Chapter 135: Blade Slays The Incoming Foe!
East courtyard.
Jiang Ning’s ears twitched slightly, and he heard the voices of the two people who had climbed over the wall into the front courtyard.
His gaze suddenly hardened.
It is him!
Yang Kai!
Hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Ning knew that one of the two who came over the wall was Yang Kai.
“Then the Qiu brother he mentioned can only be the current Head Shopkeeper of the Weapon Forging Shop, Qiu Shilong.”
He silently muttered to himself again, “What are these two here to see me for?”
“Could it be because of this?”
At this moment, Jiang Ning’s gaze involuntarily fell on the Spirit Soldier held in his hand.
The next instant.
He drew the saber.
Clang—
A clear, trembling ring sounded.
In the stillness of this quiet night, that sound instantly spread far away.
On the other side.
In the front courtyard.
“The sound of the saber’s cry, over there!!” Qiu Shilong turned his head, his gaze instantly looking toward the east courtyard, locking onto Jiang Ning’s direction.
Then.
Qiu Shilong’s figure moved, instantly speeding toward Jiang Ning’s direction.
Seeing this, Yang Kai quickly followed behind.
“They really came!” Hearing the commotion from the front courtyard, Jiang Ning felt slightly relieved.
This residence was now no longer occupied by only him.
Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan, as well as his nephew and little niece, also lived here.
Under such circumstances, Jiang Ning made a sound to prevent the two from harming them.
Then.
Swish—
He stood holding the saber, quietly waiting in place for the two to appear.
At the same time, information about these two surfaced in his mind.
Qiu Shilong, Martial Arts Eighth Rank, a top expert in the Divine Strength Realm.
At this level, his accumulation was already very deep, much stronger than an ordinary Divine Strength Realm.
And Yang Kai was likewise not weak.
The strength of the two was roughly evenly matched.
A few breaths later.
A figure appeared in Jiang Ning’s sight.
He stood atop the wall, his eyes extremely bright even in the night.
His gaze instantly locked onto Jiang Ning as well.
“It really is him!”
“Qiu Shilong!”
Jiang Ning spoke silently in his heart.
He had seen this man earlier that afternoon at the Apprenticeship Banquet in the Martial Arts School.
He was one of the Important Figures invited by Wang Jin.
As the Head Shopkeeper of the Weapon Forging Shop, he indeed counted as an Important Figure in Luoshui County.
After all, over the years, the Weapon Forging Shop’s network of connections had grown very large.
It had ties with various powers, and its connections were extremely wide.
So even though no Martial Arts Seventh Rank expert had ever appeared within the Weapon Forging Shop’s power.
It was still a true major force in Luoshui County.
At this moment.
Qiu Shilong stood atop the wall, his figure extremely tall.
Like a brown bear in its prime.
His build was even larger than Yang Kai’s.
Just then.
Yang Kai’s figure also appeared before Jiang Ning, and he too stood atop the wall.
“Two Martial Arts Eighth Ranks!” Jiang Ning tightened his grip on the Spirit Soldier Dragon Abyss in his hand.
Qiu Shilong’s gaze stayed on Jiang Ning for two breaths.
Then his figure lightly leaped.
And he landed on the grass.
Without making much commotion.
“What a movement technique!” Jiang Ning’s eyes narrowed slightly, taking Qiu Shilong even more seriously.
From the slight commotion when Qiu Shilong landed, he could tell Qiu Shilong’s movement technique was extraordinary.
After landing, Qiu Shilong bent his knees slightly, resolving the gravity of the fall.
Then his gaze shifted from Jiang Ning to the Spirit Soldier in Jiang Ning’s hand.
Seeing the saber already drawn, with Jiang Ning standing there holding it, Qiu Shilong spoke at once: “It seems you noticed my arrival long ago.”
Qiu Shilong did not find this strange.
Tonight, when he came to the door, he had not tried to conceal himself.
In the deep quiet of night, any commotion was obvious.
It was not surprising that Jiang Ning could detect his arrival in advance.
As Qiu Shilong spoke, Jiang Ning’s expression remained calm, his eyes deep as an abyss as he said,
“I do not know why Head Shopkeeper Qiu has come here tonight?”
Qiu Shilong said, “Very simple, to take back the Spirit Soldier in your hand.”
“Once something is given away, how can there be any Principle for taking it back?” Jiang Ning said slowly.
Hearing this, Qiu Shilong could not help but sneer, “Do you not know there are some things you should never have taken? Today, for Wang Jin’s sake, I will not hold it against you.”
As he spoke, Qiu Shilong walked toward Jiang Ning.
At the same time.
Yang Kai had already jumped down from the wall.
He said to Jiang Ning, “Young Brother Jiang Ning, my apologies! Brother Qiu does not agree with me giving away this Spirit Soldier. I can use other Weapons as compensation!”
Jiang Ning shook his head. “Since Shopkeeper Yang chose to give it away, then this Spirit Soldier belongs to me! Asking me to return it, there is no such Principle.”
“No such Principle?” Qiu Shilong let out a cold laugh. “Boy, have you not seen the situation clearly? I came here thinking to speak with you calmly and reason with you.”
“Whether you return it or not, you will return it!”
At these words.
Jiang Ning tightened his grip on the Spirit Soldier Dragon Abyss.
“You want me to return the saber?”
“Ask the saber in my hand first!”
At this moment, Qiu Shilong had come within one zhang in front of Jiang Ning.
His gaze was fixed firmly on the saber in Jiang Ning’s hand.
Just by looking at the saber hilt, he recognized that this was the Spirit Soldier that had previously been stored in the Underground Armory.
“Yang Kai did not lie to me! This brat really can draw this Spirit Soldier.”
At this moment Qiu Shilong also changed his mind.
He wanted both the saber and the man.
Since the Spirit Soldier could be drawn from its sheath in Jiang Ning’s hand.
Then taking Jiang Ning away would surely help him study this Spirit Soldier.
“Perfect, this place is deserted. Take the brat away, kill the others in the residence, and even Wang Jin will not know I did it.”
Qiu Shilong spoke silently in his heart.
After making his decision, the killing intent in his heart erupted, his eyes filled with ferocity.
The next instant.
He suddenly struck at Jiang Ning, raising his fist and blasting across the air toward him.
In this punch, he did not hold back in the slightest.
His target was Jiang Ning’s right arm holding the saber.
If that punch landed solidly, the right arm would definitely be crippled.
This was exactly Qiu Shilong’s intent.
With both arms ruined, Jiang Ning would naturally have no strength to resist and could only be at his mercy.
“Brother Qiu, no!!”
Seeing Qiu Shilong’s full-force punch, Yang Kai hurriedly shouted to stop him.
His figure also moved abruptly as if to intercept Qiu Shilong.
“So ruthless?” Jiang Ning watched this vicious strike from Qiu Shilong.
“He actually wants to kill me?” Sensing the killing intent from Qiu Shilong, a trace of ferocity flashed in Jiang Ning’s eyes as well.
He swung the saber in a single chop.
A streak of Saber Light instantly tore through the night sky, swift as a startled swan.
Ah—
A shrill, miserable scream rang out.
At the same time, Qiu Shilong’s momentum seemed to vanish, and his body jerked back, retreating explosively.
Under the bright moonlight, the two severed fingers on his right hand were clearly visible.
His Tiger Finger, which could easily Block the edge of Divine Weapons, had clearly been cut through by the Divine Weapon.
“Boy, I want you dead!!”
Qiu Shilong retreated in a frenzy, his eyes turning blood-red.
He had never imagined that his Tiger Finger, which could Block Divine Weapons, would be severed by a single slash from Jiang Ning, cutting off two of his fingers.
In that instant, his heart was filled with boundless Regret.
Regret that he had been too careless.
That he had underestimated the sharpness of the Spirit Soldier in Jiang Ning’s hand.
He also regretted not bringing his best weapon, the armor-piercing hammer.
Now that two fingers were gone, he would be accompanied by disability for life.
This filled Qiu Shilong’s eyes with endless venomous hatred.
For those who Practice Martial Arts, once a limb is disabled, the Martial Path will be greatly limited.
Future achievements would inevitably be extremely limited.
“Trying to run?”
Jiang Ning’s eyes hardened.
Since he had chosen to strike, he had no intention of letting Qiu Shilong go.
Since enmity was formed, strike while he is wounded and take his life.
Then his right leg stomped on the Ground.
Boom—
The Soil at his feet flew up as his speed suddenly surged.
In an instant, he crossed several zhang.
Seeing this reversal, with attacker and defender instantly switching, Yang Kai was utterly dazed.
And at this moment.
Seeing Jiang Ning’s rapidly approaching figure, the venom in Qiu Shilong’s eyes was instantly replaced by terror.
“I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Spare me!!!”
“It is not that you know you were wrong, but that you know you are going to die!” Jiang Ning said.
His figure was now extremely swift.
After Breaking Limits with his Five Animal Forms Boxing, Jiang Ning had found his speed to be three to four tenths faster than before.
In Five Animal Forms Boxing, there was the Tiger Form focused on explosive power, and the Crane Form focused on speed.
Once Five Animal Forms Boxing broke through and completed Breaking Limits, his speed naturally soared.
At this moment, his speed was nearly twice that of Qiu Shilong.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Ning had closed the distance between them.
“Yang Kai, help me!!” Seeing Jiang Ning so close at hand, Qiu Shilong shouted urgently.
Before Yang Kai could make a decision, the saber in Jiang Ning’s hand had already enveloped Qiu Shilong.
Under this slash, Qiu Shilong instantly felt a majestic Blade Momentum descend, inescapable and unavoidable.
He could only meet it head-on; other than that, he had no second choice.
Momentum!
This was Blade Momentum!!!
Qiu Shilong’s eyes flew wide open, staring in disbelief at Jiang Ning’s slash.
Enveloped by this Blade Momentum, and with the sharpness of the Spirit Soldier in Jiang Ning’s hand.
Despair flashed instantly through Qiu Shilong’s eyes.
This slash could not be blocked.
The edge of a Spirit Soldier was not something Flesh and Blood could withstand.
Even if his skin was now tough as bronze, so what?
Even Tiger Fingers forged of Thousand-Forged Fine Iron had been cleaved in two with ease.
In such a case, bronze and tofu were no different at all.
The next instant.
The saber fell.
Qiu Shilong’s body was split in two, then slowly toppled to the Ground.
Boom—
His more than two-meter-tall body hit the Ground with a thunderous crash.
At the side, Yang Kai watched this scene in disbelief.
He had never imagined that Qiu Shilong, who had dominated Luoshui County for so many years and was now the Head Shopkeeper of the Weapon Forging Shop.
Would die so simply.
Die so unexpectedly.
Dying by the hand of Jiang Ning, who had only been Practicing Martial Arts for a few months.
Then.
Cold sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead.
Because he saw Jiang Ning’s gaze fall upon him.
Saber in hand, quietly watching him.
Yang Kai instantly felt himself shrouded by the aura of death.
Qiu Shilong had not withstood even two slashes from Jiang Ning before dying.
Even if he put himself in the same position, he would fare no differently.
The only outcome would also be death.
The sharpness of a Spirit Soldier was something ordinary Weapons could not withstand.
With Blade Momentum enveloping him as well, how could one possibly resist?
It was a completely unbreakable killing move.
Jiang Ning quietly watched Yang Kai for several breaths, various Thoughts flashing through his Mind.
A few breaths later.
Swish—
He sheathed the saber.
“I will not kill you. Take away Qiu Shilong’s Corpse.”
“Thank you!” Yang Kai froze for a moment, then spoke with some timidity.
Jiang Ning added, “I hope what happened tonight is not spread. Otherwise, I trust you understand the consequences.”
“I understand! I understand!!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
A short while later.
Watching Yang Kai hurriedly leave with Qiu Shilong’s Corpse, Jiang Ning could not help but smile.
“I still underestimated my own strength!”
“With a Spirit Soldier that cuts iron like mud in hand, facing so-called Martial Arts Eighth Rank is simply a dimensionality reduction strike.”
“Under the shroud of Blade Momentum, if their Mind and Willpower are not strong enough, they can only take my slash head-on, but with the sharpness of a Spirit Soldier, ordinary Weapons are easily cut in two.”
“Just like the Ebony Saber I used before.”
“Though said to be forged from Hundred-Forged Fine Iron, it still could not withstand a single slash and was cut into two pieces.”
“But if I face an expert archer like Cao Rong, my Advantage would vanish.”
“In front of those arrows Cao Rong shoots, with my current Strength I might be shot dead before I even get close!”
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning’s sense of self-satisfaction instantly disappeared.
“The sharpness of a Spirit Soldier only bullies those holding Common Iron.”
He knew that the reason Qiu Shilong lost so easily today.
Was simply that Qiu Shilong had been too careless, coming late at night without Weapons.
With Tiger Fingers only one or two centimeters thick, how could he resist the edge of a Spirit Soldier?
After falling into disadvantage, his death was naturally inescapable.
Letting Yang Kai leave was also a decision Jiang Ning had carefully considered.
He had no enmity with Yang Kai, and strictly speaking, he even owed Yang Kai a Favor.
Under such circumstances, how could he ruthlessly kill Yang Kai?
Moreover, from the information revealed in the conversation between Yang Kai and Qiu Shilong, coming tonight was largely Qiu Shilong’s idea.
Yang Kai bore no malice toward him.
And in Jiang Ning’s eyes now, the Weapon Forging Shop posed no threat to him at all.
In such a large Weapon Forging Shop, there were now only two Divine Strength Realm experts at Martial Arts Eighth Rank.
One was Yang Kai, who had come tonight, and the other was the aged and declining former Head Shopkeeper of the Weapon Forging Shop, Gong Mingyuan.
Aside from these two, the Weapon Forging Shop’s other experts were at most Martial Arts Nine Ranks.
On the other side.
After climbing back over the wall from Jiang Ning’s residence.
Whoosh—
Yang Kai let out a long breath, then wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“That kid is far too terrifying! He has actually grasped the legendary Blade Momentum! And with a Spirit Soldier in hand, Brother Qiu did not die unjustly.”
Muttering to himself, Yang Kai lowered his head to glance at Qiu Shilong’s Corpse in his hand.
Under that slash from Jiang Ning, Qiu Shilong’s Head had long since been split open, the Saber Mark cutting deep into his chest cavity; he was dead beyond all doubt.
Carrying Qiu Shilong’s Corpse, he thought for a moment, then turned and ran in the direction Outside the City.
That was where the former Head Shopkeeper of the Weapon Forging Shop now lived in retirement.
“No matter what, Qiu Shilong’s sudden death is a matter of immense importance to the shop. This cannot be kept from Elder Gong; we must ask Elder Gong to decide.”
“I only hope Elder Gong does not choose to make an enemy of that kid!”
“At that age, after only a few months of Practice Martial Arts, to have mastered Blade Momentum is simply too terrifying.”
“No one knows how far he may grow in the future!”
“Tonight he could kill Brother Qiu, and though he relied on the Weapon’s edge, his own Strength is not to be underestimated either; that speed is outrageous!”
“Far above Brother Qiu, and far above me.”
