Start from a baby to become a Taoist

Chapter 397 Stone Gate
The arena, which had been raging with wind just moments before, fell into complete silence the moment the bald man collapsed, becoming eerily quiet.

"Boom-"

"Boom-"

Xu Ran's frantically pounding heart sounded extremely loud in the quiet environment!
"call!"

Looking at his bald head, now split in two, Xu Ran let out a long breath, gripping the silver iron sword in his right hand and wiping the sweat from his forehead with his left.

"it is finally over!"

It is clear.

The bald man has already become like this, and the culprit behind everything, the blood-red iron sword, has also turned into quicksand and flowed away from the bald man's hands.

This means that Xu Ran has successfully passed the swordsmanship trial!

as predicted.

Dong——
A violent tremor suddenly rose in the arena.

[Swordsmanship trial completed!]

A voice devoid of emotion rang out, and in front of Xu Ran, where there had been an impenetrable city wall, a stone gate suddenly appeared.

And so the voice rang out.

"Swish—"

The bald head, now split in two, and the body cleaved in two, emitted sparse sounds.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see the neat cut revealing countless thin lines of blood; these lines were the muscle lines of the bald man's body.

Once these muscle lines appear, they intertwine and merge together like a thousand threads, solidifying, intertwining, weaving, and fusing.
"Wow—"

Sudden.

When countless blood-red threads intertwined to a sufficient number, it seemed as if a powerful force was pulling the two halves of the body closer together.

"Wow—"

"Wow—"

"Wow—"

"."

Once the first tone is established, the second tone will naturally follow.

Not long after.

The bald man's body was glued back together, the intertwined blood-red threads tightly fusing the two halves of his body together.

The neat cut that had been cleaved in two by the silver iron sword was also erased by the thin blood-red lines.

"Uh--"

next moment.

A sound rang out, and the bald man, who had just been in two halves of his body, slowly got up from the ground, twisting his neck from side to side, and moving his arms and legs as if he were adapting to his new body.

Having adapted to the situation, the bald man with bronze skin looked at Xu Ran.

"not bad!"

He was referring to Xu Ran's understanding of swordsmanship.

As the wielder of the Crimson Iron Sword, the bald man was well aware of the terrifying destructive power of the Crimson Iron Sword, which had fused the sword intent of a sword immortal with the aura of the Netherworld.

Moreover, when the blood-red patterns entered his body, he instantly gained all the sword techniques of the Sword Immortal.

Just as he was confidently attacking Xu Ran, he was stunned by the incomparably pure sword intent and froze for a moment before Xu Ran cut him in two.

Seeing that Xu Ran didn't speak, the bald man didn't continue. Instead, he pointed to the stone door that had appeared and gave a reminder.

"Let's move on to the next level!"

"Aren't you in a hurry to get home? Hurry up!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ran had no idea that there might be some kind of trap ahead.

After all, as the gatekeeper, the bald man wouldn't do such a thing, nor would he resort to underhanded tactics in such a place.

Immediately.

Holding the silver iron sword, Xu Ran walked towards the stone gate with firm steps.

result.

As they walked, the silver iron sword that had just been held in their hand, like the blood-red iron sword, turned into a white stream of light and flowed away from their hand, as if it had never appeared at all.

Xu Ran merely glanced at it and showed no unusual reaction.

Upon seeing this, the bald man couldn't help but nod in approval.

"Good temperament, neither arrogant nor impatient!"

Actually, although he was somewhat surprised by Xu Ran's reaction, he had already guessed it in his heart.

even though.

The silver iron sword that Xu Ran held in his hand was the divine weapon that the sword immortal always carried with him during his lifetime. It witnessed all of the sword immortal's growth trajectory and contained the sword immortal's purest sword intent.

Such divine weapons are extremely coveted by everyone, regardless of whether they are sword cultivators or not.

In particular, Xu Ran had once held it in his hand and felt the immense sword intent within it.

Such a huge temptation slipped through one's fingers silently, without any regret, which is truly astonishing.

Such a temperament is truly worthy of being judged by the Nine-Story Tower as the Young God-King.

but.

Xu Ran has the qualities to possess such a mindset.

A young god-king who, at less than two years old, had achieved the Great Perfection of the [Innate Saintly Body], mastered the [Immortal Sword Technique], and possessed various supernatural abilities.

Such an existence is a miracle in itself.

It can be said that once he cultivates to a certain level, every inch of his skin will become a terrifying divine weapon.

Not to mention, it also possesses the incredibly powerful offensive divine ability, the [Immortal Sword Technique].

Such a being remains completely unaffected even without the Silver Iron Sword!
Xu Ran ignored the bald man's praise.

Xu Ran was not surprised at all by the disappearance of the silver iron sword.

After all, this is an iron sword that appeared in a nine-story tower, and it's perfectly normal that it can only be used during trials.

Moreover, this is a swordsmanship trial, and it's perfectly normal for a silver iron sword to be provided for the trial participants.

The next trial will definitely not be a swordsmanship trial again; it's normal that it's gone.

Xu Ran knew this, which is why he didn't show any unusual behavior!

Not long after.

Xu Ran walked slowly through the stone gate.

The moment he stepped through the stone gate, the scene behind him instantly turned into ashes and vanished without a trace, and at the same time, the stone gate closed.

Hearing a "thump," Xu Ran turned around.

I saw.

The stone gate I had just stepped through had transformed into an incredibly solid city wall, perfectly sealed and without a single flaw.

Xu Ran was not surprised by this scenario, as it had happened before.

Immediately, Xu Ran turned around again.

Before me was still that enormous arena.

In the center of the arena, a long spear made of black iron stood upright, its shaft resembling a black dragon coiled around a pillar, its entire body gleaming with a cold, sharp light.

The shaft is spiral-shaped and forged using a unique technique, resulting in a surface covered with dragon scales. Each dragon scale has dark red marks from years of blood seeping through its edges.

The entire iron spear, heavy and unyielding, exudes a fierce aura forged on the battlefield when still, and stirs up a metallic, pungent wind with the slightest movement.

Even Xu Ran, who was completely different from others with this gun, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when he saw it.

"What a gun!"

"That's definitely a good gun!"

At some point, the bald man with bronze skin reappeared beside Xu Ran, his gaze fixed on the iron spear in front of him, his eyes holding an inscrutable meaning.

After a moment, the bald man spoke.

"This time, it's a shooting test!"

As he finished speaking, the bald man's body twitched, his muscles instantly bulging, and at the same time, a red-tasseled spear appeared in his right hand. However, compared to the iron spear not far away, the red-tasseled spear in the bald man's hand was like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

But the bald man didn't care at all.

Xu Ran did the same, his legs planted firmly on the ground, his whole body shooting towards the iron spear like a cannonball, his slender body steadily grabbing the iron spear in mid-air.

"Boom-"

The moment Xu Ran grabbed the iron spear, a tremendous force pulled him down from the air, and his entire body slammed heavily to the ground.

The iron spear, due to gravity, remained firmly planted in the ground.

"What a heavy gun!"

Xu Ran stared at the iron spear with some surprise.

He hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary iron spear would have such a heavy weight.

"This must weigh at least a hundred pounds!"

Having learned his lesson from the beginning, Xu Ran gripped the iron spear a little tighter, holding it firmly in his hand and weighing it in his hand.

For Xu Ran, the hundred-pound iron spear was not a great burden.

However, there was no prior warning, and no prior experience with such a situation, so we were not prepared.

"All other weapons are defeated by a spear, hence it is hailed as the king of all weapons!"

At this time.

The bald man's voice gradually rose, like that of a meticulous guide.

"The spear is long, sharp, and easy to use; it can be used to stab, chop, parry, strike, or throw!"

It can be said that the gun combines the advantages of all weapons; it is an all-around weapon.

At this point, the bald man gripped the red-tasseled spear in his hand tightly.

"However, guns also have their weaknesses."

weight!

The heavier the gun, the stronger its offensive power, and vice versa.

Even though the gun itself is very light, it is far inferior to other weapons.

Say it.

The bald man swung his red-tasseled spear and slammed it to the ground with a loud "boom".

A deep crater suddenly appeared in the ground.

"However, weight, which is both a weakness and an advantage of a gun!"
As long as you can hold it in your hand and smash it hard against the enemy, the weight it carries will be too much for the enemy to handle!
At that time, weaknesses will become insurmountable obstacles for the enemy!

These words.

The bald man is right.

Although weight is a weakness of guns.

However, as long as one can easily hold a very heavy gun in their hand, every swing will unleash terrifying power.

Weaknesses can be turned into strengths at any time.

The hundred-pound iron spear in Xu Ran's hand was an absolute burden that a child under two years old could not lift. Not to mention a two-year-old baby, even some ordinary people could not lift it.

Xu Ran can now hold it in her hand easily without any discomfort.

The bald man showed no surprise at all.

Xu Ran possessed the Great Perfection of the [Innate Saint Body], meaning that even though the spiritual energy in other parts of his body was sealed and unusable, it was still unavailable.

But that's the Great Perfection of the [Innate Saint Body]. If one can't even hold a hundred-pound iron spear, that would be truly laughable!

"In that case, let's begin!"

Say it.

An invisible pressure emanated from the bald man's body and struck Xu Ran.

"Ok?"

Xu Ran sensed the oppressive force and tried to resist, but found it was completely ineffective. His entire body seemed to be frozen in place, unable to make any movement.

"Do not worry!"

The bald man's voice slowly rose.

"You've probably never practiced marksmanship before, right?"

Before Xu Ran could answer, the bald man continued.

"No need to ask, that's definitely it!"

"If you've never even touched a gun, then start by learning the basics!"

After the bald man finished speaking, an invisible current flowed through Xu Ran's body. Even though the situation was paused at this moment, Xu Ran could clearly sense it.

"The first step, riding the dragon stake!"

Finished.

Xu Ran's feet parted on their own, the distance between them was about three shoulder widths, his knees did not extend beyond his toes, his buttocks were as if he were sitting on a stool, his spine was straight, his hands gripped the iron spear, and his shoulders were steady.

At this moment, Xu Ran is practicing a very standard horse stance.

The only difference between him and Ma Bu is that he is holding a hundred-pound iron spear.

The moment this movement occurred, Xu Ran's body suddenly felt an intense soreness.

"What's going on? My physical body?"

The sudden sensation almost caused Xu Ran to lose his balance, but fortunately, he held on. His body only trembled slightly before he quickly recovered.

However, compared to the beginning, large beads of sweat had appeared all over his body, showing just how arduous the task was.

The bald man knew Xu Ran's doubts, so he explained.

"The most basic thing is not marksmanship, but how to hold a gun!"

If you can't even hold a gun properly, how can you learn how to shoot?

If you can't even hold a gun properly, how can you use it skillfully?
First, let your body develop muscle memory so that when you hold a gun, it's this kind of movement!

The bald man squinted, his eyes full of cunning, as if he was very happy to see Xu Ran in his current state.

"In that case, we will definitely seal your Great Perfection [Innate Saint Body], returning your physical body to its most basic form. Only in this way will it be effective!"

This time.

Xu Ran finally understood that the physical strength had disappeared because the power of the Great Perfection [Innate Saint Body] had been sealed.

No wonder he felt soreness in his body.

Only a few words had passed.

tick-
tick-
tick-
tick-
Large beads of sweat dripped from Xu Ran's forehead to the ground. The bald man remained silent, making the arena extremely quiet and his voice seem exceptionally loud!
Not only that, Xu Ran's hands and legs were visibly trembling, as if they had reached their limit, and his standard horse stance was on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

Upon seeing this, the bald man laughed.

"If you can't hold on any longer, you can say so. However, once you say it, everything will have to start all over again. Only when you can hold on for an hour will you be considered qualified in the basics of riding the dragon stake!"

The bald man made no attempt to hide the schadenfreude in his tone, as if it were all retaliation for Xu Ran's earlier attack on him.

but.

Anyone who knows how to use a gun would not accuse the bald man of settling a personal score upon seeing such a scene.

indeed.

Riding the dragon stake is indeed the most basic skill for practicing spear techniques, and it is true that one needs to persist for an hour before proceeding to the next step.

but.

When no one is riding the dragon stake, what they hold in their hands is an iron spear weighing a hundred pounds.

Generally speaking, it's just a piece of wood, with no weight whatsoever!
and.

When ordinary people practice the Dragon Riding Posture, they do not seal their physical strength.

but.

Who among those who learns marksmanship from the very basics will achieve the ultimate [Innate Saintly Body]?

so.

Sealing Xu Ran's physical strength is somewhat justifiable.

If it's not sealed, with the physical strength of a fully-formed [Innate Saint Body], it's no different from drinking water or eating!
(End of this chapter)