Chapter 192: The Strongest Opponent Yet!
Translator: Udong Editor: EbonyFrost/Udong
At the sight of Enlak’s aggressive look, Qian Jin put on a light smile from the corner of his mouth, "After all, a test not only exists in the battlefield. To make a choice is also a kind of challenge. Your words are as sharp as a blade, trying to disrupt my mental peace."
Enlak opened his eyes wide and clapped his hands repeatedly, "You do have a bright mind to have seen through my covert attack. It seems that my words pose no threat to your firm will. So will you insist on the previous choice to challenge the stronger opponents?"
"Can you stop misleading me? You’re still trying to trap me with your words." Qian Jin said in a scornful way, "I’m really stupid to have made a wrong choice the first time. You never said whether this was a multiple choice or a single one, yet I have been taking it as a single choice question. But now, I decide to choose both the two."
"Good!"
Enlak suddenly rose up from his seat and said in such a loud voice that it made the whole fighting practice field tremble with him. Qian Jin frowned hard, and picked his ears for a while, trying to dig out the blade-like voice from his ears.
Qian Jin uttered a long sigh, knowing that he had just passed the first test of this warrior energy house. He wondered what would be waiting for him if he again took the first choice without much thought.
"Now you can decide on the number of opponents." Enlak waved his hands, and five Level 9 Demon Fighters rose up from the crowd.
The five warriors uttered a loud shout at the same time, and their warrior power as Level 9 Demon Fighters spouted out overwhelmingly! Such power was coupled with their desire for the battle which formed a huge and invisible pressure for Qian Jin.
"These are all Level 9 Demon Fighters?" Qian Jin took a deep breath, eyes filled with rising excitement for the coming fight, as he hadn’t really had face-to-face combat with someone of the same level as him ever since he became a Level 9 Demon Fighter. The one and only life-or-death battle happened several days ago on the frontier between him and an Iron-arm Mantis Bloodline Warrior.
"How many of them do you intend to fight against?" Enlak glanced at his five warrior apprentices and said gently, "They are the strongest among all the Level 9 Demon Fighters of Phase 1 here, so you’d better think about it carefully."
"Maybe all of them."
Qian Jin looked at those five Demon Fighters eagerly. Ever since he left the Four Season Valley he hadn’t found a worthy opponent to measure his power. The fight with the severely hurt Nila might be counted as one, but only in the sense of a quick battle.
"All of them?" Enlak asked again, "Are you sure of that?"
"Am I allowed to hurt any of them?" Qian Jin tried to hold down the warrior power that was floating throughout his body, "If necessary, I might hurt all of them."
"Challenge five rivals of the same level as you?" Enlak wore a more shocked look, "You five, fight with him altogether. I’d like to see how strong this bloke is."
Roar!
The five warriors uttered a loud shout altogether, which echoed in the entire fighting practice field and added to the murderous ambiance. They trod on the ground as if they were military honor guards who had conducted such drills multiple times and rushed at Qian Jin from five directions, stirring numerous wood bits to fly in the sky!
Hoot!
The moment the fight started, Qian Jin could only see a fist drawing near to him, of which the warrior power bulge up its entire tissue as well as the flying wooden pieces stirred by the kicking hind leg! What unfolded in front of Qian Jin’s eyes were the kicking legs of those opponents’, coupled with their chopping hands whose palms were put together like huge blades!
These five Level 9 Demon Fighters started their attack at the same time! Their power was even more compelling than Nila! Qian Jin’s eyelids cramped uncontrollably, feeling shocked by the attacking force formed by these five Level 9 Demon Fighters! It seemed to be a painstaking task to get hold of the attack patterns of all these opponents.
Come on! Help me understand my own power! Qian Jin took a deep breath, trying to absorb the power of the coming fists inside him. Among his one hundred and eight warrior reservoirs, fifty were activated through consecutive conglomeration, while the remaining fifty-eight were opened up to exude Level 9 Demon Fighter warrior power without being consecutively awakened.
The fists in front of Qian Jin’s eyes were opened all of a sudden, turning into huge claws which grew a size larger than before. With their fingers becoming as big as carrots, they chopped their discus-like hands towards Qian Jin’s forehead.
Fighting technique! Vigor Flame Bear Angry Palm Strike! It was said that when the Demon Flame Bear was activated, its special beast fighting technique could make the claws grow one size larger. Even if you tried to fight back with your iron armor, it would smash your armor and fracture your bones.
In the face of the chopping of Flame Bear Angry Palm Strike at his forehead, Qian Jin didn’t activate any fighting technique but used his Wind and Cloud Golden Body as a defense. He lifted his arms to withhold the attack of his opponents, through which two violent warrior powers collided with each other, producing a dull crashing sound of muscles and a shattering of the floor. Qian Jin felt slightly burnt on his palms, so he opened his fingers and tried to grasp his opponents’ fists.
"Terrible!"
The five warriors shouted out of fear, and retracted their bulging palms, as their fighting technique was broken through by Qian Jin! They also felt feeble at their feet at the sight of Qian Jin’s grasping palms as they had thought about his suplex moves displayed just now! they realized that their opponent didn’t only possess ferocious warrior strength, his abnormally immense power could make a four-hundred-pound man fall from one side to another.
Generally, what followed the attack of Flame Bear Angry Palm Strike was the Flame Bear Frantic Hit. However, at this moment it couldn’t be activated at all, and the entire attacking tempo was disturbed to the core.
Before these warriors could stand on the ground firm, a huge airflow came in front of them as Qian Jin had approached them. A surprising look flashed onto these warriors’ face, as what Qian Jin was performing was the Fury Lotus Fighting Technique! And the footwork used by Qian Jin was the Fury Lotus Steps, similar to what the little girl had performed during their combat.
Yet the footwork performed by the girl was delicate and graceful, but what Qian Jin displayed was as fast as thunderclaps as if a lotus had suddenly blossomed in its full strength!
A palm was fully opened by around his lower belly, and the palm print which resembled a blossomy lotus was firmly stuck in his belly.
This was not the Fury Lotus Fighting Technique! He had just imitated its look, but his way of energizing the warrior power followed the ordinary paths! As this idea flashed in one of the five warriors’ mind, he bounced up high as he was hit by Qian Jin’s strike on the lower stomach. The strong force made the back of his warrior clothes bulge high, and he couldn’t hold anymore but spat out some blood onto the ground.
The other four warriors performed their boxing moves together. Qian Jin slightly contracted his body and bulged his back, eyes closely locked on the coming attack of these four warriors.
Bang bang bang bang!
With these warriors’ incessant attacks using fists and feet, Qian Jin activated his warrior power of Wind and Cloud Golden Body, by which the coming attack was shielded out by his golden body before it could get close to him.
Returning the power? During the past two years in the Four Season Valley, if he became slow in returning the power even for the slightest moment, he could have been burnt or frozen to death in the strange lake. Thus if the fists and feet were not fast enough, if even the Wind and Cloud Golden Body could be smashed, no injuries would be caused to Qian Jin at all!
It hurts! Qian Jin was hit by one move of the Land Tearing Chop from his opponents, of which the pain could be compared to the punch given by Nila when he was severely hurt. Fighting technique! This was the might of a high-leveled fighting technique! During special occasions, a Level 9 Demon Fighter was able to exert the lethal force of Level 1 Demon Capturer.
Such a fighting technique could exert such great might by these people, and what if it belonged to me? Qian Jin narrowed his eyes which were brimming with cold light. He then rushed at the opponent who was performing Land Tearing Chop, seized the kicking foot with his arms, pulled up this opponent and thew at another opponent.
Bang, bang, bang!
The fight broke out in the blink of an eye and came to an end just as quickly. Qian Jin stood in his original place, kneading his lower belly which was hurting. The lethality of Land Tearing Chop was stronger than he imagined. Though his body wasn’t wounded, the place where he was hit upon did hurt a lot. And the fist from another opponent triggered burning might! The fighting technique formed by warrior power produced a heat as fierce as flames!
Frowning, Qian Jin felt admiration toward his opponents. Was it not for his adaptability to such high temperatures through training in the strange lake, he would have been penetrated by the burning power given by the sudden fist attack, which would reduce his warrior power greatly. Was this the rarely-seen elemental warrior technique? Qian Jin felt it a surprise that this warrior energy house possessed such a technique.
The fighting practice field was set into silence again. The surrounding warriors were looking at the drill field blankly, mouths opened wide.
They were warriors of the same level! It took strength to have defeated one warrior on his own, and even more strength to have beaten two warriors. One versus three? Four? This guy had defeated five warriors, but he didn’t seem a little exhausted except for the light painful look on his face.
Was this a fight between warriors of the same level? Wasn’t this a combat between warriors coming from totally different realms?
Qian Jin stretched his fists and fingers, feeling the circulation of warrior power inside his body, and contemplating on the defensive abilities of the Wind and Cloud Golden Body. It appeared impossible to completely break through the defense of Wind and Cloud Golden Body as an ordinary Level 9 Demon Fighter unless he could make a breakthrough in the rotating speed of warrior power like the Tenth leader and was supported with some special fighting technique.
Or in another case, the defense of Wind and Cloud Golden Body could be broken through when four Level 9 Demon Fighters and more performed their warrior techniques on him.
"Two years of soaking in the strange lake earned me a lot." Qian Jin wore a smile, and his pains were quickly expelled by the recovery power of the Wind and Cloud Golden Body.
"Great body enhancement technique." Enlak nodded his head slightly, wearing an appreciative look, "If it was a life-or-death fight just now, you would still be able to win even if you didn’t use such body enhancement technique."
Qian Jin nodded his head in the face of the curious look of the surrounding warriors. Though he didn’t have many fighting techniques to utilize, he was supported by his mighty Zhanmadao and the fundamental warrior technique acquired at school. Besides, he possessed unorthodox fighting skills honed during the two years agonized stay in Four Season Valley, as well as such techniques as [Innumerable Shadows], [Throwing Knife], [Eighteen Blade Elevating Strikes] and [Kun-fighting Technique] of the Qian Family.
A life-or-death fight was totally different from ordinary combat, as it entailed both sides being able to fully display their abilities regardless of the results.
"Great, you have completed half of your choice." Enlak looked at Qian Jin, "The prizes are the fighting techniques performed by those people defeated by you, such as the Land Tearing Chop which you long for, and the Vigor Flame Bear Angry Palm Strike that you seem interested in too."
"Thanks." Qian Jin bent over slightly and wore an evidently excited face. He had learned much during the past two years in Four Seasons Valley, but he lacked actual fighting techniques. Apart from Wind and Cloud Golden Body, he hadn’t acquired any useful techniques. As said by his old master, there wasn’t any need to learn fighting techniques as the aim of a fight was killing others.
Qian Jin believed that his master said so as an excuse for his lack of suitable fighting techniques with the Wind and Cloud Golden Body. Or else, why did he urge him to learn some auxiliary fighting techniques in a war academy on Qian Jin’s departure of Four Seasons Valley?
The might of Land Tearing Chop could match the bloodline fighting technique of the Iron-arm Mantis Bloodline Warrior, so if Qian Jin could integrate them, his power would be intensified!
And if he could integrate Vigor Flame Bear Angry Palm Strike with his Wind and Cloud Golden Body palm, it might be...
Qian Jin wore a somewhat self-mocking look regarding what he was thinking about. Every fighting technique was the meticulous conclusion of warriors of numerous generations, thus the slightest amendment to it would be extremely difficult, let alone the integration of two fighting techniques. If it was that easy to make such integration, all war academies would have long labored away at this task and it wouldn’t be that hard for them to launch an improved version of some existing fighting techniques on a yearly basis.
A pair of bare feet came upon on the fragmented wooden floor. Qian Jin raised his head was shocked at the sight of this opponent in front of his eyes...
"Isn’t this a mirror?" Qian Jin twinkled his eyes hard, feeling it unbelievable that there was some who looked identical to him in this world, "What’s your name?"
"Qian Jin."
"What?" Qian Jin looked at this person with a blank look. Was he also called Qian Jin? And if he was Qian Jin, who am I?
"He is also called Qian Jin, or you can call him Qian Jin Number 2." Enlak slightly raised his hand and introduced this opponent to Qian Jin, "Who is the toughest one to defeat in this world? You may have confidence in defeating someone who is stronger than you. But can you defeat yourself, or to say, someone one who is the same as you?"
"He is me?" Qian Jin circled around Qian Jin Number 2 and nodded his head. The endless world was filled with things eccentric and people as strange as Blake, Eulalia, and Adams. Was it anything strange to encounter someone who was identical to himself?
"You can ask me the question as long as you can defeat him." Enlak pulled down his arms lightly, "Get started."
Two Qian Jins rushed at each other with the same gesture. The moment Qian Jin’s fist attacked on his opponent, he himself was also hit on his chest.
Bang! With the crash of his warrior power and chest, Qian Jin felt for the first time that his Wind and Cloud Golden Body was smashed as he felt biting pains on his chest. He felt lucky to have concentrated fully on controlling the successive rotation of his warrior power before they hit each other. If he was distracted even by the slightest, he would have fallen behind his opponent who was fully concentrated. He felt shocked by his opponent’s deed which was much like him.
As the Wind and Cloud Golden Body was fully energized, the two touched upon the ground on their toenails, pulled themselves into a full-bow shape, swung their bodies and plunged at each other
Scramble for the initiative! The infusing of Wind and Cloud Warrior Power formed a special circulation, with which Qian Jin’s arms were swinging in the air, making a sizzling sound as if a battle blade was cutting papers.
[Dividing Metal Multi-Chops!]
Qian Jin Number 2 made the similar cutting sound, and he even had performed identical moves. His arms and feet swiftly moved, making a series of crashing sound.
The iron-like and wood-like crashing sound rang in the hall at a very fast speed. These two people performed Dividing Metal Multi-Chops with their arms and legs at the same time, and each time they collided with each other, they would add more crevices to the wooden floor whose fracturing sound was as if more than a dozen of people were fighting against each other using sharpened weapons.
[Dividing Metal Multi-Chops] VS [Dividing Metal Multi-Chops]!
Qian Jin had eventually acknowledged that this opponent was he himself! This Dividing Metal Multi-Chops concerned not only the arms; it could force the legs to perform the cutting attack in the look of the blade as well. The Tenth leader hadn’t achieved that as he was distracted. There were few people open to this secret in this world, but this Qian Jin Number 2 was exploiting it with ease.
The watching warriors surrounding the fighting practice field were stupefied. What was unfolding in front of their eyes was a fight of warring instinct as both sides took the same fighting strategies and carried out intensive and swift attacks which left people with no time to react.
Never for a moment had Qian Jin felt so tired and so strange. Every time he took a defensive or an offensive move, the opponent would do the same. He couldn’t even take any advantage over the exploding rotation speed of warrior power. On top of that, he had to keep fully concentrated all the time! Dare he be distracted for even a second, he would be completely beaten down by this opponent.
Face-to-face combat and exchange of injuries! The long-time explosion of warrior power which took no time to refresh the power! The watching warriors clenched their fists, shocked by the fighting two sides: were they really Level 9 Demon Fighters?
Ten minutes, second minutes, thirty minutes...
Wooden bits flew, torn clothes fluttered, and crimson blood splattered here and there on the fighting practice field.
Qian Jin got hurt on his nose, mouth, chest, and arms. His sweat mixed with blood flew down onto the ground, as he was breathing harshly. Looking at the opponent Qian Jin Number 2 who also got seriously hurt, Qian Jin felt an aching in his head.
Distorted and painstaking! Qian Jin would rather challenge Nila than fight against himself which was more than weird! This opponent was as precise as a gear machine! Qian Jin had been so alert that he felt as if his head was going to split, but his rival didn’t look like exhausted at all!
"Is this fighting with myself?" Qian Jin spat some saliva mixed with blood, "It is more like fighting with another me who never feels tired. How could I keep highly concentrated for a long time?"
Enlak nodded his head slightly, "You have got the point! He is never tired, so it’s you who has been at a disadvantage from the very beginning."
"I don’t believe that this guy is totally like me!" Qian Jin readjusted his one hundred and eight warrior reservoirs and conglomerated his pushing force swiftly!
He had made a progress! The increasing speed of the warrior reservoirs was increased by more than one time! It took him two minutes to accomplish activating the warrior reservoirs when he was sitting meditating, but now it had only spent one minute! He had reduced the rotation time by a half when he was feeling desperately alarmed in a fight that only allowed for success!
A sense of loftiness rose up in Qian Jin. What if he was defeated? It was already a great progress to have entered the Enlak’s Warrior Energy House! What if he hadn’t acquired any fighting technique? At least he had succeeded in imitating the moving way of the Angry Lotus Fighting Technique.