Chapter 590: He Who Conquers Others Is Strong; He Who Conquers Himself Is Mighty

Chapter 590 -585: He Who Conquers Others Is Strong; He Who Conquers Himself Is Mighty

‘Absorb.’

Ning Jiang circulated the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, absorbing the Spiritual Qi surging from the eighth floor. This Linglong Tower would replenish all his expended energy after he passed each floor.

‘Sword Decides Life and Death… At this move’s rate of consumption, ten swords are my limit. After ten swords, even I will be completely exhausted.’

Ning Jiang murmured.

The more powerful the Sword Technique, the more severe the consumption of Spiritual Qi.

This Divine Sword Technique originated from the Myriad Swords Sect of one hundred thousand years ago. Back then, very few disciples of the Myriad Swords Sect could cultivate the Divine Sword Technique to the level of “Sword Decides Life and Death.”

And those Sword Cultivators who had mastered this move would basically be completely drained of energy after executing it just once.

Just like the White-robed Swordsman’s desperate strike—he only had the strength for that single sword.

Sword Decides Life and Death not only judges the life and death of the opponent, but also one’s own. Either the opponent dies and you live, or if the opponent survives, you will be killed due to exhaustion.

But Ning Jiang was different. He cultivated the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, and his Spiritual Qi was incomparably dense.

While the Spiritual Qi within others was but a small stream, Ning Jiang’s was a torrential river. It was precisely because of this dense Spiritual Qi foundation that he could instantly unleash five swords and kill the Five Great Spiritual Bodies.

Soon, Ning Jiang’s energy was completely restored.

‘The eighth floor had the Five Great Spiritual Bodies. I wonder what’s on the Ninth Floor?’

The trials of the Linglong Tower were quite interesting. Ning Jiang’s personality was one that loved all sorts of challenges, so the Linglong Tower was very much to his liking.

He took a step forward and entered the Ninth Floor.

The Ninth Floor was a strange space. The sky was azure blue, and beneath his feet was a great lake. The water was perfectly still, without a single ripple, as smooth as a mirror.

In the center of the lake stood a tall mirror, which reflected Ning Jiang’s figure.

With Ning Jiang’s arrival, the calm surface of the lake suddenly changed. Streams of water gathered and converged, forming eight large words.

Defeating others takes strength; defeating yourself makes you strong!

‘Is this the trial of the Ninth Floor?’

Ning Jiang’s gaze sharpened. With his wisdom, he naturally understood the meaning of those eight words.

Defeating others is merely a matter of being stronger than them, but to defeat oneself is to be a true expert.

As the saying goes: it is easy to defeat others, but difficult to defeat oneself.

The test of this stage was already obvious. It clearly wanted one to overcome the self.

BUZZ…

In the center of the lake, the mirror reflecting Ning Jiang’s figure suddenly bloomed with a blinding, divine radiance. From within this light, a figure slowly materialized. He seemed to emerge from a sacred realm, stepping out of the mirror with a noble air, like a Banished Immortal.

This figure was identical to Ning Jiang!

He was dressed in white robes, his sleeves fluttering. His eyes were profound, carrying a lofty, superior air. No difference could be found in his disposition or expression.

“They look exactly the same!”

Outside the Linglong Tower, the crowd was dumbfounded by the sight.

The two of them looked as if they were cast from the same mold. No one could tell who was real and who was fake.

“To defeat the self… I never thought the trial of the ninth level would be like this. Indeed, defeating others is easy, but defeating oneself is as hard as ascending to the heavens. In this life, a person’s greatest opponent is truly themself.”

The White-robed Swordsman’s eyes narrowed.

“If their strength is identical, this will surely be an earth-shattering battle!”

Everyone looked on with anticipation. Could Ning Jiang defeat himself?

…

“What a trial, Linglong Tower. Making me face myself as an enemy. Good. This is what makes it a challenge, what makes it interesting.”

Ning Jiang laughed heartily, his gaze suddenly changing. Before, it was calm and unassuming, but now it was disdainful of the world, his sharp edge fully revealed.

SHLIIING.

He was the first to strike, unleashing a slash of his sword.

He opened with Sword Suppressing Sun and Moon.

But at the same instant he struck, the replica also unleashed a sword slash, with the exact same motion and the exact same Sword Technique.

BANG.

The two attacks collided in mid-air, and sharp Sword Qi exploded outward in all directions like a tempest. Immediately after, Ning Jiang and the replica simultaneously made the same move; their bodies bent and then sprang forward, shooting toward each other like arrows.

One hundred zhang, fifty zhang, ten zhang…

The distance between them closed rapidly. Finally, when they were face to face, both threw a punch with their left hand at the same time.

ROAR.

A Dragon’s Roar shook the heavens as their fists collided. The sound of flesh and bone meeting in combat echoed far and wide. The lake water beneath them, compressed by this invisible Power, instantly formed a huge, bowl-shaped crater.

They stood there, trading blows with their left hands, clashing for ten straight punches. Every punch was earth-shattering, and the tyrannical Energy fluctuations threw the surroundings into chaos. If anyone had been standing nearby, they would have been severely injured in an instant.

After ten punches, they retreated simultaneously.

A sword thrust out!

“It’s that sword move!”

The pupils of the crowd watching this scene contracted. This was precisely Sword Decides Life and Death.

The two sword gleams collided, identical in power, and canceled each other out.

“The same fighting style, the same level of strength… Under these circumstances, winning is just too difficult.”

“That’s right. It’s more likely they’ll end up mutually wounded, with neither able to defeat the other.”

BOOM!

The space on the Ninth Floor descended into utter chaos. Ning Jiang and his replica attacked with their full strength, both trying to kill the other. Endless Thunderbolts erupted from their bodies, transforming into one Thunder Dragon after another that lunged forward to kill.

Naturally, this move was also a stalemate.

The two condensed the Thunderbolts, forming a Thunder Dharma Body around themselves. Then, like colliding meteorites, they smashed viciously into one another.

BANG.

Rings of thunderous shockwaves spread out in all directions, and the blinding light made it impossible to open one’s eyes.

“Kill.”

Ning Jiang went completely berserk. Every strand of his hair stood on end like a sword. In his eyes was a belief in his own invincibility—no matter what stood before him, it would be utterly annihilated!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Next, they fought from the sky down into the water, and from the water back up to the sky. The violent Energy fluctuations were like a thousand volcanoes erupting at once.

“Strong. He’s too strong. When this Ning Jiang goes berserk, he’s practically invincible. Even if all of us went up against him together, he’d probably slaughter us all.”

Watching everything happening on the Ninth Floor, the crowd was dumbfounded, their mouths dry.

“Great Mixed Cave Technique.”

Two black holes appeared simultaneously, colliding and devouring each other.

“How about this move?”

Ning Jiang threw another punch, his fist enveloped in golden Flames.

“It’s those Flames!”

Gu Weidao’s and Chu Xinghun’s pupils shrank. The impression was a deep one; back then, Ning Jiang had used these very Flames, combined with his Fist Technique, to shatter the defenses of a Quasi-Innate Spiritual Treasure with a single punch.

Soon, cold smirks appeared on the corners of both Gu Weidao’s and Chu Xinghun’s mouths.

They watched as the replica also threw a punch, wreathed in the same golden Flames.

“Heh heh, Ning Jiang, you’re just reaping what you sow. The stronger you are, the harder it is to defeat yourself. Let’s see how you pass the Ninth Floor now,” Chu Xinghun snorted coldly.