Chapter Twenty-Four: The Jade-and-Stone Perishing Spear

Yang Tie was the first to launch an attack, his spear darting toward Ou Ming like a soaring dragon. Ou Ming, seeing the spear coming, remained calm. He gently flicked open the paper fan in his hand and waved it lightly, causing Yang Tie’s spear to veer off course and strike the array shimmering at the edge of the arena.

The array atop the platform could withstand the full-force blow of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet ripples spread across its surface where Yang Tie’s spear landed, revealing just how formidable his spear technique truly was. Even so, Ou Ming managed to deflect such a powerful attack, proving his strength to be superior.

Yang Tie was not surprised by Ou Ming’s prowess; he had already experienced Ou Ming’s skill in the previous tournament. Ou Ming blocked Yang Tie’s attack with a gentle sweep of his fan, relying on the paper fan in his hand. This fan, named the Wind and Thunder Fan, was a semi-magic artifact, nurtured by Ou Ming’s spiritual power over many years, and now resonated perfectly with his intent, granting it immense power.

A semi-magic artifact bridges the gap between mundane and magical weapons. It requires no magical power to activate; spiritual energy suffices to unleash power only slightly less than a true magical artifact, making it ideal for cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. Yang Tie’s spear was a top-tier mundane weapon, yet still paled before the might of a semi-magic artifact.

However, semi-magic artifacts are exceedingly rare, each one a treasure not easily found. Ou Ming obtained the Wind and Thunder Fan through a near-death encounter in a stroke of fortune.

Yang Tie knew Ou Ming possessed a semi-magic artifact fan, yet dared to challenge him, showing his absolute confidence in victory. What trump card could he be hiding?

“Jade and Stone Perishing Spear!”

Yang Tie gathered all his spiritual power and vital blood into his spear, its surface glowing with a blood-red energy—half of Yang Tie’s own blood condensed into its form. After unleashing this spear, Yang Tie would lose half his blood. It was a self-destructive move, born from the brink of life and death on the battlefield, a technique where either he or his opponent would perish. This was Yang Tie’s ultimate trump card in the tournament.

The spear streaked forward like a blood-red flood dragon baring its fangs at Ou Ming. As soon as he released the attack, Yang Tie used his spear to steady himself, refusing to collapse.

He gripped his spear with one hand, kneeling on one knee atop the platform. Though weak, none dared underestimate him; he was, after all, one willing to risk his life.

Ou Ming saw the blood-red flood dragon tearing through the air toward him and did not dare be careless—he sensed the scent of death. He hurriedly deployed the Wind and Thunder Fan technique, perfectly paired with his artifact.

“Wind and Thunder Flash!”

“Wind and Thunder Break!”

“Wind and Thunder Whirl!”

Ou Ming unleashed three consecutive moves with his Wind and Thunder Fan, each one more formidable than the last. The final move, Wind and Thunder Whirl, sent fierce gusts sweeping forth, its momentum astonishing, its power extraordinary, fan shadows whirling wildly.

Despite wielding the potent Wind and Thunder Fan technique with his semi-magic artifact, Ou Ming could not withstand Yang Tie’s life-risking strike and was knocked from the platform.

The blood-red flood dragon did not dissipate with Ou Ming’s fall; it surged toward him. Fortunately, the array at the platform’s edge blocked its path—otherwise, Ou Ming would have perished under Yang Tie’s spear.

According to the tournament rules, Yang Tie defeated Ou Ming and became the master of the sixth arena, while Ou Ming was assigned to the ninth arena.

Ou Ming was naturally unwilling to settle for ninth place and began challenging Wang Yong, the seventh-ranked contestant. He did not dare challenge Yang Tie again, still haunted by the memory of Yang Tie’s sacrificial spear.

On the platform, Ou Ming easily defeated Wang Yong with his Wind and Thunder Fan technique, becoming the master of the seventh arena. Wang Yong was relegated to ninth place.

Wang Yong’s defeat was unsurprising. Ou Ming possessed the semi-magic Wind and Thunder Fan and its powerful technique—no ordinary cultivator at the same level could withstand him. After all, not everyone had Yang Tie’s fearlessness.

Wang Yong then challenged Zhang Hai, the master of the eighth arena. After a fierce struggle, Wang Yong finally knocked Zhang Hai from the platform, claiming the eighth arena for himself.

The rankings from sixth to tenth were thus established, and they all chose to ignore Chen Yi, whose cultivation was too low—only at the sixth level of Qi Refinement.

Though Chen Yi had defeated Wang Long, everyone on the platform could do so; Wang Long was not taken seriously. After a year of cultivation, their strength had grown, making Wang Long even less noteworthy. While Chen Yi surpassed Wang Long, the others still paid him little mind.

After Wang Yong’s challenge, the disciple on the fifth platform stirred, ready to challenge the fourth. The fifth platform’s disciple, Zhang Meng, specialized in a blade reminiscent of the Miao Dao from Chen Yi’s previous life.

The blade measured five feet in total, with the blade itself three feet eight inches and the handle one foot two inches. It combined the features of both blade and spear—usable as either, grippable with one or both hands. Its excellent design allowed for continuous strikes, swift and fierce attacks, with the blade following the wielder’s movements, overwhelming any opposition. Its killing power was immense, far beyond ordinary weapons.

He also mastered the Sun and Moon Cosmos Blade technique, a style of infinite power. It was said that, deep in the Tianlong Mountains, he once slew eighteen ninth-level Qi Refinement beast monsters in a single day with this technique, earning great fame within the sect.

The disciple on the fourth platform was no less impressive. His name was Wang Bo, his body towering and muscular, like a little giant. He possessed innate strength and wielded a pair of massive iron hammers, their heads square, shaft and handle forged from refined iron, each hammer weighing eighty thousand pounds.

To forge these hammers, Wang Bo refined two enormous iron mines into two lumps of refined iron, then added many rare materials to complete the pair.

A single swing could not be withstood even by someone of Yang Tie’s strength. Otherwise, why would a man willing to risk his life not strive for a higher rank? The reason was simple—the top five disciples were simply too formidable. Yang Tie could not withstand even one blow from them, so how could he challenge them?

“Heh, Zhang Meng, with those scrawny arms and legs, you wouldn’t survive a single swing of my hammer. Your blade technique isn’t suited for killing—more for chopping vegetables,” Wang Bo joked.

“Wang Bo, whether I can withstand your hammer, you’ll soon find out. Don’t boast here. Whether my blade technique is meant for killing, you’ll know soon enough,” Zhang Meng replied calmly.

Wang Bo and Zhang Meng were close—not brothers, but closer than brothers. Each understood the other’s strength well. In the previous tournament, Zhang Meng lost by a single move to Wang Bo, falling behind him in rank.

Over the past year, Zhang Meng had devoted himself to training, honing his blade technique among the trees and beasts of the Tianlong Mountains. He did not emerge until the tournament began.