Chapter 92: Old Methods

Got it!

With Wu Jinliang’s current high-level martial cultivation, he could punch the cliff face and create damage like this. However, using a knife would concentrate the force too much, making it impossible to cause such widespread destruction, unless the rock itself were flawed.

But the rock here was not the problem; he had personally dug caves in this very spot.

Moreover, whether using a knife or a sword, the more concentrated the power of a strike, the better. If the force were to diffuse like this, it would negate the purpose of using such weapons.

Yet, he had just blocked a strike and clearly felt the power of Shi Chun’s blade. There was no indication that the power had diffused, leading to a diminished attack; on the contrary, he felt the attack was even more potent. And Shi Chun had claimed to use only thirty percent of his strength.

He was now somewhat perplexed, utterly bewildered by what kind of blade technique Shi Chun employed.

Shi Chun stood motionless before the large cavity, his blade clutched in hand, silently contemplating the eruption of power from his previous strike.

The moment the blade, enveloped in a phosphorescent green mist, was forcefully swung, it was as if a knife had cut through water, creating numerous eddies. The green mist transformed into countless miniature tornadoes, which then agitated the pale blue substance.

Indeed, that phosphorescent green mist could activate the underlying colors of the fantastical world perceived by his right eye, stirring them and drawing them into the tornadoes. Once these two colors mingled, the tornadoes instantly appeared to ignite, transforming into a crimson hue streaked with black – a truly eerie color.

The pointed base of each tornado was dark black, while its spiraling tail was crimson.

The moment the blade, carrying this strange color, struck an object, it seemed to violently collide. As if enraged by the resistance, it instantly ignited, or rather, transformed into a burst of red light that exploded, vanishing without a trace.

This was the scene as perceived by his right eye. His left eye, however, saw no such illusory phenomena; it simply observed the blade slicing into the rock wall, at which point an inexplicable void power erupted, instantly blasting the wall open.

In his hand, it felt entirely different. When he brought the blade down, he didn't fully sense the rock wall's resistance. The blade hadn't even reached its full depth, yet the solid material it was meant to strike had already exploded away.

It was just like the strike he had tested with Wu Jinliang earlier. Wu Jinliang claimed to have used sixty percent of his strength, which had left him somewhat puzzled at the time. He'd wondered if it was because he had refined demonic flames, making his cultivation superior to Wu Jinliang’s, which was why he hadn't felt such a strong impact on his blade.

Adding that to the recent strike, and comparing the two, the reason was not hard to guess. He finally understood what was happening: it was due to the explosive power.

The explosion both negated the force of Wu Jinliang's blade and eliminated the rock wall's resistance to the strike, thereby distorting the sensation he felt in his hand.

However, the explosion of that void matter could not affect the substance imbued onto his own blade according to his cultivation method. Therefore, the blade in his hand couldn't perceive the explosive force. It was somewhat akin to the ethereal, almost imperceptible feeling of the substance within a ‘binding talisman.’ What was real and what was illusion was difficult to articulate. So this was the origin of the ‘Demonic Nullification Blade’s’ power.

The reason he hadn't been able to wield this blade technique before was due to cultivation limitations; his ability to project the power of the technique was restricted, thus preventing the full force of this move from manifesting.

After the illusions in his right eye dissipated, he emerged from his contemplation. He walked back to where he had discarded his scabbard, extended an invisible grasp, and instantly drew it into his hand. The blade slid back into its sheath, and the rope-bound weapon was secured behind him.

Given their current circumstances, there was no longer a need to feign refinement; no need for Wu Jinliang to carry his blade for him.

He turned, intending to call Wu Jinliang to leave, but saw Wu Jinliang, also wielding his great blade, approach the rock face. Suddenly, Wu Jinliang raised his blade, uttering a sharp cry, and with both hands, furiously hacked upwards.

Aha! Stone fragments flew everywhere. The great blade, like a knife slicing through tofu, completely sank into the rock wall.

Drawing his blade back, he appeared somewhat puzzled, stroking his chin as he scrutinized the rock wall.

Unexpectedly, the residual power of this strike was immensely strong, causing the cracks around the cavity Shi Chun had previously made to audibly widen. Large quantities of loose rock began to fall, followed by rumbling tremors and rising dust. Half of the cliff face completely crumbled, nearly burying Wu Jinliang alive.

Fortunately, he reacted swiftly; upon seeing the torrent of falling debris, he quickly dodged and escaped.

The two quickly escaped the dusty canyon, landing on the cliff face and looking down. Shi Chun remarked admiringly, “Jinliang, your strike was far more powerful than mine. I imagine even a master-level practitioner couldn’t do much better, could they?”

“Hmph,” Wu Jinliang grunted twice. “If you insist on saying that, then I suppose I’ll have to agree.” He waved his hand to clear the stirred-up dust, then hoisted his great blade onto his shoulder and turned to walk away. As he surveyed the vast wilderness, he asked, “Less than two months left until the Heavenly Rain Meteor Grand Assembly. Are we still aiming for first place? What’s the plan now?”

Shi Chun walked over. “Do you want a million taels of gold?”

“Fool,” Wu Jinliang scoffed.

“A house in the imperial capital?” Shi Chun pressed.

“Of course I do!”

“We were reluctantly forced into becoming disciples of Wukang Mountain,” Shi Chun continued, “but without distinguished renown, how can we ever shed that identity? I despise a mere Wukang Mountain; I refuse to be limited by this affiliation. What’s the alternative? If we escape once we’re out, won’t we be branded as traitors to the sect? We’d have to hide everywhere, scorned by all. I refuse to live like a thief, hiding my entire life, whether I choose the righteous path or the demonic one. Jinliang, this grand event, the Eight Gatherings—this is our chance, my brother, to make a name for ourselves across the land. How can we possibly miss it?”

As Shi Chun spoke grandiosely, gazing into the distance, his eyes gleamed. He also saw the side profile of the woman who had sat with him on the cliff, watching the sunset. He missed her...

Wu Jinliang, his blade still on his shoulder, thumped his chest toward the horizon and declared with surging ambition, “Alright! We’ll snatch first place! First and second will both be ours; we have no interest in third. We call the shots here! The wealth of the imperial capital, the homes of the imperial capital, and the women of the imperial capital are surely tempting! Money, homes, and women!”

He then turned and asked, “This place is enormous, and it’s just the two of us against hundreds of thousands. Where do we even begin?” As Shi Chun walked forward, he replied, “Before my seclusion, didn’t I already pinpoint where to start?” Wu Jinliang, walking beside him, pondered blankly for a moment, still utterly bewildered. Yet, knowing Shi Chun wouldn’t speak idly on such matters, he humbly inquired, “You did? Where? Why can’t I recall?”

Shi Chun replied, “Didn’t you hear me when I spoke with the Heavenly Court personnel?”

Wu Jinliang thought for a moment. “I heard you,” he replied, “but you didn’t mention any method for starting. Absolutely not. If you had, I’d definitely remember, or I’ll cut off my own head and use it as a ball!”

“Alright, your head has been ‘cut off’ countless times already; keep it for yourself,” Shi Chun retorted dismissively, yet he still prompted, “What was the last thing I said to the Heavenly Court personnel?”

Wu Jinliang replied without hesitation, “You asked which faction had the best chance of claiming victory, didn’t you?”

Shi Chun nodded. “And what did the Heavenly Court official say?”

Wu Jinliang replied, “He said the top sect in Shengzhou, the Suyuan Sect...” He stopped mid-sentence, seemingly understanding something, and tentatively asked, “Are we going to target the Suyuan Sect?”

“Nonsense,” Shi Chun scoffed. “If we want to claim first place, naturally we’ll take it from whoever holds the Insect Spirit Crystals that secure victory. Initially, I thought about gathering a group of allies to contend for first. But according to the Heavenly Court official, the Suyuan Sect has already rallied forces from the entire Xuanzhou – that’s close to ten thousand people! No matter how many people we try to recruit, it’s impossible to enlist so many sects within a few months. With their overwhelming strength, it’s pointless for us to try and gather more factions. As the Heavenly Court official said, they already have victory firmly in hand.”

Wu Jinliang chuckled. He realized that the boss was indeed the boss; he was clearly the most skilled at this kind of operation. With just an offhand remark, he had already pinpointed their target. No wonder he had asked the Heavenly Court personnel that particular question back then.

He spread one hand. “Alright,” he said, “let’s do it that way. How exactly do we proceed?”

Shi Chun countered, “How do *you* want to do it?”

Wu Jinliang shrugged, appearing unconcerned and straightforward. “We’ve heard of the formidable reputation of Shengzhou’s top sect,” he began. “Not only are they powerful themselves, but they also command nearly ten thousand people. A direct confrontation is certainly out of the question. I think the method is simple, the tried-and-true approach: ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ First, infiltrate their ranks, understand their strengths and weaknesses, then find a suitable place to strike covertly. It will be easier to undermine them from within.”

Shi Chun agreed, “Alright, we’ll proceed as you suggested. First step: locate the Suyuan Sect. We need to confirm the situation and see if they genuinely have the potential to win. We don’t want to go through all that effort only to target the wrong group.” He too appeared simple and unconcerned, purely because they had been in this line of work since childhood; their methods were second nature.

Wu Jinliang looked around. “The world is vast,” he mused, “who knows where the Suyuan Sect is? Finding them will be a challenge.”

Shi Chun explained, “First, we’ll find the location of the Xuanzhou contingent’s entry point to the competition grounds. Then, we can simply inquire along the way. We can also find two people from Xuanzhou sects on our way and establish our cover identities at the same time.”

Wu Jinliang countered, “That’s a good plan, but who knows where the Xuanzhou entry gate is? Finding it might be troublesome. We’d have to ask around, and who knows when we’ll encounter someone with that information.” Shi Chun pointed towards the boundary. “It’s not troublesome,” he assured. “Just follow the perimeter of the barrier, find the next Xun Gate, and ask the Heavenly Court personnel.”

“Ah!” Wu Jinliang exclaimed, enthusiastically slapped his thigh. “They’ll definitely know! Come on, let’s go, that’s the plan!” With that, the two immediately put their words into action and set off.

Perseverance paid off. Before sunset, they spotted the next Xun Gate in the distance, along with a group of Heavenly Court guards stationed there. The guards at the gate had also noticed them, scrutinizing them intently, wondering why these two suddenly appeared figures were wandering about. As the pair drew closer, the guards got a clear look at their appearance. One guard began to murmur, “Chestnut-colored robes, dark skin, one tall and one short, and the big one carrying an exaggeratedly large blade.” He then turned and called out, “Old Chen, come look! Aren’t these the two fellows you mentioned seeing in the scrying mirror outside?”

A bearded man approached from behind, took a closer look, and chuckled. “That’s right, it’s these two!” he confirmed. “Many people were asking about their origins back then; I remember clearly. They’re disciples of Wukang Mountain from Shengzhou. What are these two doing here?”

Upon reaching the barrier, Shi Chun and his companion shouted and called out to the Heavenly Court personnel. The Heavenly Court personnel waved back, pointing to their mouths and then their ears, indicating that voices couldn’t be heard across the barrier. So Shi Chun ingeniously found a stone slab, carved a few lines of text onto it, and held it up for the Heavenly Court personnel to read: “We are members of a sect from Xuanzhou. We are looking for the Xun Gate, the entrance for the Xuanzhou contingent, but we have lost our way. Would you kindly Heavenly Generals point us in the right direction?”