Chapter 428 Malicious

The next day, before dawn.

The wind howled in Jiang Ran’s courtyard.

He had spent all night taking stock of his gains, and now he was in the courtyard practicing before first light.

The Great Vajra Demon-Slaying Fist. Its power was fierce and unparalleled.

Every punch landed with a thunderous BOOM.

The moves, however, were extremely simple, adhering to a core principle: hollow the chest and straighten the back, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows.

This principle was the essence of the Great Vajra Demon-Slaying Fist. Though it didn’t sound particularly profound or flashy,

it was the very root of its power.

After completing a set of the Great Vajra Demon-Slaying Fist, Jiang Ran’s hand-forms changed, and he transitioned into the Kun Word Thirteen Mad Demon Claws.

Back at Sunset Plateau, the Great Master had warned that the Five Phantoms might appear.

But in the end, the remaining four never showed up.

‘I wonder when those four will come seeking revenge,’ he thought.

As for Jiang Ran’s Kun Word Thirteen Mad Demon Claws, it was on a completely different level now.

As his martial prowess grew stronger by the day, his understanding of martial arts had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

Now, in his hands, this technique was even more frenzied and demonic.

When unleashed, the claw strikes were sharp and vicious, far surpassing his previous attempts.

Yet, he had it under firm control. When he channeled his power, it was devastating, but the force originated from his intent, not just his hands. It was more an extension of his will than ever before.

Just as he was getting into the swing of his practice, a voice called out:

“Watch out.”

He didn’t need to turn around to know it was Tang Huayi.

In the next instant, the glint of a saber was right in front of him.

Jiang Ran curled his fingers, and as they met the blade, the faint sound of metal clashing against metal rang out.

Tang Huayi’s wrist trembled. After her strike failed, she retreated two steps.

“Try that without using your Inner Strength!”

Jiang Ran chuckled.

“Beating you without Inner Strength would still be a piece of cake.”

“I don’t believe you!”

Tang Huayi huffed and charged forward with her saber.

As “Li Tianxin,” saber techniques were his signature skill.

But for Tang Huayi, saber techniques were not actually her forte.

She knew a total of three saber styles.

One was called “Seven-Inch Fast Saber.” The blade moved within inches, swift and fierce, with danger hidden within danger.

Another was named “Winds and Rains from Eight Directions Converge on the Central Plains.” This style was direct and majestic. Once unleashed, it was like a continuous, inexhaustible storm. It consisted of thirty-eight strikes, linked head to tail in a ceaseless cycle. Even if one could withstand a single set, it was difficult to endure a second.

This was a perfect example of the principle that a long defense is bound to fail.

The third style was the Great Transformation Divine Saber.

However, the Great Transformation Divine Saber wasn’t a set of techniques, but rather a saber mantra.

It was a manifestation of Inner Strength and saber intent. Once used, it would unleash thousands of streams of blade-qi, and even the most skilled martial artists would be unwilling to face it head-on.

These were the few saber styles she had crammed at the last minute to portray “Li Tianxin.”

After just a few days of practice, she had made her grand debut.

That’s why, since befriending “Li Tianxin,” Jiang Ran had noticed that “his” mastery of the saber was improving by the day.

Her current skill was on a completely different level compared to when they were back in Cangzhou Prefecture.

One must remember that as “Li Tianxin,” Tang Huayi had used “Winds and Rains from Eight Directions Converge on the Central Plains”—a style she had only studied for a few days—to beat Zuo Kuangge, the Red-haired Vajra and second-in-command of Feiyun Stronghold, into a steady retreat.

Her talent for martial arts was thus plain to see.

Now in the courtyard, one was using the Kun Word Thirteen Mad Demon Claws, while the other used “Winds and Rains from Eight Directions Converge on the Central Plains.”

Although neither was using Inner Strength, their Qi Strength still flowed continuously. The saber moved in all directions, and their fight was a furious deadlock.

In the midst of their fierce battle, another voice rang out:

“I thought some die-hard had come back to probe for weaknesses.

“Turns out it’s just you two sparring in the courtyard…”

In a brief lull in the action, the two looked toward the voice. Ruan Yuqing was standing on the wall, Gentle Water Sword in hand, looking down on them.

The next moment, a flash from Tang Huayi’s saber shot toward the sky.

Ruan Yuqing casually flicked her sword to disperse the saber’s glint, then heard Tang Huayi laugh.

“What are you waiting for? Come on down! This Jiang fellow isn’t using his Inner Strength today. Let’s team up and give him a black eye.”

“Really?”

Ruan Yuqing paused for a second, then laughed heartily. “Now this is something I can’t miss.”

She immediately drew her Gentle Water Sword and attacked from above.

Jiang Ran raised his hand in a move from Cold Moon Play, catching Ruan Yuqing’s Gentle Water Sword barehanded. With a pull fueled by his Barbaric Dragon Strength, Ruan Yuqing flew uncontrollably toward him.

Sensing a vicious gust of wind before him, he looked up to see Tang Huayi taking advantage of the opening to strike.

He immediately unleashed the Great Vajra Demon-Slaying Fist.

The wind from his fist was biting cold, seeming to block out the sky.

Tang Huayi was momentarily blown back, unable to open her eyes. Naturally, she didn’t dare to bring her saber down rashly.

At that moment, Jiang Ran felt the Gentle Water Sword in his hand struggling like a trapped dragon trying to break its chains.

He let go, following the sword’s momentum. Ruan Yuqing retreated a few steps, exchanged a look with Tang Huayi, and the two of them pounced on him at the same time.

Jiang Ran let out an amused laugh but didn’t call a stop to the fight.

The three of them, none using Inner Strength, once again became entangled in a brawl.

The fight lasted for the better part of an hour.

Tang Huayi switched freely between her “Seven-Inch Fast Saber” and “Winds and Rains from Eight Directions Converge on the Central Plains.”

Ruan Yuqing, meanwhile, unleashed one style of Swordsmanship after another.

She was an expert from the Shuiyue Sword Sect and naturally had her own deep understanding of the way of the sword.

Although she couldn’t enter the “sword realm” at a young age like Shi Miao with his Danyang Sacrificial Sword, her skills were not to be underestimated.

As he sparred with the two of them, Jiang Ran took the opportunity to review all of his hand-to-hand techniques from start to finish.

The Kun Word Thirteen Mad Demon Claws, the Heaven-Covering Divine Palm, Cold Moon Play, the Great Vajra Demon-Slaying Fist… he used them all in succession.