Cultivating for Immorality: I Evolved Martial Arts into the Immortal Path – Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Li Feng’s Shock

Too slow!

Although the outward momentum is strong, the inner essence is insufficient.

The Autumn Blade is the number one killing technique in the county town. When practiced to the extreme, the enemy simply has no time to react.

But Li Feng’s blade is too slow, giving Chu Liang too much time to react.

He casually raised the scabbard in his hand, without much change in his posture, and easily blocked this move.

“Clang!”

Li Feng’s blade struck Chu Liang’s scabbard, the sound crisp and clear.

This effortless block was seen by everyone present.

“Huh?”

On the high platform, Luo Hong and Yan Gong both let out a soft sound of surprise, their expressions becoming more focused.

Hall Master Li Ren’s expression remained unchanged. He had anticipated this, knowing that Chu Liang’s strength was far beyond this.

But the Saber Master at the edge of the arena frowned slightly, clearly, Chu Liang’s understanding of the Autumn Blade had exceeded his expectations.

On the arena, a trace of shock flashed in Li Feng’s eyes.

“How could it be…”

His blade, which he had been building momentum for a long time, was actually blocked so easily by Chu Liang.

Fortunately, he was quite experienced and did not lose his composure.

He quickly adjusted his mentality, used the force to retreat, and then erupted again, his Qi and blood surging as he charged towards Chu Liang with his saber.

Swish!

Another slash!

This slash combined the “Forceful Mountain Cleave” and “Lightning Flash” of the seventeen Autumn Blade styles. It was both swift and fierce, extremely powerful!

But Chu Liang remained as calm as before, casually blocking it with a flick of his wrist.

“Clang!”

The sound was crisp.

The scabbard collided with the blade, blocking it once again.

Li Feng found it hard to believe. Once could be luck, but twice could only be skill.

Chu Liang suddenly spoke, “Your two slashes had a lot of momentum, but they were too scattered. The power was not exerted to the extreme. Just like you, your sharpness is exposed, without any restraint.”

“No, I…”

Li Feng’s face changed drastically, gripping the hilt of his saber tightly.

He had always been full of confidence, his aura exposed. He always thought he was right.

“Again!”

He roared, interrupting Chu Liang.

This battle had just begun.

Just two slashes didn’t prove anything. The outcome was not yet decided!

Li Feng quickly retreated, creating distance, his whole body’s Qi and blood surging, his fighting spirit soaring.

At this moment, the martial arts hall disciples below the stage were even more shocked than he was.

Before the fight began, most of them believed that Chu Liang would lose. Even if he could block, he wouldn’t be able to block for long.

After all, Li Feng had received the Hall Master’s personal instruction. His saber techniques were sharp and fierce, and his aura was almost identical to the Hall Master’s when he was young. He was rarely matched among those with Two Strands of Qi and Blood.

“Chu Liang has only been practicing saber techniques for two months, how can he block so easily?”

Qi Bai’s eyes were filled with shock, unable to understand.

“Could it be that his mastery of the Autumn Blade has already surpassed Senior Martial Brother Li’s?” Liu Qing murmured.

“That’s the only explanation, but… two months… five years…”

The difference in time between the two was simply too great.

It was suffocatingly large.

Qi Bai, Liu Qing, and the others also considered themselves geniuses, but they were no match for Li Feng. Now, Li Feng was far inferior to Chu Liang…

Such a huge gap in talent almost made them lose their confidence.

On the high platform, Hall Master Li Ren looked at his second disciple, whose fighting spirit was high, and a trace of worry flashed in his heart.

Beside him, Luo Hong and Yan Gong’s eyes were filled with astonishment. They had already sat up straight, no longer as casual as before, their gazes fixed on Chu Liang.

“Chu Liang is right. Li Feng’s momentum is strong, but it’s too scattered, not concentrated,” Luo Hong agreed with Chu Liang’s words.

Yan Gong nodded, saying, “Chu Liang even has the mind to observe his opponent’s state. It seems that the strength difference between the two is very large. There is no suspense in this battle.”

“No wonder the Alliance Leader praised him as a genius.”

Luo Hong said sincerely, “Hall Master Li, you’ve found a treasure. After this battle, Qi Hong of the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall will probably regret it to death.”

“Old Li, your second disciple’s state is not right. He seems to have been dealt a blow. Should we stop this battle?” Yan Gong asked.

“No… let it continue.”

Li Ren shook his head slightly, not stopping it.

Seeing his insistence, Luo Hong and Yan Gong said no more and continued to watch the battle.

On the arena.

Li Feng gripped his long saber tightly, his body following the blade, the blade’s edge sharp, charging towards Chu Liang again.

This slash combined the “Chasing Light and Pursuing the Sun” and “Fleeting Moment” of the seventeen styles. It was no longer as fierce as the previous two slashes, pursuing pure speed, a speed that was astonishing.

“Swish!”

Many of the younger disciples didn’t even have time to see clearly, only feeling a blur pass across the arena.

But Chu Liang still felt it was too slow.

Pa!

He looked casual, casually slapping with his hand.

The fast blade that was approaching him was immediately deflected, directly slapped off course by him.

Li Feng was shocked again.

He gripped the hilt of his saber, unable to believe it.

“Why don’t you try again?” Chu Liang looked at him and said.

“Kill!”

Li Feng roared, gathering his momentum and swinging a blade as fast as lightning.

But the result was still the same.

The blade was easily deflected by Chu Liang, the outcome unchanged.

Chu Liang spoke again, “Your two slashes were fast, but they were not stable enough, and the follow-through was also insufficient. I can easily deflect them with a casual slap. If I used a little more force, you probably wouldn’t even be able to hold onto the hilt. Such a blade is not called a ‘fast blade’, it can only be called an ‘unorthodox blade’, and it doesn’t even deserve the word ‘unorthodox’… Your foundation is too poor, full of flaws!”

“Again!”

Li Feng roared, his eyes bloodshot.

◈◈◈

His skin began to heat up, turning red, like a cooked shrimp.

His aura was fierce, his blood energy surging.

He no longer retreated, his muscles bulging, gripping the hilt of his saber tightly, as if he didn’t care about anything else, slashing at Chu Liang again and again.

“Clang clang clang—”

For a time, the shadows of blades flew across the arena.

Countless years of practicing the saber seemed to overlap at this moment, the accumulated power bursting forth with Li Feng’s blade.

His swiftness and ferocity at this moment made countless disciples below the stage tremble with fear.

Qi Bai, Liu Qing, and the others’ eyelids twitched.

They asked themselves, if they were on stage, they probably wouldn’t have been able to block it and would have been cut into pieces by the sharp blade!

But the Saber Master at the edge of the arena lowered his eyes, sighing softly.

“Sigh…”

He could see that Li Feng’s blade had lost its rhythm.

Although the momentum was strong, it was even more scattered than before, completely without any order.

Such a saber technique was full of flaws.

On the high platform, Luo Hong shook his head and said, “The blade is chaotic, and the swordsman’s heart is also chaotic.”

“Yes, this Li Feng probably hasn’t suffered any setbacks before. Just being criticized a few times, he can’t even hold his saber properly,” Yan Gong also saw the problem.

“It’s my fault. I always thought he was straightforward and neglected the cultivation of his mental state.”

Li Ren’s mood was complex. After all, he was his direct disciple, whom he had cultivated for so many years. It was impossible to say that he had no feelings for him.

In this day and age, many master-disciple relationships were comparable to father-son relationships.

On the arena, the shadows of blades were heavy.

Li Feng’s attacks were like a storm, his saber techniques sharp and terrifying.

But no matter how he attacked, Chu Liang remained unmoved.

His voice occasionally rang out amidst the dense clashing sounds.

“This move of yours is ‘Smiling Dagger’, the most dangerous of the seventeen styles, but you used it in a wide-open manner, without any sense of danger.”

“And this move, ‘Unstoppable’, you overused it, exhausting the blade’s momentum without any reservation. Your entire body was carried too far forward by this momentum. That’s not good.”

“…”

Chu Liang didn’t seem to be responding to an enemy, but rather like an experienced master criticizing and guiding his disciple.

And Li Feng’s aura became more and more violent, as if he didn’t hear Chu Liang’s words at all.

“Again! Again!”

His eyes were bloodshot, exerting all his strength. At this moment, only Chu Liang was in his eyes.

But the many martial arts hall disciples below the stage benefited greatly.

Hearing Chu Liang’s words, most of them were touched, seeming to understand something.

The situation on the stage was just like when the Saber Master taught in the past, one explaining and the other demonstrating.

“Genius, he is a true genius.”

Qi Bai murmured to himself.

Previously, when Hall Master Li Ren lent the treasure of the hall to Chu Liang, he, Liu Qing, and the others were dissatisfied and had many complaints.

At that time, they believed that Chu Liang had probably not even mastered the basics, and giving him the treasure of the hall was just a waste. It would have been better to give it to them to study.

But now, they were all convinced.

Completely convinced!

If such a genius was not worthy of the treasure of the hall, who else was?

In the corner, Tie Niu was excited, his expression agitated. Although he didn’t understand what Chu Liang was saying, he still tried his best to remember most of Chu Liang’s words.

Beside the arena, the Saber Master’s expression gradually became serious.

Some of the content in Chu Liang’s words actually touched even him.

On the arena, Chu Liang continued, “Your saber techniques seem exquisite, but they are all superficial, floating on the surface, with too little variation, not grasping the true essence. If I’m not mistaken, you probably haven’t made any progress in a long time, have you?”

Crack!

As soon as he finished speaking, a crisp sound was heard.

Amidst Li Feng’s storm-like attacks, the long saber in his hand finally couldn’t take it anymore and a slight crack appeared.

If he didn’t stop, his saber would shatter like Wu Neng’s Bloodthirsty Saber, completely destroyed.

Chu Liang added, “Your saber shouldn’t have cracked, but your saber technique is crude, making this saber bear too much unnecessary external force.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a second crack appeared on the blade.

The saber in Li Feng’s hand was like a dam about to collapse, getting closer and closer to complete destruction.

Once it shattered, the broken pieces of the blade would definitely cause him considerable injuries.

But Li Feng seemed completely unaware.

“Again!”

He roared, his eyes full of blood, still attacking frantically.

Seeing that things had come to this point, Li Ren on the high platform finally spoke.

“Alright, this battle is over!”

Li Ren leaped down and landed between the two.

He extended his right hand and slapped the back of it, accurately hitting Li Feng’s right hand that was holding the saber.

Pa!

The long saber fell to the ground!

Li Feng seemed oblivious, still wanting to bend down and pick up the saber to continue attacking.

Li Ren’s expression was stern, and he shouted coldly, “Enough! Look at your saber!”

“I…”

Li Feng’s whole body trembled, a bit of clarity returned to his eyes, and the redness on his skin gradually dissipated.

He lowered his head and stared blankly at the two cracks on his saber.

After a long while, he suddenly knelt down, thudding to his knees in front of Li Ren.

His expression was dejected, his entire aura collapsed, as if he had exhausted all his energy. He said dejectedly, “Master, I have lost.”