Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 182: Sparring

The next morning.

Chen Ping left Xuanzi No. 6 and headed towards Qin Ya's courtyard.

Qin Ya's courtyard was twice the size of the inner courtyard's martial arts arena. The gate was open, and muffled sounds of clashing qi and shouts could be heard from inside.

Chen Ping walked to the door and glanced inside.

On the training ground, seven or eight students were practicing their skills.

Some people are practicing boxing, some are practicing with guns, and some are sparring.

Chen Ping's Water Observation Technique operated on its own, scanning through the area. He found that the internal energy of several people had reached more than twenty, and their blood and qi were abundant. Although they were still some distance from the threshold of Yuan Gang, their foundation was already very solid.

Qin Ya stood at the edge of the training ground, his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping back and forth among the students, occasionally offering a word of advice.

"Liu Qiang, in the third move of your Wave-Breaking Saber Technique, your waist and hips didn't twist properly at the moment of striking; all the power was stuck in your shoulder joint. Try again!"

"Zhao Ning, your Qi condensation speed has slowed down. Have you been slacking off lately?"

Chen Ping strode into the courtyard. The students in the training ground all stopped what they were doing and their eyes fell on him.

A young man practicing shooting sized Chen Ping up and down, then whispered to his companion wiping sweat beside him, "This guy... is that Chen Ping who's been making headlines lately?"

The person next to him nodded, his eyes filled with a complex expression: "Yes, we are all students of the outer academy, yet we are still struggling to cultivate our inner energy, while they have already left us far behind."

Hearing the noise, Qin Ya turned around and looked at Chen Ping.

His gaze lingered on Chen Ping for a couple of moments, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he had noticed something different.

"Good lad, another breakthrough?"

Chen Ping stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and replied calmly, "Reporting to the instructor, I have made some progress in physical training."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ya laughed heartily twice.

He turned and waved to the students in the courtyard who were eavesdropping: "You bunch of brats, keep practicing, don't stop!"

He pointed at the young man practicing his sword: "Liu Qiang, your beginner-level swordsmanship is almost perfect. Go to the armory this afternoon and get a superior swordsmanship manual to practice. Don't waste any more time on this rudimentary stuff."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qiang's face lit up with joy, and he quickly cupped his hands in response.

After making the arrangements, Qin Ya turned around, put his arm around Chen Ping's shoulder, and led him into the inner room at the back. As soon as they entered the inner room, Qin Ya reached out and lifted up Chen Ping's sleeve.

Beneath her fair, jade-like skin, a faint golden light seemed to flow.

Qin Ya stared at him for a few moments, then tapped Chen Ping's forearm with his finger.

clang.

A very short, sharp metallic sound.

Qin Ya's gaze changed.

"Golden Skin?"

He looked up at Chen Ping, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Among all those physical mutations, this golden skin is considered quite good."

He loosened Chen Ping's sleeve, took a step back, and looked him up and down.

"Your physical foundation is really solid, kid. It's quite rare that you were able to undergo such a transformation on your own."

Qin Ya walked to the table, took a cup of tea and handed it to Chen Ping, then took one for himself and sat down. Chen Ping sat down opposite him and took a sip of tea.

Qin Ya wasn't in a hurry. He slowly sipped his tea and chatted about his recent situation.

"Now, among you first-class disciples, the fastest have already entered the Yuan Gang realm, and the slowest have at least touched the threshold."

He put down his teacup.

"Fu Ci reached his limit a few days ago, and he should be breaking through it now."

Chen Ping nodded: "He's quite fast at condensing his internal energy."

Qin Ya looked at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly: "He is indeed fast, but compared to you, he seems a bit lacking. He is working hard to improve."

Chen Ping didn't reply, took a sip of tea, and put it down.

"Instructor Qin, my weapon has been forged and delivered to the Inner Court's Treasure Refining Hall. I brought it here today specifically to have you take a look."

He reached to his waist, loosened the opening of the sniper bag, and the hilt of the sword emerged. Chen Ping gripped it and pulled it out, drawing the 600-pound black horse-slaying sword intact from the palm-sized opening of the bag. The tip of the sword touched the ground and stood upright beside him.

Qin Ya's gaze fell on the knife, and he paused slightly.

The blade was jet black, seven and a half feet long, with an extremely thick back and several shallow grooves along the edge. It was devoid of any decoration, its lines simple and sharp. Chen Ping presented the blade horizontally with both hands.

Qin Ya reached out and took it, his wrist twitching slightly before he firmly grasped it.

Six hundred catties.

He stood up, ran one hand along the blade, from the base to the tip, his fingertip pausing on the grooves, then feeling the thickness of the back of the blade and the weight ring.

"A fine knife."

Qin Ya gave a heartfelt exclamation.

He flipped the blade over, checked the sharpness of the edge, and then infused his internal energy into the blade to test the material's compatibility.

After the test was completed, he nodded heavily, his eyes filled with amazement.

"What a fine knife."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping cupped his hands and said, "Instructor Qin, regarding the quota for the Treasure Refining Hall..."

Qin Ya waved his hand before he could finish speaking.

"No need to say more." He handed the cleaver back to Chen Ping, his tone indifferent.

"This knife was custom-made for you. I can't use it, so you can keep it safe."

He looked at Chen Ping.

"This knife will not be wasted if it is in your hands."

Chen Ping gripped the knife, remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I will remember this kindness."

Qin Ya patted him on the shoulder, sat down again, and picked up his teacup.

"Alright, stop with the fluff."

He took a sip of tea, looked at Chen Ping, and his tone became slightly more subdued.

"However, you haven't just been focusing on physical training these days, have you? Yuan Gang martial artists still need to focus on honing their internal energy. While physical changes are a good thing, neglecting to hone one's internal energy is putting the cart before the horse."

He put down his teacup.

"You've been in seclusion for so long, just how refined has your inner energy become? Draw your sword and show it to me right here."

Chen Ping looked around. The inner room was no more than two zhang square, furnished with tables, chairs, and tea sets, leaving little room to move around. He smiled helplessly and suggested, "Instructor, the space here is really cramped. How about we go to the training ground outside and spar a bit?"

Qin Ya decisively shook his head and refused outright.

"No need. With the outer academy competition approaching, countless people outside are trying to find out your current strength. If you show it off outside and someone with ulterior motives sees it, it won't be good."

As he spoke, he put down his teacup.

The moment the bottom of the cup touched the table, a scroll silently unfolded behind Qin Ya.

The ink-colored landscape overflowed from the scroll, flowing over the ground, over the walls, and over the ceiling, as if someone had poured a pot of ink into the entire room.

Chen Ping blinked.

The inner room disappeared.

He and Qin Ya sat amidst a landscape of mountains and rivers.

The ground beneath our feet is a flat area paved with bluestone, spanning hundreds of feet in circumference. Surrounding us are undulating mountains, and in the distance, a waterfall cascades down from a high cliff, splashing up white mist.

The sky was an ink-black color, without the sun, but with plenty of light, as if it were forever frozen in that moment before dusk.

The air was damp and smelled of grass and trees, but there was no wind. Chen Ping stood up and looked around.

The stone slabs underfoot are solid, and you can feel them when you step on them.

The distant mountains and water were real, and the sound of the waterfall could be clearly heard.

But he could sense that all of this was "drawn" within a boundary.

Beyond a radius of a hundred feet, the outlines of the mountains and rivers become blurred, like blank spaces left unpainted by the brush.

Qin Ya held his teacup, still looking as relaxed as ever.

"This is one of my supernatural powers: landscapes within a pot."

He raised his hand and pointed around.

"The world within the painting is a hundred feet in circumference, capable of both offense and defense, and its aura remains undiminished. You can fight however you want inside, and no one outside will be able to detect it."

Looking at this landscape, Chen Ping felt a surge of excitement.

For several months, he had been in seclusion cultivating, and even he himself did not know how strong he really was.

Qin Ya stood up and scattered the remaining tea from his teacup into the distance. The tea water landed on the flat bluestone, shimmering and swirling as it gathered, expanded, and condensed on the stone surface.

A human figure slowly rose from the shimmering water.

Its entire body is light blue, its facial features are blurred, and its body shape is indistinguishable from that of a real person.

In its right hand it held a large spear, the shaft of which was also formed of water, with the tip shimmering with water.

Qin Ya said, "This water creature has the strength of my second level of Yuan Gang cultivation, but its only martial art is the Chongyue Spear."

He looked at Chen Ping and smiled.

"You can give it your all and experience it for yourself."

Chen Ping looked at the water figure standing in the distance with a gun and bowed to Qin Ya.

"Thank you for your guidance, instructor."

The moment the words left his mouth, the water figure moved.

Extremely fast.

A figure in water-colored robes left a trail of afterimages on the flat bluestone, the spear in its hand leaving a trail of water droplets in the air, its tip pointing directly at Chen Ping's chest. Chen Ping reacted with lightning speed, his black horse-slaying saber already in hand.

The water elemental rushed forward, raising its large spear high.

A pressure as heavy as a mountain suddenly descended.

Chen Ping's brain was momentarily dazed by the pressure.

It felt like a mountain had fallen from the sky and pressed down on his shoulders, making his thoughts slow down.

The true meaning of Chongyue.

But he quickly realized what was happening, and golden lines lit up all over his body as he tightened every muscle with his power, which flowed through his body.

Let's try a pure contest of internal energy first.

Chen Ping did not use the true meaning of the Tide Abyss. Instead, he poured golden-red qi into the blade and slashed out with a fierce strike.

hum!

The air seemed to whistle as the 600-pound craftsman's weapon, glowing with a golden-red light, collided with the aquamarine spear.

Boom! The instant their energies clashed, Chen Ping was jolted back three steps. A violent tingling sensation came from the mouth of his hand, and a trickle of blood seeped from the crack.

Qin Ya's eyes flickered slightly.

This water creature of his is a creation of supernatural powers, and he even used the true meaning of Chongyue.

Chen Ping didn't use his true power, yet he withstood it and only took three steps back.

Chen Ping felt the force coming from the water-colored spear, gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, and blood was squeezed out from his tiger's mouth, flowing down the hilt.

The second-stage Qi was much thicker than his.

The attack failed, and the Water Spirit continued its offensive relentlessly.

The water-man retracted his spear, then thrust it in again with tremendous force.

The action is simple and straightforward; it's just a regular punch.

But this spear thrust was more powerful and heavier, and the qi at the spear tip was even thicker. When it collided with Chen Ping's golden-red qi, it seemed to crush him.

Although his golden-red aura was suppressed, the sharpness of the metal element and the scorching heat of the fire element could still hold out for a moment.

Chen Ping's eyes flashed. The difference in cultivation level meant the water elemental's aura was thicker, more abundant, and stronger.

He changed his mind.

The true meaning of the tide is revealed.

A dark vortex appeared on the blade, densely packed and slowly rotating.

Chen Ping faced the Water Man's large spear, and their swords and spears clashed.

With each collision, the protective energy attached to the Water Spear was torn off by the vortex on the blade and swallowed into the abyss.

Chen Ping felt the qi within the vortex growing stronger and stronger.

The water spirit thrust seven times in succession, each thrust carrying the true meaning of a towering mountain, each thrust like a mountain crashing down.

But the energy of each spear thrust was torn away a layer the moment it touched the horse-slaying sword.

After seven shots, the protective aura on the Water Man Spear had thinned considerably.

Chen Ping seized an opportunity.

A surge of energy erupted. With a sudden, powerful slash, a sea of ​​golden-red aura poured forth, containing countless fine blade energies that surged overwhelmingly towards the water elemental.

The instant the ocean of qi engulfed the water-man, the protective qi on the water-man's body was cut open by countless blades of qi, and several deep cracks appeared on the water-colored body, from which water seeped out.

Qin Ya nodded: "Not bad, the essence is solid, very strong."

He paused.

"But what about the application of internal energy?"

The water spirit's wounds healed rapidly in the shimmering water, returning it to its original state.

It stood up with its gun at the back, and the large gun slowly touched the air.

The next moment, hundreds of powerful spears of qi materialized out of thin air behind the water elemental.

The spearheads all pointed downwards, and water shimmered on the spear shafts.

With a soft sound, hundreds of powerful spears, imbued with qi, rained down upon the land.

Chen Ping touched the ground with the tip of his knife and took a step forward.

Twelve golden-red dragons roared forth from behind him, their bodies as thick as water vats, their golden scales adorned with dark red flame patterns. Their heads were raised, their four claws outstretched, and their mouths wide open. Qin Ya's pupils constricted slightly upon seeing this.

The powerful energy transformed into a dragon.

The third level of the Dragon Python True Qi.

He stared intently at the dragon's body, muttering to himself, "The scales are realistic, the muscle texture is clear, and there are no dragon tendons or bones."

He then looked at the dragon's mouth.

"Breathes fire?"

As if in response to him, the twelve golden-red dragons opened their mouths simultaneously, and a glint of light appeared deep in their throats.

Twelve flames, each the size of a fist, spewed from the dragon's mouth, drifting and gathering together to form a thin cloud of fire.

Huoyun met the hundreds of falling qi spears head-on.

The flames and the qi-infused spear collided, hissing and crackling. The fiery cloud contracted continuously under the impact of the qi, shrinking for more than ten breaths before finally giving way and being broken through.

However, the hundreds of qi spears had become much thinner after being blocked by the fiery clouds.

Twelve golden-red dragons charged forward, their claws waving, their tails sweeping, and their mouths clamping shut. Each strike of their golden claws could shatter two or three powerful spears wielded by qi, and their sweeping tails could send a swarm flying.

In just a few breaths, Chen Ping had cut down all the remaining Qi spears.

Qin Ya looked at the tall figure surrounded by dragons in the distance and smiled slightly.

"You can now be considered invincible among those of the same level."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his voice became calm.

"but."

"If you think that this level of ability is enough to make you feel secure in the competition, then you are far from satisfied."

Chen Ping retrieved the dragon and looked at Qin Ya.

Qin Ya casually placed the empty teacup in mid-air beside him, and the teacup floated steadily there.

"Your handling of the situation just now was indeed brilliant. Those ordinary scions of noble families, or those wandering martial arts practitioners who live on the edge, would naturally be no match for you now."

"But don't forget. In this foreign affairs competition, you'll be facing not just any 'ordinary enemies' that you can fight head-on with scheming and resources."

He looked at Chen Ping, his gaze darkening. "If it were the other side, they wouldn't bother talking about their profound internal energy or exquisite martial arts."

"What if the other party is a naturally gifted individual with supernatural abilities?"

The moment the words left his mouth.

The water creature moved.

A stream of water swirled around the spear. The stream was extremely thin, but Chen Ping could sense the power contained within it, which was completely different from the previous Chongyue True Meaning.

Purer, sharper, like a needle.

A spear thrust out.

The twelve dragons pounced forward.

The moment the first dragon's claw touched the tip of the spear, the water at the tip exploded, and a very thin beam of light shot out from the tip, piercing through the first dragon's body.

The second dragon followed closely behind, its mouth open as if trying to bite the gun barrel.

The light shifted, piercing through the body of the first dragon and then through the second dragon.

Each of the two dragons now had a large hole running through its body, from front to back. Golden-red qi overflowed from the holes, and the dragons trembled violently. Although the qi hadn't dissipated, it would take time to repair itself. Chen Ping's gaze darkened slightly.

That shot was too sharp.

The powerful dragon couldn't withstand a single blow.

He retracted the dragon, gripped his sword tightly, and looked at the water creature opposite him.

Qin Ya spoke, his voice calm.

"Those born with supernatural powers naturally possess the rudiments of supernatural abilities within their bodies, and upon reaching the first level of refinement, they can borrow a trace of the power of those supernatural abilities."

He pointed to the large spear in the waterman's hand.

"This spear contains a divine power that I haven't fully mastered yet, called Breaking Army, which is used to simulate a trace of the power that those geniuses borrowed. It's about right."

Chen Ping put the knife into his weapon bag.

He knew what Qin Ya wanted him to see.

Being invincible among those of the same level is not enough.

Some of the opponents in the competition were born with supernatural abilities. Qin Ya narrowed his eyes, looking at Chen Ping.

The boy sensed this power, yet surprisingly showed little panic.

Qin Ya nodded silently to himself.

This temperament is even more precious and rare than his physical talent.

in fact.

There was something he deliberately withheld during his explanation, and didn't tell Chen Ping everything.

Although the innate supernatural powers in this world are powerful, they are also divided into different levels and categories, high and low, noble and base.

The "Broken Army" divine power he just used to simulate.

Within this vast system of supernatural powers, it can be considered a mid-to-high-level supernatural power that governs killing and warfare.

Even though Qin Ya has not yet fully grasped it.

But it was only by relying on the foundation of the second level of cultivation that the power of the "Breaking Army" attack was forcibly simulated.

It is definitely not as simple as just a "mere trace of power". If an ordinary second-level cultivator were to overestimate their abilities and try to take it head-on, they would either die or be crippled.

But the reason he downplayed its power was...

It was all to deliberately exaggerate the terrifying power of the supernatural abilities, and to give this kid a good dose of reality.

It was a good opportunity to suppress the arrogance and conceit that had arisen from his smooth sailing and rapid advancement over the past few months.

To prevent this exceptional talent from becoming arrogant and complacent before reaching the summit, ultimately succumbing to underestimating his opponent.

The purpose of the tapping has been achieved.

Qin Ya put down his teacup, his voice deepening.

"Wang Zhaoyao of the Wang family is a born supernatural being."

He looked at Chen Ping with piercing eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Your only opponent in this competition is him. You don't need to worry about his cultivation level; he should be slower than you at the moment."

He paused.

"It is this innate supernatural power. He possesses the supernatural power of the Wang family ancestor, the Calamity Sun. If the supernatural power is complete, it can be like the sun hanging high in the sky, burning everything." His speech slowed down, and each word was spoken with great emphasis.

"Moreover, what he cultivates should be the Yuan Gang ultimate technique 'Great Sun Illumination Scripture' created by their ancestor, which can maximize the power of the calamity sun divine power."

Qin Ya looked at Chen Ping.

"Today I'm going to lay everything out in detail and show it to you."

"Kid, have you remembered all of this?"

Chen Ping nodded and cupped his hands, saying, "I will never forget the guidance and instruction you provided today, Instructor."

Qin Ya picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The scroll was closed.

The mountains and rivers receded, the waterfalls disappeared, and the bluestone beneath our feet vanished inch by inch.

The next moment, the two sat down in the inner room again.

The tea on the table was still steaming, as if nothing had happened.

Chen Ping nodded, stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and stepped out the door.