Chapter 85

"Not enough?" Lin Xuan frowned. His current strength was already enough to crush most Eighth Rank Condensation Pulse martial artists. Could Zhang Qian really be that formidable?

"When Zhang Qian returned, his cultivation was already at the peak of the Eighth Rank Condensation Pulse. Combined with his rich combat experience, he can even challenge Ninth Rank Condensation Pulse martial artists,"

"Moreover, he hasn't shown himself for a while. Rumors say he has already broken through to the Ninth Rank Condensation Pulse and will soon challenge the core disciples."

"Challenge the core disciples?" Lin Xuan's expression turned serious. No wonder everyone was pessimistic about him. It turns out Zhang Qian had such strength!

"I will now teach you a body-guarding sword technique. Although it won't enhance your attack, it will increase your chances of survival," Murong Qianling said.

"Body-guarding sword technique?" Lin Xuan's heart stirred. It seemed that Instructor Murong was privately teaching him martial arts, which was why she had summoned him alone.

"You have a little over a day. How much you can learn depends entirely on your comprehension,"

Next, Murong Qianling demonstrated a defensive martial art. The green spiritual energy around her body transformed into purple sword beams, wrapping around her and flowing freely.

Sword qi, which is extremely powerful in attack, can also be surprisingly effective in defense when used properly.

Lin Xuan focused intently, observing every detail. In just one demonstration, he memorized the entire circulation route.

"It seems your talent in swordsmanship is truly heaven-defying!" Murong Qianling couldn't hide her shock.

After bidding farewell to Murong Qianling, Lin Xuan returned to his residence and began studying the body-guarding sword technique.

This martial art is called the Yuan-Cutting Body-Guarding Sword, divided into three levels. At the first level, the sword qi is green, making ordinary blades ineffective. At the second level, the sword qi turns purple, capable of withstanding attacks from the same rank for a short time and has a chance to counterattack. At the third level, the sword qi turns red, able to withstand an attack from a higher-rank martial artist, with the difference not exceeding two minor realms.

In other words, if Lin Xuan could now cultivate red sword qi, he could withstand an attack from a Ninth Rank Condensation Pulse martial artist. If used well, he could even escape unscathed.

This indirectly provided him with the possibility of fighting across ranks. With his small success in sword momentum, he could do many things in the instant of defense.

"Instructor Murong has purple sword qi, so she must have reached the second level. I wonder how far I can go?" Lin Xuan slowly closed his eyes.

Following the incantation, Lin Xuan activated the spiritual energy within his body, guiding it through a complex route. During this process, the mysterious small sword inside him glowed with a lustrous light.

Under the illumination of the lustrous light, Lin Xuan's spiritual energy flowed smoothly. In just one attempt, he condensed the body-guarding sword qi.

Buzz!

A green sword qi wrapped around his body, covering him. From a distance, it looked like a large green snake coiling around him.

Lin Xuan pointed his fingers like a sword, the sword tip glowing with sword qi. He directed the sword qi to slash at the body-guarding sword qi.

When the two collided, a hissing sound was heard. Lin Xuan could clearly feel a powerful resistance from the body-guarding sword qi, which grew stronger and stronger.

By the time he had slashed halfway, the sword qi at his fingertips was already very weak, and it was still more than a foot away from his body.

He retracted his hand and sat down cross-legged. The first use of the body-guarding sword qi was surprisingly effective, but he was not satisfied. He believed he needed to reach at least the second level or improve the first level.

For the remaining time, he devoted himself entirely to studying the body-guarding sword qi. With the help of the mysterious small sword, after half a day, his body-guarding sword qi had turned dark green, indicating a major success at the first level.

If Murong Qianling knew, she would be amazed. It took her over half a month to achieve the first level, while Lin Xuan accomplished it in just half a day. The difference was truly significant. After all, Murong Qianling was once a core disciple, and her talent was definitely not bad, but compared to Lin Xuan, she fell far short.

Of course, much of this was due to the mysterious small sword within Lin Xuan, which made him a swordsmanship genius.

Now his defensive power was much stronger. When he tested it with the sword qi at his fingertips, the sword qi could only cut to the edge before quickly extinguishing.

Lin Xuan stroked his chin in thought. What if he incorporated lightning? Since he couldn't reach the second level for the time being, he decided to experiment with golden lightning. Activating the sword intent seed, he released a golden arc, which quickly climbed onto the body-guarding sword qi under his guidance.

Outside the dark green body-guarding sword qi, a layer of surging golden arcs crackled, creating a spectacular scene.

However, Lin Xuan felt no joy. He discovered that the two did not blend well. Without any disappointment, he continued to research, trying different ways to utilize the lightning.

Finally, he found a method: not directly covering the body-guarding sword qi with the golden arcs, but releasing the golden arcs suddenly when the body-guarding sword qi was defending.

This would catch the opponent off guard, not only causing mental pressure but also using the numbing effect of the golden arcs to paralyze the opponent, putting them in a state of shock.

He kept experimenting, resting when tired and sensing the sword intent seed. Soon, two days passed.

A new day dawned, with the sun hidden behind dark clouds, making the weather slightly cold.

Although the weather was cold, the inner disciples were excited.

Today was the day of Lin Xuan and Zhang Qian's life-or-death duel. Many inner disciples had gathered, and almost all of them, except those on missions outside, had rushed to the life-or-death platform.

Accompanied by Luo Qingshan and Ye Qing, Lin Xuan also headed to the life-or-death platform.

Along the way, they received countless gazes, some curious, some sympathetic, and others mocking and disdainful.

"Brother Luo, good morning!" Ling Ze, dressed in blue, walked over, his eyes cold as he looked at Lin Xuan.

"This is the one who will fight against Senior Brother Zhang. He will probably die a miserable death on the platform. What a pity!" Ling Ze and his group laughed cruelly.

"Scram!" Lin Xuan's face turned cold, and he directly shouted at Ling Ze.

"Brat, how dare you insult me?" Ling Ze was first stunned, then furious.

He had long wanted to kill Lin Xuan. Now, with Lin Xuan participating in the life-or-death battle, he wanted to see helplessness, fear, and regret on Lin Xuan's face. Instead, Lin Xuan remained unusually calm and even dared to insult him.

"Lord Ling, don't pay attention to him. He only has a little time left to live, so he's acting crazy," someone beside him advised.

"Hmph! Brat, I will enjoy watching the expression on your face when you die!" Ling Ze and his group laughed coldly and walked away.

"Junior Brother Lin, you..." Luo Qingshan and Ye Qing hesitated, having already advised Lin Xuan multiple times without any result.

"Don't worry, I will win!" Lin Xuan's eyes flashed with sword qi, and the three of them quickly headed towards the life-or-death platform.