Chapter 204: Thunder Breaking Wall

Such strength was not something a Mortal could usually produce. And yet, Cao Yun knew that this wasn't the peak of his strength. He had only used 'Dragon's Heart' and not 'The Son of Heaven's Cavalry'. As of now, he still wasn't sure he could fully control this technique, but he knew that it wielded even more destructive power. Since it was able to condense everything at the tip of his spear, the same strength would be applied all in the exact same direction, intensifying the result.

Moreover, he had only used physical strength, amplified with his internal Qi yes, but he had not used his Qi outside of his body. However, after witnessing Zhi Yin's fight, Cao Yun was convinced that he could use the same trick as her. Unable to manifest his Qi, he had already opened enough acupoints to still be able to project it outside of his body. And he didn't need to control it per se. Just by projecting his Qi while using his martial art, the energy would be naturally guided by the wind pressure toward his target.

Right now, Cao Yun was not sure of the actual strength he could generate through the use of external Qi. For a moment, he had the idea of testing it out, but he went back on this. Seeing Chief Elder Tingyu's face, he had already shocked him too much for one day.

Since Cao Yun was the direct disciple of Chief Elder Baishen, the old man did not try to take him under his wing. But it didn't stop him from boasting about his blacksmith pavilion. Physical strength was very important for a blacksmith. And the mere fact that Cao Yun had been able to dent a piece of Ageless Marble bore witness to his strength. Now that he had this more accurate measurement, Chief Elder Tingyu wanted to see Cao Yun in a forge.

Unfortunately for the old man, Cao Yun had no such desire. Right now, he had already enough occupations and cultivations to keep him busy all day long. Learning a bit of blacksmithing could be amusing, but he had no real interest in this occupation. Still, he didn't want to be rude and listened to the chief elder praise his own occupation for several hours. Apparently, once he was talking about blacksmithing, he didn't seem to be able to stop.

Chief Elder Tingyu made Cao Yun visit the entire blacksmith pavilion. As they walked, he explained how everyone had the wrong idea about his occupation. Blacksmiths were not just mindless brutes striking metals. The talk fell a bit flat as they only walked by half-naked men wielding huge hammers to shape the form of various metals.

Thankfully for Cao Yun, they ended up meeting Ren Chao who was working on some weapon.

Chief Elder Tingyu and Ren Chao started to talk together and they got so passionate that they forgot Cao Yun. Using this as an opportunity, he fled from the blacksmith pavilion as politely as he could, too afraid to be caught up in another discussion about the various types of metal.

-

When Cao Yun returned to his room, he met with Kang Cai who told him about Yun Ping. The young man found that funny that his opponent had deemed necessary to warn him. At first, he had seemed very antagonistic. But now he had showed true sportsmanship. However, Cao Yun had already accounted for this possibility so he wasn't taken aback. This just showed that Yun Ping was a very hard-working cultivator. It only increased the respect Cao Yun had for the man.

In the following days, the news of this duel spread through the entire sect. Cao Yun spent his time working on his martial arts. But he had no help from Chief Elder Baishen who had been reprimanded for her inability to respect a deadline. And now she had to take care of the preparations for the duels. Life was tough for the chief elders.

-

The day of the duels quickly came. As the day went by, more and more spectators crowded the vicinity of the duel platform. Once again, the duels had been programmed so that the most interesting fights were at the end of the day. Obviously, everyone was waiting for Cao Yun and Yun Ping's fight. Sadly for Yun Ping, people were more talkative about Cao Yun's achievements. It was a good thing he wasn't already here.

Both men had been training intensely. And before the fight, they were both working on their state of mind to be in the best shape possible for the fight.

Finally, Chief Elder Baishen announced the last fight of the day, Cao Yun versus Yun Ping.

As the two men had arrived a few minutes before the announcement, they walked on stage at the same time and faced each other. It turned out that they were both wielding spears.

Cao Yun thought that his spear was already long but Yun Ping's weapon was out of the ordinary. His spear was more than twelve chi long, twice as long as Yun Ping was tall. Furthermore, its girth was way wider as well. Even Yun Ping's big hands were barely able to completely grab it. In fact, it looked more like a small tree than a spear. But the tip of the weapon showed that it was in fact a spear.

"Chen Guo. This is 'Eternal Rampart'. I'll warn you first, my spear has been forged by blacksmiths of the Subei Province. They don't care about appearance or elegance. They only care about its ability to kill our enemies. Tens of thousands of demons and demonic beasts have been fell by 'Eternal Rampart'. Unless you are a late Mortal Warrior, you have no chance to go through its defense." Yun Ping struck the platform with his spear and the platform itself shook. "This is a 4-star Human weapon."

Yun Ping was incredibly proud of his weapon because he came from a poor province. This was the only treasure of his family. And yet his father had gifted it to him without any regret after witnessing his strength. His father was a general in the Subei Province's army. There were better generals than him but he had showed his worth on the battlefield and earned his noblesse after being born in a commoner family.

Seeing that Yun Ping was sincere to a fault by even introducing his own weapon, Cao Yun followed suit.

"Senior Yun Ping. This is 'Nine Chi Black Dragon Spear'. If your defense is impenetrable, my attacks are swift and destructive."

Smiles on their faces, the two young men assumed their fighting positions. Cao Yun was of course using 'Azure Dragon's Seven Piercing Stars' and Yun Ping's martial art was 'Thunder Breaking Wall'.

"Let the fight begin!" Chief Elder Baishen officially launched the duel.

Both men first observed each other for a few breaths. Cao Yun was in the 'The Moon Grounds the Sun' position while Yun Ping had preferred the 'Silent Thunder' position. The first one to move was Cao Yun.

Using his position, his movements got enhanced and he suddenly appeared by Yun Ping's side. 'The Pillar Piercing the Sky'. His stabbing motion was sent directly toward his opponent's face. But it did not connect. All of a sudden, Yun Ping's massive spear rotated and struck the tip of 'Nine Chi Black Dragon Spear'. The blow was so intense that Cao Yun felt as though his hands were going to be split apart. Only by sending his Qi in them did he preserve his flesh. 'Falling Mountain'.

'Flashing Thunder'. Just after blocking with that immense strength, Yun Ping's spear stabbed straight toward Cao Yun. The weapon was way faster than what Cao Yun had imagined. In fact, it was so fast that some lightning sparks erupted from the tip of the spear when it moved. But thankfully, it still wasn't as fast as Cao Yun's reflexes. With a great agility, Cao Yun took his distance from his opponent. And only after being in a secure spot did he realize that Yun Ping had not even moved his legs.

A smile on his face, Yun Ping had felt the strength of Cao Yun's attack. Since he hadn't used 'Dragon's Heart' in the attack, it wasn't exceptional but it was still in the upper limit of the 8th-grade Mortal stage.

"Nice technique." Yun Ping had a huge smile on his face while praising his opponent.

Yun Ping was excited after seeing the movement and strength of Cao Yun. Although they were still gauging each other, Yun Ping knew right away that his reputation was true. And it didn't annoy him at all. Instead, he was overjoyed. He could both display all of his techniques to impress the crowd and show the result of his training. But he could also fight to his heart's content with a worthy fighter, whom he knew to be rather friendly thanks to his failed taunting.

"Nice defense."

Cao Yun was also enjoying the fight. As of now, he had not fought against such a talented spear wielder. But that wasn't all. Cao Yun's 'Azure Dragon's Seven Piercing Stars' was mainly based around wind. On the other hand, Yun Ping's 'Thunder Breaking Wall' was clearly based around thunder, and probably the Metal element as well. It turned out that wind and thunder were two variations from the Wood element. Their martial arts were very close but they seemed to focus on very different things. Cao Yun's was emphasizing speed and agility while Yun Ping's was dealing in immovable defense and raw power.

Moreover, Cao Yun was interested in his opponent's technique because he had still 'Three Storms' in head, the technique from his family. This sword art was using both thunder and wind from the Wood element. It had been more than a year since he had last used this martial art. Because it had been invented by his deceased great-grandfather, Cao Yun didn't want to let it die. However, he wasn't willing to risk exposing it. Seeing someone use a technique linked to thunder could give him some ideas, especially with a weapon he now had a good grasp of.

Moving around the platform, Cao Yun sent more than two dozens 'Dragon's Twin Horns' while performing 'Crafty Harassment'. But Yun Ping did not move at all. 'Impassable Fortress'. All of Yun Ping's muscles bulged and became as hard as metal. The 'Dragon's Twin Horns' collided with his body and had no effect at all, except tearing some of his clothes, showing Yun Ping's musculature. Only once did he move, to stop an attack directing at his face. With a very short move, he simply raised the tip of his spear. When the attack collided with his weapon, neither his arms nor his hands moved at all.

Cao Yun was quite happy with his opponent. Since he had warned him about his real cultivation, Cao Yun knew that Yun Ping would show sportsmanship in the duel and it was good to see. He could have used Qi Manifestation right away and try to win the fight with brute force. Of course, Cao Yun was also ready for that. But because he had not, they could both enjoy this part of the duel, slowly building up momentum while testing each other.

"Are you done testing me?"

Yun Ping could sense that those were just probing strikes. And now he was ready to attack. Once more, Cao Yun faced Yun Ping.

"I am. Your cultivation is truly impressive. None of my attacks went through your Wei Qi."

No matter how much Yun Ping was trying to reign in his Wei Qi, it was still denser than a Mortal's natural protection. And coupled with his use of martial arts, it was indeed difficult for Cao Yun's attacks to pass through. For the crowd, it showed that Yun Ping was a powerful 9th-grade Mortal, but the chief elders had seen through his cultivation a long time ago.

"Unless you break my defense, you have no way of winning. But even if you could..."

Yun Ping changed his stance. Although he had been defending until now, his new stance was ready for an attack. His legs had not moved, just his upper body. 'Impaling Lightning'. Stabbing toward his opponent, two lighting bolts got released from the tip of 'Eternal Rampart'. They crisscrossed the air while pouncing on Cao Yun. Immediately he realized that his speed would not be enough to dodge. 'Dragon's Chest'! Condensing his Qi, with the intent of the Drop of Wrath all over his body, Cao Yun received the two lightning bolts. Unlike Yun Ping, his body was pushed by each strike, but it didn't damage Cao Yun.

However, each time, he felt that this lightning was trying to infiltrate his body. Thankfully, his Qi was enough to block them. Yet, he felt a terrible pain through his nerves as his muscles tensed with the electricity coursing through them. Cao Yun could clearly see that Yun Ping had controlled his attack. If he had been serious, even 'Dragon's Chest' couldn't have protected him.

For a few minutes, both men exchanged many moves, increasing steadily the intensity bit by bit.

After more than a hundred moves exchanged, they both saw something in each other's eyes. The real fight was about to begin.

'Dragon's Heart'.

Cao Yun increased his physical strength twofold. 'The Moon Grounds the Sun'. As he leapt through the air, Cao Yun's feet shook the platform. All of a sudden, he got two times faster and surprised Yun Ping. Even if he had not been using his heavy spear, Yun Ping realized that he could not match his opponent's speed.

Right then, he decided to use his strongest advantage. 'Impassable Fortress'. Grey energy condensed around Yun Ping and rose from his back. Then, an iron fort got erected all around him. Yun Ping had clearly used Qi Manifestation.

The crowd became excited like crazy. Yun Ping had broken through to 1st-grade Mortal Warrior. And seeing Cao Yun's lack of reaction, he had known all along. Then, they realized that he wasn't stopping his attack at all. For the first time in the duel, even Yun Ping was surprised. Cao Yun knew his cultivation and yet he was going to attack his defense anyway?

With his eightfold increase in strength, Cao Yun added the intent of the Drop of Wrath and unleashed another 'The Pillar Piercing the Sky'. The iron fort around Yun Ping was still very ethereal but it was condensed Qi and was unfathomably sturdy. However, when the spear stabbed through the air, a shockwave shook the entire square. The tip of 'Nine Chi Black Dragon Spear' pierced through the wall of the fort. Despite Cao Yun's strength, it didn't go all the way through though. But cracks appeared and spread through the entire wall.

In the end, the entire wall crumbled and collapsed. Everyone was silent...