Chapter 128: You Really Can't Beat a Veteran's Experience

When Chenlong came to his senses, his first reaction was pure indignation.

The Martial Drill Platform was disconnected from reality and allowed combatants to unleash their full strength, but he hadn't even equipped his Divine Armor before Wang Ping killed him in the blink of an eye.

And to think he had been planning to chat a bit before the fight began.

That brat had no martial virtue! Tricking and ambushing an old Grandmaster like me... And I just had to be careless and forget to dodge, actually letting him land the blow.

It was infuriating!

Fuming, Chenlong threw a set of punches in the courtyard. In his mind, he replayed countless ways he could have countered Wang Ping's saber strike.

But the more he analyzed the exchange, the less angry he became.

"What a blade..."

Chenlong recalled that breathtaking, near-lightspeed slash. Even if he had faced it with absolute focus, he still would have suffered heavily. It was not a strike easily blocked.

In a daze, he felt as though he had seen a spiritual monkey wearing a purple-gold crown, golden armor, and cloud-stepping boots. It had brandished a pillar of Divine Treasure Iron, smashing it down toward him with an earth-shattering aura that swept away everything in its path. Even with his cultivation in Divine Intent, his mind had faintly wavered.

"...Incredible."

Chenlong pondered it over and over, reviewing the fight for a long while before reaching a conclusion that left him stunned. "That kid can actually fight me to a draw?"

Even if he hadn't been careless and they had fought a fair battle, the outcome would have been hard to predict.

And that was strictly comparing martial arts. Considering the boy was also an extraordinary person who knew magic, the scales of victory would probably tilt in his favor...

Thinking about it, Chenlong suddenly chuckled.

"He still had a chance of winning in a head-on fight, yet he chose to use any means necessary and launch a sneak attack... Good kid. He really is a born martial arts genius!"

...

On the Martial Drill Platform.

Wang Ping stood in place, panting heavily. Every pore on his body was wide open, dripping with crimson sweat. A dizzying sensation of being completely hollowed out battered his mind.

Soon, however, a gentle breeze swept past and rapidly stripped away those negative effects. He returned to his peak condition, his mind clear and his spirit refreshed. This was another function of the Martial Drill Platform. All combat took place entirely within the Divine Intent; though it simulated reality flawlessly, it was ultimately an illusion.

"That was Chenlong just now, right?"

Wang Ping blinked. His saber strike had been so fast that even he had nearly lost control of it. Not to mention it had been a sneak attack, so he hadn't gotten a good look at his opponent's face.

However, he soon received his answer.

Inside the Great Peace Mortuary, a portrait of Chenlong had distinctly appeared on the scripture scroll of Invoking Deities atop the towering book, marking the spoils of his recent battle.

"It still needs improvement."

Wang Ping reviewed the fight in his mind, constantly analyzing his saber strike. The core concept of the technique had been adjusted and optimized from Chenlong's Peerless Slash.

As for the specific forms, he had integrated his own advantages, such as the Heavenly Demon's Dismemberment, the Mind Monkey's Divine Intent, and his limit-breaking acceleration. The result was the strike that had just slain Chenlong. It was undeniably powerful, but he could only unleash it once. If it failed to kill the enemy, it would be his turn to die.

"I have to solve the endurance problem."

Wang Ping frowned deeply. Before his breakthrough, he was a one-strike wonder. After breaking through, he was still a one-strike wonder. Didn't that make his breakthrough pointless?

However, he only had so much True Astral Qi, and his vital blood and physical strength couldn't be conjured out of thin air. To last longer, he could only reduce the power of his saber technique. Instead of pouring all his strength into a single strike, he would have to divide his limited power across ten or a hundred strikes. But if he did that, it was hard to say whether the outcome would be better or worse.

"The former is suited for duels, while the latter is better for prolonged battles."

"Sigh. Isn't there a way to combine the two? Something that lets me put my full strength into every strike without getting tired, even after swinging a hundred times?"

Right at that moment, an ethereal voice suddenly rang out.

"That is impossible."

Wang Ping turned his head toward the sound, only to see the woman standing right behind him, looking as though she had never left. "Your idea is too greedy. You must understand that human power has its limits."

"I figured..." Wang Ping sighed.

Yet in the next second, the woman abruptly shifted her tone. "But while human power falls short, the immortal dao might not. After all, the path of cultivating immortality is inherently about defying the heavens."

At her words, Wang Ping's eyes immediately lit up.

"Please enlighten me, Master."

The woman continued, "Under the jurisdiction of Fangxian Dao, there is a blessed land named Iron City Mountain. The extraordinary persons there possess a magic spell called Great Strength."

"This spell has a special property. It can grant an extraordinary person infinite divine strength. However, this strength cannot detach from the user's own body. Therefore, rather than calling it infinite divine strength, it is more accurate to say it provides endless stamina. It may be inexhaustible and bottomless, but it cannot change the upper limit of the physical power you can unleash in a single instant."

Wang Ping instantly understood. It was basically infinite firepower.

Following that, he realized exactly what this Great Strength spell would do for him. 'Right now, the last thing I lack is burst power.'

'What I need is endurance.'

'From that perspective, this Great Strength spell suits me perfectly! Cultivators, on the other hand, probably have no use for it.'

After all, based on her description, Great Strength didn't increase a cultivator's magic power, but purely their physical strength. This was a massive boost for a martial artist, but utterly useless for a cultivator. Perhaps only the body cultivators at the very bottom of the Immortal Gate's hierarchy of contempt would bother learning it.

"Thank you for the guidance, Master."

His eyes shining, Wang Ping's mind raced. He immediately asked, "Where exactly is this Iron City Mountain? Is there any hope for this disciple to obtain that spell?"

"Iron City Mountain is in the Jiannan Circuit. It isn't far."

The woman said calmly, "But if you try to take their secret spell, you will inevitably make enemies. While Iron City Mountain is inferior to Book Mountain, they still have Loose Immortals."

"Once you make an enemy of them, they will come for revenge."

"Can a Grandmaster like you fight a group of Loose Immortals?"

"Even if you could win, could your friends? Loose Immortals can fly through the skies and burrow into the earth. If they can't kill you, they will kill your friends. Could you stop them?"

"Moreover, the heavens are unpredictable. There may come a time when you are heavily injured and struggling to survive. What if they kick you while you're down?"

"Have you considered all of this?"

"This..." Wang Ping thought it over. After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously raised his thumb and drew it across his throat. "Then I pull them up by the roots?"

"Always fighting and killing! Where is your sense of propriety?!"

The woman immediately glared at him.

Wang Ping hurriedly lowered his head and apologized. "This disciple was wrong..."

"Did I say you were wrong?"

"...Huh?"

Wang Ping looked up in bewilderment. He realized the woman had leaned in close at some point, revealing a peerlessly beautiful face that could outshine the moon and shame the flowers. Her tone was completely serious.

"First, the martial world isn't just about fighting and killing."

Wang Ping quickly nodded.

"Second, you must at least figure out exactly how many Loose Immortals and disciples the target sect has, as well as their behavioral habits and daily routines."

"That includes the architectural layout of their domain. You need to know which paths will keep you hidden, where to hide if you are discovered, where the operation nodes of their mountain-protecting formation are, and how to sabotage them... And, of course, the most important thing is knowing when all their key figures will be gathered in one place."

Wang Ping let out a confused noise. "...Huh?"

'Isn't there something a bit off here?'

Ignoring Wang Ping's increasingly weird expression, the woman continued, "Third, slipping them poison is always easier than striking directly, and a sneak attack is always safer than a frontal assault."

"Wearing a mask is always safer than showing your face."

"Finally, since enmity has already been forged, you must resolve it once and for all. Make absolutely certain that the grudge never has a chance to trace its way back to you."

'Isn't that still just pulling them up by the roots?'

Thoroughly confused, Wang Ping scratched his head. "Then what does Master mean...?"

"Dead wood cannot be carved."

Seeing his reaction, the woman sighed. "What I mean is that you know absolutely nothing. You only know the name Iron City Mountain. How could you possibly pull them up by the roots like that?"

"Ask Chenlong about it later; he is more familiar with this sort of thing. Additionally, extraordinary persons are skilled at divination. If you drag this out, they might calculate that a disaster is imminent and raise their guard. It will be too late to act then... In short, you can't rush this. Take your time, but you must be quick."

Only then did Wang Ping see the light.

"I see. This disciple was indeed too reckless."

'You really can't beat a veteran's experience.'

"Alright, that will be all for today."

With that, the woman waved her elegant hand. "The Martial Drill Platform is useless to you for now. Come back to continue the trials once you have fully mastered your saber technique."

As her voice faded, the world shattered.

Immediately after, Wang Ping felt the sky spin and the earth revolve as his consciousness plunged into darkness. A moment later, he hazily opened his eyes, finding he had returned to reality.

"Awake?"

Wang Ping turned his head and saw Chenlong sitting right beside him, holding a waterskin. The old man casually handed it over. "Drink some and wake yourself up."

"Thank you, Milord."

Wang Ping took the waterskin and drained it in one gulp.

Following that, he looked at Chenlong and asked sincerely, "Milord, what flaws did you see in my saber strike just now? Is there any room for improvement?"

Chenlong's expression was deadpan. "What saber?"

Wang Ping blinked. "The strike I used to kill you..."

"You must be seeing things."

Chenlong replied without a second of hesitation. "With my martial arts, you think you could kill me in a single strike? Don't joke around. It was probably just someone who looked like me."

Wang Ping fell silent.

After a brief silence, Wang Ping chose to protect Chenlong's pride. He forced a smile. "You make a good point, Milord. Perhaps I really was seeing things."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Chenlong instantly blew into his beard and glared. "You think I'm boasting? I'll summon my Divine Armor back right now, and you can slash me again. We'll see if I can block it!"

'This old man is so troublesome.'

Feeling rather helpless, Wang Ping had no choice but to change the subject. "Right, Milord, do you know of a blessed land called Iron City Mountain? I need some intelligence on it."

"Hm?"

At those words, the previously nonchalant Chenlong suddenly turned serious. "Intelligence? What kind? Normal intelligence, or the First Seat's kind?"

"Uh... the First Seat's kind?" Wang Ping probed.

Hearing this, Chenlong's face darkened. He immediately transmitted his voice via Divine Intent. "Didn't I tell you? Don't learn the First Seat's ways of handling things... wiping out entire clans at the drop of a hat."

"Gathering intelligence is a huge hassle!"

Chenlong complained for a while before taking a brocade pouch from his robes. When he opened it, a dense array of miniature scrolls was neatly arranged inside.

Chenlong sifted through them and finally pulled one out.

"Here, this is the one."

"It's on Iron City Mountain. Just updated half a month ago. The Jiannan Circuit isn't far from here. If you use my Divine Armor to travel, you should be able to get there in a day."

Wang Ping stared in silence.

He had to admit, he was growing more and more fond of the Tribute Hall.