The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 183, page 198: Li Yuanji's Challenge! My Xuan Tie Spear!
Given the current situation of the Li Tang dynasty, the emperor certainly couldn't put on too much airs.

Li Yuan accepted everyone's greetings, said a few words with a smile, and then announced the start of the banquet.

Where there is a banquet, there must be dancing.

As the fine wines and delicacies were served one after another, and elegant music began to play, a group of graceful dancers in gorgeous dresses entered the hall to perform for the guests.

Lu Chen had no interest in such dances. While drinking, he chatted casually with Dugu Feng and Li Xiuning, pondering how to challenge Yun Shuai to a duel.

Before we knew it, we had drunk three rounds of wine and eaten five dishes.

After a group of dancers left, Li Yuanji suddenly stood up and said loudly:

"The new dynasty has just been established, and the world is still unsettled. This is the time for warriors to put their skills to good use! I, Yuanji, am unworthy, but I would like to offer my talents to you all to enhance the drinking experience!"

"it is good!"

The confidants under Crown Prince Li Jiancheng cheered.

The Western Turkic delegation had long heard of Li Yuanji's extraordinary bravery and cheered him on. Several warriors from the delegation were eager to try their hand at Li Yuanji's martial arts.

Li Yuan did not object and nodded with a smile.

Everyone originally thought that Li Yuanji wanted to compete with the warriors of the Western Turks to show off his martial skills to the delegation, so as to gain an advantage for the Tang Dynasty in the subsequent alliance negotiations.

But to everyone's surprise, Li Yuanji glanced at Lian Rou, who was smiling at him, then strode confidently to Lu Chen's seat and bowed respectfully.
"I have long admired Young Master Lu's unparalleled martial arts skills. Forgive my presumption, but I humbly request Young Master Lu's guidance!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.

Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng were both taken aback, as were the Tang officials. Yun Shuai, Lian Rou, and other members of the Western Turkic delegation were either quite interested or looked on with anticipation, wanting to see just how much of the legendary invincible Lu Chen was truly as rumored.

When Li Xiuning saw that Li Yuanji had actually challenged Lu Chen, she felt a pang of anxiety and turned to look at Lu Chen with eyes full of apology.

She had the best relationship with Li Shimin, and was also quite close to Li Jiancheng, but her relationship with Li Yuanji was terrible.

Because Li Yuanji was good for nothing except for his bravery—not because he was ugly.

In this world, it doesn't matter if you're ugly; even an ugly man can be very charming.

The problem is that Li Yuanji is not only ugly, but also cruel and tyrannical. In terms of being utterly inhuman, he is quite outstanding.

If she weren't born of the same mother as Li Yuanji, Li Xiuning's disgust would probably be quite evident.

However, Lu Chen welcomed Li Yuanji's challenge.

He was just figuring out how to retrieve his Spear of the Horse, when Li Yuanji delivered it to him of his own accord.

He didn't get up, but remained seated at the table, and calmly said:

"I have long heard that Prince Qi is brave and his martial arts skills are among the best in the Li clan. He should be a worthy opponent. However, a martial arts contest in front of the emperor would only be interesting if there were prizes involved."

"The prize?" Li Yuanji asked proudly. "What does Young Master Lu want to bet on?"

Lu Chen smiled slightly:
"I've heard that the King of Qi possesses a spear called the 'Horse-Splitting Spear,' forged from black iron and weighing one hundred and twenty catties. Would the King of Qi be willing to wager this spear?"

Bet on my Spear of the Horse?

Li Yuanji hesitated for a moment.

Given his wealth, he certainly possessed more than one weapon.

But the Split Horse Spear was his favorite weapon, and its weight was perfect for his natural strength.

The other spears seemed a bit too light; what if we lost the bet...?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Lian Rou again, and saw that Lian Rou seemed to be nodding slightly to him, with a hint of encouragement and expectation in her eyes. Suddenly, a surge of heroic spirit welled up in him, and he laughed loudly:
"Very well, I'll wager the Spear of the Horse! I wonder what prize Young Master Lu has in store?"

Lu Chen said leisurely:
"What about the He Shi Bi? If the King of Qi can defeat Lu Yi in one or two moves, the He Shi Bi will belong to the Tang Dynasty."

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was shocked.

Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng were both surprised and delighted.

Li Yuan managed to remain composed, though his hand trembled slightly, spilling half a cup of wine. Li Jiancheng, on the other hand, stood up excitedly, almost unable to resist accepting the wine for Li Yuanji.

Li Yuanji was also overjoyed.

If he could defeat Lu Chen and win the He Shi Bi jade for the Tang Dynasty, wouldn't that be an unparalleled achievement?
Relying on this extraordinary achievement, in the future...

As for why Lu Chen would use the He Shi Bi to gamble on the Xuan Tie Lie Ma Spear, which was not even worthy of being compared to the He Shi Bi, Li Yuanji, in his excitement, didn't even think about it.

Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, and others had considered this, but they couldn't help but harbor a sliver of hope.

Lu Chen is renowned, but what if he does?
Li Yuanji is also a top expert of the Li clan. What if he is in exceptionally good condition and wins by a move or two?

Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng were filled with anticipation.

Li Yuanji suppressed the stirrings in his heart and nodded firmly:

"A word is settled!"

The legend of the sinking is indeed terrifying.

However, Li Yuanji was young and impetuous, and confident in his martial arts skills, so he did not believe that he had no chance.

Otherwise, why would he have taken the initiative to step forward and challenge?
He didn't believe in the legendary 1,200-pound "Five Thunder Hammer," nor did he believe that Lu Chen was truly invulnerable to swords and spears.

Even if Lu Chen truly possessed a powerful and domineering martial art, Li Yuanji did not believe that Lu Chen could withstand his 120-pound Xuan Tie Lie Ma Spear.

Xuan Tie weapons are the nemesis of protective true qi and hard body techniques!

This is the foundation of a top-tier aristocratic family. Even Li Mi's impoverished noble family didn't have such good weapons!
Once the bet was made, palace maids and eunuchs came to help move the tables and clear the area.

Soon, a large area in the center of the Liangyi Hall was cleared out.

"Bring me my Horse-Splitting Spear!"

Li Yuanji, full of vigor, shouted, and two warriors entered the hall carrying a seven-foot-seven-inch-long, dark, dull spear.

Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back, not saying that he wanted to take any weapon.

Seeing this, Li Xiuning whispered to Dugu Feng:

"Brother Lu, do you not use a sword?"

The battle at Manqing Courtyard, in which Lu Chen unleashed sword energy against Qu Ao, was witnessed by many. Li Shimin and the experts from Tian Ce Mansion were also present and witnessed that scene.

Therefore, Li Xiuning also knew that Lu Chen was skilled in using sword energy.

But Qu Ao was also unarmed at the time, so unarmed versus unarmed was naturally no problem.

Even the night of the battle to seize the He Shi Bi jade, when he fought against Empress Yin and Qu Ao, both sides were unarmed.

But now Li Yuanji is using a weapon, and a long spear made of black iron, while Lu Chen is bare-handed. Isn't that too much of a risk?

Dugu Feng chuckled softly:
"He has a sword."

He glanced at Li Xiuning again, and said with a half-smile:
"Xiuning, wouldn't it be better for the Tang Dynasty if Brother Lu lost? You seem to be on the wrong side and concerned about the wrong person!"

Li Xiuning was taken aback, and then she realized what was going on:

Yes, Lu Chen gambled with the He Shi Bi jade. If he lost, the jade would belong to the Tang Dynasty. From her perspective, she should be hoping Lu Chen lost...

On the other side, the Turkic delegation.

Seeing that Lu Chen hadn't taken out a weapon, and there was no way to tell where he was hiding a sword, Lian Rou couldn't help but ask Commander Yun curiously:
"Father, although it is rumored that Lu Chen is skilled in sword energy, isn't it a bit too arrogant to fight the Xuan Tie Spear with his bare hands?"

Yun Shuai shook his head:
“Even I don’t understand… But when martial arts reach a certain level, it’s not uncommon for someone to fight bare-handed against weapons. Take Ning Daoqi, the Grandmaster of the Central Plains, for example. Even without weapons, he can still stand shoulder to shoulder with Bi Xuan, the Martial Venerable who wields a spear, and Fu Cailin, the Sword Master who uses a sword. With Ning Daoqi’s martial arts skills, he could also fight the other two Grandmasters to a standstill with their weapons.” Lian Rou said in surprise:
"Does Father mean that Lu Chen's martial arts skills are already comparable to those of a Grandmaster?"

Yun Shuai shook his head again:

"I don't know. According to rumors, his lethality on the battlefield is already stronger than that of a Grandmaster. But his record against top experts below the Grandmaster level, such as Empress Yin Zhu Yuyan, doesn't seem to be at the Grandmaster level... Lu Chen's martial arts seem a bit strange. Let's observe carefully and see what's going on with Lu Chen's martial arts."

At this moment, Li Yuanji had already gripped the spear with one hand, effortlessly taking the 120-pound black iron spear in his grasp.

"Does Young Master Lu not use weapons?"

He looked at Lu Chen and asked.

Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:
"I'm used to fighting empty-handed. King Qi, please don't stand on ceremony and make your move."

Li Yuanji chuckled:
"Then Yuanji won't stand on ceremony!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he twisted his spear sharply, causing the Spear of the Rending Horse to spin rapidly. True energy erupted from the spear shaft, stirring the air and producing a thunderous roar. Its momentum was like a roaring, angry dragon, which crashed down on the ground with ferocious force.

Feeling the power of Li Yuanji's spear, even Commander Yun couldn't help but be slightly taken aback:

"Rumors have it that Prince Qi's martial arts skills are second only to the Li clan's best, and today it seems those rumors are true!"

Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng stared wide-eyed, clenched their fists, their hearts filled with anticipation.

It must be said that Li Yuanji's shot was indeed quite something.

Judging by the sheer force of the shot, one might assume it was a fierce and violent attack, relying on brute force to overpower the opponent.

However, Lu Chen immediately saw through Li Yuanji's move, realizing that it was not simply a matter of brute force or violence.

The spear appeared to be striking straight at him, but in reality, it was spinning and constantly adjusting its trajectory. The spearhead drew an extremely mysterious and subtle arc, making his black iron spear seem like a wild dragon that could rise and hide at will, changing freely.

If one fails to grasp this point and truly treats Li Yuanji's spear thrust as a straightforward, forceful attack, attempting to block or dodge it, the consequences will be quite dire.

Unfortunately, although Li Yuanji's spear was powerful, a rare and deadly strike, and even Yun Shuai's martial arts were astonishing, it still fell short of Lu Chen's level.

Facing Li Yuanji's powerful strike, which roared like an angry dragon and contained subtle and unpredictable variations, they were met with fierce resistance.

Lu Chen suddenly raised his right hand, forming a sword shape with his fingers, and thrust it out.

At first glance, it was just an ordinary sword gesture.

Only those masters whose martial arts skills reached the level of Dugu Feng and Yun Shuai could see how profound Lu Chen's sword finger strike was.

It was as if a sword had flown in from the heavens.

The moment the sword was drawn, it completely sealed off all possible variations of Li Yuanji's attack, forcing all of Li Yuanji's subsequent subtle changes to be restrained and unified.

The roaring dragon formed from the black iron spear lost its ability to rise and hide freely and maneuver, and could only exert all its strength to crash headlong into the sword finger.

clang--

The fleshy finger collided with the tip of the black iron spear, producing a deafening sound like the striking of a bell.

Then, with another loud boom, the shockwave exploded, and Li Yuanji's face turned red. He slid backward, his feet touching the ground, until he was about ten feet away. Then, he slammed his Spear into the ground, piercing through the earth to steady himself.

Looking at Lu Chen again, his body remained motionless, only his robes were billowing backward from the churning air currents, making a rustling sound.

His sword finger, which withstood the attack of the black iron spear, showed no signs of damage whatsoever, not even a single red mark.

Lu Chen's arms were already well-trained, possessing the strength to turn copper into mud, and were also indestructible, impervious to divine weapons.

Even though the Spear of the Rending Horse is made of black iron and is most adept at breaking through protective true qi and hard skills, Li Yuanji's skill level was not enough to harm Lu Chen!

"Is it truly indestructible?"

Li Yuanji's pupils dilated sharply.

Yun Shuai was also taken aback, feeling the same shock as Li Yuanji. It was normal for martial arts masters to fight bare-handed with weapons, but when facing an opponent of the same level, or even one or two levels weaker, they had to avoid their sharp edge.

When facing swords, one can either use body movements to avoid the blades or strike the sides of the swords with fists or palms.

When facing spears, avoid the sharp edge and strike the blunt part of the spearhead.

Who else could withstand the sharpest and most powerful spear tip with just their fingertips like Lu Chen?
Even if you're going to fight back, shouldn't you release your true energy outwards and use it to collide from a distance to block the weapon?

So, is Lu Chen truly as indestructible as rumored?

this moment.

Many guests who were initially skeptical of the rumors about Lu Chen's "indestructibility" finally confirmed the truth of the rumors.

Lu Chen is truly indestructible; he can even withstand the sharpness of a black iron weapon!
The guests were stunned.

Li Yuanji let out a long, unwilling roar, gripped the spear shaft with both hands, and suddenly shook the spear. With a loud bang, the force of the energy exploded, and the Spear Spear seemed to burst open, creating countless spear shadows that surged towards Lu Chen like a tidal wave.

Lu Chen felt that in terms of spear skills alone, Li Yuanji was still superior to Li Mi. Li Mi's specialty was "Earthly Fiend Fist". Although his spear techniques were strong, they were not his specialty. Compared to Li Yuanji, he was truly inferior.

Faced with such marksmanship, Lu Chen couldn't help but want to watch and study it for a while longer.

Since spear techniques can also be incorporated into sword moves, Li Yuanji's previous peak spear strike, as well as his current overwhelming attack, both have many merits.

Furthermore, since Lu Chen wants to take back his Spear of the Cracked Horse, he naturally needs to learn spear techniques so that he can use them to ride a horse and sweep away thousands of troops in the future.

At that moment, he stepped on the mysterious and unpredictable sword shadow steps, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, to meet the sky full of spear shadows. At the same time, a three-foot-long sword of energy bloomed from his fingertips, and he launched a counterattack against Li Yuanji like a needle against a wheat awn.

His Qi sword can now be both hard and soft. Originally as straight as a real sword, it can now bend and twist like a soft sword, or even whip and entwine like a soft whip. His sword moves are more varied and unpredictable.

Li Yuanji used all his skills, his spear sometimes as fierce as a tidal wave, sometimes as graceful as a dragon emerging from the water, sometimes sweeping across a thousand troops with the force of a collapsing mountain, and sometimes the spear shadows were continuous, like a torrent.

His superb marksmanship dazzled and amazed all the guests in the hall, who were filled with admiration.

However, what amazed them even more was Lu Chen's swordsmanship.

No matter how fierce Li Yuanji's attacks were or how varied his spear techniques were, Lu Chen could always move calmly among the crisscrossing spear shadows, like a shadow that came and went without a trace, or a god who walked without boundaries.

Such lightness skill even made Yun Shuai's eyes light up with wonder, and Lian Rou was even more amazed.

Lu Chen did not simply rely on his lightness skill to dodge; he also casually wielded his invisible sword energy, using various imaginative and unpredictable techniques to either dismantle Li Yuanji's moves or seal off his variations. With a casual counterattack, he could keep Li Yuanji busy and flustered.

Before they knew it, the two had exchanged over a hundred blows.

With Lu Chen's current cultivation level, a hundred moves would be enough for him to see through Li Yuanji's spear technique.

After a hundred moves, Lu Chen suddenly flicked his finger, and a sword aura shot out.

The sword energy locked onto Li Yuanji's aura, drawing an arc as it slashed towards Li Yuanji's flank.

Li Yuanji suddenly swung his spear, the spear's momentum resembling a dragon's tail, attempting to shatter the sword energy.

Unexpectedly, the sword energy exploded upon contact with the Spear of Rending Horse. A violent force, like that of a volcanic eruption, traveled along the spear shaft to Li Yuanji's hands, causing his arms to tremble violently, his true energy to boil, and his fingers and palms to ache unbearably. His ten fingers involuntarily loosened, and the Spear of Rending Horse flew out.

Lu Chen raised his hand and grabbed the Xuan Tie Spear, which transformed into an invisible hand, pulling it towards him.

Snapped!
Lu Chen gripped the gun barrel and nodded slightly to Li Yuanji, whose face was ashen.

"Concession."

After saying this, he picked up his spear and returned to his seat.

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(End of this chapter)