponent of the same rank, under full power, would find it extremely difficult to break a Fire Qi Shield that was fully upheld.
But now it was just a friendly match, and the opponent was only a Martial Arts Grandmaster, so Li Fuqiang’s Fire Qi Shield had only half of its usual power, which nearly resulted in a disaster.
Even at half its power, it was actually enough to easily deal with those Grandmasters who had reached full circle. To say that they could break it would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
Unexpectedly, a seemingly casual Sword Control Finger from Xu Fan nearly caused Li Fuqiang’s defense to collapse.
It was truly a surprise.
“That’s great, from this exchange, your Sword Control Finger should be categorized as an Eighth Stage Martial Arts Technique,” said Li Fuqiang, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“To be more precise,” he added, “it’s among the top in the Eighth Stage.”
Qian Zongsheng in the Heart of Heaven Pavilion perked up his ears and was visibly taken aback. He had estimated the Sword Control Finger to be a Seventh Stage Martial Arts Technique; he did not expect that the actual result far exceeded his estimation, reaching the pinnacle of the Eighth Stage.
Martial Arts Techniques are graded from weak to strong, classified from the First Stage to the Ninth Stage.
Within each stage of Martial Arts Techniques, there is also a clear distinction between the levels of strength, such as ordinary Eighth Stage, powerful Eighth Stage, and top Eighth Stage. The gap between the strongest and weakest in the same stage can be as wide as a whole stage.
Therefore, the true rank of Sword Control Finger should be the most fierce and outstanding among the Eighth Stage, even rivaling an ordinary Ninth Stage Martial Arts Technique.
What does this mean?
A big fortune!
For a moment, both Qian Zongsheng and Li Fuqiang were ecstatic internally, the latter even more so, as he took an immediate liking to the Sword Control Finger. He loved it; the technique was simple yet ferociously powerful.
Xu Fan watched them, nodded, and said calmly, “Uncle Li, this time you attack, and I’ll defend.”
“Are you sure?” Li Fuqiang asked, unable to help but look at Xu Fan with a smile, “Nephew, you must be joking, right?”
Qian Zongsheng and the other three were also taken aback.
A Grandmaster facing head-on the attack of a Martial King?
Impossible, if not fatal, it would at least result in spitting out liters of blood.
But Xu Fan made such a request.
Was he saying this out of sheer confidence in himself? Or was there some misunderstanding about the real strength of a King?
“I’m serious,” Xu Fan said with a stern look, “These Six Superior Martial Skills aren’t just nonsense, I have given it thorough consideration. Among them, Qi Condensation Wings is a supportive Martial Arts Technique, Sword Control Finger is an offensive Martial Arts Technique, so naturally, there is also a defensive Martial Arts Technique.”
“Received.”
Li Fuqiang no longer doubted and nodded, saying, “Nephew, my signature technique is called Fierce Prison Heavenly Gang, and it can be used for both offense and defense. Just now I used the defensive skill, Fire Qi Shield. Now I will use my offensive one, Gangshi Tyrant!”
“Of course, I’ll control the power and use only 30% of my strength so that you won’t get hurt,” he added.
This was naturally based on the theory of attack and defense.
No matter how strong the defense, it couldn’t cause injury. But even the weakest attack could potentially harm the opponent.
Li Fuqiang didn’t know the state of Xu Fan’s defenses after employing his defensive technique, so he planned to use only 30% of his strength.
But even a mere 30% was enough to kill an ordinary Grandmaster, which is why Li Fuqiang did not dare to be careless. While attacking, he was also ready to observe Xu Fan’s condition, ready to withdraw his move at the first sign of trouble, even at the risk of suffering backlash.
Yet Xu Fan showed no appreciation for his concern.
“Uncle Li, you underestimate me too much,” Xu Fan said, “With so little strength, how can we test the power of the defensive technique I’m about to use? Hmm… I think 50% might be just right.”