Ancient Strengthening Technique (Web Novel)
chapter-1615

AST 1615 - The Showdown Between the Younger Generations of the Qing Clan and the Nalan Clan (2)

Though Qing Changfeng’s injury might not be that serious, when he stopped fighting, he suddenly felt as if he had lost quite a huge amount of blood. He started feeling a bit dizzy. Right at this moment, Qing Zun appeared on the arena. He appeared almost at the same time as the teenager from the Nalan Clan did.

“Brother Changfeng, you’re hurt. Why don’t you go down to treat your injuries first?” Qing Zun’s volume was quite low. Despite that, a lot of the people below the arena managed to hear it. His words have managed to shut the mouth of the teenager on the arena.

“Brother Zun, please be careful. I will take my leave now!” Qing Changfeng went down after he finished speaking.

Qing Zun was a bit taller compared to Qing Shui. If he was in Qing Shui’s previous incarnation, his height would have been considered to be around 1.9 meters. If not, he would still at least be about 1.85 or 1.87 meters. The teenager opposite him was also fairly tall. They were both very handsome young men.

Qing Zun looked masculine and humble. His opponent, on the other hand, looked a bit gentle and reserved. He was gazing at Qing Zun with pleasant eyes. Since Nalan Clan had already lost two of the rounds, they mustn’t fail this time. They must emerge victorious in this battle.

“I am Nalan Jian. I greet you!”

“My name is Qing Zun. I greet you.” Qing Zun said in a calm tone. Deep down, however, he was already aware of who he was up against. He was the genius from the Nalan Clan. Furthermore, he was almost twice Qing Zun’s age and was almost as old as Qing Shui. Though that might be the case, he was still considered to be one of the younger members of the Nalan Clan.

It was similar to Qing Zun and Luan Luan’s generation. Though they were from the same generation, they were slightly incompatible with each other. Luan Luan should have been excluded from the list with her formidable strength. As for Nalan Jian, in terms of his age qualification to take part in the match, it was within an acceptable range. However, he could already be considered a senior to all of the younger generations from the Qing Clan.

Qing Zun took out a long sword, and so did his opponent. Swords were considered to be the primary weapons for all soldiers, even though it might not be as formidable as a spear, as fierce as a knife or as heavy as a hammer.

A sword could be used to cut, pick, slice, stun and pierce opponents. The sword itself carried righteous strength. Qing Zun was able to raise his strength to its peak by using the sword.

He was well-aware that this battle would be hard-fought. After all, he was still slightly weaker than his opponent. However, he didn’t express any unease, as he revolved the Nature Energy within him.

Nalan Jian didn’t say anything more, either. He charged towards Qing Zun with his sword. The footsteps he took were very inconsistent, disordered and unpredictable. It seemed as if he was simply doing it.

They said that fortune favored the bold. With the both of them having the same weapons, Qing Zun wouldn’t choose to defend directly. He also started moving with Four Phases Steps.

Qing Zun’s Nine Palace Steps has achieved the realm of the Four Phases Step. He had four options with every single step he took, which made him very agile. The four positions represented five rows. The four positions could also be taken in an instant. Hence, from an outsider’s view, his steps were also very unusual.

In fact, the Nine Palace Steps was a very unusual technique. Though he might have only cultivated to the Four Phases Step, it could be seen that he had built a strong foundation for it. He was very adapted to the step. It was as if he was already quite fueled by it. Qing Zun knew that learning smart would be better than learning more. That’s why he insisted on not breaking through the Nine Palace Steps and chose to stop at the Four Phases Step. He wished to gain full control of it.

There were quite a lot of people from the Qing Clan whose Nine Palace Steps had already reached the Five Elements Step and the Seven Star Step. But Qing Zun still chose to stop at the Four Phases Step. He had a very firm nature and hence, he would hardly be influenced by the external environment. He stuck to his firm opinions and principles. Luckily, he wasn’t stubborn and was able to distinguish between good and bad. He could be considered an intelligent person.

Qing Shui was rather very satisfied with his eldest son. The righteous force across his body was none other than the Nature Energy. Though it might not be as dominant as Qing Zun’s Underworld King’s Energy, his Nature Energy was able to suppress all sorts of strength. The only problem was up to what extent it could suppress. It was strong and dominant. It could destroy basically anything and everything. Even Qing Shui himself noticed that his own Nature Energy wasn’t as powerful as his.

Basic Sword Techniques!

Qing Zun was using the Basic Sword Techniques. It was the simplest yet the most effective technique. Back then, Qing Shui had also managed to create a huge reputation for himself with his Basic Sword Techniques. It took ten years to hone a sword, especially a very sharp sword.

Though Qing Zun might not be as adaptive as Qing Shui, he had been honing his sword for a number of years now. Added on Qing Shui’s advice and experience, and also some additional training like the Taichi Fist and the Four Phases Steps, compared to the Qing Shui from the past, he was better.

In terms of talent, Qing Shui would admit that his was only considered decent. Besides, a lot of his techniques were inherited. Once they awakened, they would only be suited for him. Added on the extra time he had in the realm, these were all the factors which led to his success today. He had never considered his talent to be great. As a matter of fact, he even thought that he had worse talent than Qing Bei.

But now that Qing Shui was powerful, he had set his bar high. He wasn’t stupid. Intelligence had nothing to do with talent. For a warrior, those obsessed with martial arts would normally have great talent, but they couldn’t be described as being smart. They could only be said to be good for some things.

The long sword in Qing Zun’s hands was like electric sparkles. It was as fast as lightning. Every single one of his moves was sharp and direct. Furthermore, he was also capable of attacking from every degree. When one hit missed, he could move on to attack from another angle. When combined with Four Phases Step, he was fit to be described as being unpredictable.

Qing Zun had been increasing the things which he cultivated for the past two years. Tiger Form, Phoenix Finger, the Iron Mountain, and more. The sword techniques mainly consisted of the first, middle and final part of Basic Sword Techniques as well as the Combination Sword Technique. Qing Zun was very talented in practicing sword techniques. Furthermore, he has also recently begun blending in his Phoenix Finger into them.

If he could blend in Phoenix Finger into his sword techniques, then the strength of his Basic Sword Technique would multiply in power.

Qing Shui was enjoying the fight from below. He observed his son fighting on the arena. Every time when he saw him performing something which would shock the audience, he would feel gratified.

Nalan Jian was no ordinary opponent as well. He was considered to have outstanding talent in Nalan Clan. As the battle lasted, he was slowly getting used to Qing Zun’s movement. He was more powerful than Qing Zun. He was also really fast. Qing Zun’s steps were inconsistent, which was why he found it difficult to beat him for the time being.

Qing Zun was fighting very seriously. To him, actual battles were very important as they were the fastest way to increase one’s strength and experience. Without himself noticing, his battle prowess was slowly increasing.

Suddenly, Nalan Jian’s sword shone brightly. The light shone into Qing Zun’s eyes. This wasn’t any sort of Hidden Weapon, it was pure light. Its sudden appearance caused Qing Zun to instinctively shut his eyes. He quickly retreated as well.

As if Nalan Jian would lose this opportunity. He quickly caught up with Qing Zun’s figures and abruptly sped up the sword in his hand. Compared to before, he was about 30% faster. This was likely one of the powerful sword technique Nalan Jian has been hiding.

Secret Art of Light Saber!

This was one of Nalan Clan’s sword technique. It was available to learn for warriors below Martial Saints. Not only could the light make the victim feel dizzy, it was capable of causing a sudden halt in the victim’s movement. Of course, there was only a percentage chance for which this would succeed. But once it worked, the victim would receive fatal damage.

Qing Shui didn’t move. He watched as Nalan Jian’s sword pierced through Qing Zun’s shoulder. He even used his inner force to blow Qing Zun out of the arena.

Though Nalan Clan didn’t win fairly, no one could make any comments about it. This was how the Secret Art of Light Saber was supposed to be. Besides, it wasn’t considered to be out of line even if he were to use Hidden Weapons or poisons. The reason being that everything required a process. For example, Utilizing poison. If the effect for the poison within the infectant’s body wasn’t given time to activate, or the victim had resistance against the particular poison, it would have been futile. Nothing was invincible. The most reliable thing was strength.

Qing Shui extended his hand and released a force to grab Qing Zun. He poked Qing Zun a few times to help him stop his bleeding. In reality, his injury wasn’t serious. If earlier on, the opponent had attempted to kill Qing Zun, Qing Shui wouldn’t mind interrupting. The rules weren’t as important as his children’s lives. Besides, the rules were set by experts. If the rules here had touched Qing Shui’s line, he wouldn’t mind breaking it.

“Father, I am sorry for embarrassing you.” Qing Zun said in an upset tone.

“You have done well. You are a man. Why would you get emotional from such a minor issue?” Qing Shui said with a smile.

Qing Zun knew Qing Shui didn’t blame him for his loss. Despite so, he still shook his head, “No, I am not as powerful as my opponent. But I feel a bit reluctant losing like that.”

“Do you feel that your opponent might have used some kind of despicable techniques?” Qing Shui asked with a smile.

Qing Zun nodded. But he didn’t say anything.

“I have always said that cats, no matter sly or honest, as long as they managed to catch the rats, they would be considered as good cats. The person to succeed would be the king. In a deathmatch, it didn’t matter what method each person used. The most important thing was to ensure that you’re the last man standing. I know that you might not agree with the things I said, but this is how deadly matches should be. It didn’t matter which method you used, the most important thing to do is to ensure your survival. The world is cruel. You are a man. Though you may have to be upright, you also need to be firm with your decisions. Thinking too much will only result in you making losses. What if you were in a match today where it would never end unless one side dies? Hence, you must remember one thing, it’s not easy to be alive.”

Qing Shui revealed a casual smile. He was aware that the incident which took place today would cause a change in Qing Zun’s heart, but he still chose to say it. It’s not that Qing Shui wanted to make him despicable, it’s just that he wanted to let him know how sly humans could be. Even if he was honest, it didn’t mean that the other person would do the same. It’s just as the quote from his previous incarnation said, one should never intend to do harm to others, but should always guard against the harm that others might do to him.

“I understand now, thank you, father!” Qing Zun said in a happy tone.

“Foolish brat, is there a need for us to be so formal with each other? I am proud of all of you.” Qing Shui said with a smile. He was feeling happy down from his heart.

Qing Ming went up to the arena at the moment Qing Zun came down from the stage. He was expressionless standing in front of Nalan Jian. The both of them shared similar characteristics in terms of their look. It’s just that in comparison, Qing Ming looked even more gentle and reserved. It gave people the impression that he was actually really evil.

In his hand, he held a dagger. It was a weapon once given to him by Qing Shui. Even Qing Shui himself had almost forgotten about it. The dagger was considered a formidable weapon. On top of it shone cold light capable of making a person tremble.

Nalan Jian instinctively avoided Qing Ming’s eyes at the moment they interacted. This action had caused him to be suppressed by Qing Ming in terms of his morale. Qing Ming lightly chuckled, “Let’s play.”

The moment Qing Ming finished speaking, he created an afterimage of his figure as he charged towards Nalan Jian. He held the dagger in his hand up high. However, he also did the same thing with his other hand.

“Take this, watch out for my Hidden Weapon!”

Nalan Jian was shocked. He quickly moved his figure to the side and blocked Qing Ming’s attack with his sword. He was already aware of Qing Ming’s Hidden Weapon. However, Qing Ming was only trying to scare him by holding up the hand which was empty.

This has caused him to be really furious. After blocking Qing Ming’s attack, he immediately charged towards Qing Ming.

Qing Ming once again lifted up his hand, “Hidden Weapon!”

After that, he quickly avoided him. Once again, Qing Ming was only scaring him. Though Nalan Jian knew that he was just trying to scare him, he still avoided it instinctively. It’s always wise to play safe.

Qing Ming was really crafty. Not only was he fast, the strange dagger in his hand was also quite an intimidating tool to Nalan Jian. Nalan Jian seemed to have great pressure facing off against Qing Ming.