Chapter 103 – Gather Momentum … … … Layer upon layer of crimson air emanated from Zhu Yan’s sword. The meaning of Zhu Yan’s name was vermillion flame, and his true essence also shared this fiery property. Therefore Zhu Yan’s sword skills were often associated with fire! By virtue of the characteristics of his true essence, if he used martial skills of the fire attribute, then their power would also increase! As the crimson air waves surged from Zhu Yan’s blade, the chilly autumn air that had enveloped the Martial Stage began to turn into a scorching wind. Zhu Yan made his move! Fiery true essence flooded into the Scarlet Flame sword. Zhu Yan’s sword light wove a big net in the air, as if it were a burning cloud of fire that blotted out the sky. “Martial Skill – Limitless Sunset Shine!” Waves of billowing heat flowed outwards and a sizzling, feverish swelter enveloped the entire Martial Stage as the temperature shot up. The disciples who were standing nearby were forced backwards. The important figures were protected by their guards, who had set up barriers of true essence to protect them. This Zhu Yan, as soon as he started, had used a martial skill. He was using everything he had to win! Surrounded by the burning hot clouds that dyed the sky red, the innumerable tiny units in Lin Ming’s body began to resonate together. True essence began to spontaneously vibrate within his body. This was the thick true essence that Lin Ming had obtained from reaching the second-level of the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’! As his thick true essence vibrated, the 820 jin spear, Penetrating Rainbow, also began to tremble, carrying with it a terrifying lethality! This vibration became increasingly strong, and it began to fuse with Lin Ming’s aura and turned into howling gales of strong heavenly wind that scattered in all directions! As this crimson cloud front came towards him, Lin Ming stood motionless. Suddenly, he moved his right hand and thrusted out! Peng! There was a deafening sound of an explosion. The momentum of the spear was like an avalanche, and the limitless crimson flames were swept upwards by an indefatigable wind and became a flame tornado. At the center of this fire, among the circling embers, was a whirlpool of flames that concentrated at the tip of the spear. This current was suddenly thrown at Zhu Yan! “Pah!” The swirling eddy was like a rotating cone that pierced Zhu Yan’s body! Before those watching had a chance to call out in alarm, Zhu Yan, who had been pierced by this cone of flame wind, had distorted into a shade that gradually disappeared. “Afterimage?” “It’s ‘God’s Shadow Step’! This Zhu Yan, he actually managed to cultivate such a profound movement technique! Zhu Yan had not publicly fought for over six months. The disciples of the Seven Profound Martial House only knew of his strength through his ranking on the Ranking Stone. But they were not able to look into the Ten Thousand Killing Array, and thus they could not see how Zhu Yan fought, or know what sort of skills and abilities he could use. Zhu Yan was like a phantasmal ghost that faded into the wind. He instantly appeared at Lin Ming’s side! No, it was more accurate to say that it wasn’t Zhu Yan that had appeared first, but his sword! In that flash, his sword struck out 24 times! Cha cha cha cha… Sword light covered the sky in a tight and deadly net. Zhu Yan’s skillful swordsmanship had already arrived at the point of perfection! When he was just 14 years old, Zhu Yan had already been infamous for his swordsmanship in Green Mulberry City. He had later joined the army for one year, and then tortured himself practicing for two and a half years at the Seven Profound Martial House. In this three year period, he had even comprehended his own understandings of the sword. His sword was to the point where it seemed to melt into the emptiness. One could not see his sword; only the sword light! Not even Zhu Yan could clearly see the path of his sword; how could it be blocked? Even the top 40 disciples of the Seven Profound Martial House rankings and the Bone Forging stage masters who came to protect the important personages, felt a chill crawl up their spines as they watched this sword light. If it were them exchanging blows, then in the midst of such otherworldly sword light, even they would have been defeated! Lin Ming’s movement technique was only the ‘Foundation Movement Technique’. How could he dodge? All of these thoughts occurred in an instant. Between the flashes of sword light, they all thought that it was too late. But at this moment, Lin Ming lifted his spear. Penetrating Rainbow rushed out like a brilliant black dragon. In that strike, true essence vibrated like a sea of churning water, and scattered in all directions towards these sword lights. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding! In a split second, it was unknown how many times Penetrating Rainbow hit Zhu Yan’s sword. In that moment, Zhu Yan felt as if his sword was cutting at a mountain. Lin Ming’s spear carried with it a vibrating true essence as if it were an angry earthquake occurring on a mountain, and forcefully scattered all of the sword lights. Zhu Yan simply could not shake off Lin Ming’s spear. If he did not withdraw his sword, he felt that he could possibly stab Lin Ming. But he had a feeling that if he was just a tiny bit slow, then his body would be torn apart by this intense vibration! This strange vibration was putting an enormous pressure upon Zhu Yan’s sword, as if it were a fish that was drowning in a quagmire. Seeing even his body being affected by this vibration, Zhu Yan forcefully gathered his true essence and retreated. Dong dong dong dong! Zhu Yan staggered and fell to ground. It was difficult to even take a few steps back. His movements had lost all of their previous light and lively elegance. “Mm? What happened to Zhu Yan?” “What just happened? Zhu Yan had put out so many sword strikes, how was he driven back by Lin Ming’s spear?” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 “How did he not stab him? His sword moves are fast enough that they have no shadow; it should be much faster than Lin Ming’s spear!” Of everyone present, almost no one was able to understand the mysteries contained in Lin Ming’s spear. In their opinion, with Zhu Yan’s superior movement and sword speed, he should have easily avoided Lin Ming’s spear and pierced Lin Ming with his sword. However, what happened was that Zhu Yan had been placed into an exceedingly perilous situation by Lin Ming’s spear. Lin Ming was like a calm, unyielding mountain that towered on the stage; he had not even taken one step! Even those guards at the Bone Forging stage were unable to understand what had just happened. Hearing all of these people’s discussions, Hong Xi smiled with a ‘hehe’. In his heart he secretly thought, “Lin Ming, this kid is really a monster. He managed to integrate the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ into his spear. If one hasn’t tasted this scary spear before, they cannot understand just how terrifying that feeling is. At the start, this father also ate many invisible losses due to that move. Now this boy is also going to give Zhu Yan a taste of what it’s like.” Zhu Yan managed to stop the rolling blood in his heart with great difficulty, and he was secretly cold sweating. In that moment, he had felt his heartbeat’s rhythm change. It was as if the entire blood flow in his body had been blocked by a countercurrent. Just what was going on here? He looked at Lin Ming. Lin Ming was standing straight, gripping Penetrating Rainbow in his hand and pointing it at him. In this pose and figure, the eyes that he was looking at Zhu Yan with seemed deep and unfathomable. A feeling gripped Zhu Yan so that he couldn’t move for a moment. “Mm? Fear?” Zhu Yan startled. There had actually been a subconscious feeling of fear that had emerged from his heart! Fear was the death knell of a martial artist’s heart of martial arts. The Dream Trial’s first hurdle was to test courage to overcome their fear! And this fearful feeling had come from Lin Ming! “This boy!” Zhu Yan’s heart surged with an inexplicable anger. He was unable to accept this! He could not accept that his arrogant and vaunted pride had been trampled upon by this little child that he had regarded as nothing but an ant! Zhu Yan’s eyes flashed with a cold light. His anger made him cut apart this feeling of fear. His figure rushed out, and a series of afterimages followed him. As Zhu Yan sprinted forward, a three foot crimson flame erupted around his sword. This flame image was created by Zhu Yan pouring a massive amount of true essence into his sword. Since his speed wasn’t enough, then Zhu Yan would win through strength! Zhu Yan shouted, and he jumped upwards. He gripped his sword with both hands, and slashed down! “‘Falling Star Slash!’” “That’s the medium-grade human-step ‘Falling Star Slash’! It is a martial skill stronger than the ‘Limitless Sunset Shine’! By the time the crowd had exclaimed a few words, Zhu Yan’s sword had already absorbed all of the surrounding fire essence. The majesty of this sword was like a fiery, burning meteor from the heavens that smashed downwards! Lin Ming’s lips curved. Strength against strength? That was his favorite! Lin Ming wielded his spear. Penetrating Rainbow scattered sparks into the air as it drew a circular arc on the ground, and a full moon pattern appeared on the hard surface of the Martial Stage. Lin Ming aimed at Zhu Yan’s sword point, and thrusted forwards! To stab a master’s sword point in the middle of a fight where both parties were using lightning quick moves was easier said than done. However, for many years Lin Ming had been practicing his accuracy as he deboned, and in that one month of crazy spear practice, Lin Ming had acquired a solid foundation of his skills. He could wield his spear like it was his arm. Even if it were a concealed needle or other hidden weapon, Lin Ming could use find it with his spear point! Ding! Lin Ming thrusted his spear at Zhu Yan’s sword point! This three foot Scarlet Flare sword, how could it compare to the 820 jin Penetrating Rainbow spear? A screeching, teeth-aching sound of metal bending filled the air as the Scarlet Flame sword and Penetrating Rainbow spear met each other. Because of the huge pressure from both of them colliding, they even bent like a full moon! As this happened, Lin Ming vibrated his true essence to counter Zhu Yan’s ‘Falling Star Slash’. The intense vibrations caused Zhu Yan’s blood flow to well up once more! Peng! The Scarlet Flare sword rebounded, and Zhu Yan was sent flying backwards! But ‘Falling Star Slash’ was a medium-grade human-step martial skill after all; Lin Ming was forced back three steps by Zhu Yan’s heat wave and momentum! “This is the first time Lin Ming was forced back!” “Not just a retreat, but from the time he came on stage to now, this was the first time he’s made a footstep!” Everyone had naturally noticed this detail. Before now, Lin Ming had not moved a single step. “Words just aren’t enough to describe this. Lin Ming’s indomitable aura is steadfast like a mountain. To make him move just proves how much pressure there was in Zhu Yan’s momentum.” The old disciples present said. They were not willing to see Zhu Yan lose. To a famed old disciple losing to a rising new student; they felt as if they were in the same boat. … “Big Brother, do you think this match between Lin Ming and Zhu Yan looks somewhat similar to the one he had with Zhang Cang? Zhu Yan wasn’t stabbed or pierced, but he is still under a tremendous influence.” Ta Ku said to Ling Sen as they watched the match. They were standing at a corner of the Martial Stage. “Mm. Lin Ming’s spear thrust has a mystery inside. Before, I read some ancient texts and they have recorded that martial artists who had reached the Large Success of spear skills are able to comprehend rules of the world, and understand certain laws. They can place these laws into their spear, and form ‘spear potentials’. Swords and sabers also have similar concepts. This kind of master does not need any weapon when facing the enemy. As long as they depend upon these ‘potentials’, they can completely kill their enemies! Lin Ming’s spear skill reminds me of these records.” “Big Brother, the more you talk, the iffier you sound. Lin Ming is how old? How could he possibly comprehend this ‘spear potential’?” “Of course he can’t, otherwise he simply wouldn’t need a spear to deal with Zhu Yan. All he would need is a thought to kill his enemy. Lin Ming’s spear hasn’t even bumped Zhu Yan, but Zhu Yan has still been affected. This point really looks like spear potential!” As Ling Sen and Ta Ku were talking, Zhu Yan was once again fighting Lin Ming. Zhu Yan no longer used martial skill; he didn’t even use his magnificent and beautiful sword lights. All he used were simple, straightforward sword moves. However, even like this, he felt as if his sword was being pressed down by an invisible strength, and every stroke he made was restrained. In contrast, Lin Ming’s moves were becoming increasingly fierce! He was gathering his momentum!