Chapter 163: The Ultimate Attack—Thunderous Flaming Cauldron, Extreme Martial King, The Seventh Metr

Chapter 163: The Ultimate Attack—Thunderous Flaming Cauldron, Extreme Martial King, The Seventh Metropolitan Area (4K)



【Coiling Dragon Wishful Power Lv.8 (2426/11,000)】

Xue Heng blinked in surprise as he witnessed the transformation of the Coiling Dragon Power.

This wasn't the first time he had encountered the 'Specialization' phenomenon with his skill panel.

The first time was when he defeated the cockroach monster at the Rui Zhu Hotel, and [Channel Energy] specialized into [Coiling Dragon Power].

The second time was after using [GOD-508·Hundred Feet Pole], and [Visualization] specialized into [True Visualization].

These two specialized skills were more powerful than ordinary skills, and they required significantly more experience points to upgrade.

And now, the already specialized [Coiling Dragon Power] was undergoing specialization once again...

Xue Heng checked the experience points required to upgrade the newly evolved [Coiling Dragon Wishful Power] and found that it remained unchanged at 11,000.

"It seems that specialized skills, like regular skills and divine skills, require a fixed amount of experience points to upgrade."

He mused.

"Now, let's test out the changes..."

Xue Heng took a deep breath and began to circulate his energy.

This time, his body seemed to undergo a strange transformation, and the feeling of energy generation was completely different from before.

A true dragon emerged within him, no longer embodying the balance of yin and yang, hardness and softness. Instead, as soon as it appeared, its body was composed of pure hardness.

There was no need for him to extract the soft energy at all.

"This is..." Xue Heng was astonished.

With a thought, he disintegrated the 'extremely hard true dragon' within him and started circulating his energy again.

The true dragon reappeared, but this time, instead of the hardness from before, it felt like a cotton ball soaked in water—soft and relaxed.

The newly born true dragon wandered freely within Xue Heng's body, moving silently and leaving only a faint, barely perceptible sensation of gentleness in its wake, like a gentle breeze or a flowing stream.

This was 'pure softness', a true dragon composed entirely of soft energy!

"Coiling Dragon Wishful Power... The generated energy can be completely controlled at will, becoming hard or soft as desired."

Xue Heng jumped down from Flametongue Dragon's head and picked up a stone from the ground, his enhanced vision easily locking onto a small deer-like creature several kilometers away on the plain.

Or, to be more precise, a creature resembling a small deer native to the borderlands.

The extremely soft true dragon flowed silently into his right arm, and Xue Heng assumed a throwing posture, hurling the stone at the small deer kilometers away.

The stone sped toward the deer at a rapid pace, but strangely, it made no sound as it cut through the air.

Before the deer could even realize what was happening, the stone struck it.

Something peculiar happened.

As if defying the laws of physics, the stone stopped immediately upon impact and gently fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, the small deer was sent flying as if it had been hit by a speeding truck, hurtling dozens of meters away before landing gently on the ground, surprisingly unharmed.

It was only after landing that the deer seemed to realize it had been knocked flying, and it immediately fled in fear.

"Pure softness at the extreme doesn't cause any harm," Xue Heng murmured.

"However... Everything in the world follows the principle of extremes meeting. Just as the concept of the Diamond Wishful Hand states, 'extreme hardness begets softness, and ultimate hardness becomes ultimate softness'. The reverse is also true."

"Extreme softness begets hardness, and ultimate softness can also transform into ultimate hardness... It depends on how I develop it."

He clenched his fist, his eyes shining with excitement:

"I didn't expect to receive such a boost right before the battle with the pure-blood dragon species!

"The Diamond Wishful Hand relies on the special body tempered by the hard work of its own sect to instantly generate pure hard energy."

"But [Coiling Dragon Wishful Power] not only possesses the effect of the Diamond Wishful Hand, but it also surpasses it. It can generate not only pure hard energy but also pure soft energy. Now that's what I call 'wishful'!

"Well done, Aban! You've truly outdone yourself!"

Xue Heng took a deep breath, and with a drumroll of dragon roars, he generated an extremely hard true dragon.

Then, he crushed it and reshaped it at will, simultaneously unleashing the Whirling Starfire and Cyclone Thunder techniques.

His blood boiled and his muscles compressed in a spiral pattern as he gazed at his clenched right fist, deep in thought:

"Pure hard energy itself is far more destructive than ordinary energy. Using pure hardness to simultaneously perform these two Coiling Dragon Style ultimate attacks will result in unimaginable power.

"This move needs a new name."

Xueheng thought for a moment, then murmured, "Hmm... Shaking Starfire and Whirling Thunder combined. Let's call it... 'Ultimate Attack—Thunderous Flaming Cauldron'."

Shaking Starfire was a defense-breaking technique that channeled force into an opponent's body, while Whirling Thunder was a pure burst technique.

The combination of these two moves resulted in channeling force into an opponent's body, causing a massive internal explosion...

Xueheng recalled the effect of this attack in his consciousness space, where the Flaming Roar Dragon's head had swelled up like boiling water.

Shaking Starfire, Whirling Thunder, one thunderous and one fiery, both related to burning and boiling. Naming the move 'Thunderous Flaming Cauldron' was incredibly fitting.

Xueheng turned and threw a punch at the Flaming Roar Dragon's corpse.

His fist made contact with the dragon's already battered head, and for a moment, nothing happened.

Then, after a few seconds, bumps began to appear on its surface, growing larger and more numerous...

"Boom—!!!"

The dragon's entire head exploded, spraying bones and flesh over a dozen meters in every direction, creating a hellish scene of blood and gore.

"Are you bored?" The figure in the mirror asked, sounding exasperated.

Xueheng smiled. "I just realized something new and couldn't help but test it out."

A layer of dragon-shaped qi covered his body, blocking the blood and flesh from splattering onto him.

"You martial artists are too impulsive," the figure in the mirror said, shaking his head.

"You always act on your whims. I've noticed that about you. Whenever you make a breakthrough, you can't help but destroy something to test your new power."

Xueheng cleared his throat but didn't respond.

The figure continued, "Actually, that's not a good habit. While this may seem like a minor issue, it's often the small things that reflect larger problems. Your impulsive actions will one day lead to your downfall."

"I've seen countless martial artists make grave mistakes without thinking, simply because they couldn't suppress their emotions."

"That 'Extreme Martial King' back then was a prime example..."

The figure trailed off, seeming to realize he had said something he shouldn't have, and fell silent.

"Hmm? The Extreme Martial King?" Xueheng asked, intrigued.

The figure waved it off. "Never mind, it's something you'll have to experience for yourself to truly understand. Preaching won't do much good, and I know young people like you aren't too fond of lectures, so let's drop it."

Although Xueheng was curious about the title 'Extreme Martial King', which seemed closely related to martial arts, he could tell that the figure was deliberately steering the conversation away from the topic, indicating that it was either something he didn't want to or couldn't talk about, so he let it go.

"Speaking of which, for someone your age to have achieved such a level in the Old Martial Arts is quite impressive," the figure said, his tone making it sound like a casual compliment.

"Even in the Seventh Metropolitan Area, the heartland of martial arts, there probably aren't many people your age who can match you."

Xueheng asked, "Oh? I thought I was pretty good, but are you saying I'm not that exceptional in the Seventh Metropolitan Area?"

The figure nodded. "In terms of pure martial arts, yes. After all, the Seventh Metropolitan Area is the home of the Extreme Martial King... Let me give you an example. You should know that your Old Martial World has seven major titles, right?"

"The [Martial Saint], [Military Master], [Flying General], [Tyrant], [True Dragon], [Heavenly Seat], and [Tenth Dan]."

"Currently, five of these seven titles are held by people from the Seventh Metropolitan Area."

Xueheng was astonished. "That's so exaggerated!"

The figure chuckled. "It's even more exaggerated than you think. As for the remaining two titles, one of them is the less prestigious [Tenth Dan]. Top martial artists only hold this title once, and since it's more of a formality, they give it up soon after. That's why it's not in the Seventh Metropolitan Area."

"Additionally, the Far East also has three major titles: [Sword Saint], [Fighting God], and [Sun Wheel]. Currently, only the [Sword Saint] remains in the hands of the Far Easterners. The Seventh Metropolitan Area's martial artists crossed the sea and claimed the [Fighting God] and [Sun Wheel] titles."

The figure paused, as if remembering something, and added, "Also, the [Champion] is in the Seventh Metropolitan Area... This special title isn't counted among the seven major titles, but it's more prestigious than the [Tenth Dan]. It can only be obtained before the age of thirty, and some late-blooming top martial artists regret never getting their hands on it due to their age."

"Now you know how advanced martial arts are in the Seventh Metropolitan Area. To be blunt, your Fifth Metropolitan Area is not even a tenth of theirs."

Xueheng clenched his fists and exclaimed, "The world is vast, and it seems I still have a long way to go!"

The figure said offhandedly, "Don't take it too hard. You're not a pure martial artist anyway. Your true path lies in the bestowed ascension. If we include your status as a chosen recipient of the divine blessing, your current strength undoubtedly places you among the top figures of your generation.

"If I'm being honest, you're just wasting your time practicing martial arts. In a few years, I doubt martial arts will have any significance to you at all. It would be better to focus solely on the God-given secret techniques."

"By the way, how long have you been practicing martial arts? You probably started when you were young, right? Ten years?"

Xue Jing thought for a moment. "Hmm... about two and a half months now?"

Upon hearing this, the figure in the mirror fell silent.

A gentle breeze blew by, creating an awkward atmosphere.

After a long silence, the figure in the mirror twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "So... that's how it is."

Another period of silence ensued.

"Which martial arts sect do you follow, and who is your master?"

Xue Jing casually replied, "The Hidden Dragon Style. My master's name is Li Qi."

The figure in the mirror pondered for a moment, then asked, "Hidden Dragon Style? Li Qi? I've never heard of them. Is he some unknown reclusive master?"

"No, I think he's quite famous. Decades ago, he was known as one of the 'Three Jade City Prodigies' in the Inner Ring." Xue Jing explained.

The figure nodded and said, "I see. Let's just pretend I never asked."

Two and a half months... trained in an obscure martial arts sect...

The figure in the mirror glanced at the remains of the Flaming Roar Dragon, its head exploded, and scratched his head.

Just this one strike... Fifth level? Probably Sixth level now.

If he were cultivated by a top sect with top resources, that would be understandable.

But to reach the sixth level in two and a half months, coming from a small and obscure sect...

It was so unbelievable that the figure wondered if Xue Jing was the reincarnation of the Extreme Martial King.

Damn, this kid has some skills!

After another period of silence, the figure in the mirror spoke with difficulty:

"Well, I think you should continue practicing martial arts. It's always good to have more skills, and you do show great potential."

A smile played on Xue Jing's lips as he replied, "Hehe... I understand."

Time passed as they chatted idly.

At noon, Xue Jing stood in a dragon-like posture with his eyes closed, cultivating the Coiling Dragon Technique.

Suddenly, he sensed something and opened his eyes, turning his head to the left.

In the distant forest, a stealthy figure was cautiously making their way towards him.

Xue Jing paid it no mind and continued his cultivation.

It took the figure over ten minutes to cautiously approach him.

Xue Jing then opened his eyes and looked at the figure, asking curiously, "Renia, what are you doing?"

Renia was wearing a black robe with a hood that concealed her entire body, and she was hunched over as she spoke.

She looked around and whispered, "I sneaked out without telling anyone. I came to discuss with you about 'killing the Dragon God'." Don't you understand the seriousness of this? If I had leaked even a bit of information, I would be in big trouble!"

Xue Jing smiled and asked, "So you've made up your mind?"

Renia remained silent for a moment before whispering, "I have no choice."

A priestess is one who serves the gods.

Renia, destined to be a priestess of the Dragon God even before her birth, had no say in her own fate and could only endure it silently.

But now...

Renia looked at Xue Jing.

This man was incredibly strong, stronger than anyone she had ever seen.

Although she still had doubts about whether he could kill the Dragon God, the fact that he dared to suggest it meant he must have a plan.

No matter how slim the chances were of killing the Dragon God, Renia had to consider that this might be her only opportunity in life.

Even if it was just a straw to cling to, she had to grasp it!

Serving the Dragon God? No way!

Her mother, her grandmother... they had all been devoured by that monster at the slightest disagreement.

Life and freedom were the two most important things to any person, and if she had a chance to reclaim them, how could she possibly choose otherwise?

As Renia's eyes grew more determined, Xue Jing smiled and extended his hand, taking hers in a firm grip. "Rest assured, I won't betray your trust. I won't let your determination to forsake your faith and kill a god go to waste."

"Believe in me," Xue Jing said softly.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end