Chapter 323 Pressure
Looking at Fang Xingjian, Rota forced a smile and asked, “Have you been well?”
When Fang Xingjian saw the two people behind Rota, he responded with a question, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Rota fell silent for a moment before she suddenly asked, “Xingjian, what do you think of the Rebirth Sword Technique?”
“It’s a good sword technique.”
Just as Fang Xingjian was saying this, one of the men in black behind Rota stepped forward and said, “Alright, Rota, stop wasting time. Let me say it out directly.”
This man in black had white hair and a childlike complexion. However, his gaze was extremely cold, and his lips were very thin and extremely pale. He was clearly a very vicious person.
The lips of the old man in black were curled downward as he said while looking at Fang Xingjian, “Fang Xingjian, the Rebirth Sword Technique is involved in too big a repercussion. You shouldn’t have released the sword technique before having studied the sword technique in its entirety. You’re too careless in this area.
“You should cultivate for a few more years before you create your own sword technique.”
Fang Xingjian threw a glance at Rota and asked, “Who is this old guy?”
The old man in black said furiously with his eyes wide open, “It’s exactly as what the rumors say. What an arrogant young man.”
Rota frowned and said helplessly, “Xingjian, this is our clan’s Old Ancestor. He left the clan 50 years ago for his cultivation and has never meddled in our affairs. However, he’s now here to let us pass you a message.
“Old Ancestor has already completed the second transition and is at level 22.”
For a city’s small aristocratic clan like the one Rota belonged to, a level 22 Conferred Knight was already a great godlike existence. However, Rota did not appear to have much respect for him. After all, they were in the Regional Academy, and she had even seen the scenes in which Fang Xingjian had defeated Conferred Knights multiple times.
“Since you have already left the clan, why are you back now? You’re not around when others need you, yet you appear when they don’t.” How could Fang Xingjian possibly care about a level 22 Conferred Knight? He threw a glance at the old man in black and said directly, “Scram. Don’t meddle with Rota. Her talent is much higher than yours. Don’t hold her up.”
“Me? You’re saying that I’m holding her up?!” The old man in black was so angry that it seemed as if his lungs were going to explode. 50 years ago, he had left the clan and joined the Lijiang Sect. After putting great work and effort in his cultivation while he was under the Lijiang Sect, he had finally reached the second transition and level 22. Which ordinary person of the younger generation would not tremble in fear when they saw him?
This time around, he had received orders from his Sect Master to have a talk with Fang Xingjian. Who would have thought that this Fang Xingjian would not even give him any respect?
“Excellent, excellent, excellent. Do you think that I won’t dare to do anything to you just because you have James and Hoppes backing you up? I’m going to take action now. I shall see what they can do to me when they aren’t here with you.”
As he spoke, the old man stretched out his hand, and many blood arrows shot out from his palms. In the blink of an eye, they had already transformed into a blood spear, thrusting out toward Fang Xingjian.
This Myriad Blood Spear contained countless curses and poisons. At the slightest contact, it would seep into one’s body through the skin. When that happened, the victim would suffer from great itches and pain, making it a great dilemma for one to choose between life and death.
The arm of the old man in black shook slightly, and the blood spear turned into a surging blood wave heading toward Fang Xingjian. It was as if the blood wave wanted to drown Fang Xingjian’s entire body and give him a serious taste of agony.
The blood wave surged upward like a tsunami. Combined with a piercing stench of blood, it would scare an ordinary person almost to death. This blood wave would probably be able to drown an entire village.
The old man’s attack fully displayed the tyrannical power of a level 22 Knight; he did not hold back at all. He truly wanted to teach Fang Xingjian a good lesson.
‘Hmph, this dratted young lad. To think that just because a few old men from the Great Western Region praised him, he no longer knows how big the world is out there.’
Just as the old man was thinking of this, Fang Xingjian tapped a single finger and created over a thousand streams of Aquatic Sword Qis. They surged forth and also turned into a tsunami, clashing against the blood waves. However, compared to the old man’s blood waves, the tsunami formed from the thousand streams of Aquatic Sword Qis was almost deafening. Additionally, it had a strong and tremendous aura which was more than several times stronger than that of the blood waves.
The tsunami formed from the thousand streams of Aquatic Sword Qis turned into a huge palm and came crushing down toward the front. Just the shock waves, which were formed from the trembling air, were enough to scatter the old man’s blood waves with a loud boom.
They were both level 22 Conferred Knights. However, Fang Xingjian’s Aquatic Sword Formation was at level 40 while the old man’s Myriad Blood Spear was only at level 15. How could they compare?
The old man bellowed wildly, and many blood waves smashed against the huge palm formed from Fang Xingjian’s tsunami. The blood waves, which had a pressure of several hundred jin per square meter, were sufficient to crush someone to the extent that it would look like a scene from a car accident. However, they could do nothing against Fang Xingjian’s Aquatic Sword Qis.
The many blood waves were shattered and crushed, and eventually, the black-clothed old man was sent flying by the huge palm. He spewed out a large mouthful of blood in midair and had several bones broken.
‘Damn it, to think that Fang Xingjian is this powerful? Could it be that he relied on his own abilities to clear the Killing Techniques Palace? He’s only 17 years old… How is this possible?’
His eyes continued to stare at Fang Xingjian all the way until he fell to the ground, as if he could not understand how Fang Xingjian could be so much stronger than him.
“Someone who is making a feeble struggle to get to level 22… You aren’t even comparable to me when I was at level 20.” Fang Xingjian shook his head and said, “Rota, only the academy’s second transition jobs and Killing techniques are the true path to great power. Don’t follow in his footsteps and take the improper route to learn martial arts from some small sects. It’ll just bring harm to both others and yourself.”
For the old man, reaching the second transition and level 22 was something he had been the most proud of despite having spent a lot of hard work and hitting the limits of his talent, as well as having to use various secret techniques from the Lijiang Sect. So, how could he tolerate such criticisms from Fang Xingjian?
Particularly, the point about joining small sects struck a nerve with the old man.
When he heard this, he got so angry that he spewed out a large mouthful of blood and almost fainted.
Looking at the completely drenched Old Ancestor lying on the floor, Rota turned to look at Fang Xingjian in astonishment. Fang Xingjian had not been this strong when she last saw him in the Killing Techniques Palace. To think that he could now defeat a level 22 Conferred Knight in a single move…
She had seen Fang Xingjian’s performance in the Killing Techniques Palace for herself previously and knew that her clan’s Old Ancestor would probably not be a match for Fang Xingjian. This was the reason she had brought him here; it was so she could borrow Fang Xingjian’s power to get rid of the Old Ancestor’s suppression. However, she had not expected that the Old Ancestor was not even able to receive a single blow from Fang Xingjian.
Then hearing Fang Xingjian’s words, Rota’s gaze turned serious. When she lifted her head again, she saw that Fang Xingjian had already left and was a distance away.
She shouted out loudly, “Fang Xingjian, I’ll definitely not follow in his footsteps! I’ll complete the second transition fairly and honestly, break through the Killing Techniques Palace, and then walk right up to you!”
However, her words did not reach Fang Xingjian. The arrival of the old man in black was a sign. If the association’s act of informing the Sword Arts Department to conduct their own investigation was to let them understand the situation themselves and make Fang Xingjian surrender voluntarily… Then the old man’s arrival would mean that the other party was going to start giving pressure after seeing that the academy and Fang Xingjian were planning to fight it out to the end. Otherwise, how could a second transition level 22 Conferred Knight be so arrogant as to enter the academy as he pleased?
‘Are they planning to start from the people around me?’
Fang Xingjian seemed to be able to sense that a formless power had already start to apply pressure toward the Great Western Region and the Great Western City.
Returning to this training room, Fang Xingjian temporarily put aside his troubles. It was pointless to think too much into it for now. The most important thing for him right now was to gain more power. Moreover, the Second Prince’s faction would definitely assist in fending off the real source of the pressure.
Therefore, he began undergoing synthesis of the skill seeds in his consciousness. His Aquatic Sword Formation was already at the maximum level of 40, and it was about time for him to merge it together with the Thunder Immuring Earth Sword. Once he succeeded, he would have completed the Killing Techniques Palace’s third transformation tier, and he would be even closer toward attaining the final Prodigious Demolition Sword.