C25 Steel Lock Plum Blossom Spear
Master had dispatched him to apprehend a mere nobody from the Jiang family, a second-level Spirit Martial nobody, yet now three Late Period Spirit Martial disciples had perished. This ignited a burning desire in Chu Lianchen to slay Jiang Xiaofan in retribution!
However, both were of the Profound Martial Stage. Even though Jiang Xiaofan was merely a first-level Profound Martial, he had mastered a formidable array of martial arts and techniques, making him incredibly dominant. As a result, Chu Lianchen found himself unable to swiftly eliminate him.
Their battle was intense, rapidly depleting their Martial Qi. Meanwhile, the effects of the Black Mystic Herb Pill were fading. Before he knew it, Jiang Xiaofan was at a disadvantage!
With a flick of his spear, Chu Lianchen struck Jiang Xiaofan's chest, sending him hurtling into a tree. A sweet taste in his throat was followed by a spurt of blood.
Chu Lianchen sensed the Martial Qi inside Jiang Xiaofan collapsing, signaling his imminent regression to the Spirit Martial Stage.
"Meet your end!"
Chu Lianchen thrust his spear, creating a blur of phantoms that surged toward Jiang Xiaofan.
"Thwack!"
Jiang Xiaofan rose swiftly, the spear impaling his chest, yet his lips curled into a smirk as he drove his Blazing Sword into Chu Lianchen's lower abdomen.
Chu Lianchen's brow clenched, and he swiftly kicked Jiang Xiaofan away. Propped against the tree, clutching his bleeding chest, Jiang Xiaofan flashed a grim smile and taunted, "Your fate is sealed!"
Chu Lianchen, observing Jiang Xiaofan's disheveled state, burst into laughter. "You think you, a level-two Spirit Martial weakling, can kill me?"
"Take a look over there." Jiang Xiaofan weakly lifted his arm, pointing to Chu Lianchen's disciple behind him.
The disciple remained in a meditative pose, yet his head had been cleaved in two by the Mountain Splitting Axe Jiang Xiaofan had just hurled!
The Mountain Splitting Axe, a Ninth Grade Yellow Level piece of equipment, wielded an unstoppable axe aura. It was an undefeatable force, especially against a disciple already gravely wounded.
"You! I'm going to fucking kill you!" Chu Lianchen whirled around and lunged at Jiang Xiaofan!
Jiang Xiaofan's face remained fearless, as the dark mist had already pulled the soul power into his body.
"System Prompt: Congratulations to the player for leveling up. You are now at the Third Grade of the Spirit Martial Stage."
...
The instant he leveled up, Jiang Xiaofan was back at his peak. His wounds vanished in a flash, and the debilitation from the Black Mystic Herb Pill faded away.
As Chu Lianchen's formidable strike came at him, Jiang Xiaofan swiftly activated the Wolf Totem and leaped aside. His spear pierced the massive tree behind him, reducing it to dust in an instant!
Then, Jiang Xiaofan pulled another Black Mystic Herb Pill from his backpack and swallowed it, unleashing the robust power of the Profound Martial Stage within him!
Chu Lianchen was taken aback. He could never have imagined that Jiang Xiaofan would recover to his peak condition in a mere moment. Having started his cultivation at three years old and encountering over ten thousand fellow cultivators, he had never seen anyone wield such bizarre strength!
Not giving Chu Lianchen a chance to react, Jiang Xiaofan unleashed his Battle Martial Body, and his Martial Qi surged! He had ascended to the second level of the Profound Martial Stage!
At this point, Chu Lianchen had expended most of his Martial Qi and was wounded. If Jiang Xiaofan didn't strike while the iron was hot, then when?
Jiang Xiaofan engaged his Collapse Mountain Giant Power, his strength soaring. With the Wolf Totem's enhancement, his speed was unmatched!
In an instant, he was upon Chu Lianchen, his Blazing Sword swinging down towards his adversary's forehead!
Chu Lianchen quickly crossed his spear above his head, bolstered by his Martial Qi. At the moment of impact, a crisp "ding" sounded, and the unexpected occurred!
Jiang Xiaofan's Blazing Sword, a Sixth Grade weapon of the Yellow Level, snapped in two upon colliding with the spear!
The fact that the Blazing Sword was shattered indicated that Chu Lianchen's spear was at least of the Profound Level!
Jiang Xiaofan's excitement surged!
Empowered by the Collapse Mountain Giant Power, Chu Lianchen's arm had been numbed by the initial blow. Jiang Xiaofan wasted no time, following up with his Vibration Wind Boxing!
"Boom!"
The punch thundered through the air, slamming into Chu Lianchen. Jiang Xiaofan stepped forward, fists clenched, unleashing the Divine Tiger Boxing!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
These were Jiang Xiaofan's mightiest three punches, the Divine Tiger Boxing at the Profound Martial Stage, an attack few could withstand!
Chu Lianchen hit the ground, blood spurting from his mouth. Jiang Xiaofan drew a steel blade and held it to his throat.
Chu Lianchen was in a panic; he had underestimated Jiang Xiaofan's strength.
"Jiang Xiaofan, you wouldn't dare..."
"Puchi!"
With a flick of his arm, Jiang Xiaofan devoured Chu Lianchen's soul.
They had all sought to corner him, to see him dead, yet they met their end by his hand.
Dare?
Why wouldn't I?
I am wild!
Challenge me if you dare!
...
"System Prompt: You have successfully slain Chu Lianchen and acquired the Iron Lock Plum Blossom Spear."
"System Prompt: You have slain Chu Lianchen and acquired the Fallen Spear Technique."
"System Prompt: You have slain Chu Lianchen and obtained the Chu Family's Secret Key."
"System Prompt: You have slain Chu Lianchen and received 2375 Copper coins."
The Fallen Spear Technique, a formidable art crafted by Chu Lianchen over nearly a decade, is renowned for its elusive and formidable strikes.
...
What a haul!
This time, it was nothing short of spectacular!
Jiang Xiaofan didn't just claim Chu Lianchen's weapon; he mastered his spear technique on the spot!
An A-grade martial art, learned instantly. The Chu Family's Secret Key would wait; the real prize was the long spear in his hands!
Iron Lock Plum Blossom Spear (First Grade of the Profound Level)
Damage Rating: ★★★★☆
Effect 1: Empowered by Martial Qi, it can transform into a sharp spear wind capable of inflicting severe injuries on an opponent without direct contact.
Effect 2: The strength of the iron lock is incredibly robust, with a chance to destroy weapons below the Profound Level.
Four and a half stars of damage, plus two potent effects!
It's no surprise that Chu Lianchen's attack was so formidable; it was the innate power of the Iron Lock Plum Blossom Spear!
Profound Level Equipment truly stands out. It's unfortunate that the Giant Spirit Battle Hammer might have had even better effects, but Jiang Xiaofan didn't spare it a glance before handing it back to Ling Yi.
The experience needed to level up is daunting. Even after defeating Chu Lianchen, it only boosted his experience by roughly 10%. The gain would be even smaller if he faced someone from the Spirit Martial Stage.
With the battle behind him, Jiang Xiaofan faced a new challenge.
The effects of the Black Mystic Herb Pill had worn off, leaving him with a creeping sense of weakness. Sitting on the ground, Jiang Xiaofan felt the pill's significant aftereffects; he wouldn't have the strength to move for at least a full day.
The day after next marked Jiang Tianyang's emergence from seclusion. If Jiang Xiaofan couldn't make it back in time, he might spend the rest of his life mired in regret.
He attempted to summon the Martial Qi within him, but his Martial Qi was unlike that of others. While most could use theirs for recovery or to aid in cultivation, Jiang Xiaofan's Martial Qi was solely for combat and pill refining; he had no concept of cultivation, as it wouldn't yield any experience.
His weakened state was bound to linger. Despite his urgency, Jiang Xiaofan remained seated, knowing all too well that haste wouldn't help certain matters.
After resting for over an hour, a sliver of strength returned to him. As dawn broke, Jiang Xiaofan rose and made his way toward Lintian City.
...
Jiang Xiaofan trudged through the jungle, drenched in sweat. His strength was only partially restored, yet the cloak of night had already enveloped the sky.
A day had slipped away, leaving Jiang Xiaofan with precious little time.
The night in Gloom Forest was bitterly cold, gusts of chilling air sweeping through and causing involuntary shivers.
Jiang Xiaofan wrapped his coat tighter around himself and pressed on into the darkening woods. Drifting clouds obscured the moon, plunging the forest into deeper darkness.
As Jiang Xiaofan hurried along, the ground suddenly gave way beneath him. Before he could even react, he found himself plummeting into an abyss!
With a dull "thud," he hit the ground hard. He lay there for a moment, feeling as if his organs had been jostled out of place, before he finally managed to gather himself.
In the pitch-black, cramped space, Jiang Xiaofan pulled out his fire piston and blew on it, sparking a feeble flame that flickered to life, casting light on his surroundings.
Visibility was low, but he could make out the basics: a long, narrow tunnel, freshly dug—no more than three days old by the looks of it.
Looking up, he estimated the distance to the surface at over ten meters. Had it not been for his Martial Qi's protective aura, a fall from such a height would have been fatal.
The soil around the cave was loose and crumbly, impossible to climb. There had to be another way out.
Where exactly, he could only guess; a thorough exploration of the tunnel was in order.
He proceeded cautiously, and as he delved deeper, the air grew colder, fouler, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust.
Soon, he came upon a stone wall.
The tunnel terminated at this wall, its stones intricately carved and deeply embedded in the earth. Jiang Xiaofan's immediate thought: this was a burial chamber!
The soil near the wall had been disturbed, and further down, a small opening suggested that the tunnel's creator had already breached the tomb.
He was likely dealing with a tomb raider!
It was something he never expected to encounter in a world of cultivators—a rare occurrence indeed!
But if someone had gone to the trouble of constructing such a tomb, it might well contain treasures. If the raider was still inside, Jiang Xiaofan might need his help to find a way out. With that in mind, he squeezed through the opening, moving cautiously into the unknown.
At just sixteen years old, Jiang Xiaofan was rail-thin, a result of the constant hunger he endured in the Jiang family. Slipping into the cave was hardly a challenge for his slight frame.
As soon as he stepped into the tomb, he froze in astonishment.
This was no tomb at all—it was an armory!
A vast space unfolded before him, with rows upon rows of weapon racks brimming with an arsenal of sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, tridents, and more. Jiang Xiaofan could sense the vibrant Spiritual Qi emanating from these weapons; they were of the Profound Level, and among them were even weapons of the Earth Level!
Yet, there was a glaring similarity among them: nearly all were in ruins. Some were snapped in half, others reduced to mere shards.
In the midst of the devastated armaments, a black shape huddled on the ground. By the dim flicker of firelight, Jiang Xiaofan could make out what seemed to be a pig.
But this creature was a far cry from any ordinary pig. It was about the size of a husky, with a snout a good ten centimeters longer than that of a pig, hanging down almost comically. To sum it up, it was the epitome of ugliness—an underdeveloped, deformed black pig.
