Chapter 369: Unyielding Spirit, Ye Honghui, and the Epic Battle Begins, Xue Jing's Fist (4K)

Chapter 369: Unyielding Spirit, Ye Honghui, and the Epic Battle Begins, Xue Jing's Fist (4K)



At the 46,001st floor of the Ji Wu Ascension Palace, a spacious dojo hosted two young men sitting face-to-face, with a tea table between them.

One of the young men, appearing slightly older with short hair, reached for the teacup in front of him. His movement was casual, but his hand was remarkably steady as he brought the cup to his lips without a single ripple on the tea's surface, as if it were frozen in place.

"Brother Ye, why did you agree to that challenge from Xue Jing?" the older-looking youth asked after taking a sip of tea and savoring its aftertaste.

Ye Honghui, with a teapot in hand, refilled his companion's cup. His body was unusually thin, devoid of the robust physique often associated with martial artists. Clad in a worn-out white martial arts uniform, his chest exposed the shape of his ribcage, resembling someone suffering from severe malnutrition. His exposed hands, feet, head, and neck were almost skeletal, with only a healthy complexion and bright eyes preventing him from appearing like an anorexic patient.

"Challenges from youngsters like him offer no benefits if you win, and it's only natural. But if you lose, you'll become a stepping stone for their reputation... There's no need to fight," the short-haired youth said, caressing the teacup with one hand.

"Do you think I'll lose, Fan Gu?" Ye Honghui asked.

His voice, unlike his desiccated appearance, was surprisingly clear and pleasant.

Fan Gu paused for a moment before replying, "I certainly don't think you'll lose, but there's always a chance... I've heard some rumors recently."

"Those who took the joint exam with Xue Jing almost worship him as a god... They say he even defeated Li Sui Sui."

Ye Honghui took a small sip of tea and calmly said, "I know more than you think."

"Not only did he defeat Li Sui Sui... He also killed the 'Lion's Eye' of Zhi Ge."

Fan Gu's eyebrows furrowed, "The Secondary Limit-Breaker?"

Ye Honghui nodded.

Fan Gu tapped his knee, "How did he manage that? Was it an ambush or a group attack?"

"He faced him head-on and killed him."

"Li Sui Sui's report clearly described the process... He was part of the group that ambushed 'Lion's Eye,' but according to him, he barely contributed. It was mostly Xue Jing who took care of it."

Fan Gu's expression turned solemn, "He faced and killed a Secondary Limit-Breaker head-on..."

Ye Honghui continued, "This person seems to be a special recipient of divine gifts, possessing at least five or six mysterious divine secret techniques."

"Brother Ye, doesn't that put you in a difficult position now?"

Ye Honghui squeezed the teacup in his hand, "When in the martial world, one must follow its rules."

"The Secret Martial Society wants him dead, but he has successfully emulated that person and formed a Golden Body. Under the rules of respecting the divine, the Secret Martial Society can no longer openly target him. The Ji Wu Ascension Palace is one of the few places where he can be fought according to the rules."

"One-third of the 900-layer owners, including myself, have varying degrees of connection with the Secret Martial Society. We've all received orders to take down Xue Jing here."

"Others might refuse, but I can't. The Secret Martial Society helped me perfect the 'Jade Bone Skill,' allowing me to avoid the path of evil like my predecessors. This time, I must give it my all."

Hearing this, Fan Gu frowned, "In a life-or-death battle, we martial artists are at a disadvantage against recipients of divine gifts. Xue Jing possesses the ability to kill a Secondary Limit-Breaker. This time, the odds are not in your favor."

"Not necessarily," Ye Honghui said, his thin fingers caressing the teacup.

"The Ji Wu Ascension Palace is a sacred place for martial artists. No one can use any means beyond their physical bodies here, or they will be expelled by Xuan Ling."

"And if we only consider pure martial arts techniques... My cultivated body can perfectly counter his."

...

Xue Jing, with strands of crimson light flowing through his hair as if it could scorch anyone, walked in his Flame-Eyed form on the corridor of the 46,001st floor of the Ji Wu Ascension Palace.

"Xuan Ling, don't you have anything to say?" Xue Jing suddenly asked in the silence.

A pleasant female voice responded, "What do you want me to say?"

Xue Jing thought for a moment, "In your opinion, does my current state also fall under the category of 'martial arts'?"

He was well aware of the rules of the Ji Wu Ascension Palace, where only martial arts, symbolizing the extreme utilization of one's physical body, were permitted.

However, after witnessing his unconventional skill, True Crimson, Xuan Ling had remained silent, implicitly allowing its use.

This puzzled Xue Jing... He had already prepared himself for Xuan Ling to forbid the use of True Crimson.

Although he was still struggling to match the upper-level main-level figures in his regular state, Xue Jing was prepared to use his [Twin-born] ability, which might give him a chance to win.

Of course, he was also ready to argue his case, such as claiming that [True Crimson] was his explosive martial arts technique and not some strange ability...

Unexpectedly, Xuan Ling didn't question him at all and directly accepted his ability to use it.

"The so-called 'martial arts' is a means for humans to explore and unleash their ultimate potential, a power that belongs solely to humans," Xuan Ling responded.

"In other words, as long as it is a power that originates from your own flesh and is unique to you, it is not subject to the rules of the Extreme Martial Ascension Palace."

"There are many prodigies in this world besides you. Some have extraordinary mental abilities, far surpassing others in their ability to interfere with their own reality. They can transform ordinary killing techniques into wonders. Others are born with 'Flesh Dragon Elephant,' possessing an extremely exaggerated upper limit of strength. Without proper control, they might accidentally crush their own fists with a single punch. After mastering their martial arts, their attacking power alone can bridge the gap between two major realms..."

"These people, like you at this moment, seem 'abnormal' compared to ordinary individuals. However, their powers are innate, originating from their own flesh, not external advantages. How could I possibly disallow them from using their own strengths?"

Xue Jing nodded in understanding, "So that's how it is."

In other words, in Xuan Ling's eyes, the power of [True Crimson] also belonged to Xue Jing himself...

Xue Jing's eyes narrowed in thought.

According to the description on the panel, [True Crimson] was a temporary sacrifice of his various extraordinary skills to the 'True Crimson Master' in exchange for an enhancement of his flesh and blood power. No matter how you look at it, it didn't seem like a power that belonged to him, but rather an 'external' one.

Was the panel description incorrect... or was the level of the panel too high for Xuan Ling to see through?

Or perhaps...

As Xue Jing pondered, he gradually approached the arena in front of him.

Unlike the previous 46,000 layers, this layer had only one massive arena located at the center, instead of hundreds of arenas scattered around.

The remaining space surrounding the arena was encircled by thousands of spectator seats.

When a layer master challenge was initiated in the Extreme Martial Ascension Palace, lower-level individuals were allowed to teleport up to watch.

However, the seats were expensive, a significant source of revenue for the Extreme Martial Ascension Palace.

Moreover, the seats were limited, so it was a race against time. Every time there was a popular layer master challenge, it was like competing for tickets to a celebrity concert. Even if you were punctual, the page would refresh, and the tickets would be sold out.

As Xue Jing approached, the noise gradually grew louder, and the seats were already filled with spectators.

"Wow, Xue Teacher is already using his dual blades with bloodshot eyes," He Han said, holding a bucket of popcorn and stuffing it into his mouth in surprise.

"Can you stop embarrassing yourself? Do you think this is a movie?" Ye Jingqiu, sitting beside him, covered her face, feeling embarrassed by the stares directed at He Han.

It was rare for her to unleash her combat prowess, and she managed to secure three tickets for Xue Teacher's match. Besides keeping one for herself, she generously gave the other two to her classmates. After a round of rock-paper-scissors and other selection methods, it turned out that He Han, this pitiful fellow, got one of the tickets.

Most of the spectators were renowned martial artists... How could this person casually bring a bucket of popcorn into the arena?

"He's already buffed up before even entering the stage. It seems like Xue Teacher's opponent today is in for some bad luck... By the way, who is his opponent?" He Han asked while chewing on his popcorn.

"It's 'Jade Skull' Ye Honghui," Zhao Longtu, sitting next to him, replied with his arms crossed.

The scar on the corner of his eye had faded significantly compared to the past, and his fierce appearance had softened, now exuding a gentle aura reminiscent of his childhood as a handsome young boy.

"He once placed in the top three of the 'Heavenly Position' small title competition. I've watched his matches," Zhao Longtu added.

"So, is this guy strong?" He Han asked.

Zhao Longtu thought for a moment before replying, "Yes, he's very strong... mainly because of the unique martial art he practices, called the 'Jade Bone Skill.'"

"You should have heard of it. In ancient legends, it's the ultimate physical realm of martial artists—the Five Treasures of the Body. 'Flesh Dragon Elephant,' 'Iron Tree Entwined Tendons,' 'Skin Blooming Jade,' 'Jade Bone Unyielding,' and 'Blood Melting Gold.'"

"It's said that the Jade Bone Skill practiced by Ye Honghui aims to cultivate one of the Five Treasures, 'Jade Bone Unyielding'... Ah, here he comes."

Zhao Longtu pointed towards the large arena.

Unlike Xue Jing, who slowly walked step by step onto the arena, Ye Honghui directly teleported onto it, appearing out of thin air within a layer of orange-yellow light that enveloped his figure.

His arrival caused a stir among the crowd.

Many in the audience had never seen him before, and no one expected him to look like this.

His emaciated frame resembled a skeleton, his skin stretched taut over bones. Only his bright eyes and rosy complexion prevented him from looking like an immortal being from another world.

Sch Jing took his place on the stage, facing Ye Honghui, and their gazes locked.

"Buzz—"

Everyone in the venue suddenly felt the surroundings tremble violently. The air, the floor... everything in their field of vision shook intensely.

"An earthquake? A realm quake?"

Someone frowned slightly, patted their head, and felt a bit dizzy.

"The Extreme Martial Ascension Palace is protected by the SC force field, so it won't be affected by earthquakes or realm quakes..."

"It's not a realm quake or an earthquake, but our hearts are trembling."

"This is the aftermath of a clash of spiritual auras... and it's not intentional. It's like when two atoms approach each other, their charges repel each other, and the auras these two individuals unconsciously emit collide and radiate, affecting our consciousness!"

"I've only seen this kind of scene in fighting manga before."

On the stage, Sch Jing's eyes flickered slightly.

Unlike ordinary 'Ascenders', he was favored by Xuan Ling, allowing him to communicate with Xuan Ling in ways that others couldn't. As a result, he had already obtained a lot of information about Ye Honghui.

The 'Jade Bone Skill' that Ye Honghui cultivated was a modified version of the ancient martial art 'White Bone Profound Skill'.

And the 'White Bone Profound Skill' was a thoroughly evil art.

It was created by ancient martial artists in pursuit of one of the Five States of the Divine Body, the 'Jade Bone Unchanging'. The creator, in their quest to achieve this state, gradually became extreme during the creation of the skill.

They channeled all the essence of the human body into the bones, causing the essence of the skin, muscles, and blood to be absorbed into the bones, thus creating the 'White Bone Profound'.

Practitioners of this skill would eventually reduce their bodies to a mere white skeleton, draining all the nutrients from the rest of their body.

Then... they would begin to plunder others' bodies, wearing their skin and flesh, continuing to drain nutrients to nourish the white bones, ultimately achieving an indestructible and uninjurable 'Unchanging Bone'.

It was a cannibalistic evil skill.

However, the modified 'Jade Bone Skill' was not as extreme. While it still focused on the bones and followed the old path of absorbing the essence of other body parts to nourish the jade bones, it was relatively more moderate and peaceful. It didn't drain the practitioner's flesh and blood but instead continuously provided nutrients to the body, filling the void left by the absorption of the white bones.

Although it still resulted in a skeletal appearance, at least it didn't involve cannibalism.

Sch Jing was very interested in this skill...

Despite its shortcomings, it was indeed an excellent method for cultivating bones.

"What an outstanding person."

Ye Honghui spoke, his voice clear and pleasant, contrasting his appearance.

"I've seen a lot of your information and watched the competition recordings... Your 'All-Encompassing Flow' seems to be based on the 'Cyclic Universe Thousand Mysteries', but there are subtle differences that are truly admirable."

"To master such a powerful martial art is already rare in this world, but you managed to retain your own thoughts while learning it, instead of blindly following the footsteps of your predecessors. Your willpower is even more impressive than your talent."

"It's a pity... that I have to stop someone like you here."

"It's truly a shame."

As Ye Honghui spoke, he took a half-step back with his left foot and extended his right hand, making a 'please' gesture.

Sch Jing smiled at this, about to speak, but suddenly paused.

A tangible killing intent emanated from Ye Honghui.

Sch Jing almost hallucinated, seeing black malevolent spirits materialize and roar as they rushed towards him.

This sight alone was enough to terrify any ordinary martial artist whose spiritual power hadn't broken through their limits.

It was no longer a matter of courage or determination but an instinctive surrender of the flesh when faced with an absolutely unbeatable evil presence.

"So that's how it is."

Sch Jing nodded, understanding why Ye Honghui had accepted his challenge.

He looked up at the countdown above.

[3]



[2]



[1]



A prompt sounded, signaling the start of the match.

The next moment—

"Bang—!!!"

The two disappeared from their original positions, reappearing in close combat. Sch Jing's fist landed on Ye Honghui's forehead.

A visible ring of wind pressure spread out, causing ripples and waves in the semi-transparent protective shield formed by the SC force field.

"Crack—"

With a crisp sound, Sch Jing's fist cracked, and blood splattered as the bone beneath it clearly showed a crack.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end