Chapter 124: Since You Left, I Have Not Smiled

“Would the host like to learn the Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms immediately?”

The instant Ke Bei took out the ancient manual and opened its yellowed pages, the system’s crisp notification suddenly rang deep within his mind.

“Learn!”

Hearing the system’s prompt, Ke Bei’s thoughts stirred, and he gave a low command. Although he had failed to obtain a high-level martial art, he had long coveted the Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms, the pinnacle among beginner-level techniques.

Once he had let go of his disappointment, he no longer dwelled on not obtaining a high-level martial art. It was like buying a lottery ticket: although he had missed the jackpot by one number, he had at least won second prize, which was still a substantial gain.

Boom!

As Ke Bei’s thoughts moved, a golden radiance descended and enveloped him. In an instant, memories concerning the Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms were deeply engraved in his mind. At the same time, his comprehension of the technique directly reached the realm of perfection.

“What an extraordinary Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms!”

As the golden light gradually faded, Ke Bei suddenly opened his eyes. A hint of delight shone within them. The moment the memories of the technique entered his mind, he had already mastered every detail of this supremely domineering palm art.

Now that he had learned it, the vast inner force of the Nine Yang Divine Skill within his dantian could finally unleash its true power!

The Nine Yang Divine Skill at great attainment and the Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms at perfection—when both appeared in a single person, how terrifying would their combined might be? Perhaps only Ke Bei himself truly understood.

After remaining silent for a while and allowing his emotions to settle, Ke Bei shifted his attention to the other ancient manual in his hand.

“Would the host like to learn the Six Meridian Divine Sword immediately?”

The moment Ke Bei opened the manual again, the system’s crisp notification rang out as usual.

“Learn!”

The gloom in Ke Bei’s heart over failing to draw a high-level martial art had faded considerably after obtaining the Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms. A faint smile touched his face as his thoughts stirred, and he spoke softly.

Boom!

A golden radiance appeared out of thin air and instantly enveloped Ke Bei. Then memories concerning the Six Meridian Divine Sword were deeply imprinted in his mind. At the same time, he completely mastered the technique, as naturally as an instinct he had been born with, without the slightest trace of awkwardness.

“Central Thoroughfare Sword!”

Ke Bei gave a low shout and abruptly thrust out his right hand. The inner force of the Nine Yang Divine Skill surged forth and gathered at his right index finger. With a casual point into the air, a dazzling sword ray instantly shot from his fingertip.

Whoosh!

A brilliant, invisible sword ray tore through the air with incomparable sharpness. It struck the stone wall silently and without form, and a small, pitch-black hole of unfathomable depth appeared in the rock.

“What terrifying sword energy!”

Shock flashed through Ke Bei’s eyes as he stared blankly at the bottomless black hole in the stone wall.

“Hahaha! The Six Meridian Divine Sword truly deserves to be called one of the finest martial arts among the beginner-level techniques! Tsk, tsk… With sword energy this sharp, how many people below the War God realm could withstand it?”

A faint smile curved Ke Bei’s lips. In the brief span of three months, his strength had undergone a qualitative transformation. Previously, relying solely on the Nine Yang Divine Skill at great attainment, he had not been confident of entering the top three of the Azure Dragon Ranking. Now, Ke Bei was absolutely certain that no Transcendent-realm expert could be his opponent!

Below the War God realm, he was invincible!

Even against a lower-level War God, he felt no fear. With the Netherworld Purple Flame protecting him, he could contend head-on with an ordinary lower-level War God.

Even if he faced a middle-level War God, once Ke Bei revealed the golden tower, he would not be entirely helpless. Although he still could not bear the expenditure caused by activating the Golden Light World, he could at least use it to frighten someone at a critical moment.

The Netherworld Purple Flame and the golden tower were both Ke Bei’s trump cards. Unless he faced a life-or-death crisis, he absolutely could not reveal them lightly. A trump card was a trump card precisely because no one knew about it.

“I should head back.”

After a moment of silence, Ke Bei slowly raised his head. Bathed in the final glow of sunset, he gazed westward. Although he had no idea where he was, he was certain that if he continued west, he would eventually reach a human settlement. Once he arrived at a base city, he would naturally be able to find the route to the Jiujiang Base.

Whoosh!

Ke Bei lightly touched the ground with his toes and unleashed the Cloud-Treading Steps. His body transformed into a streak of lightning and sped westward.

At the Jiujiang Base’s Genius Training Camp, the Azure Dragon Ranking tournament had been underway for twenty days.

Luo Ling stood calmly upon the fighting platform in a silver regulation uniform. Her purple hair fluttered despite the absence of wind, and her exquisite face seemed covered with a layer of frost. She was utterly devoid of expression.

Luo Ling had worn this same expression ever since she first stepped onto the platform: beautiful enough to intoxicate the soul, yet cold enough to break the heart. No one had ever seen this stunning woman smile. Since the beginning of the Azure Dragon Ranking tournament, she had already stood upon the platform for the sixty-third time.

Through battle after battle, Luo Ling’s graceful figure had gradually become etched into the hearts of the vast majority of the young people in the Jiujiang Base, and her popularity had steadily risen.

Beneath the enormous bluestone platform, a sea of dark heads surged constantly. At a glance, there were likely more than a thousand spectators. Aside from battles involving the legendary powerhouses of the Azure Dragon Ranking, no one in the entire Jiujiang Genius Training Camp drew more attention than Luo Ling.

This time, Luo Ling’s opponent was the strongest fighter she had encountered since beginning her battles: He Xuan, formerly ranked ninth on the Azure Dragon Ranking. That was why even more people had come to watch.

Luo Ling’s elder brother, Luo Han, stood closest to the bluestone platform. His expression was complicated as he gazed at his younger sister. Luo Han knew that she had obtained a secret technique inside the Heaven-Opening Tower, greatly increasing her strength. However, her own cultivation was still only at the lower level of the Transcendent realm, and she could not unleash the secret technique’s true power.

“Hmph! I don’t care about any damn rules. If anyone so much as causes my little sister to lose a single strand of hair, I’ll tear his head off!”

Luo Han glared viciously at He Xuan, formerly ranked ninth on the Azure Dragon Ranking. A wisp of azure flame suddenly flickered in his palm, and he was ready to intervene at any moment.

Buzz!

A biting chill suddenly erupted across the bluestone platform. Luo Ling’s hands moved swiftly, and in an instant, an abstruse hand seal condensed between them.

“Icebound Battle Armor—condense!”

Luo Ling’s thin, flushed lips parted slightly, and a cold shout rang out. As she uttered the final word, her delicate hands abruptly came to a halt. A pale, bone-chilling mist surged forth, and in the blink of an eye, a blue-white ice-jade armor enveloped her entire body.

“I will definitely enter the top ten!”

Luo Ling coldly fixed her gaze on He Xuan, who stood opposite her in a silver regulation uniform. She lightly stamped her foot, her body rising gracefully into the air as she charged toward him.

The Azure Dragon Ranking tournament relied solely on strength. Therefore, every contestant was required to wear a regulation silver uniform.

“A young woman at the lower level of the Transcendent realm has already done remarkably well to come this far. Unfortunately, you encountered me today. My goal is to enter the top five, so I cannot afford to lose even once before facing the true experts. I can only apologize.”

He Xuan had a slender build and an elegant bearing, resembling a scholar from ancient times. He gave a slight bow and performed an old-fashioned salute toward Luo Ling.

Boom!

Just as He Xuan slowly straightened, a powerful aura suddenly burst from within his body. Faint crimson flames surged upward with explosive force.

“Not good!”

Below the bluestone platform, Luo Han’s expression darkened when he saw the red flames erupting from He Xuan’s body. His own innate ability was fire-based, so his senses regarding flames and temperature were far sharper than those of ordinary people. The moment he felt that faint wave of heat, his heart jolted violently.

The energy erupting from He Xuan was nearly comparable to his own!

Ice and fire were natural opposites. Faced with such terrifying heat, how could Luo Ling withstand it?

A deep azure flame flashed in the depths of Luo Han’s eyes, and a resolute expression appeared on his firm face. If Luo Ling encountered danger, he would disregard everything and charge onto the platform immediately.

Boom!

A red flame radiating waves of heat and an icicle filled with bone-chilling cold collided violently. Two energies of utterly opposite natures crashed together.

Crack—boom!

Luo Ling’s strength was ultimately only at the lower level of the Transcendent realm. Even with the enhancement of the Icebound Battle Armor, she was still somewhat inferior when facing an existence like He Xuan, who stood at the peak of the Transcendent realm.

With a crisp sound, the icicle Luo Ling had launched was shattered into glittering fragments by the crimson flames. Then the enormous flaming sword slashed fiercely toward her.

Pfft!

Luo Ling’s pretty face instantly turned pale, and traces of blood spilled from her lips. Her cold eyes remained fixed on the young man before her, who looked as frail and scholarly as a bookish scholar.

“Yield. You are still no match for me. I don’t want to hurt you…”

He Xuan looked at Luo Ling’s pale face and the faint blood at the corner of her mouth. With a soft sigh, he spoke slowly. There were very few girls in the Jiujiang Genius Training Camp, and even fewer beautiful ones. Among them, Luo Ling was the only person who had reached this stage while possessing only lower-level Transcendent cultivation. Thus, He Xuan felt a measure of admiration for this stubborn girl before him.

“Yield?”

“Impossible!”

Luo Ling slowly wiped away the blood at the corner of her mouth. Several strands of her purple hair drifted across her face, concealing half of her lovely features. No one could see her expression, but her cool voice carried an unyielding finality.

“Then I have no choice but to attack.”

A trace of apology appeared on He Xuan’s handsome face. He slowly raised both hands, and blazing crimson flames began to gather between them. After a moment, the red flames trembled violently and transformed into an enormous flaming sword nearly three meters long.

Boom!

He Xuan pressed both hands downward slightly. The flaming sword cleaved through the air, carrying waves of heat as it slashed fiercely toward Luo Ling.

“Stop!”

Below the bluestone platform, Luo Han’s eyes widened abruptly as he stared fixedly at the crimson flaming sword. He stamped down hard, and his sturdy body shot directly onto the fighting platform.

To be continued.